Chapter 202 - 189: White Bear Town’s First Batch of Extraordinary Plants

Chapter 202: Chapter 189: White Bear Town’s First Batch of Extraordinary Plants

"What preparations do we need to make?"

Sandoor was ready to write down the Lord Baron’s orders.

"First, we need to find enough manpower for planting,"

Vili said to Sandoor.

This was a critical issue. In any agricultural endeavor, human resources were always the top priority.

So, the first step was to recruit enough people.

"The cultivation of Extraordinary Plants is almost unaffected by external environmental factors. Plants like the Bursting Fruit and Fog Fruit, for instance, aren’t closely tied to outside temperature or humidity, only slightly to the soil. They mature about two or three times a year."

Vili needed to explain these details to Sandoor. "So, if we start planting immediately, we just need to temporarily hire farmers who are idle during the off-season. As for the future, we will need to expand our recruitment efforts."

"As for how to recruit them, I’ll need you to put some thought into it."

Vili didn’t go into specifics. With Sandoor’s ability, he was confident these concrete problems would be solved perfectly.

Sandoor acknowledged with a nod, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

Although White Bear Town had some agriculture, its primary development and resource accumulation came from the fishing industry. Expanding the agricultural workforce couldn’t come at the cost of forcing the fishing population into farming; that would be putting the cart before the horse.

Thus, there were only two ways to expand the planting workforce.

One was to lease farmers from other Lords, and the other was to recruit vagrants.

Both methods were rather complex.

The former required considering leasing fees and renewal issues, while the latter involved problems of settlement and public order.

For Sandoor, this was a considerable challenge.

But since it was an order from Baron Vili, Sandoor could not refuse. He had to carry out the Baron’s will with absolute determination.

"I will handle this matter,"

Sandoor said to Vili.

Vili nodded. "Besides manpower, there’s another important issue we need to address: land for cultivation. We need enough area to ensure the Extraordinary Plants have ample space to grow."

"If we don’t requisition existing land, we could choose to reclaim wasteland,"

Sandoor suggested.

Vili shook his head. "Reclaiming wasteland would take too long. Besides, the optimal soil for these three types of Extraordinary Plants is sandy soil."

"I see..."

Sandoor’s eyes grew thoughtful.

The sandy soil in White Bear Town was mostly in the coastal areas.

While ordinary crops weren’t grown there, those areas had high foot traffic. Choosing to plant there would both obstruct transport and be detrimental to cultivation.

Sandoor continued to ponder. His eyes suddenly lit up as he said to Vili, "We could develop the offshore islands and turn them into cultivation grounds for the Extraordinary Plants."

Vili smiled and nodded. Sandoor’s idea coincided with his own.

Since the environment in White Bear Town was not conducive to growing Bursting Fruits and Fog Fruits, they would turn their attention to the small islands offshore.

"However, planting on these small islands won’t be an easy task,"

Vili reminded him.

Sandoor nodded. He understood what Vili meant.

On the nearby islands, any that had a tolerable natural environment and a source of fresh water were almost certain to have Pirates who had built settlements there.

Although White Bear Town had launched several powerful strikes against nearby Pirates since its establishment, after an island’s pirate forces were cleared out, new Pirates would inevitably garrison it after some time. The Pirates had limited living space; even if it meant taking risks, they still needed a place to live.

So, unless troops were permanently stationed on the islands, some pirate force was bound to occupy them.

This was one of the major drawbacks of a coastal town. The pirate forces were rampant, yet very difficult to completely eradicate.

However, Sandoor also knew that since they were introducing Extraordinary Plants, they had to launch long-term, effective strikes against these pirate settlements.

This meant the number of troops stationed overseas would need to be increased again.

In addition to diverting land-based troops, White Bear Town would also have to recruit new Guards, which would involve financial and other issues.

But upon careful consideration, these costs were worth it in exchange for the cultivation of Extraordinary Plants.

"I’ll handle the development of the nearby offshore islands."

Sandoor felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders growing heavier.

But even so, he also felt a growing sense of excitement.

It seemed that every so often, Vili would give Sandoor a new surprise.

Sandoor knew very well that by following a Lord Baron like this, their future stage would definitely not be limited to just White Bear Town.

"Then I’ll leave you to start solving these problems."

Vili stood up and straightened his clothes. "I will write down the detailed cultivation methods for the Bursting Fruit and Fog Fruit for you. After you find the planters, you must ensure that everyone understands every step of the process. The seeds of these Extraordinary Plants are precious, and their survival rate is relatively low, so you must take this matter seriously."

The cultivation method Vili provided was not, of course, the one Count Lumbar had taught him, but one granted by his Middle Level Gatherer Ability.

His own method would yield a higher survival rate for the Bursting Fruits and Fog Fruits.

"Rest assured."

Sandoor nodded solemnly.

Vili gave a few more casual instructions and then left the Town Hall.

He was completely at ease leaving the specific matters for Sandoor to handle.

In the days that followed, the officials of White Bear Town suddenly became incredibly busy.

The Town Hall, Personal Guard Bureau, and Sea Defense Team began to cooperate on a flurry of tasks.

The purpose of all this, naturally, was to prepare for the cultivation of the Bursting Fruits and Fog Fruits.

Compared to these busy officials, Vili seemed much more relaxed.

He was now a hands-off manager; once he issued the orders, his subordinates would carry them out.

As for Vili himself, he focused more of his energy on cultivating his strength as a Knight.

Vili was now a Senior Knight, only a hair’s breadth away from becoming a Grand Knight.

However, this gap was far more complex to cross than the one from Middle Knight to Senior Knight.

The greatest change when a Knight advanced to a Grand Knight was the sublimation in the quality of their Fighting Spirit. This process required a significant refinement of their existing Fighting Spirit and a deeper control and application of the Power of Natural Attributes.

At this stage, the effects of the Knight’s Breathing Technique had essentially reached their limit. Further progress relied more on the Knight’s own understanding of Fighting Spirit.

In the process of a Knight’s training, it wasn’t that having a more advanced Knight’s Breathing Technique made cultivation more convenient.

The Knight’s Breathing Technique was merely an introductory manual. Different breathing techniques were just different versions of that manual and didn’t have a major impact on the Cultivator. Actual improvement still depended on an individual’s talent and comprehension.

To accelerate his training toward becoming a Grand Knight, Vili allocated all 8.5 of his attribute points to his Intelligence Value.

Now, Vili’s attributes had been updated again.

[Vili Ferren—Constitution: 14; Intelligence: 25.5; Attribute Points: 0]

Vili’s days of secluded, intensive training lasted for more than three months, during which he rarely handled administrative affairs.

But today, Vili made a rare trip out.

Because Vili had received good news that morning.

Thanks to the efforts of Sandoor and numerous officials and farmers, White Bear Town’s first batch of Extraordinary Plants—the Bursting Fruits and Fog Fruits—had matured.

For this reason, Vili prepared to take a boat to the offshore islands to personally inspect the harvest of these Extraordinary Plant fruits.