Vol 1 Chapter 15 (1/2)
Chapter 15: Gla.s.s house
One week had pa.s.sed after I became the village chief.
There is no movement in the empire. It’s probably looking desperately for the culprit who struck the supply base.
Due to that monster killing dozens of people with just 1 person, it is necessary to strengthen defense and not a single soldier could be spared elsewhere.
But, being not so far away, soldiers came to the village.
They have to make up for the supplies which I took. It’s natural to have to try and compensate by levying additional tax.
Moreover, the magic stones pocketed by the captain are not enough. It will be more important to make up for the other portion.
Now, the villagers are constantly monitoring the empire due to my instructions.
Of course, other than measures against the empire, I gave various instructions for surviving winter. Group of men that simultaneously training with crossbow and hunting wild boars in the mountain, while for women, its nothing but cranberries and maple leaves. In addition, edible wild plants and mushrooms that can be preserved are collected, and meat received are made into jerky.
The result of hunting is more than the average years thanks to the crossbow, and we have more surplus than usual.
The one that is particularly important is the cranberry. With numerous uses, no matter how much we have, it’s insufficient. Because it is impossible to be grow it once autumn ends, I frantically acc.u.mulated it.
Other than being a doctor and village chief, I myself had many things changed in order to enrich the village.
Today, I showed a part of what I was trying to make to Lucie.
“Syril, What is this building made with transparent walls?”
I heard Lucie saying with an astonished expression.
Today, I was showing Lucie a prized possession made next to the workshop outside the village.
“This? A gla.s.s house. Powerful light from the sun pa.s.ses through the clear ceiling, and the inside is heated since heat cannot escape. Conversely, it does not let the cold air escape either, but that is alright because it is constructed that way.”
“Syril is incomprehensible each time he explains something.”
“It is warmer than outside in this building. If you just understand that, that is sufficient.”
This is a greenhouse that I built. I made it using the power of dwarf as usual.
“Then, what is that red sphere?”
“That is the fire magic used as a subst.i.tute for heating. It keeps absorbing the mana of fire from surrounding and keeps burning. It is convenient because there is a limit even if I say a gla.s.s house is warm.
It will maintain until it self destructs when the magic structure loosen. When a first-cla.s.s magician uses it, it lasts one month.”
Of course, I am a super first-cla.s.s magician. This magic was activated in my dwarf form that has a high affinity to Mana of Fire. It can maintain for 2 months.
Yesterday in a day, I plow the earth, bake clay and made brick to prop up stuff, made a gla.s.shouse with quartz gla.s.s and deployed 3 fireball magic within the gla.s.shouse.
A typical one is 50m lengthwise, 8m in width and 2m in height. This size is the easiest to handle. and it’s also the limit my magic can make.
Though the outside temperature is about 10 degree Celsius, it is maintained at more than 20 degrees Celsius inside the gla.s.shouse and is warm.
And, there is a special gimmick in this gla.s.shouse.
When mana of water is loaded, water is sucked up from underground and appears to shower from the sky by going through iron pipe, and equipment to sprinkle water instantly has been installed.
The ball made with magic of fire isn’t extinguished from this much.
“Syril, why was this made?”
“Naturally, it is to grow crops. Are crops not growing due to the cold? Inside this, it’s about similar to spring, and crops will grow even though it has become slightly cold.”
“Oh, since it does not becomes cold, it is able to grow inside here. But if it starts snowing, it will be impossible. It is probably just a little over 3 months until the first now of the year.
Is there a plant that can be harvested by then?”
“Of course. I can harvest these in 3 months that I found when I attacked the supply base.”
Saying so, I empty the wooded box which has been carried importantly.
It was fully packed with potatoes in there. There are 2 wooden boxes, and each one is about 20kg.
The best temperature for growing a potato is said to be 15 to 25 degrees Celsius. Hereafter, it will steadily become colder. With the right temperature, potatoes can be harvested in 3 month. In low temperature which slows growth, it will take about half a year. In order to avoid that, I made a gla.s.s house.
And when this gla.s.s house becomes popular, I hope the village will be able to grow some crops even in winter.
“Syril, this is the fruit of the devil right?”
“That’s right. You understood well.”
Potatoes in this era, has been avoided and is named the fruit of a devil. Having been found in the supply base of the empire, it can be said to be considerably lucky.
“That, grandma said to absolutely never eat it ”
“Well, since its poisonous, one might die from it if one is unlucky.”
That’s the reason that potato was called a fruit of a devil and isn’t propagated.
“You must not grow that!”
“Since I’m not unskilled, it’s okay since its a excellent crop.”
I smile while saying so.
“The fruit in itself does not have poison. Only the bud that is grow is a deadly poison,
Look, this kind of green fruit? Something like that is poisonous. People who do not know of the fruit of devil well will eat it unconcerned, and be tormented by abdominal pain, diarrhea and sometimes death.”
There are few human beings that understand letters in this word, and accurate information is not handed down in hearsay stories. Due to that, everyone thought eating potatoes would cause harm to health.
With the danger of the bud and so called information, when one suffers from eating a potato, and the pain is accompanied by such words, it is considerably easy to spread causing potato to be unpopular.
“But its no good, with the danger of dying when one is unaware.”
Lucie says anxiously. Although I understand that feeling, with at most 200 people, information will be able to spread properly in the elf village.
In addition, there is a reason that they must be grown no matter what.
“Still, to tell the evil truth, other than being able to harvest in merely 3 months and being nutritious, above all it is delicious. There is no such plant elsewhere.
To have plentiful for winter, I have no choice but to rely on this.
Frankly, there is not enough surplus in the case of emergency stockpile now, and from my reading, there will be trouble afterwards if there is not enough emergency stores for the elves to tide through.
Evidence is better than debating, since you will know its goodness from eating it, look, i cooked one.”
“Do i have to eat it?”
“You don’t have to, but I want Lucie to eat it.”
“Uuu, I got it,”
Just before leaving, I handed the still warm steamed potato to Lucie. Salt is the only seasoning.
Lucie who received that, shouted out enthusiastically before stuffing her cheeks.
“Ah, its soft and flaky and tender tasting, I may come to like this!”
“Right? And the quant.i.ty of crops is also extremely different from wheat. Roughly, planting this would yield about 20 times increase. Besides, it is easier to grow compared to wheat.
It’s really an excellent crop.”
In this era, it takes considerable labor to increase wheat planted by 5 times. The potato is overwhelmingly superior in comparison.
“That’s amazing. If planted in this big gla.s.s house, that would be enough to get through winter. I already crushed the wheat field for next year, should I grow the devil’s fruit?
Wheat takes 10 month to harvest, and almost everything is lost after thres.h.i.+ng, compared to this devil’s fruit is much better.
With part from 2 boxes, strictly only harvesting all in this building, there might be enough quant.i.ty to be sprinkle onto the village’s field from next year onward. You should hurry up with that.”
I smiled wryly and said.