My Evil System

There was still one more issue of concern, which was the most pressing of them all. "Are the crops going to thrive in this soil?"

"Nature moves in cycles," answered Athena. The moment she said that I prepared my ears for another lengthy explanation. "After each blossom comes a period of decline, and over time, even the most fertile fields will start producing an increasingly meager harvest. This is because the soil is drained of its nutrients as the plants have depleted it. These issues won't be a problem if we have Elixir Collectors."

"Well, it's a problem now since we don't have those."

"As you say, my Lord. The only thing we can do is leave it to nature to bring back the nutrients that were once lost in these lands."

When Athena went over to Turnip and Florin, I quickly went after her. It seemed like she wasn't done instructing the two yet.

"Barley and Oats produce good yields, but they quickly drain the soil," she started. And I saw how Florin's forehead crumpled and her lower lip puckered out.

Athena ignored her reaction and pressed on. "Therefore, grow perennial clover at the same time. It will grow under the canopy of the cereals, and it is good for feeding cows and goats. Clovers accumulate nitrogen in their roots, which will maintain soil nutrients level as the cereal grows. Ulysses brought some from his short trip to the nearby forest. You can ask him for some.

"And since we don't have Elixirs yet to mass produce the [Eternal Sand], we can only rely on crop rotation. To do this, you must change the plants you grow monthly according to the rules of crop rotation. It's supposed to be annually, but since growing and harvesting in this world is quicker, I estimate that a month should suffice.

"Interchange soil-depleting cereals with legumes, which will saturate the land with nitrogen and grow root crops for both animal feed and personal consumption. This approach will provide you and your livestock with food, which in turn will provide you with milk and meat. And livestock manure rejuvenates the soil. As a bonus, crop rotation also disrupts the life cycles of pathogens and plant pests, preventing them from flourishing."

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"I think Turnip knows it already," I butted in because if I didn't, I feel like Athena would never be finished with her lectures.

"My lord." She faced me. The serious expression on her face made me back a little. "If I might suggest, those delicate plants that are more sensitive to weather conditions should be planted inside a greenhouse."

My face lit up. "Can Daedalus make one?"

"If it's only a simple greenhouse that uses readily available materials, then yes."

"That's good news. Now, I don't have to fear either inclement weather or nutrient-scarce soils since the greenhouse would have an ideal ecosystem for the plants."

"Tell Daedalus about it," I told her. "For the meantime, I'll do what I can to forage for materials as well."

"Will do, my lord."

As I went on my way, I didn't know if I should be glad that everything was the same here as back on earth. The crops were the same, and the manners of planting them also seemed the same to me.

The only difference was the magic and the fantasy stuff.

<And the medieval timeline.>

I went over my territory. My actual property was bigger, but the walls were built around a 2,500 sq. meter area where it could accommodate my immediate house and farm.

This would have to do for now. After the Blood Rain passes, we'd think of our next move. I didn't even know if I could survive that apocalyptic event, so there was no use in thinking about the future after that.

I'd just do what I could do for now.

Roaming my eyes, I found everyone busy with their own tasks. Not wanting to be useless, I decided to forage in the mountains for stones and boulders, so the dam would be finished quickly. I didn't know anything about farming, nor did I know anything about constructing a building, so I might as well forage for materials.

Eventually, the sun went down, and with it came my other self, who took over. I was pushed back into the deepest corners of his mind once again, waiting for control, for I knew it would happen . . . soon.

". . ." Not gonna happen! I yelled at him.

<Welcome back, nice Host. How was your sleep?>

I didn't sleep okay! I could still saw what was going on and how he killed dozens of players in one night!

<It's called survival, Host. Something that you should learn to do as well.>

Shut up! I'm not talking to you!

I took a deep breath and sighed over the dark sky. I wanted to clear my mind of the awful things that my other self did, so I wouldn't puke what I ate that day.

GrrRr . . .

I looked over at Minion 0, who was staring at me with its slit eyes.

"W-what . . . ," I stuttered and took a step back. "I'm your master, you know . . . ," I said to him with false bravado.

Could he have noticed the sudden change in my personality?

Minion 0 let out a snarky growl, and I almost lost my balance when I hastily took a step back from it. I quickly put it back in the Minion menu where it belonged. My other self let it out so it would guard him while he foraged, but there was no use letting it out if it was the one who'd be going to attack me in the end.

I shook my head in dismay. Even my minion didn't recognize me. What's more the others?

Come to think of it . . . this would also be the first time that I would meet Athena and the others.

. . . My stomach was churning for some reason.

Should I just run away?

But where would I go?

It was much more dangerous to be outside than to face a bunch of people with my anxiety issues. Besides, it's not like I have to interact with them constantly.

. . . I took a deep breath, resigning to my fate of just staying here until the apocalyptic event passed.

After that . . . I would think of my next move.