Today marked the Agricultural Department's first use of the experimental fields to teach tribesmen how to farm, so they approached the event with exceptional importance. Volenus personally oversaw the organization, splitting all the attending tribesmen into dozens of groups and having experienced Agricultural Department subordinates, Official Tribe Members, or Reserve Tribe Members provide explanations and demonstrations. He himself also took charge of explaining one of the groups.
"Do you know why the land must first be tilled before planting wheat?" Volenus asked the "students" gathered at the edge of the field.
The "students" learning in his group were far from ordinary. They included Spukala and Tetilipus, heroes credited with bridge construction; Pequot, a celebrated warrior; military leaders such as Fesaros, Tolirugo, and Camillus; as well as department heads Pigeris, Horace, Karina, and others.
