Arriving at the experimental fields on the eastern side of the town, only a day had passed, yet several more green shoots in the fields had withered.
When he had hired people to test-plant before and saw such results, Owen felt both anxious and helpless. Now, he came here again, bringing hope from another world.
"Do as I said before," Wenster said in his mind.
"Mhm."
Walking to the edge of the field, Owen crouched down, grabbed a small handful of soil from the field, and rubbed it in his hand.
"How is it? Have you collected any data on your end?"
Owen's vision displayed no data; all data was transmitted to Wenster, due to the previously mentioned reason—the System was too rudimentary.
"Collected. PH is greater than 9.5, and water content is extremely low. Tsk! This is severely saline-alkali land."
"Then are there suitable seeds?"
What is saline-alkali land? That wasn't important. What Owen cared about most now was whether there were crops that could be planted on such land, which would save the increasingly declining Border Garrison Town.
"Hmph, of course there are. Don't underestimate our technological capabilities. Not only do we have several types of super alkali-resistant wheat, but other crops can also be planted in such land. Coupled with appropriate cultivation methods, the yield should be good."
Wenster spoke with great pride and confidence, as if this land had already been planted with the seeds he provided.
"Considering our dietary habits, please prioritize providing wheat seeds. Next year, this land will produce enough grain to free Border Garrison Town from its reliance on external grain."
"Oh? You dare to speak such grand words already? I thought you would first ask for seeds to test-plant," Wenster said, slightly surprised.
"No need. I believe in your technological capabilities."
Clapping the dust off his hands, Owen stood up. Looking around at this cursed land, he thought, next spring, a great change would occur here.
Mapel, who had been watching Owen from behind, suddenly noticed a confident expression on his face, his eyes filled with the light of hope, as if the problems that had troubled him before had been resolved.
He must have a new idea in his heart. No matter what, I will always guard him, Mapel silently tucked this thought into her heart.
"Speaking of which, why do you have such a large area of saline-alkali land here?" Wenster felt a bit strange.
That morning in the study, he had looked at the map of Border Garrison Town. On the way to the experimental fields, he had also specifically observed the surroundings of the town and had a certain understanding of the area.
To the west of the town lies the Transverse Mountain Range, stretching continuously across the continent, a vast expanse of towering peaks, the longest mountain range spanning this continent; to the east is the Sky Vault Mountain Range, generally running from northwest to southeast, with rugged and extremely steep terrain.
The Wei River originates somewhere in the Sky Vault Mountain Range and flows from north to south through Border Garrison Town. To the southwest of the town, south of the eastern half of the Transverse Mountain Range, there is a large, dense forest—the Mystic Forest.
In such an environment, most of the land in Border Garrison Town was severely salinized and alkalized, with only parts of the land along both banks of the river being arable, which was very unusual.
"It's caused by the Curse of Kazetu."
Owen replied in his mind, his tone very firm.
Then, he briefly introduced the history of Border Garrison Town and the origin of the Curse of Kazetu to Wenster.
Border Garrison Town was originally established to exploit the rich Ore resources nearby. The situation at that time was different from now, with a large amount of arable land and surplus grain production year after year.
Later, due to some unforeseen circumstances, the King enfeoffed this newly developed territory to the Aisen Family.
It was unknown when, but the land in Border Garrison Town became increasingly barren, and grain production gradually decreased, unable to meet the town's needs, which forced them to purchase large quantities of grain from outside.
This phenomenon was not unique. Red Sand Fortress, located in the Northern part of Morning Light Kingdom, at a large gap in the central Transverse Mountain Range, had also experienced this process. As Red Sand Fortress was an important military garrison, it managed to sustain itself by relying on the Kingdom's grain supply, but Border Garrison Town was not an important place.
The culprit behind this phenomenon was the rumored King of Undead Kazetu.
During the Holy War two hundred years ago, Kazetu was severely wounded by the Church. Unwilling to perish there, he summoned a wide-ranging, intense sandstorm that swept over both sides. When the sandstorm subsided, the battlefield beneath their feet had turned into a desert, and Kazetu had vanished without a trace.
In the two hundred years since, centered around the desert that formed at that time, the surrounding land seemed to have been cursed, gradually becoming barren, then desertifying. Eventually, the area north of the Transverse Mountain Range became a vast, boundless desert, and this curse was still spreading.
This was the origin of the Curse of Kazetu.
The Church and the Morning Light Kingdom had repeatedly sent people to secretly search for Kazetu, but the other party was hidden very well, and no one had found his trace to this day.
Therefore, finding Kazetu and defeating him to lift the curse was currently an impossible task.
"The Curse of Kazetu? Is it magic? This falls into my knowledge blind spot."
This matter was related to magic, and Wenster was helpless about it. This made him somewhat unhappy, and he secretly resolved to study magic.
Regarding the situation in Border Garrison Town, Wenster already had some understanding. But he still had areas of doubt, so he continued to inquire.
"If it's just to solve the grain problem, why not expand cultivation southward along both banks of the river? Or develop that forest to the southwest? I see that forest doesn't seem to be affected by the curse."
Hearing this question, Owen's expression was a bit strange, but he still answered.
"Further south is the territory of Duke Eddie's East Rise Fortress. I cannot cultivate on others' land."
"It's actually someone else's territory? Then why is there no sign of development on the land to the south?"
"East Rise Fortress's cultivated land is mainly concentrated in the south; the land to the north is rarely developed," Owen explained.
"Isn't that just being a dog in the manger?" Wenster ruthlessly retorted.
"Indeed, but I also have no choice."
Owen shrugged, his expression quite helpless.
As for the Mystic Forest to the southwest, Owen said it was land that every King of the Morning Light Kingdom longed to develop day and night.
However, the forest contained a large number of magical beasts and various Subhuman Races tribes. If the forest were forcibly developed, it would surely face their strong resistance.
This wasn't even the main point. The main point was that the overlord of this forest was a powerful Black Dragon King. The Morning Light army had once been attacked by him and suffered heavy losses.
Moreover, most of the Morning Light Kingdom's army was currently deployed on the borders to defend against external enemies, and they were already unable to develop the Mystic Forest.
When Dragon was mentioned, Wenster showed great interest, even saying he wanted to find an opportunity to witness him.
Hearing such absurd words, Owen's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help but remind him.
"You must be joking. Your Majesty's army failed to successfully defeat the Black Dragon King. A small Border Garrison Town would only be like throwing an egg at a rock."
"Indeed, the overall strength of Border Garrison Town is too weak now, but that might not be the case in the future."
For some reason, after hearing Wenster's words, Owen felt a faint unease in his heart.
The overlord of the Mystic Forest—the Black Dragon King? I sincerely hope I never encounter him in this lifetime, Owen silently prayed in his heart.