The two reached a consensus on this and agreed to communicate frequently. Then, Takumi prepared to head to work. Hestia did not leave in a hurry after learning she could return at any time; instead, she planned to stay and see how Takumi would build the "Dimensional City."
Takumi took Hestia to the edge of the field and saw a patch of bean sprouts. Whether they were sown using the seed drill or the hoe, they had all sprouted, and some had even grown leaves. Takumi harvested them quickly, which seemed strange to Hestia.
"Isn't this just sprouting? Why cut it off?"
"Because I have no food right now, I planted these bean sprouts specifically because they grow overnight. I will mainly rely on them for food for now."
"You don't even have food?" Hestia was dumbfounded. She had seen that Takumi's house was quite well-made and his belongings seemed complete, so she hadn't expected a food shortage.
Takumi confessed without concealment, "I came here alone. Aside from my tools and the dimensional gate, the only thing I have is this set of clothes."
Hestia thought about it and realized that if she were in his position, she would probably still be crying. Yet, Takumi had already built a house and grown crops. Looking at how efficiently he worked, she said sincerely, "Takumi, you are truly amazing." She then felt that it was not right to just watch. "Let me help you too."
Without using her magical power at first, she began helping him harvest the bean sprouts. With her assistance, the harvest was much faster than expected. In just a few minutes, all the bean sprouts in the field were gathered. Then, Takumi checked the area where he had planted algae and found that it had also grown, though it was a bit drier than normal due to a lack of water. He harvested it in two or three passes.
Looking at the bean sprouts and algae filling three wooden barrels, Takumi nodded with satisfaction. "This is enough for me to eat for a week. Now I can start growing regular crops."
But before that, they had to clear more space. With Hestia's help, the development speed was much faster. Takumi cut down trees in the front, and Hestia collected and stacked them in the back. This time, she used her divine power to cut the trees into logs from a distance and move them into neat stacks. In just one hour, the two of them cleared an area of twenty hectares to the south of the great tree. The main reason it took so long was that Takumi's process of cleaning up the roots was slower; otherwise, it would have taken less than half an hour.
Takumi plowed the entire plot. Since the Universal Agricultural Tool had been upgraded to the Universal Tool, its efficiency was improved. The original plow could not turn roots and stones into fertile soil, but now it could. This made the work much easier for Takumi; he could simply pull the plow and run.
During this period, they finally encountered prey: some infernal rabbits. Eleven of them jumped out, likely due to the noise, and all were swiftly dealt with by Takumi. He ended up with eleven pieces of rabbit meat, weighing between nine and twelve kilograms each, and nine complete rabbit skins. Two skins were ruined because everyone makes mistakes.
"I can't finish all of this. Hestia, would you like to take some back?" Takumi suddenly had more than 70 kilograms of meat. He had been prepared for a short-term fast, but with this much, even smoking it felt like it might go to waste. He decided to give Hestia some as a souvenir.
At first, Hestia refused, but Takumi explained that if all the meat were smoked, it wouldn't taste as good as fresh meat hunted later, so it would eventually be wasted. Hestia finally agreed. Her life in Orario was not easy, and when her money ran out, she would have to work to make a living. She found it hard to refuse such a practical gift.
In the end, he gave half of the meat to Hestia along with six furs, while Takumi kept three for his own use. He also gave her the rabbit horns and fangs, not knowing if they were useful materials, and asked her to see if they could be exchanged for money in her world.
However, she didn't leave immediately. Takumi made two stone pots—one for making salt—and asked Hestia to watch over it. The salt-making process here had no complex technical requirements. In the Forest of Death, there is a layer of salt soil beneath the surface that is more like coarse salt than dirt. Takumi was simply refining it. He boiled water, added the salt soil, and dissolved it. Then he let it cool so the debris would settle. Finally, he poured out the clean brine and boiled it dry. The remaining crystals were edible salt.
After explaining the process to her, Takumi went to sow the newly cleared fields. He used a seed drill. He had noticed that with the drill, the spacing between crops could be controlled perfectly. For example, bean sprouts could be sown one by one or grouped together. Because the seed drill has wheels, it was much faster to push around.
He planted soybeans across half of the twenty hectares. He also planted upland rice, three hectares of wheat, two hectares of potatoes, one hectare of corn, one hectare each of peanuts and soybeans, and one hectare of cotton. The remaining hectare was used for fruits and vegetables.
He planted four kinds of onions, scallions, and shallots, as well as spices like ginger, garlic, coriander, chili, pepper, star anise, and bay leaves. For vegetables, he planted cabbage, mustard greens, lettuce, spinach, and broccoli, along with radishes, carrots, and various beans. He also included tomatoes, cucumbers, and different types of melons. He even planted some fruit and tea trees.
Most importantly, he planted soapberry trees. The fruit of these trees is a natural soap used for washing hands, hair, and clothes. Since Takumi lacked the means to make soap and hadn't visited a world with affordable toiletries yet, he would rely on these. He also planted a saponaria tree and a few medicinal herbs, just in case.
After finishing the planting, Takumi returned to find Hestia approaching him with excitement. "Takumi, the salt is ready!" She showed him the results with a proud look, pointing at the layer of salt at the bottom of the pot. Seeing her "please praise me" expression, Takumi decided to oblige.
"That's awesome, Hestia! Well done!"