Chapter 28 - First Harvest!
His farm was bursting with fully grown crops.
Tall stalks swayed in the breeze, heavy with round, fist-sized fruits that glinted faintly in the morning light.
It wasn't possible.
Leora had said the crops would take three to nine weeks to mature, even with the Astral Lotus and Seed of Providence skill's passive.
This was... overnight.
Outside, the field was swarming with people.
Military personnel in dark uniforms moved between the rows, inspecting the plants with handheld scanners.
Fourth-year students from the Master of Sanctum darted around, taking samples and scribbling notes.
Everyone looked frantic, excited, and a little confused.
Isaac pressed his face closer to the glass, trying to make sense of it, when a knock came at his door.
"Isaac," Leora's voice called, steady but urgent. "You need to come out. The crops—they're fully grown. That's why everyone's here."
He pulled on his boots and grabbed the Harvest Bane Hoe as he stepped into the hall.
Leora waited just outside, her serious face softened by a hint of awe.
"I checked the field at dawn," she said. "They were like this by then."
"So eight hours since I planted them?"
"Yes."
Isaac followed her downstairs and out the front door.
The moment he stepped into the open, every eye turned to him.
The chatter died down, replaced by a heavy silence.
Military officers paused mid-step, students stopped writing, and even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
A tall figure broke through the crowd, limping slightly as he approached.
General Magnus, the leader of the Stronghold, looked like he'd just come from a fight.
His uniform was dusted with dirt, one sleeve torn, and a fresh cut marked his cheek.
"Greeting, General Magnus," Isaac said.
"Greetings," Magnus replied with a slight chuckle. "I came straight here when I got the report. Didn't even stop to clean up since I had to see this for myself. You've got every officer and scholar in the stronghold losing their minds over this."
Isaac glanced at the field, then back at the general.
"I don't get it either. They weren't supposed to grow this fast."
Magnus let out a short, dry laugh.
"Fast? Boy, this isn't fast. This is impossible. We've got crops here that should've taken months, and they're ready in a night. You've done something no one's seen before. This..."
He gestured to the field.
"This is going to change history. Mind if I take a closer look with you?"
"Sure," Isaac said, leading the way.
The crowd parted as they walked, whispers following them.
He stopped at the nearest stalk. The fruits hung heavy and ripe. He counted twelve, not ten like the ration seeds were bred for.
"Twelve fruits per plant. That's 20% more than they're supposed to give."
Isaac held the fruit.
It was a smooth, pale orb about the size of his fist.
He bit into it, and a burst of sweetness hit his tongue, crisp and refreshing, like a mix of apple and honey.
His eyes widened.
Magnus took a bite of his own, chewing slowly.
A look of surprise crossed his weathered face, and he swallowed, standing a little straighter.
"Well, I'll be damned. That's not just good, it's also wiping my tiredness away. I've been on my feet for two nights straight, and this feels like a full night's rest."
He stared at the fruit, then at Isaac.
"You are going to make history, boy."
He clapped Isaac on the shoulder, then turned to the crowd.
"Alright, everyone. Clear out. I know all of you are excited by these results, but give Isaac some space. It's hist first day here."
The military and students filed out, leaving the field quiet again.
Isaac stood alone with Leora amidst the gently swaying crops.
He tightened his grip on the hoe, then swung it once in a smooth, deliberate arc.
A ripple of mana pulsed through the field, and in an instant, every stalk was harvested.
The fruits rolled neatly to the side, piling up in a tidy heap.
His mana dropped by 20, leaving him at 79, but then a notification flickered before his eyes.
100 Tier 0 Vitality Grain Crops harvested. Mana +10. Constitution + 10.
You have obtained 600 Tier 0 Vitality Grains.
The numbers caught Isaac's eye.
"Six hundred?" he muttered.
The hoe's ability had boosted the yield again, turning 120 fruits into 600. Another notification popped up:
Constitution: 47 → 57
Mana: 99 → 100 [9]
The extra 9 sat in brackets were locked stats he couldn't use yet.
He felt a small relief knowing they weren't lost, just waiting for his limit to rise.
His shoulders relaxed a bit, and the tension of the morning eased.
Leora stepped up beside him, eyeing the pile of grains.
"The fruits increased. Is that the hoe's doing?"
"I think so," Isaac said, holding it up. "Seems like it's got more tricks than I thought."
She stared at him in doubt.
However, seeing his sincere eyes, her doubts lessened.
"Can I try it for a moment?" she asked, reaching out.
"Sure."
She barely touched the hoe before a sharp *zap* sparked her fingers, and the hoe flew back to Isaac's hand, settling there like it belonged.
Leora pulled her hand back.
"It's a bonded item. These types of items can be used only by their users," she said, frowning.
After making more notes, her serious face softened.
"While this is a big news, we need to look into your skills and understand the cause. For now, let's get these grains stored. I'll help."
They hauled the grains inside, and stacked them in a corner of the ground floor.
According to Leora, the grains belonged to Isaac, and the Master of Sanctum needed to sign a contract about distribution rights if they wanted to have the grains.
Until then, Isaac could store them for himself.
They had a shelf life of five years. Storing them was no problem.
"Leora, the Master of Sanctum gave me this land for free, right? They're not gonna take a cut of these crops or anything?"
"No, they won't. The land was your scholarship benefit for choosing Master of Sanctum over the other universities.
"The land and its yield are yours, no strings attached. Now, if you want to buy more land later, that's a different story. You'd have to negotiate terms then."
Isaac nodded, relieved.
Leora set her notepad down on a nearby table.
"That's settled then. I'll get to cooking. Some staff dropped off vegetables and meat this morning while you were still asleep. We'll have something better than bread today."
She moved to the small kitchen area, pulling out a basket of fresh produce—carrots, potatoes, a slab of pork—and started prepping with quick, efficient motions.
Isaac grabbed the Harvest Bane Hoe and headed outside.
The field was empty now, the Vitality Grains harvested, but the stalks remained.
They were tall, dry, and useless for more fruit.
They couldn't bear again, and leaving them would just clog the soil.
He swung the hoe once, a smooth arc that sent a ripple of mana across the field.
In an instant, the stalks were uprooted and piled to one side.
His mana dipped slightly, but he barely noticed.
His focus shifted to the Seed of Providence skill that hummed in his mind.
A faint instinct tugged at him: These stalks could improve the land if used correctly.
He stepped back inside the house.
"Leora, the stalks out there, can they be used as fertilizer?"
"Yes, you can burn them. The ashes make good fertilizer. That's how these ration crops are usually handled after harvest. Burn them, spread the ash, and the soil gets richer." She didn't look up from chopping carrots.
"Perfect," Isaac said, heading back out.
He grabbed a flint from a supply box near the door and set to work, piling the stalks in the field's center.
As he struck the flint, sparking a small flame, his wristwatch buzzed.
He propped it on a rock. Emily's gentle smile appeared on the hologram floating above the watch as the fire caught.
"Hi, Isaac," she said. "What's with the fire? You starting something big out there?"
"Just working. The crops I told you about grew up by this morning. I harvested them earlier, and now I'm burning the leftovers for fertilizer."
Her eyes lit up, and she tilted her head slightly.
"Oh, wow, already? Didn't you say it would take a few week even with your skills?"
"Yeah, I did. It looks like there was some sort of synergy between the skills," he said, watching the flames spread. "There was quite a commotion about it. Even the General showed up."
"That's so cool! You're always doing amazing things. How's it going now?" She giggled, a light, sweet sound.