The Life of a Returned Genius Farmer

Chapter 8: Making Seedlings – Part 2

[Translation By Divinity]

“… that’s why everyone in the village is worried,” Bargentus said, his voice heavy with concern. It seemed the minotaur village was deeply troubled by the children’s lack of appetite, just as Lee Han had observed.

“Are they sick?” Lee Han inquired.

“No, they’re not!” Bargentus replied. “It’s just that the weather’s been hot lately, and they’ve lost their appetite.”

The weather didn’t seem particularly hot to Lee Han. However, minotaurs and humans might perceive temperature differently, given their fur coats. Considering that, it was understandable they might find the weather uncomfortable.

“That must be tough,” Lee Han sympathized. “It would be nice if they could eat Sweet Radishes or Honey Sweet Potatoes.”

“But those aren’t easy to come by!”

That was true. They couldn’t consistently procure enough Sweet Radishes or Honey Sweet Potatoes to feed all the children, and feeding them only those would lead to nutritional imbalances.

Lee Han shrugged as the children, who had been staring at him curiously, scampered off. There was nothing he could do for them right now. He was struggling to take care of himself, let alone the children of another village. He made a mental note to help them once he had more resources.

Lee Han glanced at the kiln.

“It looks like it’s almost done, nya!” Seolmyeong said.

“Let’s see…”

Lee Han pulled the pots out of the kiln and sighed. One of the six pots had cracked and broken. It was frustrating to have a failure on the first firing, but it couldn’t be helped. This was the best he could do under the circumstances.

“Ideally, I should apply glaze and fire them a second time, but without glaze…”

“What’s glaze?” Bargentus inquired.

“It’s a mixture of ground limestone and feldspar mixed with water,” Lee Han explained.

“Applying it and firing the pots increases their durability, waterproofing, and strength. It can be made with other materials too…”

“Nya? There was limestone over there.” Seolmyeong pointed towards a pile of white stones.

“Oh?! Really?”

Was there limestone here too?

Surprised, Lee Han followed Seolmyeong’s directions. There were indeed piles of white stones.

“Why do you have this?”

“We didn’t bring it here. There was originally a lot around here!” Bargentus explained.

“Wow… then can I use some of this? It would be even better if there was feldspar and silica too.”

“What are those, nya?”

“They’re…”

When Lee Han explained feldspar and silica, or rather granite and quartz, Seolmyeong’s eyes sparkled.

“I saw those on the way here too, nya!”

That was good news. Lee Han picked up Seolmyeong and petted it vigorously, and Seolmyeong, enjoying the attention, wagged its tail excitedly.

“Let’s go get them!”

“Oh. Oh! Okay! Right now?!” Bargentus exclaimed.

“Right now!”

As soon as Lee Han put Seolmyeong on his shoulder, Bargentus picked him up.

Not long after they left the village, they returned with sacks full of quartz and granite. They put the stones down and pondered their next step.

“So, what do we do next?!” Bargentus asked eagerly.

“We need to grind them very finely…”

“Leave the heavy lifting to me! Uooooooooh!!”

Bargentus began grinding the granite, limestone, and quartz with gusto.

Gathering the powder together, he grinned at the impressed Lee Han.

“So?! What’s next!” Bargentus asked, eager to continue.

“Now we mix it with water and apply it. Let’s see…”

As he had learned in his pottery class, Lee Han mixed the ground granite, silica, and limestone with water, creating a glaze. He carefully dipped the bisque-fired pots into the glaze, ensuring an even coating. Then, he placed them back in the kiln. He grabbed a wide plank and began fanning the fire vigorously.

“What are you doing?” Bargentus inquired, curiosity piqued.

“I need to raise the temperature of the kiln,” Lee Han explained. “Fanning like this will help increase the heat.”

“Leave that to me!” Bargentus declared, taking the plank from Lee Han and enthusiastically fanning the flames.

Other minotaurs, drawn by the activity, gathered around the kiln.

“What’s going on here?” one asked.

“I heard that human is making new pots!” another replied.

“Can you really make pots just by fanning like that? I should help too and ask him to make one for me!”

It seemed the demand for his pottery was increasing, but Lee Han didn’t mind the extra help.

Time passed, and even the strong minotaurs began to tire from the constant fanning. Finally, Lee Han deemed the pots ready and carefully removed them from the kiln.

“Oh…”

A collective gasp arose from the gathered minotaurs. The once plain pots had transformed into beautiful, glazed creations. One bowl, in particular, stood out.

[Well-made Detoxification Earthenware Bowl]

[An earthenware bowl made by firing clay twice. It is glazed, increasing its water resistance and durability. Made with purified water, drinking from this bowl can detoxify all kinds of poisons.]

[Durability increased due to the well-made effect.]

[Waterproofing increased due to the well-made effect.]

[Crafting Difficulty: ☆☆☆]

The wooden bucket he had used earlier had a purification effect. Perhaps because he had used that water, this bowl now possessed a detoxification property.

Curious, he examined the other pots, but none of them had any special effects.

“This one has a detoxification option,” he announced.

“What’s detoxification?” someone asked, confused.

The minotaurs looked at each other, bewildered. It seemed they were unfamiliar with the concept.

Seolmyeong, ever helpful, provided an explanation. “Beastfolk are naturally resistant to most poisons, nya! So they might not know what detoxification is!”

“Beastfolk are amazing…” Lee Han marveled. “Then I can keep this one, right?”

“Take the small bowls, and give us the big one!” one of the minotaurs suggested.

That was fine with Lee Han. He had intended to make one for them anyway. He handed the large bowl, which was too big for his own use, to Bargentus.

“This is a gift, in return for your help.”

“Uooooooh! I’ve never seen such a wonderful bowl!” Bargentus exclaimed, hugging the glazed and shiny bowl. “I’ll be the only minotaur with such a wonderful bowl!!”

He was clearly overjoyed, proudly showing off his new possession to the other minotaurs, who looked on with envy.

“I can make more,” Lee Han said, “but I’ve used up all the materials. And this kiln is about to collapse.”

The intense heat had taken its toll, leaving cracks all over the kiln’s structure.

“We can just build a new one!”

“How about building it at the human’s base?” another suggested.

‘That would be convenient for me,’ Lee Han thought. He wouldn’t have to travel back and forth to the village every time he wanted to make something.

Since he needed more pots and bowls for himself anyway, he smiled and nodded. “Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”

☆☆☆

Back at his base, Lee Han filled the small pots he had made with water and carefully placed a Honey Sweet Potato in each one.

Seolmyeong, perched on his shoulder, watched with curiosity. “What are you doing, nya?”

“Like I said, I’m trying hydroponics,” Lee Han explained.

“I’ve never seen this method before,” Seolmyeong remarked. “I’ve read a lot about farming in the Witch’s library, but many of your methods are new to me, nya!”

“You know quite a lot, but there’s also a lot you don’t know, huh?” Lee Han teased.

“I only know what I know, nya!!” Seolmyeong retorted, puffing out its chest.

Lee Han chuckled and turned his attention back to his experiment. He observed the Honey Sweet Potatoes he had set aside for sprouting, the ones submerged in water, and the Sweet Radish seeds planted in the soil.

“Okay, let’s try it then. Growth Acceleration.”

As Lee Han activated his ability, the seeds in the pots and the soil began to transform. Tiny roots emerged, followed by vibrant green leaves. The sprouts grew rapidly, their forms becoming more defined. Lee Han nodded, observing the Honey Sweet Potatoes in the water.

“The ones planted in soil are growing well, but the ones in the water are growing even better.”

“Yay! If they grow like this, we can harvest them soon, nya!” Seolmyeong exclaimed, bouncing excitedly on Lee Han’s shoulder.

Lee Han was equally pleased.

“So, are we going to plant them right away, nya?” Seolmyeong asked.

“No. First, we need to properly prepare the field.”

Lee Han walked over to the wasteland near the plot he had prepared for the Sweet Radishes. Surveying the vast expanse, he rolled up his sleeves.

“I need to pull out all these weeds first.”

“I’ll help too, nya!” Seolmyeong declared, jumping down and starting to tug at the weeds with its teeth.

As they worked, Lee Han’s hand brushed against something buried in the roots of a weed. Thinking it was a stone, he dug into the soil, but it wasn’t just a stone.

“Huh? What’s this?”

It was a fairly large statue. He carefully lifted it and set it upright. Seolmyeong, who had come over to investigate, explained,

“It’s a statue of the Goddess Gaia, nya.”

“Gaia?”

Lee Han thought of his hammer, blessed by the Earth Goddess Gaia. Was it a coincidence that he had found her statue?

“The Goddess Gaia isn’t a deity that beastfolk typically worship, nya,” Seolmyeong explained.

“Why not?”

“Because she’s the goddess of the earth and producers, nya,” Seolmyeong replied. “Most beastfolk live by hunting and gathering, so they tend to worship other gods!”

Lee Han looked at the statue of the Goddess Gaia, feeling a pang of sympathy.

Such a well-crafted statue, left abandoned in the forest because no one cared for it. He felt a connection to the forgotten deity and decided to place the statue near his field.

“Why are you putting it there, nya?” Seolmyeong asked.

“I figured I should at least take care of it.”

“Nya? Do you really need to?”

“Well, I’m kind of a producer myself.”

Besides, wasn’t it customary to pray for a good harvest when farming?

Lee Han smiled and wiped the sweat from his brow, then looked at the statue of the Goddess Gaia. Covered in mud and dust, the once-sacred statue looked like discarded trash.

Displeased by its state, Lee Han brushed off the dirt with his hand.

“It’s quite dirty. I should clean it up.”

“There’s a cloth we got from the minotaur village, nya!” Seolmyeong offered.

“Can you bring it to me?”

“Nya~!”

Seolmyeong dashed back to their base and returned with a towel.

Lee Han moistened it with water and carefully cleaned the statue. As the dirt and grime were washed away, the statue’s beauty was revealed. Lee Han smiled and lowered the towel.

“There, all done. Now let’s clean up here and head back…”

[The blessing of the Goddess Gaia continues.]

[Skill: Hand of Verdure acquired.]

[Hand of Verdure (Lv1)]

[Greatly increases the quality and growth rate when cultivating plants.]

“…What is this?”

“What’s wrong, nya?!”

“I… I received a blessing.”

“Nya? A blessing? What kind of blessing?”

Lee Han explained the blessing he had received to Seolmyeong.

The Hand of Verdure skill.

Upon hearing that it increased the quality of crops when farming, Seolmyeong fell silent for a moment, as if deep in thought, then exclaimed,

“Nya! You received the blessing of the Goddess Gaia! Congratulations!”

“Oh… is that a good thing?”

“Such things rarely happen! If you take care of a statue or respect a god, you might receive their blessing. In those cases, you receive a skill or equipment, and you received a skill, nya!”

☆☆☆

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