Unorthodox Farming: Chapter 26 (Patreon)

Sorry for the late release. I was editing this yesterday afternoon when a wave of exhaustion hit me, and I went to take a nap. It turned into one of those naps where you wake up asking, "What year is this!" And it was an hour before bedtime, and I was now tired for a completely different reason, but unable to go to sleep because of a five-hour nap. Long story short, it took me ages to fall asleep, and I didn't wake up until noon, so I lost a whole lot of time and didn't get this edited until just now.

Sorry about that.

Chapter 26

Lunar

The fact that kings could be men and women was one of the many small oddities I'd had to adjust to since being reincarnated. Salem's explanation of this particular oddity, like many others, was that my native tongue was too limited. King was simply the closest concept in the English language to the class name, so this was the word my translation ring assigned. I hadn't really thought about why kings could be men or women since that day, but I was thinking about it now as I walked down the long red carpet towards the king of Lunar's throne.

Why not use another word, like 'ruler'?

A ruler was practically the same thing as a king. Queen was almost the same, except in my mind, queens held a lower rank, because often when queens married, their husbands became a prince consort rather than a king, suggesting that the rank of king was higher.

Maybe it was what the name implied?

 A king owned a nation and controlled it, dictating its laws through power. A ruler ruled simply because they were the ruler. Was that the difference? Or were my own biases the cause of the translation issues?

The thoughts running through my head were doing a fantastic job of distracting me from the number of weapons trained in my direction. Appearing before the king of Lunar was nothing like appearing before the king of Radian. There was no trust. No gentle restraint.

They'd strip-searched me three times to ensure that I didn't have some sort of tiny hidden crossbow which would allow me to one-shot their king. Many of the weapons currently trained on me were also wielded by other champions, not just royal guards, and they seemed to be waiting for an excuse to take me out.

Durg'un and Ririon's plan had given everyone the impression that I'd share my champion ability with the dwarves, and that was something I should be executed for. My meeting with the king wasn't just to obtain permission to proceed with our plan. It was to clear the air.

The champions' open hostility towards me could undo everything we were trying to achieve. If even one of them engaged the king toad before it reached one of the metropolis's farming zones, I wouldn't gain experience from defending the farm.

I stopped before the daze, clicked my heels together, and lifted my gaze from the carpet to look upon the king. I'd been using every point of charisma to not panic about the trigger-happy champions, and now I needed to use it to remain in control of my thoughts. Torvac had warned me that the king of Lunar was worthy of his bow.  

Lunar's king reminded me of my grandmother. There was a quiet beauty in her aged, wrinkled face that told me she had lived a life of charity and kindness. There was steel in her bones, a strong faith in her heart, suggesting that everything would work out if only we put in enough effort. She was wise and gentle, a kind soul who would care for those around her until the end of her days.

Winslow stood among her advisors, but I barely noticed him, as her majesty consumed my focus.

My back bent willingly, but her presence was not as overpowering as the king of Radian. I remained face down, following court protocol to the letter.

The general population might have been far less inclined to kill each other than back home because of the risk of going feral, but royal guards had enough charisma to overcome this fear without flinching. This was not the time for unexpected movements.

"Champion Arnold, your presence in my kingdom troubles me." The king of Lunar's voice was warm and gentle, carrying a hint of I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed.

Her tone reminded me of the time when I was eight, when I'd thrown a bouncy ball inside my grandma's living room. The ball had shot across the room and shattered one of her Elvis plates hanging on the wall. She never yelled or raised her voice, but she'd used the exact same tone while she made me clean up the mess.

I'd felt terrible.

The king of Lunar continued unaware of my thoughts. "Chief Durg'un, knowing the nature of your ability, also troubles me. If Brewmaster Ririon was not involved in this scheme, you would already be in chains and on your way to Radian's dungeon to plead your case before your king. Now, please tell me why I should continue to stay my hand and not do as the law dictates?"

I didn't raise my head, staring at the carpet before me, while I gathered my thoughts. Durg'un had already warned me that his meeting with the king hadn't gone as well as he had hoped and that I might have to defend myself.

"Your Highness, I have broken no laws. However, I cannot give evidence to support my claim without breaking my word to another. All I can do is ask you to wait for three months. The truth will be made clear then."

There wasn't much else I could say.

"You make it sound like this goes beyond assisting Brewmaster Ririon in establishing a dwarven kingdom that recognises human life as equal to dwarven life? What could be more important than him convincing those old goats to back down from starting a pointless war with Radian?"

"Again, I cannot say."

"You may raise your head, Champion Arnold."

I straightened my back, lifted my gaze, and noticed that she was smiling. I focused on the smile and not the weapons surrounding me.

The king studied me for a few more seconds.

"I met Radian the day after my coronation. He sat beside me in the royal garden, sharing his heart and his horror over what the founding of his kingdom had done to mine. Since that day, Radian has never turned me down when I asked for advice or assistance. He is one of the most honourable men I have ever met. This also makes him one of the most difficult kings to acquire a crown's mark from. Your word that you have broken no laws and your Crown's Mark are all I need to know you speak the truth. It is enough for me to let us proceed with Brewmaster Ririon's wishes."

I knew the Crown's Mark had pull with certain people, but I didn't know it could also include kings. That was a surprise I wasn't prepared for.

After an awkward pause, I finally replied. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"You may call me Lunar."

Kings gave up their names when they became kings, taking the name of their kingdom. Some, like Radian's king, preferred to be called Your Highness, holding on to their previous identity through the honorific. Lunar seemed to have gone the other way, giving up her identity to embody the kingdom she served.

There was no doubt in my mind that served was the correct word. The feeling she gave off left no room for another interpretation. She was one of the good ones.

My brain still hadn't got over the fact that my Crown's Mark had encouraged her to work with us, so my reply came without thought. "You may call me whatever you like, Lunar."

Her smile grew. "Then I'll call you, Trouble."

"Ahhh."

She laughed at my response. "I see you prefer Champion Arnold."

I nodded quickly, not wanting an amusing nickname from a king. That was the sort of nickname that would follow you through your entire life.

She leaned back on her throne and ran her gaze over me with a self-amused smile. "If your ability successfully kills the king toad, like my advisors assume, do you plan to return in the future and repeat your actions?"

Durg'un had made it clear that Ririon was interested in doing this again, but they also didn't know how the king of Lunar would react to so much experience appearing on her doorstep, only to leave. She could gatekeep our access.

"If the terms are agreeable, Lunar."

"Will you continue to work with Brewmaster Ririon?"

"Yes, Lunar."

"Then these are my terms. I will gift you a full set of promotion crystals for any class you choose for each king toad you kill while defending Lunar's farms. In return, you will gift your portion of the experience to my kingdom."

On the surface, that sounded like a terrible offer. But below the surface, it was a terrible offer. However, I didn't reject the offer out of hand.

I actually considered it.

With my franchise, I already had all the farmer experience I could ever sell. If I took this back with me, the only thing I could do with it would be give it to the farmers who would work on my farm. This would make my farm less profitable and harder for me to fulfil my obligations to the southern nobles. Suddenly, having a bunch of high-level farmers meant I'd need fewer people to work my fields. It would also raise my crop quality so much that no one in Blackwood would be able to afford them.

The other reason I was willing to consider her request was that it was never about the experience. This was about preventing a war and buying a few decades to prevent another.

Even then, her offered was still too terrible to accept. However, Lunar clearly wanted the experience. Otherwise, she wouldn't be making the offer.

"May I know why you wish to gain so much farmer experience, Lunar?"

"My kingdom's border once stretched from sea to sea. Now my people are restricted to six metropolises. Over the centuries, we have hoarded our strength, advancing our classes only as much as necessary, and built a kingdom that can withstand the annual king toad migration without fear of destruction. We wish to expand our borders, but several key classes lack the experience needed to do so. Our limited farmland means that our farmers are at much lower levels than they should be. Without my advisor, Winslow, Lunar's food struggles would be even greater than they already are."

Lunar wanted to build another metropolis. That was a serious undertaking. Giving up my experience wouldn't allow them to do so, but it would put her closer to her goal.

That made her lowball offer even worse.    

"When you say any class promotion crystals, do you mean any class, Lunar?"

"Yes, any class, including king. However, I cannot exclusively offer the larger promotion crystals for the king class, only for the others."

Even with a set of king promotion crystals, the deal was still far too one-sided for me to accept, so I created a counteroffer. I wasn't driving a hard bargain. I was being practical. I didn't need the experience now, but if Ririon's tunnel plan worked, I would need it in the future.

"I won't gift your kingdom the experience, but I will loan it to your kingdom. Those who receive the experience must be farmers willing to continue farming to earn it back. And they will have to pay it back before they gain another level. There will be no interest or monetary exchange for the experience loan, only the promotion crystals that you offered for each king toad I kill. In addition, I would like access to your most extensive libraries and skilled scholars while I'm in your kingdom to continue my studies into system lore."

She leaned forward and chuckled. "Radian has complained to me of your discoveries and your inability to articulate them in a way that is easily understood. Are you attempting to correct this?"

Why did she make it sound like I was a constant source of headaches for Radian's king?

“Ah, no, Lunar. I'm looking for answers to other questions that are bothering me. Perhaps when I have those answers, I'll be able to share my insights more easily, but for now I'm not willing to go down that path."

The more I learned about the system, the easier it was for me to articulate my understanding. However, there were still major gaps in that understanding, which made it incredibly difficult to explain what I knew. I didn't understand things in the context of the system or this world, only in the context of my old life. No one understood my old life, so making them understand what I understood was almost pointless. They couldn't use that understanding to grow their understanding; they could only understand what I'd already discovered.

The discovery I'd sold to the king should have triggered hundreds of new discoveries, but there had only been a handful so far. Maybe that was the reason I was a source of headaches?

Lunar tapped a fingertip against the armrest of her throne. "Will you make your new discoveries in my kingdom?"

"No. I would prefer to use my farm manor ring to make them in Blackwood. The noble in charge of the village is a friend and could use the village points from my discovery."

Lunar smiled again. "Winslow said you embody the spirit of the farmer. I'm glad to see my advisor was correct. I accept your very reasonable counteroffer."

I sighed at happy acceptance, knowing I'd asked for too little, and that my good nature had been used against me again. "This was the deal you wanted from the beginning, wasn't it?"

Lunar nodded. "We didn't think you would ask for access to the royal library and scholars, but the loan was expected. I'll have my people alter the contract, so we can sign this deal shortly."

The way Winslow was grinning told me he knew I hadn't internalised his advice yet. Clearly, I was far too easy to read. I'd have to work on that.

***

To kill the king toad and gain experience from defending the farm I was on, I had to be a manager or farmhand on that farm. Since no one knew when a king toad would turn towards one of Lunar's cities, I had to be part of that farm well in advance. It also meant I needed to be under a farmhand who was a higher level than me.

Farmhands earned a portion of the experience that those under them earned from their farm work. This included the experience earned from defending a farm. Ranic had used this trick in Blackwood to ensure we got the most experience possible, and Lunar wanted to do the same.

Landduke Winslow was a Landduke for all six of Lunar's metropolises, which meant his farm manor took up a magical building slot for the village, town, and city levels in every location. His promotions and class bonuses made Lunar's farmland the most productive on the planet. And his highest-level farmhand was the kind of old which told you she wasn't long for this world.

She was frail and weak, bedridden and propped by pillows, barely awake as Winslow led me into her bedroom. Her hair was white and sparse, her face withered by age, with barely a trace of muscle. She likely had a dozen classes, but she had outlived the effects of her attributes, and the centuries were rapidly catching up with her.

She was the oldest and weakest-looking person I'd seen since coming to this world. Apparently, only a few months ago, she'd been running around without any difficulty. The higher your attributes were, the faster your decline at the end.

Winslow wore his overalls as he dropped to his knees beside her bed and took her hand in his with a gentle smile. "I'm sorry we had to wake you, old friend." He spoke softly, showing kindness I didn't think he was capable of. "I brought the boy I told you about."

She looked over at me and gave me a gentle smile. Her body might have been frail, but her eyes held tired clarity. She nodded in my directions and a prompt appeared in front of me.

Would you like to join Winslow's farm under First Grandmaster Farmhand Krinda?

Yes/No?

The prompt wouldn't have appeared if I'd still been wearing my farm manor ring. I stared at the prompt for a second. Holy shit. She'd managed to make it past her fifth threshold as a farmhand. She had to be one of the highest-level farmhands in the world, if not the highest.

I selected, Yes.

You are no longer the Farm Manager of your farm. Bonuses received from your management have been removed from your farm. Those directly under you have been removed from your farm.

The current crop rotation was going to suffer because of what I'd just done. But no one was directly under me, because of the farm manor, so it wasn't the worst thing that could happen. Everyone would still be able to work on my farm, but Ranic would be pissed about the loss of quality.

Winslow continued to smile at her and gave her hand a squeeze. "Try not to die while he's working for you. I want one more payday out of you."

She chuckled softly and promptly fell asleep.

Winslow ushered us out of the bedroom and gave me a steady look in the hallway outside. "Krinda is my oldest friend and my greatest mentor. She's also my only farmhand through her fifth threshold, but as you saw, she doesn't have much time left. I have the experience to raise someone to replace her, but no one currently meets the threshold qualifications. I need you to tell me that the additional 10% experience I'll receive from keeping her as the farmhand over you will be more than the cost of raising her level from 125 to 149. 24 additional points in strength will give her another decade, but she refuses to accept that decade at the cost of hundreds of other farmers having a better future. So, tell me I'm not taking away someone else's future."

His words sounded more like an order than a request. He clearly wanted me to lie to him. He wanted me to give him the excuse he needed to have more time with his friend. He wasn't embodying the spirit of a farm, but a man who had outlived too many people he cared about.

But I couldn't lie to him. I couldn't take away that many people's futures. Leveling after level 100 required stupid amounts of experience, and he was asking me to compromise my integrity and beliefs for his peace of mind.

Thankfully for him, even an additional 10% of the experience I received from the giant would be enough for her to reach level 149 with more to spare. So, I didn't need to lie to him. I didn't need to compromise myself for his happiness.

I nodded. "If our plan works out, you'll consider it the wisest investment of your life."

Winslow releases a tired breath. "Thank you."

Clearly, he still thought I was lying.

***

Farentine's personal library was as extensive as Lunar's Royal Library. Gaining access to Lunar's Royal Library taught me that the answers I wanted were all hidden away inside class-locked scholar books or the minds of scholars. The former I couldn't access, but the latter was now available due to our agreement.

Torvac sat in the corner of the suite I'd procured near the palace, reading to pass the time, while I asked an endless stream of questions to Scholar Inara.

Irana was nearly three hundred years old and had been an adventurer before becoming the most widely read general scholar in Lunar. Farentine had more than a dozen of her books in her library, but the two had never met in person.

Irana's general path wasn't useful for Farentine, and Farentine's interest in path progression didn't appeal to Irana. However, they both recognised each other's expertise, and once Irana understood Farentine wanted to study so I could do what she did, she was much more open and helpful with her advice.

It also might have had something to do with the fact that our first conversation had caused me to expand a minor branch of lore. The experience she'd received was incredibly helpful, but the discovery had also put her one step closer to passing through her fifth threshold.  

I frowned as I leaned back in my armchair. My mind was moving through hundreds idea and concepts. "You're saying we don't know what experience is."

Irana made a so-so motion with her hand. "We know experience is what we use to level our classes. We know experience crystals contain magic. What we don't know is if that magic is a fundamental part of the experience or just the mechanism by which it enters our body. My studies show that the amount of magic in an experience crystal is not proportional to the amount of experience in a crystal, which makes me think it's part of what holds an experience crystal together and allows us to absorb it."

"Is the material of an experience crystal real?"

Irana shook her head. "It's no more real than the currency we earn from the system and use in our daily lives. It's something the system creates to allow us to trade it with one another."

"So, we don't know if experience exists as a tangible substance or energy or if the experience crystals we earn are just a method the system uses to keep track of our actions."

Irana grinned, nodding excitedly.

I'd accidentally made three minor branch discoveries over the past eleven days without wearing my farm manor ring, and Irana wanted more. Lunar was paying her a bonus for every discovery she could pull out of me on Lunar while we waited for one of the migrating king toad knots.

"Can we measure experience inside people?"

Irana's grin grew. "We can measure magic. We can measure the changes they have undergone. We can use clerics to see how much experience someone has earned above their threshold and whether they have earned the right to pass through other thresholds. But we can't measure the experience within a person's body directly."

"So, experience might not exist."

It was a logical conclusion. Perhaps leveling was just a genetic transformation with a little extra magic thrown in.  

Irana's enthusiasm exploded, and she leapt out of her chair. "Exactly!"     

"Ah, why are you so excited?"

"No one believes me. You're the first person I've met to come to the same conclusion I've come to. Now think about the ramifications if experience doesn't exist."

How did the experience not existing affect my understanding of the system?

The first word out of my mouth was a profound, "ohhh. If experience doesn't exist, then the farmer's Great Boon and the orc cull make sense. The experience I received from-"

The balcony door flew open, and Torvac blurred across the room, sword drawn. He stopped before the opening and sheathed his blade.

A moment later, Durg'un stepped through. "We need to mobilise. There is a king toad bull leading its knot towards the city of Waning."

A king toad knot consisted of the primary bull and dozens of female king toads that were just as large. The females would follow the bull to the mating grounds, where it would compete with the other bulls, holding its place in the knot, or losing it to another stronger male. This was far more dangerous than if a lone bull had shown up.

Irana groaned. "Can't this wait! Arnolds about to make another discovery!"

Durg'un sighed. "Only if you are willing to risk the lives of everyone in that metropolis."  

Irana actually hesitated.