The Cornflower Witch

“Toot, toot—” The train pulled into the station, slowly coming to a halt amidst billowing steam and the screech of brakes.

The carriage doors opened as skilled loaders carried cargo off the train. On the other side, steps were lowered from the passenger cars, allowing well-dressed travelers to disembark.

Among them, a man in a black suit stepped off. Shortly after, a familiar servant approached, bowing in greeting. “Master Samuel, I’ve come to receive you.”

The man nodded, handed over his briefcase, and began asking questions. “How’s the estate lately? Are those wines I mentioned ready yet?”

“Yes, they’re prepared, Master. We managed to harvest the grapes ahead of the cold snap, saving about seventy percent of the yield.”

“Seventy percent...” The man wasn’t entirely satisfied with that result, but he understood the circumstances were far from ordinary. “Forget it, let’s drop that. I came here to adjust our planting plans going forward.”

“Yes, sir.” The servant hesitated briefly before adding, “Recently, the Tower Guardian of Mishil District, Lady Hedra, announced a recommendation: all farmland in Mishil District should be converted to planting high-yield, long-storage grain crops.”

“Oh, her.” The man recalled the image he’d seen in the newspapers months ago. “Hedra... how has Miss Hedra been performing in administrative affairs?”

“I-I wouldn’t dare to comment, but Lady Hedra enjoys great prestige in Mishil District. The major workshops and guilds all hold her in high regard.”

“Ha, I’d respect her too if I were them—she’s practically revitalized the whole region’s industry.” He chuckled. “Well then, it looks like this recommendation is mandatory.” Since all the major guilds and workshops backed the girl’s decision, a small-time merchant like him shouldn’t try to be special.

“Our estate’s fields are along the river, right? That should be good for wheat.” Samuel recalled his last inspection.

“Yes, sir.”

“Wheat yields well, but it heavily drains soil fertility. Without crop rotation and fallow periods, the land will be barren in a few years.” That was why he’d been reluctant to switch to wheat before. “I’ve heard there’s a fertilizer that can maintain soil fertility. Do you know anything about it?”

“I’ve only heard rumors. That fertilizer comes from the north, and only a few estates buy it.”

“Oh? Do you know how it’s made?”

“I’ve heard it’s made from livestock manure. The smell is quite unpleasant, and many nobles look down on it. They believe crops grown with such filth become tainted, and if it’s used for wine, it drastically lowers the value.”

“Heh, that doesn’t sound pleasant.” But then he shifted tone. “Still, we should give it a try. Find a way to get some, and test it on a small plot of the estate. If people dare to sell it and others buy it, it must have some use.”

With that, the merchant climbed into his steam vehicle. The engine roared to life and carried him toward his estate in Mishil District.

To maximize grain production across Mishil District’s fields and ensure sufficient food reserves before the Sinking Fog season arrived, Sylutia gathered numerous estate owners and representatives from the district for negotiations. She proposed that if they adopted the recommendation and fully switched to grain crops, the authorities would provide subsidies.

Additionally, she actively promoted purchase agreements, promising that the Mishil District government would buy all grain produced at eight times the usual price.

Given Sylutia’s immense prestige in Mishil District and the widespread support for the recommendation, the representatives agreed. However, far fewer signed the purchase agreements—many estate owners had their own plans and ideas.

After the meeting, Sylutia and Cerise walked out of the venue, continuing their discussion on food issues.

“Cerise, are you curious why I didn’t raise the purchase price even higher to get more estate owners to sign the contracts?” Sylutia gazed at the gray, overcast sky outside.

“A little,” Cerise nodded.

“Mishil District’s finances are in good shape. We could afford to offer five times the usual price. But—” She paused. “But that would create another problem: these people wouldn’t be satisfied with the profits and would start buying grain from other regions, disguising it as their own estate’s produce to exchange for the high purchase price from us.”

“We’d still get the grain, but it defeats the original purpose—boosting local estate production. Buying from other regions is something we can do ourselves; there’s no need to go through these estate owners.”

“Besides, the impending long Sinking Fog season is a massive challenge for the entire Alliance. If we can’t increase overall production, robbing Peter to pay Paul won’t help much.”

After finishing, Sylutia walked down the steps and returned to the mage tower.

In the following two weeks, under Sylutia’s leadership, the Mishil District government consolidated a large number of fields from various villages, hiring professionals to manage them. The original villagers received compensation in both grain and money.

After sorting through the statistical reports, Cerise handed the details of the consolidated fields to Sylutia for review.

“This should boost grain production by about fifty percent. Thanks to that fertilizer from the northern grasslands, but its price has already started rising. It’ll probably be hard to get soon.” Cerise pondered.

“That fertilizer was originally a product from a workshop in Candela. Sales were lukewarm, nothing special. But once news of this Sinking Fog season spread and everyone started scrambling for ways to boost crop yields, their fertilizer sold like wildfire.” Sylutia flipped through the reports while sharing the latest information.

“Though it’s difficult to keep buying from them, I made connections with quite a few local beastmen during my inspection tours with Novadon along the North Wind Defense Line. If we buy directly from them, we might get a batch. But the transport costs are high—only worth it in an emergency.”

The girl set down the forms, recalling her travels along the North Wind Defense Line last year. She wondered how the people who’d migrated from Hulan District were doing now. Maybe she could have someone inquire about them while making purchases this time.

Thinking about who to send for procurement, she glanced at Cerise, then shook her head slightly. Cerise’s strength was decent, but she had a cold personality—better suited for combat or Inspection Department work. Trading and procurement would be a bother for her.

What about other candidates? Sylutia thought back to a few gang members she’d known in Asra District. Those guys were slick, but not necessarily cut out for business. Then suddenly, she recalled an acquaintance from her journey north to Candela.

The chairwoman of the ‘Purple Silk Guild’, Silise. She’d been the guild leader of Worze District, traveling with Sylutia to Candela. After arriving, she’d stayed to investigate business opportunities. It had been a year—wonder how she was doing. Maybe she could contact Silise and ask her to handle this.

But the purple-haired guild leader probably wouldn’t like the smelly fertilizer trade.

Still, it was worth writing to ask. She could also send a gift—coincidentally, production of the new vehicle had ramped up, and they could spare one.

After finalizing all the work to boost grain production in Mishil District, time slipped unnoticed into December. The annual ‘Silver Bell Festival’ was about to begin.

Not only would members from various Mage Alliance schools return to attend, but representatives from other forces on the Fourth Continent would also come. Maybe she could use this opportunity to inquire about the Hidden Grove Alliance. Sylutia remembered that when she’d left, the Hidden Grove Alliance had been heavily developing the Darkmist Mountains and numerous Shadow World outposts, significantly boosting their grain production—especially after her ‘Purple Blooming Clover’ had been widely adopted.

If she could purchase grain from the Hidden Grove Alliance, it would greatly ease the pressure. But this involved complex considerations between the two major powers, so she could only inquire—not make any decisions lightly.

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