Golden Dragon: Six Thousand Years of Empire-Chapter 35 Noah’s Book

"Let’s go!"

Noah no longer wanted to say anything. On such fertile black soil, using seed-based yield calculations to determine agricultural income—there was nothing more stimulating to him than this.

"Not going to look anymore?"

"I want to take a look at other noble territories." frёewebηovel.cѳm

"Alright then!"

Although it was incomprehensible why a Golden Dragon with such pure bloodline would be interested in such ordinary land, even getting angry because of it, Selena was willing to accompany him. After all, it was along the way.

The Floating Ship began to ascend again, leaving behind the ones below who could barely be called farmers. They wandered in a mix of emotions like relief and confusion until long after, the Lord whom Noah had called useless finally left with his people.

Selena was tasked with a political mission, inspecting the territories of vassal nobles of the Augustus family. Originally, Noah followed along, merely responsible for eating and drinking. After all, anyone with a bit of intelligence would provide him with good offerings.

But now things were different. Driven by a strong emotion, and urged by a burgeoning sense of responsibility and mission, Noah would visit the nearby fields in every place they arrived at to observe the local farmers’ sowing and planting methods, inquiring about the yields.

On his whole journey, however, Noah found himself devoid of anger because everything was more or less the same, with no significant differences.

The territory of the knight who was the first to be called useless by him actually had a yield ratio of 1:2, which stood out among many noble lands. Many other noble territories had even worse yield ratios.

In the lands Noah observed, the level of agricultural development essentially remained in the primitive stage of slash-and-burn farming. Farmers sowed seeds on simply tilled land, rarely fertilizing, had no concept of weeding, and knew nothing about watering, fully relying on the weather for their sustenance.

In such circumstances, the emergence of the seed-based yield calculation method was completely unsurprising. If a bountiful harvest, as seen in Noah’s memory, were to occur under these conditions, it would only be because some Divine being was extravagantly idle.

In fact, this also had a certain relation to Divine belief. Many farmers liked to pray to the Divine beings they worshiped, and one of the most popular hymns was sung as follows:

We diligently cultivate the land, and spread the best seeds. Almighty Divine, please water and fertilize the crops!

Merciful Mother Earth, give us the nourishing life soil, so every grain can take root and sprout.

Generous Father of the Heavens, please bestow our crops with rain, let it soak every piece of land.

May our hard work turn into harvest, may this land prosper eternally!

Noah felt speechless, indeed. After sowing, there was no weeding or fertilizing, just relying on the Divine. What does that have to do with diligence?

Of course, these primitive people using slash-and-burn techniques weren’t entirely useless; at least they had some understanding of fallow periods, knowing to let the land rest, which led to the development of a two-field system.

That is, dividing arable land into two parts, planting only on one piece of it each year, allowing the other to accumulate the lost fertility, alternating like this.

In some areas, Noah even saw the more advanced three-field system, which divided the land into three parts and rotated over a three-year cycle, even sowing grass seeds on the fallow land for grazing.

However, so-called advancement is only relative. Compared to the ridge farming method in Noah’s memory, the three-field system was nothing but trash.

Ridge farming involves planting crops in rows on ridges, maintaining spacing between ridges. The ridge is generally slightly higher than the trough between them, though they can be level depending on the crop.

This is undoubtedly a planting method that guarantees high yields, as crops can grow independently without interference; farmers can walk in the troughs between ridges to weed, fertilize, and water without trampling the crops.

The most ingenious aspect of ridge farming is that between the ridges and troughs, it allows for rotation after each crop harvest, achieving a fallow effect sufficient to ensure soil fertility.

However, after on-the-ground surveys and visits to major noble territories, Noah came to a conclusion that the ridge farming method, which in his memory was common practice, had no room for development or promotion here.

The reason is simple: the farmers here are simply too poor. So poor that the only metal equipment they might possess might just be a few dozen copper coins, perhaps one or two silver coins.

Ridge farming requires deep plowing and precise planting, which demands metal farming tools, livestock, and coordinated plows to dig trenches and form ridges.

Such prerequisites are a luxury far removed for farmers who for generations have only faced exploitation by nobles. Almost all farmers cannot own metal farming tools.

Metals from smelting furnaces would ultimately be turned into the armor worn by nobles and the swords in their hands, rather than tools for farmers.

With such combined constraints, it’s no wonder that farmers on this land have remained in such a primitive stage, unable to develop even if they wished.

Petty nobles could bully and exploit farmers, let alone the high-ranking Transcendents.

Noah’s adoptive mother, however, would not exploit the farmers; she was willing to listen to Noah’s suggestions and even offer slaves purchased a chance for freedom.

Yet her willingness was because she did not care at all, which was more terrifying than oppression and bullying; this was neglect, or rather, disregard!

She was simply positioned too high, and farmers simply did not exist in her eyes.

Regardless of how much grain farmers produced, even if existing agricultural practices were improved and grain yields increased tenfold or a hundredfold, it was all trivial to her — perhaps not even as meaningful as a tender word from Noah.

This was truly frightening!

Those powerful Transcendents capable of tearing down mountains and reversing rivers generally had no regard for these numerous but weak beings. To them, these lowly creatures were almost nonexistent.

"Little Noah, have you seen enough?"

"I’ve seen enough; should we head back now?"

"Yes, we should be going back now. This trip has earned you quite a bit of credit. What reward would you like?"

"I want to publish a book. Once I finish writing it, could you help me promote it throughout the territory?"

Noah replied.

"You want to publish a book? What kind? What will it be about?"

Selena was immediately intrigued, asking with great interest.

"A book teaching people how to plant — an agricultural book."

Noah answered.

On one hand, he could no longer tolerate how those referred to as farmers were treating the black soil; on the other, he wanted to see what kind of feedback the Golden Tree would give him because of it.

Not to exaggerate, once he promoted ridge farming methods, he could save millions of lives. This alone, along with its impact, would be enough to immortalize his name for all time.