I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 193

Title) Trying to start farming

Wild Grylls

(Picture of Wonmo sitting down)

Anyone got any advice?

└ Heavenly Demon) Wonmo is as cute as ever. I want to hug him.

└ Sword Matstar) Right? Can’t someone make a plushie out of him or something?

└ Grylls must distribute one Wonmo per person!

└ I’d rather have a plushie than the real Wonmo; I don’t think I could handle the food bill.

└ But why farming all of a sudden? Is there an emergency?

└ Wild Grylls) We have more mouths to feed, and the Paladin ahjussi says he wants to do it.

└ Now he’s using a guy with severed legs as a farmer;;

└ Are you even human? That’s fucking harsh LMAO

└ Wild Grylls) No, holy fuck, he said HE wanted to do it, so I’m letting him. It’s not forced.

└ Put your hand on your heart and think about it. Have you really never made him work?

└ Wild Grylls) Don’t worry, I already asked him to help build the house.

└ ;;;

└ You’re trash beyond imagination;;

└ Bullshit, you’re already using him LMAO

└ Well, Grylls is the landlord, so gotta listen to the landlord lol

└ Grow Big and Tall) Do you have enough land over there for farming? A small vegetable garden might be one thing, but actual farming requires a large plot.

└ Wild Grylls) We have plenty of labor, so I think it’ll be fine.

└ Grow Big and Tall) If that’s the case, then it’s fine, but usually you need to spread compost or lime on the field 2 to 3 weeks in advance.

└ Wild Grylls) 2 to 3 weeks in advance?

└ Grow Big and Tall) Yes, so the nutrients soak in properly. It’s the same even for small vegetable plots.

Figuring out farming methods for Ludwig.

When I posted on the Gallery, quite a few people offered their know-how.

Among them, one fixed handle was a huge help, giving detailed advice, so I followed their counsel.

’I didn’t know you had to prepare 2 to 3 weeks in advance.’

I know farming isn’t easy.

When people say, "I’ll farm when I retire~," in most cases, it’s closer to a "hobby."

Meaning it’s far from making a living through actual farming.

Besides, this place isn’t as developed as where I originally came from, so there’ll be a lot that needs to be replaced with physical labor.

I feel stuck already.

└ Isn’t the soil naturally rich in nutrients since that’s the Forest of the Four Seasons?

└ That’s what I think too. It’s a place where even Mature Mandrakes grow, so nutrients should be...

└ Honestly, even without compost, crops would probably grow just fine on their own?

└ Grow Big and Tall) I think similarly. If you just till the field reasonably well and scatter seeds, they’ll probably grow fine, right?

└ Wild Grylls) That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.

But this is the Forest of the Four Seasons.

A place where rare medicinal herbs and various plants grow.

Growing simple crops should be easy enough with just tilling the field.

└ Grow Big and Tall) But what are you going to plant? The tilling method changes depending on the crop.

└ Wild Grylls) Hold on a moment.

It was just as I turned my head toward Ludwig after hearing Grow Big and Tall’s words.

"Tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk."

"Kkyuu?"

"#$%%. Tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk."

"...."

Did he want to try holding fluffy Wonmo at least once?

Ludwig beckoned Wonmo over with his hand, calling out to him.

Even though a full day had passed, Wonmo still wouldn’t approach Ludwig.

It wasn’t that he was on guard. It was just that as long as I was around, he didn’t feel any need to go to Ludwig.

On the first day, Ludwig was overwhelmed by chaos and had his hands full.

In other words, he now had some room to breathe. He was putting effort into making friends with Wonmo.

"Kkyuuuu~"

As if sensing Ludwig’s heart, Wonmo waddled over.

Soon after, Wonmo snuggled into Ludwig’s chest and began rubbing his face against him.

Ludwig’s stern, stiff expression vanished without a trace, replaced by a doting fatherly smile that was quite a sight to behold.

"Kkyuu. Kkyu."

"Eheheheheh."

Hmm.

It reminded me of fathers who claim they’ll throw a dog away if you bring one home, only to end up doting on it far more than their own children once it actually arrives.

He even threw fits insisting on walking the dog himself.

’He used to tell me to just go play on the computer.’

Those were all memories now. My parents had passed away, and the dog I raised had lived out its natural lifespan.Read the latest chapters at novel​ping.com.

Anyway, I asked Ludwig what crop he wanted to grow.

Ludwig seemed to think for a moment, then drew a picture and showed it to me.

"...Bread? Flour? Wheat?"

What he drew was bread. The raw ingredient for bread is flour, and flour is made from wheat.

I drew a rough sketch of wheat and asked if that was right, to which he nodded.

I immediately informed Grow Big and Tall of the crop’s name.

└ Grow Big and Tall) Wheat? Wheat is hard to grow unless the land is fertile. The weather also needs to be dry.

└ Wild Grylls) Well, let’s just give it a try. We’re starting tomorrow anyway.

└ Grow Big and Tall) Got it. First, as for how to cultivate the field...

I listened to Grow Big and Tall’s instructions on how to cultivate the field.

I thought we could just scrape through with a plow or a pitchfork, but that wasn’t the case.

We had to build up ridges to plant the crops and dig drainage channels for water to run off. There was surprisingly a lot to do.

I wrote down the methods taught by the fixed handle in my notebook.

Since we weren’t going to do it today but starting tomorrow, recording it was better.

└ Grow Big and Tall) After tilling the field, you’ll need to sow seeds. Do you have seeds?

└ Wild Grylls) Nope. Are there none in the auction house either?

└ Grow Big and Tall) Most of what’s in the auction house are terrible varieties. I can spare some wheat seeds for you.

└ Wild Grylls) Ohhh... Thank you. Is there anything you need?

└ Grow Big and Tall) Could you perhaps send me some of the soil over there? Since it’s soil from the Forest of the Four Seasons, I think I could use it in place of fertilizer.

That made plenty of sense.

The Forest of the Four Seasons was a region that allowed even Mandrakes to grow into full maturity.

It might be far beyond simply being fertile.

So, I bought a random bucket from the auction house and filled it with soil.

Now, all I had to do was trade this as-is to receive wheat from Grow Big and Tall.

[Grow Big and Tall: Just a heads-up, wheat struggles to grow if there’s heavy rain, so keep that in mind. If it rains, planting rice would actually be better.]

[Wild Grylls: Thank you.]

He gave advice even during the trade. He was a very nice person.

I checked the wheat seeds I received.

The wheat seeds were contained in a fist-sized pouch, and the quantity was quite substantial.

Since we weren’t starting full-scale farming yet, this amount was more than enough.

"Ahjussi. Here’s the wheat...."

"Kkyuuuu~"

"Hahaha."

Look at him playing so nicely with Wonmo. I should just leave him to keep playing.

Only one day had passed, so his heart must still be in turmoil; he needed some emotional healing, didn’t he?

Besides, there was a mountain of work piling up. Tomorrow in particular would be busy.

’A whole month has really passed.’

A month had gone by since I began living in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Time had dragged so damn slowly up until the fifteenth day, but before I knew it, time had flown right by.

I guess that’s what happens once a routine sets in.

Conversely, starting tomorrow, time was going to drag like hell again.

Ludwig had arrived, and there would be plenty of changes in many ways.

’I also have to show him the places I’ve been so far.’

You might say I could just show him the map, but the map was just a rough estimate I drew up, not actual distances, so it wasn’t very meaningful.

This place could only be learned through direct experience. It was a place where even the sun rose from a different direction every day.

’I didn’t know the sun rising in a different direction every day would be such a pain in the ass.’

If the sun kept rising from a specific direction, I could roughly guess the orientation.

However, today it rose to the right relative to the cave, and yesterday it rose to the left.

It meant that just as the space across the river shifted in real-time, this place was also continuously moving.

’Let’s get ready for sleep.’

I also made a sleeping mat for Ludwig.

Thanks to taking a clean bath, there was no foul odor either.

If there was a problem, maybe the clothes? Though I did lend him some of my clothes...

’The deer is about to die.’

Maybe because he was a soldier, the sizing didn’t fit him.

The deer pattern on the shirt was stretched sideways so far it was practically screaming for mercy.

So, I asked Princess Chaenggu if she could provide some larger-sized clothes.

[Princess Chaenggu: You know what the reward is, right? eheh]

[Wild Grylls: Wishing victory and luck to Chaemes United.]

[Princess Chaenggu: No, no! Ludwig-nim has to say that! I’ll be looking forward to it!]

[Wild Grylls: ;;;]

Looks like another Chaeyu fan is bound to be added today.

After receiving the uniform from Princess Chaenggu like that, I passed it over to Ludwig.

Ludwig took it with a stoic expression, as if he quite liked the uniform...

"Kkyuu?"

"Hey, man. That’s for humans to wear. Don’t put it on Wonmo."

"#%%^$"This chapter is updated first at novelрing.com.

He put the newly received uniform on Wonmo.

Wonmo had his own clothes, yet he pulled a stunt like that—he was already turning into a doting owner.

Thus, a night far noisier than usual passed, and the next morning dawned.

As soon as the next morning broke, the first thing I did was prepare breakfast.

’...Why do I feel like I’ve become someone who just cooks meals?’

Setting aside the strange feeling, I decided to get straight to work.

Today’s task was to head down to the lower reaches of the river and scoop up sand.

It would be a good opportunity to show Ludwig the way while we were at it.

’He really treats the giraffe like a horse.’

Right before heading to the lower reaches of the river, Ludwig naturally mounted Largo’s back.

It was a truly bizarre sight. Still, I was glad Largo listened well.

"Let’s go."

"Mm."

The day began.

The full-scale dawn of human civilization began with ’farming.’

Humanity originally lived a nomadic lifestyle focused on gathering and hunting, but through agriculture, collective living became possible.

However, farming inadvertently birthed side effects. Namely, social classes.

Farming yields surplus produce, and surplus produce creates trade.

In a world where one must eat to survive, produce meant both survival and power.

Land, which could be called the root of produce, soon became power as well...

And so, they emerged. Those who farmed, and those who commanded the farmers.

Classes naturally formed.

That is why several scholars have referred to agriculture as humanity’s greatest achievement and worst mistake.

└ So are you not gonna farm then?

└ Historically, any nation that persecuted its farmers fell into ruin.

└ Without farmers, the entire country would starve to death LMAO

Farmers are so vital that they form the bedrock of a nation.

No matter how powerful a nation is, the moment a famine strikes, it is standard for it to take the path toward collapse.

An empire brought low by external invasion can be rebuilt, but an empire that collapses from within is doomed to perish.

Therefore, a wise monarch does not oppress farmers, but rather grants them numerous benefits.

A prime example demonstrating this trend was Robert, the former Emperor of the Messiah Empire.

Robert granted tax exemptions and various perks to farmers, raising their sense of achievement.

Quite a few nobles protested, but with bumper harvests continuing year after year, even the nobles had no choice but to keep their mouths shut.

In that sense, the farmers of the current Messiah Empire must be farming every day with smiles on their faces...

"Ah. Fuck. This is fucking exhausting, seriously."

"I really hate farming."

"What’s the point of having an ox? You still have to bend your back in the end."

...Or not.

No matter how many benefits were provided, agriculture was a primary industry.

Meaning it required a massive amount of labor. The body was bound to suffer.

Even with an ox, the fact that humans had to plant the seeds by hand remained unchanged.

Yet, because the rewards for it were guaranteed, they grumbled while planting the seeds nonetheless.

"Hey. Roy."

"Yes?"

"What the hell have you been scattering since earlier? Fertilizer?"

A middle-aged man who had been sowing seeds asked with a scowl.

To that, Roy, a wholesome-looking young man, replied with an awkward smile.

"Um... something like that. It doesn’t matter anyway, right?"

"As long as it’s not poison. But be careful."

"Yes. I underst—"

It was right as Roy was about to answer.

BUAAAAAK!!!

Stems suddenly shot up rapidly right where Roy had scattered the soil.

It was the same everywhere else. Wherever Roy scattered the soil, stems shot up toward the sky.

"Wh-What in the world is this?!"

"What’s happening?!"

While everyone watched the situation in utter shock, the stems stopped growing before long.

The height of the crop far exceeded a human’s stature. Roy stared up at it blankly.

On the outside, it looked like wheat. Yeah. Strictly speaking, on the outside, that is.

"Hey! Roy! What the hell did you scatter?!"

To the elder’s scolding, Roy answered sheepishly.

"That... soil."

To be precise, it was soil from the Forest of the Four Seasons.