Arknightcraft Modpack (Steve in Terra) (Minecraft x Arknight)

Following Irene into this small town where the Penal Battalion was stationed, Steven couldn't help but compare it to the Sea Breeze Village from before.

At least, on the surface, the people here didn't seem to be in as dire a state.

But even so, the residents' eyes were still dull and lifeless—even more hopeless than the villagers in the small Ursus settlement he had once lived in.

He had no idea what this so-called "Profound Silence" really was,

But whatever it was, it had caused devastating effects.

Or maybe it was just the fact that this country's entire economic lifeline had been cut off?

Either way, the only thing Steven could see in their expressions was the silent despair of people who were simply waiting to get through another day.

No wonder the Church of the Deep had been able to infiltrate so easily.

Weren't these people basically begging to be lied to?

The more hopeless someone's life was, the more desperately they sought the light.

Thankfully, Irene's Inquisitor status saved Steven a lot of trouble.

When the Penal Battalion soldiers in town spotted her, they didn't even question their presence.

They simply stepped aside and continued patrolling, as if they had already been informed of their identities.

Irene led Steven through the town, stopping in front of an old church.

"I want to see the Saint."

She announced her request to the two guards at the entrance.

After a brief hesitation, she added another name to her message.

"Tell him... Mr. Steve is here."

The guards, seemingly familiar with Irene, didn't say much.

They simply gestured for the two of them to wait, then disappeared inside to deliver the message.

Steven, growing bored while waiting, leaned slightly toward Irene and joked quietly:

"Hey, you think Carmen's gonna come running out to greet me?

"You know, to really show his excitement and respect?"

Irene simply rolled her eyes at him, refusing to entertain his nonsense.

Seeing that he wasn't going to get a reaction, Steven just shrugged.

Luckily, they didn't have to wait long before Carmen himself appeared at the church entrance.

His gaze lingered on Steven for a moment before he spoke, his expression filled with uncertainty:

"Mr. Steve?"

Steven shot him an annoyed look.

"You were the one who told me to come talk, remember?"

"Now I'm here, and you're questioning if it's really me?"

"Forget it. I don't blame you."

"I'm here to talk about potatoes. Is that enough proof for you?"

Seeing Carmen's conflicted expression, Steven quickly figured out why he was being so cautious.

And honestly, fair enough.

With the Church of the Deep practically turning Iberia into Swiss cheese with their infiltration, it made perfect sense for him to be a little on edge.

At Steven's words, the elderly but still elegant Saint's eyes lit up slightly.

Stepping aside with a graceful gesture, he invited Steven inside.

Irene, meanwhile, tugged at Steven's sleeve, her gaze filled with curiosity.

So it was true.

Even a Saint showed this much respect to him.

Just what had he done?

Irene's strong curiosity led her to make a rather impulsive move, but luckily, Steven didn't forget about the little bird that had guided him here. Without hesitation, he reached back and pulled her along as they entered.

Carmen simply paused for a brief moment, then allowed them to proceed together without any objection.

If bringing Irene along could help strengthen his connection with this mysterious young man, then that would be all the better.

Besides, the Inquisition could trust Irene.

After all, she was the disciple of his own apprentice, and her personality was almost a mirror of his younger self.

As Steven followed Carmen deeper into what was clearly a repurposed church, he realized that the interior was even more barebones than he had expected.

Apart from a desk in the center, cluttered with piles of documents, there was barely anything else inside.

"No offense, but… aren't you worried about working yourself to death at this rate?"

Steven glanced at the papers that had already fallen to the floor, his concern for the elderly man's well-being evident in his tone.

This wasn't just overwork at a "996" level anymore.

Having a man of his age bear such a massive workload—wasn't that just asking for trouble?

The Inquisition's level of exploitation toward its own members was even worse than he had imagined.

"As long as this country hasn't fallen, I refuse to fall before it."

Carmen let out a gentle sigh, his voice carrying a quiet determination.

"I may be old, but this… I can still handle."

Instead of returning to his seat behind the desk, the elderly saint simply sat down on a pile of documents nearby.

His gaze remained fixed on the young man before him, still trying to piece together how Steven had managed to return from Ursus so quickly.

Had he never actually left Iberia in the first place?

Otherwise, how could he have gotten back so fast?

Steven clicked his tongue.

"Well, if that's how you want to see it, then go ahead."

"I was just giving you a heads-up, that's all."

He waved a hand dismissively.

If Carmen wanted to work himself to death, that was his own problem.

At most, Steven would just poke fun at him for it.

But judging by the documents scattered everywhere, it was clear that this country's situation was even worse than what he had seen on the surface.

"Alright, let's get to the point."

Steven finally spoke, cutting straight to business.

"I assume you called me here because it's time to discuss the exact profit split?"

"It's been a while now—you've probably had enough time to test out my potatoes and see their full potential, right?"

As he spoke, Steven reached into his pocket (Inventory) and pulled out a freshly baked potato—as if it had just come out of an oven.

Casually, he began peeling the skin, his tone relaxed as he negotiated with the old man in front of him.

Carmen's eyes flickered to Irene, then back to Steven.

"This matter requires the approval of multiple Saints. I alone cannot guarantee anything."

"But… their stance is—"

Before he could finish, Irene quickly covered her ears with both hands, pretending she didn't hear anything.

Her expression screamed:

"I know this is classified information, and I'm just a small Inquisitor, so I totally didn't hear a thing!"

Carmen let out a helpless chuckle at her over-the-top reaction before turning his attention back to Steven.

"Everything is negotiable."

Steven raised an eyebrow, then shrugged.

"I don't think you guys actually have anything to negotiate with."

"Because I have options."

"And you? You don't have the time to pick and choose anymore."

He leaned back slightly, utterly unbothered.

Having already heard the full state of Iberia from Kal'tsit, Steven knew exactly what his potatoes meant for this dying country.

After their industrial and maritime industries completely collapsed due to the Profound Silence, the people of Iberia had lost all sense of direction.

Having no exports was bad enough—but even self-sufficiency had become a massive problem.

This wasn't just an exaggeration.

Iberia was dying, little by little.

And worst of all—there was no hope in sight.

Kal'tsit's assessment of the situation had been clear:

Unless someone could restore the oceans to their former state, Iberia would never recover.

Of course, Steven didn't care about any of that.

For him, there were plenty of ways to produce resources.

As long as he had land, he could single-handedly pull this nation out of poverty in no time.

No seafood industry?

Fine—just switch to agriculture.

"..."

Carmen was at a loss for words.

He didn't even know how to argue against Steven's statement.

Because, in the end, it wasn't wrong.

This country really had no choices left.

That being said, the potato Steven had brought truly exceeded their expectations.

Just as he had described, as long as it had access to water and sufficient sunlight, it required nothing else.

Even high-salinity coastal soil—normally barren—could continuously produce crops.

The yield wasn't particularly high, but its incredible adaptability made it unrivaled among all known crops on the continent.

If they could mass-produce these potatoes, Iberia could instantly become a major agricultural power.

The stagnant industrial sector could also restart, and the country could finally shake off its deathly silence.

But of course, there was a catch—

They didn't have enough of these potatoes.

Steven had only provided a limited amount for testing.

If they wanted to scale up production enough to restore the country,

It would take time, and time was the one thing Iberia no longer had.

"Twenty percent."

Carmen finally spoke, naming a number.

Steven was merely offering a single crop variety,

Yet he expected thirty percent of the net profits?

Giving him even twenty percent was already pushing the limits of what the Saints could accept.

"Fifty percent."

Steven grinned.

Now that they were talking numbers, this was the part he loved the most.

Not only did he reject Carmen's offer, he added another twenty percent on top.

"Are you insane?!"

Carmen's frown deepened.

"You're demanding fifty percent of the profits just for providing a single crop?! Do you even understand what you're saying?!"

The problem was that Steven's potatoes had a low yield.

On average, one seed potato would produce only three more.

After replanting one as seed, that left just two potatoes per harvest.

If they gave half of that to Steven,

There would be hardly any profits left.

"Of course I understand."

Steven said matter-of-factly.

"Actually, now that I think about it… fifty percent isn't enough."

"How about… sixty?"

"You—!"

Carmen's expression stiffened in disbelief.

But before he could explode, Steven raised a hand.

"Relax. Hear me out first."

"What if I told you that this sixty percent includes me supplying all of the needed potato seeds?"

"No matter how much land you plant, I'll provide as many seedlings as you need."

"Because if I'm not mistaken…"

"You still haven't figured out how to produce enough of them to distribute nationwide, have you?"

<+>

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