Chapter 576 Moon Fortress!
In July, the warm breeze of summer gently blew across the land, bringing the joy of a bountiful harvest to the central part of the kingdom once more.
Over the expanse of hundreds of thousands of square kilometers, laid out in neat, endless rows, were wheat fields that stretched as far as the eye could see, their golden orange hues testifying to the joint efforts of magic and the labor of some hundred thousands of workers. Over 300,000 hectares of land in the central region of the kingdom had been transformed into the kingdom's granary!
From this land alone, enough was produced to supply nearly eighty percent of the Magic Kingdom's food needs as well as its livestock requirements!
Five years ago, Beatty was just a farmer within a royal demesne. Thanks to the relatively lower taxes of the directly governed lands, he could have his fill when the harvest was good. But once droughts or wars broke out in the kingdom, life became extremely difficult.
However, ever since the Wizards stormed the capital and took over the entire kingdom, Beatty's life had undergone tremendous change.
At first, when these Wizard lords proposed the consolidation of scattered lands to implement centralized, mechanized farming, they faced spontaneous resistance from countless farmers. To these generational cultivators of the kingdom's subjects, the land was the most precious property, in some cases, even more important than life itself!
As long as they still had their land, they could at least ensure their most basic living needs were met.
Most people simply did not believe that the Wizards, whom the church had branded as propagators of the end times and followers of the Evil God, had such good intentions. Thus, they were highly resistant to this so-called agricultural reform plan.
But a group of farmers was simply no match for the Spellcasters who wielded the miraculous magic.
Fortunately, the council did not intend to carry out a large-scale massacre; instead, they chose to first cultivate wasteland and then used speech and interests to entice some of the less steadfast subjects to participate in management.
Without a doubt, Beatty seized this rare opportunity, responded to the great farming plan proposed by the Wizard lords, and suddenly became a big farm owner managing thousands of hectares around him. He also witnessed the magic-style fully automated cultivation that was beyond his comprehension.
Plowing and planting no longer needed manpower or animal power; just by operating a large alchemical creation, a few people could easily cultivate thousands of hectares of land.
Even watering and fertilizing were taken care of by specialized Elemental Wizards, who once a week would cast a magic spell called [Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium Fertilization] to significantly increase the wheat yield for the following year.
And the most important thing they had to do was actually to combine their past experiences with the agricultural experiments of those high and mighty Wizard lords.
Of course, these exalted Wizards were all very busy and had no time to waste on the "trivial matter" of crop cultivation. After surviving the most difficult first year, they no longer assisted with planting but instead provided in bulk an alchemical powder that could increase soil fertility and reduce pests.
Having enjoyed the convenience of fully automated farming, Beatty even had a sudden inspiration to use all his savings to rent an airship for daily watering and fertilizing tasks.
After all, it was now hard to find farmers, as the prices offered by the various magic workshops were terrifying. Those who had initially resisted the agricultural reform plan and wished to die in their fields rather than lose their land had all gone into the workshops to work with iron and glass.
So renting an airship was a necessary move out of no choice, and it was thanks to these miraculous alchemical creations that his big family could manage thousands of hectares of farmland with ease.
However, Beatty also had his worries at times. He was most concerned about such centralized planting methods; if a large-scale drought or flood were to occur, wouldn't the entire kingdom's food supply be doomed?
But over the years, Beatty surprisingly found that his concerns seemed unnecessary. Those Wizard lords seemed to have the ability to predict the Celestial Phenomenon. Over the past year, it had become even stranger, as the wind blowing and the rain falling appeared to be scheduled and quantified.
Not long ago, a Wizard Apprentice even sent them a questionnaire, inquiring how much rain they needed each quarter, how many sunny days they required, and which days would be more suitable for rainfall...
After looking at the questionnaire, Beatty was completely baffled; he didn't quite understand the purpose of filling in these forms, which detailed even the amount of rain each time. Could it be that just by submitting a report, the sky would rain on schedule?
However, things turned out to be even more exaggerated than he had imagined. After collecting questionnaires from hundreds of big farm owners in the eastern region of the kingdom, a weather schedule for the four seasons was directly created. Observing for a whole year, Beatty was amazed to find that the region's weather matched exactly what was written on the chart.
Only after discreetly inquiring with a Wizard lord managing the farm did Beatty learn that this was a domain, a very powerful ability that only a very formidable Wizard could possess.
In fact, not just the kingdom but the entire continent was under the domain of the Eternal Star. If he decreed clear skies, there would definitely be no rain, and if he predicted wind, there would absolutely be no thunder.
After learning this news, Beatty set up a statue of the Eternal Star in his home overnight. In his view, this was no longer mere magic, and only the Almighty God mentioned in the Holy Scripture could accomplish such an inconceivable feat.
Moreover, under the old empire's rule, they had to attend church for worship every week, a habit that was already ingrained. Now that the habit had suddenly stopped, it felt quite unusual to them.
Therefore, even though the council expressly opposed it, many subjects of the kingdom still retained the habit of prayer, only the object of their prayers had shifted from the Moon God to the Eternal Star.
In any case, whether it was useful or not, praying couldn't hurt!
In the evening, after harvesting the thousand hectares of wheat fields, Beatty led his wife and three sons in their routine prayers, then went on to enjoy tonight's dinner—five pieces of white bread, a bottle of honey wine, and a piece of pack animal meat the size of a palm.
This was already quite a feast, five years ago those minor nobles couldn't necessarily afford to eat such delicacies every day.
While Beatty was calculating in her mind how much money she could earn from this quarter's wheat harvest, she listened to her youngest son recount the gossip and strange tales he had heard at the Wizard College.
Tales of the Wizards who had created a flying Magic City, and of a magical item called a "recording stone" that had become popular in the capital recently, capable of recording past events — it was all very mystical.
But the most mysterious rumor of all was that the council was recruiting pioneers at a high price, preparing to establish a Moon Outpost.
Beatty's jaw dropped mid-bite into her beast meat, and she looked at her youngest son in astonishment, almost thinking he was joking. However, he quickly assured her, swearing that he had heard it from his own mentor, a Wizard, who said the council was even offering a salary of twenty silver coins a month!
Beatty looked skeptically up at the bright moon in the sky, feeling more and more that she could not comprehend the world anymore.
...
Just as Beatty's family was discussing, after more than a month of trials, Lynn had successfully opened a portal between Eternal Star and the moon.
The capital was bustling due to the council's recruitment order.
Traveling to the moon was undoubtedly a novel and unknown concept for the citizens of the kingdom, and it is often said that great rewards bring out brave souls — and the kingdom was never short of people with a spirit of adventure.
In just one week, an initial group of five thousand people ready to travel to the moon was assembled.
In fact, what the council needed to establish was not just an outpost, but a war fortress!
Because of the last battle with the Lord of the Undead, tens of thousands of miles of land were destroyed, so Lynn had already decided that he couldn't let future battlefields be within Eternal Star. Otherwise, if the fighting got out of hand, even the slightest repercussions could cause devastating damage to all living beings on the planet!
The moon, not too far from Eternal Star, undoubtedly became the most suitable choice.
Although it had no atmosphere, it was enveloped by the Moon God Domain, which to some extent assumed the functions of a planetary atmosphere. The gravity issue could also be adjusted by setting up gravitational field formations.
Once the Moon Outpost was built, coupled with the two galaxy-class warships the council was currently manufacturing, it would signify that they had one foot in the threshold of interstellar civilization!
Lynn could also take the opportunity to expand his divine domain to the moon until every last trace of Diana's residual power was erased. That way, the former Moon God would no longer have a chance to rise again!
"So, you've found a way to locate alternate dimensions?" Harrov couldn't help but ask in the council's meeting room in the capital, upon hearing Lynn's war preparations.
"Exactly!" Lynn nodded, benefiting from the remnant soul of the Moon God they had discovered on the moon.
Having been dead for over a thousand years, the remnant's memories were extremely chaotic, but he had successfully extracted some useful information, such as the high-dimensional coordinates of the alternate dimensions, and the method to locate them.
This needed a medium, and coincidentally, the remnant of the Moon God had a faint connection with the alternate dimension.
"With that being said, it's time for us to go on the offensive!" Anthony said with anticipation, as previously they were all stuck defending Eternal Star, facing the undead armies pouring out of several portals, which was incredibly frustrating.
Rafael even suggested that last time they had prepared a large stockpile of nuclear weapons to face the Lord of the Undead, but the war ended too swiftly, and since it was within their own territory, they couldn't truly let loose.
This time, engaging in outer warfare, they could start with a nuclear bombardment.
Lynn then turned to Vittorio and asked, "How long before our new warships are ready?"
"About two more months!" Vittorio responded thoughtfully.
Lynn nodded. Two months would be enough time to establish an outpost on the moon.
Although continuing to delay and using the resources of the Unified Continent and the moon to build several more galaxy-class warships was feasible, Lynn was somewhat concerned that the main world might find the alternate dimension first.
Just as he could find the coordinates of the alternate dimension from Diana's remnant soul, if Eira were captured, then the location of Eternal Star might also be exposed... It's always better to strike first than to strike second!