Chapter 232: Chapter 231: Searching for a New Staple Crop

To the west of the Black Iron Forest was Cliff Rock Mountain.

Its slopes weren’t particularly steep, but its appearance was rather peculiar.

The higher one climbed, the more granite formations appeared. Many were directly exposed, with no soil or vegetation covering them.

At the very summit was a barren Stone Forest.

After seeing this mountain, Ronin decided to make it Carlos’s nest.

On this day, he arrived at the foot of Cliff Rock Mountain and, for the first time, called out to the Giant Dragon through their contract.

The spiritual connection was wondrous. Though man and Dragon were separated by an unknown distance, Ronin could feel Carlos approaching at an incredible speed with his call.

Before long, a black dot appeared on the horizon. It expanded rapidly, and within a few breaths, the colossal figure arrived in the sky nearby.

Before he even landed, the Cloud Stepper sensed his aura and neighed uneasily.

A warhorse with the bloodline of a Third-level Magical Beast, and a trained one at that, wouldn’t normally panic—unless it simply couldn’t help it.

If the Cloud Stepper reacted this way, Tom’s mount was even worse off.

The ordinary warhorse trembled all over, anxiously rearing up and trying to flee. If Tom hadn’t been holding the reins tightly and soothing it, it probably would have bolted.

*WHOOSH*

Carlos folded his wings, dove down, and, after kicking up a gust of wind, landed gently in front of Ronin.

“Master, you called for me!”

His voice sounded much more cheerful than before. It seemed he had been enjoying himself lately.

In fact, over the past half-month, Carlos had figured things out.

Following this master before him not only granted him ample freedom but also provided immense help in increasing his strength.

Especially the latter—this ability to instantly boost his strength, saving him decades of Cultivation, was simply inconceivable.

Acknowledging Ronin as his master wasn’t a loss at all; on the contrary, it came with great benefits.

“It’s been half a month. You seem to have gotten a little bigger.”

Ronin said with a smile.

Besides his size, Ronin also noticed that the dragon’s Level progression had increased by 3 points, now at (3/12,500).

At this rate, he would become a Seventh-level Magical Beast in just over a hundred years.

’Hmm…’

’Giant Dragons are powerful, but the process of getting stronger is a bit slow.’

Carlos glanced back at his own body. He also felt he had grown a little larger.

“I’ve probably been eating too well recently, making up for some of the nutrients I lacked during those hard times.”

A normally developed Giant Dragon over two hundred years old should be much larger than he was now.

“Let’s cut the small talk. I called you here today for two main reasons.”

Ronin pointed to the mountain ahead. “I plan to make this your nest. When you have time, come back and rest here for a few days. That should keep the nearby Magical Beasts from daring to set foot in the human towns.”

Carlos glanced at the mountain. He didn’t mind settling here. On the contrary, he preferred open-air environments; they made him feel comfortable and free.

“Don’t worry, Master. With me here, no Magical Beast will dare to come close.”

Carlos declared confidently, “After we parted ways that day, I ate a massive black bear over here. The aura I gave off was enough to make all the nearby Magical Beasts flee.”

Not to mention his draconic might, his strength alone as a Sixth-level Giant Dragon was enough to make many Magical Beasts keep a wide berth.

When other Magical Beasts learned a Giant Dragon was nesting here, they naturally wouldn’t dare approach.

After settling that matter, Ronin had Carlos take him on a patrol of the swamp.

This was something he had wanted to do ever since acquiring Swamp Town, but he hadn’t had the means back then.

Traversing the vast swamp on foot was not only time-consuming and exhausting but also dangerous. Even on horseback, there were no proper roads, and the swampy terrain could easily rot a horse’s hooves.

Now that Carlos’s Physical Ability was mostly recovered, riding him for a tour would be both convenient and fast.

On this patrol, besides getting a general idea of the swamp’s extent, Ronin also wanted to look for something specific.

The Giant Dragon let out a low hum and, in the blink of an eye, carried Ronin high into the sky.

On the ground, Tom, holding the Cloud Stepper’s reins, was lost in thought.

’Back in the day, I was strong enough to spar with the Lord,’ he thought. ’But now, I bet a single sneeze from Carlos would knock me over.’

Ronin had now become someone all the Transcendents and Mages in Wubei Territory looked up to.

The Giant Dragon soared, quickly crossing over Mountain Forest Town and the Stone Forest before arriving above Swamp Town.

Descending slightly, Ronin could see many of his subjects near the town, hunched over as they harvested bog fertilizer from the swamp. At the same time, they were reshaping the wetlands to reclaim new farmland.

Developing the swamplands was somewhat more dangerous than clearing wasteland in the mountains.

Even though Ronin had treated these swamps with Magic, there were still risks. Minor incidents resulted in injury, while major ones—like sinking into a mire or being bitten by a snake—could be fatal. These things had happened before.

But the subjects needed to work to survive. Even if they worried about their safety, they had to brace themselves and carry on.

Moreover, during their spare time, the villagers from different hamlets would compare their progress. Falling too far behind might even lead to ridicule, which only made them work even harder in silence.

Fortunately, the new Lord wasn’t stingy like Reisen. Although the work was hard, as long as they worked diligently, they received food subsidies. Getting enough to eat and drink was not a problem.

As for Ronin, he wanted his subjects to do their work well, but he also wanted to minimize accidents.

To this end, he had gathered Wilson, Sailin, and several village and group leaders to discuss and formulate some safety protocols.

For example, the methods and steps for rescuing someone who fell into a mire, as well as the necessary rescue equipment to have ready before starting work, such as long poles and hemp ropes.

Another example was how to treat a venomous snakebite to prevent the poison from spreading, and so on.

In addition to this, Elron had also taught them about some antidote plants, telling them to keep an eye out for them while they worked.

The Giant Dragon flew swiftly onward, soon leaving the town’s vicinity and entering an uninhabited region.

Compared to the landscape around Swamp Town, the environment here was more primitive and rugged, with a high and vast sky.

Long, thin rivers began to appear across the vast land. They crisscrossed, connecting a multitude of lakes of all sizes that were scattered like stars, forming a magnificent natural tapestry.

While looking down on the beautiful scenery, Ronin knew the value of this land.

If it were all developed, given the fertility of the soil, this place would become Wubei Territory’s great granary.

“Lower our altitude a bit and slow down.”

“Yes, Master.”

Carlos’s flying ability was truly exceptional. He simply kept his wings spread, maintaining a low-altitude glide without needing to flap them.

From a distance of fifty to sixty meters above the ground, Ronin could see the situation below with perfect clarity.

Rice seedlings. That was the plant Ronin was looking for this time.

The staple grains of this world were mainly barley and wheat; Ronin had never heard of a crop like rice.

He didn’t know if this crop simply didn’t exist here, or if it did exist but couldn’t be cultivated due to the low level of local farming expertise.

The reason Ronin had this idea was mainly because the swamp’s biological resources were extremely rich.

Many species of birds nested here, bringing all sorts of seeds with them, which meant there was also a great variety of plants. On top of that, the environment here was also very suitable for growing rice.

If he really did discover wild rice, it would be a huge help for the development of Swamp Town.

After all, growing wheat required relatively dry soil with good drainage, which increased the difficulty of reclamation for his subjects.

In contrast, rice preferred moist, soft soil, which would greatly reduce the difficulty of reclamation in Swamp Town.

The yield from growing rice here would certainly be higher than that of wheat.

Although wheat and rice have different textures and nutritional values, some people would surely come to like it.

Besides, having such a high-yield grain crop would not be a bad thing for Wubei Territory.

Of course, this was all hypothetical. Everything depended on whether Ronin could find wild rice.

Carlos maintained a low-altitude flight at a slow speed.

Ronin did indeed see many green plants, but each time he had Carlos land for a closer look, he was met with disappointment. They were just weeds.

But he knew that in situations like this, he had to be patient.

It was only mid-May. Even if there was wild rice here, it would still be in the seedling stage, not much taller than the weeds, so he had to observe carefully.

Carlos was a bit confused. He didn’t understand why his master was so interested in weeds. Compared to plants, he was far more interested in meat.

He glanced at a nearby pool of water. His instincts told him there was a big one down there, but he wasn’t hungry at the moment.

Ronin walked along the wetland for a while but didn’t see what he was looking for. He hopped back onto the Giant Dragon’s back.

“Let’s go. We’ll check another spot.”

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