131 - -129 marbles of Tamarajuku.

My excitement soared at the prospect of getting the rice I had longed for with surprising ease. It's a bargain to get a great spirit to help you grow rice for three barrels of sake, isn't it?

Sarah and her friends are training, and Belle and her friends are playing in the spirit tree. It's time to relax after lunch, but not when it comes to rice cultivation. We need to get going as soon as possible.

We hurry to the block one block before the last point of the canal. First of all, we have to make rice paddies, so we have to dig the ground for them. I take out my magic shovel and start digging.

I have a vague idea of how rice paddies work from what I have learned in class. I remember it, but I don't know the details. I think it was something like soft soil on top of hard soil.

"Hey, how much ground do you need to dig for a rice paddy?"

"Yuta, I will make the shape even if you don't dig it in the first place.

Nomos made an incredibly attractive proposal. But what about it?　Can I ask nomos to do this for me?

I can imagine that the ground will be made into the shape of a rice paddy in no time at all, and the soil will be watered and turned into a rice paddy. And that imagination will become reality.

I surely want to eat rice. We get fish from the sea, and we make dried fish. How many times have I wanted to bake dried fish and eat rice? But if we take the easy way out here, we will probably lose our pioneering tools.

The pioneering tools are probably waiting for the process of digging down the ground with the magic shovel, hammering the soil to make it hard to leak water, spreading the soil over it again, and softening the soil with the magic plow. Should we just leave the cheat tools that we have been given to sleep?

The Great Spirits will do most things for you if you ask them to. If you take the easy way out, your pioneering tools will only be used for carrying cargo and fighting.

The pioneering tools saved me when I came to the land of the dead and could do nothing. Can they be easily put to death just because there is an easier way?　A tool is a tool only if it is used.

"......Thanks Nomos. But I want to do what I can do myself. How much digging do I have to do?"

I was very much moved, but I will not forget the pioneering tools. Let's work together, pioneering tools.

"Well, that's fine then. I'll help you get your hands in the dirt, just hang in there. And the depth should be at least 60 centimeters deep.

"Yes, sir. I can make the shape of the rice paddy by myself, so you guys are free to go.

He takes out his magic shovel and digs into the ground immediately. A quick scoop and stow ...... oof, the bugs are left behind. Come to think of it, the bugs are scattered all over the place.

So far all I had to do was dig up the soil, but now I have to move the bugs out as well. It's a little more work, but it's normal for the bugs to be there, so let's be happy about it. But I wonder if the bugs will be OK when the rice paddies are filled with water.

...... can't help you. I put the bugs in a separate bag and dig the soil. Dig the dirt, dig the dirt, dig the dirt, and while you're at it, move the waterway that runs through the middle of this block to the edge.

It may not be as powerful as the Great Spirit, but the pioneering tool is still a great cheat. After the digging is finished, the soil is hardened with a large magic hammer to prevent water leakage.

It is quite difficult to control the force of the hammer. If you use too much force, you will get a mark like a meteorite fell on the ground, and the rocks under the soil will be broken. Carefully tap the ground with just enough force to make the ground sink.

After repeated pounding, the ground is firmly consolidated, and the collected soil is placed on top again. If too much soil is removed, it will exceed 60 centimeters, so carefully level the soil with the magic mulch to make it as even as possible.

The nomos will probably be able to help me with the rough shape, but I need to do as much as I can by myself. After covering the entire area with soil, the soil is tilled finely with the magic mulch.

If you put the plow too deep, you will plow the ground that you have beaten hard, so you should make the width of the plow bigger than the width of the magic plow, and the length of the plow should be the size of a normal plow.

It looks like a dragonfly that is used to clear the ground at a school or something. We plow the soil, hoping to break up the clods as much as possible to make the soil soft and fluffy.

The goal is good rice, no cutting corners ......?　I have a feeling that nomos will easily correct itself even if we cut corners. Well, that doesn't mean you can't cut corners. I plow the soil finely and precisely, reminding myself not to be carried away by the easy way out.

"Whew, it's done!

The sun is about to set, and the rough shape of the rice field is completed in only half a day. I knew that the pioneering tool was a cheat. I don't care that Nomos would have done it in less than a minute.

"It's done. Let me do a little work."

When Nomos waved his hand, the earth moved slightly and stopped.

"It doesn't look much different, what did you do to it?"

"Mm. All I did was level the soil and break up the remaining clods. You can pour water in now. I'll stir it up later to make it muddy.

That was easy. But the fact that there hasn't been much change means that my work has been fair. I'm proud of it. I did my best.

Okay, you got it.

The stopper is retracted and the water flows into the rice paddies. When this water is filled, the rice paddies will be complete, and tomorrow we can start planting and harvesting the rice.　I'm getting excited.

"Boo!"

"Deanne, what's going on out of the blue?"

I hear a strange sound and turn around to see Dineh, who for some reason is pouting.

"If you want to pour water, it's your turn, isn't it?"

I see. That's what you're stuck on. It's true that if we asked Dine to fill the tank, the water would fill up in an instant.

"...... Well, this time we just need the water to fill up by tomorrow, so if it's not filled up tomorrow, please do me a favor. Deene is a great spirit, so you can't ask her to do it easily."

I can't stop looking at him with suspicion. I'm pretty sure I forgot. I actually did forget, which is not good.

"Oh, well, it's almost sunset, and if you don't get everyone ready for dinner, I'll serve the booze as promised when the meal is over.

We get off the subject and go back to the house to prepare for the meal. The drink will help Deanne's mood. The children are fed and rested. All that was left to do was to serve the barrels of sake and the snacks to the spirits, who were a little woozy.

Deene forgets her pouty mood and smiles, and I'm pretty much saved by the booze. The requested keg is brought out and the drinks are served. Today's keg consists of ale, rosé wine, and red wine.

"See you tomorrow. I'm sure you'll be fine, but don't drink too much.

"Oh, Yuta, you don't want to drink?"

Sylphy tilts her head and asks. Is it really that much of a question?

"Tomorrow is my long-awaited rice planting day. I don't want to accidentally get a hangover, so I'm going to rest early.

With a flutter and a wave, he returns to his bedroom. I don't mind if I have a few drinks, but if I get turned on, I'm bound to stay with them until the end before I know it. It's important to take precautions. I'm going to get a good night's sleep and be ready for tomorrow.

**

"Well, gentlemen. Today is rice planting, and we need your help.

After breakfast, everyone is briefed on the day's schedule. While Belle and the others are excitedly saying "Help me," Sarah asks a question.

"Master. What is rice planting?"

That's right. It seems that rice is not eaten on this continent, so of course they don't know how to plant rice.

"Rice planting means planting seedlings to produce a grain called rice. Well, it's like working in a field.

We can help with that, too. I'll do my best."

I am glad that Sarah and her friends are willing to listen to me and do their best to help me. After a brief explanation, we all move to the rice field.

Oh, the rice field is full of water and sparkling. ...... not much different from the spring, except that it is shallow and you can see the soil. But the soil seems to have turned to mush, so the nomos must have stirred it up.

Sarah and the others were here yesterday and nothing was there!　When I explained that I had made it yesterday, he praised me for making it. I was so glad to see their respect.

"Master, what are you going to do now?"

"Oh, wait a minute. I'm going to do some prep work. You'll get wet, so get dressed like you did the last time you swam in the fountain, and while you're at it, loosen up. It's a lot of work."

It is better to untie yourself because it takes a lot of strength in the mud and it would be difficult if you get a cramp in your feet.

I understand.

While Sara and the others are getting ready, I need to finish my prep work. First, we need to get some seedlings. I'll put out the forest soil on the next block and break it into soft pieces.

"Dory. I want rice seedlings to grow in this soil. I'd appreciate it if you let them grow to about 10 centimeters."

"Fine, but why would you do that?　Why don't you plant the seeds in the rice paddies?"

It's not the way I know how to do it.

"Well, what I know is that you let them grow to seedlings and then plant them in the rice paddies. I heard that this improves the germination rate, and also improves ventilation and disease prevention, and also makes it easier to harvest the crop.

......I realized in the middle of saying this, but if you're going to have Dolly grow them, you could have just stuck the seeds right in. ......　Does this feel like a display of useless knowledge?　It's a little embarrassing.

"Wow, there are such methods in other worlds. That's interesting."

It's kind of embarrassing, but now that the Great Spirit of the Forest has taken an interest, we have no choice but to continue.

"Yeah, well, that's the way it is, so I'll take care of the seedlings."

While they prepare the seedlings, we'll get ready for the next one.

"Nomos, can you do me a favor and draw a line vertically and horizontally in the rice field with about 30 centimeters between the lines?"

"Hmm?　I don't mind, but why are you doing it?"

"Plant the seedlings where the vertical and horizontal intersect. That way, the seedlings will be planted at regular intervals.

I'm starting to feel like I don't need it anymore, but that's okay, because it's an education. I'm going through all this trouble to teach Sara and the others the correct knowledge of rice planting. It is not a waste of time. Someday, when Sara and her family become independent, this experience will help them. ...... maybe.　

"Okay, I get it."

Nomos waved his hand in a wave, and when he waved his hand, a line was drawn on the mud in a grid pattern in the rice paddies. That's kind of cool. The rice field is ready, and when I return to Dory's place, green seedlings are growing in patches.

Now everything is almost ready. Now it's time to plant the rice. And maybe we can get to the harvest by the end of the day. I guess I'm fighting with the rice farmer who says he has to do it 88 times.