Discussions began with the prospective spiritists who had been dispatched by the farmer. Three out of the four were elderly people and I was very anxious, but some of them were willing to make a contract with me, and the only young man, Ethan, was the son of the village headman. He is a man of standing, and I feel like there was a ray of hope in our uneasy discussion.
Now, let me explain the disadvantages that I am concerned about so that I don't miss out on this good opportunity.
"There are some disadvantages, though they are not so dangerous. It consumes magic power every day, and in order to make it grow faster, it consumes more power of the soil than normal growth.
"Consumption of magic power? I never use magic for anything other than life magic, but is that OK? And if it consumes the power of the soil, does that mean we won't be able to grow a row of crops?"
"The magic power is stored in the contracting spirit a little each day, so as long as you don't use the spirit technique too many times in a row, you should be fine."
In my case, I didn't have enough magic power to make a contract without raising my level, but if you are a physical farmer, you should have no problem with a floating spirit because you have raised your level to some extent.
"As for consecutive cropping, it is possible to have consecutive cropping if the crops were not originally able to be cultivated in a row, but if the crops have been cultivated in a row, it is possible to have consecutive cropping if the soil is nourished with humus and so on.
As for the soil, the best way is to make a contract with the spirit of the soil, but this time it's different because Dolly's request is to increase the number of plant-related spiritists.
"...... Is that so?"
I don't know, I don't think he understands what's going on and Mr. Ethan is looking worried. However, I don't have the knowledge to make a professional farmer feel completely secure. Once the groundwork is laid for farming in paradise, Dolly and Tamamo will take care of it.
Hmmm......... yes, with the rest of the benefits explained, it might be quicker to show you a sample in person.
As for seeds, I have the first oilleaf seeds I ever harvested in this world. I have soil in my magic bag that I collect every time I go to the forest. I bought some flowerpots at ...... to decorate the new house of Sylphy and her family with plants, so this is not a problem either.
Seeing is believing...let's show them the power of the spirit arts.
"Oh, wait a minute..."
He takes out a flowerpot from his magic bag, fills it with soil, plants oil leaf seeds in it, and waters it. Not only Ethan and his friends, but also Betty, are puzzled, but I don't care now. Let's let them be amazed at the real thing.
"Check out this potted plant!"
He pushes a potted plant in front of Ethan and the others and asks them to check it out.
Although they do not understand the situation, Ethan and the others look at the potted plant and take the soil in their hands to check it. Unlike the adventurers, they do not complain, which is very helpful.
"...... This is the soil of the forest. It's not bad, but it needs a lot of care to grow crops.
Mr. Kantan turns his sharp gaze on me. I am afraid that I cannot believe that he is the same person who was sleeping a moment ago. Is it possible that he is the type of person who becomes severe when it comes to his real job?
It's a little scary, but I feel safer knowing that he's going to use his spiritual skills properly than if he just stays in a daze.
The problem is the soil. I remember when we got the soil from the forest, Nomos told me to make some modifications.
...... I would feel quite embarrassed if I can't grow oilleaf with this soil after all these preparations.
"I just have to let it grow until it's ready to harvest, right? You'll be fine."
I gave Dolly a hungry look, and she smiled and gave me a very reassuring reply. I'm going to fall in love with you.
If Dolly says it's okay, then it must be okay, and I can move on with my story with peace of mind.
"Well, I only have this soil right now, so give me a break. This should still be of some help.
If he gets any more questions, I'll be blamed, so I just say what I want to say and start the chant I've been thinking of for the plant.
I'm a little embarrassed to show my kitchen chant to Ethan and the others in the small room, so I whisper so that they can't hear me.
...... come to think of it, the chanting used by the old people is full of kitchen chants, which might be a little problematic?
As for the actions, right now I'm just moving my hands around the flowerpot as if I'm reading crystals, but I can't apply the flashy actions I originally had in mind. If I do it wrong, the old folks will be far away.
...... I think it would be better to rethink the chants and actions that can be used by the old people before tomorrow's class. If they say that the difficulty level is different from other spirit arts, I'll just say it's the difference between combat and farming.
I signal to Dolly with my eyes as I revise my plans for the future.
Are the tamamos on? Is it my turn? It's very cute, but this time I want to make it grow all at once, so it's Dolly's turn. I'm sorry.
Dolly waves her hand lightly, and an oilleaf sprout pops out of the flowerpot, and the oilleaf grows all at once like a fast-forward replay of a plant's observation record.
I expected to hear cheers of ...... awesomeness, but maybe the stimulation was too strong, and Ethan and the old people were staring at the potted plant with their eyes wide open.
"Yu-yu, Yuta-san! You mean we're going to be able to do this!"
Mr. Ethan, who had been frozen for a while, came to me in great excitement. It seemed that the scene had grabbed Ethan's heart.
But I guess this is a dream come true for someone who has a close relationship with agriculture, so I guess I can't blame him for being this excited.
"No, this time we let them grow to the end for the sake of example, but as I said at the beginning, with your ability, I think you can only shorten it by about three quarters. More importantly, can you check the effect of the soil?"
Perhaps it was the effect of witnessing the effects of the spirit technique, but the old ladies, who had been taking it easy, were now more attentive to the state of the soil.
The four of them were holding the soil in their hands and exchanging opinions with each other. I am not sure of the meaning of the words I hear, but the atmosphere does not seem to be bad.
Oh, I nibbled on an oil leaf. I see, no wonder you are curious about the taste.
What do you think?
"Oilleaf is a fast-growing crop, so I can't say for sure that it's safe, but if it's in this condition even when growing rapidly, I don't think it will be a problem in a controlled field."
"I see."
Good. The disadvantages seem to be acceptable.
I feel like the growth promotion alone was enough, judging by how excited Ethan and the others were, but I'll introduce the other two advantages to bring it all back into the fold.
"Now, let me explain the other two advantages as well. Please watch as I demonstrate them."
Feeling the curious gazes of Ethan and the others, I whispered the chant again and asked Dolly to cast the spell.
"It's done!"
"It doesn't look like anything's changed, though, does it?"
I said with satisfaction, and Mr. Ethan tilted his head and asked me a question. Well, it looks the same, so it's no wonder he can't tell.
"Please touch it lightly."
Mr. Ethan curiously reaches for the oil leaf.
"Ow! What, did he hit you?"
"Simply put, it is a spirit technique in which plants automatically defend themselves. If it is an insect or a bird, it will surely defend itself. If they are larger than that, they will lose, but they will fight back, so there will be less damage.
In a world that doesn't seem to have developed pesticides or anything like that, I'm pretty confident that they'll be quite pleased with my work.
Well, I'm confident that Dolly will be very pleased with it. I just asked him and asked him to make it for me.
"Automatic protection! So no more crops will be devoured by insects!"
I'm sorry that Ethan and the others are so happy to hear that you were worried about the pests, but there is a drawback to this magic.
"I would like to say yes, but unfortunately there is a time limit. The spell will run out in about three hours for a typical field. You can get rid of the insects that are attached, so you have to apply the spell at the right time."
It is said that if Dolly, a great spirit, applies it, the effect lasts almost forever, but with a floating spirit, three hours is the limit.
"I see. I see. ...... but it helps a lot to get rid of the insects on the crops. The time of day when birds are active is also fixed to some extent, and if you can use it considering the situation, there may be no other spirit technique that can be so reassuring.
At first he was a little disappointed with the time limit, but soon he came up with a plan to use it depending on the situation, and Ethan nodded thoughtfully.
"And the final benefit is this."
I signaled to Dolly by whispering the chant again, and this time the effect was easy to understand, and the surprise echoed through the reception room.
"...... Yuta, is that it? Does that mean that when you apply the jutsu, you can harvest the crop?"
"Is it precisely the art of the crop coming out of the soil by itself? It is difficult to do so for tomatoes, but I think it is incomparably effective for root crops. If you can harvest the whole root, it makes wheat strains easier."
In my case, harvesting was fun, but I think it is a helpful magic for those who are serious about their work. It's a very gentle spirit technique.
And the people who will benefit the most, Mr. Kantan and the other elderly people, are very happy.
"Well, I am going to have them learn these three arts, what do you think?"
"""" please! """"
Winner. I guess I won. The reaction of the old men and the young man who seemed to have little or no interest in the subject and seemed to be here only to make himself look good in the commercial guild, was in perfect sync with each other.
It turned out to be more like a demonstration than a late-night mail-order show, but a win is a win, right?
"Well, I'll start the training tomorrow with you adventurers, thank you very much.
I was actually going to teach them chanting and have them learn it by tomorrow, but that won't be possible because I have to come up with new chants and actions specifically for farmers.
"Um, Yuta-san?"
After briefly explaining tomorrow's schedule and sending Ethan and the others on their way, Betty approached me with a look of trepidation.
"Betty, you seem anxious, is something wrong?"
"Well, I was listening to what you said, and I was thinking that if the spirit arts spread, aside from the last one, the other two will lead to a significant increase in the harvest and more work for the commercial guilds, but is it just my imagination?
Betty tilts her head. Her gestures are childish, like Belle's.
"I think the harvest will increase if the spirit technique is spread to farmers, and if the increased harvest will benefit the commercial guilds, then there will be more work for them, won't there?"
There is a possibility that there will be a surplus of crops, which will lead to lower prices and more jobs.
"Ugh, I knew it! This is definitely a pattern of me being sent to villages. I worked hard for Yuta-san, but I think it's terrible to end up like this..."
......Betty started crying. But there's nothing I can do about it.
"Well, good luck?"
"Ugh, it's Yuta's fault and I'm a complete stranger. I'm going to lose weight. I'll die of exhaustion. I hate him!"
It's a good story if you can lose weight in a healthy way, and I think the commercial guilds are to blame for the overwork and whatnot, but I can't really say that for Betty, whose light has gone out of her eyes.
...... It's a bit of a pattern, but I guess I'll just have to put her in a good mood with a treat for now.