Chapter 132 Scholars Part III

Riz gulp a glass of water. Having to speak for a long duration of time makes his throat dry. This is the first time he ever says too much on a single occasion. It's not a very pleasant experience for him.

Anyway, he's done with the map thing. Let's move on to the following field, agronomy.

There's not much for him to say in this one either. As the name suggests, agronomy is a branch of agriculture revolving around field crop production and soil management.

It's the main export industry of his kingdom, a pillar if he would say. Of course, he's gonna take it seriously. Without agricultural products, the kingdom's income will be reduced by half. Many of his planned projects have to be put on hold due to a lack of funds.

Before having this dinner, he had spent some of his time skimming through the research books made by agronomists in this era.

To his relief, their research is unsurprisingly quite advanced. Perhaps more advanced than the Earth counterpart. For the first time, he was impressed by native residents of this world. Some of the books written by these scholars are;

Compilation of Crops in Middle Jozia,

Practical Guidance of Staple Corps Farming,

Treatment of Rare Leaf and Root Vegetables,

Correlation Between Farming Technique and Yield,

Crops Disease and Treatment.

Well, this region is called a breadbasket of Jozia for a reason. Nothing weird with people here took interest in agriculture.

But, that bug him a question. If they were so advanced, why haven't they been put into practice? After digging deeper, it turns out the blame lies on the nobles. Because crops are their main source of income, they are quite sceptical about this so-called new technique.

They rather maintained the foolproof and established method rather than taking risks in having their income reduced. A typical stiff-brained mentality. He doesn't know what's happening inside the head of these prideful and ignorant people. It wouldn't hurt so much if they were willing to forfeit a portion of the vast land for experimentation purposes.

Imagine just how many food-related problems in the past could be solved if they simply take a moment to listen.

With this level of knowledge, Riz doesn't have to impart his pitiful idea to them. They can get into action right away, "I'm very impressed with the level of research agronomists have achieved. You have done a lot of research compared to other disciplines. First, I request you make a four-year syllabus structure to be taught at the university. Second, some of you will work with the ministry of agriculture while some will work as an educator at the university. Feel free to choose."

Hearing the king praise them, agronomists found their faces brightening up. All the fear vanished as if it never existed in the first place. Others, look at them with jealousy.

"Alright, alright, alright. Keep your voice down, we're not finished yet." Riz reminds the agronomists because they are getting out of hand.

The cheers soon die out.

He has explained every discipline in this world. Time to shift focus to something beyond up in the sky, astronomy. Out of all books Naharog sent, a study related to celestial bodies like the moon, stars, planets and relevant phenomena is very little. It is almost like this field of study is left untouched.

Were they not curious about the sky? He thought that humans love this kind of thing. On earth, when it comes to astronomical events, there are so many legends and myths passed down from generation to generation until the modern time.

Some are logical and proven by scientists.

Some have remained mysteries, yet to be explained.

Some are outright pure fiction.

Being genuinely inquisitive as he is, Riz wanted to know about this planet. How big is it? Where is it located? How many other planets are out there? Is it possible to find Earth?

Or maybe this is Earth but the future. A question worth pondering.

"How many astronomers and mathematicians are here?" Riz asked. Both disciplines of knowledge complement each other.

He was not too worried about mathematics. Although there is more to be discovered, mathematical knowledge is only second to civil engineering in this kingdom, then, followed by history.

All thanks to one person, him.

He bet his people will be the main force in many breakthroughs instead of the mathematicians in front of him. As such, he better let these people contribute to the untapped field of astronomy.

Several people hand raised their hands. There are only three people who identified themselves as astronomers, the rest are mathematicians.

Fair enough, studying space is too distant for people to entirely devote themselves. Besides, there are a decent amount of problems on the ground yet to be solved. It is more feasible to solve them.

"Listen closely, I want both groups; astronomers and mathematicians to cooperate with each other and study this world we are stepping on right now and then, the universe. There are a lot of unexplained phenomena that would end up becoming myths or some sort of superstition among the people. I'm not saying belief in the supernatural is totally bullshit. I'm saying that we, humans should seek an explanation and understanding for every possible thing that occurred around the world rather than merely accepting it. Did you get me?"

Riz was unsure if he put his word in the correct way. He is not a good speaker to deliver his message eloquently.

"Yes, your majesty. We get the meaning of your words."

"Great!! I think that's all. It's already late at night, you guys should return to your room and get a good sleep." said Riz. As he was about to stand up, he was addressed with one last question.

"Excuse me, your majesty. May I know where our workspace would be?"

"You guys will be placed in the public library near the education district, for the time being. I plan to make that area a combination of education and research centres. This area would become the forefront in discoveries on this continent. It may sound ambitious, so what? I want it and I'll get it."

The scholars on the other side don't know how to react to that statement. Ultimately, they keep their mouth shut. It's the best for their mind, body and soul.

"One more thing before I forget, feel free to read all sorts of books in the library. For those that I request to make a syllabus, be sure to make it. Once the construction of the university is done, some of you'll be teaching there. Moreover, there is a huge vacant land that you can use to conduct your own experiments. Just be careful not to cause damage to the books or..."

Riz squinted his eyes as he sent a warning to them. More often than not, intellectual people can be eccentric and childish.

The scholars shook their heads, saying they won't do anything stupid. "We will be careful, Your Majesty."