After the introduction of cement, Silver Claw and his men moved on to the construction of the irrigation system as instructed by the young master. They began digging a pathway for the water on the ground, and once this was finished, they would connect it to the Rile River.

“Dig a little bit more!” shouted Silver Claw. Over a dozen workers were shoveling through the ground, sending dirt and soil flying to the side. “It should be at least as deep as a person’s height.”

Silver Claw used simple terms the illiterate workers could understand.

“That should be deep enough,” he shouted seeing the depth of the trenches. “Add the cement!”

Upon his order, the cement mixture inside the wooden barrels was poured on the ground. They slowly added water to it and mixed it briskly using a wooden rod with a flat end. The workers quickly moved and spread the cement on the walls and foot of the canal. This way, according to the young master, the irrigation canal would not easily collapse once large amounts of water came pouring out of the Rile River.

This thing the young master invented… this cement… it’s really amazing.

Silver Claw’s heart raced when he thought of the many things that would be possible with this world-shaking innovation. When he first saw how the earth hardened after the addition of water, he was speechless. It took only a few hours and yet the product was hard enough to compete with stone. And as though that wasn’t enough, this so-called cement adhered so strongly to other stones that it was impossible to separate them without using brute force.

Silver Claw was getting excited just thinking of these things. He wanted to get back to the eastern border as soon as possible and test this cement on the houses being constructed there. Still, since the young master had ordered this, he would prioritize the completion of the irrigation system first.

As it neared the farmlands, the canal was designed to break into numerous forks. In each fork, a device to block the flow of water would be constructed. According to the young master, aside from the main plug at the junction of Rile River, another stopper system should be built to properly distribute the water. He emphasized that these devices needed to be made no matter what. They would stop the overflowing of water into the farmlands. If one stopper broke, those on the fork would still hold.

Although the Lord of Blackstone Town was still young, Silver Claw was impressed by his insight. He had seen the plowing tools before, and those things alone would be enough to warrant merit from the kingdom. And now, the young master introduced this groundbreaking innovation called cement and this ingenious stopper system in the irrigation project.

Silver Claw sighed. He knew this was not the time to dally.

I can’t let my men do all the work, right? Let’s finish this quickly so I can test the cement on those houses.

Silver Claw rolled up his shirtsleeves and joined the workers inside the trenches.

***

Lark received news that the first chicken coop had been finished. He summoned Gaston and issued orders.

“Tell the servants to load the eggs into the carts,” he said to the old man. “Two hundred eggs. We have two roosters in the coop at the garden, right?”

“Yes, Young Master.” The old butler was becoming used to Lark’s eccentric orders by now.

“Take those two with us. Also, I ordered Loi saplings from Lion City.” Lark bought those at a relatively cheap price, since it seemed the people in this kingdom had no use for the plants. “Bring all of those with us. If the carts aren’t enough, just deliver them in batches.”

“Understood.” Gaston bowed and left.

After the butler was gone, Lark leaned in his chair and smiled. Developing this town was tiring, yet exciting. Aside from the management of the town, he never ceased his training. His only time to rest was during the night, his five hours of sleep.

He stood, opened the box near the bed, and took out four thin metal plates. Engraved on the tablets were magic diagrams and formations meant to accelerate the productivity of the poultry farm. With these, Lark would force hundreds of eggs to hatch. The tablets would complete the fertilization process.

Lark went to the garden. By the time he arrived, the preparations had been completed. The crates containing the eggs had been loaded, along with the Loi saplings.

“Young Master,” said Gaston. “The saplings will be delivered in batches, as you’ve ordered, since the carts are unable to accommodate all of them.”

There were only three carts in total. Lark remembered the other carts were being used at the northern construction site, transporting limestone.

Lark nodded and boarded the carriage. The horses neighed and the carts moved slowly to exit the mansion grounds.

Looking out the window, Lark noticed the snow was starting to melt. Winter was finally coming to an end.

Good. We can start planting the wheat seeds. I need to hasten the reclamation of the northern lands after this. It’ll probably take a year before we can start reclaiming the western region.

The plowing of the lands in the north was progressing quickly due to the tools Lark had introduced. According to the reports, the average farmer was able to use the plowing tool for around twenty minutes. Each day, several acres of land were plowed and fertilized by compost. If things continued progressing this way, they would be able to plant seeds within the next few days. The only limiting aspect would be the irrigation system, but the farmers conventional watering method should be enough to cover the small available area until the irrigation canals were ready.

As Lark was lost in thought, the carts arrived at the southern border of the town. When Lark got down, he saw the newly built chicken coop. It was five times as big as a normal coop, with enough room to house around a hundred chickens.

The space surrounding the coop had been cleared of grass, with a waist-high fence serving as a border. Lark was impressed that the workers followed his design so thoroughly. Lark would use the large empty space as the feeding ground for the poultry.

“Ah, Young Master.” A tall man wearing a straw hat came running toward Lark and his group. “I’m sorry for not immediately coming to greet you. I thought,” he removed his hat and scratched his chin, “you would be coming around late afternoon.”

Lark smiled and dismissed it. He looked at the large chicken coop made of wood. There were numerous small windows near the roof, designed to lessen the heat during summer. “I didn’t expect you would be able to finish them so soon.”

“We worked day and night to finish it.” The tall man showed unmasked pride. “We’re still working on the second one. According to Sir Silver Claw, the young master wants fifteen of them?”

The worker was probably confused why there was a need for so many coops. After all, it was apparent that there would be thousands of chickens on this farm, an excessive amount for a small town.

“That’s correct.” Lark did not elaborate. He would be exporting chicken meat to nearby cities and villages once the time came. Also, by smoking and drying it, the meat could become rations for the soldiers.

He told the servants to unload the crates of eggs and put them inside the coop.

As the servants unloaded the cargo, Lark turned to the tall man. “Pico, how long will it take to finish the poultry farm?”

The tall man, surprised that the young master knew his name, said, “Ah… Yes. It will take around three to four more months, Young Master.”

Lark tapped Pico’s shoulder. “I’m going to issue another recruitment order soon. I’ll send more men to work here as soon as possible. Have the coops done in two months.”

The voice of the young master was firm, not taking no for an answer. Sensing this, Pico bobbed his head vigorously. “Yes!”

Lark smiled. The servants had finished their tasks.

“Then, Mister Pico, from now on, you will be in charge of the poultry farm,” said Lark.

Pico realized that the young master was not just talking about the construction of the farm but also the management of the farm itself.

“But, young sir. I’m no poultry breeder. I know nothing about this job. I’m merely a constr—”

“That’s fine,” interjected Lark. He motioned for Pico and the butler to follow him inside the coop. In his hands were four thin iron plates. “I will teach you everything you need to know about this.”

After doing some research, Lark had learned that the method of taking care of the poultry in this kingdom was primitive. It was so unproductive that Lark was stunned when he first heard of it. He decided to introduce the Magic Empire’s way of poultry farming. Although he was a magician in his previous life, basic knowledge such as this was taught in the academies, and he’d heard it so many times he could recite it by rote.

The Magic Empire’s education system was great. Both magicians and non-magicians were taught all of the necessary basic knowledge: Mathematics, science, religion, trade, even farming.

Lark hoped that one day, such an education system would exist in this world. An education system that did not discriminate between magicians and non-magicians. An education system available for people of every status.

Lark looked around inside the coop. Everything was made of wood. Near the ceiling, fan- shaped wooden blades were installed. Lark planned on connecting them to a magic device later, enabling the fans to rotate and drive away the heat during summer. Summer in this kingdom was accompanied by ridiculously fierce heat waves, which killed people and animals by the dozen. This was one of the reasons, during summer, the price of poultry products was extremely high.

It would be several months before summer arrived. That would be enough time for Lark to implement his plans.

“Ah, right. The rooster,” mumbled Lark.

The butler returned inside the coop with a rooster in his hands. The rooster kept struggling to get out of the old man’s grip.

Lark placed two metal plates on the ground. Each of them had peculiar symbols engraved on the surface.

“These plates are called Hatchelets. They’re magic devices capable of fertilizing an egg and accelerating their growth,” said Lark.

A Hatchelet solves the problem of fertilization by simply using the “essence” of the hens that had been passed to the eggs.

Lark noticed the confusion on Pico’s face. “Put the rooster over there.”

Following the young master’s directions, Gaston placed the rooster on one of the metal plates. The moment the rooster’s feet touched the plate, the symbols engraved on it glowed for a second, and the struggling rooster froze in place.

Lark pointed at the second plate. “Now, put eggs on that one. Pico, you do it. One egg on each circle.”

Pico saw the strange glow from the first plate. He realized the plates were magic devices. Still, he held doubts whether or not they were capable of making an egg hatch. This was the first time he ever heard of such a thing.

A total of four eggs were placed on the second plate.

“These two plates are connected by a thin strand of magic. Using these devices as catalyst, we will absorb a small essence from the rooster and transfer it to the unfertilized eggs. And using the same essence, we will forcefully accelerate growth inside the egg, making it hatch.”

Everyone in the coop was silent. They all stared at the plates. The rooster that had so struggled in the hands of Gaston was now unmoving, as though it had turned into a living statue.

“To activate this device, a little bit of mana is required,” said Lark. “But don’t worry. Even non-magicians are able to use it.” He patted Pico’s back. “Place a hand on the hexagram at the center of that plate.”

As instructed, Pico placed his hand on the symbol at the center of the second plate. It took several seconds, then Pico felt something being sucked out of his body. It was a tiny amount, but it was continuously being pulled from him.

Feeling uncomfortable, Pico was about to pull off his hand when Lark said, “Don’t remove your hands. Wait for the eggs to hatch.”

Under the gaze of the young master and the servants, Pico did not remove his hands. He could still feel something being sucked out of his body. A bead of sweat formed on his brow. He wanted to say that hatching the eggs using this method was absurd, that such thing was not possible, but he kept his mouth shut.

The symbols on the second plate glowed and vanished after a full second. “Alright. That’s enough,” said the young master. “Remove your hand.”

Pico released his hand and sighed in relief. He realized he was sweating, and his breathing had quickened.

Lark grinned at him. “Tiring, isn’t it? As a non-magician, you’ll get used to that feeling eventually.” He pointed at the second plate. “Look.”

The moment Pico looked at the second plate, his eyes widened. The four eggs were forming cracks. In just moments, newly born chicks started coming out of the shell, their bodies wet and slimy.

“What?” Pico protested in surprise.

Lark bent down and grabbed one of the newly born chicks. He looked at the frozen rooster standing on the first plate. “The rooster will recover with rest. At most, I want you to hatch around fifty eggs per day. Rotate with the other workers so your mana won’t get depleted.”

Pico was still stunned by what he saw. When he realized that the young master was staring at him, he finally broke out of his trance.

“Ah, yes. Understood, Young Master!”

Lark chuckled. “No need to be so stiff.” He patted Pico on the back. “You’ll get used to this method soon.”

Pico stared at the newly born chick and felt a sense of accomplishment realizing that it was him who made those chicks hatch.

Lark led the group outside, to the carts. He took out a sapling.

“You call this a Loi plant, right?” The plant was around two inches in length, with small yellow leaves growing out of the stem.

Pico had seen them before. “Yes.”

“I want you to plant these saplings over there.” Lark pointed at the empty area surrounding the coop. “A palm apart should do.”

Pico paused, unsure if he should speak his mind. He swallowed the lump in his throat and said, “Forgive me, Young Master. But I don’t think we should plant those.”

“They attract bugs and several insects, right?” Lark smiled mischievously.

“Yes, those pests—”

“Are food for the chickens in this farm,” completed Lark. “I’m asking you to plant these insect-attracting plants for this very reason. Think about it. Those insects would be pests in normal farms. But what about here? With thousands of chickens freely roaming about, they’ll be convenient food lying around.”

The insects attracted to these plants were generally harmless to humans. There were practically no risks if they planted the Loi saplings. Moreover, the fruit of these plants was the main ingredient in creating umami salt, a popular spice in the Magic Empire and coveted by all restaurants. Insects were attracted to Loi plants specifically for the taste of umami salt within them.

Lark did not explain the second reason they should plant the saplings; over time, they would realize these things.

“I want you to build a small fence to protect the Loi sapling from the chickens,” said Lark. “A very small one will do. It’ll take several months before the plants produce fruit. At that time, gather the fruit and bring them to me. Is that clear?”

“Understood, Young Master.”