Farmer Mage

Chapter 26: Drex Gives a Lesson

Chapter 26: Drex Gives a Lesson

Drex turned around and clapped his hands to get the attention of the people he had hired.

“There’s been a change of plans!” The hired hands froze, stopping their unloading of the carts. Drex hesitated to continue and looked at Cal as if to ask if he was sure.

Cal knew he wouldn’t change his mind on this. He answered with a confident nod.

Drex didn’t doubt him a second time. “After you finish unloading the carts, you can return to town. Initiate Cal will not require help with his field.” A low grumbling immediately started, making Drex hold up a hand. “Everyone will still be paid for the day as promised. Continue as you were!”

The grumbling didn’t disappear altogether, but Drex’s words were enough for them to return to unloading the carts.

“It seems that I took away the jobs they expected to have for the next week,” Cal pointed out, not with any regret, but indirectly saying it wasn’t his problem.

Drex understood. “They’ll be fine. I have other work that can be assigned to them. Now, let’s get the basics out of the way.” He motioned Cal to follow.

“The last step involves this,” Drex slapped his hands on a tightly woven cloth-covered sack. Multiple piles of them reached their shoulder. “This is mulch, but a very customized one based on the test results. It’s made from compost out of the Serenity Tree and mixed with rune-infused, crushed gemstone powder.”

Cal’s ever-present fear of the staggering cost of runes flared up. “You quoted me a price before. Has it changed drastically from that?”

“What?” Drex looked confused at the interruption. “Why would it change? I factored this into the cost, though it was previously at a higher concentration since I assumed the dirt here was completely dead.”

“Really?” Cal stood in the middle of a growing pile of mulch sacks. The carts were still not completely unloaded. “So this still cost me around fifty silver?”

“Less than that since I didn’t need to make the fertilizers as potent. Forty silver will cover all this.”

Cal had been thinking it would be well over a gold, so finding it was cheaper almost made it seem like he was getting it for free. “I see. Please carry on. I apologize for interrupting.

Drex nodded as he moved to the open tubs of black powder.

It gives off a soft glow I can only notice when close. Strange, when the powder itself is black.

“This is loam,” Drex dug his fingers into the fine black powder, letting his fall through his fingers after he lifted a handful. “Again, this is heavily customized for your specific need. The soft glow comes from a fungus that grows along with the Serenity Tree.”

“This is the second time I’ve heard about this Serenity Tree. What’s so special about it?”

“It lives a fast life and spreads like a weed. When it dies, it leaves behind rich nutrients that make perfect fertilizers. It’s not the cheapest you can get, nor is it the most expensive. However, when speaking of a project requiring this level of intense repair, it makes for the perfect material.”

That makes sense. If a five-hundred-square-foot dirt patch needs this much, I shudder to think of how much the entire field would need.

“I’m guessing this is also made from that tree,” Cal tilted his head at the closed buckets.

“If that were the case, your cost would be significantly less—by over ninety percent,” Drex said, carefully unlatching the top of the tub and removing it.

Are these purely crushed gems?

“These are powered elemental crystals. Most of the earth variation, but some water, fire, and wind are mixed in. Most of your money goes here since we have to import these. The Alchemists that bother to make this are rare outside the territory and nonexistent in the Celestial Order.”

I see why the guild doesn’t bother if its purpose is to revive dead land. They have surplus fertile land.

“... Do I have to worry about theft?” Cal thought about the skill he had dismissed after thinking it was unnecessary.

“Theft? No, but you’ll have to worry about the crystals attracting beasts. This is so rich in mana that it’ll act like a beacon of sorts,” Drex paused and looked around. “I suppose being in the Northern Wastes will finally be advantageous here.”

The little beast will likely beg me for a taste of this. I won’t allow it. But I’m more worried about the wolf I saw.

Drex must have told Seris some tall tales when she was younger. He didn’t expect her to be around an Initiate long enough for it to cause issues.

“Uh, boss, I still haven’t looked at the stables!” Seris looked ready to bolt. “I’ll go check it out!”

“No, wait,” Cal commanded before turning to Drex. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

Drex took a few seconds to think over his explanation before shaking his head. “No, that is all, Initiate Cal.”

The workers had finished moving the powdered crystals into the storage room and were preparing to leave the field.

“Perfect, then we are done for the day. I greatly appreciate your help, Drex.” Cal smiled as he handed him forty silver. “I’ll inform Seris when I’ll need more fertilizer.”

Drex pocketed the silver as he nodded. “That works. I’ll send the workers to deliver your order. My presence won’t be necessary unless I drastically change the composition of the fertilizer.”

“That’s fine,” Cal agreed. “Now, if you can excuse me, I need to speak to Seris about some orders.”

Drex didn’t look suspicious like he had been at the start when he first met Cal. He simply nodded. “Very well, I’ll take my leave. Good luck, Initiate Cal.”

The worker had already been filing out, and Drex soon joined them at the back of the makeshift line. Cal was content in waiting for them to leave his field before speaking. Seris wasn’t.

“Boss, please don’t make me help you farm.”

Her pleading tone raised Cal's brow. She looked like a sad cat again. “I never said I wanted you to do that.”

“Oh... great!” Seris bounced back to her usual self. “So, what did you need, boss?”

“I have new commissions for Orrin,” he was a little surprised to see Seris pull out a small notepad. “Tell him I want another of every tool he made for me so far. A rake with tines that are longer than normal—maybe six to eight inches long. Something that I can use to irrigate my field. And large, water-tight tubs. Three of them. I should be able to sit inside one comfortably.”

Seris had questions. He saw it clearly even as she wrote down everything he wanted, but she somehow held herself back from asking.

“Is that all, boss?”

“From Orrin, yes. Speak to Vaela or Liora and ask if any water spells are available without traveling to Lumina.”

Seris fidgeted. “Do I have to speak to them? Why can’t you do it, boss?”

Cal stared, telling her silently that she would have to do it.

I want to ease her into getting used to speaking with other Initiates. It will be helpful for both of us.

“... Fine,” Seris pursed her lips before jotting it down. “Anything else, boss?”

“That should be it.”

Seris nodded before glancing at Drex’s cart. It was still in the field but was nearing the tree line. “Then I’ll head back and get started right now. See you tomorrow, boss!”

Cal chuckled when she sprinted after Drex’s cart, waving frantically to get the man’s attention before eventually hopping on.

When the cart left his sight, he looked away and pulled the sledgehammer from his back.

I got my fertilizer delivered, but it’s pointless to start the process without water at hand. I’ll clear more stones in the meantime.