Chapter 11: Investigation of the Barren Land

Overnight, Zenon’s office had transformed into a strange kind of laboratory.

On the large central desk sat more than a dozen small leather pouches that Gray had gathered, each tagged with a wooden label naming the village where its contents had been collected.

The soils varied in color and texture — some dark and fertile, others pale and powdery, dry to the touch.

“Hmm. Even by appearance alone, you can already see some patterns.” 

Zenon murmured as he rubbed a pinch of soil between his fingers.

Gray, having no idea what his lord was about to do, watched in tense silence. Lord Zenon never acted without purpose — meaning, even this handful of dirt must hold some important significance.

“Gray. Tell the steward to fetch a few things.”

“Yes, my lord. What shall I prepare?”

“First, twenty clear glass bottles. Then distilled water — or boiled and cooled water if that’s all we have. Next, some vinegar fit for consumption, a small amount of ash from the hearth… and yes, also the juice from those purple flowers blooming in the garden, crushed from the petals.”

It was the most nonsensical shopping list imaginable.

Glass bottles, water, vinegar, ash, flower juice — it sounded less like a scientific request and more like a child’s game, or the preparations for a witch’s ritual.

Gray hesitated only for an instant before tightening his expression and nodding resolutely.

“As you command. I’ll have them ready at once.”

Trying to understand his master’s thinking would be presumptuous. His only duty was to carry out orders perfectly — that was the role of a faithful sword. Repeating that to himself, Gray hurried from the room.

Before long, the servants entered, nervously carrying in the requested items. They cast uneasy glances at the piles of dirt on the desk and at the strange experiment that was about to begin, then quickly fled the room.

At this point, no one in the mansion dared risk displeasing Zenon.

Once all the materials were gathered, Zenon began his analysis with practiced efficiency.

His memories from a previous life included not only his experience as a management consultant but also the basic scientific knowledge he had learned as a student — all still vividly intact in his mind.

He placed a small amount of each soil sample into a glass bottle, poured in distilled water, and shook it vigorously before setting it aside to settle.

“The rate at which the particles sink in water tells you whether the soil is sandy or clay-heavy,”

He explained softly to himself. 

“Fast-settling soil means high sand content — drains well but doesn’t retain nutrients. Slow-settling soil is clayey — poor drainage but good at holding water and fertilizer.”

Zenon recorded each bottle’s behavior on parchment as he spoke.

Gray listened with rapt attention, desperate not to miss a single word — it was as if he were hearing a lecture in sorcery.

Next, Zenon dripped a few drops of vinegar onto new samples of soil.

From several, faint fizzing bubbles began to rise.

“Limestone content — alkaline soil.” 

He observed. 

“But most of them don’t react. That means the majority of this territory’s land is likely neutral to acidic.”

Then he added drops of the purple flower juice to the water mixtures containing the soils.

A remarkable transformation occurred.

The solutions with alkaline soil turned bluish green, while most of the others shifted to a reddish violet hue.

“Wh–what is this!?” 

Gray cried out in astonishment.

“A simple principle,” 

Zenon replied coolly. 

“The pigment in that flower changes color depending on acidity. Red tones mean acidic; blue tones mean alkaline. As you can see, most of these soils lean strongly acidic. No wonder the crops grow so poorly.”

To Gray, however, it was nothing short of magic.

Lord Zenon could hear the voice of the earth itself — making the soil speak its pain and joy through color. What divine power…!

His misunderstanding had now reached transcendent levels.

After finishing the physical and chemical analyses, Zenon still wasn’t satisfied.

This only gave a general trend. It didn’t tell him the precise concentrations of trace nutrients essential for plant growth — phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen.

In his previous world, he could have sent the samples to a laboratory. In this one, such luxuries didn’t exist.

“…No choice. I’ll use it.” 

He muttered, closing his eyes and focusing.

A faint current of magic energy rose from his body.

Until now, Zenon von Arkwright had used his vast mana only for destruction — to intimidate, to unleash brute force driven by emotion.

But this time was different.

He would use it as a precise sensor.

Like weaving a fine thread, he let his magic flow gently into the soil samples.

The mana passed between grains of dirt, interacting with the substances within, feeding back faint sensations to him through subtle shifts in their nature.

When it brushed against iron, it grew slightly heavy.
When it touched potassium, a faint tingling sensation.
When it met nitrogen compounds, a gentle warmth spread.

It was a torrent of information so delicate and complex that no ordinary human could possibly perceive it.

But Zenon’s brain — one that had once processed massive volumes of management data in an instant — was able to translate the magical feedback into language, into clear, interpretable information.

“…I see.”

A few minutes later, Zenon opened his eyes and murmured with certainty.

“The cause is clear.”

He picked up his quill and began writing the results onto a sheet of parchment.

[Arkwright Territory — Soil Analysis Report]

1. The soil throughout the territory has become acidic. The main cause is soil exhaustion from repeated cultivation of the same crops over many years.
2. The three major nutrients essential for crop growth — nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium — are chronically deficient in nearly all areas.
3. In some downstream river regions, signs of salt damage can be observed. It is highly likely that wastewater from the upstream mines is responsible.

In short, the land of this territory was in a state of severe malnutrition, as if it were a living being starved of sustenance.

No matter how diligently the farmers worked, there was no way to achieve satisfactory harvests under such conditions.

The problem was not their laziness — it was that their methods were fundamentally flawed.

“Once the problem is identified, the solution naturally follows.”

Zenon turned to Gray, his eyes already fixed on the next course of action.

“Gray. I have two tasks for you.”

“Yes, my lord! I shall obey even at the cost of my life!”

Completely captivated and devoted, Gray awaited his orders with fervent eyes. Zenon continued calmly.

“First — the quarry in the north of the territory. They should be able to extract limestone there. Have them grind it into fine powder, and prepare to produce it in large quantities. Inform Rio, the new accounting officer, to allocate a budget for the necessary manpower and tools.”

“Limestone… crushed into powder? What for?”

“To neutralize the soil and replenish it with calcium. For land that has turned acidic, it is the most effective prescription.”

“Second — order every village to dig large pits for collecting livestock manure, cut weeds, and leftover crop residue. Name them compost pits. The collected material should be regularly turned and fermented. It will become an excellent fertilizer, rich in nitrogen and phosphorus.”

Limestone… and manure.

Gray’s head filled with question marks.

But he no longer asked.

If Zenon-sama said it, then it must be right. Surely, he could see value in things like stones and animal waste that others could not.

“Understood! I’ll begin immediately!”

Gray shouted energetically and dashed from the room, aflame with a renewed sense of purpose.

Left alone, Zenon gazed out the window at the expanse of his lands.

Soil improvement — it was only the first step of agricultural reform.

Next would come water. Without stable irrigation, there could be no abundance.

Then, the selection of suitable crops, and the introduction of efficient cultivation methods. The tasks ahead were countless.

“Troublesome… but worth doing.”

A faint smile curved Zenon’s lips.

It was the smile of a consultant stirred by the sight of a vast, intricate challenge.

I’ll reshape this inefficient world into a rational one — with my own hands.

With that resolve burning in his chest, Zenon turned back to his desk and began drafting the next phase of his plan.