Chapter 4 – The Situation in Border Town

(Owen has just arrived at the eastern edge of the town, where an experimental field lies.)

Coming to the experimental field on the eastern side of the town, Owen noticed that in just one day, several green sprouts had already withered.

Back when he hired people to try planting here, seeing results like this had left him both anxious and helpless. But now, he returned to this field carrying the hope of another world.

“Just do as I told you earlier.”

Winston’s voice echoed in his mind.

“Okay.”

Owen crouched down at the edge of the field, scooped up a small handful of soil, and rubbed it between his fingers.

“So, what do you have? Any data on your end?”

There was no display of data in Owen’s field of vision—everything was being transmitted directly to Winston. The reason was something previously mentioned: the system was too primitive.

“Got it. pH is over 9.5, moisture content is extremely low. Tch—this is heavily salinized soil.”

“Do you have any suitable seeds for this?”

What exactly is saline-alkaline soil? That didn’t matter right now. What Owen cared about most was whether there were any crops that could grow in such conditions. That would be the key to saving the increasingly desolate Border Sentinel Town.

“Hmph, of course we do. Don’t underestimate the power of our technology. We’ve got several strains of super salt-tolerant wheat, and other crops too, that can grow in this kind of soil. With proper farming techniques, the yield should be pretty good.”

Winston spoke proudly and confidently, as if the field was already full of crops grown from his seeds.

“Considering our local dietary habits, please prioritize wheat seeds. By next year, this field will yield enough grain to make Bianshu town self-sufficient and no longer reliant on imported food.”

“Oh? Making bold claims already? I thought you’d at least want to test the seeds first.”

Winston sounded a bit surprised.

“No need. I believe in your technology.”

Dusting off his hands, Owen stood up. As he looked over the cursed land around him, he thought to himself: Come next spring, this place will undergo a dramatic transformation.

Behind him, Mapel had been silently watching Owen. She suddenly noticed the confident look on his face and the glimmer of hope in his eyes—it was as if the problem that had been plaguing him had finally been resolved.

He must have come up with a new idea. No matter what happens, I will always stay by his side, Mapel resolved silently in her heart.

“By the way, why does this place even have such a large area of saline-alkaline soil?”

Winston sounded puzzled.

Earlier in the study that morning, he had reviewed a map of Bianshu Town. On the way to the test field, he had also observed the surrounding geography and gained a general understanding of the area.

To the west of the town sprawled the vast Transcontinental Mountain Range, which stretched endlessly across the continent, the longest mountain range in the land. To the east lay the Tianqiong Mountains, stretching from the northwest to the southeast, with rugged and treacherous terrain.

The Weishui River originated somewhere within the Tianqiong Mountains and flowed southward through Border Sentinel Town. In the southwest, along the eastern segment of the Transcontinental Mountains, was a dense forest known as the Mystic Forest.

Given such surroundings, it was strange that most of Border Sentinel Town’s land had become severely salinized—only the land along the riverbanks remained cultivable. Something was off.

“It’s because of the Curse of the Kazitu.”

Owen replied firmly within his mind.

He then gave Winston a brief explanation of the town’s history and the origins of the Curse of the Kazitu.

Bianshu Town had originally been founded to mine the region’s abundant mineral resources. Back then, the situation was completely different—there had been plenty of arable land, and food production was more than sufficient year after year.

Later, due to certain upheavals, the Town was granted to the Eisen family.

At some point, the land around the town began to grow increasingly barren, crop yields gradually declined, and they could no longer meet the needs of the town. This forced the locals to purchase large quantities of grain from elsewhere.

This phenomenon wasn’t unique. The Red Sand Fortress, located at the central pass of the Transcontinental Mountains in the northern part of the Dawn Kingdom, went through a similar situation. However, because Red Sand Fortress was an important military base, it managed to endure thanks to grain supplies from the kingdom. But Border Sentinel Town wasn’t strategically important in any way.

The culprit behind this strange phenomenon was none other than the legendary Undying King Kazitu.

During the Holy War two hundred years ago, Kazitu was severely wounded by the Church. Unwilling to die there, he summoned a massive sandstorm that engulfed both sides of the battlefield. When the storm finally subsided, the ground beneath had turned into a desert, and Kazitu vanished without a trace.

In the two centuries since, the land around that desert has seemed cursed—it gradually grew desolate, then turned to desert. Eventually, all land north of the Transcontinental Mountains became a vast, boundless desert. And the curse continues to spread to this day.

This is the origin of Kazitu’s Curse.

Both the Church and the Dawn Kingdom have secretly sent people in search of Kazitu over the years, but he remains elusive. No one has ever discovered a trace of him.

So for now, lifting the curse by defeating Kazitu is simply not possible.

“Kazitu’s curse? Is it a kind of magic? That’s outside my area of expertise.”

This being a magical issue, Winston found himself helpless. This frustrated him, and he quietly resolved to begin studying magic.

Winston now had a general understanding of Bianshu’s Town’s situation. However, he still had some doubts and continued questioning.

“If the goal is just to solve the food shortage, why not expand farmland along the riverbanks to the south? Or develop the forest in the southwest? It seems unaffected by the curse.”

Owen’s expression turned a bit awkward when he heard this, but he still answered.

“Further south lies the domain of Duke Eddie, ruler of the Dongsheng Fortress. I can’t farm on someone else’s land.”

“It’s someone else’s territory? Then why does it look like no one has ever developed that land?”

“Dongsheng Fortress’s farmland is mostly concentrated in the southern areas. The northern lands are rarely touched,” Owen explained.

“What a waste. Sitting on land and doing nothing with it.” 

Winston criticized bluntly.

“That’s true, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Owen shrugged, clearly frustrated.

As for the Mystic Forest to the southwest, Owen explained that it was land every king of the Dawn Kingdom had dreamed of developing.

However, the forest was filled with dangerous monsters and various demi-human tribes. Any attempt to forcibly develop it would meet with fierce resistance.

And that wasn’t even the worst of it—the forest’s sovereign was a powerful creature known as the Black Dragon King. The kingdom’s army had once attempted to attack it and suffered devastating losses.

Moreover, most of the Dawn Kingdom’s military is now stationed at the borders to defend against foreign threats, leaving no resources to spare for developing the Mystic Forest.

When Winston heard about a dragon, he showed great interest and even said he wanted to meet one someday.

Owen couldn’t help twitching at that outrageous remark and warned him:

“Don’t joke around. His Majesty’s army couldn’t even defeat the Black Dragon King. A small town like Bianshu trying to fight it would be like throwing eggs at a rock.”

“That’s true. Bianshu Town is too weak for now… but maybe not in the future.”

For some reason, Winston’s words made Owen feel uneasy.

The Black Dragon King, ruler of the Mystic Forest…

I sincerely hope I never have to encounter that thing in my life, Owen prayed silently.

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