Riley shrugged, indicating he had no issues with the task. Rhett got straight to the point and urged, "I heard from the butler that you were here earlier this morning. I assu Nina has already used her abilities on these magic plants. What's the situation?"
Riley chuckled, "That's right. Early this morning, I brought Nina over. After understanding my intentions, she simply circled around, releasing a misty white fog that settled on the water-elent magic plants. From what she told , these plants' growth speed has already doubled."
"What? Doubled!" Rhett turned his head, his voice full of astonishnt. He took a mont to compose himself before asking hesitantly, "Have you tested how many plants Nina can affect at once? And how long does the accelerated growth last? Does it just take one application to keep it going?"
Such a possibility seed almost too good to be true, and Rhett found it hard to believe. However, Riley shook his head, breaking the illusion, and hesitated before saying, "Well, you should probably manage your expectations."
Rhett blinked, now even more curious.
"I only found out more details after communicating with Nina this morning. As a snow sprite, she can only exert her power during the winter to promote the growth of magic plants and beasts. When I asked why, she explained that during winter, a particular type of energy becos more prevalent in the world, allowing her to manipulate it," Riley said, with a look of surprise still lingering on his face.
"But once winter passes, Nina will go into hibernation, waiting for the next winter to awaken again. However, the magic plants that Nina has already influenced won't revert to their original growth rate with the change of seasons."
Upon hearing this, Rhett nodded in understanding. So, the snow sprite had these hidden secrets and could only function in winter. But why not call her a winter sprite?
Rhett wondered but then looked at Nina, who resembled a tiny snowman, and thought, well, perhaps snow sprite suits her better.
"Given Nina's characteristics, it seems we'll need to accumulate as many seeds as possible every winter. However, with the seeds we already have, and after your upcoming exchange, we'll have over 500 mid-tier water-elent magic plant seeds. By the ti the next winter arrives, we'll be able to harvest seeds from the first round of growth, bringing our total to at least two or three thousand water-elent seeds," Rhett said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
This level of production could rival even the wealthiest baronial families that had been established for generations.
"No problem, Father. I'm confident that tomorrow's trip will be a fruitful one," Riley replied with a gentle smile. Having led the rchant caravan for many years, he was well-acquainted with the nearby territories and even the major guilds in Twilight City. The task of exchanging seeds seed easy in his eyes.
Hearing the words "fruitful trip" reminded Rhett of the simulation results, and his brow furrowed slightly, though he said nothing.
Later that afternoon
As Rhett wandered near the estate, he spotted ongoing construction for the outer courtyard. To be precise, construction hadn't started yet, but a group of four carpenters was hauling carts full of timber toward the site.
In the center of the courtyard, a pile of dark, thick logs had already been placed. Kudon stood respectfully beside Tardell, carefully listening to Tardell's instructions on how to arrange wooden stakes and wooden dummies in the knights' training ground.
"Make sure the surface of the stakes is rough because I need these knight apprentices to toughen their skin. They're not pampered young masters but brave knights who may find themselves in any environnt, facing harsh battles," Tardell said seriously.
After observing the apprentices earlier, Tardell had noticed that while they had so basic skills, they were still far from being battle-hardened knights. Their combat techniques were rough, and their physical conditioning needed improvent, which Tardell was eager to address.
Kudon listened attentively, making sure to rember every detail. During a pause in Tardell's instructions, he interjected, "For rougher wood, how about that batch of yellow wood?"
Tardell followed Kudon's gaze and saw the brass-colored wood on the carts making their way along the stone road. He also noticed Rhett standing about twenty ters away and respectfully nodded in greeting before turning back to Kudon. "That wood is suitable for making dummies, but is there anything rougher?"
Kudon pondered for a mont and said, "We do have thornwood, which would et your requirents. However, working with thornwood would significantly slow down production, and we might not et the quantity needed in a short ti."
Kudon went on to describe the characteristics of thornwood in detail, and Tardell's face lit up with joy. "Thornwood sounds perfect! I'm not worried about speed, as long as the quality ets the standard," Tardell said, waving dismissively.
Kudon scratched his head, thinking about the laborious task of removing the thorns from thornwood, but he understood the importance of the lord's request. "Alright, I understand. I'll head back and take a team to cut so thornwood. It's not sothing we keep in stock, so we'll need to gather it first."
"We usually place thornwood around the house, coat it with syrup, and use it to catch mice," Kudon muttered as he bid Tardell farewell.
As he turned around, he noticed Rhett approaching and greeted him with a slight startle, "Good afternoon, my lord."
"Well done. I heard the conversation just now—go ahead and gather the thornwood. Be careful not to prick yourself," Rhett said with a light smile.
The last bit of concern made Kudon's heart flutter. The lord had smiled at him and even cared about his well-being! In high spirits, Kudon hurried off toward the eastern side of the town with youthful enthusiasm, despite being in his thirties.
"How large do you think the inner courtyard should be?" Rhett asked as he surveyed the area, which was still an empty plot.
"Hmm, I think it’s better to make it larger on the first try. If it's too small, we'll run into all sorts of problems later," Tardell replied after so consideration.
Rhett smiled slightly, "Oh? Did you forget my profession? Why worry about space when we can adjust as needed? Still, you're right—the first attempt should be generous."
Tardell paused, then his eyes lit up with realization. "I almost forgot—you’re an earth-elent mage. With your abilities, building the courtyard walls will be a breeze!"
Rhett nodded approvingly. "Exactly. I wanted to let you know that I'll take care of the wall construction. However, for more refined work, my current abilities can't handle it. But I can form large stones, and the stonemasons can shape them to your specifications."
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