At this moment, in the outskirts of Great Wilderness City.
The fields here are divided into plots, each with different crops, and many farmers are working in the fields.
The largest plots are used to cultivate grains, such as rye, buckwheat, wheat, and other crops.
The quality of life for the citizens of Great Wilderness City is gradually improving, and with the city hall regulating the prices, grains can be purchased with only a few Azanen Coins.
Furthermore, thanks to Lin Ke’s intensive farming methods and composting techniques, grain yields have exploded.
Every year a significant amount of grain is exported, which seems impossible to these farmers.
As the quality of life in Great Wilderness City improved and basic needs were met, citizens gradually began to pursue factors like taste and flavor.
At this moment in the fields, farmers are watering the plants.
"Uncle Mark! My mulberry tree has withered, what should I do?!"
A little boy ran barefoot towards a middle-aged man wearing a straw hat.
The middle-aged man was studying the grafted branches in his hands.
What he wanted to plant ahead was a mature mulberry tree, considered the most vigorous mulberry tree here. Original content can be found at noᴠelfire.net
In his hands was a tender branch with magic elements lightly oscillating on it.
This was the branch from the only Magic Mulberry Tree!
What he needed to do now was follow Young Master Lin Ke’s instructions to graft the branch from the Magic Mulberry Tree onto an ordinary mulberry tree to achieve mass production of Magic Mulberries.
Otherwise, if Magic Mulberries are planted, the result may not be magical at all.
However, it was not that simple.
"Little Pan Duo, wait, I’m busy!" Uncle Mark kept his eyes fixed on the small seedling in his big hand, without turning his head.
The boy named Little Pan Duo came next to Uncle Mark, staring with wide eyes in curiosity.
One could see green filaments resembling blood vessels slowly stretching out from the trunk of the mulberry tree in front, as if alive.
In Uncle Mark’s hands, the young Magic Mulberry seedling’s base was the same.
With the power of his level-three [Cultivator], green threads extended from the base of the Magic Mulberry’s leaves, winding around the filaments on the ordinary mulberry tree.
The filaments of the two intertwined, and under Uncle Mark’s guidance, one by one they fused together.
"Just slowly... gradually..." Uncle Mark’s eyes were bloodshot, but his movements became even gentler.
Gradually, the leaves disengaged from Uncle Mark’s palm, slowly merging with this ordinary mulberry tree.
The nearby Little Pan Duo held his breath, focused on witnessing this scene.
Yet just as the two were about to merge, one of the green threads on the mulberry tree suddenly snapped.
Uncle Mark’s eyes widened suddenly, his right hand trembled, but thankfully the output of magic did not fluctuate.
However, this had nothing to do with the output of magic.
The mulberry tree’s green threads seemed to lose the support of power, snapping one by one, causing a chain reaction.
Uncle Mark’s face twisted in pain, suddenly intensifying the power output from his right hand, pouring wave after wave into it.
But he still could not stop the threads from breaking.
No matter how much magic power he used, the threads eventually all snapped, leaving none intact.
Simultaneously, the branch from the Magic Mulberry wilted from its once lush appearance, turning black in an instant.
It seemed it had already withered.
"Thud..." Uncle Mark suddenly sat down on the ground, staring blankly at the already carbonized branch in his hand, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Failed... failed... failed again!" Uncle Mark sat on the ground, initially just tearing up, ultimately bursting into sobs.
He had failed to live up to Young Master Lin Ke’s trust in him!
Grafting techniques, although Young Master Lin Ke taught them, he couldn’t even repeat them correctly!
Standing beside a suddenly collapsed Uncle Mark, Little Pan Duo was startled and hurried over to help him up.
"By Young Master Lin Ke! You damn Little Pan Duo, did you disturb poor Uncle Mark again?" Nearby, Little Pan Duo’s mother, who had been watering plants, was drawn by the commotion, seeing Uncle Mark brought to tears by her son.
How outrageous is this?
She quickly picked up a watering ladle and strode over.
Little Pan Duo hadn’t reacted before his mother had grabbed his leg and lifted him, aiming the ladle at his backside.
"No, Lady Sier, it’s not Little Pan Duo’s fault, this was caused by me." Uncle Mark forced a bitter smile, sitting weakly on the ground: "It’s me... I failed Young Master Lin Ke! It’s all me..."
"Oh, I see. Then how about letting Uncle Mark give Little Pan Duo a beating to vent his anger? It works wonders, and this kid’s sturdy, he’s not afraid of getting hit." Lady Sier cautiously suggested, seeing Uncle Mark losing interest in what she said.
It was this, she let Little Pan Duo down.
Little Pan Duo ran to Uncle Mark, frightened, stealing glances at his mother’s expression.
Lady Sier glared at him, then smiled at Uncle Mark, saying, "Uncle Mark, you see, you’re so skilled already, when will you take Little Pan Duo as your apprentice? Look at our Little Pan Duo, he’s born to work the fields!"
Uncle Mark paid no attention to Lady Sier, nor did Little Pan Duo.
Uncle Mark was immersed in sorrow and self-blame, while Little Pan Duo was curious.
Little Pan Duo looked at the already carbonized branch in Uncle Mark’s hand, then at the ordinary mulberry tree’s trunk, which had returned to normal, pondering.
He approached the ordinary mulberry tree, seemingly confirming something, then turned back to Uncle Mark, saying, "Uncle Mark, did you make a mistake?"
"Mistake, my foot! By Young Master Lin Ke, I’ll send you to see your dead ghost of a dad!" Lady Sier glared, her hand reaching for Little Pan Duo like a level-five magic ape.
He hadn’t even become an apprentice yet and dared to say his teacher made a mistake—such courage!
Yet Uncle Mark suddenly looked at Little Pan Duo, his eyes bloodshot but frighteningly bright: "Where’s the mistake..."
Little Pan Duo was hiding from his mom, not noticing Uncle Mark’s eyes.
But he still replied, "The two trees need to connect together, and you should insert where they’re growing fast! Branches need to ’eat’ to grow! Look at those new branches, they all grow high up, and there’s lots of branches on each one. Uncle Mark, if you inserted it in the lower trunk, of course the branches won’t get enough ’food,’ and they’ll die! Ouch!"
As Little Pan Duo finished speaking, he was grabbed by his mom and cried out in pain after being hit with the watering ladle several times.
However, Uncle Mark’s originally bloodshot eyes suddenly widened, the light in them growing brighter.
He leaped up instantly, took a new branch from his pocket, then went back to the same mulberry tree and scraped the very top with his fingernail.
Then, he repeated the grafting operations.
And this time, it succeeded!
The branch of the Magic Mulberry Tree was securely inserted at the highest point of the ordinary mulberry tree, absorbing wave after wave of magic, slowly spreading throughout the entire mulberry tree.
Uncle Mark stared blankly, then suddenly closed his eyes.
The feedback had arrived.