When we entered the village, the tribe gathered excitedly at the sight of two deer. Immediate food, cause for celebration.
But I was already rushing toward the agricultural field with my plant specimens, calling for my team.
They assembled quickly, curious about my urgency. I spread the specimens out on the ground like treasure.
"Look at what we found."
I explained each plant type, growth potential, yield estimates, nutritional value. The agricultural knowledge flowing freely, painting a picture of abundance they had never imagined.
Kerra examined the tubers, letting soil crumble between her fingers. "We gather these sometimes, deep in the forest. But they are rare, hard to find."
"They will not be rare anymore. We will have rows and rows of them."
Sala inspected the grain. "This looks like the wild grass in the eastern meadows."
"Same family, but this variety grows faster, produces more. Much more."
Yara was fascinated by the beans. "Protein. We need protein, especially in winter when hunting is poor."
Renna touched everything, practically vibrating with excitement. "Can we really make all these grow together? In our field?"
"Not just can. We will. Starting today."
The team mobilized immediately, preparing specific sections for each crop type. Tubers in the area with the richest, loosest soil. Grain in the sunniest section. Greens in partially shaded areas near the tree line. Beans where we could erect stakes for them to climb. Squash in a corner with room for vines to spread.
It felt momentous. Everyone sensed they were participating in something significant, something that would be remembered.
Kerra offered a brief prayer to earth spirits, and I respectfully bowed my head. Then the systematic planting began.
I demonstrated with the tubers first, cutting pieces that each contained an eye, the growth node. "Plant these six inches deep, twelve inches apart in rows. In sixty to seventy-five days, each piece becomes four to six new tubers. Thirty pieces planted means one hundred twenty to one hundred eighty tubers harvested."
The numbers made them pause, trying to comprehend that kind of multiplication.
Grain seeds went in next, pressed shallow into soil, rows eighteen inches apart with seeds six inches apart within rows. Several hundred seeds planted across the designated section.
"These grow tall, produce seed heads with hundreds more seeds. We plant once, harvest enough to feed everyone for months, plus extra to plant again."
Leafy greens, both transplanted wild specimens and seeds from flowering plants. Closer spacing since they tolerated crowding.
"First harvest in forty-five days. Then we can pick continuously, taking outer leaves while the plant keeps producing."
Beans at the base of wooden stakes we erected.
"These climb as they grow, produce pods all season. And they improve our soil somehow, make it better for other plants next year."
Finally, squash seeds in small mounds, three to four per mound, widely spaced.
"These sprawl as they vine, shade the ground, produce large fruits we can store through winter."
We opened the irrigation channels and water flowed across the planted field, soaking in, giving life to seeds and transplants.
The team stood back when we finished, looking at the neat rows of freshly planted earth. Raw and exposed now, but full of potential.
"It is really happening," Sala said quietly. "We are really doing this."
Kerra nodded, something like wonder on her weathered face. "The spirits willing, these will grow."
"They will grow," I said with certainty. "And when they do, everything changes."
Renna was already planning ahead. "When can we plant more?"
Yara laughed. "Let us make sure these work first. Then we expand."
The system chimed.
[Sow the First Crop - Quest Progress: 55% Complete]
[New Achievement: Diverse Crop Portfolio Established]
[Reward: +50 XP, +20 IP]
[Current Level: 4, XP: 100/400]
[Current IP: 27]
[Agricultural System Bonus Unlocked]
[Your crops will receive minor growth bonuses due to system optimization]
[Expected growth rates: 10% faster than natural baseline]
[Expected yields: 15% higher than natural baseline]
[Note: This bonus is passive and undetectable, appears as natural variance]
Word spread quickly through the village. Tribe members came to see the planted field, children curious about the neat rows, warriors skeptical but interested, craftspeople wondering what this might mean for their work.
Dren observed quietly. "If this works, it changes everything about how we live."
Even Tovan watched from a distance, his expression still unreadable but no longer openly hostile.
---
The days that followed settled into a new rhythm. Hunting and gathering continued as always, maintaining our food supply. But now there was also the field to tend, plants to water, weeds to pull, progress to monitor.
And progress there was.
On the sixth day, nothing visible yet. Just damp soil and patient waiting. The team checked twice daily, morning and evening, anxious for any sign.
The seventh day brought the first miracle. Tiny green shoots breaking through the soil in the tuber section. Just small hints of life, but enough to send excitement rippling through the tribe.
Even skeptics came to look. "It is actually working."
By the eighth day, more sprouts appeared. Tubers, beans, greens all showing. The grain section displayed thin green lines emerging in near-perfect rows. The organization became undeniable, clearly not natural growth but deliberate cultivation.
The ninth day brought accelerated growth, the system's ten percent bonus helping invisibly. Tuber sprouts reached two to three inches. Bean seedlings stretched toward their stakes. Greens filled in quickly. Grain showed uniform growth across the entire section. Squash seeds just beginning to emerge.
Regular watering schedule established, team members rotating duties, everyone taking pride in the work.
The tenth day transformed the field into something unmistakably alive with potential. Rows of green clearly visible from the village center. Organized agriculture undeniable to anyone who looked.
Even Tovan stood at the field's edge that evening, studying the rows. Something shifted in his expression, practical recognition overriding emotional resistance.
[Tovan Loyalty: 25% → 30%]
The tribal dynamic was shifting too. Loyalty numbers climbing across the board as people saw results. Dren now at seventy-eight percent, solidly in my corner. Mika at seventy-one percent, respecting both my hunting and farming skills. Sala at seventy-two percent, watching her friend Novar begin to soften. Kerra at seventy-six percent, appreciating both my knowledge and my respect for tradition. Yara at seventy-five percent, the preservation techniques proving invaluable daily.
[Average Tribal Loyalty: 52% → 59%]
Children called me Chief Axel naturally now, without fear. Warriors included me as one of them. Evening meals felt communal instead of tense. Even elders treated me with growing respect.
But it was Novar's reactions that I tracked most carefully, even while maintaining respectful distance.
The sixth through eighth days, she watched from afar. Always visible but never approaching. Sala reported constant questions. What was I doing? Why did I work so hard? Did my efforts seem genuine or calculated?
The ninth day brought a shift. She joined the evening meal and sat closer to my area. Not next to me, but in the same circle instead of across the clearing. Our eyes met across the fire for a long moment. Something passed between us. Acknowledgment. Question. Possibility. She looked away quickly, but the moment lingered.
The tenth day, the morning of the mourning period's end, brought something more.