Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 139 The Moon of Calamity
This month is a month of calamity; the production of all creatures is halved, and healing effects on units on the battlefield are halved. City buildings have a certain probability of being afflicted by calamities (the more city buildings there are, the greater the probability).

It was a cold and fraught month, and not only was Kuraki City suffering, but all the major cities were also having a hard time.

However, Kuraki has an advantage: Griffin Cliff offers some protection against celestial events that reduce production. The special effect granted by Advanced Earth and Wood is that production is halved during Plague Month, and since the laws governing calamities and plagues are similar, this effect can be mitigated.

As for the city's buildings, this was purely an undeserved disaster. Generally speaking, once extraordinary buildings are constructed, they are difficult to destroy by ordinary means, but the power of the laws of the stars can trigger calamities.

This really tests the lord's financial resources and abilities. If problems are discovered and repaired quickly, that's fine, but if it's completely destroyed, the only option is to rebuild.

Su Mu could handle the city alone, but Forrest told him even worse news.

“My lord, look, these winter-specific seedlings simply cannot survive. They will only wither if planted in the ground, and even watering them enough will not help.”

"Is this winter too harsh, preventing the seedlings from growing? Will things get better once the snow and cold have passed?"

Forrest shook his head. He took the winter seedlings into the greenhouse and planted them in the soil, but their growth was still not promising. This was a far cry from the previous situation where simply scattering a handful of seeds would yield a harvest.

"This heavy snow seems to have altered the nature of the land. Even after winter is over, it will probably be difficult to recover in a short time. Grain will gradually become a problem, so we need to prepare early."

Su Mu touched the ice and snow on the ground, his expression becoming solemn. He had thought that the cold winter would have some impact, but he had not expected such a huge change.

This is only the first week of snow. No one can predict what the land will become next winter.

"However, there seems to be a solution to this extreme case."

Forrest took a piece of ebony, lit it, and sprinkled the charcoal into the soil. About an hour later, he planted the winter seedlings back in, and they miraculously survived, looking exactly like the original seedlings.

"In the past, farmers also had the habit of using wood ash as fertilizer when planting crops, but ebony was relatively expensive and was used specifically to cultivate more precious plants. In addition, the wheat was growing very well, so no one used this method."

When I encountered a problem, it was an old farmer who gave me advice to see if it would work. To my surprise, it had a miraculous effect.

Ebony is already quite effective; if it's raw wood, one-tenth of the ash can cover ten acres. And considering the grains farmers grow daily, one acre can feed a hundred people; with just one log, it can produce enough grain for ten thousand.

The duration is uncertain, but using magical testing, it can guarantee results for at least one quarter. If soil fertility deteriorates afterward, more logs will be needed.

It must be said that the grain yield in the magical world is incredibly high, and the wheat seedlings they grow are no ordinary crop. If it weren't for this heavy snowfall, almost no one would have considered the issue of reserves.

"Then let's take out the accumulated logs, set aside a piece of land outside the city, and grow the grain. Other areas may lack wood, but this isn't a problem for the granary!"

Su Mu smiled and spoke to Forrest, but then he suddenly thought of something.

Heavy snow, logs, a month of calamity, a war of timber.

The war between Elden and Isildur started in a very strange way. Even though the Barrier forces were short of logs and Elden's national strength was gradually weakening, starting a war between nations was still a risky move. Yet Isildur did not hesitate at all, attacking the border city and occupying the Fal Forest.

The two largest timber-producing regions on the mainland are locked in a fierce battle, causing log prices to soar daily, which explains why Kurama is doing so well.

But now that I think about it, was Isildur really that eager?
Why is this battle called the Timber War?
There seems to be some progress now.

The heavy snowfall hasn't covered a large area yet, only the plains, the North, and the southern part of the Arcane Empire; other regions are temporarily unaffected. As for the Star Moon, its impact will be much greater, and both empires and kingdoms are expected to suffer calamities for the next month. But what about further back? With the Isildur logs missing, has a similar disaster already occurred? Did the bulwark forces receive earlier foresight, knowing the logs could withstand widespread calamities? Is this what prompted the empire's decision to invade Elton?

After all, druids are closest to nature; they possess a natural sensitivity to forests and the earth, able to foresee even the slightest changes. If a legendary druid, in conjunction with an astrologer, were to predict future disasters, then a war over timber would be inevitable.

There's absolutely no need to think when faced with the choice between sacrificing humans or elves.

However, in Su Mu's familiar memories, there seemed to be no mention of the relationship between disasters and wood. It was only now, when his subordinates reminded him, that he vaguely recalled it, which was quite strange.

"Have the carpenters work with all their might, and don't let the heavy snow affect the production of logs. I will send some magic apprentices over to melt the snow!"

"Don't worry about that. I've arranged everything at the forest farm. And there's good news: my logging skills seem to be improving, but I need to manage more forest farms."

Forrest has been a master lumberjack for some time now, making outstanding contributions to the resource production of timber, but to continue improving, he must own more forests. Moreover, with the ominous signs of the Month of Calamity, logs will become increasingly important, even rising to the level of a survival issue, and no amount of attention is too much.

“I’ll figure something out; I can at least guarantee you three forest farms for your research.”

After making this promise, Su Mu went back to discuss it with Maggie. The Marquis had just woken up from her sleep. She was usually in a lazy state, but today she seemed a little tired.

"Something is amiss in the Dream World. The magical energy is fluctuating wildly, so I'm afraid I won't be able to enter a dream state for a while."

As I was about to wake up, I dreamt that a group of white rats appeared below the training grounds of the strongest swordsman, gnawing on the wood. This is likely an ominous sign.

Upon hearing Maggie's warning, Su Mu immediately sent people to inspect the strongest swordsman's training ground. They discovered a mysterious rat nest in the canal, filled with whitish rats that could devour logs and were digging their way towards the training ground.

The magic apprentices immediately unleashed their flames to kill the white rats and carefully inspected the building to ensure nothing was missed.

When Su Mu learned of the month of calamity, he had already dispatched soldiers to inspect various buildings, but found nothing of interest in the irrigation canals. If these rats were allowed to grow and devour the area, the training grounds could very well be hollowed out, losing their magical barrier and becoming ruins.

Such calamities are impossible to prevent; this is the power of disaster.

Su Mu recounted Forrest's findings, combined with his own conjectures, to Maggie.

"Longlet Castle also needs to be more careful. This time I will lead troops back to the county town with you to handle internal affairs and assess risks. The remaining task is to consolidate the forest farm."

Maggie pondered for a moment, then took out a map and pointed west: "A little further west from Graystone City is a forest, which used to be jointly managed by the Graystone Lord and the nobles of the hinterland. The actual ownership still belongs to Longlit Castle, so we can make a fuss about it."

“Perfect timing. Wayne reported to me that his scouts detected unusual activity in the north of the Marquisate, seemingly moving westward. If I’m not mistaken, the Void Cult has made another move. Since they’re so keen on the westward route, let’s just nip their hopes in the bud.”

Salman colluded with outsiders, repeatedly testing his limits.

Su Mu was no longer willing to tolerate it, especially since the Mysterious Sanctuary was still missing something and could only obtain it from the Void God Cult.

Since that's the case, he'll stop defending and send Ouling to meet the other party.

(End of this chapter)