Above the mage

Chapter 292 Cold-resistant Wheat

This is a type of barley that Gaode discovered along with "Mandora's Tears" in the den of a snow leopard on the snow-capped peaks of Dandong.

The extreme cold of the North did not kill this barley seed.

If you look closely, you can see a tiny, almost invisible hint of green beneath its dark exterior—that's its vibrant life force.

According to Flora, this is a cold-resistant barley variety, and its best growing environment is at minus sixty degrees Celsius or even lower.

This kind of barley variety is unheard of.

But the ability of nature to adapt and evolve is so amazing: one day, a tiny mutation might occur in a gene, and a door to a new world might be opened as a result.

Without a doubt, this barley seed was born for the North.

The permafrost tundra, which has been barren and desolate for so many years, is finally ready to welcome its own unique crops.

Perhaps such barley varieties existed long ago, but no one noticed them until Gaode Maps took notice this time.

Just like planting a tree, Gao De used his magician's hands to dig through the thick snow, and then used plastic soil to dig a planting hole 20-30 centimeters deep.

At the same time, as Gaode's mind changed, the soil was kneaded and shaped like soft clay.

This is to improve soil structure, making hard soil loose and layered, and increasing aeration.

After doing all this, Flora placed the hardy barley seed into the planting hole.

Gaode then covered it with a layer of soil three to four centimeters thick using plastic clay and leveled the land.

Logically, the next step is to wait patiently for the wheat seeds to sprout.

Under normal circumstances, it takes 3-7 days for barley to germinate from sowing.

But Gaode has already developed "abnormal" capabilities.

He stepped forward and used the "Natural Technique" he had obtained from the Green Wood Longevity Scripture.

A natural and gentle wave emanated from his palm and flowed directly into the place where the seed was buried.

The next moment, the smooth soil suddenly stirred.

A tender green shoot broke through the soil, initially curled up, but soon stretched out and grew rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Time seemed to be compressed to its limit at this moment, and the whole scene was somewhat like a plant documentary that was about to be put down.

New buds keep climbing, leaves unfold rapidly, stems gradually thicken, and lateral branches begin to form—all of this is accomplished in a very short time.

Just a few minutes later, a sturdy wheat seedling had sprung up on the once empty land, swaying in the wind.

As a result, Gao De's liquid mana was rapidly depleted, with nearly half of it already gone.

But that's not enough, because at this point the barley seedling has just passed the germination and emergence period and is in the tillering stage.

This process, if done naturally, takes about 15-20 days.

In other words, it can be roughly understood that with Gaode's current mage level, consuming one drop of liquid mana can help ordinary plants skip about two days of growth progress.

Gaode continues to cast natural spells.

As the cold-resistant barley plants continue to grow under the influence of nature, they continue to produce new leaves and branches, while their root system also expands. When they grow to a height of more than 20 centimeters, the first internode at the base of the plant begins to elongate significantly.

Basal internode elongation is a key physical indicator of the onset of the barley jointing stage.

Its stem no longer lies close to the ground, but begins to stretch upwards.

Shortly after the jointing stage, barley enters the heading stage.

From the time the shoots divide to the time they reach the jointing stage, they need about 20 days of natural growth time.

Shortly after entering the jointing stage, according to natural laws, barley will enter the heading stage, where the internal ears begin to develop.

Subsequently, the top of the barley plant will gradually produce ears of grain, a process known as the heading stage, which is also the last stage before the barley enters reproductive growth.

At this point, Gao De stopped using "Nature Arts"—because his magic power had been exhausted.

In addition, barley plants have a high demand for nutrients during the jointing stage and require appropriate topdressing.

However, Gaode Maps doesn't need to do this.

Elder Grant had already prepared fishmeal to fertilize the golden wheat, as instructed by him.

Fishmeal is actually made from the remaining parts of fish, excluding the edible parts, including the internal organs, head, bones, and scales. These are then naturally dried in the sun and manually ground into powder.

According to the experience of the Zhenbing tribe, the powder made in this way, when sprinkled directly on the fields, can promote the growth of golden wheat.

In Gaode's view, it can be summed up in one sentence: It contains abundant nitrogen and phosphorus, which are essential nutrients for plant growth.

In short, Elder Grant took out the fishmeal and spread it evenly in the soil of the hardy wheat.

Too much fertilizer can't be applied, and too little can't be applied either. To be honest, it's not easy to control the amount of fertilizer, especially since this is a crop that Elder Grant is completely unfamiliar with.

But for Flora, a true expert, this was no problem at all.

So Gao De felt completely at ease and took out a purple fruit that he always carried with him.

This is a magical plant that the Zhenbing tribe people picked on the snowfield. After consuming it, its effect is somewhat similar to a mana-restoring potion, which can help mages quickly restore their mana.

After eating the fruit, Gao De began to circulate the [Green Wood Longevity Scripture], starting to recover his depleted mana, completely unaffected by the external environment.

After evolving the [Dharma Ninja Body], he was able to do what only a senior high-level mage could do: quickly enter a state of cultivation anytime, anywhere.

In less than half an hour, with the help of Purple Fruit, Gaode had fully restored his mana, while the fertilization work on the other side had long been completed.

"Continue." He stood up and once again "infused" the barley plant that, with the help of "Nature's Art," had skipped nearly two months of growth.

As the power of nature's magic was infused, the tops of the barley began to show vigorous vitality, first sprouting ears of grain, and then entering the flowering stage.

The tender green spike-like inflorescences open one after another, emitting a faint fragrance.

At this point, Gaode Maps stopped again.

During the flowering period, barley has another very important task to perform – pollination.

If he were to continue using "natural techniques" to accelerate the growth of the barley, the hardy barley would not have had time to be pollinated before it passed its flowering period, and naturally, it would not be able to produce any grains.

There's only one cold-resistant barley seed in total, and there can't be the slightest mistake.

It was still Elder Grant who "handled" it.

Although only one cold-resistant wheat seedling has been found in the world so far, it is a single seedling.

Fortunately, barley is a self-pollinating crop. Its flowers are hermaphroditic, meaning that the same flower contains both stamens and pistils, so it has the ability to self-pollinate and there is no need to worry about the "offspring" problem.

Elder Grant took out a fine brush made of the soft inner fur of a snow wolf, which he had prepared beforehand. Under Flora's guidance, he found the stamens that had already opened and gently brushed the yellow pollen on the stamens with the fine brush, carefully collecting the pollen into a small bottle.

After collecting all the pollen from the stamens, he then used a fine brush to apply the pollen gently to the stigma of the pistil.

To increase the pollination success rate, this process needs to be repeated multiple times.

While Elder Grant was busy, God consumed another purple fruit, beginning to recover the mana he had consumed.

To be honest, before acquiring the "Art of Nature," Gaode was quite worried about the margin for error.

Because with only one cold-resistant barley seed, the entire planting process cannot afford any mistakes, and it takes about four months for barley to mature from seed.

Four months of careful nurturing are needed; any small mistake could lead to the loss of all previous efforts.

Even with Flora's help, the pressure is still immense.

However, now that the "Nature Technique" ability granted by the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture" can be compressed from the four-month growth period of this barley seed to half a day, and with Flora's assistance, it would be very difficult for problems to arise under these conditions.

As Gao De's magic power once again reached its peak, Elder Grant also completed the pollination process.

Thus, the process of encouraging childbirth continued.

After pollination, the barley flowers gradually lose their vibrancy and former brightness, and in their place, the green grains gradually swell, indicating that the barley has entered the final grain-filling stage.

As the grain filling process progresses, dry matter gradually accumulates within the grains, starch solidifies, moisture content decreases, and the grains become increasingly firm. The color also changes from green to pale yellow, eventually settling on a dazzling golden yellow.

Finally, a mature barley plant with golden ears of grain stood proudly before Gaode.

He glanced at it and quickly determined the yield of this cold-resistant barley plant.

37 mature plants.

To be honest, this output is not high.

But that's not the point.

Importantly, this is barley grown on snowfields in extremely cold environments.

"Natural arts" can only accelerate the natural growth process of a plant, but cannot make plants that are not normally able to grow grow smoothly.

In other words, even without the "art of nature," this barley plant would have grown to its current state after four months.

Who can say it's not a miracle?

Gao De was deeply moved.

He was about to give some instructions to Elder Grant behind him, but after calling out several times, he received no response.

Turning around in surprise, I saw that Elder Grant's face was completely red.

"He will bring spring and life to the permafrost tundra."

"He will ensure that the children of the Ice Age will no longer suffer from hunger."

Elder Grant's mind echoed with Sunefa's soft chanting from the ancient frost.

Although he had already confirmed that Gao De was the new king and the one who had made the prophecy, when he actually saw what the prophecy had said come to pass before his eyes, he still felt his mouth go dry, he could hardly stand, and his heart was pounding violently.

All the blood in his body rushed to his head, making him feel slightly dizzy.

He stared wide-eyed at the barley plant laden with ripe wheat, completely unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Is this wheat?!" Elder Grant's voice trembled slightly.

Elder Grant was in charge of the cultivation of golden wheat in the Zhenbing tribe.

Although Jinhui wheat and cold-resistant wheat are not the same type of wheat, they are both barley and have many similarities in appearance, so he should not have reacted so inappropriately to a barley plant.

The problem is, this isn't barley grown on volcanic soil, it's grown on snowfields!

In the North, snowfields like this are everywhere!

What does this mean?

Not only his voice, but Elder Grant's body also began to tremble slightly.

"Yes, Elder Grant, collect these grains of wheat as a seed," Godd instructed.

With a bang.

The next moment, Elder Grant knelt down before the barley plant, kneeling in the most devout manner.

"A miracle! This is a miracle! No more of our people will die of hunger!" He reached out his hand tremblingly and gently stroked the grains of barley on the barley plant, as if he were touching some rare treasure.

Only those who are not from the North can fully comprehend the profound impact the appearance of such a barley stalk can have on the souls of those from the North.

Even an elder like Elder Grant, a seasoned Iceborn mage, was now completely unable to control his emotions.

"Elder Grant, this is just the beginning. The high yield potential of the cold-resistant wheat is still worrying. Its reproductive capacity and seed vigor have not yet been investigated, and it does not have the cold-resistant properties of the golden wheat."

Gao De helped the distraught Elder Grant to his feet and said softly, "After obtaining enough original seeds, we must carry out hybridization and continuous optimization to cultivate a barley variety that is truly suitable for the North."

Cold-resistant wheat is the name Gaode gave to this type of barley, which is easy to understand.

Elder Grant couldn't understand what God said because it was too advanced for his time, but he could at least understand what God meant.

At that moment, Gao De was, in his eyes, the one who created miracles.

If his previous obedience and reverence for Gaode came from a "prophecy," then now it comes from his heart.

Elder Grant carefully collected the 37 hardy wheat seeds as if they were his own newborn children, afraid that even a single grain might be damaged by a tremor in his hand.

Flora stored the 37 hardy wheat seeds in her small space.

"My king, what should we do with this barley stalk?" Elder Grant asked, pointing to the now bare, hardy barley plant.

"Shovel it up, and then we'll have to trouble Elder Grant to hurry up and help us clear a piece of land today. The pattern will be the same as before, as for the spacing..." God paused, and Flora immediately understood, already gesturing on the land.

To be honest, not only in the North, but the planting technology in this world is still at a relatively low level. The most distinctive feature is the lack of clear standards.

Everyone cultivates their own land according to their own experience. Some people sow seeds densely, some sow seeds shallowly, some apply a lot of fertilizer, and some apply little fertilizer. Naturally, the yield fluctuates randomly.

Every crop should have an optimal method, but finding the optimal method requires not only awareness but also scientific experimentation and summarization.

Undoubtedly, this is a very troublesome and time-consuming task.

But there is "metaphysics" in this world.

Therefore, things that should have taken a lot of effort, Flora could complete in an instant with her talent, and the quality was so high that it was impeccable.

"Tomorrow, I will continue planting this first batch of barley seeds to obtain more cold-resistant barley seeds."

"As for this land, it will be cultivated as a pollen field in the future. Afterwards, I will have Sunefa select a group of people to be specifically responsible for the guarding and protection of this pollen field."

(End of this chapter)