Above the mage

Chapter 293 Establishment of the Ministry of Agriculture

The past ten days.

Gaode's life is busy and fulfilling.

During the day, he was busy in the pollen field to promote the growth of cold-resistant wheat and obtain cold-resistant wheat seeds. At the same time, he also took Flora to the volcanic land to guide the planting of golden wheat.

—Although the Zhenbing tribe has a long history of cultivating golden wheat, to be honest, they are still far from understanding the "mystery" of golden wheat.

With just a little guidance from Flora, the yield of Golden Glory Wheat could be increased by at least 10%.

This is still limited by the conditions of the Zhenbing tribe; otherwise, it could have been improved even more.

In addition, due to the primitive farming methods, the Zhenbing tribe has never carried out the selection and cultivation of golden wheat seeds in all these years of golden wheat cultivation.

And all of this needs to be done starting now.

To be honest, even with Flora's "abilities" and Gao De's "natural arts," the entire food production process was still very difficult.

The preliminary preparations alone, including the breeding of cold-resistant wheat varieties as the male parent and the superior breeding of Jinhui wheat as the female parent, are a huge undertaking.

Without the aid of extraordinary power, it would take at least two years to cultivate a sufficient number of original seeds from a single cold-resistant barley seed.

However, after the first ten days, Gaode suddenly felt much more relaxed.

Because on this day, Sunafa's cultivation of the "Azure Wood Longevity Scripture" also reached the first stage, propelled by his own strong foundation and the sacred artifact, the Ice Jade Wutong.

After advancing to the next level, she naturally gained the ability of "Nature Arts".

But Sunafa is different from Gaode. Her magical power is at the fourth level, and she doesn't use nature magic as sparingly as Gaode, who can only grow one cold-resistant wheat plant in a day with great effort.

With just a little effort, she easily cultivated two hundred mature, cold-resistant wheat plants, and still had energy left over.

Sunefa's involvement immediately accelerated the breeding and accumulation of cold-resistant wheat native varieties.

Of course, the emergence of "natural arts" is only a temporary measure.

The real bulk of native species accumulation still relies on traditional cultivation methods.

Therefore, every day, Elder Grant would plant the hardy wheat seeds he had obtained the previous day, according to Flora's standards.

In this way, four months later, this pollen field will see its first wave of naturally grown, mature, cold-resistant wheat, and the crop will continue to grow.

As for the evenings, they would practice the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture" and construct spell models.

Although Yogg-Sarah is still in its sapling stage and has no rank, it cannot provide any buffs to God for the time being.

However, the abundant magic power from the fourth-tier spiritual land, with a concentration greater than 4500, still gave him a feeling of flying.

Ten days of cultivation yielded more significant progress than the five months of arduous training he underwent after advancing to the first-ring mage level.

As for magic, Gaode maintained his usual high efficiency.

Having obtained eight unmastered first-level spells from the Snowfield Guardian, and with all the necessary materials for spell potions, he quickly concocted the corresponding spell potions and successfully created spell models for two of them.

The first one is naturally the [Frozen Blade].

This is the first damaging first-level spell that Gaode has mastered, and it's also a rare spell.

The second successfully constructed spell model is: [Speed ​​of the Wolf].

[Speed ​​of the Wolf] (Alteration type, 1st ring):

Use the spell to gain the speed of a wolf. Your speed will increase to 60 km/h for the duration of the spell (one hour).

It is also a rare spell, and the reason for its rarity is quite obvious: it is a numerical spell.

Both are in the same ring and both increase movement speed with the "Big Stride" skill, which increases movement speed by 15 km/h.

Even if we add the human's own movement speed, say 10 km/h, it would only reach a mere 25 km/h, less than half the speed of a wolf.

Of course, as taught in the course on general knowledge of magic, there may be differences in the strength of spells, but there is absolutely no reason to say that a stronger spell of the same type can completely replace a weaker spell.

First of all, [Stride] can buff other creatures, so it can be considered a support spell.

The target of the [Wolf's Speed] spell can only be the caster.

Additionally, the effect of [Great Stride] is to increase movement speed by a fixed amount, while the spell effect of [Wolf's Speed] is to increase movement speed to a fixed value.

In most cases, the [Wolf Speed] stat will definitely be higher.

However, if the caster's movement speed is equal to or greater than 50 km/h, then [Stride] will actually provide a greater benefit.

However, none of this was in Gaode's consideration. For him, the current [Wolf Speed] was the best option.

The Elders' Hall should actually be called the City Hall; that's the name Gaode Maps just changed to a few days ago.

He summoned Sunefa, who had been busy these past few days stimulating the growth of cold-resistant wheat.

Upon witnessing the hardy wheat growing in the frigid environment of the snowfield, Sunefa, though not as excited and devout as Elder Grant, was no less shocked and overwhelmed.

Just from the fact that the mother of a powerful clan has been going to the pollen field so often these past few days, one can get a sense of this.

Sunafa rarely visits Jin Huimai, perhaps only a few times a year.

"My king, is there something you need?" Sunafa's voice was soft, with a hint of barely perceptible obedience.

Theoretically speaking, she is on the same level as Gao De. In fact, in the extraordinary world where strength speaks, as the number one mage of the Zhenbing tribe, she is the true number one person in charge.

But as she said, if the two wills conflict, she will take Gao De's will as the standard, and that's what she did.

"Actually, there are still many things to do right now, and each one is very urgent."

"For example, universal education. Although this is an extraordinary world, I believe that in any world and in any era, universal education is absolutely the most effective means of promoting the development of civilization."

"And education is something that's always better to start as early as possible."

"But the problem is, we have no teachers, no schools, no books. More importantly, even if we had all those things, if we wanted people to value education, we first had to fill their stomachs."

"How can you study if you can't even get enough to eat?"

"Expanding the tribe's size is also crucial. If we want to develop rapidly, we need a sufficient labor force; 500,000 people is still too few."

"It's too slow for our people to reproduce on their own. We need to absorb other northern tribes to increase our population, and that requires enough food. We can't just absorb people and then let them starve. Besides, even if we reproduce on our own, we still need enough food."

"Therefore, no matter how much work there is to do, it can only begin after the food problem is solved."

"As for how to solve the food problem, we already have a plan. The initial work can be done by just a few of us, but later on, we will definitely need a lot more manpower."

"With such a large number of people, there should be a corresponding management department, and the corresponding system should be established in advance, otherwise it will definitely be chaotic."

"So, I need to set up a department for our city hall in Phoenix first. To be honest, this is just the first department; there will be many more in the future."

"After all, a competent governing body should manage every aspect of the lives of its subordinates, including their basic needs like eating, drinking, and sanitation. The current power structure in Phoenix is ​​still too rudimentary."

"However, this decision was made based on the actual situation in Phoenix, which I understand. But in short, let's set up this department first."

Sunafa blinked her beautiful blue eyes and listened attentively.

Gaode rattled off a lot of things, and she didn't actually understand much of it, but she tried her best to write down what Gaode said and then combine it with the subsequent specific actions to understand it.

Gao De continued, "The department I want to establish is called the Ministry of Agriculture. Its responsibilities should be to comprehensively manage industries such as planting, animal husbandry, aquaculture, and state farms, and to be in charge of agricultural development. Of course, its primary responsibility at present is to be responsible for barley planting."

Sunafa paused for a moment, and Gaode continued:

"The Ministry of Agriculture will first have one minister, followed by two vice ministers."

"Lady Flora will serve as minister, Elder Grant will be one of the deputy ministers for now, and we'll decide on the other position later."

"In addition, all those who have worked in the cultivation of golden wheat should be included in the Ministry of Agriculture first."

After Sunefa left.

"Master, what is a minister?"

"And what is the Ministry of Agriculture?"

"What does Lady Flora want to do?"

".?"

The little one's questions kept ringing in my ears, probably more than a hundred thousand.

Gaode patiently answered each question one by one:

"The minister is the head of the Ministry of Agriculture, and everyone in the Ministry of Agriculture has to listen to the minister."

"Lady Flora, without modern industry, there's no doubt that for a very long time, the Ministry of Agriculture will be the largest department in Phoenix. Then, Lady Flora will truly be a lady!"

Well, also, the Department of Agriculture will be one of the busiest departments in Phoenix for a long time to come. Gao De kept this to himself, but didn't dare to say it out loud.

"The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for feeding all the citizens of Phoenix. As the saying goes, food is the most important thing for the people, so from now on, the Ministry of Agriculture will be the sky of Phoenix."

"What Lady Flora needs to do is use her wisdom to cultivate superior barley varieties so that the people of Phoenix can all eat barley."

"Really?" Flora said doubtfully.

Gao De knew that what she cared about was the sentence, "Lady Flora is truly an adult now."

"real."

"Really!" Flora exclaimed happily.

Gao De glanced at the elated Flora, feeling a little guilty. What he said was true, but he hadn't actually said the other side either.

However, Flora doesn't need to sleep or get tired; isn't she born with an innate divine physique that can handle anything?

Gao De silently convinced himself.

Under Gao De's will, the Ministry of Agriculture was quickly established, although it was still very small: Minister Flora, Deputy Minister Grant, and more than twenty people who had worked on volcanic land were incorporated into the Ministry of Agriculture as apprentices.

But barring any unforeseen circumstances, a major expansion is on the horizon soon.

Barley breeding efforts are ongoing.

The work of cultivating the original strain of cold-resistant wheat has been handed over to Sunefa and the twenty-odd apprentices.

Grant was working with God and Flora on the breeding of Golden Glory Wheat. To say he was working with them was a stretch; it should really be called learning from them.

His main task was to record everything Flora described in detail, including how deep to turn the soil, the sowing interval, the significance of each stage of the Golden Glory wheat, how to fertilize correctly, how much fertilizer to apply, how to select superior seeds, and so on.

All of these, according to Gaode's requirements, must be recorded, compiled into a manual, and made into standards. In the future, planting work will need to be carried out according to the standards in the manual. The Ministry of Agriculture will also be responsible for promotion, guidance, and supervision.

The prerequisite for guidance is that you must first understand it yourself.

Flora tells the story, Grant writes it down.

At the same time, Gaode Maps is also saying that Flora should also be remembered.

"Although I'm explaining the methods now, and Lady Flora is responsible for completing them, Lady Flora is now the Minister of Agriculture. In the future, I will only be responsible for making requests, and how to complete them will be up to Lady Flora. Therefore, Lady Flora also needs to understand these principles," Gao De patiently explained.

"Oh~" Flora nodded her little head unconsciously, looking confused.

Gao De continued, "The selection of parental lines for hybrid barley, that is, the selection of the male and female lines, is actually quite sophisticated."

"Even when both are hybrids of cold-resistant wheat and golden wheat, the next generation of hybrid wheat will show very different traits depending on whether the cold-resistant wheat is used as the male parent or the female parent."

"In the process of hybridization breeding, the female parent should usually have excellent agronomic traits and strong reproductive capacity. The former helps to improve the overall performance of the new variety, while the latter ensures the quantity and quality of hybrid seeds."

"The paternal parent focuses on the superior traits that complement the maternal parent, such as resistance to diseases and pests, cold resistance, and drought resistance."

"Therefore, Jin Hui wheat, with its long history of cultivation and proven track record, is clearly more suitable as the parent plant."

"While the yield is still not high, cold-resistant wheat with unprecedented cold resistance is the best choice for the male parent."

"The problem now is that the yield of Golden Glory wheat, which is the parent plant, is still too low."

According to Gaode's simple calculations, due to the relatively simple farming tools, planting methods, and seed quality in this world, the yield of barley per mu (a Chinese unit of area, approximately 0.165 acres) is about 60 kilograms.

Sowing one acre of barley requires approximately 10 kilograms of seeds.

This can be understood as a planting-to-harvest ratio of 1:5.

Jin Hui Mai also falls within this range.

There is no doubt that the yield-to-yield ratio is too low.

In Gaode's previous life, the global average barley yield was around 230 kilograms per mu (approximately 0.16 acres), which was four times that of the world average.

In some regions with advanced agricultural technology and management, the average barley yield can easily reach 500 kilograms per mu (approximately 0.16 acres) or even higher.

"The Ministry of Agriculture's first task is to increase the yield of Jinhui wheat to about 120 kilograms per mu as soon as possible." Gao De set a "kPI" for Flora.

Modern precision agriculture technology and mechanized operations are not yet feasible, but Gao De's requirements are not high. He would be satisfied if he could increase the yield of barley to about 120 kilograms per mu.

Doubling production sounds exaggerated, but it's actually not that difficult.

Because the most important factor affecting yield is the selection of superior varieties.

Although this world lacks modern breeding technology, it possesses extraordinary power. It's hard to say which is stronger!

At least in Gaode's opinion, Flora's abilities and potential are greater.

Modern breeding technology improves methods and cultivates superior seeds through science and continuous experimentation and summarization.

Flora, however, communicates directly with plants, using her extraordinary powers to see through their essence and needs.

This process is simpler and more precise; what's lacking is the implementation of this process.

(End of this chapter)