Demon King, you just need to conquer, and your husband will come up with the solution.

Irons smiled awkwardly, shook his head, and said, "I don't really dare to say that I have a profound understanding. After all, when it comes to crops, I am only a dabbler, which means I know a little more than ordinary people.

I can't say much about astronomy, but when it comes to plants, I'm sure there are many people in the world who are more professional than me. In fact, I really hope that there will be a real professional who can help me solve these potential problems.

But... it's a pity that these people are not in the Demon Realm, alas... I can only try to solve these problems myself. So... it seems that I should find some talents to help..."

……

In the city of Fonten in the Principality of Norton, a girl wearing coarse cloth, a large braid and with healthy wheat-colored skin stood in front of Ovinia and others, pinching the hem of her coarse cloth skirt and shaking her head.

"Senior Ovinia... I'm so sorry... I... I really am not suitable to attend this witch tea party..."

Chapter 86: Witch Monica

"I'm really sorry, Witch Ovinia, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for several days... But I still don't think it's appropriate for me to go back to the tea party..."

The wheat-skinned girl gritted her teeth, finally made up her mind, and shook her head and said to Ovinia and the others.

Ovinia consoled her with a headache, "Monica, the tea party is never inappropriate. As long as there are witches who are passionate about research and curious about the unknown, the tea party will always be open to them!"

"Woo..."

Faced with Ovinia's consolation, the witch Monica was obviously unmoved. She just lowered her head and shook it silently, indicating that she did not want to attend the tea party, which gave Ovinia a headache.

From the first day they arrived in Fontana City, they found Monica. After all, Monica was very famous among the farmers in Fontana City.

A few years ago, Fangdeng City was not a town with high grain production. In order to fill their stomachs, most people had to work hard on farming and get other food from the mountains and rivers.

Generally speaking, the people of Fangdeng City can barely make ends meet. If there is a poor harvest under such circumstances, Fangdeng City will have to spend a very difficult year.

In this situation, Monica came to Fontaine a few years ago. She did not hide herself in the forest and do her own research like the stereotypical witch.

Instead, he brought some crop seeds that the local farmers had never seen before, and reclaimed a piece of farmland in the suburbs outside the city to sow various crops. The place was not remote, and basically everyone could see that there was an outsider there.

At first, the local farmers were a little curious about why such a young and beautiful girl would farm alone in this place. Didn't she have other family members?

Out of curiosity, local farmers began to contact Monica, and only then did they discover that this farming girl was actually a witch!

This made the farmers feel even more strange, and Monica gained a nickname among the locals, the Farming Witch.

A witch came to Fangdeng City to farm. This was indeed a big news in Fangdeng City at that time. After all, this small town was so ordinary that any slightly special news would be known to everyone.

If Monica could take advantage of this opportunity to build up a better persona for herself in Fangdeng City and make some noise, she might even become a prominent figure in Fangdeng City.

But obviously, Monica is not that kind of person. She came to Fangdeng City to do only three things: farming, farming, and farming. She doesn't care about anything else.

As they devoted themselves to farming without caring about the world, the idea of ​​witches farming soon became obsolete in Fangdeng City. Everyone quickly got used to this special resident who appeared out of nowhere and were no longer curious about her.

After all, if a witch doesn't show her own characteristics or abilities, and only knows how to farm, what's the difference between her and a farmer? What's there to discuss about a female farmer? Can she grow flowers while farming?

It turns out...she really can!

Not long after, with the harvest season approaching, most farmers were still calculating and thinking about how to survive next year based on this year's mediocre harvest.

Monica's farmland has a great harvest in both quality and quantity. According to the country kids who abandoned Monica's farmland to pick pumpkins, the crops on Monica's farmland are basically several times larger than those on other farms! And they are especially delicious!

This incident once again made Monica a sensation throughout Fangdeng City. All the farmers looked at the bumper harvest from Monica's farmland, which was many times greater than that from other farms. It was impossible for them not to be envious and jealous!

Under such circumstances, Monica spread the news that farmers were allowed to trade crop seeds with her, allowing barter and purchase.

Seeing Monica's bumper harvest, the farmers could no longer hold back. Some farmers who had extra money immediately started buying seeds from Monica, while those who were not well-off were still waiting and watching.

However, by the harvest season of the following year, no matter how wait-and-see the farmers were, they could no longer hold back, because after Monica sold those seeds, Fangdeng City welcomed an unprecedented bumper harvest!

Since then, Monica's reputation among the peasants immediately reached its peak. Some even spread rumors that Monica was a messenger of the Earth Mother Goddess. As a result, the Earth Mother Cathedral in Fangdeng City almost thought that Monica was a heretic, causing a sensation in the city.

Despite Monica's huge reputation in Fontaine City, she still rarely appears in public and still stays in the farmland in the suburbs, taking good care of her crops.

In this way, after a few years, Monica's reputation gradually stabilized. The farmers in Fangdeng City were no longer fanatical about Monica, but the respect always remained in their hearts.

When Ovinia and others asked about Monica, any local could point out the approximate direction of Monica's farmland. If you ask a farmer, he will also tell you which path is the shortest.

So, Ovinia and others easily found Monica's residence. When they arrived at Monica's residence, she was irrigating and watering barley in the farmland.

At that time, they didn't even realize that the wheat-skinned girl in cloth clothes irrigating the fields was the witch Monica they were looking for.

Fox from the brave team even ran up to Monica and asked the witch where Monica was. When he got Monica's response, the gorilla was confused for a long time.

Even Ovinia, who was very familiar with Monica, was shocked by the changes in Monica after not seeing her for a few years.

Although her skin had become a little darker, Ovinia could clearly feel that Monica's spirit was much better than at the tea party.

When Ovinia got straight to the point and proposed inviting Monica to attend this year's tea party, the girl's face immediately became conflicted.

Seeing that Monica wanted to refuse, Ovinia could only persuade her earnestly and even brought out the letter given to Monica by the Great Witch Dany to persuade her.

This trick seemed to be quite effective. Monica had great respect for the Great Witch Dany. When she opened the letter Dany sent her, she immediately began to drop her pearls and wipe away her tears.

Under the influence of this letter, Monica did not refuse directly, but asked everyone to wait for a few days for her to think about it.

Just when Ovinia thought that there should be no problem in getting Monica to attend the tea party, she never expected that when she saw Monica again, the response she got was a rejection!

"Why! Monica! You've also seen the letter Dani wrote to you. She really misses you. Even if it's just during the rally, it would be fine to go back and spend some time with her."

"I..." Facing Ovinia's question, Monica's eyes were a little evasive.

However, she finally gritted her teeth and told the truth: "Sister Owenia, in fact, when I first saw the letter Danny wrote to me, I was sure that I didn't want to go back...

The reason why I asked Sister Owenia to wait for a few more days was just because I was thinking about how to reply..."

As she spoke, Monica took out the envelope that Danny had given her, as well as another letter that was obviously much thicker, from her cloth pocket.

"This is my reply to the Great Witch Dany..."

"This..." Ovinia took the envelope helplessly. Although she felt a little regretful, she was prepared for this result.

After all, she had traveled a lot to do this kind of work over the years, and most of the time, the witches who left the tea party were reluctant to go back.

Some witches underestimated themselves and felt that they could not keep up with the ideas of the geniuses at the tea party. They would feel uncomfortable and embarrassed if they went back.

Some are completely different. They think that the tea party is full of mediocre people and they don't want to go back and be with a group of mediocre people at all.

Monica, on the other hand, is a special case. She is actually very talented. Judging from her fruitful research on crops, she is obviously very good at research topics.

But the direction of her research was too different from others in the witch tea party. While others were pursuing the secrets of magic, she was working hard in the fields, using magic on the most ordinary plants, which seemed a waste of resources.

This attitude of not focusing on magic caused Monica to be criticized by many witches who studied magic at the tea party, and eventually she chose to leave the tea party.

Ovinia had hoped to use Dany's favor to get Monica back, but this time, Dany's favor didn't work.

Influenced by the criticism from her peers, Monica no longer considered herself a member of the tea party.

Ovinia felt nothing but endless regret for accepting the letter. She took Monica's envelope, and the rough texture of the paper bag told her that there were other things in the envelope besides the letter paper.

"What's in here?"

Monica replied somewhat embarrassedly: "It is... a reply to the Great Witch Dany. And the seeds of some of the most satisfying crops I have cultivated over the years. Some of them have a high yield, and some are delicious...

I don't have anything good, the only things I can offer are these seeds. I'll give them to Dani, and let her plant them so that I can grow something delicious... It can also be regarded as a way to repay Dani for taking care of me in the past..."

Chapter 87: Obsession and Heartache

Ovinia finally did not choose to continue persuading Monica. Instead, she nodded, accepted Monica's envelope, and said, "Okay, I know what you think, Monica... I will reply to Danny..."

"Well...thank you Ovinia for understanding..."

Monica nodded somewhat embarrassedly, bit her lip and looked at the others around her awkwardly, clasped her hands together and said, "Well... I'm sorry to bother you all for waiting in Fangdeng City for so many days...

If you are not in a hurry, why don't you stay a few more days? Fangdeng City will hold a harvest season celebration in a few days, and you can enjoy it here. Fangdeng City doesn't have anything else, but there are still a lot of delicious food!"

Hearing Monica's request to stay, everyone was stunned, looking at each other and muttering, "Harvest Festival?"

……

"Aiya, aiya, hey~ Hey come, hey come~ Hey hey come..."

The growing bonfire leaped into the dark night sky, illuminating the square of Fontaine City. The crackling sound of burning wood and the roar of the flames became the background sound of this lively celebration.

The peasant women of Fangdeng City were finally able to wear the beautiful clothes that they usually would not wear, and sing and dance around the bonfire. The songs and dances sung and danced by these peasant women had no lyrics, only simple and primitive syllables inherited from the distant past.

However, with a brisk rhythm, lively melody, the accompaniment of the spontaneous clapping of the onlookers, and simple instruments such as hand drums, maracas, and wooden hammers, it is enough to play a pleasant song and dance full of a festive atmosphere.

(BGM: "Harvest Festival" by: Yoko Kanno)

The cheerful and moving dance of the peasant women dancers was illuminated by the brilliant firelight, casting shadows on the ground, making them look like two people, giving them natural dancers. People and shadows danced together, bringing a unique flavor to this bonfire dance.

In addition to the burning bonfire in the center of the square that seems to never stop, another thing that catches the eye is the long table banquet prepared not far from the bonfire.

A large amount of fruits, vegetables, grains, brewed wine, and various roasted livestock were placed on the long table. Although the cooking method was relatively simple, the large quantity made people feel extremely satisfied at first glance.

Even a few years ago, the farmers in Fangdeng City did not dare to hold a harvest season celebration like this one. However, with the bumper harvests in recent years, the farmers have more and more surplus grain, and holding the celebration is no longer a problem.

Not far from the long banquet table, there was another smaller dining table. This was the place specially prepared by the people of Fonten City for the guests, and Ovinia and her group were sitting there enjoying the delicacies of Fonten City.

Trinity picked up a piece of roasted pumpkin and put it in her mouth. After tasting it, she commented, "Wow... the cooking skills of the Duolun people are really not that good... this pumpkin seems to be half-cooked."

Helena, who was sitting next to her, snorted and chuckled, cut a piece of the crispy and delicious roast suckling pig and stuffed it into her mouth. After chewing it for a few times, she swallowed it down with barley beer, enjoying what it meant to eat meat and drink wine with big mouthfuls.

"Ah~" After a comfortable cry, she said to Trinity, "Trinity, this is the Principality of Norton, not Doron, which is famous for its delicious food. It's already very good to be able to cook food like this."

As she spoke, she picked up a piece of roasted pumpkin and put it in her mouth, feeling the sweet pumpkin with a slightly crispy texture. She nodded and praised it.

"Wow~ I have to say, the taste of these local vegetables in Fangdeng City is really good. This is the first time I have eaten such a sweet pumpkin. If I resell it to other cities, I will definitely get a good price.

Perhaps we can open a branch of the Bellman Chamber of Commerce here. The crops in Fangdeng City have great commercial value. If marketed properly, they can even be turned into a brand..."

As a businesswoman, Helena's occupational disease started to kick in as she spoke, and she began to analyze how to make these crops produce higher value.

This made Trinity roll her eyes. She turned her eyes away, not wanting to look at Helena muttering, but focused her attention on Monica, who was singing and dancing in front of the campfire with a group of peasant women in dance costumes.

Monica's extremely clear and happy little face made her think back to when she first arrived in Blackwater City. At that time, she met Ains in a joyous celebration like this one.

At that time, she was also like this, sitting at a small table outside, feeling the energy and enthusiasm of the people of Blackwater City. Infected by the energy, she took off her high heels and danced barefoot with the dancers.

At that time, Irons had just come to inspect the situation and see if there were any problems in the celebration, but he was pushed onto the stage by the enthusiastic crowd, and joined the group of dancers with an embarrassed look on his face.

It was under such circumstances that Trinity met Irons for the first time...

She will always remember what Irons said when he saw her: "Girl, aren't you afraid of stepping on stones when you dance barefoot like this?"

"Pfft~"

Thinking of this, Trinity couldn't help laughing and shook her head helplessly. The past was like smoke, and the scene before her made her think back to the past.

Looking at Monica who was dancing with the dancers, Trinity seemed to see her own shadow in her...

"Ovinia."

"Hmm?" Ovinia, who was suddenly called by Trinity, wiped her mouth with one hand and turned her head to ask, "What do you want me to do? Trinity?"

"Why is Monica so obsessed with crops? I feel that with her ability, she will definitely be able to achieve great results in studying magic plants."

Hearing Trinity's question, Ovinia paused for a moment, then sighed with a hint of compassion and said, "Do you know how Monica became a witch?"

"How?"

"She was sold to her teacher for two bags of barley."

"..."

Owenia said helplessly: "Monica doesn't want to talk too much about her past, but I have some personal connections with her teacher, so I know a little bit about it.

Monica was born in the Principality of Norton, but not in Fontan. The year she was bought, a locust plague occurred in the town, causing an unprecedented famine.

In order to make a living, Monica's family sold her to a wizard who was passing through the village at the time for two bags of barley.

Trinity asked, "Is it because you were sold due to famine when you were a child that you developed an obsession with crops?"

Ovinia pursed her lips and shook her head, explaining: "This is just one of them. Monica is very talented. After learning some basics, she went back to her hometown with the consent of her teacher.

She thought the two bags of barley would allow her family to survive the famine, and they did survive the first one. But there was more than one famine. After the locust plague, the crops were completely gone. When she returned to her hometown, the town had already become a dead town.

Her family chose to flee their homeland in order to survive, leaving her with only some ruins and dead barley in the fields. In order to find her family, Monica followed the fleeing troops and searched for nearly half a year.

"Did she find it at last?"

"I don't know... Monica has never talked about this. I guess she might have found it. If she didn't find it, she would have just said no. But her reaction was that she was unwilling to respond, so it is likely that she found it, but the situation when she found it..."

Having said that, Ovinia bit her lip and shook her head helplessly. Trinity nodded knowingly and gradually understood.

"So, because of this incident, crops will become Monica's eternal knot, right?"

"Yeah." Ovinia nodded. "So, even though researching farm crops is not popular at the tea party, I would never persuade Monica to give up her research, because this is her obsession, a knot in her heart that she can never get over."

Trinity looked at Monica in a trance, who was dancing and laughing under the hot fireworks. After going through that, she was still able to smile so brightly. What gave her such motivation?