North of the Pazdext Great Isthmus, on the Gondoa Continent, a pocket of cold air far more powerful than usual had taken shape.
In the lands of the demon race, Jin had visited a little over a month prior to prepare for the cold, ensuring the autumn buckwheat crop could be harvested safely despite the temperature drops.
Cold air generates wind.
This phenomenon occurs as cold air naturally migrates toward warmer locations. As those winds crossed the straits between the Gondoa Continent and the Lauren Continent, they absorbed vast amounts of water vapor.
This moisture-laden air then collided with the mountain ranges on the Lauren Continent, rising and condensing into clouds. Those clouds, in turn, brought rain and snow to the world below.
Furthermore, the collision of the cold, dry air from the continent and the warm, moist air from the sea created a stationary front. When low-pressure systems developed along this front, the rain clouds were swept inland by seasonal winds.
When the winds were mild, the rain fell only on the mountains; when they grew fierce, the clouds were driven deep into the heart of the continent. This rain was destined to persist until Lauren truly entered the peak of autumn—until the temperature difference between the two continents diminished and the north winds finally weakened.
Additionally, a warm current flows from south to north along the eastern side of the Pazdext Great Isthmus, making the sea temperature there higher than on the western side. Essentially, with the isthmus acting as a divide, the eastern side saw more humid air moving southward, resulting in higher average precipitation. This explained why the Klein Kingdom received more annual rainfall than the Kingdom of Franz, allowing it to flourish as an agricultural powerhouse.
"There is an awful lot of rain this autumn."
Giebeck, the Kaina Village Chief, looked up at the sky and frowned.
On a recent day when the rain had temporarily subsided, the entire village had turned out to finish the wheat harvest in one frantic burst. That had been on October 10th.
"Beck, if you leave the wheat damp, it will sprout or rot. Do you have a plan?"
Sally Mileshann, the village healer, spoke with concern. "Beck" was her familiar nickname for Giebeck.
"Mmh. Jin is away, but I consulted with Butler A, who is looking after the place. We've decided to store it all in the shelter."
"I see. It is dry in there, at least."
The underground shelter beside Nidou had been built by Jin and left under Butler’s management. Though it was subterranean, the facility was equipped with air conditioning and kept dry, making it ideal for grain storage.
To prevent any chance of mold, Laojun had adjusted the air conditioning to its maximum dehumidification setting as soon as the wheat was brought in. As a result, Kaina Village’s harvest was deemed "fairly good." The "fairly" was only because the erratic weather had forced them to harvest slightly earlier than the peak of ripeness.
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"...This is a disaster."
Braak, the Toka Village Chief, let out a heavy sigh.
In Toka Village, the rain-soaked wheat had suffered from pre-harvest sprouting. When wheat becomes waterlogged from heavy rain, it begins to germinate while still standing in the field. This causes the quality to plummet; the flour made from such grain will not rise, making it useless for baking bread.
They had covered the crop after the harvest to keep it dry, but threshing revealed that thirty percent of the wheat had already sprouted.
"Even so, seventy percent was saved. We must count ourselves lucky," Lishia Fahlheit, the young lady lord of Toka Village, said, trying to comfort the chief. "I will lower the autumn taxes for the village this year."
"...Thank you, my lady."
However, lords who would lower taxes because of a poor harvest were few and far between. In fact, it was safe to say they were almost non-existent. Throughout the rest of the Klein Kingdom, the effects of the persistent rains were beginning to take a dire toll.
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"The autumn tax revenue has been halved?"
In Alban, the capital of the Klein Kingdom, the reports arriving at the palace were uniformly grim.
Fortunately, there had been no outbreaks of the ergot fungus—known in this world as Devil's Wheat—but red mold had appeared instead. Consuming grain infected with red mold leads to symptoms of poisoning, including vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. To stop the spread, infected crops had to be incinerated, leading to a crushing blow to the national treasury.
"The red mold is particularly rampant in the southern fields..."
"Mmm..."
Upon hearing the report from Minister of Industry Delite Domus Hanks, the chancellor, Powell Darna Hudson, looked down with a bitter expression. Since red mold thrives in warmth, it had devastated the southern regions.
"This is not news I wish to bring to the King while he is so ill..."
King Alois III, whose health had failed before the summer, remained bedridden despite the constant care of his physicians. The nation's finances were already strained from the spring conflict with the Kingdom of Franz, and grain reserves were low. It was painfully obvious that the prices of wheat and barley would skyrocket as winter approached.
"The lives of the common folk will become harder yet again..."
Chancellor Powell was no fool; he was a dedicated statesman who put the nation first. He understood perfectly that the farmers were the backbone of the Klein Kingdom's primary industry and that the country was built on their taxes.
"...We must find a way."
Despite his resolve, no clever solutions came to mind. He simply let out yet another sigh—one of many that day.
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"...Mushrooms, then?"
On Hourai Island, the rain had finally stopped.
During this exceptionally wet autumn, the coniferous and broadleaf forests on the northern side of the island were teeming with mushrooms. Perido and the other Golem Maids responsible for the cooking and domestic duties were currently searching for varieties that could be used as ingredients.
Specifically, they were looking for shiitake, nameko, maitake, shimeji, and matsutake. Their goal was to locate the mushrooms from Jin's memories and, if possible, begin cultivating them. Perido units 81 through 90 spent their days and nights scouring the woods.
"This is a shiitake."
"I have found a matsutake."
"These are nameko."
"Could this be a button mushroom?"
Their diligence paid off as they discovered fungi that closely resembled shiitake, nameko, matsutake, and button mushrooms.
After consulting with Laojun, the Perido Leader decided that since they could not risk feeding the mushrooms to humans yet, they would provide broth from each variety to small fish and animals to confirm there were no adverse effects. Furthermore, Laojun cross-referenced intelligence from the Quinta units scattered across the world to confirm that these specific varieties were consumed as food elsewhere.
After a final chemical analysis confirmed the absence of toxins, permission was finally granted to serve them at Jin's table. Among the finds, they began cultivating shiitake by repurposing parts of a mine shaft where resources had already been extracted. The operation would likely be in full swing within six months.
"These are delicious!"
Once the mushrooms were proven safe, the Perido Leader worked with Mine to develop new recipes. Nameko went into miso soup; the shiitake were excellent whether grilled or used as a base for broth. Button mushrooms were added to stews or chopped over steaks.
For the matsutake, they used a precious, tiny reserve of tamari soy sauce to prepare a clear soup. They planned to attempt matsutake rice once the mass production of rice and soy sauce was fully established.
"I hope Jin-sama returns home soon."
Mine worked tirelessly on the new dishes, eager to see the look of delight on Jin's face.
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The Liebus Region in the eastern Celuroa Kingdom is a land of poor soil, unsuitable for farming, where the people survive primarily through pastoralism. Consequently, they depend entirely on the Klein Kingdom to buy their grain.
The harvest failure in the Klein Kingdom caused by this autumn’s unseasonable rain would inevitably strike the nomads of the east. Whether the leaders of the Celuroa Kingdom would choose to send relief supplies to the region remained uncertain. After all, Celuroa was a nation where agriculture had never truly developed, and its food self-sufficiency was already below one hundred percent.
To compensate, the kingdom had focused on industry—specifically magi-technology—exporting industrial goods to pay for imported food and grain. If their primary source of imports failed, no one knew how the Celuroa Kingdom would react.
The autumn rains were casting ripples across the Allied Kingdoms. An ominous atmosphere was slowly creeping in, though Jin, currently in the Shouro Empire, remained entirely unaware.