Autumn was at its peak... or so it seemed, though the temperature variation on subtropical Hourai Island was minimal throughout the year.
Regardless, on October 21st, the scene unfolding before Jin’s eyes upon his arrival was quintessentially autumnal.
It was a shimmering, golden sea of rice stalks.
The rice planted back in June had finally reached its harvest season. Unlike early-maturing varieties bred for a quick turnaround, this rice had been cultivated slowly and deliberately.
The Five-Colored Golem Maids, led by Topaz, were out in full force to harvest the crop.
Some reaped the stalks with rhythmic crunches using adamantite sickles. Others gathered them into bundles. Still others worked to hang those bundles for rack-drying, a process known as hasagake. The labor was divided with clockwork precision.
The field measured roughly one choubu—about a hectare—and the work was finished in less than half a day. Jin watched for a portion of the time before returning to the Shouro Empire.
"Once it has sun-dried for a few days, we shall proceed to threshing," Laojun said, confirming the rice cultivation knowledge he had acquired from Jin. The drying process was vital; it was said to increase the amino acid and sugar content, thereby enhancing the rice's umami.
Even though they could have achieved the results through magic, they refused to cut corners.
After about a week of drying, it was time for threshing—the process of separating the grain from the stalks.
"We shall use the senbakoki threshing combs, then."
Based on a single prototype Jin had built, Laojun had manufactured ten more senbakoki.
The device featured comb-like teeth; when rice was pulled through them, the grains were stripped off and collected below. Laojun had created ten units, each with slightly different spacing between the teeth. This was done to compare and determine the most efficient gap for the task.
This process also took only half a day.
The unrefined rice obtained from the harvest totaled approximately three tons. Given that this was a non-modified variety, it was a perfectly reasonable yield.
"Next is de-husking, or dappu, I believe?"
This was the task of removing the husks from the grain to produce brown rice.
Back at the orphanage, Jin had once done this with the younger children by putting the grain in a mortar and grinding it with a softball. This method only works well if the grain is sufficiently dry, but these grains were in perfect condition.
Using ten large mortars, Topaz and the other maids used rubber balls to perform the de-husking.
They set aside ten percent of the yield as seed rice and processed the remainder into brown rice.
Finally, there was the polishing.
This could be done by placing the rice in a barrel-shaped container and stirring it vigorously—the method Reiko had once used in the Shouro Empire—or by pounding it in a mortar.
This time, they opted for the barrel-stirring method. By cooling the container during the process, they polished the rice while preventing frictional heat from degrading the quality.
They produced about ten kilograms of white rice and stored the rest as brown rice. The leftover bran was used to start a bed for nukazuke, or rice-bran pickles.
"I wish for My Lord to taste it as soon as possible."
The opportunity for that arrived sooner than expected.
On November 3rd, having settled the giant golem incident in the Shouro Empire, Jin heard word of the new harvest and came flying back—literally—bringing Elsa and Hanna with him.
"Laojun, I heard the rice was harvested?"
"Yes, My Lord. I have polished about ten kilograms for the time being."
"Great. Well then, let us have a taste right away."
"Looking forward to it," Elsa added.
Soon, a meal of freshly steamed rice, miso soup, pickles, and dried fish was served. It was the traditional Japanese spread that Jin never stopped longing for.
"The flavors might be slightly different, but..." Perido Leader, who had overseen the cooking, sounded a bit tentative.
Since they couldn't produce bonito flakes yet, the dashi broth was made from dried sardines. Because their own miso was still fermenting, they had used a batch purchased elsewhere. The pickles were salted rather than fermented in bran, and the dried fish was a similar local species rather than actual horse mackerel.
Despite these substitutes, the menu—crafted with Perido Leader's utmost effort—thoroughly satisfied Jin.
"Honi-hyan, thith rice ith delithiouth!"
"Onyee-chan, thith ith tathty!"
Both Elsa and Hanna were amazed by the flavor as they tasted the new rice. Until now, they had been eating grain harvested the previous autumn. It was essentially "old rice," and because it hadn't been stored under ideal conditions, the quality had degraded significantly.
"I'm just glad you both like it," Jin said. As a lover of Japanese cuisine, nothing made him happier than having others enjoy the same meals he loved.
At his side, Reiko was busy receiving information from Perido Leader regarding water ratios and recipes.
"With this, I shall also be able to prepare Father’s favorite meals exactly to his liking."
"Ah, I'm stuffed."
Having eaten his fill, Jin rubbed his stomach while sipping his post-meal tea. Elsa and Hanna were doing the same.
"My Lord, may I assume we should proceed with expanding the rice paddies?" Laojun asked.
"Yeah, of course. Have you secured the seed rice?"
"We have more than enough."
Jin nodded. "This time was just one hectare, right?"
"Correct. That was due to the limited amount of seed rice we initially possessed. However, from the next cycle onward, we can produce a hundred times that amount."
"In that case, we might even be able to export it."
"Certainly. However, I believe acquiring further foreign currency is effectively meaningless."
Laojun had a point. No matter how much money they saved, there was little to spend it on, as they could manufacture almost anything they needed.
"True. But I've heard the harvests were poor in many countries this year. We might need to provide international aid."
"We also have a substantial inventory of wheat..."
"Right, and storage isn't an issue. Keep up the current pace."
By utilizing the mana tanks, it was possible to store grain semi-permanently. Jin ordered the production to continue.
"The autumn soba harvest also finished recently. What should we do with the planting area for that?"
"Soba, huh... Let's increase that tenfold as well."
"Understood. I shall make the arrangements at once."
Agriculture on Hourai Island was progressing smoothly.
"Also, with this climate, we should be able to manage continuous cropping, right?"
"Yes, I believe so. However, for the sake of soil improvement, I intend to plant milk vetch and then plow it into the soil to enrich the land."
Since they had land to spare, there was no need to overtax the soil.
"Additionally, I intend to search for the most effective cultivation methods possible."
It was a logical approach, as even Jin’s knowledge was not exhaustive.
"I see. That sounds like a good plan. Go ahead with that."
"Thank you for your approval."
Laojun had been thoroughly prepared; during a previous journey by carriage, he had found a field of flowers in the outskirts of the Kingdom of Egerea that closely resembled milk vetch. He had collected the seeds, cultivated them on the island, and multiplied the stock.
Thus, full-scale rice cultivation began on Hourai Island. It was only a shame that rice cultivation in Kaina Village seemed unlikely to succeed, given the cold climate there.
"...This is a disaster."
Throughout the Klein Kingdom, the persistent heavy rains had caused the stored wheat to begin molding. It was clear to everyone that a food shortage was imminent.
In place of the bedridden King of Klein, Chancellor Powell was working day and night to secure food supplies. It was during this crisis that a message arrived.
Through the daily inter-state communications network conducted via manaphone, word came: "We can provide desiccant for storage."
"Desiccant, hm..."
Everyone knew from experience that moisture was the primary cause of mold. However, the only known ways to combat it were roasting the grain over a fire or exposing it to sunlight—both of which were impossible in the Klein Kingdom, where the sky remained stubbornly overcast.
If they could place desiccant inside the warehouses, they could likely prevent the damage from spreading further. The chancellor made the immediate decision to purchase it.
"What shall we offer in exchange?"
The purchase cost was the problem. The Klein Kingdom was an agricultural nation; with its crops in jeopardy, Powell couldn't think of anything they could offer as payment.
"As this is an emergency, we shall grant a three-year grace period."
The chancellor breathed a deep sigh of relief at this merciful response.
In the end, they decided to import ten tons of desiccant for one million Toll in gold coins. It was agreed that they would place an additional order as soon as the effectiveness of the desiccant was confirmed.
"I just hope it arrives in time..."
Even at a hurried pace, transport by carriage would take nearly a month. There was no telling how much the damage would spread in the meantime. Chancellor Powell's headaches were far from over.