In return for his assistance to the Mimaka Principality, Jin was granted permission to conduct agricultural experiments on land within the Principality for a period of ten years.
Of course, this alone was hardly considered adequate compensation for all he had done, so he was told that once peace returned to the Four Principalities, a separate reward would be arranged.
Setting that aside, Jin was thoroughly motivated to develop the water-scarce inland region.
First came the selection of crops.
The one summoned was Topaz Leader, one of the 5-Color Maids in charge of agriculture.
"Topaz, do we have any upland rice that's resistant to dry conditions and less susceptible to replant failure?"
"Yes, Master, we do."
Her response came without a moment's hesitation.
"However, in terms of flavor, it does fall slightly behind regular rice."
"Well, that can't be helped."
Jin decided to go with that upland rice for his grain tests.
"And then... when it comes to drought resistance, sweet potatoes and soba come to mind, though I imagine soba would be out of the question."
Soba was notoriously difficult to cultivate in hot climates.
Because of that, even in modern Japan, it was grown almost exclusively in regions with cool weather.
"The other option would be that cactus."
He was thinking of the prickly pear cactus variety he had eaten alongside Reinhard on the Trockenbahn the other day.
It had turned out to be surprisingly delicious.
"Anything else you'd recommend?"
"Let's see... I would also suggest mini-tomatoes and onions."
In other words, mini-tomatles and marunegi.
On Hourai Island, crops were usually called by the names familiar to Jin.
"Although yields are somewhat lower, we have varieties of both that hold up well against heat and dry conditions."
"Oh, that's a huge help."
"Watermelon would also be a fine choice."
"Ah, right, can't forget that."
Jin decided to wrap up his initial selection there.
The leased territory Jin secured was located roughly thirty kilometers west of Basile, a highway town running north to south through the Mimaka Principality.
It was a parcel measuring ten kilometers east-to-west by twenty kilometers north-to-south, encompassing about two hundred square kilometers.
Some had voiced concern over what would happen if the Jagus Principality attempted to interfere, but Jin had simply replied that he wasn't worried.
After all, every single laborer clearing and cultivating the land would be a Hourai Island-spec golem. Standard combat golems wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance against them.
Furthermore, he planned to deploy a full one hundred units of the Land squad from the Army Golems for the task.
"They alone could likely overrun the Jagus Principality," Laojun had observed.
"No, they only need to fight back if someone comes looking for trouble, alright? Ah, and also against anyone trying to harm the Mimaka Principality."
"Yes, My Lord. Understood."
"...I'm counting on you, okay?"
And so, they decided to begin by allocating one hectare of field to each crop type.
"Upland rice, cactus, mini-tomatoes, onions, and watermelon, then."
That meant five hectares would initially be put to use as experimental fields.
The clearing operation was assigned to the one hundred Lands.
For a single Land, converting a standard—more or less—one-are plot of wasteland into tilled soil took roughly five minutes. That amounted to five hundred minutes per hectare.
With one hundred units working in unison across the five hectares, the job was done in just twenty-five minutes.
The total leased territory spanned two hundred square kilometers—in other words, twenty thousand hectares.
The remaining 19,995 hectares would continue to be cleared for farmland over time. By calculation, the work would take just under seventy days, but factoring in any unforeseen circumstances, Jin instructed them that ninety days would be perfectly fine.
"Kufu, quite the fascinating experiment, isn't it?"
Back on Hourai Island, Saki was taking a keen interest in these "agricultural test station" operations.
"If you use that land for farming, I doubt you'll run into much replant failure either."
"That's very possible."
The terrain had originally been modified for agriculture by the Progenitors. Even after lying dormant for so long, Saki maintained that its fundamental quality wouldn't have degraded.
"That's how it's been with the other lands, after all. Compared to the sheer number of years it was left abandoned, the difference in how long the Principality has actually been developing and using it is practically a rounding error."
The soil had been engineered for farming tens of thousands of years ago. Saki reasoned that putting it to work a mere two hundred years late hardly meant the earth had lost its fertility.
"Makes sense. Well, if this initial trial cultivation goes well, I'll branch out to different varieties and see how they fare."
Jin was considering testing upland rice varieties that might be slightly more sensitive to replanting but yielded better flavor, or ones with higher production output, and so on.
"Since it's a land of endless summer, crops can be grown year-round. In two years or so, we should be able to narrow down the optimal breeds."
"Mm-hmm, sounds like a solid plan. I'm looking forward to the results myself."
Saki offered to monitor the fields whenever Jin was tied up with matters concerning the Principality.
"Is that so? In that case, I'll leave it in your hands."
"Leave it to me!"
Of course, with Laojun overseeing the entire operation, there was virtually no risk of anything going wrong in the first place.
"Next up is securing a water supply, I suppose."
"Right. When we checked earlier, pumping up an appropriate amount wasn't going to be an issue, was it?"
"Yeah, that's true. Maybe I'll also try setting up some irrigation reservoirs."
Jin figured it would be practical to construct roughly one-hectare reservoirs spaced at convenient intervals.
"That part sounds pretty experimental too."
"I guess it is. But that's exactly why we're calling it an 'agricultural test station.'"
Jin believed that farming techniques tested in arid terrain could eventually be applied to Planet Hehl as well.
"Besides, if we can develop methods to enrich the soil, it'd be great to carry those over to Planet Hehl too."
"Very true. So this trial run covers that angle as well, hm?"
"That's the idea."
The agricultural experiments in the leased territory would undoubtedly serve the future of the Mimaka Principality and its neighbors.
At the same time, they were expected to provide valuable insights for the ongoing redevelopment of Planet Hehl.
"You really never stop working, do you, Jin?" Saki chuckled.
"Yeah... Honestly, I just want to take it easy and enjoy a slow life on Hourai Island, but somehow I always end up swamped."
"Kufu, that's simply the destiny of those who wield power."
"You think so?"
"The fact that you're entirely oblivious to it is just so typically you, Jin."
Saki flashed another carefree grin.
Across Hourai Island, a warm summer breeze gently swept by.