The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living - Chapter 58

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 58

 

And the next morning.

 

As announced, Leopold was nowhere to be seen from breakfast time.

 

Baron Forman awkwardly hosted us in a place that wasn’t even his own home.

 

‘It must really be urgent business.’

 

I tilted my head and thought to myself.

 

‘He’s well-versed in etiquette, so he would have tried to personally host at least one meal somehow.’

 

Seeing that there wasn’t even a simple greeting, it seemed he really had left since dawn.

 

“Ah, Leopold really isn’t the type to do this, so there must be something truly urgent.”

 

Baron Forman sighed deeply and looked troubled.

 

“It doesn’t seem like he went to the Seldoche Plains where His Grace the Grand Duke is either…”

 

Meanwhile, Alpheus said cheerfully.

 

“It’s fine! Even without you two here, the food is very delicious! Of course, it would taste even better if we all gathered together to eat…”

 

The rookie marquis ate comfortably and heartily in the mansion without its owner.

 

Somehow both Grand Duke Nogen and Leopold ended up being absent, but it wasn’t their fault.

 

“Well, then now…”

 

After finishing breakfast like that, I said calmly.

 

“Shall we go to the Seldoche Plains?”

 

The place where Grand Duke Nogen and Hilberry had gone.

 

Plains that had officially become ‘unusable land,’ where no crops could grow anymore.

 

Baron Forman slowly nodded his head.

 

“Yes, I’ll guide you. I’ll see you at the main gate shortly.”

 

* * *

 

Hilberry had stayed up all night.

 

The soil of the Seldoche Plains was parched. No matter how much fertilizer was applied, not a single sprout emerged.

 

“Please give up.”

 

The Magic Tower mage shook his head back and forth.

 

“This isn’t something humans can solve. It’s simply become desolate.”

 

Hilberry couldn’t believe it.

 

For this vast land to suddenly become ruined like this…

 

“This land has been ‘contaminated.’ There are records related to this. It’s a story older than the founding of the Empire, but…”

 

The mage sighed deeply and explained.

 

“It’s said that sometimes land suddenly loses all productivity and becomes unable to grow even a single blade of grass like this. Such ‘contaminated’ land was mainly in the Northern Region, and Bakahun ‘purified’ that land, making it the territory of the Bakahn Duke House.”

 

Hilberry pressed his forehead.

 

He had just thought it was all founding mythology that deified the First Five Families.

 

For such a disaster to happen in the Western Region of all places…

 

Moreover, Bakahn had long since lost the purification ability.

 

Even Bakahn’s direct lineage had been severed during the civil war, and a fairly distant branch family was continuing that legacy. Even that lord was hastily installed after the Second Prince and Alpheus settled the Northern civil war.

 

“Is there no way at all?”

 

“How about building… residences or something? It’s not that crops can’t grow, it’s just that people can’t live there.”

 

It wasn’t particularly a rational solution. The Western Region had vast lands.

 

“As you know, we’re not short on residential areas. There’s no need to create people’s residences in places without agricultural land.”

 

“Then what about markets or, well, things like that… wouldn’t that work?”

 

Around the Seldoche Plains, they were growing herbs, leafy vegetables, and fruit vegetables. In other words, it was a center of production rather than distribution.

 

“Even if we built a market on this vast land, who would come to visit it?”

 

“Hmm, travelers with unique tastes… or a very small number of mages who can’t adapt to crowded places?”

 

“That market would do really well.”

 

Hilberry, who had unconsciously spoken sarcastically, pressed his forehead.

 

It was so perplexing.

 

Moreover, strange rumors were circulating. The rumor was that all of this happened because impurities had mixed into Sears, causing them to lose the founding blessing.

 

Honestly, it was complete nonsense.

 

However, blaming an ‘external enemy’ was the easiest thing for anxious people to do, so such false rumors spread quickly.

 

‘At a time when the entire Empire is in chaos trying to stockpile food, of all times…’

 

If the fact that the Seldoche Plains were contaminated spread, food hoarding might become even more popular, with people saying other lands could be contaminated at any time.

 

Just thinking about it was a disaster in itself.

 

That’s when it happened. A carriage was rattling toward them from far away.

 

Whenever that carriage passed by, people came out of civilian houses with wide eyes to watch.

 

‘What is it?’

 

After a moment, he could identify the carriage. That carriage bore the emblem of Sears.

 

‘…What is this!’

 

The resentment toward Sears was already severe! Especially in this region!

 

Worried that a major problem might arise, Hilberry hurriedly moved his prosthetic leg toward that direction.

 

“I greet Grand Duke Nogen. I am Alpheus Sears.”

 

“I greet Grand Duke Nogen. I am Brisa Sears.”

 

Alpheus and Brisa, who had gotten off the carriage, greeted him boldly and confidently.

 

As if for everyone to hear, Alpheus spoke confidently.

 

“I heard there’s a problem with the Seldoche Plains? We came wondering if we might be able to solve it.”

 

The mage who had followed belatedly shook his head.

 

“Ah, that’s impossible. It’s not something ordinary people can solve. It’s ‘contamination’ of the land. There’s nothing that can be done at present.”

 

Then Baron Forman, who had gotten off the carriage with them, stepped forward.

 

“If there’s nothing that can be done anyway, how about entrusting it to the Marquis Sears family?”

 

His face also showed no particular confidence. But still, his voice contained firm trust.

 

“These two led the Central Region even when the Warp broke down, and they solved the Eastern Region’s tomato field problem just yesterday.”

 

Hilberry understood those words immediately. That the person who solved all of that was Brisa.

 

Brisa was a girl who had just turned twelve.

 

She wasn’t even old enough to use power.

 

But saying ‘the two of them solved it’ rather than ‘the Marquis solved it’ meant that Brisa had clearly played a role.

 

The physical work would have been done by Alpheus or his subordinates, so ultimately it must have been Brisa who used her brain.

 

“Let’s hear it first.”

 

Hilberry said, looking at them.

 

“What method do you have?”

 

As expected, the answer came from Brisa, not Alpheus.

 

“First, let me ask. Are there enough summer wheat seeds?”

 

“We have plenty of seeds. The problem is there’s nowhere to plant them.”

 

“I heard there are herb and leafy vegetable fields around here. Is that right? Are those areas okay?”

 

“Those places are fine.”

 

“Good.”

 

Brisa said confidently.

 

“Then we can plant summer wheat in those fields.”

 

Then from among the local farmers who had gathered around, a mixture of ridicule and criticism burst forth.

 

“Good heavens, then what about all the herbs and leafy vegetables!”

 

“Those are all crops with demand too, and you call that a solution?”

 

“Besides, it’s nonsense. Wheat doesn’t grow well in those fields! We’re saying this after trying to grow everything ourselves!”

 

“You want to tear up perfectly good vegetable fields just based on that little girl’s words? Then we won’t be able to eat vegetables anymore!”

 

Before Hilberry’s servants could shout that it was impudent to interrupt while nobles were speaking, Brisa raised her hand to signal them to stop.

 

“Of course, we can’t just tear up the vegetable fields based on my words alone.”

 

She looked around with calm eyes.

 

“First, let’s try growing herbs and leafy vegetables on the Seldoche Plains, and if we get sufficient productivity, then we’ll plant summer wheat.”

 

The mage frowned.

 

“Young Lady? Didn’t you hear? The soil of this plain can’t grow anything.”

 

“I heard you well.”

 

Brisa raised an eyebrow.

 

“But I never said I’d grow leafy vegetables in soil.”

 

Now everyone was looking at Brisa as if she were crazy.

 

Brisa slowly continued speaking.

 

“I’m going to grow them in water.”

 

Then everyone tilted their heads in surprise. The phrase ‘grow in water’ didn’t register with them.

 

Brisa declared with a face that showed she didn’t expect understanding.

 

“You say nothing can be done on that land anyway, right? So just leave it to Sears for a few days.”

 

It was the moment when hydroponic cultivation began for the first time on the continent.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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