Chapter 136: Wheat Field Harvest
Time slowly moved into June, with the wind bringing hints of the approaching midsummer aura.
Sitting on the slope in front of the small house, Xilutiya gazed at the vast golden wheat waves below, the plump ears of wheat swaying and rubbing against each other in the wind, producing a faint rustling sound.
Now these wheat had reached the final stage; she only needed to patiently wait for them to mature.
With rare leisure time, the toads had now grown accustomed to life in the valley, no longer requiring her daily management. After finishing the day’s work, they would soak in the pool in front of the house or lie on stones to nap in the breeze, utterly content, occasionally letting out croaking murmurs in their dreams.
Feeling the summer breeze brush past her ears, Xilutiya tucked a few strands of hair that grazed her cheek behind her ear with her hand, somewhat wanting to record the scenery and mood she was seeing now.
Unfortunately, this world had no cameras; she stretched her hand into the wind, as if trying to grasp the scene before her eyes.
Recalling the ability her mother had taught her, she closed her eyes and focused, once again transforming herself into【Alien Star】, with flecks of starlight swirling in her eyes. She released her perception, spreading it toward the wheat field and valley grassland ahead.
The sound of grass leaves swaying, the vibrations of insects hopping, the distant rustling friction of ears of wheat, the clear blue sky, the air currents roaming the heavens…
Everything was so vivid, as if a painting unfolded before her eyes.
The wheat she had cultivated brimmed with vigorous vitality, its【Emerald Honey】 nature faintly manifesting.
A realization slowly surfaced in her mind, and another path gradually unfolded.
If she could cultivate a complete wheat field condensed with【Emerald Honey】 nature, she could use this practice（trial） to elevate her own【Emerald Honey】 nature and step into second order.
The first time planting wheat still had many imperfections, limited by various conditions, such as the lack of key fertilizer, unfamiliar early experience delaying some time, and so on.
Still, Xilutiya was very happy; at least she had found the direction and laid a very solid foundation.
Several days later, the golden ears of wheat fully matured. Xilutiya stood in the wheat field demonstration, teaching the toads in the valley how to harvest.
“First, cut from near the root, then stack the harvested wheat on grass ropes.”
“After that, bundle the wheat neatly, stack it, and transport it back to the warehouse.”
Today she wore a handmade sun hat and a flax coat convenient for labor; only from the long hem of her skirt did her graceful waist curve and fair calves occasionally peek out.
“Croak.”
“Got it, croak.”
Watching this maiden demonstrate, many toads were eager to try.
Afterward, these toads began harvesting wheat in the method Xilutiya taught. Being short in stature, they didn’t need to bend over like the maiden, and with their relatively long arms compared to their bodies, they could easily reach the wheat roots without stooping.
After harvesting, they bundled the wheat and first stacked it in the wheat field, then continued to the next area.
The originally golden wheat field gradually lost its gold under the harvesting of toad after toad, revealing the dark soil beneath.
In the evening, the harvested wheat was transported to a higher mountain slope plateau in the valley, where the ground had been tamped firm and the soil compact.
The next morning, the harvested wheat was spread on this flat ground to dry, gradually dehydrating under the sun’s heat.
During this time, Xilutiya walked through the post-harvest wheat field with a lantern, burning the remaining stubble into plant ash fertilizer, while also eliminating field pests, insects, and weeds once more.
The next day, she began sowing alfalfa seeds and guiding the toads to irrigate.
About three days later, the sun-dried wheat was sufficiently dry for threshing.
However, there were no prepared stone rollers in the valley for crushing, so they used the horse carriage wheels instead: first placing stones on the carriage, then having the draft horse pull it back and forth repeatedly to crush the ears of wheat and thresh the grain.
“Croak, crush wheat grain.”
“So much wheat grain, croak.”
Watching the horse carriage go back and forth continuously, the toads found it very amusing, a kind of fresh joy.
After threshing, they blew away the dust and chaff, then sun-dried the wheat grain.
Considering that drying it as soon as possible could prevent mold, and also to eliminate insect eggs in the wheat grain, Xilutiya held her lantern and stood in the center of the drying field, sending out waves of invisible heat that directly dried it.
“Croak, so hot, croak.”
Watching this maiden stand in the center of the drying field with faint heat waves spreading, a few toads had curiously approached at first but were now scared by the fire wave, hopping away.
Two days later, this batch of wheat could finally be stored in the granary, marking Xilutiya’s first complete experience of agricultural production.
Golden wheat grain piled up, sunlight streaming through a small window, with bits of dust floating.
Standing in the full granary of grains, Xilutiya was filled with emotion; the ordinarily unremarkable flour had so many details in its production process. Even using her talent and ability for meticulous observation and constant adjustment, she still inevitably fumbled due to lack of experience and insufficient preparation.
Fortunately, it had finally landed safely and steadily.
She walked to a large jar filled with wheat grain and reached her hand in; golden wheat grain slipped through her fingers and into her palm. She spread a little in her hand for close inspection: the grains were golden yellow with a brown groove in the middle, and held in the palm, they gave off a faint wheat grain fragrance.
【Wheat Grain】（Excellent）: Plump grains, rich in nutrients, extremely high-quality wheat, surpassing ordinary excellent to reach excellent quality.
On the market, excellent quality wheat is 1 silver coin per pound, while excellent quality wheat is 3 silver coins per pound. Food made from such wheat ground into flour has more than three times the nutrients of ordinary wheat.
Before entering dangerous areas for exploration in the woodland, many students stock up on sufficient dry rations, and food made from this excellent quality wheat is often the best choice, quickly restoring stamina with minimal carry weight.
On the surface, this quality of wheat is often military supplies, provided to powerful warriors for quick stamina restoration.
This harvest was better than expected; she originally thought reaching ‘excellent’ quality the first time was the limit, but as her understanding of wheat cultivation deepened, the final product’s quality stepped up another level.
Fifty acres of land yielded about 8000 pounds of excellent quality wheat; these results alone were enough for an excellent evaluation, far exceeding it.
She wondered if she should keep a low profile, wait another three months to submit this batch of wheat, since there was still time before the evaluation.
Standing out wasn’t impossible, but she currently had no need for it and didn’t want excessive outside disturbances; this steady, gradual life satisfied Xilutiya greatly.
She had many things to do, whether further exploring ‘perfect’ quality wheat cultivation, researching her own talent, or developing this valley—all required considerable time, and she really didn’t want fame-induced accidents to interrupt.
Decide for now like this; she looked at the granary before her, then walked out, having the toads temporarily seal it with wooden strips.
Now, she was starting the next phase: crop rotating alfalfa, reclaiming new fields, building various auxiliary facilities.
