Sorcery Monarch

Chapter 61: Reclaiming Land

Chapter 61: Reclaiming Land

A long canal was drawn from Silvermoon River.

It flowed gently down a slope into the bustling wilderness.

On both sides of the canal, towering reeds were cut down, and their roots connected to the ground were dug up with sharp hoes.

Despite stubborn roots remaining underground that would eventually regrow into the farmers' most despised weeds,

The workers didn't care. They dug a trench around the area, piling up the soil into a small embankment, enclosing exactly one acre of land.

They continued to dig on both sides of the embankment, cutting down more reeds and weeds in large patches.

However, they didn't completely clear the reeds and weeds from within the enclosed acre—that would have been too much work.

"Everyone, fetch a bucket of water! If any embers fly out, put them out immediately," ordered a seasoned middle-aged farmer.

Ten or so lit torches were thrown into the reed thicket at his command.

Small embers quickly turned into roaring flames, radiating heat and light, devouring the dry reeds around them.

Whoosh!

Crackle, crackle!

The flames' glow bathed the face of the weathered farmer, who was over 60 years old, making his wrinkled face gleam with joy as he felt the warmth he hadn't felt in a long time.

Suddenly remembering something, he turned his gaze to the vast expanse of wilderness beyond, and asked Captain Sean again:

"A team of 100 people—our goal for the year is 2,500 acres? And if we exceed the 2,500 acres, 30% of the excess gets distributed among us?"

Captain Sean, his eyes also reflecting the flames with a hopeful gleam, recited the rules he had memorized:

"That's right, you personally get 10% of the excess."

"Of course, this is a permanent lease—the land will always belong to the lord."

"However, the land can be passed down through generations, with taxes fixed at 20%."

The old man waved dismissively, his once-cloudy eyes now bright, and said excitedly:

"Of course, the land belongs to the lord..."

"But what if... we manage to reclaim 1,000 more acres?"

Raising an eyebrow, Captain Sean detected the anticipation in his voice.

Without any hint of impatience, because his own father had asked him the same question three times, he smiled and replied:

"Even if you reclaim over 2,000 extra acres, you still get 10%, which is 200 acres."

"The top three teams in land reclamation will also receive extra rewards. I heard the third-place team gets 100 acres of land..."

The old farmer's eyes widened in astonishment, and he immediately turned around and shouted with a booming voice:

"What are you waiting for? The rest of you, move on to the next acre! No one's leaving until we've finished 10 acres today!"

Captain Sean, who had been about to offer some motivational words, was momentarily stunned, then smiled brightly and led the soldiers on their patrol.

Scenes like this played out continuously along Silvermoon River near Bay Village.

Hidden eyes were quietly observing these changes, stirring a concealed commotion before quickly falling silent again.