I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 98 An unexpected surprise
The autumn harvest is approaching.

The blacksmith reported that all the scythes Rod had requested had been forged.

Everyone in town knows how to use a short-handled sickle, but a long-handled sickle is a novelty.

Rhodes gathered all the strong and able-bodied farmers, as well as Us and the savages, and personally demonstrated it to them.

Of course, Rhodes couldn't use a wheat field for his experiment, so he sent people to find a flat hillside covered with wormwood.

The artemisia in this patch grows neatly and densely, perfect for practicing.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, lower your center of gravity, and slightly bend your knees.

"Lean your body slightly forward, keep your back straight, and avoid bending over excessively."

"Use your waist to generate power, and use your arms to sweep the sickle horizontally from right to left, close to the ground..."

……

Rhodes gripped the long-handled scythe and slashed repeatedly.

At first, the movements were a bit stiff, but they gradually became more skilled, and then the teacher patiently explained them to everyone.

The morning passed quickly.

A dozen or so quick-witted farmers have already mastered it.

Rhodes handed the scythes to them and instructed them, "Each of you take a few apprentices and go find a meadow to practice in."

"During the autumn harvest, we must make sure everyone can get involved and not waste time."

"Yes, my lord."

The farmers nodded and dispersed to find places to conduct their experiments.

Rod instructed Otto to keep a close eye on them, and then returned to the manor.

Just as Rod caught his breath, Durant came up to him, holding a letter in his hand and presenting it to Rod.

"The Falcon Earl's reply to Chris."

Rhodes took the letter and unfolded it to examine it carefully.

During this period, Rhodes had already fooled Earl Falcon three times, and now this was Earl Hunter's third reply.

After scanning the contents, Rhodes casually tossed it to Durant, a slight smile playing on his lips.

“The Earl of Falcon is getting a little anxious; it seems he won’t be able to fool him anymore.”

The letter was urgent, urging Chris to hurry up and produce some results.

They even hinted that if they didn't have the chance to capture the town, they should plunder passing caravans.

Black Pine Ridge is not the territory of the Falcon Family, where they can act with impunity.

"So what do we do?" Durant asked.

Luo De said in a relaxed tone: "Let's reply in a couple of days, agree first, and deal with them first."

"I'll settle the score with him after the autumn harvest."

Durant nodded. "Yes, Your Excellency."

……

……

The autumn wind is chilly, the wheat fields are rolling like waves, and under the midday sun, the wheat ears seem to be gilded.

The ears of wheat swayed in the breeze, like drooping, plump peaks, condemning the sins of hunger.

Looking up into the distance, the vast fields of dark brown rye resemble a flowing ocean of coffee, rippling in waves with the wind.

The farmers, witnessing this, gasped for breath, as if they were seeing their neighbor's wife taking a bath, their hands trembling uncontrollably.

Are all of these true?

A farmer stared wide-eyed and muttered to himself.

He had never seen such a bountiful wheat field; the ears of wheat hung heavy, like a scene from a myth.

His wife, standing next to him, slapped him across the face and laughed, scolding, "Is it not real? Or is it a dream?"

Her face, however, was filled with undisguised joy, and her eyes were narrowed into slits.

Such scenes are common on the main roads next to wheat fields.

Because of the bumper harvest, most people in the town were able to spare the time to join in this grand autumn harvest.

Apart from the patrolling militiamen and the road construction workers, no one else had seen what the wheat fields looked like this year.

Rod had assigned so much work that no one had time to wander around.

They had only heard that this year was a bumper harvest, but no one expected it to be this exaggerated.

How could such a small wheat stalk produce so many grains of wheat?

"Is this magic?"

"Could it be caused by some kind of legendary magic?"

"Was it caused by the lord adding excrement?"

Countless thoughts sprouted among the crowd, growing wildly like weeds.

They racked their brains, trying hard to recall the farming techniques taught by their lord.

"Can you do that with just those techniques?"

"impossible!"

"Did these methods come from the southern provinces?"

"No, no, my hometown didn't have wheat this beautiful!"

People were talking about it, and the rumors were getting more and more outrageous.

They felt these things were more related to the extraordinary.

"Could the legend of the savage be true?"

"Is the lord really that holy lord who can create such a bountiful holy land?"

Gossiping is the best way to learn a language. In order to help the savages integrate into the territory quickly, Rhodes had many people in the town work with the savages.

Once the savages learned some basic common language, many rumors began to circulate.

Gradually, even those who were most skeptical of the rumor began to believe it.

Of course, the one they believed in the most was the wild man.

Graystone stared at the endless wheat field, mouth agape, drooling but oblivious to it.

He stared for a long time before swallowing hard, then turned to look at the prophet.

"Prophet, I never expected your divination skills to be so accurate. You really found the holy site."

Graystone's eyes burned with fervor. "You haven't become a great prophet, have you?"

The so-called great prophet is the most powerful prophet.

The concept of hierarchy among the savages is not strong, but a prominent characteristic of the great prophet is his accurate prediction of the future.

Divining good or bad fortune is one thing; predicting the future is another.

The White Frost Prophet remained silent, his smile somewhat awkward.

The Great Prophet?
Dream on!
I've never had a divination done!
Everyone was completely bewildered!

Who knows how I'd run into the real thing!
The White Frost Prophet couldn't help but turn his head to look at the lord not far away.

Rod ignored the chatter and kept admiring the wheat field.

While pleased, Rod felt a little regretful, thinking that if he had known the yield would be high, he would have planted more wheat and reduced the number of rye fields.

But that's enough.

These grains of wheat are not just food, but also future dominance and the solid foundation of Rhodes's power.

"Let's go, Lawrence, get ready to harvest."

Rod took a step forward, and the crowd parted to make way for him.

Wheat matures later than rye, so the rye should be harvested first. Otto quickly signaled the harvesting teams to get ready, and each team took their place in front of their respective wheat fields.

This was arranged in advance; a team of eight consisted of four men and four women.

The people in front are responsible for harvesting, while those behind are responsible for bundling and gleaning.

There are many birds in the wilderness, and they will be eaten over time.

In addition, each of the three teams is assigned a supervisor to provide guidance and oversight.

Rhodes walked to a field of rye and stopped. Lawrence respectfully handed Rhodes the sickle.

"My lord, please do it."

During the harvest ceremony, the lord must personally cut the first ear of wheat.

Rod took the sickle and cleared his throat.

His gaze swept across the faces, and he said in a deep voice:

"After a year of hard work, today is finally the time to reap the rewards."

"Every ear of wheat and every grain of rice embodies everyone's hard work."

"Harvesting must be done carefully and meticulously, and picking up the ears of grain must be done with even greater care, ensuring that every single grain is safely stored."

"As long as the grain harvest is completed smoothly, everyone's work points will increase by 20% this month!"

"Yes, my lord!"

The crowd responded in unison, their loud voices filled with excitement and surprise.

Rod walked to the edge of the field, bent down to cut the first stalk of wheat, and held it high.

"Begin the harvest!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

At his command, the farmers, carrying sickles, cheered and rushed into the fields, while the wild men jumped and danced with excitement.

Rhodes' work was over, but he didn't leave.

Rod wanted to stay by the field to personally inspect and supervise the entire harvest process.

He casually put the wheat ears into the bag and was about to walk forward when a prompt suddenly appeared in front of him.
[The first wheat harvest of autumn has been completed, unlocking the attribute: Food Gatherer]

[Food Gatherer (White): Gathering helps you better understand the characteristics of various crops, allowing you to make more delicious food.]

In an instant, a wealth of knowledge about ingredients flooded into Rhodes' mind, along with various cooking techniques.

However, these were all common plant-based ingredients that Rod had seen before; there were no meats.

"A term specifically for chefs?"

Rod's lips curled up slightly; he found this rather interesting.

Although it may seem useless, occasionally cooking some delicious food to satisfy your appetite is a good way to relax.

Rhodes then checked the next entry.
[Next entry: Gather more crops and make ten different dishes by hand to unlock: Everyday Delights]

"Looks like I'm heading into the culinary world?"

Rhodes raised an eyebrow, wondering if this entry might eventually lead to a Gourmet Lord expansion.

However, the unlocking conditions for this entry are not complicated.

There were only ten dishes, including fried, roasted, boiled, and cold dishes.

It's not too late for Rod to learn now.

Everyone is busy with the autumn harvest now, and in order to save time, Rhodes has arranged for the women who feed the slaves to set up large pots directly in the fields.

Of course, lunch during the autumn harvest season is usually quite simple, consisting of dried meat and bread that have been prepared in advance.

The large pot in the field is mainly for making soup for everyone.

Rod took the opportunity to practice his skills using this large pot.

Thick soup stew, persimmon porridge soup, grilled salted fish, meat rolls...

Without any fancy techniques, Rhodes made the ten simplest dishes in order to unlock the entries.

"Sir, you said you wanted to cook yourself, is that all..."

Lawrence looked at the simple dishes on the table and murmured, "I thought it would be a lavish lunch..."

"Snapped!"

Rhodes slapped Lawrence on the head. "If you have something to eat, just eat it. Stop talking so much nonsense!"

"Get back to work right after you finish eating!"

"Good good!"

Lawrence quickly lowered his head and shut up, while Gunther Avril and the others nearby chuckled.

Rod ignored her and handed Avril a platter of honey and dried fruit.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, everyone, let's eat!"

At Rod's command, everyone began to eat.

Lawrence picked up a meatloaf roll, dipped it in the soup, and stuffed it into his mouth, while Gunther picked up the bowl and made a gurgling sound like a pig.

Perhaps influenced by Rhodes, these subordinates have become less refined at meals, only putting on an act when there are guests.

Except for Avril Lavigne.

Avril thanked them and forked a small piece of dried blueberry into her mouth.

"Ok!"

Avril's eyes lit up, her gaze filled with surprise.

"delicious!"

"The honey tastes just right, and the dried blueberries are both tart and sweet!"

"The meat patty rolls seem to smell especially good..."

"Another bowl of this noodle soup, please!"

……

Everyone praised her, but Masa, the head chef, just pursed her lips.

These guys only know how to say nice things to the lord and flatter him.

How delicious can these simple foods be?

Martha didn't believe it.

But seeing everyone's surprised looks, while serving the soup to Gangle, he secretly saved a spoonful for himself and poured it into a small bowl.

While everyone was engrossed in the delicious food, she quickly poured it into her mouth and smacked her lips earnestly.

Is this really just a simple noodle soup?
Martha couldn't believe it; had the master added spices?

She carefully scooped the soup twice, but found nothing unusual.

Rod was not complacent because of everyone's praise. He believed that his superb cooking skills mostly came from the knowledge in the entries, and he could just follow them.

Rhodes was more interested in the next entry.

After completing the honey and dried fruit platter, the system indicated that it had been unlocked.

Rhodes then clicked to view.

[Everyday Delights (Green): By carefully observing food, you can discern its flavor, determine if it has spoiled, or if any unusual ingredients have been added.]

“Abnormal material…”

Rhodes thought for a moment, "So you can tell if food has been poisoned?"

Of course! Poison must be made from unusual materials!
Thinking of this, Rhodes was overjoyed!
I never expected that unlocking a random term would bring such a pleasant surprise!
Rod quickly looked at the next entry.
[Next entry: Add ingredients with special effects to your dishes to create ten different dishes with special effects, unlocking: Unique Gourmet]

(End of this chapter)