Wasteland Lord: Starting from Thirty Days to Live

"What's up?"

Henry kept his head down and spoke haltingly.

"M-Sir, I'd like to ask about that intensive farming...farming..."

"Work hard!" Rem reminded him.

"Yes, it's about meticulous work!"

Henry gave Rem a grateful look, and with Rem's reminder, he spoke a little more fluently.

"I tried to remove the weeds the way you suggested, but after weeding yesterday, many of the wheat seedlings have wilted today."

"Oh, and I've also tried watering it, but the wheat seedlings aren't as strong as Gavin's. I'm wondering... I'd like to ask what's going on?"

Vittorio nodded.

"Which piece of land is yours?"

Henry points.

"This one?"

"right."

Vittorio went into the field and observed carefully.

After a moment, he presented the results of his analysis.

"Weeding is fine, but the wheat seedlings are currently in the jointing stage, with their roots extending and becoming delicate. Deep plowing would damage the roots."

"You turned the soil very deep to remove the weeds, which did remove the weeds but also damaged the roots of the wheat seedlings."

Vittorio glanced again at the excessively damp ground.

"If I'm not mistaken, you water it every day, and each time you water it for a short time, then water it again the next day when the soil is dry?"

"Yes...yes."

Vittorio shook his head.

"This won't work. Watering like this will keep the moisture on the surface of the soil, causing the roots of the wheat seedlings to remain in the shallow layer of soil as well."

"Once a drought occurs, the wheat seedlings will wilt because their roots are too shallow."

"The correct approach is to water only when the soil is dry, and when you do water, water thoroughly. Water deeply once, and then you don't need to do anything else for a while, unless it's extremely dry."

Henry digested Vittorio's words and felt he had benefited greatly.

Vittorio stood up and reminded him.

"If you really want to learn how to cultivate meticulously, you can ask old Moore; he has all the notes and manuals I wrote."

Henry's tanned face was now red.

"But didn't you make a bet with old Moore? Wouldn't it be unfair to you if I learned your method too?"

Vittorio smiled.

"It doesn't matter. My personal victory is meaningless if I can't feed everyone."

After Vittorio finished speaking, he left. Henry stared at his retreating figure with admiration, secretly praising him in his heart.

Everyone says that the Conaron family are mediocre nobles who are ignorant, cowardly, and afraid of death, but this count's son is different from his father.

He is kind and intelligent.

If he were to become our lord...

Vittorio continued walking, but then he heard the sound of children laughing.

Mia was leading the children in playing games.

They threw stones at each other.

Rem frowned when she saw this.

"This game is too dangerous."

But he was too late. A child's hand trembled, and he accidentally threw a pebble at Vittorio.

With the pebble right in front of him, Vittorio suddenly stretched out his left hand and caught the pebble flying towards him with lightning speed.

Two months ago, this would have been impossible, but now his left hand is completely different.

The child who threw the stone realized he had done something wrong and quickly ran over to apologize.

"I'm sorry~"

Vittorio looked closely and realized it was Mia.

Vittorio was trying to tease her.

"Damn brat, how dare you attack the lord! I'll hang you!"

Mia stared wide-eyed, her eyes wide with longing.

"The cloth is going to strangle me."

Vittorio smiled.

"Okay, but you have to play a new game with me."

"What game?"

The children gathered around curiously.

"Give me the stones."

Vittorio then took the pebbles from the child's hand and took five of them.

He first placed four of the five stones on the ground, and then grabbed one in his hand.

Then he tossed four pebbles into the air and quickly reached for the one on the ground, just like a circus juggling master.

The children gasped in surprise.

"Wow, that's amazing! What kind of game is this?"

"This is a game from my hometown called 'Catch the Balls,' where you see who can spin it the fastest and catch it the best. Why don't you give it a try?"

"I'll do it, I'll do it!"

The children scrambled to find pebbles of different sizes on the ground to play the game, no longer throwing pebbles at each other.

Only Mia seemed lost in thought.

"So this is what kids in the capital play with..."

Vittorio was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

"Heh, I'm not talking about the capital, that's a very... very far place."

After saying goodbye to the children, Vittorio headed towards the South Hall, where he ran into Eileen.

She was walking with a young child near the castle.

"Eileen? I've been so busy lately, I haven't had time to chat with you," Vittorio said.

Eileen blinked calmly.

"It's nothing, and besides, I've been very busy ever since I became Granny Martha's assistant."

Eileen has now become Grandma Martha's colleague and one of only two medical personnel in the camp. Her main responsibilities include treating the patients, helping with prayers, and providing psychological comfort.

Vittorio noticed that Eileen naturally took the child's hand. The child's mother was the camp's cooking god, responsible for cooking for everyone, so she was always very busy.

Since her child was too young, Eileen would take on the responsibility of helping to take care of him.

"I've noticed you're adapting very well to life here," Vittorio said, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, I've actually been thinking about what you said that day. I think you're right. When the light of God has nowhere to shine, we monks are the agents of divine radiance."

Eileen closed her eyes and silently uttered a prayer.

"Moreover, the people here need me and need my faith. I feel needed here, which is good."

Vittorio was surprised that Irene adapted to life here so quickly, despite the extremely difficult living conditions.

Now he felt a little guilty.

Eileen, however, turned the conversation around on him.

"But I've noticed you haven't been very happy lately, have you?"

"Really? No..." Vittorio retorted instinctively.

"There's no need to explain. The lingering sorrow between your brows says it all. Although you are here, in this very moment, you feel lost and disoriented. I can sense that."

"What's bothering you? You don't seem to belong here? Are you still missing life in the capital?"

Do not……

He only stayed in the capital for a day or two, and what he knew was mostly from Vittorio's past memories, so there was no question of missing him.

What he misses is probably the world he once knew.

Carefree, without any pressure, without having to consider attacks, adventures, conspiracies, expansion, or development.

Although it was ordinary and unremarkable, it didn't make him feel suffocated.

Eileen stretched out a hand.

"peaceful."

Basic Divine Spell: Calm Mind.

As she uttered a prayer, a warm current spread through her body, and Vittorio felt a slight relief from his anxious state of mind.

"You're anxious, why don't you try to calm down? That's the first lesson I learned from the priest."

Vittorio remained silent.

"Thank you."

After saying goodbye to Eileen, the two went to the South Hall, where they met people waiting to ask him all sorts of questions, mostly about the new regulations he had implemented.

"Don't rush into crop rotation; that's for next year. What you need to do now is to cultivate this crop well."

"Improve the plow? Yes, I did suggest that. You said there aren't enough carpenters? That's certainly a problem. Let's put the improvement aside for now."

Many people came to ask questions, and Vittorio answered them one by one. Only Rem's question remained unresolved—because the camp did not have any large livestock, and therefore, not enough manure.

Vittorio was able to rest for a moment after he had seen them off.

As the sun was setting, he could see children laughing and playing not far away through the broken windows of the castle, and farmers still busy in the fields.

The scent of grass, the slightly worn gray of the castle, the laughter of children coming and going, the cool, solid feel of the wooden table, and Eileen's intermittent prayers.

At that moment, he truly felt alive.

Living in another world.

A world completely different from the past, but one in which he now stands on solid ground.

He tried to fit into the environment.

Not as Vittorio being replaced, but as an outsider.

If he truly sees all of this as something he will own and manage in the future, something that belongs to him...

"Have you calmed down?"

Vittorio turned around and found that Edmund had arrived at the entrance of the South Hall at some point, standing with his arms crossed, quietly watching him.

His gaze was complex, containing scrutiny, relief, and even a hint of...relief?

"I've noticed that many people are now unconsciously asking you questions; you've already established yourself here," Edmund said.

Vittorio's heart skipped a beat.

What did he mean by that?

Does he think I've usurped his dominant position?

Does he feel sidelined or excluded?

Two months ago, he was still an outsider who needed to prove himself to Edmund.

Now, he naturally gives orders, and people are convinced and obey him.

The scales of power are tipping.

This is a good sign, but also a dangerous one.

How will Edmund react?

Will he fight for power?

Edmund's reaction surprised Vittorio. He was not displeased, but simply walked to the window and muttered something meaningful to himself.

"In previous years, I was always extremely busy at this time, dealing with planting, medical care, and management, which are not my strengths."

"If I could, I would only want to be a pure knight, a pure warrior, for the rest of my life!"

"I thought I would never have this opportunity, but now..."

He paused for a moment and looked at Vittorio.

"Now I actually have time to sit down and daydream."

Vittorio froze, pondering those words repeatedly.

There was a hint of relief in his tone, a sense of accomplishment at having relinquished a heavy burden, a sense of satisfaction at finding someone to share the load, and a touch of melancholy.

Just as Vittorio was about to press for more information, a guard hurriedly entered the south hall.

He rushed in and immediately reported to Vittorio.

"My lord, we've spotted scattered magical beasts outside the castle. They seem to be scouts, and they've even started appearing during the day!"

"Although it's still lurking in the shadows, its activity level is significantly higher than usual, which I think is very abnormal!"

Vittorio looked up and saw a familiar face.

John—the very boy who was the first to pledge allegiance to him in the wilderness.

"Oh, you've joined the patrol team now? So this is your personal report?"

John gave a slick smile and offered a less-than-perfect bow.

"It's my personal report. Will there be a reward, sir...? I mean, yes!"

Vittorio regained his composure and even became interested in joking with him.

"I'm surprised you seem so reliable now. I remember you weren't like this just two months ago. This wasteland really toughens people up!"

John chuckled twice, as if he had just thought of something.

"Sir, that's all in the past, please don't make fun of me."

Since the incident that day, he has become very proactive and eager to participate, always volunteering for patrols and training.

For example, today he reported the unusual activity of the Warcraft ahead of everyone else.

"My lord, what I really wanted to say is that it's already the end of May, and the Fiery Month is just around the corner. Shouldn't there be no monster activity? Shouldn't we start preparing early?"

John's expression turned unusually serious when the words "Flame Moon" were mentioned.

After a moment's thought, Vittorio realized what was happening.

He was referring to the months in the calendar of the Neo-Augustus Kingdom, which was based on lunar phases and agriculture.

These include the Frozen Moon, Melting Moon, Planting Moon, Rain Moon, Flower Moon, Blazing Moon, Scorched Moon, Abundant Moon, Brewing Moon, Fog Moon, Frost Moon, and Dark Moon.

There are twelve months in total, each with thirty days, and some leap days, but that's the general rule.

Vittorio noticed that the year in this world was remarkably similar to the year in the world before he traveled there.

He guessed that the planet they were on—if it really was a planet—also had similar laws of revolution and rotation as Earth.

A year is approximately 360 days, and a day is 24 hours.

However, the moon in the sky has changed.

In general, there are two changes.

First, although the moon rises and sets every day, the changes in lunar phases do not follow a 30-day cycle, but rather a 360-day cycle, or a year.

Secondly, the moon is not just one color, but two colors: white and red.

Sometimes there's more red than white, and sometimes there's more white than red.

For example, two months ago, when Vittorio traveled from the capital to the Reach, it was a waxing crescent moon, with a silvery-white right side and a dark red left side.

However, as time goes by, the red and white of the blood moon will change.

Generally speaking, there is only one all-red event per year, which usually occurs in the foggy month (October), which is when winter is gradually approaching.

At that time, the moon will appear as a cold, dark red.

The activity level of monsters is positively correlated with the amount of red in the moon.

Vittorio didn't understand how the moon changed, because he wasn't an astronomy enthusiast at all.

His only knowledge of astronomy was that in his past life there was a rare total lunar eclipse, and his best friend wouldn't let him sleep, dragging him to observe it in the middle of the night.

In the end, he fell asleep halfway through and didn't see anything.

In short, he only knew some common sense that everyone knows—smaller stars revolve around larger ones.

Don't expect him to understand anything else.

Therefore, he did not understand much about the changes in the moon in this world, or why these changes occurred.

But what he knew was that people in this world valued the phases of the moon.

The appearance of red in the moon is usually associated with the appearance of monsters.

The redder the moon, the more active the monsters become.

Therefore, people in this world usually use the lunar phase as their calendar.

For example, the "Monthly Guide to Farming for the People under the Holy Emperor" of the Neo-Augustus Kingdom.

This guide takes into account both agriculture and serves as a reminder to all citizens of the kingdom to be wary of monsters in the wild.

Generally speaking, winter is when the Crimson Dark Moon appears. Winter is not the season for farming, so staying indoors will avoid most of the damage.

Vittorio began to think.

"That doesn't make sense. Summer is when the effects of the Blood Moon are at their lowest, so why are the monsters becoming more active?"

This is indeed unusual.