“What?” Old George was confused. “Lord, we have watered them, three times a day!”

Edward Thompson asked, “Don’t you use fertilizer?”

Old George was stunned, then asked in return, “What is fertilizer?”

They don’t even know what fertilizer is… Edward Thompson was speechless. “How do you all plant peanuts?”

Old George rambled on for a long while. Basically, in autumn and winter, weeds would grow wild, and the next year they’d burn them all, then start planting peanuts. After planting, it was just watering and weeding. Generation after generation, they’d always farm this way, and the yields were always very low. Only nobles could use sprites to influence plant growth and achieve high yields.

After understanding all this, Edward Thompson couldn’t help but shake his head.

If you don’t use fertilizer, even the best land will turn barren after a few plantings. The vast farmland before him was almost all yellow soil now. No wonder the peanuts were dying—they were “starving” to death.

But then Edward Thompson became puzzled again: “Why didn’t they starve before, but now the peanuts are dying?”

According to Old George, they’d always farmed this way every year, and except for droughts or floods, nothing like this had ever happened. So the nutritional deficiency in the peanut fields probably had another cause.

“What could it be?”

His gaze turned to the patch of green in the center of the field, and he pondered carefully.

Suddenly, inspiration struck—he remembered the quest reward. The quest required him to save the peanut field, and the reward was a sprite worm. Based on how he’d received the reward for his first quest, Edward Thompson figured the sprite worm wouldn’t just appear out of thin air; he’d probably stumble upon one along the way.

“A sprite worm as a reward… the peanut field is malnourished…” Standing up, Edward Thompson already had the answer in his heart. “I’m afraid the cause of the peanut field’s malnutrition is the very sprite worm the quest is going to reward me with. Sprite worms are born from plants, so my sprite worm should be a peanut sprite worm.”

Waving his hand, he called to the others, “Let’s go take a look at the center of the field.”

Everyone tiptoed over to the center of the peanut field, where the peanut seedlings were still relatively lush. Edward Thompson searched his memory—he’d seen sprite worm collection as a child. Usually, a sprite worm, warm and jade-like like a silkworm baby, would be hidden in the flower or new shoot of a plant.

Different sprite worms have different patterns.

Currently, he owned four sprite worms: a tulip sprite worm, a bramble sprite worm, a corn sprite worm, and an alfalfa sprite worm. Raising sprite worms required coordinated farming, and right now Henry Clark was still helping him find suitable farmland for breeding sprite worms.

After searching for a while, Edward Thompson didn’t find a single peanut seedling nurturing a sprite worm.

“Maybe it’s not time yet, or the nutrition isn’t enough, so this peanut worm will probably miscarry.” Edward Thompson couldn’t help but clench his fist. Sprite worms represented productivity—he couldn’t afford to fail this quest.

Thinking of this,

He said to everyone, “I think I already know the reason. Old George, now, follow my instructions to save this peanut field.”

“Praise the lord!” Old George wept with joy.

Henry Clark asked in surprise, “Edward Thompson, you really found the problem? You even know how to grow peanuts? What’s causing the peanuts to die?”

“I can’t say yet. In a few days, we’ll know for sure.” Edward Thompson was cautious and didn’t reveal the reason. He was also worried he might be wrong—if there was no sprite worm at all, it would be quite an embarrassment.

So, first, he would save the peanut seedlings.

Chapter 10: The Great Peanut Field Fertilization Campaign

The nurturing of sprite worms requires a large amount of nutrients. The peanut field was so barren that it restricted the sprite worm’s development, and as a result, after the nutrients concentrated in the center, the peanut seedlings everywhere else were on the verge of dying.

The solution was simple: just fertilize the peanut field.

Edward Thompson recalled his own farming knowledge and said to Old George:

“Old George, I have a few tasks for you. First, mobilize the farmers to collect firewood and dead grass from everywhere, then burn them, and gather the leftover plant ash. Second, have the able-bodied farmers dig mud from the bottom layer of the ponds. Third, have the children collect manure—any kind of manure, just pick it up.”

As the lord’s orders, Old George had no doubts: “Yes, my lord, Old George will definitely carry out your orders.”

After Old George hobbled away,

Edward Thompson said to Henry Clark, “Henry Clark sir, the manure in Peanut Hamlet probably isn’t enough. Go to the town and organize everyone to collect manure… Hmm, let’s do this: buy manure in the name of the administrative officer—one basket of manure for one copper coin.”

Copper coins, silver coins, gold coins, and dragon coins were the common currencies of this world.

However, different empires, kingdoms, and duchies all issued their own gold, silver, and copper coins. The copper coin Edward Thompson referred to was the currency of the Sapphire Duchy. One copper coin could buy about four box-sized loaves of black bread—enough for an adult to eat for several days.

One silver coin could be exchanged for a hundred copper coins, and one gold coin for a hundred silver coins.