Now that what I had to do right away is mostly done, I’m standing with Hipopo in a land that’s scheduled to be cultivated, to extract magic elements from it. Normally, this is actually an alchemist’s main job in a region that’s being developed.
Crops planted in soil with a high concentration of magic elements will either wither or turn into monsters. Because of this, it’s imperative that we extract magic elements and expel them into the atmosphere.
Having said that, what I have to do is simple, place specialized devices on the ground at regular intervals.
I have to dig holes big enough to fit my hand, in this land that has been cleared of rocks and roughly plowed. The ground is hard, but not enough that I can’t dig.
“Bumoh.”
“Eh? You want to switch?”
Hipopo nods, approaches the hole I was digging, and skillfully digs with the claws on its front legs.
Every swipe is big, and the hole is done in no time.
“Ooh, great job Hipopo! Can you dig where I mark?”
“Bumo bumoh.”
Hipopo gladly accepts my request while shaking its tail.
From there, we make rapid progress. Hipopo digs holes almost as fast as I can mark them, and the future cultivated land is filled with holes at regular intervals in no time.
I grab my backpack and take out the devices to extract magic elements.
“Good, so now I just have to set these, and we can take a break.”
The devices I take out look like plant bulbs with four pipes on top. I place these in every hole.
“All right. There won’t be any leakage, right?”
“Bumo.”
Hipopo shakes its head after confirming it with me.
I take out a scroll to control the bulbs and activate it. All the bulbs activate at the same time.
“《Activate》. 《Begin》 Magic element diversion.”
The scroll opens, and a magic circle appears on top. And as if being called by it, magic circles appear above the bulbs buried in the ground.
The magic circles begin to spin slowly, and magic elements are flickered into the air from the pipes, matching the rotation.
“All right, it’s working well! Now we just need to be careful not to extract too much.”
I tap Hipopo on the back to thank it for the help.
We have nothing else to do for now, so Hipopo sits down and I rest on its back.
“The sunlight is strong today.”
The bright sun is a bit too hot for me to nap, so I move the active scroll to give me shade.
I could read a precursor’s paper to pass the time, so I’ll take out a transcribe scroll I transmuted just for this purpose.
“Hum, ah, here it is. I’m glad I colored it blue to make it easier to find.”
Before I quit, I transcribed every paper stored in the basic research department into this blue scroll. I was sure someone like Rihalzam would throw them away.
I calmly start looking over the paper. It’s a comparative study about the concentration of magic elements in soil and wheat planted on it.
The conclusion is that leaving some magic elements in the soil makes food taste better for humans. But they also theorize that the actual flavor is the same, and that the human brain misinterprets the ingestion of magic elements as a better taste.
I read it with interest, until Hipopo starts moving.
“Bumomo?”
“Oh, you’re right, it’s time. Thanks!”
I put away the scroll and hop down.
After taking out the pendulum, I pull out one of the bulbs and measure the magic elements.
“Good job Hipopo, perfect timing.”
I whisper as I stop the scroll controlling the bulbs. The magic element extraction is done.
As I start retrieving the bulbs, I see someone running my way from the camp. It’s Ahri.
“Master Rust! Someone is here to see you. It might not be someone good.”
“Not someone good? Did this person give you a name?”
“Yes, Rihalzam.”
Says Ahri with her expression clouded with concern.
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Oh. This is where the manga left off. I’ve been waiting for this part. Tell the fat jealous lout to touch grass and go away.