Seeds of Progress

Chapter 9: Seeds of Progress

A few years had passed since Alden's quiet pact with his father, and the Harroway estate, though still burdened by the drought and political uncertainty, was no longer the same place. Neither was Alden. What had once been a half-formed dream, inspired by the fragmented knowledge of his past life, had started to materialise into something tangible. The subtle shifts in the land, the crops, and even the people reflected the quiet but determined changes Alden had set into motion.

The fields surrounding the estate, once dry and stubborn, now bore the signs of careful cultivation. Rows of crops, standing taller and greener than before, stretched across the land in orderly patterns, each patch reflecting years of experimentation and selective breeding. It had taken time—far more time than Alden had hoped—but the slow, deliberate process of nurturing plants more resistant to the drought was starting to pay off.

The seeds Alden had painstakingly selected and bred were beginning to bear fruit—both literally and metaphorically. Through careful observation, crossbreeding, and controlled trials, Alden had managed to introduce crops that not only survived the dry conditions but thrived in them. The wheat was hardier, the root vegetables deeper, and even the herbs had grown more resilient. Each new generation of crops was stronger than the last, and though the improvement was gradual, it was undeniable.

The estate's farmers, once sceptical, had slowly begun to embrace Alden's ideas. At first, there had been murmurs of doubt and unease—whispers that the third son of the Harroway family was meddling in things beyond his understanding. But as the years went on and the harvests grew more reliable, many had come to see Alden as a quiet revolutionary, even if they didn't fully comprehend the science behind his methods.

Alden stood at the edge of one such field now, surveying his work. The sun hung low in the sky, casting a golden hue over the landscape. He wiped the sweat from his brow and crouched down to inspect the wheat. The stalks were taller than they had been in previous seasons, their golden heads heavy with grain. He pinched one of the kernels between his fingers, feeling its firmness and knowing, with a sense of quiet satisfaction, that this was the result of years of patience and persistence.

But it wasn't just the crops that had changed. Alden himself had grown into his role. His once-sceptical family had seen the results of his work, and though his mother remained cautious, even she could no longer deny that Alden had brought some measure of stability back to their struggling estate. His father, though discreet, had continued to support him financially in secret, and Alden had learned to manage those resources carefully.

The small pouch of coins Lord Eamon had given him that night had been the seed money for something larger. Alden had used it wisely, investing in equipment, tools, and books—anything that could help him better understand the world he was now a part of. He had struck deals with traders from neighbouring towns, selling small portions of his improved crops to raise more funds. It wasn't much, but it allowed him to keep expanding his work without drawing too much attention.

Politically, however, the world around him remained as fragile as ever. The Harroways had always been a minor noble house, and the drought had only further weakened their standing. Other, wealthier houses continued to vie for influence, and rumours of unrest in the capital were frequent. The power structure of the kingdom was shifting, and Alden knew that his family's survival depended not just on the land, but on their ability to navigate the uncertain waters of politics.

Socially, Alden had remained somewhat of an enigma. To his siblings, especially Edmond and Gregory, he was still the quiet, often overlooked third son. Though they had seen the improvements he had brought to the estate, they still didn't quite understand him. Gregory, in particular, viewed Alden's long hours in the fields and his strange obsession with plants as eccentric at best. Edmond, ever focused on the traditional duties of nobility, saw Alden's work as something useful, but far beneath what a noble son should concern himself with.

Alden didn't mind. He had little interest in courtly matters, though he knew he would eventually have to engage with them more seriously. For now, his focus remained on his research.

And yet, despite the progress he had made, Alden's dream had only grown more ambitious. The dream he had experienced all those years ago—the vivid, almost ethereal vision of a world where genetics was respected and understood—still haunted him. He wanted more than just to improve the crops on his family's estate. He wanted to unlock the very secrets of life itself.

But to do that, he needed more than just patience and selective breeding. He needed resources, space, and time to conduct real experiments. He needed to expand his understanding of the magical properties that intertwined with the natural world in this realm. He had barely scratched the surface of the potential this world held, and his scientific mind burned with the desire to unravel its mysteries.

As Alden straightened up and gazed out across the fields, he knew that the next phase of his journey was upon him. The estate had been stabilised, and his experiments had proven successful, but it wasn't enough. He needed to grow beyond the confines of his family's lands, to find a way to finance a true laboratory—something on the scale of the great scientific minds of his previous life.

He thought of Mendel, quietly breeding peas in a monastery garden, and of Darwin, meticulously documenting life on the Galápagos Islands. They, too, had begun small, with careful observation and tireless work. But they had changed the course of human understanding. Alden wanted to do the same, and he knew it would require not just scientific prowess, but wealth and influence.

The question was: where would that money come from? Alden couldn't rely on his father's quiet support forever. He needed to find a way to secure larger, more consistent funding. And for that, he would need to enter the world of trade—perhaps even venture beyond the kingdom's borders.

Alden's mind raced with possibilities as he walked back towards the estate, the fields stretching behind him like a testament to what he had already achieved. The dream was within reach, but the path ahead was uncertain, full of risks and challenges he could scarcely predict.

But if there was one thing Alden had learned in these years, it was that change, though slow, was inevitable. And just as he had nurtured the crops through drought and hardship, he would nurture this dream—growing it, one step at a time, until the world saw the beauty and power of genetics.

The time had come to take the next leap.