17 It Starts From Growing Crops

"Where did you go? Why do you always return home so late these days? You're only making me worry. Don't learn from your dead father. He was always fooling around, we don't even know where he died…!"

His mother's nagging began to reverberate in his ears once he reached home.

Puth listened to her obediently as he ravenously dug into the dry rice with beans.

After finishing all the rice in the bowl, he took out ten-odd copper coins and placed them on the table,"Mom, these are my earnings today. I'm full and I'm going to bed now."

Then, he rushed into a dilapidated room.

Once he was in the room, he crouched by the door and watched his mother clear the table. After making sure she wasn't following him, he sat with his back against the door and began to chant quietly.

"The great existence from the Azure Blue Star, you are the Master of language and words. You are the pioneer of the Internet. Under your protection, I shall connect with all sentient beings."

After saying that, he felt as if his soul had gotten in contact with some great existence.

The Internet Deity answered his prayers and an illusory scroll was gradually unfurled in front of him.

Although the bright light made his pupils constrict slightly, he couldn't help but widen his eyes, as if he were going to take in the entire Internet right then.

Even when Puth was already mentally prepared, he was still so excited that his hands shook, his muscles tensed up and his breathing hastened at that moment.

Of course, such a reaction was already much better when compared to his first experience.

Nobody knew how shocked he had been when he boldly chanted the prayers and summoned the Internet in the basement!

It was as if a lightning bolt had struck him, going from his head to his tailbone, leaving him numb all over!

Those poor youths had already been immensely grateful and touched when Raymond was selling the basic magical knowledge!

Moreover, that magical knowledge was being shared freely and publicly.

He had realized that his almost hopeless future was about to change from that day onward!

That was one of the reasons he had been so agitated, yearning to become a believer of the Internet Deity, right there in the basement. However…

Puth began to recall the mysterious existence who was able to command demons in his mind.

He had said, 'My Lord is merciful and loves the common people. As long as you spread my Lord's glory, you are my Lord's believer!'

That young man left after saying those words.

However, those words had utterly shocked Puth's soul!

The Empire's propaganda had never denied that the deities were powerful. However, according to the official descriptions of all the deities, it was hinted or said that they were just a bunch of swindlers. They used power to cheat their believers into giving them offerings, which included wealth and souls.

Therefore, why would humans have to please and beg the deities to bestow them with power?

Humans were completely able to cultivate magic themselves!

That was a power that belonged solely to them. And if they reached the level of Holy Mage Instructor (Magical Deity), they would even be on par with the deities!

However, Puth's faith was shaken that day. He believed that the Internet Deity was a genuine deity.

He didn't want anything. He didn't want offerings, believers, wealth or souls. And yet, he bestowed the most precious treasure in the world—knowledge—to the common people.

A seed of belief had silently been planted in Puth's heart.

Maybe it would be obliterated by life.

Maybe it would take root and sprout…

Maybe it would even burn and become the spark that started the fire that razes the plain.

That night, Puth didn't sleep a single wink. He had spent the night surfing the Internet!

Even he, who had been born in Willis City, was dazzled and astounded by the stuff on the Internet!

In there, he was able to see behind the mercenaries' glamour, to find real people trying to survive in the wilderness—

He saw the high-and-mighty nobles agonize over their domains, magic beasts and bandits. Of course, there were those who bullied their subjects; he saw mysterious and powerful mages debate in thousands of posts over some obscure magical knowledge that he simply couldn't understand; he also saw countless people who came from the lower rungs of society like him, who wrote posts asking for a way out.

The dark room began to gradually light up.

Puth, who had not slept in the entire night, wasn't tired at all. He also didn't have the condition described in the Internet about his soul power being exhausted due to having used the prayer to log in.

He swiftly switched off the Internet and pushed open his room door.

The sky was still grey, but he felt the world had become exceptionally beautiful!

He picked up a wooden bucket, dashed out of his front door to the gathering's well and drew a bucket of water. He drank it all hungrily before drawing buckets after buckets to fill his vat at home. Then, he said goodbye to his mother before he dashed out of his home.

He had already planned what he was going to do that day.

The first thing was to tell his best friends about the existence of the Internet to spread the Lord's glory.

The second thing was that he had found out from the Internet that a lord had bought an old mansion in the Greater West District to build his home, and he urgently needed laborers. Apparently, he could get 20 copper coins a day!

He decided to go and try it out.

…

…

Yu Sheng'an, who was at the moment eating an exquisite breakfast, watched the boy who wanted to be his believer through the Contract Divinity. He was taken aback to see him go to work at a construction site, carrying stones and bricks, without having had breakfast.

Puth was the first fan he had collected in this world, so he observed him for quite a while the night before.

Yu Sheng'an smiled when he saw Puth's excited expression as he read through the basic magical knowledge.

He was genuinely happy to see the boy get the hang of the Internet quickly and use the search functions adeptly to look for a job. He had even used his elementium to support his surfing.

Otherwise, he would have been exhausted within 2-3 hours with his own soul power. The Internet would also force him to stop even if he tried to continue.

It was obvious that Puth's family was very poor. But he didn't expect they would be so poor that they couldn't even afford to eat breakfast.

Yu Sheng'an looked out of the glass windows. Most of the pedestrians on the street had an ashen look.

Of course, there were also strapping mercenaries carrying extravagant weapons and riding on unicorns passing by every now and then.

Yu Sheng'an couldn't help but comment, "It's really hard to imagine there are peasants who can't even afford to eat at this capital of magic, a place with power on par with the deities!"

Frankly speaking, since he had originated from the Blue Star, having full meals was seen by him as a matter of course.

However, he discovered that having full meals was not an easy matter after arriving in this world.

Dandell, who was sitting across from Yu Sheng'an and having his breakfast, said politely, "Your Excellency is merciful! The food problem has alway been the Empire's most persistent issue. Apart from having very little land and a big population, cultivating magic also needs plenty of resources. The fertile lands naturally have to be used to grow the magical plants first. Of course, we are trying our best to make sure there are also grain harvests. For example, the mages stationed at all the cities have a rain-making mission every year to make sure the crops are bountiful."

—Dandell had shown up early that morning to invite Yu Sheng'an to have breakfast together.

Yu Sheng'an smirked. "That's not an excuse. Even without fertile lands, you could have grown high yielding, drought-resistant anti-saline crops."

After pausing for a moment, Dandell said, "Using magic to grow special crops needs unimaginable efforts. Without enough benefits, no wood-based mages would be willing to put in the effort and pay the price for it."

Yu Sheng'an didn't ask why the Empire didn't support them with special funds.

The Queville Empire didn't have a strong centralized government, so naturally, it had become a society led by interests!

Apart from that—in a society controlled by the mages who held absolute power—keeping peasants around was probably only meant to provide the mages' living supplies.

Of course, a little injection of fresh blood would also ensure the mage community's prosperity.

That was why peasants' lives were cheap!

Yu Sheng'an felt a little unhappy and uncomfortable as he thought of that!

Everyone was chasing after their own interests. If there were a grand mage who would care a little bit for the peasants, their lives would be very different.

That place didn't have a community spirit after all.

Yu Sheng'an blinked and suddenly asked, "I say, what do you think about this? You could assign a few of Felix wood-based mages to me? I don't need to use too much of your resources; mage apprentices would do fine, and I would grow the crops! Of course, I would also be paying for the employment costs. What do you think?"

Dandell was stunned.

Didn't we come to discuss the problems encountered during the process of spreading the Internet Divine Skill? Why are we talking about crops?