第１５５７堀：食べ物をつかさどる者 (Part1)
Chapter 1557: The One Who Governs Food
The One Who Governs Food
In Weed—or, for that matter, in any nation—there are certain departments that simply must exist.
The symbol that supports a nation is the King, and the head of administration corresponds to what you might call the Emperor or Prime Minister in Japan.
However, the world does not function on the strength of the top brass alone.
A nation only truly takes shape when a variety of departments exist and function in harmony.
Among them, the core pillars are... Finance, Resources, and Law.
Finance—that is, money—is what allows for interaction with others, while Resources are what allow you to provide what the other party desires.
And because there is a rule called Law, order is maintained by ensuring that things are carried out correctly according to established guidelines.
Applying this to Weed: Finance is the Accounting Department, Resources is Commerce, and Law is centered around the Queen.
That said, this only holds true because there are subordinate organizations and people beneath them; if any one of these is lacking, a critical stagnation occurs.
Of course, preparing for such troubles is the job and duty of the administration—those who stand at the top.
Among these, if one were to ask which is the most important, as I mentioned before, the best results are achieved only when all of them function healthily, so there is no single "most important" one. However, there is one that is particularly difficult to read.
That is "Food," which falls under Resources.
Weather, natural disasters, monster incursions, and insect plagues all influence the harvest, causing it to fluctuate.
And, troublesome as it is, this can become a grave problem for the people living there.
The problem is that they run out of things to eat.
If that happens, people cannot survive.
It is no exaggeration to say that this is directly linked to national power.
That is why every country puts so much effort into food production.
You can purchase goods with currency, but you cannot eat money.
Even the rules of Law cannot fill an empty stomach.
In other words, "Food" is of extremely high importance among all commodities, and it can be called the foundation for human survival.
Of course, if one’s transport capabilities are exceptionally high, one could simply purchase food from distant, bountiful regions or from other countries, but if something happens, that support might vanish.
Considering such anxieties, producing food firmly within one's own country is essential.
And if there is a surplus, you can simply sell it.
It can become a resource that acts as a financial foundation.
That is food.
In other words, the importance of food is well understood in Weed, and those who oversee it hold considerable power, even among the upper echelons of Weed. Furthermore, when it comes to land reclamation, they have more say than anyone—even the Queen.
Side: Kaya
Lately, despite my work guarding the school, I’ve been incredibly busy because I’m receiving a mountain of consultations regarding agricultural products from our allied nations.
Well, with the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance finally implementing a student exchange program, and the success of strawberry production in the Baron Jama territory—the family home of Mikos—it seems to have stimulated many of our allies.
Until now, discussions were mainly about the production of agricultural goods already existing within the major allied nations, but now, the requests have shifted to Weed’s crops.
In other words, I’m getting flooded with consultations on whether they can produce Earth’s crops in their own countries.
Well, it goes without saying that rather than trying to improve breeds within their own countries, it’s better to start with something that is already perfected.
Of course, from there, they will continue to improve the breeds to better suit their own land.
Anyway, setting that aside, we have just accepted a new land reclamation job and are preparing to depart.
"...Are you two ready?"
I have already finished my preparations, carrying a heavy backpack, and equipped with a shovel and other tools at my side, ready to dig into the earth at a moment's notice.
And the two I checked on also responded.
"Yes. No problems here, Kaya-neesan. The total force of 100 members of the Tonden unit is ready."
"Yeah, I’m good too. I’ll lend a hand as a farmer."
So saying, it seems they are fully prepared.
With that, since we are ready, we shall head out to our work immediately.
"...Alright, we’re heading out now. Yuki called for us, so this time, we’re going all out."
For me, this job is special.
Even though there were various circumstances, it was a request made directly by Yuki.
I have no reason to refuse.
Lately, I’ve been doing rather plain work—or rather, agricultural work—so I haven’t had many opportunities to interact with Yuki on the job, but this will allow me to see him normally.
Well, I could see him normally if I just went to visit, but there’s a difference when it’s work, and since we get along normally at home, I didn’t feel the need to push it.
But if I can see him openly, I’ll gladly do it.
After all, I am one of Yuki’s wives.
While I was thinking about such things, we passed through the gate and arrived at the church basement of the old Vinoshia royal capital.
"Huh? Isn't this a graveyard?"
I looked around the space where the gate was installed, but there wasn't a single coffin to be found.
"Ah, according to the report from Steve and the others, there is no underground cemetery in this Vinoshia royal capital. Apparently, the royal tombs are located elsewhere, and for the commoners, there’s a separate mass grave outside the city walls."
"That’s not particularly strange. In small countries like this, that happens quite often. After all, corpses are a source of disease. And those with high magical power could potentially become undead. Of course, the church performs rites to prevent that, but it takes up space. In that sense, the underground is only for what is truly necessary. Like a hero's cemetery for defense."
"...I’ve heard of that."
I recall hearing that in the basements of great royal castles, the remains of past heroes are interred, and in the final stages of an emergency, those heroes are resurrected as undead to be used as military force.
Well, but at that point, defeat is already imminent, and they don't usually do it.
Because it’s considered a disgrace.
While we were talking about that, we exited from the basement to the surface.
"...It’s clear outside. The temperature is a bit hot. Maybe around 23 degrees?"
"Yes. It seems so."
"I want to check the water and the soil, too."
We first investigated the surrounding environment.
There are idiots who think crops will just grow if you plant them, but that’s not how it works.
You need all kinds of information: soil that will allow them to grow properly, water sources, weather, and temperature.
According to Yuki, farmers are great naturalists who must fight the earth and read the weather.
Indeed, when I became the agricultural representative, I acquired a lot of knowledge through skills and even ordered and read specialized books.
As a result, the information was vast.
Honestly, I can't handle it by myself.
That’s why I have many people helping me.
And this time, too, I will only teach the techniques and set up the initial foundation; the rest depends on how hard the people here work.
Just as I was thinking that, someone called out to me.
"Yo. You've arrived, Kaya."
"Yahoo! Kaya."
"Indeed. Sorry to bother you while you're busy."
Yuki and the others were there, and Ria and Deryu were the first to call out to me.
Judging by their voices, there don't seem to be any particular problems.
Everyone else is also in good health.
Well, with Rurua and the others here, that’s to be expected.
However, the people who appear to be sisters look a bit unreliable.
I can tell they have motivation, but they look rather frail.