Chapter 369

Beginning Work at the Pioneer Village
After spending the night at the Galette Count’s estate, we departed for the pioneer village the next morning.
The entire group of Kiblinki Saltas was moving together, including those assigned to guard duty in the city.
It seems they’re both confirming the village’s location and serving as Young lady Conniette’s escorts.
They’re certainly motivated.

As we left the city and followed the main road for a while, a particularly well-maintained path led into the mountains.
That must be the road to Connie Village.
Since the road to the pioneer village branches off along the way, we used this one for the first part of the journey.
Still, it’s impressively well-maintained.
So this is the power of a land-leveling magic vehicle.

Once we reached the fork in the road and headed toward the pioneer village, however, the difference was stark.
The path here was rough and uneven, still overgrown with grass.
If there hadn’t been a sign at the junction, we wouldn’t have been sure we were going the right way.
No, really—there was practically no road at all.

"… Well, I suppose expecting proper roads in a newly built pioneer village is asking too much."

"My apologies, Marquis Vardmoi."

"No, don’t worry about it."

Even Marquis Vardmoi seemed to be feeling the strain on his back from the bumpy ride in the magic vehicle.
As soon as we arrived at the construction site, he got out of the vehicle and stretched.
To be fair, even my own magic vehicle was shaking quite a bit on the way here.

"Lily, are you alright?"

"Yes. My magic vehicle is designed to handle rough terrain."

"I see. You said yours was made by Lumite, right? I’ll have them look into any good models when I return."

Oh, nice—free advertising.
Not that it directly benefits me.

"So, how exactly do the Kiblinki Saltas cultivate fields?"

"I’ve never seen it either. How do you do it?"

(It’ll be faster to show you. But first, we need to greet the village chief and confirm which areas we’re allowed to cultivate.)

That makes sense.
These spiders are always so thorough and disciplined.

As for the village chief, the settlement was still in the early stages of construction, so no human-plowed fields had been prepared yet.
Instead, we were given the boundaries of the land that the Kiblinki Saltas could manage.
Alright, time to see how they do it.

(Let’s begin. Everyone, prepare yourselves.)

At the command of their leader, the Kiblinki Saltas lined up in two rows of ten.
Alright, what happens next?

(Begin!)

At the signal, the Kiblinki Saltas simultaneously began digging into the soil with their front legs.
They gradually moved backward, covering the designated area before switching positions and reversing direction.
Repeating this process over and over, the soil became thoroughly tilled before our eyes.
This was… astonishing.

(Hmm. This soil should be fine at this level.)

"Hey, do Kiblinki Saltas always farm like this?"

(Of course. Is there a problem?)

"No, not at all. It’s just… amazing."

(Farming is our specialty. Now, let’s finish the rest.)

At this pace, the Kiblinki Saltas managed to cultivate the entire permitted area in less than half a day.
A job that would have taken human labor over ten days was completed in a matter of hours.
Truly, these spiders are something else.

Afterward, they all moved to the second village and repeated the process.
Once the fields there were ready, they split into groups—one staying to manage the fields in the first village, while the others remained in the second.
Efficient as ever.
With these spiders in charge, increasing food production shouldn’t be a problem at all, should it?

What do you think about this chapter?