C16 The New Lord's Purchase Mission

According to the historical progression on pre-transmigration Earth, societies typically evolved from primitive to slave societies, and then to feudal ones. As a Transmigrator, Ostar was well-versed in these historical patterns.

This time, however, he intended to leapfrog stages. In his Bloomfield Region territory on the Middle Continent, he planned to bypass the slave society altogether, propelling the three major racial powers and their tribes directly from a primitive to a feudal society.

Ostar hailed from the West Continent, where the Human Clan Country, particularly his homeland, the Oberiske Empire, exemplified a perfectly structured feudal state. They possessed a wealth of experience and technology that could be readily implemented, even their legal code could be transplanted without the need for any modifications.

Ostar's decision was a matter of necessity. The South Continent, currently vying with the West Continent for dominance over the Middle Continent, operated under a slave system. It was unthinkable for Ostar to first advance his domain to a slave era, as that would align too closely with his adversaries' systems, risking inadvertently endowing them with an advantage.

The Bloomfield Region boasted an extensive coastline with a clear strategic location. Its single notable vulnerability was the absence of any significant port towns along this expansive coastal stretch.

To procure supplies for his territory, Lord Ostar had to rely on Magyr Pier, a crucial external port within the Bloomfield Domain. Ostar was particularly cautious about the fact that he did not control Magyr Pier. Emperor Augustus VIII of the Oberiske Empire, also his father, inexplicably withheld the port city when bestowing Bloomfield Region upon Ostar.

While Magyr Pier was ostensibly a public city and a so-called absolute free zone, the Oberiske Empire maintained actual control over the area. As the sole pier city in the region, it effectively became one of the empire's new territories.

Emperor Augustus VIII assigned the governance of Magyr Pier to Sixth Prince Ariosto. Ostar had a decidedly low opinion of his younger sibling. Like his elder brother, Eldest Prince Oswald, Ariosto was a son of the former Empress, but their moral fiber could not have been more disparate. Known for his brutality and quick temper, Ostar could only speculate about the future of Magyr Pier under Ariosto's rule.

Ostar was at a loss. Could his father, the emperor, have intentionally orchestrated this to stir up strife among his sons? Assigning such a crucial transportation hub to the least approachable prince, Ariosto, seemed like a deliberate provocation.

Ostar had an inkling that his domain, the Bloomfield Region, might soon be embroiled in a struggle with Prince Ariosto over control of the Magyr Pier, essential for territorial expansion. The thought of the sea gateway under someone else's control was suffocating, like being gripped by the throat. Faced with this, Ostar's options were limited: either forcibly seize the pier or construct a new one to escape others' dominion, freeing himself from the need to appease anyone.

Complaints aside, Prince Ostia's plans had to forge ahead. After surveying the new territory in the Bloomfield area, Ostar, accompanied by his new maid Gonias, Chris, and the other two maids who doubled as his personal female guards, set off in a carriage to Magyr Pier to stock up on supplies.

Now was the opportune moment to procure goods for the future development of the new territory, before Sixth Prince Ariosto assumed his role. Should Ariosto, upon his arrival, decide to hike the tariffs and business taxes at Magyr Pier, Ostar would be faced with significant additional expenses.

"Sir, I've got everything you need here. All items are currently starting at half price, with further discounts on bulk purchases. I'd advise you to buy now before the new lord takes over and prices potentially change, making business much tougher."

"Shopkeeper, the items I need are listed here. Can you gather them all today? I'm in a hurry!"

"Let me see... Crop seeds? No problem, I have plenty in stock. How much do you need?"

"I'll take everything. Buy out your entire stock. And if your colleagues have any supplies, please inform them I'm interested. Price is no object."

"Understood, I'll relay your message right away. Please hold on a moment!"

Ostar's urgent need was for crop seeds. The Middle Continent was still in a primitive state, lacking even the most basic agricultural seeds, which had to be imported from other Human Clan Continents. The Middle Continent wasn't underdeveloped; if the tales of its prehistoric civilization were true, it had once been far more advanced than any other land. The regression to a primitive society was likely due to some cataclysm that obliterated that ancient civilization, causing the Middle Continent to spiral backward to its origins, starting anew from a bygone era.

Legends of a prehistoric civilization lack direct evidence, yet Ostar has uncovered substantial corroborative proof that such an advanced super-prehistoric civilization indeed existed. Moreover, the rapid development of this civilization, akin to a cheater's pace, suggests a high likelihood of Transmigrator influence.

Crops serve as compelling indirect evidence. Upon arriving in the Strange World Continent, Ostar noticed the crops were identical to those on Earth, including a complete range of common grains and cash crops such as wheat, corn, rice, and potatoes. These crops are believed to have originated from the prehistoric civilization and spread from the Middle Continent during the Prehistoric Civilization Times, eventually becoming widespread across various continents. Over time, through natural selection and human cultivation, these crops outcompeted and replaced the original, less efficient crop varieties of the Strange World, evoking a strong sense of an invasive species takeover.

The individual responsible for introducing Earth's crops to this Plane Strange World was undoubtedly a Transmigrator. Regrettably, with the enigmatic disappearance of the prehistoric civilization, most of the sowing techniques were lost to time, leaving wheat as the sole surviving crop on the continents.

The Human Clan and other races are at a loss on how to properly cultivate the remaining crops. Wheat cultivation persists, albeit with the most basic and inefficient methods. Nonetheless, the dominance of wheat is sufficient to meet the basic needs of the various continents.

After transmigrating to the Strange World Continent, Ostar identified these agricultural issues at a young age. The Human Clan there knew nothing of farming beyond wheat. Even with seeds of other crops, they applied wheat farming techniques, leading to dismal production efficiency. Despite lands ill-suited for wheat, they persisted in its cultivation, resulting in poor yields. Clearly, alternatives like rice, potatoes, or corn could significantly increase productivity if only they were planted instead.

Initially, Prince Ostia wasn't a lord and had no special mission, so he didn't concern himself with these issues. Now, however, things have changed. He has become a regional lord and must address the fundamental issue of providing for the livelihood of his territory's residents.

Ostar was well-versed in the proper methods of crop cultivation. It's likely that the architects of the highly advanced prehistoric civilization were Transmigrators who had arrived in this Plane Strange World long before him. These pioneering agricultural Transmigrators eventually met with some mishap, leading to the mysterious disappearance of their civilization. All that remains are these Earth-origin crops, silently bearing witness to a history that should not be forgotten.

Ostar himself had hardly any advantages, save for the memories of his past life. He doubted he could ever outdo those early Transmigrators. Nevertheless, he was determined to build upon their legacy, and that was sufficient for him.

Take the current crops, for instance. The agricultural Transmigrators of the past had to spend significant points to obtain them from the Transmigrator's golden finger system. Ostar lacked such a golden finger. After his transmigration, he didn't gain access to the Transmigrator's cheat system. Not every Transmigrator had the privilege or opportunity to connect to the system, and very few were lucky enough to bring their own. Most Transmigrators started without any system support.

When the prehistoric civilization vanished, the system that connected this Plane Strange World and allowed Transmigrators to exchange points for various cheat abilities was shut down. Due to undisclosed reasons, the system's link to the Plane Strange World Continent has remained severed. Transmigrators arriving here in the future, whether they choose to be saviors or pursue agricultural development, will no longer be able to receive cheat support from the system.

Luckily, the agricultural Transmigrators who forged the prehistoric civilization left behind a wealth of cross-world heritage. This bounty was more than enough for Ostar to utilize, and even better, it was available without the need for point exchanges—essentially a free trial. At the market in Magyr Pier, a modest city, Ostar procured a vast quantity of wheat seeds from local merchants. This purchase nearly depleted his initial funds of over a hundred gold coins, with the bulk of the expense going towards the seeds.

Rice, corn, and potato seeds are dirt cheap, virtually given away, because they're not cultivated on any continent. When the merchants noticed that Ostar had purchased a substantial quantity of wheat seeds, they threw in the other three types of seeds, which appeared worthless, as a goodwill gesture. They were oblivious to the seeds' true potential and the immense profits they could yield in the future.

Labor resources were the least of concerns in the Bloomfield Region, with its multitude of primitive tribes and abundant population. In such a primitive society, where the concept of money was non-existent, gaining the tribal chieftains' support was all that was needed. When the time came, the tribespeople could be enlisted to work in exchange for food and shelter, sparing the need for monetary compensation. The simplicity of the tribal customs had its advantages. For Ostar, the real challenge lay in convincing these tribes to lay down their arms and transition from a hunting-centric primitive society to a feudal era dominated by agriculture.

Resolving the internal conflicts among the three major local races wasn't as daunting as it seemed. Ostar had already gleaned the fundamental causes of the conflict from Gonias, a servant-girl and leader of one of the races. The wars in the Bloomfield Region were primarily about food resources, the true root of the conflict. Most tribes were clashing over territories rich in game, with only a minority fighting out of age-old vendettas. If Ostar could adequately address the food scarcity, he could quell at least eighty percent of the intertribal warfare. As for the remaining hardliners, driven by deep-seated hatred, Ostar could take his time to gradually initiate the necessary peace talks.