Finishing the potato, Adam was delighted. The taste was incredible, a world away from the basic potato, which is often unmanageable, floury, and bland. This time, it had a sweet flavor of chestnuts and butter that melted on the tongue. It was an incredible experience.
"Mmm!" He melted with pleasure. "I want to eat this every day! I need to try every potato-based dish that exists."
Savoring all the flavors of the potato, it took him a little while to refocus. "I don't feel any different, but let's at least check if my vitality has increased."
"Oh, it's increased by 0.1. Not huge, but I just ate a potato. If the efficiency stays the same, I can easily eat a dozen a day, quickly doubling my vitality."
Proud of this first successful experiment, he moved on to the carrot. "It looks like metal. I'm not going to break my teeth on it, am I? No?"
Bringing the carrot to his mouth, he slowly tested biting into it. "Mmm!" He bit off a piece and chewed it delicately. "It's good. Nothing dangerous to report."
A sweet, gentle taste filled his mouth as he chewed, transforming the carrots into a super healthy candy to snack on throughout the day.
He looked at his grimoire again to check the results. "0.1 again. Hmm, not surprising. Two basic vegetables improved only once. No big change between them."
"And finally, wheat." Taking a grain from the ear, he brought it to his mouth. "The blood red color is a little worrying, but let's go for it."
Crunching the grain of wheat this time, a slight nutty flavor filled his mouth.
"Yeah, improved plants are the best. Everything is good raw, so once prepared, it's going to be a real delight. " Enjoying the remaining flavor in his mouth, he checked the grimoire a third time. "No change. Not surprising, given the size of the grain. I imagine that with a larger quantity, we'll get the same result as with potatoes and carrots. "
Rising with satisfaction, "I declare this test a success. We will begin planting improved vegetables: field 1 potatoes, field 2 carrots, fields 3 and 4 wheat."
Getting to work, Adam improved and grew some potato plants to have enough tubers to plant to completely fill the field of improved plants ready to grow. Doing the same with the carrots and wheat, he now had enough seeds of each to fill the entire field with improved plants.
"Farmers, hmm, you need a name after all, like the others, you're going to manage a whole group of golems later." Scratching his chin thoughtfully. "I know, Dem and Cer, perfect."
He clapped his hands together, looking at the two golems, their faces hidden under their straw hats. "You follow the plan for the size of the fields, but now you plant the improved plants in them. For the irrigation channels, go see Bob and Bab and tell them to help you first."
Watching Dem and Cer get straight to work, Adam knew that everything was in good shape, leaving only the question of how long the improved plants would take to grow without his help. He hoped it wouldn't be too long, as his fortune depended on their growth rate.
...
Adam had half of his energy reserves left, but he didn't know where to invest it. "I could make one more knight, but I don't really see the point right now. To just resist the attacks of the undead, we don't need any more.
Three worker golems would be much more useful. There's still a lot to do: expand the base, build an enclosure, construct ramparts, dig canals for the fields. Bob and Bab are completely understaffed. For the fields, two are enough for now."
Looking at the rune tree, "On the other hand, I'm sure you still have incredible potential, and everything tells me that the whole base will rely on you later. Very well! Let me see what your limits are, tree."
...
Half an hour was all it took for Adam to empty his energy reserves. Watching it continue to grow, it had now reached a height of 40 meters, its canopy ever larger and more luxuriant, the runes on its trunk larger and more complicated.
But above all, a fruit resembling a body curled up on itself had appeared on a branch. The interruption of the continuous supply of life had abruptly stopped the fruit's growth; it was clearly not ready to be picked.
Adam was really eager to see what effect this unique fruit would have. His guess was that it was a fruit that gave power to those who consumed it.
During this time, Skar and Iron had returned from their expeditions, bringing back a cherry tree, a strawberry plant, a raspberry plant, and a zucchini plant.
Everything had already been replanted: the cherry tree in line with the apple tree, forming an alley between the entrance and the hut, the strawberry and raspberry plants at the back, next to the wild berry bushes. The zucchini plant was planted to the west of the hut, near the corpse pits.
The bodies in the pit were entrusted to Dem and Cer to be turned into bone meal, which was useful as fertilizer and as a food supplement for the animals. This freed up space in the base, which was beginning to become cluttered.
...
The sun had begun to set, and Adam was worried about Primo and his companions until he saw them arrive in the distance, carrying what appeared to be chickens and a rooster in their arms and escorting a small group of two oxen and five cows. The animals did not seem stressed but were not in a hurry, walking slowly in the only direction possible, the other three blocked by the golems.
Looking at Primo now in front of him, the cattle entered the base. "Primo, you scared me, man, but I'm glad you're back on time." Turning to the other two golems who had gone on the expedition, he said, "Put the chickens and the rooster down where you want them, guys. You're not going to carry them around forever."
He sighed at the sight of the now overcrowded base. "That was a bad idea, the animals now, too soon, there's no room, not very smart, Adam."
"Guys! Don't let the beasts eat the plants. If they eat them, it's grass points." Rubbing his forehead, "Damn, I need at least 10 more workers. There's too much to do. The tree was a good idea, but we really need to make progress on the different builds. Tomorrow, golem workers are the priority."
Yawning, night has now fallen, and the domain of the rune tree now protects the base. "I'm going to bed. Good luck tonight, everyone."