Cocolia was startled by the Iron Golem's sudden appearance, but seeing that it had chosen to attack the zombies instead of her, she hesitated for a moment before backing away, gripping her ice spear warily.
"Are these Fragmentum creatures?"
"Uncertain. At least, before today, we on the Astral Express have never seen monsters like these."
Dan Heng and March 7th also tightened their defensive perimeter, standing guard by Cocolia's side.
But while the three were still on high alert, Caelus had already walked over. He and the Iron Golem worked together to dispatch the newly spawned monsters, and he casually picked up the items they dropped before turning to explain.
"These aren't Fragmentum creatures. They're monsters I just summoned. Zombies, skeletons, spiders—all very common monsters."
"You summoned them?"
Cocolia was surprised, but at the same time, it made sense. If another Stellaron could attract Fragmentum creatures, it was only logical that Caelus, who also possessed a Stellaron, could summon these undead beings. However, she couldn't quite agree with his assessment that these were "very common" monsters.
A meter-tall spider and a pile of bones that could still move on its own didn't seem "common" by any stretch of the imagination.
Caelus nodded, then teased Cocolia with a grin. "So? Do you still doubt my words?"
"Hmph…" Cocolia reluctantly lowered her ice spear. Though her expression remained skeptical, in her heart, she was beginning to accept this reality.
March 7th pointed at the Iron Golem, which was currently chasing down other mobs spawning in the distance. "Caelus, what's that thing? It doesn't seem to be on the same side as the zombies."
"Yeah," Caelus affirmed. "You can think of it as a life form born for the sake of protecting others. It's called an Iron Golem."
As he said this, however, a question popped into his mind. Logically speaking, a being like the Iron Golem, which exists solely to protect villagers, should have attracted the notice of the Path of Preservation.
Could it be that the Iron Golem's will to protect others wasn't strong enough to attract the Path's gaze? Was the power of the Paths in this world really that discerning?
He couldn't figure it out. Caelus decided he would try crafting an Iron Golem himself later to test it. For now, he needed to finish the task at hand.
"You guys keep an eye on the farmland, and be careful. I'm going to grind for some materials."
Caelus gave them a heads-up and then ran off to join the Iron Golem. With the golem drawing the aggro of the zombies and skeletons, all he had to do was occasionally get a hit in and collect the loot. It couldn't be easier.
---o---
Cocolia tore her gaze away from Caelus and looked back at the farmland. She froze.
The wheat, which had been nothing more than tiny green sprouts just moments ago, had already grown to be as tall as her calves. It was even tinged with yellow, looking as if it were about to enter its maturation phase.
"When did it grow so big?"
Cocolia turned to Dan Heng and March 7th in astonishment, but they both just shook their heads. They had been too busy watching out for the monsters Caelus had summoned to pay any attention to the farm.
Dan Heng took out his phone to check. He had started a timer when Caelus told him to. From planting until now, only seven minutes had passed.
"It's only been seven minutes," Dan Heng reported to Cocolia.
March 7th put a hand on her hip and grinned, her voice filled with pride in Caelus's abilities. "So, are you still going to doubt our 'Stellaron Spirit'?"
Cocolia's eyes were wide with shock, but she stubbornly pursed her lips. "It's not mature yet…"
"Be stubborn, then!" March rolled her eyes.
Thirteen minutes later, however, the wheat made a liar out of the stubborn Cocolia.
She had been staring at the farmland without blinking. The moment the timer ticked over from the seven-minute mark to the twenty-minute mark, the wheat, which had only been calf-high, seemed to complete its final growth spurt in an instant. It shot up to the height of her thigh, shedding its nascent green for a mature, golden-brown hue.
"How is this possible!"
Cocolia walked over in disbelief. She reached out, plucked a single grain of wheat, and placed it in her mouth. It tasted no different from ordinary wheat, but what was strange was that as she ate it, she felt an unprecedented sense of satiety. The effect was faint, but it was like a traveler who had walked for days in the desert suddenly finding a handful of sweet, clear water.
It was incredibly satisfying!
Cocolia fell silent for a moment, then conjured an ice scythe and harvested the patch of wheat. As she did, several verdant green seeds fell to the ground.
Ignoring the seeds for now, Cocolia held the harvested wheat in her hands, weighing it. It had to be at least a couple of pounds.
This fact shocked her even more. From planting to harvest, it had only been twenty minutes!
Cocolia held the handful of wheat, her mind racing. Assuming this one harvest weighed just two pounds, and in the most ideal scenario where someone was watching the field around the clock, a single one-square-meter plot of land could, in theory, produce a maximum of 144 pounds of wheat in 24 hours!
For comparison, a normal acre of wheat might only yield 700 to 1200 pounds in an entire year! And that depended on the local climate. In a place like Belobog, a yield of 600 pounds would be a blessing.
Yet Caelus could produce this much from a single one-square-meter plot! In Belobog's current state, expanding the farmland to ten thousand square meters wouldn't be difficult at all. If they had ten thousand square meters of land, the wheat yield would be... Cocolia didn't dare to imagine it.
In just a few weeks, Belobog could completely eradicate famine. With a guaranteed food supply, the population could grow rapidly. Restoring Belobog to its former glory would only be a matter of time!
This single point was enough. Cocolia was convinced. Utterly and completely convinced.
She took a deep breath, clutching the wheat, and walked towards Caelus, who was busy grinding mobs off to the side. March 7th and Dan Heng followed her.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Caelus stopped what he was doing. He was having a blast grinding his combat proficiency.
He turned to see Cocolia, who was still holding the handful of wheat.
"Well? Anything you want to say?"
Cocolia looked down at the wheat in her hand, then raised her head and asked with the utmost seriousness.
"What must I give in return?"