Arcane Lord

Upon hearing the news, Xia Duo felt a little complicated.

On the one hand, he is very much looking forward to the cooperative taking root in Netheril, but on the other hand, he is also very clear that Netheril at this stage is not suitable for the implementation of the cooperative system.

Especially outside the Great Xia Territory.

This made him a little afraid to ask Niya for further information about the cooperative, but Niya didn't know his complicated psychology and had already started to tell:

"Aiwa has investigated that at least four territories near Severton have established cooperatives. In those four territories, the lords reorganized the people into a unit of about one hundred households, called a [cooperative]. Now The joint autumn harvest should have started!”

"What about the reaction of the citizens?" Xia Duo asked again.

"There is no further news yet, but the content in the agricultural book about increasing crop yields has been unanimously praised by the lords near Severington, and has already begun to be implemented."

Niya's answer did not exceed Xia Duo's expectations. Although the inland lords obtained the agricultural books, they would not necessarily publish the agricultural books to the people. In fact, not publishing them was the normal choice for most people.

This choice can be considered a good thing for Xia Duo. People's hearts are the most fickle. Nowadays, agricultural books may indeed increase crop yields, and cooperatives may not be all bad things.

But when the negative consequences of the cooperative come out, the resentment of the landless farmers may be directed at him.

Then, Sha Duo asked for some more details, but Niya didn't know how to answer. After all, everything she knew came from Ava's investigation, and the information Ava investigated was still very limited.

"This matter requires continued attention. By the way, did Ava mention anything about the abnormal climate?"

"No, but I heard that the Seven Towers are brewing a big plan, which may be able to completely solve the hidden dangers of climate anomalies."

Inadvertently, Niya revealed another piece of news, which surprised Xia Duo. How did Niya know something that even he didn't know?

"Where did you get this news? Is it credible?"

"Ms. Greta and I have always kept in touch. Although she is now far away from the core of Giles Tower, there are still some secret relationships that have not been completely severed. I know you are concerned about this matter, so I will help you ask. It should be more credible.”

That's it!

Sha Duo immediately thought of the Master Yerevan he had met before. Could it be that the Seven Towers were preparing to support his ascension to the gods in the agricultural field?

Indeed, if there is a god of order in the agricultural field, at the very least, he can send priests to every piece of land to ensure the normal growth of crops.

To a certain extent, it can be regarded as a complete solution to the hidden dangers of abnormal climate.

But Xia Duo believes that this matter is not that simple. If there is only one more agricultural god, it can only be regarded as passive defense. If the root cause of the abnormal climate cannot be discovered, even if production can be guaranteed temporarily, will it be possible in the future? Do we all need to rely on agricultural priests?

Furthermore, this time it is just a climate abnormality. As long as ordinary people handle it properly, they still have a chance to survive the crisis smoothly. But what if there is a special spell or disease that directly targets various crops next time?

The priest of the agricultural god may be able to fertilize the soil and increase production, but there is a high probability that he will not be proficient in spell resistance!

Not to mention, if it is destroyed directly, can it be restored? Even if it can, what's the cost?

Only by identifying the root causes behind the abnormal climate can all possible crises be solved once and for all, including but not limited to the agricultural sector.

Even Xia Duo could tell that the abnormal weather from last year to this year was not a natural occurrence, and was most likely caused by elves behind it.

Gu Xuan

If the Seven Towers only know how to defend passively, it will only encourage the arrogance of the mastermind behind the scenes, and it may really bring about a more severe disaster next time.

Sha Duo was very interested in the big plan that Niya said was brewing in the Seven Towers, but it was just an interest. He didn't want to get involved yet.

The family in the southern border cannot withstand the turmoil.

…

In the following days, under Shado's instructions, Ava sent back more news about the cooperative in the territory near Severington.

For the time being, the news is all positive. For example, the autumn harvest efficiency is many times higher than in previous years, cooperative cooperatives can better share costs, etc.

But some bad signs began to appear. Just as Xia Duo had expected, some lords were already trying to take back land from their subjects.

The cooperative is more like a large farm. Some lords believe that what the farm needs is not farmers, but serfs. Of course, there is a very practical reason why those lords do this, and that is -

The development of the Cologne Plain requires a large number of manpower, but these manpower cannot be conjured out of thin air. After taking away most of the floating population, the only option is to recruit free citizens.

The so-called "free people" are generally farmers with land or craftsmen with skills. Among them, farmers are the easiest to plunder. Especially after the emergence of cooperatives this time, existing land does not need so many farmers to complete cultivation.

This gave many lords a great temptation. With less population needed to maintain the local area, more people could be used to develop.

In fact, this is just that cooperatives liberate productivity from production methods. If more efficient production tools emerge, fewer people will be needed for the same task.

It's a pity that these lords who plan to "take back" the land in advance are too short-sighted. Although Xia Duo has pointed out the significance of improving production tools in the agricultural book, these people are not even willing to wait for this time.

Nothing he put in his mouth tasted good, and Xia Duo could almost imagine that those people would not carefully read and practice the "Pioneering Guide".

This is not good news.

If the development efficiency is low, the demand for population will be greater, so how can the surplus be used for light industry?

How can we transfer wealth without light industry?

If wealth is not transferred downward, how can we cultivate the market?

Unfortunately, it is difficult for Xia Duo to interfere in these matters now. The only thing he can do is probably print more "Pioneering Guides" and "Agricultural Books" and send them out!

However, in a sense, the short-sightedness of those mainland lords is also a good thing for Xia Duo, which will make it easier for him to recruit new subjects.

If all inland lords strive to increase productivity, improve production relations, and develop light industry from agriculture, how can they recruit new subjects?

Industry, even if it is just light industry, requires a large population base. If Xia Duo was a lord of the mainland, he would never let any of his territorial citizens lose.

Without new territories like Cologne Plains that can be developed, the development limit of a single lord in the mainland is extremely limited. Surrounded by neighbors, there is no room for expansion.

If you want to develop and grow, you can only carry out industrial upgrading (including magic industry), and population is the key to industrial upgrading.

That is to say, Netheril does not yet have a relatively complete "citizenship" system, which makes the movement of people between territories very easy. Basically, as long as they are free people, they can move freely.