Five days passed, during which nothing out of the ordinary happened, except that the world of the nobility was in an uproar.
Adam had finally launched the lotion, and, as expected, it caused a great stir throughout the kingdom, since they had previously used animal fat, but this new invention was completely revolutionary.
Many nobles sought the source of production. Still, Adam was expecting this, so he leaked false information to divert everyone's attention, even that of enemy kingdoms, which also wanted a piece of the pie.
But while everyone was focused on the revolutionary lotion, he was already preparing his next moves.
He was currently in a complex, secret, and private place, known only to Adam, his father, and a select few others.
It wasn't a particularly striking place.
Adam looked out over the expanse of turned earth as the morning breeze gently stirred the wild grass that had not yet been completely uprooted. At first glance, it looked no different from the rest of Arkam's fertile land.
But he knew that fertile soil was not enough.
The Mana Dragon Lotus was no ordinary plant.
"Here."
The workers were slaves he had bought, and his father had sent some; they began driving stakes into the ground to mark the perimeter.
Adam watched them distractedly, his mind elsewhere, as it wouldn't be long before his father was called and the territory was exposed.
The brown-haired boy, whom he called Zev, held a shovel with both hands. He still lacked strength, but his posture was firm.
The silver-haired girl, named Renna, stared at the ground with unusual attention, as if trying to sense something beneath the surface.
Adam approached and crouched down.
He took a handful of dirt and rubbed it between his fingers.
Too dry on the surface layers. Too dense deeper down.
"First, we must let the earth breathe."
The slaves looked at him blankly.
Adam stood up.
"Dig down to a depth of one meter. Then we'll mix the soil with crushed manna stone powder."
One of the slaves timidly raised his hand.
"Manna stone... powder?"
Adam nodded.
"The Mana Dragon Lotus doesn't just absorb water and nutrients. It absorbs environmental mana. If the concentration is low, it will grow weak... or die."
This was something he discovered after torturing one of the workers from the kingdom of Kamelot after they destroyed his family.
He wouldn't make the same mistake again.
…
Hours later, the ground had been completely turned over.
Adam walked slowly between the open furrows. He closed his eyes.
He activated Mana Perception.
The world changed.
He no longer saw only earth. He saw flows. Subtle currents are moving like invisible veins beneath the ground. Some areas were almost dead. Others vibrated slightly.
Interesting...
The mana in Arkam was not uniform. It concentrated in natural lines, as if the earth had its own meridians.
He didn't think growing grass would be so fascinating. It wasn't simply a matter of preparing the soil, and that was it; it was much more complex than he had initially thought.
Without prior knowledge, he would have failed miserably, wasting many Dragon Lotus Mana herbs in the process.
...Fortunately, that wasn't the case for him.
Adam opened his eyes.
"Don't plant yet."
He knelt and dug his hand into the soil.
He directed a small amount of his own mana into the earth.
Not too much.
Just enough to stimulate it.
He felt resistance at first. Then, a slight response. As if something were awakening.
Renna stepped forward.
"It's moving..."
Adam looked at her, surprised.
"Can you feel it?"
She hesitated, but nodded.
"It's... weak. But yes."
Adam smiled slightly.
Interesting.
After a few seconds, a barely perceptible vibration ran through the ground. Not visible... but present.
Adam withdrew his hand.
"Good. Now the earth is awakening."
He stood up.
"Mix in the mana stone powder. Not too much. If the concentration is too high, the roots will burn."
One of the workers asked:
"What about watering, young master?"
Adam looked at the water tank they had prepared.
"The water must stand overnight before use. The mana needs to stabilize. And every third day, it will be watered with a small infusion of diluted manna stone essence."
This was no ordinary farming.
…
By sunset, the ground was ready.
Adam carefully took out one of the Mana Dragon Lotuses they had brought from the demonic forest.
The root was delicate—red in the center, with golden veins that glowed faintly when sunlight touched it.
Even withered, it gave off a powerful feeling.
"Each plant will have two meters of space. Their roots compete with each other if they are too close together."
With almost ritualistic precision, they began planting the first one.
Adam did it himself.
He placed the root in the center of the furrow.
He covered it gently with soil.
Then he rested his palm on the ground.
He channeled mana.
Very little.
Just enough to seal the environment.
The ground vibrated slightly.
But Adam felt it.
The connection had been established.
He stood up.
"Today we'll only plant fifty."
The slaves looked at him in surprise.
"Only fifty?"
"If they all survive the first week, we'll continue. If not... We'll adjust the method."
It wasn't impatience that drove him.
It was control.
When the sun finally set, the land seemed calm.
But Adam knew that beneath that calm, something had begun.
He stayed just a few minutes longer, watching the small mounds of earth where the Mana Dragon Lotuses rested.
"If this works..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
If it worked, it would not only increase his family's military power.
It could change the balance of Arkham.
It could attract allies.
Or enemies.
The night wind swept across the freshly tilled soil.
For a moment, Adam thought he saw a slight pulsation beneath the earth.
Like a heartbeat.
And for the first time since he had traveled back in time, he felt that he was not just reacting to fate.
He was cultivating it.