The last trace of warmth from late autumn had completely dissipated the night before.
In the early morning, Sophia pushed open the heavy carved wooden windows of the Bedchamber. A biting cold wind, carrying a few fine fragments of snowflakes, rushed towards her face.
The sky was gloomy, resembling a giant block of grey lead. Yet, in the Palace rear garden, that steaming 'greenhouse' flickered amidst the earth like a ruby.
"Your Majesty, the messenger from Kree Village has arrived."
Willow walked over quickly, draping a dark cloak inlaid with black fox fur over Sophia.
The messenger had galloped over on a fast horse; the sweat covering his head had even congealed into ice crystals in the cold wind. He knelt in the side hall, his voice carrying a tremble born of extreme excitement:
"Your Majesty! The winter wheat seedlings in Kree Village are fully ripe!
"Just now, when the first snow fell, those ears of wheat were so heavy they were almost about to snap!
"The Village Chief requests instructions from Your Majesty: shall we begin the harvest immediately?"
Sophia looked toward Irene.
At this moment, Irene was sporting a messy head of pink hair. She had just burrowed out of the 'greenhouse', her hand still pinching a stalk of plump wheat ear.
Her azure eyes shone with astonishing brightness, and she spoke at a rapid speed:
"Your Majesty, I just checked the palace trial fields. The growth cycle of these varieties has indeed been shortened by one-third compared to ordinary wheat.
"They accumulated enough sugar and starch before the snow fell. Now is the perfect time for harvesting!
"If the snow gets heavier, not only will harvesting be difficult, but it will also affect the taste."
Sophia lifted the warm wild berry juice Daphne had just delivered and took a sip.
"Victor, prepare the carriage."
She stood up, her gaze sweeping past Daphne, who was organizing medicinal herbs, Vasha, who had just put down her ledger, and Delilah, who stood with her hand on her sword.
Since this is the first bumper harvest for the Kingdom of Mason, This Queen shall personally go and see just how heavy these wheat stalks—which you have all deified—truly are.
When Sophia's convoy arrived at Kree Village, the entire village had already fallen into a state of carnival bordering on madness.
The scene here was extremely incongruous.
Scattered snowflakes drifted in the sky, and the distant mountain ranges were already dyed white. Yet, in the vast stretches of the trial fields, layer upon layer of heavy, brilliant golden wheat waves rolled and surged.
Those wheat ears had grown extremely large; every single grain was so round and plump it looked as if it were about to burst from its husk.
Thanks to Irene's biological improvement, this wheat was a full circle thicker than even the premium wheat seeds of the Kingdom of Orr. The heavy heads of wheat hung down toward the ground, as if bowing to the Queen who had bestowed life upon them.
"Long live Your Majesty!!!"
The subjects knelt on both sides of the field ridges.
The look in their eyes as they gazed at Sophia was no longer the fear one felt toward a Tyrant, but the fanaticism one felt when looking upon a God.
"Start the harvest—!"
With a high-pitched shout from Victor, everyone charged into the golden ocean with their tools in unison.
The crunching sound of sickles cutting through wheat stalks linked together into a single sheet of sound, possessing a strong sense of rhythm.
People bent their waists, their arms swinging powerfully. Every cut brought down a heavy bundle of hope.
"Grain... such good grain! This is the first time in all my years of living that I've seen this!"
An old farmer with a face full of wrinkles, who had nearly starved to death before Sophia succeeded the throne, tremblingly hugged a bundle of golden wheat.
He looked at those wheat ears, which were several times larger than in previous years, and gently caressed them with palms rough as tree bark.
His eyes reddened, and large teardrops fell down his withered cheeks into the mud.
He wiped away his tears, grinning to reveal gums missing teeth, laughing foolishly, and then accelerated his harvesting speed as if he had gone mad.
"No more starving...
"This winter, my little grandson won't have to gnaw on tree bark anymore.
"Your Majesty, you really are the sun in the sky that has fallen to the mortal world!"
Within that crowd of harvesters, One-Eyed Dragon and the dependents of the old nobles were also sweating like rain.
Their former arrogance had long been washed clean by heavy labor. Looking at this scene of a bumper harvest, a strange sense of satisfaction born from creating value actually rose in their hearts.
The things they had done in the past, although they could obtain fleeting pleasure and some material goods or food, only provided a brief moment of joy.
It was completely different from their current state of mind.
The few people standing by Sophia's side had different frames of mind at this moment, yet they all reached the same conclusion by different routes.
Irene was extremely satisfied with the growth trend of this batch of wheat.
She crossed her arms over her chest, lifting her small face with a smile.
My bio-engineering, under the guidance of Her Majesty's intuition, actually achieved this kind of cross-dimensional breakthrough.
The fact that she let me experiment freely back then was trust in me, and also a manifestation of the Tyrant's wisdom. If Sophia had been born in my era, her brain capacity would definitely be ten times mine!
Having witnessed Daphne's story, Irene was now exceptionally clear-headed about the fact that the person she met after transmigrating was Sophia and not anyone else.
Delilah pressed her hand against her sword hilt, watching those commoners who were kneeling on the ground and crying bitterly. Her heart was solemn.
This is true rule.
Your Majesty does not need to use whips and chains. She used only this golden sea to make everyone's soul become her private property.
Is this the rules of civilization Your Majesty spoke of?
It is too beautiful, and also too terrifying.
She seemed to see the situation of the Kingdom of Olan in the winter during her past life, and her heart felt desolate.
But when she looked down at Sophia's back and the massive fruits in the wheat field, her heart was filled with hope again.
Daphne stood by Sophia's side, clutching the necklace at her chest tight, her emerald eyes filled with worship.
My magic can only heal wounds, but Her Majesty's 'magic' has redeemed the entire earth.
That cold and aloof back of hers is simply the ultimate form of justice and kindness.
I must work even harder to regulate Her Majesty's body. A King who can bring spring must absolutely not have the slightest bit of weakness!
Vasha was rapidly recording the estimated yield in her ledger.
This yield per mu is five times that of the Kingdom of Orr... five times!
Did I really calculate this right? Or is it because I've never touched these things before that I don't understand?
But if this yield is real, if Royal Father saw this scene, he would probably be scared to death on the spot.
Your Majesty was right. With this kind of Order, the Kingdom of Mason will soon become the heart of this continent.
For me to be able to participate in this is truly the greatest honor of this life.
As for selling information to Orr, or stealing some seeds for Orr—Vasha didn't even think about such things.
She just wanted to find a brand new self. If she did such despicable, villainous acts, she would only look down on herself even more.
Sophia stood on the high ground of the field ridge, looking at the ground covered in gold, and those subjects busy as believers.
These wheat ears have indeed grown quite large.
Although that fellow Irene loves to blow up laboratories, her professional ability is still very much online.
With this wheat, I can not only eat white bread for every meal, but I can even try to make some new things, maybe make some maltose?
She looked down at the snowflakes by her feet. The snowflakes melted rapidly upon touching the warm golden wheat waves.
"Victor."
Sophia spoke in a cold voice.
"This old subject is here!"
Victor was so excited his voice was trembling.
"Tell Kree Village that tonight, every household can be allocated two extra bags of new wheat for grinding flour.
"This Queen wants to let them know that following This Queen, winter is not just about cold, but also about the aroma of bread."
"As you command! Your Majesty is benevolent!"
Cheers resounded through the clouds once again, even shaking apart the dark clouds in the sky.
Visible to the naked eye, the residents cutting wheat worked even harder.
When farming in the past, the grain left over after paying taxes wasn't even enough to eat for two months.
But now, Your Majesty had lowered the tax rate, and on top of that, had left them more wheat. It felt like there was much more to look forward to.
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