Chapter 403 403 Farms And...
The Elder's assistants must have sent a message ahead because when the old woman led them into a large wooden house, there were already a half dozen people in the room waiting for them to arrive.
The two senior witches made sense, as they would have sensed Ella approaching, but there were also a pair of soldiers, plus John and one young man with a laptop in front of him that Wolfe assumed was there to take notes.
John stood up to shake Wolfe's hand as he entered, while the two other Witches were much more intrigued by the presence of Ella. Christa and Justine quietly settled themselves in the back of the room, along with the two younger Witches who accompanied the Elder, and the old woman got right down to business.
"I know you all are eager to ask questions and reminisce. But first, we should get through the business at hand. There is a chance today to make an alliance between our village and the residents of the Fae Forest within the Frozen Wastes, which would help ensure peace between the regions and the sort of prosperity that can only be achieved when advanced magic meets advanced technology." The old woman informed them.
The more decorated of the two soldiers took out a rolled diagram and placed it on the table.
"This is what we have planned for the village. It is a bit unconventional, but it is well documented and, with the help of the witches, very viable for this region. This is a vertical hydroponic garden, and each of these three-metre diameter cylinders can hold as many crops as 250 square metres of ground space.
Here in the forest, space is at a premium since deforestation will only lead to negative consequences in the long term, so we have decided to try using this system, with magic-fed irrigation, as the basis for our project."
Wolfe looked over the plans with an eye for detail. This plan would work amazingly well back in the Den. They were also short on space, even though they didn't need to use all that they had yet. But if they could increase the amount of growing area they had by that much, it would really allow them to pump out a lot of crops for the villagers.
"What are your plans for this windfall of agriculture?" Ella asked while Wolfe worked to memorize how this system operated.
The soldier smiled at her. "My family owns the largest MRE producer on the continent. Those are the shelf-stable meals that the soldiers eat if you're not familiar with the slang. We intend to grow, process and package the vegetarian options here and ship them home.
Our company has already begun moving to plant-based sausages and burgers due to the lack of arable land for grazing, so the market for them is massive. If we do this right, the Gormana Government will provide us with enough funding to keep the village running for generations."
The Elderly Witch who had met them at the gate reached out to her assistant and placed a stack of papers on the table. "This is the agreement that we made. The village will operate as a supplier company to the main corporation, and all of the profits from the sales will be put in a trust on behalf of the village, with defined distributions for infrastructure, improvements and a large savings account for future generations.
We have every intention of making this village's farms a community project that will provide all of the basic needs for our people in perpetuity."
Wolfe chuckled. With magic, they had been doing that in the Fae Forest already, just in a very different manner than what was planned here. The advanced technology wouldn't work in the Fae Forest anyhow, and Wolfe didn't think that they would be missing out on much when they had live shows like the ones that were put on during the festival.
It might be good to find some way that they could communicate with the outside world, though. Instant communications were the backbone of advanced technology, and they would not only help during emergencies but would also allow travellers and those working in the city to feel connected to home.
"It looks like a good plan, with nobody being exploited. We would be willing to make a trade agreement with you as well. Many high-tech items won't work in the enhanced mana environment due to interference, but there are some things that our people would like, and we can offer magical items in exchange."
The senior soldier smiled. "We heard about the Palm Oil Trees already. It seems that you underestimated the abilities of your Witch, as our neighbours have already called for additional transport cans to arrive at the end of the week. They are expecting to have oil to move that quickly."
John, who had been sitting quietly next to the man taking notes, suddenly spoke up at that point.
"How about other magical devices? I saw what you did with that pair of pistols, and it didn't look like you were constantly casting spells. Those are magical items, aren't they? The patrol teams would love to get their hands on something like that." He suggested.
Ella laughed. "I bet they would. But it's only been a few months since the Frozen Wastes were under attack by the Mundane armies. Selling magical military technology at this point is a bit premature. We could offer some barriers, utility spells, and even magical vehicles that could be recharged easily by the local witches, but magical munitions won't be part of the first trade agreement."
John nodded, and while he looked disappointed, he realized that she had a point. They weren't from the same nation, and the Frozen Wastes never did get any consideration in the past, as the residents were treated like common monsters. As much as he really wanted one of Wolfe's magic-powered pistols, it would have to wait until there was a stronger alliance built.
