Wu Yao casually opened the world map.
The moment the map opened, she froze. The map of Qinghe Town, which had previously been mostly shrouded in darkness, was now completely illuminated.
From Peiva Town in the north to the Ken Territory in the south, from the edge of the Moonlight Forest in the west to a town she had yet to visit in the east—the flow of the rivers, the distribution of the roads, and the boundaries of the farmland were all clearly defined.
She could even see dots of light representing the residents slowly moving across the map.
Wu Yao stared at the map for a long while before suddenly coming to a realization.
It had to be because Qinghe Town was now a Sub-Territory.
The setting made sense; as a Sub-Territory, she naturally needed to be able to see it.
Her gamer's desire to conquer the world instantly peaked.
Qinghe Town itself sat on a flat, open plain. A river named the Qinghe wound past the west side of the town, making a wide bend at a river cove outside the town and leaving behind several low-lying wetlands.
To the south, the terrain rose slightly into a gentle, sun-facing slope. The slope had more shrubs and vegetation, but sparser grass.
Wu Yao zoomed in on the mini-map, inspecting the farmland around Qinghe Town plot by plot.
It was all planted with wheat.
From the riverbanks to the foot of the slope, from the outskirts of the town to the distant villages, every single piece of cultivated land was filled with wheat.
Wu Yao frowned.
She had never farmed before, but she was a geography student, after all.
Monoculture carried too much risk. In the event of pests, diseases, or natural disasters, the entire town's harvest would be wiped out.
Furthermore, not all land was the same. The land by the river had plenty of moisture, the land on the slopes had good drainage, and the low-lying areas easily collected water. Different plots of land were suited for completely different crops.
Planting wheat on every single plot was like putting all her eggs in one basket.
She continued looking down.
The few low-lying plots at the river bend were labeled as "seasonal waterlogged areas" on the mini-map. Planting wheat in such soil would inevitably rot the roots.
But if she turned them into fishponds, she might be able to turn trash into treasure.
The gentle slope to the south was a different story. It was high, drained quickly, and received long hours of sunlight. The mini-map showed that the soil was lighter in color, indicating it was likely sandy.
Growing wheat here would definitely yield poor results, but for fruit trees, spices, or medicinal herbs, it would be prime land.
There were also plots far from the water channels. The cost of drawing water for irrigation there was too high, making wheat cultivation more trouble than it was worth. It would be better to switch to drought-tolerant legumes or pasture grass.
Legumes could fix nitrogen to nourish the soil, and pasture grass could feed livestock. Both were far more cost-effective than forcing wheat to grow.
Wu Yao's finger continued to slide across the map, her brow furrowing deeper.
Qinghe Town's irrigation facilities were an absolute mess.
Some plots were clearly not far from the river, but because there were no channels, the farmers had to carry water manually for irrigation.
There was only a dilapidated wooden bridge connecting the town to the cultivated plots on the other side of the river. The bridge was so narrow that only one person could cross at a time. For residents on the opposite bank to come to town, they had to take a detour that took nearly one shichen.
The town's public facilities were also concentrated in a small area at the center, completely failing to reach the slightly more remote villages.
There weren't enough roads either. Only one main road in the entire town was paved with stone slabs, while the rest were all dirt roads. On rainy days, they turned into muddy swamps. Forget transporting grain—even walking was a struggle.
The more Wu Yao looked, the more she felt this place was like begging for food while holding a golden bowl.
It had such a great foundation—a river running through it, open plains, a gentle slope to the south to block the wind, ample sunlight, and diverse soil types. With proper planning, let alone supporting over two thousand people, feeding twenty thousand would be more than feasible.
Wu Yao closed the map, her mind already spinning rapidly.
The agricultural structure had to be adjusted.
The low-lying wetlands at the river bend should be replanted with flood-tolerant vegetables, or dug into fishponds to raise fish and ducks.
The gentle southern slope would grow fruit trees, spices, and medicinal herbs. These cash crops had high added value, bringing in profits several times greater than wheat.
Plots far from the water channels would be switched to legumes and pasture grass, which could both nourish the soil and support animal husbandry.
The irrigation facilities needed to be replanned.
Channels had to be re-excavated to divert river water to every plot of farmland that required irrigation.
Bridges had to be rebuilt, and roads had to be widened.
Public facilities also had to keep pace.
Facilities like mills and markets needed to serve the entire town, so residents in the outlying villages didn't have to travel for half a day just to get anything done.
Just farming wasn't enough, either.
If they ground the wheat into flour before selling it, the price would at least double.
With a large-scale mill, they could also separate the products into different grades, such as refined white flour, whole wheat flour, and wheat bran. Refined white flour could be sold to nobles and wealthy merchants, whole wheat flour to ordinary residents, and wheat bran could be used to feed livestock.
Byproducts shouldn't be wasted either. Wheat bran could feed pigs and chickens, and livestock manure could be composted and returned to the fields, creating a complete cycle.
If they further processed those cash crops into dried fruits, jams, spice powders, and prepared medicinal herbs, every additional step in processing would yield a higher profit margin.
This way, job opportunities in town would also multiply. Young people wouldn't have to crowd into the fields to scrape together a living; they could work as laborers in processing workshops, work in transport, or run small businesses.
The more Wu Yao thought about it, the more excited she became, wishing she could plan out all the plots right then and there.
She spread her hands to Benita. “Give me a map of Qinghe Town.”
Benita was slightly startled, but she quickly recovered. “There is one in the town hall's office. Lady Eleanor specifically organized it when she was sorting through the archives a few days ago.”
“Let's go then. Back to the town hall.”
The group made their way back in a grand procession.
As Benita passed the side hall, she took a few extra glances at the unfamiliar youth slouched in a chair with her legs crossed. The youth had something dangling from her mouth, bobbing up and down as she teased the black cat in her arms.
Benita gave Darian a friendly nod, asking no questions.
Darian was taken aback by the nod, nearly dropping the maltose candy from her mouth.
She quickly adjusted her posture and squeezed out a somewhat decent smile for Benita.
Is this person the mayor of Qinghe Town?
She seems like a gentle person... a bit like her Agathe.
Without looking aside, Wu Yao followed Benita down the corridor and pushed open the door to the office.
This room was much more spacious than the side hall. A massive solid wood long table stood in the center, covered with a layer of dark green felt. The surrounding walls were covered with all kinds of maps and charts.
Eleanor took a roll of parchment tied with fine hemp rope from the filing cabinet by the wall, unrolling it on the long table and securing the four corners with brass paperweights.
“I had someone draw this two years ago. It includes a complete map of Qinghe Town and the surrounding villages.” Eleanor took a step back to make room for Wu Yao.
Compared to her system map, the accuracy of this hand-drawn map was several grades lower, but it was more than enough for an explanation.
She extended her index finger, placing it on the icon for Qinghe Town, and then drew an arc outward, circling the entire jurisdiction of Qinghe Town.
“I'll start with the conclusion.” Her voice wasn't loud, yet it made everyone present hold their breath. “Qinghe Town has a great foundation, but the way it's currently being used is an absolute waste of God's gifts.”
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