Chapter 1135: Chapter 699: Play Chapter 1135: Chapter 699: Play “Isn't he supposed to be basking in Holy Light? Why on earth are you making him plant stuff? Once you let him start planting, don't even think about pulling him back,” Negris said helplessly.
Ange had been pinned down by them for nearly half a year due to the Ancient God Hunter issue, unable to plant anything. He could only fiddle about in the Dimensional Space to satisfy his craving–his scythe and hoe were starving for action.
Now was the crucial moment in preparing for battle against the Dark Wings. In just over half a month, the Dark Wings and the Light of Creation would arrive here. Letting Ange loose on farming now would be a hassle if he got too engrossed and didn't come back even as the Dark Wings showed up.
“The plants Lord Nage is growing are precisely what's key to stifling the Dark Wings. Plus, we need something to lure the Dark Wings here; otherwise, they'll head straight for the Plane,” Anthony said.
“Plants that can counter the Dark Wings? What crap are you talking about? Aren't you just asking him to grow vegetables? Since when can vegetables counter the Dark Wings? Aren't those a favorite of bees? How would they counter the Dark Wings–by making honey to choke them to death?” Negris questioned.
Anthony said with a wry smile, “Lord Nage, you know I'm really bad at these technical issues, can't explain them clearly. Anyway, that's what the mages from Stellaris Academy say, and you'll see when the time comes.”
Negris loved discussing technical issues because that was knowledge, but he least liked discussing it with those wizards from Stellaris Academy. Those folks always came up with new knowledge he'd never seen before, often bothering him for advice.
He was the God of Knowledge, not the God of the Unknown. Those things still in the stages of exploration that hadn't been distilled into principles couldn't be counted as knowledge, only a form of inquiry. He wasn't clued in on those.
He hadn't even understood that notebook of Hiludi which seemed like a heavenly tome. To avoid embarrassment, he tried hard not to discuss matters with the mages of Stellaris Academy. So when Anthony mentioned Stellaris Academy, Negris didn't pursue the matter further.
Ange could finally focus on planting in peace. There had been too many messy things lately: Elf Chariots, War Giant Trees, Chaotic Holy Spirits, Ancient God Hunters–he had hardly any chance to settle down.
Thinking back, the plot of land he had hurriedly turned over while fighting the Goddess of Starfire was the largest he had cultivated recently.
It was more enjoyable to just plant. No need to worry about all these troublesome matters. Just till the land, sow the seeds, water and fertilize, and you get fruits. Plant a seed and watch a plant grow. To sow is to reap–pure joy.
“Oh, no soil,” Ange abruptly remembered; he needed to plant in the Void, and there was no soil.
But lack of soil was no longer a concern. He was past the age where he needed actual dirt to plant things. A growth medium would do just fine.
With the Elf Chariot as the center, a velvet green carpet unfurled like the petals of a giant balloon flower, but far denser, with a total of sixteen leaves, splitting the 'balloon' evenly along its axis.
Once the 'balloon' took shape, the Elf Chariot could leave, as the structure could support and float in the Void on its own.
Each petal was a vast and flat growing medium that could be planted on both sides.
“No air…” After setting up the medium, Ange encountered another issue. But it seemed not an unsolvable one. A bunch of Titans were summoned. Amid space evenly scattered with Water Elements, they were tasked with generating electricity with might…
There was air now, but this air comprised only two components: one for breathing and the other for combustion.
“Isn't this just the Water Flame Spell? Can't we use that?” Negris inquired.
Ange tried it out: “No good, it burnt up.”
The Water Flame Spell consumed Water Elements, losing mass, ultimately reverting to water; meaning magic power was wasted, water was lost, heat was released, and in the end, it all turned back to water–with no change. It would just rely on the Titans' slow electrolysis.
The air quickly dissipated into the Void; the Titans' electrolysis couldn't keep up with its loss.
Ange discussed with Little Sapling, but it was too complex; the two couldn't understand each other clearly.
“I'll handle it,” the God of Life seemed to grasp Ange's intent, waving their hand and scattering a flurry of green light.
The green points of light fell onto the medium petals, and the velvet carpet instantly sprouted even finer fuzz, akin to the tiny hairs on insects' limbs–readily absorbing both droplets and air.
“This is due to surface tension acting on tiny objects. With these fine hairs, the green carpet can retain water, and air won't dissipate so easily,” Negris explained.
The gases created by the Titans' electrolysis would spread through the green carpet until the entire carpet was saturated.
“But as you said, the air from electrolysis lacks the components most needed by crops. How will you deal with that?” Negris asked.
Ange produced Insect Ash Liquid, bird droppings, wood ash, limestone… He mixed the most suitable fertilizer, then sprinkled it over the green carpet medium.
“And the light? How will you solve that? Don't tell me you're thinking of using Luminous Moss for supplementary lighting?” Negris asked eagerly.
Seeing Ange progress to this stage, Negris was beginning to comprehend the scale of innovation they were embarking on.
The four essentials for crop growth–soil, air, sunlight, and water–were all nonexistent in the Void. If Ange was to cultivate crops here, he'd have to address these issues efficiently and inexpensively.
If the costs were too high, it would be challenging to fill all the green carpets with crops. These carpets would span far larger than the Elf Chariots, with several million acres of planting area on one side alone, and there were sixteen such carpets in total.
If it weren't for the special plants like the Tree of Life, which grow by absorbing life force, Ange wouldn't have been able to grow even these sixteen basic green carpets.
The Titans electrolytically produced air, a very cost-intensive process. Velvet could retain most of it, which was considered efficiency improvement. But while soil, water, and air could be managed, how would sunlight be addressed?
Surely one couldn't simply use a magic array to supplement light? Like in the Lich Underground City, the cost of that would be astronomical.
Ange shook his head and tapped Little Sapling on the head: “Ao!”
Little Sapling immediately waved its True Leaves: Harder–Bright–Harder–Bright–
The whole expanse of green carpet slowly emitted a phosphorescence, just like Luminous Moss.
Negris's eyes widened in shock: “Did you crossbreed the Luminous Moss with the velvet?”
Ange nodded.
“But isn't velvet from the World Tree? How could you crossbreed Luminous Moss with the World Tree?” Negris, no longer the novice planter he once was, spotted the issue immediately.
“Velvet isn't,” said Ange.
Negris peered closer and finally noticed that the velvet on top of the green carpet wasn't actually part of the same organism. The velvet parasitized the green carpet; since both were filamentous in form, they appeared to be two kinds of silk. It had never crossed his mind that they weren't the same plant.
“So, you're saying there are two kinds of plants in the green carpet: one is the Tree of Life and the other is a normal plant. The normal plant grows and provides life force for the Tree of Life to grow? And this normal plant has been crossbred with Luminous Moss to create this luminous velvet? Are those fine velvety hairs that retain air a mutation of the Tree of Life?”
Ange nodded.
“Good heavens.” Negris was astounded. It was only at that moment he truly understood Ange's entire planting process.
That was because he had followed Ange for so long, barely qualifying as a planting expert. If it were anyone else, even a Druid like Kael'danil, they would probably be completely baffled.
“Where did these velvety strands come from? Why can they grow in the Void?” Negris thought of another question.
For the Luminous Velvet to grow and provide life force for the Tree of Life, the velvet needed to grow first. What kind of crop could directly grow in the Void?
“The War Giant Tree can,” said Ange.
Indeed, the Void War Tree did grow directly in the Void. Although it relied on the Void Tree for growth, the Luminous Velvet also grew by attaching to the Void Tree.
Had Ange modified the War Tree to grow like velvet, and even introduced the traits of the Luminous Moss to create a Luminous War Moss?
The complexity was Kvadlike, but such complicated catalysis and mutation was possible only for Ange. He commanded two Void Trees and possessed divine techniques like the Goddess of Beauty Fist.
“But the problem is, even if you use Luminous Moss for light, it's insufficient for the entire growth process,” said Negris.
Ange took out a bunch of Chaos Angel Feathers, each inserted into a stone engraved with a glowing magic array.
He shook the stones, causing the feathers to sway. After a few shakes, the glowing magic arrays lit up.
Setting up a stone with such properties at intervals, along with the luminous velvet, the crops they had sown could finally mature.
“Alright, you've really managed to grow them, but what about the thing that counters the Dark Wing? Where is it? Hurry up and plant it!” said Negris.
Ange pointed ostentatiously behind him.
Negris looked back and saw the surface of the Elf Chariot now covered with enormous buds, each expelling pollen. Once the pollen was released, the buds would fall off.
New small buds quickly sprouted in the original buds' places, then enlarged and expelled pollen, repeating the process.
The pollen drifted away into the Void, covering a vast expanse of it; every cubic centimeter contained a concentration of at least fifty particles.
“What are you doing? Don't tell me that pollen is the thing that counters the Dark Wing?” said Negris.
Ange nodded.
A feeling of foreboding suddenly gripped Negris: “If the pollen is what counters the Dark Wing, then why have you gone to such lengths to set up this large-scale project?”
Ange replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world: “For fun.”
Chapter end
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