Farmer Mage

Chapter 69: Angry Cuddle Toy

Cal had been feeding the hearthstone his mana for nearly three hours, enough for his mana to recover to full capacity six times over before he emptied it. This still wasn’t close to filling the hearthstone, but at least it was nearly a quarter full.

At least it wouldn’t be a struggle to sense the mana stored inside, unlike when he had first started.

It’s a good thing I didn’t accept Tavia’s help.

The hearthstone was meant to be used as a way to quickly refill any lost mana, and even then, it was only meant for emergencies. The transfer of mana was always inefficient, and that was when speaking about nonessential mana.

Cal had never heard of a mention of a hearthstone being used to recover a drained essential mana reserve. Given the size of the hearthstones in the possession of the Masters—at least the ones he had seen—he understood why such a use was never mentioned.

It wouldn’t have been possible with the massively increased inefficiency when trying to restore the essential mana reserves. As for the larger hearthstones like the one he possessed, they were never completely filled with mana naturally, nor did a single person contribute their mana. It was always done with multiple people to fill it quicker to capacity.

That ruled out attempting to restore essential mana reserves. The combination of multiple people’s mana would make it more dangerous than useful. The best-case scenario was a complete loss of control due to different properties introduced by the unfamiliar mana.

It should take well over half the hearthstone’s capacity to restore my essential reserves when it’s completely depleted. I assume that will be the case with [Mist Walker]. I’ll test it on something more minor first.

Cal stood up after he felt his mana recover to its full capacity and left the house. His crops needed to be watered. He cast [Rainfall] as soon as he was in range.

The sound of rain falling on the soil was the only thing heard in the dark surroundings. The sun had set an hour ago, and he had been hyperaware of that. Tavia had claimed she would return in the morning, but it was well past that at this point.

It was likely she wouldn’t be back until tomorrow at the earliest.

Cal had been looking forward to visiting the bazaar with Tavia, not only because it might have been an interesting outing, but also to try and get rid of the gem he no longer wanted near him.

Selling it back to a merchant wasn’t the best idea he had, but it was preferable to keeping it near him. However, he was debating between that and going into the Northern Wastes and burying it deep underground in some rarely visited place.

Neither were particularly good plans, but both were better than keeping the gem close. Seeing the guildmaster act so differently had truly pushed him to a point where he wanted to take zero risk.

Cal put down his hand once the crops were watered. The first batch he planted was almost ready for harvest. It would only take a day or two more before it was time.

He glanced at the soil he had covered with loam and estimated it needed nine hours before it was ready for the slurry of powdered crystals and water. It was a perfect length of time to get a good night’s sleep, but he had a strong urge to keep practicing the spell he was trying to create.

The mana residue in the field was a near-perfect spot for it. He could feel the most obvious, like the pond that practically glowed like a star to his senses or the area he had just watered. The more difficult ones would be the faint tracks from either him or Tavia. The tracks from walking days ago.

The bright spots would make sensing the faint tracks even harder, which was perfect for training his sensitivity.

Cal moved away from the watered crops to avoid being blinded by the strong mana residue nearby before lowering to one knee. He placed his palm on the ground and allowed his mana to seep out.

He wanted to sense Nibbles working on the tunnel she was constructing below. She hadn’t been working on that for days, so if he could sense her tracks now, he would call that progress.

He could work on sensing days-old tracks near the pond after that.

***

Cal could feel his mana running low.

The new spell he was trying to create barely sipped on his mana, and for it to nearly draw all of it would take hours upon hours.

He had spent well over six hours kneeling, and surprisingly, he didn’t tire of doing so even for a second. He had spent far longer in his past life—working, not kneeling—to improve his lightning spell, but he had needed to force himself to continue since he rarely experienced progress.

That wasn’t the case this time around. While the progress was slow, there was always something new he accomplished by the minute, even if it was a microscopic difference. It added up to the goal he wanted.

Cal smiled when he sensed the mana residue Nibbles left behind as she dug out the tunnel. He still couldn’t sense her tracks, but that was something to try another day. He was suddenly interested in how the tunnel was made more than the mana residue.

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He had assumed Nibbles simply ate through the ground to make these tunnels, but that wasn’t the case. The tunnel was reinforced to prevent a collapse, though it still seemed soft enough to allow roots to grow through the walls.

It’s designed to act as a well for plants to draw from.

Cal idly wondered if Nibbles was part of a species that symbiotically lived among farmers. Though it was a stretch considering her appetite. Most farmers would die of a heart attack after seeing her eat once.

His gaze sharpened as he quickly looked to his side and stood up. Once he realized it was just Nibbles rocketing toward him in her own unique way, he relaxed and waited in anticipation. He didn’t think she would be this quick in finishing her mission.

Nibbles sprang up from a little hole she made before him. He sensed that she avoided the old tunnels altogether to prevent an unneeded connection that led out of the field.

Good Nibbles. Cal had a smile on his face when Nibbles immediately started chittering and making poses to communicate.

“You found both the lone wolf and the pack?” Cal tilted his head as he tried to figure out the game of charades that started abruptly. Nibbles nodded excitedly before making more poses. “… Neither are interested in meeting me, but you can lead me to them.”

Nibbles nodded again before staring at him for a decision.

Cal wasn’t sure if this was the way to go. Inserting his presence where it clearly wasn’t wanted would not be a good impression, but he wasn’t really in the mood to take the soft approach. With that being the case, he would rather meet the lone wolf.

The pack as a whole had caused the destruction that he remembered in his past life. However, given the way the wolf pack attacked under the direction of their strongest member, it would make more sense to go to the lone wolf.

He understood why the wolf refused to travel with the pack—the odd Silvermane Wolf species preferred a solitary existence—but he questioned when it didn’t join its brethren in their attack on his field. The lone wolf was far stronger if it made Nibbles wary.

Cal thought it over for a few more seconds before saying, “Lead me to the lone wolf.”

Nibbles gave him a disgruntled look and dove back into the hole she had made. That reminded him she wasn't happy about being sent on this mission. It was something to figure out when they returned.

He could feel her rocketing away from the field as he followed her with a fast stride above the ground.

Cal found himself impressed at the speed Nibbles traveled. He had to actually put in effort to keep up, though some of his energy was taken up keeping track of her with his half-finished spell. Still, it opened his eyes to why she had been so confident in escaping the wolf if need be.

They traveled for nearly twenty minutes into the Northern Wastes. Cal estimated that it must be thirty miles. They hadn’t met the border guards, which honestly surprised him since that meant this was still the Celestial Order’s territory.

He knew the Northern Wastes was the largest region of the territory, but he didn’t think it was this big.

Cal also assumed his stationed region was dull, but he didn’t know it was this boring. Big and boring was not a great combination.

The entire trip was a blur of flat land with the useless surface layer stretching as far as the eyes could see. It truly was a waste of a land.

Nibbles turned abruptly, cutting her speed by twenty percent since she was no longer traveling in her premade tunnel. She needed to dig her way to the new destination.

The wolf must have decided to change its location. Unfortunately, Nibbles is too good.

Cal followed her path closely before sparse woods appeared ahead. Other than the border guards, this was a sign that they were reaching the edge of the Northern Wastes.

Nibbles dug to the surface before pointing into the woods.

“Go warn it that I’m here,” Cal didn’t move further.

He could sense the mana residue of a large beast walking into the woods, and it was still injured. He felt it would be better to give it a courtesy warning. Even if it tried to escape, there was nowhere it could run from him.

After Nibbles entered the woods, he looked around curiously. He never thought he would be allowed to get so close to the border without someone trying to stop him.

Maybe it was just my paranoia. I’m not being watched.

Cal only waited for a few seconds when Nibbles reappeared and motioned for him to follow. He held back his amusement at her serious expression and did as she requested.

He could already see the wolf a short distance away, failing to hide behind the pathetic number of trees in the woods. Most of its body was successfully hidden, but its snout was occasionally revealed when it nervously shifted.

Nibbles squeaked a few times when they were before the wolf as if introducing them to each other.

It was twice as large as any of the wolves he had seen in the pack, but it was still unmistakably a Silvermane Wolf.

Cal would be surprised a beast like this had been able to get past the Apprentice rank guards on the border. The wolf would likely be born inside the territory, which was even more impressive.

Wild beasts were starved of resources in the territory. Primarily because any place that had an abundance of it was occupied by humans. By the time any beasts invaded human settlements, it would bring down an eradication from the guild. It meant most wild beasts were usually limited to the strength equivalent of a mid-level core guild Initiate.

This wolf was clearly able to match a member in the Apprentice rank. It would be one of a lower level but still extremely impressive.

If this wolf was free to gather all the resources it needed without worry, its innate talent would allow it to soar.

“Can you understand me?” Cal expected a reply, which he got when the wolf growled before nodding warily. “You don’t want to see me, and I would have preferred to leave you be, but it seems we must come to an agreement.”

The wolf was clearly confused at why they ‘must’ do anything, but it continued to listen closely.

“It looks like you were injured by the guards at the border. You tried to leave the territory to the wild border, am I correct?” Cal recognized the injury that the wolf carried. It was a typical attack used by any guild member to deal with beasts. As for the wolf leaving the territory, that was an educated guess that was proven correct when the wolf growled angrily. “You can’t grow anymore.”

The wolf growled again, raising its hackles in agreement. That made Nibbles squeak as she pointed at the wolf angrily.

Cal chuckled when the wolf backed down. The sight of a cuddle toy commanding an angry wolf would be stuck in his mind for a while. “That was not an insult or a threat. If you agree to take command of the wandering wolf pack and protect my land, I will make sure you have enough sustenance for further growth.”

The wolf stared at him in shock before looking like it was seriously considering the offer.

Cal was willing to wait. He wasn’t in a rush since step two of the soil repair was still hours away.