Today was the day I decided to teach the Elves how to farm.
As usual, I was spending my morning routine in the chicken coop.
When I looked toward a sound nearby, Kari Nu and five Elves were approaching.
Kari Nu, who was said to be the next Chieftain, led the way with a firmer expression than usual, and the rest of the Elves looked equally nervous.
Since I already knew about the Spirit Power they used, I thought farming wouldn’t be difficult for them, but I still had to teach them from the basics. I was also secretly worried.
‘Can I really teach farming to another race properly?’
However, unlike their nervous faces, their passionate eyes gave me a surge of confidence.
“You’re here? Good morning,” I said, waving brightly.
Kari Nu nodded and replied, “Good morning. I enjoyed the Fresh Kimchi. You have great culinary skill.”
Hearing a compliment from the usually blunt Kari Nu made me smile.
‘Haha, that makes me feel proud. Such small acknowledgments make me forget my exhaustion.’
The tension seemed to break during our casual conversation, and the Elves who came with her joined in.
“Master Minho! Everyone is crazy about the Fresh Kimchi right now!”
“What kind of magic did you perform?”
“Can we learn how to make Fresh Kimchi in detail on our way back? Everyone is in an uproar about wanting to make it themselves.”
“Did Kasia not tell you?” I asked.
“She did, but she spoke too fast for us to take notes.”
It seemed she had only explained it verbally. Since I was the one who did the measuring, she probably only told them what she saw by eye.
“Hahaha, I’ll let you know when you head back later.”
‘Am I spreading too spicy a recipe to Elves who usually eat blandly? Oh well, eating a variety of things is good.’
Since it had come to this, I decided I should send some Banchu back with them so they could practice.
“Shall we get started then?”
I didn’t need to worry about what to teach the Elves first. Fortunately, I had already taught Kasia how to farm. Since she had grown things well back then, the Elves should be able to do the same if they followed the same steps.
“First, I think it’s best to learn the basics of farming. So, while you’re learning from me, I’m going to prohibit the use of Spirit Arts.”
“Spirit Arts?”
“Weren’t we told to farm using Spirit Arts?”
“Quiet. Let’s listen to the rest of what he has to say first.”
Sometimes Elves can get quite fired up. It wasn’t that they were angry or being negative, but they tended to pour out questions all at once when they were curious.
I felt lucky that Kari Nu, who could restrain their barrage of questions, had come along.
“Thank you, Kari Nu. First of all, none of you have probably ever planted crops in Eliya. From what I’ve heard, Elves are a race that maintains their livelihood through gathering rather than farming. Is that correct?”
“That is correct.”
“And you’ve likely never seen Earth’s crops before. You aren’t familiar with the climate either. So, what I’m thinking is that you should first build a foundation from the basics, and then apply Spirit Arts to your farming.”
Only by knowing farming well would they know where using Spirit Arts would be most efficient and beneficial.
Kasia only used Spirit Arts when she was helping me, but she didn’t use them when she was growing Banchu herself.
Of course, that might have been because it was a small Farmland, but it probably wasn’t necessary anyway.
“That is a good idea. We will learn the basics perfectly.”
After hearing my explanation, the Elves nodded in agreement. I decided to add “quick to admit when they are wrong” to my mental list of Elven traits.
“Alright, then shall we look at the Farmland first?”
I led them to the field. In the field where the warm sunlight was shining down, several crops were already growing.
“From here, we have Peanuts, Gochu, and Green Onions.”
“What was growing in this empty patch of land?”
“Ah, that’s for Banchu. It’s the crop Kasia grew herself while learning farming, and we used it to make yesterday’s Fresh Kimchi.”
“I see. Then we should grow Banchu as well.”
The rest of the Elves agreed with Kari Nu’s words.
“That’s right. Everyone happened to want to make and eat Fresh Kimchi themselves.”
“Fresh Kimchi! Fresh Kimchi!”
‘Right, if they’re interested, it’ll be easier for them to focus.’
“Alright. Let’s go with planting Banchu, then.”
Kari Nu looked at the Banchu intently and then turned to me.
“So, what is it that we need to do?”
“First, I’ll teach you about planting Banchu seeds and then watering them. Like I said before, even if you can control the Spirit of Water, this time you’ll be watering them by hand.”
Seeing the Elves nod, I went to the Feed Storage and brought back Banchu seeds. While transplanting Banchu Seedlings would shorten the growing time and be more convenient, this was a time for education. It was a time to teach them how to grow crops from the very beginning. Therefore, I planned to teach them how to cover the ground with vinyl rather than just planting the seeds.
“Usually, before planting seeds, we do something called Mulching.”
“Mulching? What is that?”
“It’s a method of covering the field with vinyl to maintain the moisture in the soil. Doing that keeps the soil soft and helps the crops grow stably. It also has many benefits, like preventing pests and fertilizer loss.”
The Elves looked around and checked my Farmland.
“Master Minho! I don’t see any vinyl in your field!”
“I didn’t do Mulching separately. Kasia provides good soil and water. Thanks to the chickens, there are no bugs, either. Haha.”
I felt a bit hypocritical teaching them to do something I didn’t even do myself. But since it was a part of the farming process, I didn’t intend to skip it.
“I see. We understand.”
I decided to demonstrate on a one-pyeong plot of the field that was empty after harvesting Kasia’s Banchu. I picked up a shovel, dug the ground from both sides of where I was going to plant, and piled it in the middle.
“You can pile it up like this to a height where the water can drain, and after covering it with vinyl, you just make holes where you’re going to plant.”
I used a trowel to poke holes into the vinyl and the soil.
Then, holding the Banchu seeds in my hand, I buried them shallowly in the ground while adding a detailed explanation.
The Elves looked focused, trying to remember my words.
“It’s simpler than I thought.”
“Yes, but you could say that farming starts now. It requires constant devotion and management,” I added with a smile. “But with the Spirits, it’ll be much simpler, right?”
Kari Nu and the other Elves nodded.
Since they were beings that were naturally close to Nature, they would likely get the hang of it and become proficient in no time. But I didn’t want to just teach them the techniques.
I wanted to let them know that farming wasn’t just simple labor, but another way of life that harmonized with Nature.
“Now, it’s finished once we water it.”
I took out the Dimensional Watering Can and lightly sprinkled water.
“How is it?”
“Hmm… can I be honest?”
“Of course.”
“It seems like we could finish the farming with just the Spirits alone. It seems very well-suited for our race.”
“Exactly. It’s no wonder Master Minho recommended farming to us.”
I was glad they liked it. Only when the people involved are interested and want to do it will the crops receive plenty of love and grow well. See, I told you farming and Elves were a perfect match.
“Ah! I forgot the most important thing.”
“Hmm? Was there something else?”
“I always say kind words while I water them.”
Since I had already given them water, I stroked the soil and spoke in a gentle tone.
“Banchu, grow up healthy.”
Since this was a familiar concept to the Elves who lived with Nature, they nodded and muttered, “saying kind words.”
“Is it really over now?”
“Yes, that’s right. Do you have anything you’d like to say?”
“I’ve been thinking about how to handle the Spirits. I’d like to hear your opinion.”
“Already? What is it?”
The progress was faster than I expected. I had only just started teaching them farming… although there was still much more I hadn’t taught them yet.
“First, those who control the Earth Spirit will till the land. Then, the Spirits of Air will plant the seeds. Finally, the Spirit of Water will provide the water.”
“What about Mulching? Will you do that yourselves?”
“Yes. What do you think?”
It was exactly the ideal farming I had imagined.
“That’s great. But to truly form a Sympathy with the crops, you must make sure to say kind words to them.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“I’ll prepare the farming materials and… ah!”
I had intended to gather and pass on materials related to farming, but my plan hit a snag. Come to think of it, while I could communicate with the Elves, they couldn’t read or write Korean. Perhaps because I had lived with Kasia without any sense of incompatibility, it was only now that I remembered.
“If that’s the problem, don’t worry. We’ll learn from Lady Kasia.”
“That… Kasia doesn’t know Korean either.”
“!!”
Because she stayed so close to me, it seemed even the Elves thought Kasia knew how to speak and read Korean.
What should I do about this problem? It meant someone who could speak both languages had to teach them, but there was no such person around.
Should I teach them like I would a child? I wasn’t even married yet.
Just then, Kasia and Jinsu came out of the house.
“Brother, how’s it going?”
“Kari Nu, did you learn how to farm well?”
‘Would Jinsu be annoyed if I asked him?’
“A small problem has come up.”
“Yes, I’m planning to go back to Elysium and try it right away.”
When Kari Nu and I gave different answers, a look of confusion appeared on their faces. I explained the situation.
I told them that to farm properly, they needed to know the four seasons of our country, and they needed to know the different sowing and cultivation times for each crop.
“Jinsu, since the Dragon Palace incident, it doesn’t seem like you’ve been teaching Little Pepper… do you have any interest in teaching them Korean?”
“What?! Me?!”
“Yeah. Seeing Little Pepper growing day by day, it seems like you have a talent for being a teacher.”
“I have been a bit free lately… but I came here to protect you, Brother. I can’t be away from you.”
Ah, right. The reason Jinsu was living with me was for protection. Since every day had passed without incident, I had completely forgotten about it. He had just become like someone I naturally lived with.
“Especially since we haven’t found out anything about the Black Moon Sect people yet, we have to be even more careful. Even if it’s just for a short time.”
Jinsu’s words were also correct.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. Then what should we do…”
It didn’t matter if I taught them, but it was difficult for me to devote much time because of the work in the field.
“Then you should teach me first. I will learn it well and teach it to our tribe.”
“Teach Kasia?”
I had never thought about teaching her just because we could communicate. She didn’t feel particularly uncomfortable either, so she hadn’t thought about learning it.
“I was thinking that I should learn it anyway. I can’t watch foreign dramas or movies!”
“Ah, so there was a problem like that.”
She could understand Korean dramas and movies. However, in the case of foreign films that came out with subtitles rather than dubbing, she said she had no idea what was being said. Thinking about it, although it would take some time, it seemed like the best method. Since we were living together, I could teach her Korean at a convenient time, and since she also knew the Elves’ language well, it would be good for her to teach them in turn.
Also, for the time being, there wasn’t much more to teach regarding farming. I could teach only the essential things first and then teach the rest after they had mastered Korean.
“If Kasia is okay with it, then I’m fine with it.”
“The Elves will also be happy if they can learn from Lady Kasia!”
“Me too!”
“Then it’s decided. From now on, teach me Korean.”
‘The more I think about it, the better it seems. We can share each other’s cultures, too. Isn’t this true Sympathy?’
“I’ll go and practice before I forget what I learned today.”
“I’ve learned a lot!”
“Come visit if you have any questions!”
Kari Nu and the five Elves took the Banchu seeds and returned to Elysium. They would probably set up a field at the entrance of the forest.
There was no other suitable land besides that. Once the sprouts started to come up, I should visit occasionally and see how they’re doing.
I hadn’t taught them much, but they were still my students.