I’ve Been Reincarnated as a Tentacle Slime~ I Want to Live a Comfortable, Secure Life and Do Whatever I Want~ - Chapter 51

The day after finishing the wall, the eldest daughter slime returned, and the second son slime’s team arrived.

“Alright, today we’ll start clearing the land.”

“Which area will we turn into a farm?”

“It will be the southern side. It’ll be a way to show anyone coming to the village that we have food.”

“So, the idea is to tie down wanderers to this village.”

“That’s right. It’s always better to have more wombs capable of bearing children.”

“So, we’ll clear the land to the east of the road on the south side and keep the western side with the river for the waterwheel.”

With four of us chopping the trees, it didn’t take long and by midday, we were finished. The wood was stacked to the east of the village, northeast from the farm. It can be used for charcoal or firewood, so there was no need to consume it.

“The clearing work is the same as when we made the Monster House before, we’ll use the excavator’s tentacles to dig it up.”

“Since we don’t have to move the dug-up soil, it’s much easier than the Monster House.”

“Yeah, the depth is around 40cm, so it’s simpler than making a room. The soil loosening work might be a bit of a hassle, though.”

“If we crush it with the hammer’s tentacles while doing it, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

“That’s reassuring. Then, let’s get started!”

We divided the 100 x 100m (1 hectare) land into four 50 x 50m sections and began the clearing work (it’s slightly narrower than 50m due to the farm road).

Four farming plots!? Here come the UMA! Building a medieval cheat network with four fields! — But, no? It’s just regular three-field farming. (TL Note: the UMA is referencing U(nidentified) M(ysterious) A(nimal) in a humorous way, as if the farming methods are mysterious or legendary like a cryptid.)

We mixed the dug-up humus and red soil with ‘fish meal’ made from fish on level 7F, ‘bone meal’ made from animal-type monsters, and ‘wood ash’ made by burning the leaves from felled trees to provide NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) to the soil.

Three fields will be set aside for winter crops (wheat, rye), summer crops (barley, oats), and fallow land, while the remaining one will be used to grow vegetables and beans. By expanding the area into 100x100m plots, the same crops won’t be planted next to each other. If one field is ruined by pests or disease, the whole farm won’t be lost. If they are separated by 50 meters, it should be fine, right? Probably.

The next step is deciding what to plant… but this is the problem. The bandits steal the winter crops, and they even take the seeds for the summer crops, so there’s no way we can have enough for a 50x50m plot.

In that case, instead of sowing seeds in the fields, let’s change to planting seedlings.

Looks like it’s time for the wood to be used. I made small black plastic pots, the kind used for seedlings, from wood. If there’s a hole at the bottom, it should drain well. The soil I just dug up should be fine.

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“Legos, I plan to grow seedlings from seeds in these pots. Do you have any seeds for grains or vegetables that can be used?”

“There’s a small amount of barley and oats, and the only beans are chickpeas. For vegetable seeds, we have zucchini, watercress, arugula, lettuce, komatsuna, and for root vegetables, onions, beets, radishes, and carrots.

I understand, if we do it like this, they won’t be eaten by insects or birds, and since they can be moved, we can create an environment that promotes sprouting.”

Somehow, there are a lot of names that feel very Western.

Unfortunately, it seems there are no South American crops like potatoes, corn, peppers, tomatoes, or green beans. I’ll have to have the child slimes go get them someday. I think it will be a few years though.

“Well then, I suppose grains and beans, zucchini, cucumbers, and lettuce should be good. Quick-growing komatsuna and root vegetables aren’t suitable for seedlings, though.”

“Understood, I’ll go get the seeds from the warehouse, so please wait a moment.”

Afterwards, I asked the villagers to manage the care of the seedlings until they sprouted.

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“Now that the clearing is finished, the next step is the dining hall.”

I got permission from Legos to use the vacant house, then tore out the interior and replaced one wall with stone. I built a stone oven, a high-bottomed stove for charcoal (like the ones used in barbecues), and a stove for firewood. Once the chimney is added outside, it will be complete.

I placed wooden cooking counters, tables, and chairs in various spots.

“What are you doing next? Oh! This is truly impressive!”

“The oven in the house was broken by bandits, right? If we had a communal dining space, managing and repairing would be much easier. Plus, it would help reduce the use of wood.”

“With the defense walls and these kinds of facilities, ever since Lord Cruz became the village head, the village has transformed. It stirs my heart, almost as if I’m a child again.”

“Do you think this facility, the dining hall, will be accepted? We can use the village’s resources for firewood and charcoal.”

“It should be fine. In fact, with such impressive facilities, they’ll probably want to use it.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Well then, shall we reveal it later?”

The results were excellent. Just as Legos said. We cook here in the morning, and though there’s a time difference, everyone eats here together. The shifts will rotate among several people. If we eat from the same pot, it should strengthen our sense of camaraderie.

–

Next, we need utensils and preserved food, but for those, we’ll need charcoal and salt, so it might take a little longer.

I’ve heard that salt can be obtained from dungeons, but it seems like it’s in deeper layers, as we haven’t found any in our dungeon.

Wooden utensils are fine, but it would be nice if we could make ceramic ones.

Why not make them out of stone? Don’t say that. It might even become a way for the village to earn foreign currency.

This time’s results:

・I created the grain fields to the south, where the road is, to showcase our wealth.

・The purpose of the dining hall is to build a sense of community by having everyone share the same meal.

Chapter length 2202 characters.