“Are you sure you’re okay?” Zinnia, who was holding a watering can, glanced at Cassian as he walked out of the manor with her.
“Hm… I’m much better now, at least the wound isn’t open anymore,” Cassian replied casually.
“Hey…” Zinnia gently grabbed Cassian’s arm.
Realizing this, Cassian stopped in his tracks and turned to face Zinnia.
“Please protect Old Bailey and the other villagers, you know conditions up in the mountains are pretty dangerous,” Zinnia said, a bit awkwardly.
Cassian fell silent and gazed deeply at Zinnia; his expression was too complex for her to decipher.
“I didn’t know you cared about the villagers,” Cassian replied calmly, still staring straight at Zinnia.
“Huh?! What do you mean by asking that?! What do you take me for, huh?!” Zinnia, who had initially seemed awkward, immediately grew annoyed.
“A young lady like you probably wouldn’t care about the lives of those beneath you,” Cassian replied, shrugging indifferently.
Zinnia shook her head upon hearing Cassian’s words.
“I thought we could be friends, but it turns out you’re just annoying! Get lost, I’m sick of looking at you!” Zinnia waved her hand dismissively as she ran away from Cassian.
“And besides, I need them, so make sure you protect them with your life! Remember, you owe me your life!” Zinnia glared sharply, pointing her index finger at Cassian.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.” Cassian looked unconcerned and walked toward the gate.
Meanwhile, Anna walked toward Zinnia, a little cautiously, knowing her young mistress was in a bad mood after being bothered by Cassian.
“Miss, what are we actually supposed to do today?” Anna asked in a soft voice.
“Ohh! I completely forgot our plans for today because of that jerk!” Zinnia gritted her teeth as she glanced toward the gate, even though Cassian was no longer there.
Zinnia pulled a piece of paper from her pants pocket and handed it to Anna.
“Even though the villagers are making filters at the Lume River, we can’t just sit idly by; we’ll make our own filter for our well,” Zinnia explained her plan for the day.
“And you need these items?” Anna examined the paper she’d been given.
“Yes, you’re right. We’ll need them to filter the water from the well,” Zinnia replied calmly.
“Looks like we can clean the manor grounds with these while we’re at it,” Anna replied with a wry smile.
“That’s better; at least we can chip away at cleaning the rest of the grounds. You get started first; I’ll join you after I’m done watering these seeds.” Zinnia then set to work on her part.
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While Zinnia and Anna were busy gathering the materials they needed, the sound of a bell ringing came from the gate.
“Who’s there?” Zinnia was quite confused when she heard someone arriving.
Zinnia stopped Anna, who was about to check the gate; she got up herself and walked toward the gate to see who the visitor was.
There stood the annoying boy Zinnia had met when she went to the village square.
“Hey, kid! Why are you at my house?” Zinnia furrowed her brow in confusion when she saw Stuart standing at the gate of her manor.
“Hey! Didn’t you order seeds from my grandma? She told me to bring them here!” Stuart looked annoyed; he still didn’t like Zinnia very much.
“Ahh!” It was only then that Zinnia remembered she had indeed ordered seeds a few days ago.
Realizing her mistake, Zinnia opened the manor gate and told Stuart to come in.
“I’m sorry, I forgot,” Zinnia replied with a soft chuckle.
“So, how much is it all?” she asked as she took the seeds from Stuart.
“Grandma said 2 Silver,” Stuart answered innocently.
Zinnia told Anna to fetch the money from inside the manor, while she began inspecting the seeds she’d just received.
“By the way, where did your grandma get these seeds?” Zinnia asked without looking at Stuart.
“We collect them ourselves, and sometimes we buy seeds from other towns,” Stuart replied listlessly.
“Why do you look so sad?” Zinnia furrowed her brow in puzzlement.
“It’s been really hard to gather seeds lately; the villagers’ land is on the brink of collapse. Grandma is even thinking about closing her shop,” Stuart explained gloomily.
Zinnia fell silent; she didn’t know how to respond.
“Is it because of the water problem?” Zinnia asked after a long pause.
“It’s not just that. I’m sure you haven’t noticed yet, but the quality of our seeds has been declining since the harvest. Grandma says there are more bad ones than good ones these days; the villagers would only lose money if they planted them.”
Zinnia didn’t know that the villagers were also aware of this; she’d only become aware of the problem thanks to the System.
With soil that’s difficult to cultivate, as well as issues with seed quality and water, it would indeed be very difficult for the villagers to continue farming. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“But isn’t Greenmarch famous for its agricultural produce? If the villagers don’t farm, what will you all do?” Zinnia asked.
“What else but move to another region?” Stuart sighed softly, shrugging his shoulders weakly.
Zinnia was stunned by Stuart’s words; the population in Greenmarch was already small, and it would be difficult for her to develop this area if the remaining residents also migrated.
“Hmm… Can I stay here, Miss? I’ll just end up bored if I go home now,” Stuart said with a wide grin.
“It’s up to you,” Zinnia replied, looking in a bad mood.
Zinnia then pushed her small cart filled with pebbles and small stones that she and Anna had collected.
Earlier, she had asked Anna to bring a medium-sized wooden container, and she began arranging the pebbles and stones inside it.
Next, Zinnia started adding fine sand to the top layer, followed by several other types of sand that she piled on top.
The container already had a small hole that could serve as a water outlet; after that, Zinnia told Anna to draw water from the well.
While Zinnia was busy tinkering with the filter she’d made, she didn’t realize that Stuart had been helping Anna the whole time.
“So you’re planning to filter the water?” Stuart asked as he approached, carrying a bucket of stones to Zinnia.
Zinnia just glanced briefly to her side.
“Yeah, even though Old Bailey and the others are busy at the Lume River, I can’t just sit around doing nothing, can I?”
“I thought you wouldn’t care about things like this,” Stuart replied innocently.
“Do you want to make one at home, too?” Zinnia finally turned around and looked at Stuart.
“Huh? Can I do that?” Stuart sounded enthusiastic.
“Of course. If I can do it, there’s no way you can’t,” Zinnia replied with a faint smirk on her face, even raising one eyebrow to provoke Stuart.
Zinnia’s provocation worked because, after that, Stuart immediately refused to be outdone and said he would make the same filter.
“In that case, take this and help your grandmother filter the water at home. Don’t forget to boil the water first if you want to drink it,” Zinnia explained as she handed a piece of paper to Stuart.
“I’ll prove I’m better than you!” With a competitive spirit, Stuart immediately ran off, leaving the manor behind.
Anna walked slowly toward Zinnia.
“Miss, it’s almost nighttime. I think that’s enough for today.”
As if she hadn’t heard Anna, Zinnia simply stared silently at the manor gate.
It was almost night, and he still hadn’t returned; Zinnia couldn’t help but worry.