Lord: I have built a witch's sanctuary.

Chapter 9 Olivia's Shock

Faced with the lord's wrath, Lorraine simply shook the dirt off her shovel.

"Miss Olivia, please calm down."

"Calm down?" Olivia laughed angrily, pointing at the wooden bucket. "You dug up the seeds and left them to dry in the cold wind. How can you expect me to calm down? These seeds will lose a lot of vitality if they're taken out of the soil!"

"That's still better than planting it in a garbage dump," Lorraine said, pointing to the ground beneath her feet.

"A garbage dump?" Olivia paused, then frowned and retorted, "This place is protected by the Witch's Tower. Although the soil is a bit barren, it can definitely grow if you take good care of it. How could you..."

"It is two different things to grow something and to have a good harvest."

Lorraine interrupted her, her gaze passing over her shoulder to Anna, who was running back in the distance carrying a bag of ashes.

"If you're going to do it, do it to the best of your ability. This barren, frozen soil is no match for your seeds."

Lorraine stuck the shovel into the ground and dusted off her hands:

"Don't worry, you'll know what I'm going to do when Anna gets back. Don't worry, I want a hot loaf of bread even more than you do, and I won't waste any food."

Olivia looked at him suspiciously, then glanced at the little maid running towards them from a distance.

Dead tree branches? Black ash?

What exactly is this guy trying to do?

Anna came running back, panting, her little face red from the cold, carrying a pile of dirty-looking "garbage" in her arms.

"Young Master, the items have been found! The dust from those live snowflakes was too light, it was so hard to sweep..."

Upon seeing Olivia, Anna quickly bowed, only to find the lord's face terrifyingly ugly, which frightened her so much that she shrank behind Lorraine.

"Well done."

Lorraine took the bag of ashes and picked out a few of the oiliest branches from the bundle of dry twigs, breaking them into small pieces.

Then, under Olivia's disapproving gaze, he tossed these unrelated objects into a stone trough used for stirring mud.

Immediately afterwards, he took out five magic crystals from his pocket, which were dropped from the Ice Mirror Puppet yesterday, and they were of excellent quality.

"Watch closely."

Lorraine said in a low voice, then pressed five magic crystals into the pile of dark mixture.

In my mind, the page of "The Witch's Codex" had already been turned.

[Beginner Magic Farm Optimization Recipe:]

[Core Material: Magic Crystal x5]

Catalysts: aged pine branches, bio-phosphorus ash (alternatives available: live snow ash), bio-nitrogen.

[Medium: Frozen soil]

With a flick of Lorraine's fingertip, the five magic crystals suddenly shone with a dazzling light.

But the light did not spread outward; instead, it was greedily absorbed by the seemingly insignificant pile of black ash and withered branches.

sizzle-

A tooth-grinding grinding sound came from the stone trough, followed by an extremely strong earthy smell mixed with the fragrance of grass and trees, which suddenly exploded out.

Olivia's tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed, and her pupils contracted sharply.

As a lord who also practiced alchemy, she was all too familiar with this smell.

This is... the smell of high-purity spiritual soil?!

Before she could react, Lorraine gripped the edge of the stone trough with one hand and exerted force, splashing the dark golden mud that had turned into liquid onto the newly dug 5m x 5m clearing.

Om-!

The moment the mud hit the ground, it seemed to come alive.

They quickly penetrated the hard permafrost layer, and the originally gray and hardened ground began to writhe violently, its color turning into a fertile, oily black at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Wisps of heat rose from the cracks in the soil, dispelling the surrounding chill.

In just a few breaths, a square black farmland, radiating faint magical energy, appeared out of thin air on the snow.

"This...how is this possible?!"

Olivia could no longer maintain her noble composure. She rushed to the edge of the farmland, ignoring the filth, and grabbed a handful of soil.

It is warm to the touch, soft, and so fertile that it seems as if you could squeeze out oil with a gentle squeeze.

"This is standard magic-powered farmland... no, its fertility is even 20% higher than what's available on the market!"

She looked up abruptly, staring intently at Lorraine, her voice shrill with shock:

"Where...where did you get this recipe?!"

"I've seen part of the recipe published by the Alchemy Association. Building such a piece of land would require at least twenty magic crystals, and also the 'Earth Dragon Potion' as a catalyst! The cost alone exceeds thirty magic crystals!"

"You just...you only used five magic crystals! And that pile of trash...that's insect ash, and...what else was there?!"

At this moment, Olivia's worldview was greatly shaken.

If those self-proclaimed noble alchemists knew that their treasured recipes had been easily surpassed by a few withered twigs and a pile of insect ash, they would probably be so ashamed and indignant that they would collectively bang their heads against the wall.

Seeing her flustered state, Lorraine simply shrugged and casually scattered the seeds from the wooden bucket back into the black soil.

"Trade secrets".

He clapped his hands and watched as the seeds sprouted tender green shoots at a visible speed as soon as they were planted in the soil, and nodded in satisfaction.

"As for the cost... is building farmland expensive? I think it's quite cheap."

After saying that, he took out five magic crystals from his pocket and waved them at another open space next to him.

"Since Miss Olivia is here, let's build another one while we're at it. It won't take much effort anyway."

It's the same operation again, the same flowing light again.

In the blink of an eye, a second 5m x 5m magical farmland was neatly laid out next to the first one.

Seeing this, Olivia was completely speechless.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and her gaze towards Lorraine had completely changed.

It's no longer about looking at a down-on-his-luck neighbor, but about looking at a bottomless gold mine.

"I see."

Olivia stood up, brushed the dirt off her hands, and her expression became serious.

"You've optimized the farmland's recipe. This level of alchemy skill... even the alchemy masters in the capital wouldn't be able to match it."

She gave a wry smile and pointed to the two patches of dark, oily land:

"Do you know? It's precisely because this kind of farmland is so expensive to build and difficult to maintain that it can't be widely adopted in the North. In order to grow these barleys, I had to spend a fortune buying alchemical potions from the Alchemy Association to improve the soil, and the effect was still far inferior to what you're doing."

She paused here, a hint of shrewdness and decisiveness flashing in her eyes.

"Lord Lorraine, let's make a deal."

"I know that optimized formula is priceless; I can't afford it, and I wouldn't dare to buy it. But I hope to purchase your 'construction services'."

She pointed to the two plots of land: "I would like to ask you to build this kind of farmland on my territory as well. Whether it's for growing hardy barley or the rare magical plants I have, they all need this kind of environment."

Anna, who was standing nearby, was completely confused and couldn't help but interject, "Um... Miss Olivia, how much would it cost to build on this kind of land outside?"

Olivia glanced at her and held up four fingers: "The Alchemy Association's official price, including materials and labor, starts at forty magic crystals. And you have to wait in line and make an appointment."

"Forty...forty?!"

Anna gasped, looking at the two basins of mud her young master had casually splashed out. She felt as if he had splashed out a mountain of gold, not mud!

How much did the young master use? Five magic crystals, plus a bunch of free junk.

This resale resulted in an eightfold profit?!

Lorraine stroked his chin, seemingly seriously considering the suggestion.

He is indeed short of magic crystals right now. Although killing monsters can drop them, high-intensity battles are risky after all.

Having a stable business income would be ideal.

Moreover, Olivia was a good partner, and he remembered her kindness in helping him in his time of need.

"Forty pieces?"

Lorraine shook his head, and just when Olivia thought he was going to refuse or raise the price, he held out a hand.

"Since you sent me seeds and food before, I'll give you a 50% discount."

"Twenty magic crystals per piece. I'll provide the materials, you just need to pay."

Olivia was stunned.

Twenty pieces? That's a steal! Even cheaper than the cost of buying the raw materials and trying to build it herself!

"However, I have one condition."

Lorraine changed the subject, his gaze falling on the several alchemical potion bottles hanging from Olivia's waist.

"Besides the magic crystal, I'd like to see the bottle of Molten Core hanging on your waist. It's a potion that's suitable for Anna."

She is currently a first-tier Flame Witch, only one step away from second-tier, but she needs some assistance.

So that's what it was for.

Olivia glanced at the little maid next to her who was staring at her expectantly, and understood.

This seemingly cold and shrewd neighbor is incredibly kind to his own people.

"make a deal."

Without any hesitation, Olivia pulled a heavy money bag from her bosom and slammed it on the table.

"Here are 1200 magic crystals. I want to order five plots of land. The rest will be a deposit for my next purchase."

Then, she took a dark red potion bottle from her waist and handed it to Anna.

"This is the 'Heart of Molten Core' potion. Although it's not a top-tier potion, it's incredibly effective for stabilizing the foundation of a first-tier witch and breaking through the bottleneck to the second tier. It's worth about twenty magic crystals on the market, consider it a small gift for my little sister Anna."

Anna held the bottle of warm potion, so excited she didn't know what to do, and could only desperately look at Lorraine.

Lorraine nodded: "Take it."

The deal is done.

Olivia looked at the two vibrant farmlands, then at the newly signed contract in her hand, and a genuine smile spread across her face.

This time, she really hit the jackpot.

With these low-cost, high-efficiency farmlands, her grain yield could at least triple, and even rare magical herbs that had previously been unable to survive due to harsh environments could now be cultivated.

Meanwhile, Lorraine, weighing the heavy bag of magic crystals in her hand, was also in a great mood.

The cost is five pieces, but they are sold for twenty.

This isn't farming; it's printing money.