Chapter 18: The Infinite Sugar and the Bamboo Pipeline
[Day 16: Morning]
The next morning, Kael stood on his porch with a mug of hot water, looking at his field.
Yesterday, he and Noir had plowed the 1.5 acres. It was a massive achievement. The Iron-Root Weeds were gone, ripped out by the roots. But the field still looked like a war zone.
It was covered in massive clods of hard, black earth—some as big as watermelons. And everywhere he looked, there were stones. Thousands of them. Small grey rocks, jagged pebbles, and fist-sized stones that would absolutely destroy any seeds he tried to plant.
"Farming isn't just about digging holes and planting the seeds," Kael sighed, taking a sip of his plain hot water. "It's very tiring work...but for me it is not very difficult".
[Observation: Correct, Sir. To prepare 'Feral Earth' for planting, you must pulverize the soil clumps and remove the debris. Then, you must build a retention wall.]
"Right. Because if I pour water on this flat ground, it'll just run off into the forest," Kael nodded. "I need to turn this field into a giant bowl."
He finished his water and set the mug down.
"Alfred. Noir. Let's get to work."
The first step was the rocks.
Kael walked into the field. He bent down and picked up a stone. Then another. Then another.
"This is going to take all day," Kael muttered.
He stopped. He looked at his hand. He was an Origin Human with 350 Strength and 280 Agility. Why was he working like a normal peasant?
"Alfred, can I use [Matter Authority] to... I don't know, vacuum them?"
[Negative, Sir. You can create matter, not delete it. However, you can create a tool.]
Kael looked at the pile of Iron-Root weeds he had pulled yesterday. They were tough, wire-like vines.
"Hmmm...I have an idea."
He grabbed a handful of the tough vines. He wove them together into a crude, wide-mesh basket. It looked ugly, but it held together.
"System, Scan."
[Scanning... Blueprint 'Vine Sieve' stored.]
"Now," Kael grinned. "Matter Authority: Create."
He pushed his Essence into the air. Golden light swirled, and ten identical baskets appeared on the ground.
He grabbed two baskets, one in each hand.
Then, he started to move.
He didn't walk. He blurred.
Whoosh.
Kael ran through the field like a silver streak. He scooped up huge piles of dirt and rocks into the baskets, shook them violently (using his super-strength) so the dirt fell through the mesh, and then tossed the remaining rocks into a pile outside the field.
Scoop. Shake. Toss.
It was a rhythm. To a normal person, he would have looked like a glitch in a video game. He cleared a ten-meter square section in thirty seconds.
Noir watched from the porch, his head tilting side to side, tracking Kael's movements. After a few minutes, the panther got bored and went back to sleep.
By noon, the 1.5 acres was clean. The rocks were gone, piled up into a nice stone wall on the north side. The soil clods were broken down into fine, soft dust.
Now for the Boundaries.
Kael used the loose dirt to build a knee-high wall of earth around the entire square perimeter. He packed it down hard with his feet. It looked like a traditional rice paddy—a sunken basin ready to hold water.
"Field is prepped," Kael wiped the dust off his face. "Now for the hard part. The River."
The river was about 200 meters downhill from the cabin. It was wide, fast-flowing, and crystal clear.
Kael stood on the bank, hands on his hips.
"Okay. I need to get this water up that hill and into my field. And I also want a line running to the kitchen so I stop drinking out of a bucket."
[Suggestion: A siphon system, Sir. Or a gravity feed if we tap the river further upstream.]
"Let's go upstream," Kael said. "I want gravity to do the work."
He walked along the bank, looking for materials. He needed pipes. Wood pipes would rot. Stone pipes would be heavy and crack.
Then, he saw it.
Growing in a dense patch near the water was a cluster of Iron-Bamboo. It was thick, green, and tough as metal.
"Perfect," Kael tapped a stalk. It rang like a bell. "Hollow, durable, and free."
He snapped a piece off.
"System, Scan."
[Blueprint 'Iron-Bamboo Segment' stored.]
"Now I just need to lay them out."
While Kael was busy calculating the angle for the pipes, Noir had followed him down to the river.
The massive panther was staring at the water. Dark shapes were darting back and forth in the current—Silver-Fin Trout.
Noir's tail twitched.
He crept forward, belly low to the ground. He was the King of the Shadows. The ultimate predator. He waited for a big, fat fish to swim near the bank.
Snap!
Noir struck. His paw hit the water with the speed of a bullet.
Splash!
He missed.
The fish was faster. Noir blinked, shaking his wet paw with a look of utter disgust.
"Hahaha.....Nice try, buddy," Kael laughed from the bank. "Water refraction is tricky."
Noir growled at the river. He took it personally. He tried again.
Splash! Splash!
This time, he fell in.
The SS-Rank beast slipped on a mossy rock and went face-first into the cold water. He scrambled out instantly, shaking his fur and looking absolutely humiliated. He looked at Kael, daring him to laugh.
Kael bit his lip. "I saw nothing. You were....just washing your face. Very hygienic."
Noir huffed and marched away to dry off in the sun.
Kael got to work.
He went 500 meters upstream, where the river elevation was higher than his field.
"Matter Authority: Continuous Creation."
He didn't just make one pipe. He held his hands out and walked back toward his farm. As he walked, a continuous, seamless tube of green Iron-Bamboo materialized from his palms, laying itself perfectly on the forest floor.
It was like drawing a line with a 3D pen.
He snaked the pipe around trees, over rocks, and down the slope.
When he reached the farm, he split the line.
"Branch one: To the Field."
He created a T-junction. One pipe went to the edge of the field, pouring into the basin he had built.
"Branch two: To the House."
He ran a smaller pipe up the support beams of his cabin and into the kitchen area. He quickly crafted a simple wooden valve (spigot) at the end.
"Moment of truth," Kael said.
He ran back upstream and submerged the intake pipe into the river, securing it with heavy stones so it wouldn't wash away.
He ran back to the farm.
He waited.
Gurgle... Clunk... Hiss...
Then—
SPLASH.
Crystal clear river water burst out of the pipe and onto the dry, black soil of the field.
It didn't soak in immediately. The dust kicked up, turning into mud. The water began to spread, inch by inch, covering the thirsty earth.
"Yes!" Kael cheered.
He ran into the kitchen and turned the wooden handle of his new sink.
Sputter... Flow.
Clean, cold water poured into his bucket.
"Civilization," Kael whispered, washing his dirty hands. "I have fresh water to use".
That evening, the sun was setting, turning the sky a deep purple.
Kael sat on the porch, smelling the fish grilling over the fire. Noir had eventually caught three trout (after falling in twice), and now he was looking very proud of himself.
"Good job, hunter," Kael tossed a fish head to Noir. "But before we eat, I have my daily pulls."
He wiped his hands. "Alfred, show me the goods. I have 3 pulls."
[Acknowledged, Sir. Initiating Daily Draw.]
Three orbs of light appeared.
[Item 1: Bag of Infinite Sugar (S Rank)]
* Description: A small pouch that produces endless high-quality cane sugar.
* Rank Adjustment: Upgraded to S-Rank due to violation of conservation of mass laws.
"S-Rank Sugar," Kael laughed, holding the small white pouch. "It sounds ridiculous, but infinite energy is infinite energy. I'll take it."
[Item 2: Bar of Soap (Mint Scent) (F Rank)]
* Description: Just soap. Smells nice.
"God, yes," Kael grabbed the soap. "I feel gross after all that dust."
[Item 3: Deep-Sea Angler's Rod (B Rank)]
* Description: A fishing rod made of flexible kraken bone. The line never snaps. Increases fish attraction by 50%.
"Oh, Noir is going to be jealous," Kael grinned, examining the sleek black rod. "No more falling in the river for us."
Kael cooked the fish with a glaze made from the Infinite Salt and the new Infinite Sugar. It was a simple sweet-and-salty crust, but after weeks of bland roasted meat, it tasted like a Michelin-star meal.
He and Noir ate on the porch, watching the field.
The water was still flowing. The 1.5 acres was half-flooded now. The water looked like a mirror reflecting the stars.
[Status Update: Field Irrigation at 60%.]
[Soil Saturation: Increasing.]
[The 'Feral Earth' is drinking. The dormant mana in the soil is reacting to the water. It will be ready for planting in 48 hours.]
Kael leaned back against the wall, sipping a cup of hot, sugary water. Noir rested his heavy head on Kael's knee, purring like a diesel engine.
"We built a house," Kael whispered, stroking the panther's ears. "We built a bed. We plowed a field. And now...we have water."
He looked at the dark forest surrounding them. It was dangerous, filled with monsters and secrets. But right here, in this little circle of light?
It felt like home.
"Tomorrow," Kael said, closing his eyes. "Tomorrow.....let's see what we do?"
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