Infinite Farmer-Chapter 178: Mini-stake Network

The blight didn’t seem to be completely without thought anymore. The fact that the gulls had attacked Tulland so often during the last few days was great evidence for that. It had sprung up dungeon after dungeon with the one beast it knew for sure could hurt Tulland, a tactic that had put him into serious danger several times.

But just because it was a thinking thing didn’t make it very good at thinking in general. While it seemed to have picked up on the gulls’ ability to hurt Tulland, it was taking it a much longer time to figure out that Tulland’s new Clusterbulbs rendered them more or less harmless so long as he saw them coming.

It’s just going to keep sending them, isn’t it?

Don’t complain.

I’m not complaining. I’m just shocked. It’s been, what? Ten dungeons?

Something like that. Never let anyone tell you the blight is a random thing again. It’s hunting you, however ineffectually.

Let it. Everyone has a budget, right? Let's just drain it as much as we possibly can.

Aghli’s System is glad for you to do just that. He’s still storing power from the broken dungeons to get you your reward.

That was something the System had worked out for him that he would have never figured out for himself. The idea was that every dungeon Tulland destroyed could be paid out on immediately, which would result in a lot of useless trinkets, or he could save up for something better. The System explained that the exchange rate on this kind of saving was a pretty bad deal, losing half or more of the energy gained as it went into storage.

It hardly mattered, because the blight was popping up a new dungeon every hour or so directly in Tulland’s path, dungeons that he could explode from the better part of a mile away with no risk at all. Over the next day, he destroyed another even dozen of them, all putting up no fight at all.

After that, the blight finally got smart, or at least smart enough to stop feeding Tulland new dungeons. A half day passed with no more battle at all before he finally began to run out of will and seeds at the same time.

You want to cash it in now? I was wondering when you’d give up.

Yes. It’s getting time to get back home. Do you think there’s enough to do any good? I’m satisfied with the way the grass seems to be spreading but I’d hate to think that was all we were going to get out of it.

I’ll let you know in a moment. I’ve just signaled the other System, and it’ll be giving me the options soon.

Tulland waited. When the System came back, it sounded outright delighted, to the extent a voice in a head could.

Would you like to know what I recommend, or should I just select it for you?

You do the honors. I’ll be glad to have whatever you think is best.

Good. You should see the notifications any moment now.

It took a few more seconds, but Tulland’s jaw dropped when he finally saw what he had been waiting for.

Skill Enhancement: Broadcast

The portion of your abilities having to do with spreading your growth-related enhancements to your plants has evolved. It now covers a much larger range measured in miles rather than meters, and has had its general efficiency increased. The beneficial ratio that already meant your power did more when split among many plants than it did when focused on one has been improved on both ends, both allowing you less loss as the number of enhanced plants rises and less penalty for focusing on a single target.

While the range of the skill has been improved, the cost at the expanded range is higher than at closer, more typical distances.

“That’s… pretty incredible, honestly.” Tulland did some calculations in his head regarding the average amount of energy he had to supply to a single clump of grass to get it to grow, if he could. The fact that it was so low was a bit depressing, considering he couldn’t manipulate them that way. “Too bad I can’t use it to promote the grass.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

You would think so. However, your loyal System has delved deep for the purposes of this selection. Please wait a moment for the next substantially amazing announcement.

Skill Enhancement: Mini-stake Network

Your ability to stake your farm has long since hit a hard ceiling. From now on, that skill will only benefit you more as your plant quality goes up.

This enhancement alters the skill by pushing a small branch of it in an entirely new direction. Using the skill allows you to designate a plant as a type of outpost in up to five different locations. Whenever you apply an enhancement that improves your plants in some way, a small percentage of that enhancement will travel to your new staked locations, enhancing the soil and nearby air to encourage growth and general health in nearby plants.

To balance the effect, you are unable to direct the growth in any other way at your staked locations. The power is simply and absolutely aimed at a small, significant growth to any nearby plants.

“I don’t get it. This helps, I assume?”

Yes. Think about it. The language says the plants are not influenced directly. Instead, the soil and air are improved.

“But the Rebel Grass resists that kind of thing, right?”

It’s not certain. I took a big risk here, and it’s possible they will fight it the same way. But soil and air are choices the plant is already making for itself. I can’t imagine it being able to parcel out only a small amount of the energy in the soil, or take only part of the benefit of the air.

“I guess there’s only one way to find out. Home?”

Yes. With some stops on the way to plant your stakes as well.

Tulland took a few detours to make sure he had good placement on his stakes, but not anything that would delay him too long. He had been away enough time, and though he was pretty sure he had drawn the blight’s fire while he was gone, he was worried that something might go wrong now that the blight had figured out that Tulland wasn’t vulnerable to the gulls any longer. He trotted along the wasteland, passing growing patches of grass as he went.

“Wow.” Tulland looked out over the town as it came into view. It was green, far more grown-in with plants than when he had left. Tulland smiled. Nothing was on fire, and there was progress besides. It wasn’t a terrible situation. “It really came along while we were gone.”

Someone worked on this. Many hands were involved. Do you see the briars?

The grass was dominating the landscape, which was expected as it could spread itself. His briars couldn’t. Someone had been taking the seeds and planting them for him. As he got closer, he saw at least one of the people who was making it happen.

“Tulland.” Necia stood up, dusted her hands off, hugged Tulland, and then shoved him to the ground. He let it happen. It was all part of the theater of the thing. “That was longer than a week.”

“Yes. It was.” Tulland did his best not to look beyond his girlfriend, who he loved, towards his farm, which he needed to get to test his skill. “I’m sorry. I’m glad to be back with you now.”

“And yet, you aren’t looking at your farm,” Necia stated.

“I am not.”

“You aren’t looking at your farm so hard your eyes are twitching. What, new skill?”

“Yes.” Tulland knew the game was up. “It lets me enhance grass patches at a distance. Probably. I don’t know for sure.”

“Well, let’s go, then.” Necia grabbed his wrist and dragged him towards the town. “Check it out.”

“Wait, just like that?”

“It’s a new skill, Tulland. You think I don’t understand? I’m surprised you even stopped to say hello.”

A few minutes later, Tulland was standing over his green garden in a town that looked mostly normal. If he hadn’t known it was just a handful of miles from the epicenter of a worldwide plague, he would have thought it was just a normal fortress town with a little more grass than was typical.

“Moment of truth. You ready?”

“Yes.”

Tulland pumped every bit of power he could into his farm, feeling an odd, almost sideways draw on his magic as it siphoned off to his stake.

“So? Did it work?”

“I don’t know, actually.” Tulland tilted his head sideways. “Because it’s happening far away. Care for a hike?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Necia said. “Because it’s a really weird thing to ask for. But sure. Let’s go.”

It took the rest of the day to get to a grass patch and back. The good news was that the patch was ever so slightly higher than it should have been, and his Farmer’s Intuition said the growth rate it was experiencing was well above average.

That was exciting in a way, but also incredibly boring once Tulland had confirmed that the very important mechanical thing he needed to happen was happening. They ran back to town, Necia forced him into a shower, and they still hadn’t had any normal exciting reunion time together by the time the sun was down.

“Sorry. I guess I sort of botched my homecoming,” Tulland admitted.

“It’s okay. It was always going to happen that way.” Necia cuddled in to his shoulder next to the fire. “There were never any other possibilities.”

“Hey. I could probably handle a homecoming under some circumstances. I’m not completely incompetent.”

“You are very competent. At farming. Don’t worry. I’m more dating you for that face.”

“Well, fine. At least nothing interesting happened while I was gone.”

“I wouldn’t say that. You did plant that dungeon. And now it’s… you know, a whole thing. A whole weird thing.”

“I don’t know. What happened to the dungeon?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Necia smiled. “That’s your punishment for being away. You can’t check until tomorrow.”

“I’m fine with that.” Tulland wasn’t. After a week of boredom, there was nothing he wanted more than to check that dungeon besides keeping Necia happy, and even that was a close thing. “I’ll be just fine.”

“Liar.” Necia laughed and pulled up on his arm as she stood. “Lucky for you, I want to know what’s going on too.”

“You don’t?”

“Nobody does, and you are the only one who can possibly find out. Let’s go.”