As soon as the enormous golden dragon landed in front of the property, a strong gust of wind swept across the entire plantation. The servants stopped working for a few moments and watched the sovereign's arrival. Soon afterward, the Dragon King returned to his humanoid-dragon form and walked toward me with a curious smile.
"Takumi."
"Your Majesty."
I greeted him respectfully.
He quickly looked at the fields around us, but he still seemed unable to believe what he was seeing.
"I received your message."
"I confess that I thought you were exaggerating."
I smiled.
"I preferred that you see it with your own eyes."
Without saying anything else, I began walking through the fields, and he followed me. The women came right behind us, as did Dargon and some of the servants.
When we reached the first cultivation area, the king stopped.
His eyes slowly traveled across the entire extent of the plantations.
There was wheat ripening.
Trees loaded with fruit.
Completely green beds.
Vegetables arranged in long rows.
He remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he walked toward one of the wheat plants.
He crouched down.
Picked up a few ears of wheat in his hands.
He examined them carefully.
Then he looked at me.
"It's real..."
I nodded.
"Yes."
He continued walking.
He stopped in front of the fruit trees.
He picked an apple.
He examined it carefully.
Then he took a small bite.
His expression changed completely.
"It's excellent."
Scarlett smiled discreetly.
"The soil responded very well."
The king took a deep breath as he continued observing the entire landscape.
"For hundreds of years..."
He looked toward the horizon again.
"...no one managed to make these lands produce anything like this."
Liriel calmly approached.
"The Purification eliminated much of the magical impurities accumulated over centuries."
"The rest was the result of daily work."
The king turned his attention to her.
"So you were the one who performed this magic."
She made a small bow.
"I simply used what I learned."
He remained thoughtful.
Then he continued walking.
He visited practically the entire property.
He asked questions about cultivation.
About the soil.
About irrigation.
About the time required for new harvests.
I calmly answered every question.
When we finished the visit, we returned to the front of the mansion.
The king remained silent for a few moments.
It was evident that he was still processing everything he had seen.
Finally, he spoke.
"Takumi."
"Yes?"
"There is something I need to ask you."
I looked at him attentively.
"What would that be?"
He crossed his arms.
"These lands were not the only ones suffering from this problem."
I continued listening.
"A large part of the Dragon Kingdom has similar regions."
"Some are completely unproductive."
"Others produce very little."
I slowly breathed in.
I could already imagine where this conversation was going.
He continued.
"If these lands were able to change like this..."
"Perhaps the rest of the kingdom can change as well."
He looked directly at Liriel.
"I would like you to help us."
Everyone remained silent.
Liriel simply waited.
The king spoke again.
"I am not asking this as a sovereign."
"I am asking as someone who wishes to offer a better future to his people."
I looked at Liriel.
"Do you think it is possible?"
She remained silent for a few seconds, thinking.
"Purification requires a great deal of mana."
"But it is not impossible."
"How many regions would there be?"
The king answered.
"Not many."
"The most important areas."
"Those where there is the greatest possibility for cultivation."
Liriel made a few calculations mentally.
"I think we can do it."
Her assistant's eyes widened.
"We're going to purify all of that?"
She smiled.
"It will be a good learning experience."
The young woman seemed quite excited.
"I want to help."
The king opened a wide smile.
"I will be deeply grateful."
Then he turned his attention back to me.
"Naturally, I do not expect you to do this without receiving anything in return."
I shook my head.
"Your Majesty, we are not here thinking only about money."
"I know."
"Even so, I insist on rewarding you."
He seemed determined.
"My kingdom possesses sufficient resources."
"I intend to pay fairly for this work."
I looked at Liriel again.
She answered before I could say anything.
"If Takumi accepts, I accept as well."
I smiled.
"Then we will help."
The king showed obvious relief.
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart."
We spent much of the afternoon examining maps of the kingdom.
He showed us which regions needed Purification.
Some were nearby.
Others would require short journeys.
Even so, the work seemed perfectly possible.
Dargon also took part in the conversation.
He explained which areas could begin producing food first.
The king listened carefully to all the suggestions.
Before nightfall, the plan was practically defined.
We would begin the following morning.
We would purify one region at a time.
Then we would analyze the soil's behavior.
If everything went as expected, we would move on to the next one.
When the meeting ended, the king stood up.
"I did not imagine that this visit would end this way."
I smiled.
"Neither did I."
He looked at the plantations again.
"Today you completely changed the way I see these lands."
Liriel calmly replied.
"There is still a lot of work ahead."
"But now we know that it is possible."
He nodded.
"Exactly."
Then he temporarily said goodbye.
Since night had already fallen, he agreed to stay at the castle near the property instead of immediately returning to the capital.
That way, he could accompany the beginning of the work early the next morning.
After he left, we returned to the mansion.
During dinner, everyone commented on the size of the responsibility we had taken on.
Liriel's assistant seemed especially excited.
She asked questions about the Purification magic practically the entire time.
Liriel patiently answered each one.
When the conversation ended, I went outside to the balcony alone.
I looked at the fields again.
Now those lands represented more than just my property.
They had become proof that the entire Dragon Kingdom could change.
As I looked at the mountains illuminated by the moonlight, I realized that the work that would begin the following morning could definitively transform the future of that entire kingdom.