Anko Kanno's mindset echoed traditional Teyvat clergy: gods sheltered mortals, so offerings from the masses to the elite—like mikos and shrines—were only natural.
Reisen Riou, an otherworlder, thought differently, seeking to solve problems himself.
This mindset was so ingrained among Teyvatians that Reisen Riou's approach stood out. He caught on fast, though.
Keeping his cool, he said, "Growing food's my hobby. Homegrown stuff tastes better."
"Really?" Anko tilted her head, puzzled but shrugging it off as her lord guardian's quirk. Recalling his sage past tied to farming, she nodded.
"What're you planting?"
"We've got plenty of land here, and the surrounding fields are shrine-owned, so options are wide. I'll start with beans to enrich the soil. Oh, can we catch some Dendro Slimes? I hear they're great for fields."
"Sure, but I don't know where to find them," Anko said, scratching her head.
Reisen Riou perked up, conjuring Ritou's terrain map and marking spots.
"Here, here, and here—dense Dendro element zones, likely Dendro Slime haunts. If none show, nudge the Ley Lines, and they'll spawn."
Slimes, elemental monsters, could erode human health over time, causing illness.
But they had upsides. Dendro Slimes were the prime example.
Unlike centuries later, when they'd grow rare, Dendro Slimes now rarely burrowed, preferring to roam like other Slimes.
With Greater Lord Rukkhadevata as the Dendro Archon, the world's Dendro elements buzzed with vitality.
Ritou's Slimes leaned Hydro and Electro, but other types existed.
While Reisen Riou directed junior mikos to level the fields, Anko returned, dirt-streaked, with junior mikos herding a cart of Dendro Slimes.
Each miko held one or two small Dendro Slimes, but the real star was the large, agitated one caged in the cart.
"Good grief, you raided a whole nest?" Reisen Riou marveled.
"These things are a pain to catch," Anko grumbled.
Before she could elaborate, Reisen Riou approached the Slimes. As a humanoid elemental being, he could communicate simply with them. Calming these low-IQ, forgetful Slimes was a breeze.
Anko huffed, beckoning the junior mikos to bathe. They headed to Hot Soup Springs, heated by Pyro Slimes and Flaming Flowers.
Pyro Slimes were easy to catch, so the springs were nearly done before the mikos left. A crude creation of Reisen Riou's Slime tech experiments.
Slime Application Tech LV1 (20/100)
Reisen Riou released the Dendro Slimes. They didn't attack, forming a wobbly line under his guidance.
"Taking these Slimes off," he called to the mikos, sparking a chorus of curses from the springs.
He led the Slimes to the designated farmland.
Patting their radish-like sprouts—dense Dendro element condensates, not plants—he said, "Go on, little guys. Stay here for a bit. Don't wander past this."
He marked the field's edges with his elemental aura.
Next came daily observations of the Slimes' soil transformation and Dendro's plant effects.
Reisen Riou spent a year studying the cycle.
Narukami Era 1240, Autumn: Verdant shade persisted. Cypress and Inazuma's Amethyst trees thrived at the Ritou Shrine, lightly pruned by mikos. Dendro Slimes in normal state (later termed sated), boosted soil transformation fivefold compared to standard fertilizers (set at 1).
Narukami Era 1240, Winter: Snow fell thrice. Dendro Slimes in idle state (later hibernation), transformation rate at 4.6.
Narukami Era 1241, Spring: Slimes woke, rate back to 5, rising to 5.5 later.
Narukami Era 1241, Summer: Slimes hit peak activity. Grass, trees, herbs, vegetables, and fungi surged with Dendro. Transformation rate peaked at 6. Soil entered Dendro overflow, boosting plant growth sharply.
Narukami Era 1241, Autumn: Slimes sated. Crops matured, richer in nutrients.
Results were solid. Dendro indeed spurred plant growth, but with limits, not endless.
Combined with selective breeding, crops like Valberries or apples yielded superior harvests.
Proof? Reisen Riou's Valberries were twice the size of wild ones, with heavier fruit loads.
Munching Valberries, he reflected on the year.
Honestly, nothing major happened.
Ritou was tranquil. After resolving the Ley Line stagnation, the island's elemental balance stabilized. Monster spawns dropped, mostly basic Hilichurls and Slimes.
Notably, Reisen Riou's elemental influence sparked Electro and Geo Crystalflies on Ritou.
The year's biggest event? During autumn harvest, pirates tried raiding Ritou. The Shogunate garrison crushed them. While less seasoned against monsters, they excelled at pirate-hunting.
The elderly Hatamoto, a Hydro Vision bearer, led them.
"Farming's the life," Reisen Riou mused, sensing the wails of restless souls in the Ley Lines.
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