?


    After a while, the conversation continued.


    "We have built a cooperative rtionship with the woond tribe. Thadi is here to help us with farming." Mupan stated the obvious.


    He began to exin the actual rtionship they had built up clearly.


    "After you left the tribe, we could not create arablend. The weeds grew faster than we could ever control. Even with a vastnd, turning all that into arablend was impossible if we couldn''t handle the weeds.


    "Magical method of heating water and pouring over the entire region was not feasible for our tribe. Our skills did not allow us to do so.


    "We had reached a bottleneck."


    Mupan exined the problem he faced.


    "And we couldn''t sit still. As our wealth increased, the consumption of wealth also increased. We were about to hit a ceiling with no more potential for growth."


    "We had to find a way to solve this problem."


    Alex seemed to have realised where Mupan was going with his exnation. A sly smile appeared on his face.


    "Then what happened?" He questioned.


    "We had to find someone that could clear out the weeds. Someone that we can trust."


    "That''s why you asked the woond tribe for help?"


    "Yes. We realised that their ability to control nts could y a great role in helping us farm."


    Mupan''s exnation made sense to Alex. The woond tribe was a tribe of carpenters. They used their ability to mould and shape nts for their work. So, it was within reason to believe they could find and eliminate weeds.


    "How exactly did you help the Stonehead tribe eliminate the weeds?" Alex turned to Thadi and asked. He wanted to know the specific action they did.


    "Do you know about my tribe''s skills?" Thadi asked back.


    "Yes, In a general sense, I know what your tribe can do. Your tribe is known for carpentry and the ability to control nts."


    "That is correct. We can control nts. We can control a nt to take a specific shape and size. Sometimes, they go as far as manipting them entirely by making them grow fast."


    "That seems even more overpowered than I thought. You can even fasten the growth rate of the nts?" Alex asked, not hiding his thoughts.


    "Yes," Thadi replied, shocking Alex. His mind wandered, thinking about the possible use case for this ability.


    "However, It is not without limitations."


    The following sentence Thadi spoke captured Alex''s attention. He freed himself from the realm of imagination and came back to reality.


    "As you might have thought, we cannot grow a sapling into a tree within minutes. Even if we could do so by using a vast amount of energy, the tree would lose its life force and die shortly. We could change the size and shape, not the tree''s maturity. There was a limit to which we could control nts."


    This sparked a thought in Alex''s mind.


    "That''s why you can''t use this ability to farm, right?"


    "Correct. If we nt a seed, we cannot make it bear fruit by supplying it with energy. We can only make it change the shape and size, giving the illusion that it is growing. For carpentry and creating dead woods, these are enough. But it is a useless ability in farming. Whatever we grew with the ability would die shortly. That was not the preferable oue in farming." Thadi said and sighed.


    "HM…" Alex nodded. "Even if you could grow an apple tree instantly, you won''t be able to make it bear fruit. Even if you could make it bear fruit, the tree would die shortly due to the immense change that it experienced." Alex kept on nodding his head as if he understood the dilemma.


    "Then, what about the tree that surrounds your tribe? How did you make a giant wall of trees covering the entire perimeter of your vige?"


    "Our ancestors nted those trees. We controlled their shape in a limited manner to suit our needs. Just enough that we wouldn''t disrupt the life force of the trees. It took decades of hard work to make a living wall around our tribe."


    Alex quickly realised the pros and cons of the woond tribe''s skills. Suddenly, a bulb lights up in his head. He found the way they helped clear the weeds.


    "Did you perhaps use your ws to your benefit?" Alex found the crux and asked.


    "Yes," Thadi revealed a gentle smile. His opinion of Alex increased. He is as intelligent as Mupan said, thadi thought.


    "We used our w to help the Stonehead tribe," Thadi said, taking a seed from his pocket.


    Alex nced at this seed curiously. It was an unfamiliar seed. He couldn''t identify it.


    "This is a seed of one of the weeds seen in this area," Thadi said while lifting it for everyone to see.


    Even Kalina curiously looked at this scene from the sidelines.


    "When I put my energy into it, look what happens to the seed," Thadi said while channelling his energy into it.


    The energy gathered like a tiny string through the hand of Thadi and began flowing to the seed. The energy was small enough that nothing happened immediately after he poured the energy.


    But, the seed suddenly trembled, epting the influx of energy. A tiny tip of the root materialised on it, moving downwards.


    The seed was beginning to germinate.


    It wanted to drill its way into the soil. But it was on Thadi''s hand currently. It couldn''t find the soil.


    Slowly, the root curved in.


    That was when the tiny shoot of a nt emerged carrying a small leaf.


    The growth rate was increasing with time. The cells multiplied faster as the size of the nt increased.


    From gentle movement, the nt began to tremble violently on the hand of Thadi.


    Slowly, it gained the shape of a grass. The fibrous roots thickened beneath it into a clump, and the des of grass shook violently.


    At that time, it looked more like an animal than a nt.


    This scene captured everyone''s attention. Even Kalina, the princess of the Ice Phoenix tribe, was seeing something like that for the first time.


    Finally, the trembling stopped as the grass looked fully grown.


    "That is the limit for this grass," Thadi stated.


    "As you said, there is no flower. You did this with every patch ofnd that you helped expand?"


    "Yes."


    "This is great. Without flowers, the grass cannot reproduce. But what will happen to rhizome?"


    "Look closely," Thadi stated while lifting the grass.


    Alex could observe nothing for a few seconds, but after a minute, the nt began to show signs of death.


    "The leaves have wilted. The entire nt has dropped into a fatigued state. Can it be saved if it is ced in a suitable condition?"


    "No, it cannot be saved with food and water. The nt has grown beyond its life force. It has exhausted its life. It will die shortly–no, it is dead already. It would take more time for the entire nt body to dpose."


    "Oh!" Alex gave out a knowing nod.


    He now finally understands how the woond tribe helps the stonehead tribe. If they can do the same with every weed, they could eliminate all the weeds.


    "Can you target a specific nt with the ability you have shown?" Alex was curious to know.


    "If we can see the seeds, we can target them. However, it will not work with underground roots or seeds. We have to target the entire area when it happens."


    "How much area can you reim per day with this method?"


    "About a hectare if we allocated all our resources fornd remation."


    "That''s not a small amount ofnd. You could turn the entire mountain weed-free in a couple of months." Alex realised the potential.


    At first, Alex almost thought of them aspetition once he recognised that the woond tribe was working on the farm. Then, after realising what their abilities were, he knew that they would never be theirpetition. It was a mutually beneficial alliance. Alex was willing to share profit as long as they worked for him.


    "Is the Mupan treating you well, elder?" Alex asked.


    "Yes. We are happy with the present condition." Thadi nodded.


    Alex was happy with that reply. He didn''t need to know the exact amount of money involved in the transaction between the stonehead and woond tribe. He was pleased if everything moved as nned.


    This was a pleasant surprise for Alex. He weed the active involvement of making their tribe better.


    It was better than their previous outlook. Now, the tribe was not solely dependent on hunting and gathering. It was a significant improvement.


    "Then, I am leaving. Continue your conversation, Mupan." Alex said. He walked towards the exit after giving the elders a bow.


    Kalina followed him.


    They walked back together.


    Kalina had many things she wanted to speak about. But, the sour note of their previous conversation made her hesitant. They went home without uttering a single word.