Chapter 614

Chapter 614: The Glass Greenhouse

The days of hardship for the reconnaissance team stationed in the bitter cold lands were far from over—and judging by the situation, they wouldn’t be ending anytime soon.

Meanwhile, far to the south, Luo Ji was admiring the newly completed glass greenhouse within his civilization.

Due to the limits of the era, the available technology was still restricted, so the greenhouse naturally lacked any especially advanced systems.

That said, thanks to the combined efforts of top-tier Human and Goblin engineers, the lighting performance was undeniably excellent.

At the same time, the quality of the glass itself far surpassed the cheap glassware circulating on the market.

Of course, the cost was higher—but that was unavoidable.

Luo Ji had no intention of letting the glass in his greenhouse shatter at the slightest mishap.

The interior of the greenhouse had also been fitted with a water supply, ensuring timely irrigation for the crops inside.

For this era, it was already an extremely advanced facility.

If he gave the order now and had farmers begin cultivation inside the greenhouse, there was a good chance they’d be able to harvest a decent batch of crops once winter arrived.

In any case, he had already issued the instructions.

Upon hearing the news, the Medical Department quickly submitted an application of their own, requesting approval to construct glass greenhouses within their medicinal gardens as well.

After all, during last winter, a large number of medicinal plants in the Medical Department’s gardens had frozen to death—including several rare and extremely valuable herbs—causing massive losses.

Looking at the report afterwards had made Luo Ji’s heart ache for quite some time.

This time around, there was no way the Medical Department would be left out of the greenhouse construction.

However, much like how the Agriculture Department had branches and farmland spread across many cities, the Medical Department was no different.

Constructing that many glass greenhouses in a short period of time was simply impossible.

Left with no choice, they could only prioritize the most important cities.

Among them, Giant Wood City and Mirror City had the most developed agricultural sectors, while Mirror City’s medicinal gardens also housed the greatest variety of herbs.

Naturally, those two cities were placed at the very top of the construction list.

As for the other cities, they could only proceed gradually, one by one.

Giant Woof City was a major grain-producing hub.

As long as its glass greenhouses could remain operational before winter set in and grain output was secured, this year’s winter food situation should improve significantly.

As for the grasslands—

Agriculture there had never been particularly developed, largely due to environmental conditions that made crop growth difficult.

However, back in early spring, Luo Ji had already instructed the Agriculture Department to send over a batch of hardy crops capable of surviving harsh environments.

The harvest reported after one season had been fairly decent.

If things continued at this pace, getting through winter shouldn’t be a problem.

After surviving the drought, recent development had been progressing smoothly, and Luo Ji’s mood had remained consistently good as a result.

Maintaining that positive mood, he soon welcomed his rest day.

This time, he didn’t go hunting.

Nor did he drift across Mirror Lake to fish and bask in the sun.

After all, this was a busy season for fishing—if he floated around the lake, how were the fishermen supposed to work?

And so, after changing into casual clothes, Luo Ji strolled through the streets of Mirror City with three guards in tow.

The people of Mirror City were long accustomed to randomly encountering their beloved Emperor on the streets.

In fact, Luo Ji frequently went out in person to experience the changes taking place throughout the city.

Those who saw him would simply bow briefly before returning to their work.

After autumn arrived, winter was not far off.

During this period, the people became noticeably busier, gradually preparing for the cold season ahead.

It gave the entire city a sense of bustling vitality.

Inside a shop on the left, a young man was haggling intensely with a Goblin merchant over an item he wanted to buy but couldn’t quite bring himself to afford.

Out on the street, a Minotaur carried a massive stack of timber—something that would normally require several people—striding swiftly toward a construction site.

At a barbecue stall nearby, a Tigerman sat there eating and drinking heartily, with a Human seated beside him.

The empty plates on their table were already stacked into a small mountain.

Huh? Wasn’t that Luo Yong and Hu Jie?

…Never mind.

Ignore it.

Scene after scene like this filled Luo Ji with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.

To put it bluntly—this was all his legacy.

“What’s going on up ahead? Why are there so many people?”

As they walked, Luo Ji noticed a crowd gathering ahead and asked Jie Zichuan beside him.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, that’s a new restaurant, open for about a week now, I’ve heard their fish dishes are especially good, but since seating is limited, people still have to line up for quite a while to get in.”

Jie Zichuan paused briefly before continuing.

“What’s most interesting is that the owner—and head chef—is a Catman.”

“A Catman?”

Luo Ji smiled.

This is interesting.

“A Catman cooking fish? Sounds perfectly reasonable, have you eaten there?”

“Not yet, just heard about it.”

Jie Zichuan shook his head lightly.

Guards stationed at the Emperor’s side have lives that were neither truly idle nor particularly busy.

Most of the time, they simply stood watch nearby or relayed orders.

Beyond that, there wasn’t much else to do.

In that sense, it was fairly relaxed.

But on the flip side, however long Luo Ji worked, they had to remain on duty.

Even when Luo Ji rested, they still had to take turns standing night watch.

For places like newly opened restaurants with booming business—where lining up for half a day was normal—they simply didn’t have the time.

Usually, they’d wait ten days or half a month until things settled down before going to try it out.

Clearly intrigued, Luo Ji quickened his pace.

Soon, the restaurant’s signboard came into view.

Two large words were written on it: Cat Rice!

Simple and straightforward, not bad at all.

“Wang Kai, Zhou Cang—you two go line up, Jie Zichuan and I will look around elsewhere.”

With that, Luo Ji wandered off at a leisurely pace.

He wasn’t someone who enjoyed abusing privilege.

If he walked over, everyone in line would immediately make way for him.

Sure, he’d get a seat easily—but it would feel awkward.

Under the circumstances, his guards would just have to work a little harder.

Besides, he wasn’t hungry yet, and he wanted to explore a bit more anyway.