But the most noticeable change of all was the farmlands.

What had once been seen from beyond the villages as a vast, pale, and lifeless stretch of land with soil so depleted it could barely coax a weed from the ground now looked almost unrecognisable.

In fact, healthy green leaves now filled the fields from one end to the other, and row after row of grain crops imported through Ophelia’s extensive connections in the capital were now tended to by farmers who had not had reason to feel optimistic about a harvest in longer than most of them could clearly remember.

In a nutshell, Elmfield now had a proper medley of grains growing across its farmlands for the first time in centuries, and the difference it had already made to the mood of the territory’s people was visible in even the smallest things.

For example, the way the farmers greeted each other across the fields in the mornings had changed considerably.

Also, the way the market in Rothenburg had grown louder and busier with each passing week was another example of how things had changed within Rowena’s territory.

And then, of course, there were the potatoes.

Austin’s strange, lumpy, brown-skinned crop had become the talk of Elmfield from the moment the first batch had made its way out of Rowena’s garden and into the hands of the farmers and elves in general.

Once the elves began to understand just how many different things could be made from them, along with how many different ways they could be prepared and combined with other ingredients, the enthusiasm within the elves swiftly spread through the villages.

Farmers who had been given their own small supply of seeds to plant immediately began comparing their early yields with their peers.

Denizens of the county who had tasted the dishes made with the potatoes, thanks to the directions they had received, immediately began sending their thanks to the mansion in the form of handwritten notes, small gifts, and other presents as well.

But aside from all of this, whispers had begun spreading among the farming communities about something even more exciting.

Rumours had begun to spread about the great potion lord residing in the Countess’s mansion personally asking his good friend, Legolas to oversee the cultivation of an entirely new breed of fruit.

This was meant to be something no one had ever laid eyes on before, and from what they heard, it seemed like this special fruit was being grown under strict supervision in a carefully tended section of the territory’s land.

No one knew yet what the fruit looked like, or what it tasted like, or how it was best eaten.

But the anticipation it had created was already considerable, and the farmers tended their own crops each morning with one eye quietly drifting toward that closely watched plot of land in the distance, each one wondering what the fruit really was.

However, they all shared a common thought that as long as it came from the Countess’s business partner, it had to be something as amazing as the potatoes.

As for Ophelia, she had become a much more frequent visitor at the mansion than anyone had expected.

She had originally come to oversee the latest shipment of potion vials, just as she always did.

But then she made the mistake of accepting Austin’s invitation to stay for a meal, and one taste of his potato dishes was all it took for her to become a new admirer of his cooking.

After that, the stunning dark elf had been showing up at the mansion almost every day.

She had even handed over the day-to-day running of the capital branch store to her most trusted assistant without any guilt, and had now claimed a permanent seat at Rowena’s dining table whenever it was Austin’s turn to cook.

Of course, Rowena didn’t mind at all.

After all, Ophelia was the only family she had left, and having her around more often made the mansion feel livelier than it had in a long time.

In fact, it made her happy seeing her aunt this way, and that’s how the past four weeks had gone by.

Now, Rowena could be seen with Austin in a potion room within the mansion.

The potion room had originally belonged to Rowena’s late father, but it was in a quieter part of the mansion away from the main corridors.

The walls of the potion room were lined from floor to ceiling with shelves carrying all kinds of equipment.

Glass vials of different sizes, ceramic mixing bowls, stoppered bottles of reagents, and various tools were all stationed neatly in their places, and there was a long workbench in the centre of the room, along with two tall windows which allowed in plenty of afternoon light from outside.

Rowena had introduced this room to Austin three weeks ago.

Of course, she had been a little hesitant about it at first, because this place had belonged to her father and had been left mostly untouched since his passing.

But when she brought Austin inside, Rowena was immediately struck by how he simply began rolling up his sleeves to inspect anything of use to him.

Of course, Austin was fascinated by the materials her late father had experimented with in the past.

He was showing genuine interest in her late father’s work, and Rowena couldn’t help but smile at the thought of what her father would have felt upon seeing someone who shared a similar passion to him.

Anyways, speaking of Austin, today would be the fifth time the two had come to the potion room to work together.

They were each currently working at their own end of the bench, and were focused on their respective tasks, with both of them occasionally asking each other questions whenever the situation called for it.

Over the past few weeks, the production of both the stamina-enhancing potion and the healing potion had increased greatly.

Rowena had also increased the number of workers at each branch store, and the profits they had gained in just two weeks alone had been remarkable.

Of course, other nobles were already becoming visibly jealous of her success, but Rowena didn’t really pay people like that any attention, because she knew that the reason this could only be possible right now was because of Austin.....