If You Plow, They Will Die

Bobby replied, "I'm just a servant, so of course I don't have the right to object. But one of the Spirit Alliance's core principles is fairness! What you're doing to Grace isn't fair! She's a girl who's never done farm work before—plowing a hundred acres in ten days? That's ten acres a day! How is that even possible?"

Leo Bo strolled in, unhurried, and seeing the crowd in the courtyard, he announced loudly, "Everyone, do you all think I'm just making things difficult for her on purpose?"

The people in the Spirit Alliance courtyard stayed silent.

Everyone knew about the feud between Grace and Sophie Sun.

No one was foolish enough to get involved.

Leo Bo continued, "But don't forget! Do you know who Grace is? She's amazing! Celestial Five-Element Root! Do you have that? If not, then quit complaining! I absolutely believe she can do it!"

"You—"

"Bobby." Grace grabbed his arm and shook her head at him.

Then she turned to Sophie Sun and said, "President, you've misunderstood."

"Misunderstood? What do you mean?" Sophie Sun raised her eyebrows.

"I'm not here to say I can't finish the plowing task," Grace said.

"Oh? Then what are you trying to say?"

"I want to tell you... After Black Ginseng is planted, you can't plow the field! If you do, all the spiritual energy in the soil will disperse, and the Black Ginseng will die!"

Sophie Sun had studied spiritual herbs with her father since childhood. Black Ginseng was a common spirit herb—how could she not know its properties?

After Black Ginseng is planted, there's really no need to plow the field.

But it's also not true that just loosening the soil a bit would kill it.

She sneered, "Do you think we're three-year-olds? Stop making things up!"

"It's true!" Grace insisted. "Since this batch of Black Ginseng is so important to us, you have to trust me! Don't plow the field! If you do, they'll die!"

Grace spoke seriously, "If you don't believe me, ask someone else. Hey, aren't the two vice presidents here? You tell us—if you plow the field, will the Black Ginseng die?"

"Uh... I'm not good at growing spirit herbs, so I'm not sure," one of them said.

"I'm not sure either. I've never planted Black Ginseng," the other vice president said.

Sophie Sun had her home raided and lost her father, yet she still managed to become president—clearly, she had powerful backing.

As for Grace, everyone knew exactly what her background was.

So, both vice presidents wisely stayed out of it.

Everyone else quickly claimed ignorance too—"I don't know," "I'm not sure," "No idea."

"Grace! I know you're just looking for an excuse to get out of plowing," Leo Bo said. "Let me tell you, today you have to plow all one hundred acres of Black Ginseng—whether you want to or not! If you don't... you'll be marked with a Major Infraction!"

According to Spirit Alliance rules, if a member commits a serious mistake, causing major losses or severe consequences, they'll be marked with a Major Infraction.

For example, a mistake during alchemy could cause a furnace explosion and kill many people.

Or, if the spirit medicine you make ends up killing someone, it would cause a terrible scandal.

And so on.

If you rack up more than three Major Infractions, you'll be kicked out of the Spirit Alliance.

Getting a Major Infraction over something as trivial as plowing a field is just ridiculous.

But hey, Sophie Sun is the president, so what can you do?

Grace looked at him and said, "Let me be clear—if all the Black Ginseng dies because of the plowing, that's your responsibility, not mine!"

"Oh, now you're threatening me?" Leo Bo sneered. "Fine, go plow the field! If the Black Ginseng dies because of it, then I'll take the blame!"