Episode 129 — Roadmap for Owners

"We need to prioritize the food issue," I said, leaning back in my recliner and swirling my glass as the ice clinked. On my lap, Tama was curled into a ball, letting out faint, rhythmic breaths as she slept.

"I quite agree," Gustav nodded, his expression grim. "According to Argo’s forecasts, the population influx accompanying the factory’s operation is showing an extensibility that far exceeds our initial assumptions. Meanwhile, young people are beginning to vanish from the farming villages. This is a critical error shaking the very foundation of the system."

Argo, sitting next to him, kept his eyes on his compiled data as he added, "Indeed. While the new water and sewage systems have stabilized the environment of the villages, they still cannot compete with the visible reward of 'cash income' from the factories. At this rate, Felsen’s absolute defense—its one-hundred-percent food self-sufficiency—will collapse."

"I figured as much. Humans are rational creatures; everyone wants to log in to the server where they can earn the most. But if the base layer of food production dies, the industrial and commercial layers above it will crash in an instant. That’s why we need a high-powered 'patch' to keep the farmers anchored to the land."

I took a sip of my cola and got to the point.

"By the way, Gustav, how much uncultivated land is left in Felsen?"

Gustav spread out a map and traced the gray areas outside the borders—territory where no one in the Kingdom had dared set foot.

"To be honest, more than we know what to do with. Felsen is at the farthest edge of the frontier. Because we are so close to the border of the Magic Race territories, most of the land remains uncultivated wasteland. Forests, wetlands, plains... if we had the hands to do it, it could be turned into farmland or pastures, but as it stands, it remains untouched."

"So, we have the land, but no users."

"Correct. People are flowing into the factories, the villages are hollowing out, and the frontier is left abandoned... Felsen’s growth speed is completely outstripping its land-use efficiency."

I swirled the ice in my glass and spoke calmly.

"Then it’s simple. Felsen has land to spare. Farmers want land. Future asset value is a much stronger incentive than a factory wage. In that case—"

I snapped my fingers.

"Let’s give the land away for free... or rather, grant it to the farmers under specific conditions. We’re going to implement a system used long ago in my world to carve out a giant continent: the 'Homestead Act.'"

"Granting land for free?! For a lord to relinquish land and hand over the rights to commoners is unheard of in the legal system of this Kingdom!" Gustav’s eyes widened in shock. In a feudal society, land is the lord’s absolute asset. Giving it up was equivalent to making part of the system open-source to the public.

"It’s not relinquishing it; it’s 'generating rights based on conditions.' We embed growth conditions into the land itself. Only those who achieve the goals become owners. This isn't an abandonment of authority; it’s a self-evolving patch designed to automatically strengthen the foundation of the territory."

I held up three fingers.

"The essence of the Homestead Act is to evolve a 'user who just uses the land' into an 'owner who grows the land.' There are three conditions."

"First: Residency. They must actually live on that land and continue to generate 'living data' there.

Second: Cultivation. They must keep the farmland operational for at least five years and maintain a certain level of output.

Third: Improvement. Whether it’s setting up irrigation, improving the soil, or building a house, they must take the initiative to perform updates that increase the value of the land."

Argo’s pen began flying across his parchment at an incredible speed.

"An obligation to improve... In other words, the farmers themselves take on the responsibility of versioning up the land."

"Exactly. For those who complete the five-year trial period and increase the land's value beyond a certain threshold, we grant full, permanent ownership for free. If they run away halfway through, abandon cultivation, or neglect improvements, their rights are immediately deleted. Only those who put in the effort gain the asset—it’s an extremely rational system."

"Five years of continuity... I see. For a farmer, they would be aiming for a 'dream estate' they could never obtain in a lifetime," Gustav mused.

"Right. Once it becomes their own land, they’ll scramble to innovate to raise productivity, and their security awareness regarding protecting that land will skyrocket. As a result, Felsen’s farming villages will constantly update themselves, and the self-sufficiency rate will stay at a hundred percent—it might even become a spear we can use to turn surplus into foreign currency. We keep the farmers anchored while keeping our strongest shield—food—in its latest state. That’s the requirement for this update."

Gustav let out a deep sigh and traced the vast wilderness on the map with his fingertip.

"By reducing the lord’s centralized authority and distributing rights to the people, we increase the stability of the entire territory. Mr. Zect, your proposals always prioritize 'function' over authority. Very well. Let’s execute this overwrite of the land. Argo, draft the plot divisions and the contract templates immediately."

"Understood. I will perform the optimal calculations to reboot the power unit that is our rural sector."

"Meow. (You really are a genius at making humans work like dogs with just a little bait. Fine, I’ll sign off on this patch.)"

Tama yawned and flicked her tail against my stomach.

"Good. That should fix the land shortage bug in the long run. I’ll write the rest of the blueprints; I’ll leave the actual implementation to you two."

I leaned my recliner back even further and closed my eyes. A new program called "Ownership" was about to be engraved into the soil of Felsen.

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