Chapter 282 Red Soil
Hearing Elbert's icy reply, Master Debussy squinted his eyes.
Elbert's look, his clothes, everything about him screamed he wasn't from around here.
Unlike these ignorant villagers, if he knew a bit of chemistry, he might blow his cover.
Master Debussy suddenly cleared his throat and put on a holier-than-thou expression, "Outsider, it doesn't matter if you don't believe in our faith or recognize our god. I won't mind your rudeness, but you need to leave the village immediately!" He pointed at Elbert as he spoke.
Nearly a hundred villagers had had enough of this outsider disrespecting their master.
"This outsider doesn't respect our god and is messing with our rituals," someone shouted.
"Kick him out!" another one quickly chimed in.
Elbert was surrounded. The air was thick with slang, curses, and a threatening vibe. They were ready to boot him out.
Someone raised a tool, and it looked like things were about to get ugly.
Dawn's father was at the front. She was super anxious, spreading her arms to shield Elbert, "He's my guest! What are you doing!"
The villagers glared at Elbert, "He's not from our village! Tell him to leave now."
But Elbert stayed cool, silently counting in his head, "3, 2, 1!"
From the crowd, an elderly villager's pocket started ringing. He was stunned and pulled out the only mobile phone in the entire village. Even when Robert Williams contacted Dawn, it was through this phone. Once a top imported product, it was a big deal.
This guy was the village chief. He stepped away from the crowd, raised the phone high, searching for a signal, "Hello, yes, he's here, okay!"
The old village chief put down the phone, his face lit up, and he shouted, "Everyone, stop!"
The villagers were stunned, watching the old village chief push through the crowd and come straight to Elbert, shaking his hand tightly.
The old village chief's voice was shaky, "Mr. Perry is now the biggest landowner here!"
The villagers were floored.
The old village chief was almost in tears, "Mr. Elbert just bought all the land around our village from Difco Company!"
Evalia, being the largest soybean exporter in the world, had many top soybean export companies. Difco Company was one of them!
They bought the land around the village dirt cheap and then hired local labor for peanuts to supply soybean exports.
But the tough geological conditions of Luxor Village bummed Difco Company out.
So, after a quick negotiation by Robert Williams, Elbert snapped up the land around the village.
The old village chief, trying to keep his cool, pointed to the villagers, "You all need to respect Mr. Perry. Most of you will be working for him in the future."
The villagers were frozen in place because the village chief wouldn't lie. If the surrounding land belonged to him, then their future livelihood was in his hands.
The villagers suddenly didn't dare to move. How could they dare to kick Elbert out now?
Dawn was also stunned, "Mr. Perry, buying so much land, how much money does that take?"
Elbert shook his head with a slight grin, "Honestly, this land isn't even worth the price of a restroom in Veridiania."
From a distance, Master Debussy yelled, "Your effort is pointless! If the evil god isn't removed, nothing will grow! It's all for nothing!"
Elbert looked up at Master Debussy and shouted back, "Aren't you supposed to get rid of the evil spirit for everyone tomorrow? I'll join in too."
Elbert's smile turned sly, "Tomorrow, I'll show everyone what a real miracle looks like!"
Master Debussy's eyes widened, and he gritted his teeth in secret.
'Stupid outsider! Is he trying to compete with me? This place is a dump, just wasteland and mud houses! What miracle could he possibly pull off?' Debussy thought.
"Alright, you arrogant fool. I'll be here to witness your foolish acts!" Master Debussy flicked his sleeve, showing complete disdain.
The villagers kept quiet. They couldn't afford to offend either side now!
Elbert smiled and turned to the old village chief, "Shall we go check out my land?"
The village chief nodded eagerly.
Dawn didn't hesitate either, following closely behind Elbert.
Seeing this, Dawn's father stepped forward angrily, "Damn it, Dawn! It's late, what are you doing going with him? You don't need to suck up to him; we have plenty of land too! You should be worshipping Master Debussy with me. He's the only one who can help us!"
The village chief snapped, "Shut up! Dawn is Mr. Perry's guide. Don't cause trouble here! Get lost!"
Dawn's father, seeing the village chief's anger, didn't dare to keep blocking them.
He watched from a distance as they walked towards the edge of the village, stomping his feet in frustration.
Elbert, the village chief, and Dawn arrived at a large plowed field. The night was getting darker, making it hard to see the edges of the land.
Dawn frowned, "Mr. Perry, the villagers have already plowed and planted soybean seeds around here. But we've had a drought, and the seeds haven't sprouted. This year, the land you bought won't yield much."
Elbert smiled, knowing that if the land wasn't nearly barren, Difco Company wouldn't have sold it so cheap.
"Drought is just one reason," Elbert said, squatting down and grabbing a handful of soil. He crushed it in his palm and examined it under the village chief's torchlight, "Dawn, what else do you think is wrong with this soil?"
Dawn looked at Elbert's confident smile, her dark eyes flickering in the torchlight. She realized he was testing her.
Dawn pursed her lips and voiced the guess she'd kept to herself for a long time, "The soil around our village is all red. I think it's because there are minerals underground, making the soil high in aluminum oxide or iron oxide. In other words, our red soil is too acidic, which isn't good for plant growth."
The old village chief was stunned, "Dawn, what are you talking about?"
But Elbert nodded approvingly, "Very good!"
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