Lucas did not have a pleasant morning. Probably because he did not sleep well the night before, as he expected, high-class bedding in this world was less than ideal. But it could not be helped, and complaining would not improve anything. Considering the possibility that this might be his life from now on, Lucas briefly regretted his education in biology instead of ergonomics or whatever it is that people who design mattress went to school for.

Due to this, Lucas woke up earlier than expected and spent a few hours by himself in the castle. Well, not by himself really. For one, he had guards with him at all times, and for another he seemed to attract nobles like flies. Realistically, he supposed that given his situation it would make sense to befriend him for political purposes, but Lucas could only listen to these sycophants so much before having to fight a desire to strangle them.

Of course, to make matters more awkward, many noble ladies approached him in a different way, but for the same reason. Admittedly, it was slightly more tempting, Lucas could not precisely make a claim to being immune to the kind of things they suggested, but Lucas had no desire to become involved in politics. And further, as a visitor from another world, and one who is educated in biology, Lucas was concerned about falling sick from some disease unique to this world. Without research and protection he was just as likely to end up dead as anything else.

Overall, it was a terrible morning.

When Lady Almistraus came to inform him that they were ready to travel to the farms, Lucas could have hugged her for saving him. Joining the two was the Duke’s steward, a portly man with a rather magnificent mustache named Volen. Lucas idly wondered why he failed so terribly at trying to grow a beard or mustache, well, he didn’t really wonder. Lucas chuckled to himself, the answer is genetics, but he didn’t think allocating a budget to helping him grow a mustache would be something he would have done. Probably.

“Is there something amusing Lucas?” Volen was very good about not calling him ‘lord hero’ or other such nonsense, Lucas honestly appreciated that quite a bit and honestly had quite a good first impression of Volen overall. In fact, he was willing to bet that Volen did all of the real work while the Duke sat back and played court.

“Just some thoughts,” Lucas replied. “It was not important.”

“As you say,” Volen coughed and changed the subject to the plan for the day. “The Duke informed me of the general plan you have, but any details would be appreciated.”

But Lucas had not really told the Duke of his plans… He was about to say as much, when Almistraus gave him a bit of a nudge. Well, he wasn’t good with social things really, so he might as well follow her cue. Anyway, he might as well explain the basic plan going forward.

“The plan is to examine your farms and the methods that farmers are using, and then to improve them where I can.” Lucas explained, “the overall concept is simple, but some of the more complicated solutions, like multiline crop strains, will probably need explanation.”

Lucas considered that he would likely have to lean on his status as ‘hero’ to get the farmers to believe in microorganisms at all. Hell, even the concept of the cell is relatively modern in human development. Even with the collar around his neck, it can’t translate things they don’t have words for…

Better nip this in the bud now, “My world is far beyond yours, and I do not think you really wish to take the time it would require for me to prove everything I am going to do. I will leave instructions for how to do it to whomever you wish later, but I would appreciate it if you simply accepted everything I say regarding the nature of life.”

“What was your world like?” Lady Almistraus asked.

Lucas thought about it for a moment, how would one explain modern technology to someone from the medival ages?

“Fast.” Lucas spoke slowly as he considered his words. “People and materials can be moved thousands of miles in mere hours, and information travels instantly. Our science and technology has grown rapidly due to this, to the point where it is impossible to keep on top of every concept in every field. Year to year our capacity grows, and that is wonderful, but also terrifying. I come from a world where medicine can bring people back from the brink of death and weapons can destroy cities. And, as I am learning as I settle into this world, I took all of its luxuries for granted.”

“I don’t think I can even imagine it.” Lady Almistraus said, “When you talk about ‘science,’ from what you have said it sounds like something anyone can use, unlike magic or blessings.”

“Exactly,” He nodded. “Obviously, there are those who are smarter and more talented that do better, but a lot of science comes from hard work and effort. A person of average intelligence, but above average diligence, can contribute greatly to the pursuit of science. And as education is expanded, so do the amount of people who follow that path, further increasing the speed of growth.”

“Is that something we could replicate here?” Lady Almistraus seemed excited by the idea.

“Probably?” Lucas watched the city pass by as the carriage went down the streets, passing through the first gate and leaving the Inner City. “You likely had a decent idea what my personality is like, so you should understand that I am not suited for teaching. Knowing that about myself I have never bothered to learn how to teach, or indeed, much about how education works. So I cannot help you here beyond pointing you in the right direction.”

Volen asked his own question, “Is knowledge in your world very restricted? You speak with confidence when you talk of your field, but lose that regarding anything else.”

“It isn’t restricted, there is just too much of it. To become an expert in anything requires dedicating your life to it, and I only have one life to spend.”

“Even if all you can do is give us a direction to work towards, that is more than we have now.” Lady Almistraus looked to the bright side, “if you can truly give us what you promised last night and can give us some directions to go in, we may be able to stand on our own.”

“That’s good, self reliance is an important trait. After all, relying on people from another world will always be a gamble, the person might be a rude asshole.” Lucas said jokingly, referring to himself.

Passing the second gate, the carriage rolled out into the farm lands.