Most of the farms were currently located in the first parts of the castle. Seeds were sown about three to four months ago, and the plants had already grown into matured crops. Only the fruit trees were yet to reach full maturity. Outside the castle, it would take years for the trees to blossom, but inside the castle, they had already grown branches, and fruits were expected in about a year.

Abdin stood, taking in the view at the threshold of the first farm. It was as big as five square kilometers in size, and the crops were expected to feed as many as two thousand families. It was just one of the many farms spread all over the castle.

Since more than half of the newcomers had brought their food, this harvest could sustain them until the farms in the second part of the castle were ready for harvest. Additionally, most cultivators around the castle didn't need a daily intake of food, unlike the normal people who were in urgent need of it.

The farm guards had already announced Abdin's arrival, and Cemu ran out to meet them.

"You are welcome, Commander," he said with a slightly trembling voice. "To what honor do we owe your visit?"

Abdin smiled at him and stood him up. His warm smile relaxed the jittery nerves of the elderly man.

"I'm just here to see how you are doing. Can you show me around for a couple of minutes?"

Cemu nodded vigorously and led them into the farm. Every plant had yielded abundantly without any need for fertilizer.

"I keep wondering the type of soil we have here, Commander," Cemu said. "The yields are awesome without any use of fertilizers or irrigation. It has been a week without irrigation, yet no one could tell otherwise."

"Water is still scarce." Abdin shook his head, looking disturbed.

Even with the fertile soil and the abundance of ki, the castle was still short of water. Water could be found in some places after much digging, but it was only enough for drinking. There were no streams or other water bodies for wider usage.

Three streams were due to appear in the fourth expansion, which could ease the situation somewhat, but not alleviate it completely.

"Reduce the use of the already dug wells," he ordered Juwaira. "Select some men that could trip daily to Biyakis and fetch water."

That should provide some temporary relief.

Juwaira gave a bitter laugh and said, "The castle has overrun the stream we were using before, and now the nearest stream to us is in the middle of Biyakis. I have already started dispatching men for such duties, but they are faced with threats from Biyakis. So the scarcity persists."

The scarcity affected the cultivators less, as they were immune to dirt and rarely needed to drink. Regular visits to the toilet among them were very rare as well.

But the teeming non-cultivators in the castle needed water for their daily survival. Abdin had faced such a problem in the past, and his way of tackling it had been to regulate the influx of people into the castle. However, that also minimized his cultivation growth.

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He sighed deeply. "Stop irrigating the farms. They will grow just fine, apart from a little delay. Your report says we have sixty wells, but there are more than seventy thousand ordinary people in the castle.

"Every well should be assigned to cater for a thousand of them. Assign two hundred foundation establishment cultivators to go out daily in search of water."

He turned to the princess and said, "You and Muwadd should oversee the digging of new wells. Dig wherever there are any signs of water, even inside buildings."

Juwaira opened and closed her mouth. They had tried that already but never found any water, no matter how far they dug, but everything changed as soon as they were outside the castle walls. They soon realized that the problem was from the castle itself.

The ultimate solution was for everyone to become a cultivator, but that would take time, and some individuals might never become cultivators, regardless of the help they received.

After visiting the farms, Abdin went to the market. He understood that every community needed an economy to sustain its population, but for now, he had prioritized water, food, shelter, and education to promote peace around the castle.

Food grains and fruits would soon be abundant in the market as the farms were to be harvested shortly. Abdin planned to introduce a currency for exchange within the castle, similar to the ayrid used in Biyakis. Shelters were not an issue since there were still many unoccupied homes, and he would only impose taxes on homes if there was a housing shortage.

Education for children and adults would be taken care of by the two schools - Babil and Garkuwa. Abdin also intended to establish wages for the teachers and defense officials of the castle soon.

Although the castle's coffers were currently empty, everyone was working to fulfill their indentured agreements. However, Abdin knew that couldn't be sustained for long. To boost the economy, the money needed to circulate between the government and the people.

He stood by a stockfish vendor, both he and the princess using pol to slightly alter their faces to avoid being recognized. This was the only way they could inspect the market without any hindrance.

"It's ten ayrid for these," said the vendor, pointing at his wares. "Twenty for these, and fifty for each of those."

Abdin frowned, realizing that the entire table wouldn't sell for more than ten ayrid at Biyakis. However, due to food scarcity and the fact that housing was free, the traders inflated their prices.

"Can you reduce the price?" asked Juwaira.

The man shook his head and firmly stated, "This is the last price. You will regret not buying it if you leave."

Juwaira clenched her fist, ready to react, but Abdin signaled for her to leave the man alone, and they moved on to the next stall, a butcher's shop.

At the butcher's shop, the meat was still fresh, indicating that it was recently brought to the market by cultivators who hunted in the forest. For this reason alone, Abdin believed that the meat should be sold at a lower price around the castle.

Some people go out into the surrounding forest to hunt and bring a game for selling in the market. Abdin never stopped them from doing so, and for that, he believed that meat should be sold at a lesser price around the castle.

"How much for each of these?" He asked.

"Sixty Ayrid." Replied the butcher.

Abdin stared speechlessly at him. The meat cost even more than the fish.

It had been a long time since he ate, and that was probably why he was ignorant of how the seventy thousand ordinary people were faring in the castle.

He must put an end to this unnecessary extortion.

But apart from the food items, other goods were relatively cheaper. Clothes and cultivation items were also cheaper. But Abdin was surprised to see water on sale.

Many in the castle had never come across such a thing, and neither had Juwaira seen that before at Shurein.

"One ayrid per cup of fresh water."

It dawned on Abdin that there was excess money among the people. And that they had no way of getting rid of it. The market stalls were free, and so were the homes, the school, and the security, giving rise to inflation.

Foodstuff became costly because there was high demand and much money in circulation.

He turned and left for home, Juwaira in tow. He needed to put an end to the high cost of food items. But enforcing it could make the traders hoard their goods until the demand was even higher.

"Wait until the farms yield," Juwaira said as if reading his thoughts. "Everything will be less costly by then."