The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] - Chapter 793

Capítulo 793: The Greenhouse

Sunlight filtered through the high glass ceiling, bright and clean, pouring down in sheets that illuminated everything below.

Sam had to squint, the sudden light catching him off guard. He couldn’t help but look up because the sky was clearly more visible now.

Sure enough, they were really outside.

Or at least, it felt that way.

Maybe he should have looked down first.

Because the moment he did, Sam almost jumped out of his skin.

Before him, rows and rows of raised beds stretched outward in neat, deliberate lines. They were overflowing with lush green leaves and clusters of ripe fruit that looked almost unreal in their abundance.

Moreover, the entire place was blinding under his visual resonance. They weren’t joking when they said they were farming all of those.

“Holy he—”

Sam didn’t get to finish the expletive.

Marco’s hand clamped over his mouth, his body reacting automatically as he glanced toward the children who were equally stunned but far more expressive.

It was a nice gesture.

But the kids wouldn’t have heard Sam anyway. Not even if he tried harder.

Because at that moment, the kids had more things to focus on than someone making an oopsie.

They were focused on Jax and on the way the place made them feel excited.

Their hearts were beating faster as everything around them seemed new, amazing, and absolutely unreal.

The temperature was noticeably colder, but the kids wearing their smaller overalls thought it was the best thing ever.

Some of them wiggled and brrrr-ed in place before laughing hysterically.

Not only had the temperature changed, but the air itself felt different. It was fresh. Faintly sweet. And undeniably alive.

So alive that several children nearly shrieked when their newest big brother idol suddenly pointed toward the far end of the greenhouse.

There, towering above them, stood a massive glass structure with thick pipes that branched outward.

It was transparent.

And it was filled with water.

“Huh?”

One of the kids jerked back and pointed when he saw something move inside.

“That’s our fish tank,” Jax said easily. “We grow fish in there that help produce the nutrients needed by the plants to grow. Inside the tank are fish we raise for food.”

“!!!”

“Fish?”

The word bounced between the children as they turned to each other, eyes wide, mouths open. They didn’t know what that was but it sounded really exciting!

“Wow!”

Yes.

It was definitely wow.

Because Sam and Marco both felt their knees weaken as they realized that even the water inside that tank was brimming with spiritual energy.

Did this place not need guards?

Or barriers?

Or a full lockdown?

Their cold sweat and rising panic did not seem to faze the redheaded cadet at all.

Instead, Jax nodded eagerly at the children, clearly pleased with their reactions.

“But before I tell you about this giant contraption,” he said cheerfully, “you might want to look at this first. That way, you can understand why we had to build something like this in the first place.”

And just like that, the children leaned forward again.

Ready to be amazed all over.

__

Jax led them to the side, stopping in front of a clear display case that immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Inside was a single plant shown at different stages of its life.

One was just a tiny sprout barely peeking out of the soil. Another had grown leaves. Another stood taller, fuller, heavy with life. The last looked mature, steady, and unmistakably healthy.

Jax crouched slightly so the kids could see better.

“Okay,” he said cheerfully, “so this is one of my kids growing up.”

Several children nodded seriously, as if this made perfect sense.

“For a plant to survive and grow strong,” Jax continued, counting on his fingers, “it needs good soil with the right nutrients, enough water, light, air, and the right temperature so it doesn’t get sick and can grow big and strong.”

One kid raised a hand. “Plants can get sick?”

“Very sick,” Jax replied gravely. “Very dramatic, too.”

A few kids gasped.

“But if we give them everything they need,” he said brightly, “they grow big and happy.”

The children hummed in approval.

Then Jax straightened and tilted his head. “Now,” he asked, “out of all those things, what do we usually have problems with?”

There was a pause.

Reeve cleared his throat. “Land,” he said carefully. “And, well. Water.”

The answer came with a delay from his terminal as well, because Thea was watching his stream chat explode in real time.

The comments were relentless.

Soil quality. Water contamination. Radiation exposure. Lack of arable land. Planetary instability. Climate mismatch. Mineral imbalance. Corruption. Lack of atmosphere. Again, fucking corruption.

Researchers had poured into the chat in droves, typing so fast it was almost aggressive.

The others had allowed them momentary access because, frankly, whatever these people were discovering looked important enough to matter.

Jax nodded.

“Yes,” he said simply. “Not only do we have issues with soil, but we also have issues with water. And finding crops that can tolerate the different conditions people try to grow them in.”

He gestured around the greenhouse.

“So in our case, we decided to fix the environment first,” Jax explained. “We tailor the conditions of the facility to the crops we grow.”

He pointed toward one section. “The temperature here is colder than normal because some of my children like cooler places.”

A few kids leaned closer.

“Leafy ones and those small red fruits that smell sweet,” he added. “And the ones that grow underground also like it cooler.”

Then he pointed toward the other side. “Over there, it is warmer and more humid because some kids prefer heat.”

“Like the round red ones,” a child whispered in awe.

“Yes,” Jax said proudly. “Those kids love warmth.”

Then he clapped his hands once. “Now, for crops that could thrive even without soil, we decided to use aquaponics.”

“Aqua what?” a child asked.

“Aquaponics,” Jax repeated patiently. “We thought of going with this because we don’t really have enough farmland, but more importantly, this would allow us to grow food without pesticides or chemicals.”

The adults stiffened.

“There are other versions,” he went on casually. “Hydroponics. Aeroponics. We are also looking into those.”

He smiled. “But we ultimately prioritized aquaponics because it lets us grow crops faster and also lets us raise fish at the same time.”

A few people made strangled noises.

“The nutrients from the filtered fish waste feed the plants,” Jax explained. “So instead of adding nutrients ourselves, the fish do it for us.”

“And because the water is recycled,” he added, “we use much less water than traditional farming.”

The adults were looking at each other because they weren’t sure how to react.

Thankfully, the children could react enough for all of them as they followed Jax who walked closer to the tank at the far end.

Everyone did their best to keep their hands to themselves, because the urge to touch was unbearable. Every surface looked alive and enticing.

There were labels and photos posted everywhere, but now they could confidently say that pictures had lied.

Before them were broad, layered leaves that fanned outward like folded silk, crisp and pale with darker veins. Nearby, clusters of small, glossy fruits dangled gently, red and plump, their scent faintly sweet and encouraging.

They looked real.

Then suddenly, a child gasped.

“WOAH! What’s this?!”

Everyone turned.

To the right, a compact enclosure housed a small group of beasts. They were clean, calm, and pecking contentedly at feed while sunlight glinted off the curved glass panels surrounding them.

Children stared openly, eyes huge.

Adults looked shaken.

“Oh,” Jax said happily. “Yes. These are our nice chickens.”

The word hit like a spiritual shockwave.

“If you ever try our egg products,” Jax added, “it is nice to know they come from them.”

“C-chicken?” Reeve repeated faintly.

“Yes, customer,” Jax said with a grin. “And I swear they are the really nice ones.”

Who knows what that was about, but the moment the redhead said that, several organizations across the Empire descended into complete frenzy.