For the next three days, the entire settlement worked under Elias and Maya's direction. They constructed crude, hand-cranked wind machines from salvaged car parts to keep air moving through the grain, preventing dew from settling. They dug deep drainage ditches to lower the soil moisture, and applied a thick layer of alkaline wood ash to the base of the plants to alter the surface pH, creating a hostile environment for the fungal spores.
"The humidity is spiking," Maya whispered, her knuckles white around a shovel handle. Plant Pathology, Fifth Edition
On the fourth morning, a heavy fog rolled into the valley—prime conditions for a fungal explosion. Elias stood at the edge of the field, the Fifth Edition open in his hands, watching the digital hygrometer they had rigged up. For the next three days, the entire settlement