CH 52

Indeed, in that small pasture, the six grasshoppers appeared very leisurely. There were artificial rocks, green grass, and even glistening dewdrops on top, creating a comfortable environment with no signs of struggling or escaping.

The group fell silent, unsure how to express their mixed emotions.

Although their feelings were like riding a roller coaster, overall, they were pleasantly surprised. While the hope for a real pasture might have been lost, these three large flowerpots were still captivating.

“Shui Shui, why can the plants in these flowerpots grow? Is this wheat? How can they withstand the cold? And why do they grow so fast? Don’t they need pollination or watering?” Calmly, even Nan Ge couldn’t wait and asked a series of questions.

Shu Shuishui was stared at by three pairs of eager and shining eyes and suddenly felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. So, he climbed onto one of the large flowerpots, stood on the edge, and extended his little paws, pointing at the positions where the spirit stones were placed. “These are spirit stones, special products from my homeland… Recently, I found out that they can be made by purifying energy stones. These spirit stones can form an array. The array I set up can simulate different ecological environments and automatically make subtle adjustments for different plants. For example, the intervals and intensity of the wind in the array, the moisture content of the soil, and most importantly, it can accelerate plant growth.”

Most of these formations were modified by Shu Shuishui himself and have undergone countless experiments and improvements, almost perfectly solving various problems in plant growth, and even preventing and controlling pests.

After explaining seriously, Shu Shuishui suddenly turned around. “By the way, since you all came here, I have a gift to give you. Here, take them. Four for each person.” As he said this, Shu Shuishui handed out the chives, giving each person four of them. He then held his eight chives and hopped off the car with a “pat.” He even tried to hold the chives higher to prevent them from dragging on the ground.

“What is this grass?” Yu Jin smelled the chives and felt the taste was strange.

Shu Shuishui’s little ears twitched. It turned out that chives were not food from this world. “These are chives, and you can eat them raw or cooked. They are a kind of vegetable.”

As soon as he heard this, Yu Jin’s eyes lit up. He immediately stuffed the chives into his mouth but then his expression became somewhat awkward. Well, it’s hard to describe… It’s not that it’s hard to swallow, but the taste is indeed not very pleasant.

Shu Shuishui followed up with an explanation, “Of course, usually, they are not eaten raw.”

Yu Jin: “……”

Near the convoy, campfires were gradually being lit as people prepared for lunch.

Shu Shuishui had already used his sharp claws to chop the chives and was currently kneading dough, the warm brown paws together with the white dough made Xie Feng stare in amazement.

The following process was even more complicated. It was the first time everyone had witnessed such a complex cooking process, and it was being performed by a mouse.

So when a golden and luscious pastry came out of the improvised frying pan made from a can lid, even though it looked delicious, no one dared to speak up and ask for a taste. After a busy and eventful noon, Shu Shuishui finally fulfilled his wish and got to eat the chive pie.

As Shuishui held the pastry and was about to take a bite, his little ears couldn’t help but tremble uncontrollably. However, in the end, he stopped and took out a knife to cut the pie into six pieces.

Everyone looked at each other, but no one went to take the hard-earned pie that Shu Shuishui had made. The little dormouse took one slice, trembling his little ears as he quickly finished eating it, then patted his small belly and said, “I’m full.”

Everyone was left speechless.

In the end, the remaining five slices were divided and eaten. No one refused Shu Shuishui’s thoughtful gesture. Although it was just a small bite, it was heartwarming, making even the rough purple tree cake taste a bit better.

Shu Shuishui also took a small piece of the purple tree cake. Lunch and rest took an hour, and the convoy was about to set off again.

“Shui Shui, can we grow plants in our vehicles if we have enough energy stones?” Nan Ge asked an important question.

Though Shu Shuishui had planted only three pots of plants, it might not seem to have a decisive impact. However, considering the vast convoy, the cumulative effect could be significant.

Shu Shuishui tilted his little head and said, “In theory, it’s possible, but the energy stones need to be purified first. I have some energy stones here. If anyone wants to grow plants, I can exchange them and help set up the formations.”

This answer was a pleasant surprise. Nan Ge didn’t want to waste even a minute, so despite the other two bases notifying the start of their journey, the Gu Langu Base stayed put.

Unfortunately, the sky started to snow gradually, indicating that the last good temper of winter was about to run out.

Fei Luo and Hu Sichen sent people to urge the Gu Langu Base to hurry up, but Nan Ge informed them that their base would be delayed for a while.

The people from the other two bases naturally had no reason to wait, so they set off first, planning to wait for the Gu Langu Base to catch up when they camped for the night.

Shu Shuishui’s spirit storage still had some flower pots, but they were far from enough to supply the whole base. With Xie Feng included, the base now had 109 people, and there were over 30 vehicles carrying supplies, personnel, and tools. Among the vehicles, the larger buses were suitable for planting; just vacating one bed could be turned into a planting area.

Nan Ge had already ordered to start digging the soil. Additionally, he informed the team members with extra space in their vehicles to look for suitable containers for planting.

This immediately stirred up the base. Nobody knew what Nan Ge’s order meant. In the middle of winter, they were asked to dig soil. Now, it was not summer, the ground was covered with a layer of ice, and the soil was frozen. Digging was almost like mining.

Fortunately, most people now had skilled knowledge of mining and excavation techniques, and they had adequate tools. So, even though they didn’t understand, they still started to act, digging and finding tools.

The convoy suddenly became lively, and the departing two convoys were puzzled by the situation back at the Gu Langu Base.

“What’s wrong with the Gu Langu Base people? Do they think their load is too light? Are they digging soil to load onto their vehicles? Are they crazy?”

“Isn’t it too cold?”

“Why do you care? Their base must have plenty of food, and they ate until they were full, right?”

“Isn’t this madness? What are they all doing?”

“…”

As the departing convoy moved away, discussions were rampant.

Back at the Gu Langu Base, the situation was similar.

“Has Nan Ge gone crazy? Why suddenly ask us to dig soil?”

“Containers for planting? He can’t be serious about planting, right? Joking aside, even though the vehicles have heaters, they can’t keep them on all the time. If we stop the heaters for half an hour, everything will freeze to death!”

“It’s so cold, why is this soil so hard!”

“Everyone else has left, and here we are, digging soil. What’s the point?”

“Nan Ge probably has his own plans; just do your job.”

Amidst the clamor of such discussions, Nan Ge had already ordered people to assess available vehicles and space. He was swiftly formulating a plan while also asking new questions.

Shu Shuishui was also surprised by Nan Ge’s quick actions. He wasted no time in getting things done.

“Shui Shui, can we plant outside the vehicles, like on the roof?” Nan Ge inquired.

Shu Shuishui nodded. “It’s possible, but the colder it is outside, the greater the energy consumption and the lifespan of the formation will be significantly reduced. It’s not cost-effective. In my three pots, the formation can last about three months. But if placed outside, it might last only one month, and the outside temperature will drop even lower, won’t it?”

“I see. Will the plants inside the formation grow at night?”

“They will grow, but very slowly, as there’s no light. At night, without air conditioning, to maintain a stable temperature, the energy consumption is higher than during the day…”

They continued with this back-and-forth exchange, and Shu Shuishui was generous in providing answers to all questions. However, certain aspects, like how to arrange the formations or how to modify them, were difficult for Shu Shuishui to explain, and Nan Ge couldn’t understand either.

In the end, Nan Ge completed his preliminary plan and informed everyone. Vehicles with available space and soil could voluntarily exchange energy stones for seeds to facilitate rapid planting.

The others were left puzzled. Had Nan Ge gone mad? Who would think of planting in the middle of winter, especially inside vehicles? What could they possibly grow?

However, more detailed explanations quickly spread throughout the base. It turned out that there was a method to regulate the temperature of the soil and accelerate plant growth. However, in exchange for the benefits of planting, they needed to pay ten percent to the base, and they had to bear the cost of maintaining a stable temperature using energy stones.

Though most people understood the general idea, they remained skeptical. Accelerate plant growth? It seemed impossible!

It wasn’t that current technology didn’t support it; the issue was that Cang Zhan Star didn’t support it. Any method to accelerate plant growth, whether by modifying the soil or the plants, involved extragalactic technology, which was strictly prohibited by the Galactic Alliance. Obtaining such technology was virtually impossible unless rewarded through the simulator’s missions.

However, now they were saying that the soil they dug up on the roadside could accelerate plant growth. This just didn’t sound plausible.

Nan Ge wasn’t surprised by this skepticism, and he didn’t delve into more detailed explanations. People needed time to accept new ideas, and Shu Shuishui also needed time to create the formations. They had plenty of time on their journey, so Nan Ge wasn’t in a hurry.

Though they had only experienced one winter snowfall so far, the longer they waited, the more the soil froze. By the peak of winter, the snow covering the ground could reach several meters deep, and the soil beneath would be as hard as iron.

Despite their doubts about Nan Ge’s order, the team quickly completed the task of preparing soil and containers. As for whether to plant or not, they would wait and see.

However, there were always daring individuals or those who had absolute faith in Nan Ge. In the end, aside from the vehicles where Yu Jin and his team resided, two other vehicles’ occupants exchanged energy stones for the planting opportunity.

Shu Shuishui was a bit baffled when he saw a bag full of energy stones on the back seat. The flower pots required small pieces of energy stones, and one pot, depending on the formation, would consume at most two complete top-grade energy stones. However, the bag that others brought over contained thirty or forty top-grade energy stones.

There were no flower pots available, so they found rectangular wooden frames from the supplies vehicle, which seemed to have been used for planting before. The size and depth were suitable, likely meant to be placed on balconies but worked well at the back of the vehicles.

In total, there were three frames. Shu Shuishui skillfully set up the formation amidst the falling snow. After confirming that they would be used to plant sweet potatoes, he efficiently arranged the formation. This time, Shu Shuishui didn’t even use fragmented energy stones; instead, he used whole pieces of energy stones. Even so, each wooden frame only required five energy stones. Once the formation was set, the energy stones disappeared, and the frames appeared unchanged from the outside.

The base did have reserve sweet potato chunks, but those were meant for planting next year, so they needed to be sprouted. Shu Shuishui thought about it and took out three sweet potatoes from his spiritual storage, cutting them into different-sized chunks, and started germinating them. This ensured the highest survival rate and growth conditions.

He informed Nan Ge that they could plant the sweet potatoes once the soil melted and became moist, and then they just had to wait for the harvest. If there are no incidents, they could harvest in two to three days.

Nan Ge moved one of the wooden frames onto his own vehicle, and the other two frames were given to the people who exchanged energy stones. After everything was settled, the caravan of Gu Langu Base set off again, following the traces left by the other two caravans.

Because of this episode, the atmosphere in the caravan was lively in the afternoon, especially in the two vehicles that had obtained the wooden frames. One was a sleeper bus, and the passengers on the bus were mostly focused on the frames. The other was a truck, where the frame was slightly smaller and placed at the front.

As for Yu Jin, he stopped playing on the computer and focused on the wooden frame at the back of the vehicle. Once the frozen soil had become soft and moist, he eagerly buried the sprouted sweet potato chunks.

Meanwhile, Shu Shuishui sat in the back seat, handling energy stones one by one and calculating how many he had earned. “Gu Gu! I’ve made money! I’ll buy you delicious food, no, I’ll plant delicious food for you.”