CH 112

Thank you to SOLEIL for the ko-fi~

Since the plan to ride on the same plate for a boat ride was confirmed, Shu Shuishui carefully selected a suitable plate. He ultimately chose a fresh green hard plastic fruit tray, which was about two fingers deep and had a simple leaf-shaped design, somewhat resembling the shape of a boat.

As for the cotton handkerchiefs and the small blanket, Shu Shuishui thought for a moment and replaced them with silk produced at the base. Silk was comfortable and cool to use in the summer. Regarding the small pillow, the base had recently harvested a small amount of cotton. Although they received cotton seeds relatively late, it was still a significant achievement. Cotton required specific growing conditions, and in Cang Zhan Star, it was difficult to sustain. Therefore, this cotton was quite valuable. As for the end of winter, it didn’t matter; there would always be another winter, and the well-funded large base didn’t mind storing goods for now.

While Shu Shuishui was diligently sewing the appropriate small pillow, the valley received its first batch of visitors for the year. It wasn’t Liu Po and Liu Du from Area B but rather Fei Luo, who hadn’t been seen for several months.

Nan Ge was somewhat surprised when the mutated rat informed the people at the Shui Jing Gong that someone was outside. This period coincided with the days when the outside snow was melting, making everywhere muddy and difficult to traverse. From large-scale mountain torrents to small streams, it could be said that there were water-related difficulties everywhere, making it the most challenging time for movement.

Because the mountain roads were not easy to traverse, the task of guiding outsiders into the valley was entrusted to the mutated rats. They had become quite adept at this task, and with Shu Shuishui’s assistance, some of them even wore red tour guide hats and held prominent red triangular flags with official-looking words: “Welcome, welcome! Warm welcome!”

The people from Fei Luo base were left speechless for a while, unsure whether they were more shocked or resigned to the situation. Nevertheless, they obediently followed the mutated rats through the barrier of the protective array and entered the Shui Jing Gong’s territory.

As soon as they entered the barrier’s range, even though they were still standing on the mountaintop, they instantly felt the difference. The strong wind that had been blowing moments ago was suddenly neutralized, leaving only a gentle breeze brushing their faces. It was incredibly comfortable, and this feeling was like transitioning from a nightmare into a soft and beautiful dream, making them reluctant to wake up. One step closer to heaven, one step further from hell.

The people who had come along initially had many complaints, but at this moment, they all fell silent, their minds racing with countless thoughts that they didn’t dare to express directly. Except for Fei Luo, who concealed his emotions perfectly, there was only Shi An’an, whose face remained dark. As for the others, they had already been captivated by the sight of the valley.

Especially during the descent while following the mutated rats, they saw numerous pieces of advanced technology. They wanted to learn about wind power generation, solar panels, and a fully integrated energy network.

This small valley had undergone a complete transformation in just one winter. While the space might not be very extensive, it experienced significant changes every day. The thriving scenery in the valley, especially when viewed from a distance, left them envious.

“Why is the temperature here so perfect? It doesn’t seem to be affected by the outside.”

“Are those neatly arranged green patches in the valley really cultivated fields? And they’re not growing purple trees?”

“And there’s a lake, did you see it? Are those people rowing boats and fishing with nets on it?”

“Why do I feel like we’re not living on the same planet, and we didn’t experience the same winter?”

Low murmurs filled the air, and even though Shi An’an tried to warn them with his eyes, he couldn’t suppress the enthusiastic discussions. Everything they had seen so far had overturned their worldview.

Especially when they reached the bottom of the valley and discovered that everything inside the valley exceeded their understanding of a desolate planet. There was no fear, no exhaustion from constant struggle, no hunger, and no internal conflicts.

They were dressed comfortably, and the quality of their clothing appeared to be quite good. Some of them were even wearing soft, faintly glowing silk – it seemed to be silk! They couldn’t have mistaken it.

They were operating machines to harvest ripe crops, performing sorting, drying, and storage in an organized manner.

Joy and happiness adorned their faces, devoid of any concerns about the outside world and showing no signs of hunger.

Living on the same desolate planet, why was the gap so vast? For a moment, the people from Fei Luo’s base felt a significant sense of imbalance. But who could they blame? They regretted not making the decisive choice to join Gu Langu’s base back when they had the chance.

Shi An’an was also uneasy. Although he hadn’t seen any traces of cultivation along the way, the technological development in this valley was impressive. What he feared most was that this technological development might be related to Xie Feng.

But when someone’s luck turns bad, it seems that everything they fear comes true.

After Fei Luo’s group reached the valley bottom, the person responsible for welcoming them happened to be one of the individuals who had lived in Fei Luo’s base before and had joined Gu Langu’s base after the migration. This person was talented in management and had his own way of dealing with people. Since the establishment of the Shui Jing Gong, he has integrated well into the community.

“Mr. Fei Luo, it’s been a long time indeed. I didn’t expect you all to come. Gu Langu is currently busy with something, so Nan Ge arranged for me to greet you. We were concerned that you might not be comfortable, after all, we’re already familiar faces.” He wore a friendly smile, radiating warmth and approachability.

Fei Luo didn’t show much awkwardness and shook hands with the newcomer. Shi An’an, on the other hand, didn’t have a good feeling about this situation. This person had no qualifications to shake hands with Fei Luo back when they were at Fei Luo’s base. Why had things turned out this way? Shi An’an still hadn’t figured out what had gone wrong. The mission had gotten stuck, and after a whole winter, Fei Luo’s opinion of him hadn’t improved; it had, in fact, worsened.

“You were also from Fei Luo’s base before? How has it been since joining Gu Langu’s base? It seems like things have developed well here, and you’ve prospered. Congratulations,” Shi An’an said with a congratulatory tone, but his words left an uncomfortable feeling.

The newcomer maintained a friendly smile. “Thank you, Mr. Shi. Just to clarify, our base has been renamed Shui Jing Gong. I’m truly honored to be a member of the Shui Jing Gong. Speaking of which, the brothers who joined the Shui Jing Gong together have all done well. If Mr. Shi is interested, you can go meet them, especially Captain Xie Feng. He is currently the main force behind technological research and development in the Shui Jing Gong. Almost all the technological devices you’ve seen along the way, nearly 90% of them have been modified by Captain Xie Feng, with significant improvements in performance…”

Shi An’an’s forced smile began to fade. He suspected that this person was doing it on purpose and couldn’t help but interrupt, “We didn’t come here for a visit. We heard that Gu Lan… the Shui Jing Gong has developed micro-farms and wanted to do some business. There’s no need for Captain Xie Feng to introduce anything to us.”

The newcomer looked slightly embarrassed. “Since you came for the micro-farms, I have to mention it to Captain Xie Feng because we’ve already achieved mass production of the micro-farms. Although the output isn’t very high, this technology was developed by Captain Xie Feng. Mr. Shi, are you sure you don’t want to hear about it?”

Shi An’an: “…” Why did it feel like Xie Feng was everywhere? And why was Xie Feng involved in the micro-farms? Before coming here, Shi An’an had suspected more than once that the person responsible for creating the micro-farms had a connection to cultivation and was a significant figure in this world. It could have been anyone, so why did it have to be Xie Feng?

Shi An’an was left speechless, and Fei Luo finally spoke up, showing no intention of defending or saving Shi An’an’s face. “I’ve always known that Xiao Feng is a genius, and he deserves this.”

The receptionist didn’t make it difficult and made a courteous gesture. “I’ll take a few people to see Nan Ge, and the rest will be arranged for accommodation.”

Apart from Shi An’an, two others followed Fei Luo to meet Nan Ge. Nan Ge naturally didn’t refuse a business opportunity that came knocking on his door, especially since winter had just passed, and the snow hadn’t melted completely. The fact that Fei Luo’s team came looking for supplies indicated their severe shortage. It was a great opportunity to trade energy stones.

The deal was smoothly finalized. Both Nan Ge and Fei Luo were adept at understanding each other’s boundaries, and their communication was harmonious. Once the deal was settled, Fei Luo’s team breathed a sigh of relief, and Nan Ge was pleased to have a substantial amount of energy stones added to his account. After purification through arrays, these energy stones turned into top-grade and high-grade spiritual stones, with the lowest quality being mid-grade spiritual stones.

“Mr. Fei Luo, are you looking for Xiao Feng?” During the trading process, Fei Luo frequently glanced outside, and Nan Ge smiled. “As you know, Xiao Feng has never been interested in these kinds of things. He’s only interested in his research and is probably holed up in the laboratory.”

Fei Luo nodded. “I understand.”

Shi An’an felt like there was a thorn in his heart, and he felt uncomfortable. He couldn’t say that he was deeply in love with Fei Luo, but he had certainly invested quite a bit in trying to win him over. It was natural for him to feel uneasy.

“Stay for lunch at noon; it’s a good time to take stock of the supplies as well,” Nan Ge calmly invited without mentioning the odd atmosphere between Fei Luo and Shi An’an.

“That would be appreciated, and I’d also like to discuss whether we should consider moving north this year,” Fei Luo replied. His hurried visit was not only due to the shortage of supplies in the base but also because he had sensed something unusual about this summer. Combined with information gathered from existing channels, Fei Luo suspected that the Shui Jing Gong might have significant plans, such as a major relocation.

Nan Ge didn’t intend to hide anything. After all, when the day came that they had to move, everyone would relocate. It was just a matter of when. “Certainly, I’ll take you to see the micro-farm first, and we can discuss it as we go.”

The group followed Nan Ge to visit the mini-plantation. In a storage room, neatly stacked rectangular wooden crates stood empty. Apart from some strange patterns etched on them, they didn’t seem particularly special. Yet, these seemingly simple wooden crates could grow crops even in the depths of winter, with an extremely short growth cycle, yielding a harvest in just a couple of days.

“Did Xie Feng make all of these?” Shi An’an found it somewhat surreal. He had never heard of magical artifacts being mass-produced. Had he been overthinking it? Were these truly just technological products?

“That’s not entirely accurate,” Nan Ge explained. “Initially, it was Shui Shui who played a crucial role, but Xie Feng’s talent is extraordinary. He went from assisting with the modifications to creating his own designs, and then achieving mass production in just four months.” Nan Ge’s description was not exaggerated. Among their group, there were only two individuals with exceptional spiritual talent: Gu Langu and Xie Feng. However, Xie Feng was dedicated to using technology to solve problems.

After thoroughly researching the micro-farms, they gradually realized mass production. Although the yield was low, it was significantly faster than when Shu Shuishui had been working on it alone.

There was another advantage. Thanks to Xie Feng’s modifications, these micro-farms didn’t consume spiritual energy when they were in an inactive state. They only consumed it when activated. In other words, micro-farms could store energy continuously without wasting spiritual stones.

Shi An’an pondered this information as he looked at the stacks of wooden crates in the warehouse. No matter how he looked at it, it had nothing to do with cultivation. It wasn’t just unattractive; the quantity seemed unreal. So, it was certainly not related to cultivation, as he had never heard of magical artifacts being mass-produced.

Translator’s corner:

And that’s the last chapter for this weekend’s chapters.

As you all know/noticed, I like to mass-produce—like crazily produce— chapters when there are  40 or less than 40 chapters left. So, we’ll soon be entering that, again… hehe xD There are 56 chapters left before we say goodbye to the squad. Once it reaches 40 chapters left, you can expect a mass release of chapters without following the schedule :> When did I even follow the schedule? xD