CH 124

Due to Shu Shuishui’s promise of a field of melons, Gu Langu felt that today had been a fruitful day for his “stash.” In the days that followed, every time he discreetly counted his inventory, he made sure to include a melon seed.

During the enjoyable process of building up his “stash,” the fleet continued to sail northward for some distance and eventually anchored ashore one day. During this time, the Gray Rats Company began to gain recognition, at least among the new Shui Jing Gong members who unanimously approved of their services. The gray rats started receiving more and more orders.

As for their compensation, in the eyes of the people in the improving B Zone, two melon seeds and a sweet potato were well within acceptable limits.

Moreover, the most immediate benefit of joining the Shui Jing Gong was the improvement in the quality of life. The expected exclusion and oppression did not materialize, and even those who were assigned to the original B Zone boat didn’t feel any imbalance.

This was because the Shui Jing Gong residents were skilled at social interaction. While they gradually improved and upgraded the facilities of the B Zone boats little by little, they also introduced an exchange system for micro-farms and pastures.

In the past, the B Zone did exchange for a batch of micro-farms from the Shui Jing Gong, but those were considered communal property of the base. After a winter of consumption, these micro-farms were nearly depleted.

So, when the exchange system for micro-farms was introduced, it garnered widespread attention. According to the Shui Jing Gong’s announcement, anyone could exchange for micro-farms, provided they paid a certain amount of energy stones and planting points.

There was a note regarding these planting points, specifying that they weren’t for food but for planting trees.

This detail initially left many people perplexed, except for those who had the privilege of participating in the Huanxing dungeon with Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu. Most people were in a state of puzzled observation. They understood energy stones, as they were the preferred currency on Cang Zhan Star after food. However, how to obtain planting points was still a mystery.

This question didn’t linger too long, as they had anchored ashore. It was the first time they had done so since leaving the base, nearly a month of drifting on the water. As they gazed at the distant land with a faint green hue, a strange sense of belonging welled up within each person’s heart.

It seemed that humans were ultimately terrestrial animals. No matter how comfortable the boats were, there was nothing like setting foot on solid ground.

The area here was a slightly elevated plain, spared from the summer floods. Before reaching this piece of land, the fleet had weathered a terrifying storm after leaving the base and subsequently encountered four more storms, varying in intensity. Under the repeated assaults of these storms, the fleet became more proficient at handling them. Although they all suffered some losses, they no longer panicked like they did during the first storm.

There was even a kind of illusion that the summer storms were just like this, at most making a lot of noise. Thunder and lightning were just for show, not actually striking them; the rain was heavy, but it wouldn’t flood the entire world… such thoughts circulated among the crew.

However, they seemed to forget the reason why they can think of that; the Shui Jing Gong was safeguarding them. After the first unexpected storm, the Shui Jing Gong started using detectors to scout safe harbors in advance, judging when the storms would come based on air humidity and other information.

They would rather stay in a safe harbor for a few extra days until the storm passed than risk navigating on the water. Moreover, the Shui Jing Gong had methods to resist storms, especially after Shu Shuishui hurriedly created many talismans similar in function to wind shelter charms. These were used to ensure the fleet’s safety.

When the fleet first anchored, many people cheered and thought that their seafaring journey was coming to an end. However, the Shui Jing Gong soon issued a notice that this was only a temporary stop, and they would continue their journey for a maximum of five days. Those who wished to stay here could do so, and the Shui Jing Gong wouldn’t interfere.

Upon receiving this notice, many people couldn’t help but wonder what the Shui Jing Gong was up to.

Inside the Shui Jing Gong, another notice was given: they could start collecting tree seedlings, and successfully nurturing a seedling would earn them a planting point.

According to the previous announcement, exchanging ten top-grade energy stones and a hundred planting points would get them a six-square-meter micro-farm with a six-month validity period. While top-grade energy stones were valuable, having a stable food source was clearly more appealing.

As for energy stones, with some luck, they could be obtained through mining energy ore after they settled down. As long as they were willing to put in the effort, they would eventually accumulate some. After all, the number they submitted to the Galactic Alliance each year in exchange for meager rations was greater than this amount. Speaking of which, this year, the Galactic Alliance was likely to receive significantly fewer energy stones.

However, these considerations were not within their current scope. What they needed to do right now was to rush and collect tree seedlings and then, during these five days, plant as many of them as possible. The first two days were for planting, and the remaining three were for caring for the young trees.

Exchanging for tree seedlings also required energy stones, but not the top-grade ones to prevent people from not cherishing the seedlings.

When the massive fleet anchored and people from various bases disembarked to establish camps, they saw that the Shui Jing Gong people were behaving as if they had gone crazy. They were walking around aimlessly, and upon finding a good spot, they would dig holes in the ground, water them, and carefully plant something that looked like a tree seedling.

Every person from the Shui Jing Gong was incredibly diligent and precious when doing this as if they were planting something incredibly rare.

Curious onlookers were told not to get too close, as it would block the sunlight for the young trees.

After the first and second attempts, people thought that the Shui Jing Gong folks might be just fooling around because they continued to plant trees in more distant areas as if they had some kind of illness.

However, Shu Shuishui was quite satisfied with this outcome. This place was the second supporting point for his predicted protective array. It didn’t require the same precision as the valley; as long as there was enough spiritual power, it would suffice. This place wasn’t the array’s core; it was a spiritual power support point. So the more spiritual wood trees they could nurture, the better.

The Shui Jing Gong people were dedicated to this massive tree-planting project, and they soon found it enjoyable. These tree seedlings were carefully nurtured by Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu, with a high survival rate and rapid growth. In five days, they had already grown roots and sprouted, determining whether they could survive.

Nurturing these small tree seedlings by hand gave people a sense of achievement and warmth, and some even felt like they were raising children.

On the second day, the Gray Rat Company also joined the planting team. Their planting skills were no less impressive than humans, and the holes they dug with their small paws were precise as if they had been measured. The rats were also earning planting points, and they were idealistic rodents, harboring dreams of exchanging for farms.

Spiritual wood trees were easy to care for, especially during the rainy season, there was no need to worry about watering.

While other bases were resting or deciding whether to stay here, the Shui Jing Gong seemed bustling and out of place during this rainy season full of hardships.

Soon, five days passed, and to the astonishment and speechlessness of many, as far as the eye could see, the plateau was now covered in new greenery, with robust young tree seedlings everywhere. Before they had anchored here, at most, there were some lonely and twisted trees or small patches of grass on the land.

However, when they were leaving, they found that the previously precarious greenery had suddenly thrived as if a green gem had regained its vitality and become lush and thriving.

People had varying opinions on this. While it indeed looked impressive, what was the use of it if they couldn’t eat it? So what was the Shui Jing Gong up to?

As for the Shui Jing Gong people planting trees, many of them didn’t know what they were doing either, but it felt good, and they could accumulate planting points. Why not?

Five days later, the fleet set sail once again, and not a single base chose to stay there. Initially, some people wanted to stay, but after experiencing several attacks by mutant creatures, they realized that this was the only land nearby, and mutant creatures had already arrived here ahead of them, and there were quite a few of them.

No one wanted to live surrounded by mutant creatures, so they embarked on their journey northward once again.

This time, the Shui Jing Gong appeared more mysterious in their eyes. Why could this base attract big bases like Zone B? What allowed them to withstand storms? Why were they planting trees? Why could they coexist harmoniously with mutant rats, and even the mutant rats were planting trees!

Led by this mysterious and powerful base, they sailed northward.

On this day, after killing a nearly ten-meter-long giant mutant crocodile, the fleet was preparing to anchor. The sky was already tinted red, and the sunset was imminent.

Some people were processing the crocodile’s body, which held quite a few treasures. Others had already returned to their dorms, envied by their peers, to tend to their farms.

After the last tree-planting experience, many people had exchanged for micro-farms, and from then on, they led a routine life of moving their farms out in the morning to bask in the sun and moving them back to the dorms in the evening. Many people complained that those with farms seemed to have become happily married individuals, while the singles who hadn’t exchanged for micro-farms lamented their plight.

Shu Shuishui was also among the happily married individuals, and he was quite the philandering fellow with his two micro-farms, a ranch, and Gu Langu.

After finishing up with the farms and ranch, Shu Shuishui carefully inspected the grasshoppers in the ranch. They were growing well, all plump and robust. It wouldn’t be long before they could be taken to market. Then, he could treat himself and Gu Langu to a special meal.

There was a knock on the door, and it was Cheng Que coming to invite Gu Langu and Shu Shuishui for dinner. Shu Shuishui had actually been wanting to talk to Cheng Que about the stack of data these past few days. However, Cheng Que had been immersed in his laboratory, seemingly researching something important, so Shu Shuishui didn’t want to disturb him.

But between dinner and Cheng Que, Shu Shuishui chose the former and happily went to eat with Gu Langu.

Food had a way of satisfying rodents, and Shu Shuishui felt like his steps were much lighter after the meal.

Cheng Que sensed Shu Shuishui’s joy. “Do you really like food that much, Shui Shui?”

Shu Shuishui nodded. “Of course, every morsel of food is adorable, and it deserves to be cherished.”

Cheng Que pondered this, thinking that the statement sounded quite philosophical. Just as he was about to give it more thought, Shu Shuishui added another sentence.

“But Gu Langu is adorable too, deserving of Shui Shui’s love and care. If tomorrow were the end of the world, the only reason I wouldn’t sleep tonight is to be with Gu Langu,” Shu Shuishui said seriously, making Gu Langu smile happily.

Cheng Que couldn’t quite grasp the cause-and-effect relationship in that statement and simply responded with a faint “Oh.”

Gu Langu glanced silently at Cheng Que and felt that this guy must be a lifelong bachelor, completely unaware of what it meant to be in love, and lacking any sense of achievement.

Shu Shuishui, on the other hand, was much more carefree, heading towards the dining hall without a care in the world.