Chapter 326: Rose, Mask, and Alliance

“Probably not,” Luo Pei analyzed. “Since she entered the Territory she hasn’t said a word in the Lords’ channel for months. She only came here because it was easier to keep her birds. Unless necessary she only speaks in the channel if it’s about birds.”

“Birds, huh?”

Xie Yu thought of that evolved sea eagle carrying a crow this morning. “Could Xin Yu’s evolution ability require birds to work?”

Luo Pei shook his head. “No idea. I’ve never even seen her since arriving here.”

Luo Pei was a top-tier Vision Evolution user—his observation skills were razor sharp. If Xin Yu appeared around him often he’d have figured out something about her ability.

At that moment Lord of Territory Eight, Xin Yu, was wearing a one-way protective mask and carrying a pot of brilliantly blooming roses. She was hurrying east through the corridor between Territory One and Ten, heading to Territory Seven.

Tang Huai, standing beneath the bus stop in Territory Two, saw her up to her usual silent routine and knew better than to start a conversation. He just watched quietly as she walked past.

This woman… her temperament’s even stranger than Xia Qing’s.

“Lord Eight, Xin Yu?” Li Si, standing under the sign, pushed up his glasses and asked about the woman passing by. Tang Huai from the neighboring territory immediately perked up to listen in.

Xin Yu stopped and nodded.

Li Si’s gaze moved from Xin Yu’s pitch-black facemask to the heavy pink rose she carried. “That’s an Evolved Thousand Petal Rose, isn’t it? Can you trade it?”

“No,” Xin Yu replied, still polite enough to nod, “since I only have a few.” She kept walking, hugging the rose close.

Li Si’s assistant, Xiao Liu, gently reminded her, “Miss Xin, the compost starter business isn’t easy. Please proceed with caution.”

Xin Yu nodded again and kept on to Territory Seven.

By the time Xin Yu reached Territory Six, Kuang Qingwei was already waiting with a big grin. He handed her his business card with both hands. “Miss Xin, hello. I’m Kuang Qingwei from Territory Six. Besides farming, I dabble in commodity trading. Looking forward to working with you someday.”

Still holding her roses, Xin Yu took his card one-handed and gave a slight nod. “Alright.”

When Xin Yu accepted his card Kuang Qingwei’s smile widened, the pits left on his face by acid rain warping his features a bit. He quickly reined in his excitement, put on the polite face of a businessman, and stepped aside to let her pass. “Third Brother is waiting for you in the territory, Miss Xin. Go right in—wish you both a smooth partnership.”

After Xin Yu left, Kuang Qingwei returned to his territory, unable to hide his grin any longer. Zhu Li, trailing behind to watch the show, asked in a hushed voice, “Honey, who exactly is Xin Yu?”

Kuang Qingwei walked back home with his wife, lowering his voice. “How would I know? Just figured, the more friends you have, the more doors open.”

But Zhu Li knew her husband never did anyone a favor for free. No way he’d be this happy without the slightest bit of inside info. She tugged his sleeve to press for more, but he quickly winked at her with his right eye.

Zhu Li immediately caught on and fell silent.

Tang Huai liked eavesdropping everywhere—he was probably crouched in some patch of grass right now. Best to save the real talk for later, when no one’s around.

Though Seven and Eight were neighboring numbers, their lords lived on opposite ends of the territory. The two finally met for the first time in Territory Seven’s reception room.

Zhang San was more than pleased with the roses Xin Yu brought. Once he’d confirmed how to propagate them, he got down to business. “Territory Nine uses Evolved Yeast and two fairly stable strains of evolved lactic acid bacteria. I’ll give you the cultivation techniques for four types of super lactic acid bacteria and three blends of compost starter powder. All of them can boost the kill rate above 96%. Where do you plan to build the plant?”

“Territory Eight,” Xin Yu replied.

Zhang San nodded. “Three conditions: one—keep the techniques secret; two—the cultivated strains can’t be used anywhere else; three—no partnerships with Hui One Research Institute, Hui Three Research Center or the Blazing Fire Squad.”

“Deal,” Xin Yu agreed cleanly. “For the compost starter we’re making—your side provides technique, I provide space, equipment, and workers. Is a 50-50 split alright?”

“I’ll take twenty percent and seeds or seedlings from the ten best-tasting Green Lantern foods in your territory. Including that rose, you owe me nine more varieties.”

Xin Yu nodded. “Alright, I’ll have them brought over this afternoon.”

“No need—let Ji Li come pick them up.” Zhang San, in high spirits, called Zhang He inside. “You can discuss the project’s future details with my student.”

Once all the territories had harvested their early corn, Kuang Qingwei’s thresher rental business finally got off the ground.

Kuang Qingwei delivered the thresher and boron fertilizer to the Northern Barrier of Section Three right on schedule. He shared the good news with Xia Qing, grinning from ear to ear. “Sis, did you hear? Qian Lin from the Sufeng Squad went hunting in the Evolved Forest after the last storm—got bitten to death by a poisonous insect.”

Xia Qing nodded. “Now you can relax, Qing.”

With Qian Lin dead, Kuang Qingwei let out a long sigh of relief. “Exactly. Now I can finally farm in peace.”

Politely declining Kuang Qingwei’s offer to help thresh in person, Xia Qing asked, “Qing, can you get your hands on a stalk shredder?”

Corn stalks were tough. To use them in the fields you had to shred or chop them first. Xia Qing had enough power and diesel now, so she was looking to buy a shredder.

Besides corn stalks, sweet potato vines and pumpkin vines in the field could also be shredded for compost. Once Third Brother’s compost starter was ready, even weeds in the territory could be shredded for the heap. So the shredder would see lots of use—it was worth owning one.

“What a coincidence,” Kuang Qingwei chuckled, his eyes nearly disappearing in the smile. “I’ve been looking into that myself. What size do you want? What’s your price range? Right now I’ve got four-blade and six-blade models, both auto and manual feed…”

In a disaster year, getting your hands on a machine was lucky, but Kuang Qingwei could even let her pick the size and price. He must’ve made a connection with Hui Two Base. Xia Qing listened carefully and quickly made her choice. “I’ll take a manual six-blade, no motor needed.”

Six-blade models worked faster than four-blade, and manual feed machines were sturdier than automatic ones. She already had a motor—no need to buy another.

“Done. It’ll be here within a month, and it won’t delay composting.” Kuang Qingwei looked around, lowered his voice with excitement, “I’ve just made a connection with Chonglian Group at Hui Two—you know Chonglian Group?”

Xia Qing nodded. “Chonglian also makes farm equipment?”

Hui Two was more than just a home appliance powerhouse—their engineering and advanced tech was top-notch too. Chonglian Group was Hui Two’s biggest engineering equipment manufacturer. Most of the equipment Xia Qing used in the construction team was made by Chonglian.

“They do. Only heard after I made contact… This person—” Kuang Qingwei lowered his voice further, using his hands to first signal “eight” then “three” at Xia Qing. “She’s a major shareholder.”

Seeing Xia Qing’s usually calm face light up with surprise, Kuang Qingwei felt satisfied sharing the scoop. He whispered, “Let’s keep this to ourselves. She’s notorious for being ruthless—do not cross her.”