Chapter 451: A Season for Growth and Subtle Moves

11 a.m. The temperature climbed while the wind eased up—it was the perfect weather for farming.

Xia Qing stayed inside her greenhouse, but she could still hear loud thuds next door as people from Territory Four packed the cold-proof ditches with heavy tools. Meanwhile, when her idol, Third Brother, answered the phone, he let out a huge yawn before he even spoke.

After a year of observation, Xia Qing realized her idol worked nothing like regular farmers. He worked in the afternoons and into the night, then slept until late morning. The farmers, on the other hand, lived by sunrise and sunset.

“Xia Qing, is this about the evolved wolves?” Zhang San asked before stifling another yawn. “Dan Ying was urgently called back to Fire Mountain—she won’t be back for months. Territory Nine only has its original group left. They’re not much of a threat to you now.”

Since he was sleepy, Xia Qing got straight to the point. “Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease. But I’m not just worried about Er Gou. When Dan Ying came over, she insisted on trading 100 High-Elevation Green Lantern Spinach Seeds with 5.3% Evolution Element and 4.8‰ Devastation Element, with a one-third sprouting rate, in exchange for Er Gou. It just feels off to me. Third Brother, do you think I shouldn’t plant those high-elevation spinach seeds this winter?”

After hearing Xia Qing’s words, Zhang San perked up a bit. “Repeat exactly what she said.”

Once Xia Qing recited it, Zhang San gave a clear answer. “Don’t plant them this winter. Wait until Base distributes the new spinach seeds next year.”

That was exactly what Xia Qing suspected. Now that her idol confirmed it, she felt much more at ease. She probed further: “Third Brother, I already planted the spinach seeds two days ago. They’re just sprouting underground. If I dig them up now, can I switch them to hydroponics?”

Zhang San cut right to it. “As long as they haven’t rooted, you can.”

As Xia Qing got ready to dig up the seeds, another worry cropped up. “Third Brother, I’m afraid Dan Ying may have left behind some bizarre pesticide and that Territory Nine might use it to attack us and take Er Gou by force. Do you have anything that could improve security? I’d like to trade for some.”

Zhang San let out a little snort. Xia Qing could hear the pride in his voice. “Of course I do.”

That made Xia Qing even more relieved, so she offered him a choice of trade goods. “Thank you, Third Brother. Would you rather have Green Lantern Eggs or hickory nuts?”

Zhang San didn’t choose either. “I need three types of medicinal herbs. I’ll ask Ji Li to send you pictures tomorrow. Just have the Wolf Pack collect them whenever you get the chance—no rush. By the way, Dan Ying wasn’t lying about that sick wolf not making a full recovery. Its Devastation Element is already way too high, and its resistance has dropped sharply. It can’t heal its organs on its own.”

Xia Qing already knew this.

She had measured Er Gou’s Devastation Element, and it had hit 25‰.

If that happened to a human, a Devastation Element level over 20‰ would already be dangerous. At that point, the body’s resistance would drop off, and you couldn’t handle heavy work.

If a human’s Devastation Element gets above 30‰, the brain can’t command the immune system to fight back anymore. If the Devastation Element invades key brain areas, the person starts showing symptoms of Devastation Evolution.

After the Great Evolution on Blue Star, all large animals, including humans, evolved in remarkable ways. In theory, lifespans increased too. But reality was harsher: average lifespans for every animal type dropped compared to before the Great Evolution.

The main reason was every animal’s inability to get enough low-Devastation food. Forced to eat high-Devastation Red Lantern foods, the Devastation Element inside their bodies only piled up.

Once internal Devastation Element built up to a certain level, and an animal faced a sudden spike from things like Devastation Rain or Devastation Snow, they’d just snap and go berserk.

When enough of those crazed animals gathered, a beast tide would follow. Xia Qing didn’t know the exact tipping point for Devastation Evolution in evolved wolves, but 25‰ was already playing with fire.

That’s why Xia Qing made Er Gou eat only low-Devastation foods and gave him a Yi Stone to wear for the long term, just to keep his Devastation Element from rising too fast. But to really lower his levels and repair his organs, she needed Zhang San’s newly developed Devastation Element Antidote.

So Xia Qing decided: after harvesting the first batch of cordyceps fungus she was cultivating with Yang Jin, she’d send them to Section Seven to trade for the antidote, then give Er Gou a dose and bring his Devastation Element down under 15‰.

At that point, even if Er Gou couldn’t return to peak condition, he’d at least be able to eat raw meat without trouble.

Of course, Xia Qing planned to take a dose herself.

As for Old Goat, he didn’t need it. The amount of Devastation Element in his body was so low that Xia Qing sometimes wondered if she should carve off a few slices and eat him with hotpot.

Unexpectedly, Zhang San brought up the antidote first. “You’ve invested in the Azure Dragon Squad’s cordyceps fungus project, right?”

No point hiding it. Xia Qing gave a straightforward answer: “I have.”

As for what she used to buy in, Zhang San didn’t ask, and Xia Qing didn’t say.

“Animals can use the antidote too. Once the first batch is ready, bring Er Gou over and I’ll give him a checkup. That way I can confirm the dosage and get his Devastation Element below 10‰.”

Zhang San sounded quite pleased.

He was excited because once that sickly wolf’s Devastation Element dropped, it could return to its prime and make Dan Ying eat her words.

Xia Qing instantly agreed. Anyone who said no to a deal like that would be a fool.

After hanging up, Xia Qing called her partner Yang Jin and asked him to visit Section Three.

When Yang Jin arrived, Xia Qing explained everything and handed him the High-Elevation Green Lantern Spinach Seeds she’d just dug up. “I planted these two days ago. With the cold weather, they’ve just begun sprouting but haven’t taken root yet. Third Brother says they’ll work for hydroponics. Do you have enough spring water? Want to take some back with you?”

Since they’d be growing more cordyceps fungus, the demand for spring water was rising as well.

“There’s plenty of spring water.” Yang Jin carefully took the seeds—still nestled in a damp cloth—and transferred them into a culture box he’d brought. “Is the sprouting rate higher now?”

Xia Qing was left speechless.

Had Brain Evolution made him that sharp? He could spot the higher germination rate in one glance?

The second batch of Green Lantern Spinach she grew last autumn had a germination rate of 66.67%. So when she introduced the seeds to Yang Jin, she’d said the rate was two-thirds. This batch, though, was sprouting even better.

Still, Xia Qing answered with caution. “I planted 400 spinach seeds, and 295 have already sprouted. That’s a germination rate of 73.75%. But I’ve never dug up seeds before, so I don’t know if all the sprouts can break through the soil and become seedlings.”