Chapter 600: A Wave of Good News in the Territories

When Tan Junjie announced the good news, even his voice had softened. “The Base Leader has personally set a new reward policy,” he said. “Any lord who stays in their territory to farm through the winter and has over four mu of cultivated land will get an extra reward: fifty High-Evolution Spinach Seeds. Plus, by the end of May, you can buy three bottles of premium nutrient shake—made by Hui Three Food Processing—at a 40% discount.”

“Huh? Over four mu of farmland?”

Xia Qing paused, needle in hand, and grinned. She couldn’t speak for other places, but she knew only one lord staying in Section One of the North for winter had less than four mu: Lord of Territory Fourteen, Yan Meng.

She couldn’t help but wonder what sort of face he was making right now…

Soon after the reward policy was posted in the Section One (11–18) Lords’ Channel, the usually quiet Yan Meng piped up. “Captain Zeng, when’s the last cutoff date for confirming the four mu of farmland?”

Zeng Quan, captain of Dangerous Incident Inspection Team Four, pressed the walkie-talkie button. “The deadline is before the first Devastation Rain of the year. Based on the weather forecast, that should hit around February 15th.”

“So less than a week left,” Lord Wen Nengjie of Seventeen chimed in, “Yan, how much farmland do you have opened up? Can you handle it? Need more hands?”

Yan Meng replied in a rough voice, “Yeah. Bring ten people over tomorrow. I’ll pay five credits per day.”

“You got it! We’ll be there at eight sharp,” Wen Nengjie said, delighted to earn another fifty credits. “Anyone else need help?”

Meanwhile, in the Lords’ Channel for Territories One through Ten, Kuang Qingwei asked, “Captain Tan, if a lord only made it back to the Safe Zone after the beast tide, can they still get 150 spinach seeds? I remember a few lords ran back home.”

Xia Qing only knew that Lord Eleven had gone back. Who else left? She picked up her phone to scroll through the Lords’ group chat and saw Lord Eleven and Lord Eighteen both howling in the chat. That’s when she realized Lord Eighteen must have headed back too.

Lord Eighteen was an ordinary person. His territory was right next to the Eastern Quarantine Strip, and it had been hit hard during the last invasion. He was venting about his situation in the chat: his greenhouses and hot houses were destroyed, with three dead and five injured. He wasn’t running from his duties—he’d returned to take care of the wounded.

Back in the Lords’ Channel, Tan Junjie answered Kuang Qingwei’s question. “Inspection Team hasn’t gotten specific instructions yet, so I’m not sure.”

Tang Huai snorted. “No way. If they all ran home, what’s the point in getting seeds?”

“Huai’s got a point,” Kuang Qingwei added. “Captain Tan, do we have to keep the spinach seeds for ourselves, or can we trade them?”

Tan Junjie repeated, “No specific instructions.”

No news meant trades were fair game, right? Kuang Qingwei messaged, “Xia Qing, you there? How was spinach seed production for the ones you grew last year?”

Xia Qing pressed the walkie-talkie and reported the yield from the regular Green Lantern Spinach seeds she traded with Zhang San. “The regular Green Lantern Spinach Seeds had close to a 60% sprout rate. About fifty-five percent were female. If they grow well, each female plant can give you 70 to 110 seeds.”

Kuang Qingwei quickly calculated. “Let’s go by regular spinach numbers and estimate the high-evolution ones. As long as nothing major happens, by May each territory should pull in… about 4,000 second-generation High-Evolution Spinach Seeds. The price is bound to drop by then. I’m going to check how much they’re selling for now.”

Wen Nengjie jumped in. “That’s why Qing is smarter than me—my brain’s a knot compared to him! Qing, you have to let me know what you find. If the price is good, I’ll sell part of mine too. I need credits to buy wheat seed. Got a channel for seed buyers?”

Kuang Qingwei replied, “There is a channel, but the final price depends on what the Territory Management Department sets. Once we know, I’ll tell everyone.”

While everyone was excitedly discussing spinach seeds, Zhou Zhaoping, assistant of Territory Eight, suddenly spoke up. “Captain Tan, you around?”

Tan Junjie replied calmly, “I’m here.”

Folks from Territory Eight never spoke without a reason. Now, everyone perked up their ears, waiting to see what they’d say.

Zhou Zhaoping shared the third piece of good news for the day in a gentle, steady voice: “Our lord’s family has heard about the invasion and is worried about everyone’s safety. They’ve decided to build a 4.5-meter-high iron mesh wall—completely for free—around Section One of the North. Please report this to the Territory Management Department. If they approve, Chonglian Group will start airlifting materials and construction personnel over by helicopter tomorrow.”

“No way! For real?” Before Tan Junjie could answer, Tang Huai exploded. “Uncle Zhou, are you still dreaming, or is this for real? Chonglian is walling us all in? Must be swimming in cash!”

Tan Junjie replied coolly, “Got it. I’ll report right away.”

Qi Fu was over the moon. “This is such a good thing—the Territory Management Department will definitely say yes!”

Zhao Ze was thrilled too. “With the whole area walled in, not only will we be safer, but the Inspection Team’s load will be lighter. This is a win for everyone. If the Department says no, we’ll go raise a fuss! Uncle Zhou, if there’s not enough manpower for construction, Territory Four can send workers for free.”

Other territories quickly offered support as well. Zhou Zhaoping maintained his warm, steady tone. “Chairman Yu of Chonglian promises not to disrupt the spring planting. He’ll send a full crew and finish the job within a month. There’s bound to be some noise, so I ask for everyone’s understanding.”

The only one really affected by construction noise would be Tang Huai in Territory Twelve—he liked digging for insects. Tang spoke up. “President Yu is generous! Don’t worry, Uncle Zhou, it’s just some noise. We’re fine with that. If anyone can’t handle it, we’ll just stick them outside the wall.”

Everyone else…

Okay, that logic’s faulty—border territories could end up outside, but what about those in the middle?

Zhang San jumped in. “When you have the schedule for work near Territory Seven’s borders, please let me know. I’ve got a few critters that can’t handle much noise and need extra protection.”

Just moments ago, Tang Huai had been noisy—now he went quiet.

Zhou Zhaoping replied calmly, “Of course. Once we have construction permits, we’ll negotiate with you about timing and noise management for the area around Territory Seven. If needed, we can skip using machines and have strength-evolved fighters handle that stretch of the wall.”

“There’s no need for that,” Zhang San said, the kind warmth in his voice revealing the fourth piece of good news today. “And thank the Lord of Eight for me. I’ve managed to extract a photonic-spectrum fungicide from evolved plants, and it’s ready for mass production. If you’re interested, stop by and we can talk about working together.”

Xin Yu didn’t wait for Zhou Zhaoping to pass on the information. “Thanks, Third Brother! Does tomorrow at ten in the morning work for you?”