Chapter 917: Sunflowers and Secrets: Lords’ Trading Frenzy

Once the Azure Dragon and Fire Phoenix updates wrapped up and Hui Three’s radio news ended, the two listened closely to the weather forecast. That signaled the start of the segment all the lords cared most about: the farming knowledge broadcast.

Xin Yu never paid much attention to this program, but she knew Xia Qing tuned in religiously every day. She fell silent, picking up the Luban Lock puzzle Xia Qing had brought her from the Safe Zone.

On the radio, broadcaster Wang Chuqi spoke with contagious enthusiasm about the massive potential of Type B Magnetic Sense Evolvers in crop cultivation.

“…With Type B Magnetic Sense Evolvers assisting, our lords can dramatically reduce the risks of growing potatoes and sunflowers. Everyone knows July is good for planting sunflowers—but what about potatoes now? Professor Dong, what do you think?”

Today’s special guest, Professor Dong Zhikai, a breeding expert from the Hui Three Research Center, answered, “The ideal temperature for growing evolved potatoes is between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius. Once temperatures go above 25, potato tubers stop developing. In July, our base usually has temperatures higher than that, so if you plant potatoes now, you’ll just get leaves and no tubers…”

After the farming broadcast, the lords were practically buzzing with excitement.

Zhao Ze was fired up. “We’ve got Magnetic Sense Evolvers patrolling the territory during Devastation Rain. That’s fantastic. Everyone—let’s plant sunflowers, what do you say?”

“Let’s do it! Of course we should!” Qi Fu, who just got word from Xia Qing that his wife had dodged disaster, was just as keyed up. “I’ll start tilling the soil tomorrow and scatter the seeds right away.”

“I’ve got ten jin of top-tier, dwarf oil sunflower seeds. The Devastation Element content is between 3.8 to 4.8 per mille and the germination rate is about 50 percent,” Kuang Qingwei the trader chimed in once he was online. “Once they’ve been soaked, they’re ready to plant. Anyone want some? Standard market price.”

Now that Magnetic Sense Evolvers were in play, Green Lantern Sunflower seeds were bound to get more expensive. Fall yields weren’t as high as in spring, but everyone wanted to trade anyway—oil sunflowers were the best option for pressing oil. The seeds produced 30 to 45 percent oil, way more than the 4 to 7 percent you could squeeze from corn.

No one rushed to answer. Everyone was waiting to hear what Xia Qing would say.

Xia Qing pressed her button. “Qing, I’ll trade for 200 Green Lantern Oil Sunflower seeds.”

“You got it!” Kuang Qingwei replied, while Zhu Li beside him jotted it down. The couple grinned from ear to ear.

Last winter, when Kuang Qingwei first heard about Magnetic Sense Evolvers in the Lords’ channel, he spotted an opportunity. After talking it over with his wife, he bought up a batch of high-quality oil sunflower seeds and used his credits to store them in the Food Depot at Territory One—just waiting for this day.

Now he’d not only make back the money he spent on Scar Cleanse, he could even earn enough for his wife to get the same summer protective suit Xia Qing wore.

It made sense for Xia Qing to buy so few seeds—she only had herself to feed, after all, and didn’t need much oil. When she didn’t hear Tang Huai chime in, Zhao Ze took the initiative. “Qing, I’ll trade for 1,500 seeds.”

Qi Fu was hot on his heels. “I’ll take 3,000.”

But what really surprised everyone was when Xin Yu came online. “Territory Eight, 500 seeds for me.”

Tang Huai jumped right in. “Xin Yu, why do you want oil sunflower seeds? Planning to press your own oil at home?”

Everyone figured Xin Yu would ignore Tang Huai, but she actually replied, “For the flowers.”

And everyone went silent…for a moment.

Damn, Xin Yu—she never fails to impress.

Xia Qing laughed. “I bet Tang Huai’s somewhere, looking for bugs and cursing under his breath right now.”

At that very moment, Tang Huai was wandering around his territory with a flashlight, searching for cicada larvae trying to shed their shells after emerging from the soil.

“He brought it on himself,” Xin Yu snorted, setting down the Luban Lock. She wiped her hands with a wet wipe, then used a toothpick to stab a small, pitch-black fruit from a plate and popped it in her mouth. She looked so adorable Xia Qing had the sudden urge to pinch her cheeks. Xin Yu was way easier on the eyes than that dopey monkey.

Xin Yu had no idea Xia Qing was mentally comparing her to a clueless little monkey. Still munching the fruit, she asked, “So where did those Ab-class and A-class Magnetic Sense Evolvers get assigned?”

“Those lists and assignments are classified, but I’d guess they went to the military, the Azure Dragon Squad, or the research institutes.” Xia Qing pushed the fruit platter a little closer. Earlier that afternoon, she’d braved Section Three of Hill Forty-Nine to forage for some early-ripening wild berries just to welcome Xin Yu.

Unripe Groundfig berries were bitter, but when they matured turned sweet and tangy—a real treat during the Calamity Years. Xia Qing loved them, so she protected those wild shrubs with Insect Net and thorny branches. Otherwise, the small animals from the Evolved Forest would have wiped them out ages ago.

Xin Yu picked up another berry. “Makes sense. The value of A-class Magnetic Sense Evolvers is that they can sense abnormal Evolution Element fluctuations, so they’re most useful in the Evolved Forest. The Azure Dragon Squad really hit the jackpot this time.”

Xia Qing nodded. “These days, only the strong can get inside information and first crack at resources—and that’s how they keep getting stronger.”

Without rare opportunities, the weak don’t stand a chance. The Azure Dragon Squad took five years to finally dethrone Su Feng, who held the top spot; Xia Qing only managed to seize her own resources thanks to a bit of luck in the territory lottery and the help of Old Goat. Bit by bit, she grew stronger.

Xin Yu relaxed back in the handmade chair Xia Qing had built. “If they found this many A and B-class evolvers at once, there must be more C and D-class ones too.”

The more C-class evolvers there were, the less attention Xin Yu’s own powers would attract when they were revealed—and that meant less danger for her.

Xia Qing asked, “Do you know anyone who’s D-class? That’d be super helpful in the territory.”

D-class evolvers could sense plants’ magnetic fields, a power that made them invaluable for farming and breeding new crops. If only they could bring a few of those in.

Feeling Xia Qing’s good mood radiating like a warm magnetic field, Xin Yu relaxed even more. “No clue about other bases. I know Hui Two hasn’t found any, Red One Research Institute has two, and Lan Three Base found another, but your chances of recruiting them are slim to none.”

She knew she didn’t have the guts or strength to poach people from Red One or Lan Three. Xia Qing unlocked a drawer in the coffee table and pulled out a pile of cute hairpins she’d bought at Baiye Mall, letting Xin Yu pick. “Wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I got a bunch.”

Xin Yu hadn’t seen these little trinkets in ages. She happily picked out two pairs and wore them, then helped Xia Qing look through her newly bought fabric.

Suddenly, Xin Yu’s hand froze and her voice dropped to a whisper, “Fifty meters north—just picked up a strong, aggressive magnetic field. Must be an evolved wolf.”

The surveillance cameras in the territory never flagged animals that dropped by often, so Xia Qing immediately checked her phone for a north-facing feed. There, lying low in the weeds, was the silver-gray Handsome Huge Wolf from the Northern Wolf Pack, its icy blue eyes gleaming with a ghostly light. “Looks like the Handsome Huge Wolf from the Northern Wolf Pack came to visit. I’ll take you out first.”