Chapter 139 - 137: It Turns Out the Golden Thigh Is Right Before My Eyes!

After seeing Artie Sawyer off, Sev Steele and her children returned home. She was so startled by the lush, verdant greenery lining the base of the courtyard wall that she almost thought she had stepped out into the wilderness!

She had gone to bed early last night, only seeing Rusty helping Rose dig holes to plant those wilted wild vegetables. This morning, she had been too busy preparing Artie’s gift and then rushing out to notice the vegetables buried in the dirt.

Who would have thought that after the siblings watered them and channeled their Abilities into them, the vegetables would not only survive but thrive so vibrantly!

Spotting her, Rose quickly trotted over to explain, "Mom, I only gave them a tiny bit of green light!

"Oh, right, I also had my brother water them with the cheap water so they wouldn’t waste the expensive purified water."

In District Nine, purified water cost 100 points per ton, while regular water was only 10 points. Scavengers used regular water for flushing toilets and even washing clothes while wearing rubber gloves. After being dried in the sun for a few days, the radiation levels of the clothing would naturally drop to the ambient average. They only dared to use purified water for washing up and cooking.

However, ever since Sev had made a fortune, she had stopped rationing the children’s drinking and washing water. She hadn’t expected their frugal habits to be so deeply ingrained that they still refused to waste anything.

Looking at the sensible little girl, Sev smiled and ruffled her hair. "My Rose really knows how to manage a household."

Previously, Sev had watered the Mutated Lemon Fruit tree and the mutated wild garlic with purified water because they were too rare and precious; it would be a huge loss if they died. The same went for the pre-nuclear-war seeds Doctor Jenkins had given her; she wanted to preserve their high-quality genetics, so she irrigated them with purified water too.

But she wouldn’t feel heartache even if these wild vegetables died. They were abundant in the wilderness anyway. If worst came to worst, she could just dig up a few more.

Sev glanced at the wild vegetables drying on the bed boards in the courtyard, which suddenly reminded her of the Mutated potatoes and carrots piled up in their kitchen. Although both vegetables stored well, they couldn’t be exposed to the air for too long, or they would eventually shrivel up. Furthermore, with the harsh winter fast approaching, it was highly necessary to dig a cellar to stockpile vegetables for the season.

However, she worried that Mutant Rats might burrow into the cellar and steal her winter reserves.

But now, with Rusty’s Gold Ability, she could reinforce the cellar’s walls with a layer of metal. Yesterday, she had figured out the gist of it: Rusty could now turn scrap into pristine items. She could buy scrap metal at dirt-cheap prices and have him turn it into treasure.

As she thought about this, she suddenly realized something was off.

If a Gold Ability could turn scrap into treasure, why were scrap metal prices at the recycling stations so abysmal?

Sev felt like her brain had short-circuited. She racked her mind and finally slapped her thigh. "Damn! Could it be that my Rusty’s Ability is also a special case?"

At that thought, she bolted into the master bedroom, grabbed Rick Kaye, and eagerly asked, "Boss, let me ask you a question. Can ordinary Gold Ability Users turn scrap metal into brand-new metal?"

"What are you thinking? Of course not!" Rick rolled his eyes.

"They can’t?" Sev was surprised.

"Obviously not! If every Gold Ability had that power, how could there be any scrap metal left in the world? Can’t you figure out something so simple?" Rick looked at her as if she were an idiot.

Sev thought, "Alright then! None of my four kids are simple at all!"

It wasn’t surprising when she thought about it. How could anyone destined to become a future supervillain be simple?

Watching her vivid expressions, Rick chuckled. "It seems you’ve finally discovered Rusty’s uniqueness.

"I can’t help but wonder, is your luck just that good, or is there some treasure hidden in your house that gathers good fortune?"

Hearing this, Sev’s mind raced, and then, she finally remembered the dilapidated wooden chest in the corner of the woodshed!

She wondered if the only reason all four children were able to awaken their Abilities was thanks to the hidden master inside that chest.

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She certainly didn’t believe that The Master of Transmigration had given her a cheat ability—after all, her luck had never been particularly good growing up.

Abandoned by her parents as a child, all the luck in her life had been spent on meeting her grandfather. Without him, she wouldn’t have survived. Yet, just as she was about to graduate from college and earn money to repay him for raising her, her grandfather passed away.

Therefore, she would rather believe that the four kids’ awakened Abilities were the result of that battered wooden chest than attribute it to her own luck.

After all, there was no transmigrator like her in the original novel. Under the abuse of their wicked adoptive mother, all four children had managed to survive and awaken powerful Abilities. Any way she looked at it, there had to be some hidden treasure gathering luck for them.

So, she had been completely wrong from the very beginning!

Not only was that broken chest not some cursed object, but the hidden master inside was the golden goose she should have been clinging to for dear life! As it turned out, her greatest asset had been right under her nose all along, yet she had completely ignored it.

At that moment, Sev lost all fear of the broken chest. She decided that from now on, whenever she cooked something delicious, she would immediately offer it to the master.

The thought of making offerings to the master made her realize she couldn’t afford to slack off anymore. She had to resume her scavenging expeditions tomorrow. With the luck brought to her by the master, she was bound to have a bountiful harvest!

Early the next morning, Sev hurriedly ate breakfast and prepared to head out into the wilderness to scavenge.

Right before she stepped out the door, Rusty tugged at her sleeve. "Mom, take me with you!"

"But children under eight aren’t allowed to go scavenging," Sev said.

"But didn’t you secretly take my sister out last time? I can hide in the torn gunny sack, I promise the Guards won’t find out.

"If they accidentally spot me, I’ll just say I was curious and hid in the sack myself. That way, they can’t punish you," Rusty pleaded.

The reason District Nine had established the rule forbidding children under eight from going out was out of fear that heartless parents would force them to scavenge at a tender age without caring if they lived or died. However, if a child confessed to sneaking out with an adult, the Guards wouldn’t report it even if they caught them.

Not to mention, Rusty was almost eight years old.

After being pestered by Rusty for a while, Sev wavered. After all, the child had already awakened his Ability; his combat power was no weaker than an ordinary adult’s. Of course, his actual combat experience was probably lacking, so he needed more practice.

Sev decided to take him to a relatively safe area to let him adapt to the wilderness environment first. If they truly encountered danger, she at least had her S Level Dagger for protection. And Rusty also had a customized Snake Tooth Dagger in his hand, courtesy of Mr. Fuller.