Chapter 140 - 138: A Good Start

Sev Steele had just pushed her handcart out of the house when she saw Firestone running over, panting heavily.

"It’s so early in the morning, why are you back?" Sev Steele asked, raising a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Firestone pulled her straight inside the courtyard gates before lowering his voice. "My boss rushed to forge the Pocket Crossbow you asked for. He was worried you might run into danger outside, so he had me deliver it to you immediately."

Seeing the item Firestone handed over, Sev Steele was overjoyed!

She had originally been worried about running into danger while taking Rusty outside. Now, with this handy weapon, her mind was much more at ease. With her years of accumulated hunting experience, she could likely avoid any wild beasts in the wilderness. If they did encounter an unexpected accident, having this sharp weapon would greatly increase their chances of survival. As for being one hundred percent safe, she certainly couldn’t guarantee that. Even a Seventh Tier Strong Person like Rick Kaye couldn’t guarantee absolute safety, could they?

"Alright, hurry back, and please thank your... boss for me!" Sev Steele said.

Firestone nodded and hurriedly ran back, while Sev Steele continued pushing her handcart toward the gates of the safe zone.

Rusty had been hiding inside a torn sack the entire time, not moving a muscle from start to finish. Sev Steele gained a deeper understanding of the child’s self-control. He truly deserved to be a future grand villain—he was perfectly calm!

By pushing a handcart into the wilderness, Sev Steele made it clear she was going to collect firewood for the winter. After she paid the ten-point entry and exit fee, Guard A and Guard B waved her through. The other Scavengers weren’t interested in someone going out just to collect firewood either. To put it bluntly, there was no profit to be made; it wasn’t even worth following her to rob her.

Sev Steele pushed the handcart and turned down a relatively remote path.

According to the original owner’s memories, Scavengers usually disliked taking this route because the bushes along the way were densely covered in thorns, and they hadn’t found many edible wild vegetables there in the past. Spending time clearing a path would likely result in a meager harvest, so naturally, fewer and fewer people went there. Only those occasionally looking to try their luck would pay it a visit.

Seeing no one around, Sev Steele let her son out of the torn sack.

Rusty widened his eyes at the tall, lush plants surrounding them. His eyes were filled with shock, looking exactly like Granny Lewis entering The Grand Garden.

Sev Steele couldn’t help but laugh. "Don’t just stare blankly. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to come here in the future. I guarantee you’ll get sick of looking at it."

"I won’t get sick of it. Every single one of these leaves looks different. I love looking at them!" Rusty muttered.

The most crucial point was that edible leaves were hidden among them, which meant there was food everywhere. For a child who had been accustomed to enduring hunger since birth, a place covered in food was the most beautiful place in the world!

Sev Steele led him deeper down the small path. At first, Rusty followed closely behind her, but he gradually moved to walk in front. Carrying the sharp little hatchet he had created using his Ability, he cleanly chopped away the blocking branches to clear a path.

Looking at the boy’s thin shoulders ahead and the shifting lines of his muscles as he swung the hatchet, Sev Steele could actually see the nascent form of a protector. This child was clearing a path for her—his formerly vicious adoptive mother—simply because she had shown kindness to the four siblings after crossing over into this body. And this kindness was merely the basic duty and obligation a mother owed to her children. Therefore, reshaping the worldview of a future villain really wasn’t that difficult.

"Mom, look at those leaves pressing against the ground over there. Are they mutated dandelions?" Rusty pointed at a cluster of giant, rosette-shaped green leaves growing close to the ground not far away, his face full of pleasant surprise.

Although this was his first time Scavenging in the wilderness, his mother had brought this kind of wild vegetable back many times before. He was almost certain it was a dandelion.

"That’s right, it’s a dandelion. You can go over and test it first to see if its radiation levels exceed the standard," Sev Steele smiled and nodded.

Rusty reached straight into his inner pocket and pulled out a needle-shaped detector. With a sly glint in his eyes, he said, "I borrowed this from Mr. Quinn last night."

"Oh, you. So you already planned to follow me outside last night?" Sev Steele poked the boy’s forehead with her finger.

"Hehe! Ever since I awakened my Ability, I’ve been thinking about going out Scavenging with you," Rusty said with a shy smile.

Sev Steele felt a sour, swelling ache in her heart. The children of the wasteland were simply too mature—so mature that it made her heart ache. Thinking about the spoiled brats of the same age back on Azure, they would probably roll on the ground and throw a tantrum, or wail loudly at the slightest dissatisfaction. Yet the children here were already thinking about how to share the burden of supporting their family.

Rusty pierced a leaf with the detector and heard the voice broadcast: "BEEP! Mutated dandelion detected. Radiation level: 29. Belongs to low-level radiation. Safe for mass consumption."

"Mom, our luck is so good! We actually found low-radiation wild vegetables!" Rusty’s little face flushed red with excitement.

"Not bad, not bad. It seems my son is a little koi fish," Sev Steele said with a smile, affectionately patting the boy’s head.

"Mom, what’s a koi fish?" Rusty asked curiously.

"Well, it’s a very beautiful type of mutated carp from myths and legends. Its entire body is bright red and gleaming gold, and it’s said to attract good fortune.

"Later on, people often used the phrase ’possessed by a koi fish’ to describe someone with exceptionally good luck," Sev Steele explained with a smile.

"I think you’re the one possessed by a koi fish lately, Mom. Not only have you earned a lot of money, but you also helped the rest of us awaken our Abilities," Rusty said.

He didn’t say this just to curry favor with his adoptive mother. During the process of awakening his Ability, he would have never succeeded if it weren’t for the Gray Bead she had given him. And when Rose awakened her Ability, she had also relied on a Wood Element Crystal Core given by their adoptive mother—a Crystal Core she had luckily picked up in the wilderness. So, in the end, Sev Steele was the truly lucky one, blessed by fortune and possessed by a koi fish.

"Alright, alright, the two of us are both possessed by koi fish. We’ll definitely have a huge harvest today!" Sev Steele laughed heartily.

She was just about to use her dagger to slice off the dandelion leaves when she saw Rusty take out a small shovel and start digging.

"I promised my sister that whenever I go out Scavenging in the future, I would dig up wild vegetables by the roots and bring them back, so we can plant them all over our courtyard," Rusty explained as he dug.

Seeing this, Sev Steele went over to help. Soon, a massive dandelion was completely uprooted. Sev Steele noticed that the old root of this dandelion was over half a meter long, looking like a plump, overgrown ginseng.

Belatedly, she remembered that old dandelion roots also held medicinal value; they could clear heat and detoxify, reduce swelling and dissipate nodules, and promote diuresis to relieve stranguria. In the countryside, some people who suffered from bad breath due to internal heat would slice dried old roots and steep them in water. It worked well for clearing heat and eliminating bad breath. Soaking it in liquor for external application could also treat bruises and injuries.

In short, it had numerous medicinal effects. For wasteland Scavengers facing sky-high medical bills, this was definitely something worth having. She had actually forgotten about this earlier. Thanks to her son wanting to dig it up by the roots, she remembered; otherwise, it likely would have slipped her mind entirely.

"Good son, we’re off to a great start today. We’ll definitely gather even more wild vegetables next." Having obtained free, effective medicine, Sev Steele was in incredibly high spirits.

Rusty was thrilled. Finding something so soon on his first trip out was highly encouraging. From then on, he continued to carry his small hatchet, leading the way. Whenever thorns blocked their path, he would chop away with a series of THWACK THWACK sounds, acting like a dutiful little guard.

The boy was chopping enthusiastically when a dark shadow suddenly flashed past from the nearby thorn bushes. In the next second, he felt his body lighten. A vine wrapped around his waist, lifting him entirely into the air!