Chapter 73 - 72: To Never Starve Again

"It’s true. Before the nuclear war, our planet had vast fields filled with crops. Back then, everyone had enough to eat, and no one went hungry..."

Sev Steele was just getting to this point when Firestone interrupted her. "Mom, what are crops?"

"Well, crops are plants you can eat to fill your stomach and get nutrients," Sev explained. "After the war, the entire planet was reduced to a highly radioactive wasteland. All the artificially cultivated crops died out, and only a few wild plants with tenacious Life Force survived by mutating. When we go scavenging in the wild, we’re foraging for those Mutated plants. But what’s in this box are crop seeds preserved from before the great war.

"If we just plant these seeds directly in the yard, they definitely won’t survive. Even if they did, they’d freeze to death once winter comes. That’s why I plan to plant them in these wooden planter boxes. In the winter, we can move them all into the bedrooms and the living room to keep them warm. I believe that with Rose infusing them with her Wood Ability, at least some of these seeds will definitely sprout."

"Mom, I promise I’ll give them green light every single day!" Rose quickly declared.

"There’s no rush," Sev said. "Let’s try planting just a few first. Once we succeed, we can plant more. These seeds are incredibly precious. For every one we use, there’s one less in the world."

"Mhm! I’ll definitely take very good care of them!" Rose nodded forcefully.

The three boys were feeling quite dejected. They couldn’t help at all when it came to planting crops; their sister was the most useful one after all. Firestone felt the most downcast. Even though his oldest and youngest brothers hadn’t awakened the slightest bit of an Ability either, they could at least weave cushions to sell for money. He couldn’t even do that right.

Sev had a decisive personality. Having made up her mind to plant crops, she prioritized desert rice, high-yield wheat, and Starlight No. 1 corn, planting them in three separate boxes. These three were the varieties she wanted to grow the most right now, because once they were successfully cultivated, the whole family would be able to eat real grain.

Over the past few days, she had roasted dried yams, ant eggs, and Mutated Aphids, as well as cooked mushroom soup and steamed egg custard. Yet, in her eyes, these were all just side dishes; not a single one was the staple food she craved. Without white rice, noodles, steamed buns, dumplings, or savory pancakes, it didn’t even feel like she was eating real meals!

However, considering that these seeds hadn’t been exposed to radiation, she highly doubted they could survive in the current environment, where the average radiation level in the air was moderate. Thankfully, they had Rose at home. She might just be able to work a miracle and grow their first batch of grain.

Everyone turned to look at Rose, their eyes brimming with hope. The little girl instantly felt an immense mountain of pressure.

Fearing that the burden would be too much for her, Sev offered some comfort. "Actually, the reason Mr. Jenkins gave these seeds to us is that no one else can keep them alive. So, even if none of the first batch sprout, it doesn’t matter. There are tens of thousands of seeds in every bag, and we’re only planting twenty of each for our first try. If they die, we’ll just plant another batch."

Hearing her mother’s words, Rose finally relaxed her tightly clenched little fists. She had been terrified that she wouldn’t be able to keep them alive and would end up wasting such precious seeds. Even though Sev comforted her like this, her heart actually ached at the thought of losing them. After all, every dead seed was one less in the world; they were irreplaceable treasures.

The soil in the wooden planter boxes had already been moistened with water. The average sowing depth needed to be around four centimeters. Sev asked the children to help. They poked their index fingers into the dirt until they were fully submerged, then pulled them out and dropped a seed into each little hole. The depth was just right. Seeing that they could help out too, the three boys smiled happily.

As for Rose, she began sending green light to the seeds even before they were sown. Nourished by the light, the seeds took on a much healthier sheen, looking plump and vibrant. Seeing this brought Sev a great deal of relief. The fact that they could absorb the nourishment of the Wood Ability proved that these seeds still possessed some Vitality.

"Rose, don’t give them too much Energy all at once," Sev advised. "Otherwise, they’ll get too full and feel uncomfortable."

"Mhm, I know," Rose replied. "I’ll talk to them. If they get full, they’ll tell me."

Sev was shocked all over again. It turned out her precious daughter couldn’t just output her Wood Ability; she could also communicate directly with plants. This Ability practically defied the laws of nature!

Alongside her envy, Sev felt a surge of worry. She wondered, "Will someone try to snatch my baby away? Will they lock her up and force her to spend from dawn till dusk accelerating the growth of various precious seeds?"

After the first small-scale batch was planted, Sev returned to her room and fell deep into thought. She had already entrusted the cultivation of the seeds entirely to Rose; professional tasks were best left to the professionals. What she was considering now was much more profound.

The metal box storing these seeds had shown no signs of being opened before it was given to her. That meant whoever had obtained it was afraid that opening the box would cause the seeds to be rapidly destroyed by the highly radioactive environment—they would either die or mutate.

She had rashly opened the box and unsealed the aluminum foil vacuum bags. Even though she had quickly resealed the bags and closed the box tight, she couldn’t guarantee that the remaining seeds hadn’t been harmed. If she ended up ruining all the remaining seeds because of this, wouldn’t she become the greatest sinner in the history of Planet Veridia?

The mere thought of it made her feel sick to her stomach. She hurried to call her little daughter into her room, asking with an anxious expression, "Rose, can you communicate with the seeds inside the box?"

"I can," the little girl nodded.

"Alright then. Sense them for a moment. Have they all been harmed by the radiation?" Sev asked.

"Okay." The little girl closed her eyes. Green light slowly flowed from her fingertips, seeping into the metal box in wispy threads.

After a little while, Rose said with a serious face, "They really have been hurt. A lot of the seed Babies are crying about how much it hurts. But I gave them some green light, so they don’t hurt anymore. They told me that after absorbing my green light, they aren’t afraid of the radiation anymore, but the green light used to resist it will slowly be used up. If I don’t give them a refill in time, they’ll get hurt by the radiation again."

"Will it make you too tired if you always have to give them green light?" Sev asked, worried.

"Nope! They’re all just little Babies who haven’t sprouted yet, so they can only absorb a tiny bit of green light. They aren’t like Curly, that little glutton! It can suck up so much green light at once. It eats too much!" Rose said.

Sev immediately felt relieved. She touched Rose’s cheek and said, "Then we’ll just wait a few days before giving Curly another meal."

"Mhm! I’ll protect these seed Babies and make sure they grow up tall so we won’t have to go hungry anymore." Rose nodded earnestly. She would firmly remember her mother’s words; after all, she was a good, obedient child.

With the issue of the seeds being harmed by radiation pollution resolved, Sev’s heart finally settled.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Sev checked the visual intercom inside the courtyard gate to communicate with the person outside.

"Hello! Miss Steele, I’m the one Boss King sent to deliver the materials. My name is Norman Marsh. I won’t come inside; I’ve left the things at the door for you. See you next time!"

The man didn’t try to enter. After calling out his greeting, he dropped off a bulging burlap sack, turned, and left.

As a young woman, Sev certainly would have felt uneasy letting a strange man inside. It seemed this Norman fellow was quite sensible. Only when Sev saw him walking far away did she open the door and drag the sack into the yard.