Chapter 93: Crab Shell Fertilizer Smuggled from the Guicheng Base

Zheng Kui didn't talk much, but when he spoke, he was very organized. "This Catastrophe Rain caused huge losses to the territories, and some people have already abandoned their territories and gone back, making the territories sound even more dangerous than the Evolution Forest. The base is afraid the territory plan will fail, so they're planning to have the lords bring back the vegetables and grain they've grown and hold an open trade fair, letting people in the safe zone see with their own eyes the benefits of farming and come out to farm enthusiastically."

Before Xia Qing could speak, Zhong Tao shook his head. "That's impossible!"

Zheng Kui, however, held a different view. "As long as the benefits are good enough and the lords' safety can be guaranteed, there will always be lords tempted."

Zheng Kui made sense. As Xia Qing carried the worm castings back to her territory, she thought that if the safe zone held a farm produce trade fair, she'd really like to go back and see it, to trade for some edible plants and animals she didn't have in her territory.

Also, after several months of use, her farming, woodworking, and electrical tools all needed restocking and replacing. Xia Qing didn't want to rely too heavily on the Green Dragon Squad and trade all her important supplies with them.

There was another very important reason: the person who had messaged her last year to tell her about the territories. If she could go back for a trip, Xia Qing planned to send them some of her homegrown grain and vegetables as thanks.

"Indeed, it depends on how the base arranges things." Xia Qing asked again, "Tao-ge, Kui-ge, have you heard anywhere selling phosphate fertilizer? The cotton in my field is flowering and needs a phosphate top-dressing."

After the great biological evolution of Blue Star, applying organic fertilizer became the only choice for promoting the growth of evolved crops. Xia Qing had heard Qi Fu and Shi Zhong grumble that organic fertilizers rich in phosphorus mainly included fermented and decomposed soybean cake fertilizer and bone meal. Lacking raw materials in their territories, it was simply impossible for them to mass-produce organic phosphate fertilizer themselves.

After exchanging a look with Zheng Kui, Zhong Tao's voice dropped so low that even Tang Huai, who was eavesdropping with his ears pricked up in Territory Two, couldn't hear. "Sis, you really asked the right question. Someone smuggled a batch of crab shell fertilizer over from the Guicheng base, but this matter can't see the light of day, and it's not cheap. Sis…"

The news broadcasts had been reporting for months on end about the Guicheng base in the south being attacked by marine creatures. Xia Qing followed it daily and knew that among the marine creatures attacking the Guicheng base safe zone was an army of crabs.

Crab shells count as bones, so crab shell fertilizer certainly belongs to phosphate fertilizer. Xia Qing also lowered her voice. "Is it reliable? There must be plenty of pollutants and parasites on sea crab shells. Can the stuff shipped directly over be used?"

Zhong Tao had already leaned close to Xia Qing's ear, his voice barely audible. "Absolutely reliable. We wouldn't cheat anyone, let alone you, sis. Guicheng uses crab shell fertilizer for farming, but how they process it, we don't know. This batch of fertilizer has shady origins, and the Planting Center in our base safe zone has driven the price down way too hard, so they're planning to trade with the lords. Think about it, sis—would the Planting Center make an offer if it was substandard?"

So that was how it was. Xia Qing asked in a low voice, "How are they selling it?"

"Four points per jin. Any less and they'll just sell to the safe zone."

Three months ago, Xia Qing would definitely have thought that price too expensive and not bought it, but things were different now. The crops in her territory needed phosphate fertilizer, and the crab shell fertilizer she put in could bring her more grain. "Okay. But I don't have points. Will they take supplies?"

Zhong Tao nodded. "The Guicheng base is fighting every day. What they lack most is medicine. Do you still have any white-hairy chicken-dropping vine in your territory, sis?"

The Catastrophe-element and Origin-element contents of the white-hairy chicken-dropping vine were both within normal ranges, so it could be traded. "I have some, but I've been so busy with the fields lately I haven't had time to dry it yet. It'll be a few days before I can ship it out."

"Can't wait a few more days. They're in a rush to get back. Wet stuff is twenty points per jin. Does that work for you, sis?"

Xia Qing nodded.

"Sis, get ready tomorrow, I'll have it shipped over to you the day after. We're taking a risk for you here, you and your Kui-ge, so don't go telling anyone, or we're done for. Of course, we definitely won't tell anyone about your fertilizer trade either. How many jin do you want?"

Helping privately transport trade goods during their official working hours definitely carried risk. Xia Qing was using the white-hairy chicken-dropping vine, which she had long since traded away, to trade for farming fertilizer. For her, the risk was basically zero.

Xia Qing nodded and asked back, "How many jin can they supply?"

"I really didn't ask that, but there must be tens of thousands of jin."

"A rare chance. I'll take a thousand jin." Xia Qing lowered her voice. Any more and she couldn't afford it. "If the white-hairy chicken-dropping vine isn't enough, I'll make up the difference with dried yellow lantern bamboo shoots."

After the deal was set, Xia Qing carried five bags of worm castings home, and three bags straight to the fields.

Last time she didn't have enough fertilizer, Xia Qing hadn't been able to top-dress the cotton that had already entered the flowering stage. If she didn't top-dress with phosphate and potash in time, even if the cotton buds opened, there wouldn't be enough nutrients to set fruit, and any bolls that did form would drop off.

After more than three months of effort, the crops in Territory Three were growing splendidly. Not to mention the fruits and vegetables in the hillside planting zone, the wheat seedlings over a meter tall in the cultivated land south of the reservoir had already grown ears. The first batch of flowering mung beans had grown into bean pods and were almost ready to pick. The buds on the lowest fruit branches of the cotton plants had already opened into flowers.

In her territory, the place Xia Qing now liked best wasn't the vegetable garden where she could pluck melons to eat on a whim, but the cotton field, because the cotton flowers were simply too beautiful.

The petals of the evolved cotton actually changed color continuously.

When they first opened in the morning of the first day, the petals were white. After exposure to sunlight, they gradually turned red, becoming a pretty pink by that afternoon. When they opened again on the second day, the petals turned purplish-red. Xia Qing took photo after photo of the cotton, recording the changes in petal color.

Not just the cotton, Xia Qing carefully photographed and recorded the cultivation process of every single crop in her territory, accumulating experience for next year's planting.

The Catastrophe-evolved cotton, moved out of the insect-proof net shed and grown over two meters tall, had also flowered. If it weren't for the record-keeping, Xia Qing wouldn't even want to photograph those eerily dark-purple blooms. If those uncanny flowers dropped their petals and grew bolls, and a few little sprites popped out when the bolls burst open, Xia Qing wouldn't be the least bit surprised.

"The cotton's pretty enough, but it attracts too many bugs." Zhao Ze complained in the lord channel. "The insect-proof net is crawling with insects."

Qi Fu was puzzled. "You didn't spray pesticide?"

The losses during the second Catastrophe Rain had been so great that Zhao Ze's attitude toward farming had straightened out considerably, and he humbly asked Qi Fu for advice. "I sprayed, but it didn't work. What did you spray, Qi-ge, and how often?"

"I spray evolved aconite juice and insecticide, once in the morning and once in the evening. The effect isn't as good as before, but it still does something." Qi Fu answered.

Shi Zhong from Territory Ten asked Qi Fu for advice. "Little Qi, how do you dilute the evolved aconite juice with water?"

"One to twenty. Any stronger and it burns the leaves." Qi Fu shared his experience, then asked Shi Zhong, "How do you deal with insects, Shi-ge?"

Shi Zhong shared his experience. "I noticed the insecticide isn't working well either, so I hung up sticky insect boards. The effect is pretty good."

Sticky insect boards? Xia Qing, who was digging a trench in the cotton field to prepare for fertilizing, pricked up her ears to listen.

Shi Zhong explained in detail how to make sticky insect boards. "It's the Catastrophe-evolved pumpkin vines from the last rain. Crush them up, smear the juice thickly on cardboard, and the insect-sticking effect is especially good."

Stuck by Catastrophe-evolved pumpkin vines, even an iron shovel would get corroded, let alone tiny insects. Xiaqingshou Sect felt a bit of regret for having sold all her Catastrophe-evolved pumpkin vines to her idol Third Brother.

Qi Fu regretted it just as much. "Shi-ge, do you have a lot of Catastrophe-evolved pumpkin vines? I'd like to trade for some to try."

Fortunately, during the second Catastrophe Rain, Territory Ten didn't have walkie-talkies yet and didn't know Zhang San was collecting Catastrophe-evolved pumpkin vines. Otherwise, they would definitely have sold theirs to Zhang San too, and never discovered that Catastrophe-evolved sticky pumpkin vines could also be used to make sticky insect boards.