Seeing her confusion, Wei Heng explained in a low voice, "The base’s procurent standard is a single price for anything with a mutation coefficient below 1..."
This was because crops with a mutation coefficient below 1 were rare these days, so they were all priced the sa without any finer distinctions.
But the sweet potatoes Gu Xi had grown this ti, because she had been trying to bait a hook, generally had a mutation coefficient below 0.5.
In the apocalypse, this was the best of the best. Selling them at the current price was indeed a bit of a loss.
Gu Xi didn’t seem to mind, but the sweet-natured Qin Yi let out a long sigh beside her. ’What was she even sighing about?’
Wei Heng raised his hand and glanced at the ti. "The base’s logistics departnt doesn’t open until 8 a.m. We still have so ti. Want to walk around first?"
Ever since witnessing Gu Xi’s shopping style last ti they were back at camp, Wei Heng never again ntioned transferring money to her.
Gu Xi didn’t mind. Back on her old team, Li Ming had always been in charge of the finances. It wasn’t a problem to have soone else manage them now.
After the three of them left the trading market, Wei Heng, thinking it was Gu Xi’s first ti at the South City base, took her on a tour of the various areas.
Gu Xi was very interested in the South City base.
It was the ti of day when the morning stalls opened, and many breakfast vendors lined the street.
Although Gu Xi had brought her own rations, she figured since she was already here, she might as well buy sothing to try. The result... ’The less said about the taste, the better.’
Seeing her disappointnt, Wei Heng also sighed. "This is just how things are now. The mutation coefficient of food from outside is never low. For it to taste like this is already a rare feat."
"I know." Gu Xi didn’t have the habit of wasting food, so she swallowed the rest of the doughy thing in her hand in one gulp.
Wei Heng glanced at her slightly furrowed brow but said nothing.
’They say it’s hard to go from luxury to frugality.’ Even he, let alone Gu Xi, was having trouble getting used to the food he had eaten for over twenty years after enjoying a period of good living with her.
After that breakfast, which was indescribably bad, Wei Heng checked the ti and decided to go to the base’s logistics departnt to get the seeds first.
Because Shen Yue had arranged everything in advance, once the three of them arrived and verified their identities, they smoothly received the fruit seeds Mr. Zhao had requested.
Although the mutation coefficient of these seeds was a bit high, their viability was excellent.
Gu Xi was very satisfied.
Wei Heng glanced at the next window, nudged her arm, and whispered, "Looks like they’re selling new fruit seeds over there..."
Gu Xi looked up and saw that he was right.
’But those seeds... why do they look so strange? Even the na is weird.’
They exchanged a look, and Wei Heng stepped forward to greet the staff mber. "Excuse , what kind of fruit seed is this ’Unnad 520’?"
"This? It’s a new species the trailblazers recently discovered in the wild. It’s been tested and confird to be edible."
As he spoke, the staff mber tested the seed’s mutation coefficient right in front of Wei Heng, then looked up with a grin and asked, "The mutation coefficient is only 2.7, which is very low. 60,000 a piece. Would you like one?"
His custor service was remarkably attentive and enthusiastic.
Wei Heng: "..." ’60,000? Is this a robbery?’ Back when he was on the Special Service Team, his entire annual stipend was only about that much.
Wei Heng turned and pointed at the small screen outside. "A mutation coefficient of 2.7 is listed as 35,500 a piece up there!"
The staff mber didn’t get angry. Instead, he explained very pleasantly, "35,500 is the price for seeds of known, common fruits. This ’Unnad 520’ is a newly discovered mutant fruit..."
"Unnad 520," as the na implied, was the 520th new edible mutant species discovered since the apocalypse.
As for which pre-apocalypse fruit this new species mutated from, that was impossible to determine.
After all, ever since the apocalypse had suddenly broken out over fifty years ago, the world had long since beco a strange and bizarre place.
"..." Wei Heng didn’t get it. ’No matter what new species it is, doesn’t it still have a mutation coefficient of 2.7? What’s the difference?’
"Sir, I won’t lie to you, this price is only for today..." The staff mber glanced at him and reminded him with a sales-pitch grin:
"Because it’s a new type of mutant fruit that was just recently discovered, the research institute hasn’t released its findings yet... Once it’s confird to have high nutritional value, it will be designated a special fruit, and the price will be adjusted upwards..."
"At that point, you might not even be able to buy it if you wanted to." The staff mber’s smile was so affable it was practically an explicit command.
Wei Heng: "..."
A mutation coefficient of 2.7 was already very high in his opinion.
Wei Heng wasn’t keen on buying it.
Just then, Gu Xi stepped forward. "Hello, may I see that seed, please?" she asked, pointing to the Unnad 520 in the staff mber’s hand.
Hearing this, the staff mber looked up at her in surprise, then passed the seed in his hand through the window.
"Of course." Perhaps it was Gu Xi’s pretty face that did the trick, as the staff mber’s tone grew even gentler. "These seeds just ca in yesterday. We only have five of them in total..."
There were guards patrolling the area, so it was very safe. He wasn’t afraid this young lady would try anything funny...
Besides, it was just a seed, not a fruit that could be eaten on the spot... But to his surprise, just as the girl took the seed and the word "Thank you" left her lips, a small green sprout shot out!
It lunged straight for the 520 seed he had handed over.
The staff mber shot up in shock. "You... You’re a Wood Elent user?"
Gu Xi nodded. "I am."
After checking the seed’s viability, Gu Xi looked up. "I’ll take these seeds."
Then, Wei Heng watched as a smile blood on the staff mber’s face. He no longer asked for 60,000 a piece, but directly sold them to Gu Xi for 30,000 each, practically giving them away.
The key was, his actions weren’t even against the rules.
—To encourage production, the base had a policy: Wood Elent users could purchase any crop seeds at half price!
"Why didn’t I awaken as a Wood Elent user back then?" Wei Heng sighed, weighing the newly acquired seeds in his hand.
It wasn’t that he thought his own ability was bad, it was just... he was a *tad* bit envious.
Gu Xi thought about Wei Heng’s current ability situation, and her heart stirred.
She had so ideas about his condition, but the timing wasn’t right, and she didn’t have any live mutant animals to use as a reference...
’I’ll just wait a bit longer.’
Gu Xi thought for a mont, then looked up at Wei Heng. "It will get better."
Wei Heng paused, then t her gaze. "Yeah, it will."
His expression was calm. Although he couldn’t use his ability now, at least he had survived. And living this life, farming with Gu Xi, was pretty good too, wasn’t it?
Beside them, Qin Yi, the sweet-natured girl who was also a Wood Elent user, rolled her eyes. She stepped forward and linked arms with Gu Xi. "Don’t mind him... Co on, let’s go look over there."
The two Wood Elent users began to wander around.
For a serious fruit lover like Gu Xi, arriving at a place that specialized in selling fruit seeds was like a kid in a candy store—
her eyes lit up at everything she saw, wanting to take it all ho.
Wei Heng followed behind the two, having been completely relegated to the role of a tool for paying and carrying bags.
Half an hour later, Wei Heng the tool pulled Gu Xi aside with a deadpan expression.
"What’s wrong?" Gu Xi asked, looking up at him in confusion.
Wei Heng looked at her and said expressionlessly, "Gu Xiaoxi, we’re out of money."
Fruit seeds these days were deadly expensive. Even at half price, it was an incredibly heavy burden on their barely-out-of-poverty account balance!
Gu Xi had never really had a concept of money.
For one, in her era, money was practically no different from paper; people cared more about tangible survival supplies.
For another, Li Ming had always been in charge of the team’s finances, so Gu Xi never had to worry about money.
After all, in her enormous dinsional space, she was never short on supplies.
’But now... even a hero can be felled by an empty purse. The old saying is true.’
Thinking about all the fruit seeds she hadn’t gotten her hands on yet, Gu Xi sighed. She was just about to say sothing when suddenly—
"Gu Xi."
Soone called her na from a short distance away.
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