From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 45 - 42: Only a Little Bit of Envy

Seeing her confusion, Wei Heng explained in a low voice, "The base’s procurement 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 same without any finer distinctions.

But the sweet potatoes Gu Xi had grown this time, 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 time. "The base’s logistics department doesn’t open until 8 a.m. We still have some time. Want to walk around first?"

Ever since witnessing Gu Xi’s shopping style last time they were back at camp, Wei Heng never again mentioned 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 someone else manage them now.

After the three of them left the trading market, Wei Heng, thinking it was Gu Xi’s first time 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 time 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 something to try. The result... ’The less said about the taste, the better.’

Seeing her disappointment, 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 time and decided to go to the base’s logistics department 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 name is weird.’

They exchanged a look, and Wei Heng stepped forward to greet the staff member. "Excuse me, what kind of fruit seed is this ’Unnamed 520’?"

"This? It’s a new species the trailblazers recently discovered in the wild. It’s been tested and confirmed to be edible."

As he spoke, the staff member 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 customer 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 member didn’t get angry. Instead, he explained very pleasantly, "35,500 is the price for seeds of known, common fruits. This ’Unnamed 520’ is a newly discovered mutant fruit..."

"Unnamed 520," as the name 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 become 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 member 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 confirmed 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 member’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 Unnamed 520 in the staff member’s hand.

Hearing this, the staff member 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 member’s tone grew even gentler. "These seeds just came 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 member shot up in shock. "You... You’re a Wood Element 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 bloomed on the staff member’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 Element users could purchase any crop seeds at half price!

"Why didn’t I awaken as a Wood Element 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 some 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 moment, then looked up at Wei Heng. "It will get better."

Wei Heng paused, then met 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 Element user, rolled her eyes. She stepped forward and linked arms with Gu Xi. "Don’t mind him... Come on, let’s go look over there."

The two Wood Element 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 home.

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 dimensional 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 something when suddenly—

"Gu Xi."

Someone called her name from a short distance away.