Chapter 118
All kinds of spice seeds—and with shockingly strong vitality?
Xie Xingchen: suddenly excited
Is… is this real?
He was so happy he couldn’t even speak.
Ahhh—even though Feifei had been traveling for so long and only brought back this one thing, to Xie Xingchen, this single thing was worth more than everything Feifei had brought back before combined.
These were spice seeds!
No one knew how badly Xie Xingchen had wanted spice seeds.
Sure, he wasn’t short on spices right now—but most of what he had came from system events, and the rest he’d snatched from the flash-sale section of the mall.
No matter how he got them, though, none of those spices could be planted. So the moment the system stopped supplying him, his spices would be gone—just like that.
And in Chinese cooking, spices were crucial. If you wanted dishes to taste right, how could you possibly be missing spices?
He’d wanted to find spice seeds and grow them himself for ages, but it was like spices had vanished from the world. Up to now, he hadn’t found a trace.
And now—Feifei had just helped him fulfill that wish!
So excited that he grabbed the passing Feifei and planted a big kiss right on it.
The bunny struggled in absolute horror—but the more it struggled, the tighter its human hugged.
What was wrong with this human? Why did the human suddenly become a pervert?
Just as the bunny was about to start kicking in panic, Xie Xingchen suddenly set it down again, then patted its head with a kindly smile and said over and over, “Good bunny. You did so well!”
That bizarre behavior made the bunny bolt for its life.
Watching Feifei sprint off with impressive athleticism, Xie Xingchen didn’t hesitate. He immediately stuffed a huge amount of Feifei’s favorite carrots into its travel bag, and only then did he retrieve the “mysterious spice seeds” from the system mail.
Ding-dong. The mysterious spice seeds have been retrieved. Please plant them as soon as possible.
This was the first time Xie Xingchen had ever heard the system urge a player to plant something quickly.
So he asked curiously, “What happens if I don’t plant them right away?”
Not planting them right away was impossible—he was just asking out of curiosity. He didn’t expect—
System friendly reminder: The spice seeds brought back by your travel companion contain miracle-like vitality, but that vitality will continuously diminish over time.
In other words: that “miracle-like vitality” was a buff.
And it was a time-limited buff.
If you missed the buff window, the seeds would slowly become ordinary seeds.
Xie Xingchen: utterly confused
Why were the system’s tricks getting more and more elaborate?
Even though he’d planned to plant them quickly anyway.
Even though he’d have planted them quickly without any reminder at all—
Once the system said it like that, time suddenly felt urgent.
After confirming the buff only lasted three days, Xie Xingchen stopped chatting. He grabbed the bag of spice seeds and left immediately.
The spice seeds Feifei brought back were a mixed bundle—at least a dozen kinds. Some were exactly what Xie Xingchen wanted most, and also the most common ones, like cumin, star anise, cinnamon, fennel, nutmeg, white pepper, black pepper, bay leaves, and so on.
They looked tiny, but a lot of them were actually parts of trees. Star anise was the fruit of the star anise tree. Cinnamon came from the bark of young cinnamon trees. Bay leaves came from the leaves of bay laurel trees…
So if he wanted spices, he had to grow all kinds of “spice trees.”
And everything began with a single seed.
That was how tight his time really was.
On top of that, the system had clearly told him the “miracle vitality buff” only lasted three days, so Xie Xingchen had no choice but to “happily” return to his two-point commute again:
spice nursery ? medical pod ? spice nursery.
Even so, he still couldn’t force all the spice seeds into seedlings within three days. With no other choice, he used green-matter potion.
In the process of draining his mental energy to zero, he also burned through a full third of his green-matter potion stockpile. And he even used over ten drops of the reward item “Mysterious Planting Potion.”
On average, he used one drop per type of spice.
And that potion… he only had 300 drops total!
Worse, it was meant to “bring plants back from the brink of death,” so he’d always kept it hidden and refused to use it.
If he didn’t desperately need cooking spices, he truly wouldn’t have been willing to spend it.
Good things had to be used where they mattered most.
Normally, this kind of potion should be used to rescue dying plants—that was how you got maximum value out of it.
Thinking that made his heart ache.
Only when he looked at the lively little spice seedlings—now brimming with vigor—did he finally feel better.
It was only a tiny bit of potion, and in return he’d get a whole spice garden. That didn’t feel like a loss at all, did it?
When he imagined all the delicious food he could make with spices, he suddenly felt like he could go on again.
And then—
Xie Xingchen suddenly said, “Long-Life, one day I’ll develop a braised-pork-flavor energy drink for you guys.”
Sitting on the ridge of the field, he patted Long-Life’s arm beside him as he spoke.
Long-Life had never eaten braised pork, and he didn’t know what it tasted like, but he still nodded with shining eyes.
No matter what “braised pork flavor” was, it had to be delicious!
Otherwise, the owner wouldn’t look this excited just saying it.
Thinking about the lychee flavor, mango flavor, papaya flavor, milk flavor, and other energy drinks his owner had made before, Long-Life felt certain—absolutely certain—that “braised-pork-flavor energy drink” would be amazing.
After successfully awakening Long-Life’s cravings, Xie Xingchen patted his chest and promised he’d develop it soon.
In other people’s eyes, they were “just robots,” but in Xie Xingchen’s heart, they were his employees—employees who had been with him the longest and would probably stay with him even longer in the future.
So as long as it was within his ability, he always tried to make them happy.
That was why he kept developing new flavors of energy drink from time to time.
So that while he enjoyed delicious food, his robot subordinates could “taste” something delicious too.
After making that promise, Xie Xingchen stood up from the field ridge and went to wash his hands.
Looking up at the rolling clouds in the blue sky, he said with lingering fear, “We finally got through it. The next two days, I’m going to rest properly.”
These past three days had been even worse than the most brutal senior year of high school. Anyone who’d tried that kind of potential-squeezing grind would understand.
Even though the thriving seedlings were a joy to look at, he really didn’t want to work like that again.
However—
Long-Life turned his head, stared seriously, and reminded him, “Boss, no. We still have to pick cotton. After we pick cotton, we still have to plant cotton.”
Pick cotton? Plant cotton?
Xie Xingchen’s face froze.
He… remembered.
Damn it—no wonder he kept feeling like he’d forgotten something important.
He’d forgotten the multicolored cotton was ready to harvest.
The moment he thought about everything that came after picking cotton, his face fell.
He tried to struggle. “Can I pick the cotton in two days?”
Long-Life answered bluntly, “No.”
Xie Xingchen struggled again, trying to reason. “Actually, waiting two more days doesn’t matter.”
Long-Life cruelly pointed out, “But two days ago, you said the same thing.”
Xie Xingchen: collapses
That… was true.
Two days ago, he really had said something like that.
So he couldn’t delay anymore.
Xie Xingchen accepted his fate.
If he had a workhorse fate, then fine. He’d finish the work first and talk later.
Dragging his exhausted body, he lay back down in the medical pod again.
When he came out, it was time to depart.
He drove the fastest hovercar and led the robots back to the territory of the gigantic multicolored cotton tree that towered like a sky-piercing giant.
Originally, this cotton tree had 72 colors of cotton, but now he wasn’t sure anymore—because he discovered the colors were constantly changing.
Don’t ask how he could tell. He felt like anyone with eyes would notice the problem.
The cotton on the tree grew bigger and bigger, fluffier and fluffier, but as it grew, most cotton colors became lighter and lighter, while a smaller portion became darker and darker.
Dark got darker, pale got paler—almost none stayed in the middle.
It gave the entire tree an eerie, magical aura.
Xie Xingchen lifted his head, staring up at the towering cotton tree.
Looking at the cotton—each puff different, as if there were a thousand subtle variations—he couldn’t help murmuring, “Looks like I’m going to be busy later.”
Not only would he have to harvest in stages (for color), he’d probably have to spin it into cloth in stages too.
And what he wove might not be solid-color cloth at all, but gradient-dyed cloth… or rainbow cloth.
There were just too many colors. Sorting them would be a nightmare.
For a moment, Xie Xingchen couldn’t even imagine what the final cloth would look like.
He led the robots to pick the cotton, remove the seeds, and store the seeds away for future planting.
The cotton on this massive tree came in layers upon layers. From this one tree alone, Xie Xingchen collected several hundred jin of cotton.
Cotton didn’t weigh much for its size, so “several hundred jin” sounded like it wasn’t much—but in reality, it nearly stuffed his hovercar full.
After hauling the cotton back to the Chang’an workshop, Xie Xingchen chose a wide open area to process the de-seeded cotton again.
The piled-up fluff was spectacular.
But even if the cotton was abundant, Xie Xingchen had even more robots.
Plus, he’d bought a new model of weaving machine.
He felt confident he’d have finished cotton cloth by tomorrow.
Just as he was directing the robots to install machines and begin assembly-line operations, the long-unheard flash-sale alert rang out.
Ding-dong. System friendly reminder: A flash-sale item has appeared in the mall.
Mall Flash Sale: Cotton Cloth Production Machine (includes all processes)
Price: 3,695,632 star coins (90% off)
Countdown: 04:59:01
Xie Xingchen: ?
Excuse me?
Xie Xingchen smiled. “Xiao Mo, are you kidding me?”
I just bought weaving machines, and now you’re doing a flash sale for a cotton-cloth production machine?
Is this you mocking me, or is this the system wasting resources?
System friendly reminder: Flash-sale countdown remaining: 03:00:02
Xie Xingchen: “…”
Only three minutes left. He didn’t have time to argue. He bought it in a panic.
Name: Cotton Cloth Production Machine (Weaving Machine)
Raw materials: Multicolored cotton (special requirement)
Effect: Constructs a small-area green-matter space
Efficiency: 1,000 bolts of cloth per 24 hours
Note: Cannot be upgraded
Required purchase level: LV6
“Constructs a small-area green-matter space”?
Xie Xingchen’s mouth fell open.
“Xiao Mo… does that mean if you wear clothes made of this multicolored cotton cloth, it creates a portable safe space?”
If so, this fabric was insane.
System: Yes.
Xie Xingchen: Jackpot. Absolute jackpot.
He went looking for watermelons and Hami melons, found none, and by sheer accident discovered multicolored cotton instead—only to learn it was this absurdly powerful.
His eyes shone.
Thinking of the cotton seeds he’d stored, his grin widened uncontrollably.
He told the robots to put away the ordinary looms, then chose the nearest empty factory building to take out the system loom.
Ding-dong. Detection complete: This factory building does not have enough space. Please choose another location.
Not enough space?
Xie Xingchen looked again and again.
This building was at least 200 square meters. Was the system loom that huge?
He had no choice but to pick another building.
This larger factory was farther from the manor, but it was extremely spacious—one of the largest in the Chang’an workshop.
Ding-dong. “Cotton Cloth Production Machine (Weaving Machine)” has been deployed.
To operate the machine, charging is required. Please place energy stones in the charging slot.
Following the system’s instructions, Xie Xingchen found a metal compartment about one cubic meter in size on the massive machine. After confirming which energy stones it needed, he filled it with high-grade energy stones.
Based on its consumption rate, those stones would only last two or three months—definitely not cheap. But once he thought about what this multicolored cotton cloth could do, he immediately decided the cost was nothing.
Before full production, he followed his usual habit: make one bolt first, then test it.
First he was stunned by the cloth’s quality and the beauty of its colors—then the test report completely shocked him.
Ten percent green-matter content?
Sure, it couldn’t compare with Yu Cheng’s Edelweiss-like flower, but that flower was an exception—and very possibly a one-time, non-repeatable exception.
But cotton cloth?
As long as he could grow multicolored cotton, he could keep producing this cloth. How much he produced depended entirely on how much multicolored cotton he could grow.
Closing the test report on his wrist terminal, Xie Xingchen sighed in awe again and again. “Get-Rich, we’re really going to get rich this time. This fabric is unbelievable.”
Right now, Earth Trading Company’s best-selling product was sunflower with 5% green-matter content.
But in the future, that would absolutely change.
No wonder the system said it could create a “small-area green-matter space.” This was 10% green-matter cloth.
Ten percent was a natural dividing line. It separated ordinary green plants from premium ones.
Anything over 10% was precious.
And products made from materials over 10% were even more precious.
Once this 10% cloth appeared, Earth Trading Company’s status would skyrocket—it would become a merchant house with a truly unique position.
Most directly: the moment Xie Xingchen put these products on the market—whether he sold cloth or clothing—people would fight over them.
And one fact was easy to predict: if he sold clothes, then no matter how plain or ugly the clothes were, someone would buy them anyway. A huge number of people would ignore gender and age just to get a piece.
Thinking that through, Xie Xingchen decided not to sell clothes.
He would sell only cloth.
Either way, it would sell out. And many buyers would probably buy it and immediately tailor it themselves. So why waste time making clothes?
That would only waste his time and their time.
After all, 10% green-matter cloth would be extremely expensive. Anyone who could afford it could definitely afford a household robot. And any household that could afford a household robot could also afford clothing patterns.
Buy the patterns and tutorials, let your household robot learn—done.
Paying a bit more for custom-made clothes would be completely normal.
So selling cloth would be convenient for him—and for everyone else.
A long-sleeved adult male outfit needed around 7–8 chi of fabric. Adult women needed around 6–7 chi. The same amount could make 2–3 outfits for children.
Since multicolored cloth was limited and he wanted more people to get some, Xie Xingchen decided to sell in a standard 4-chi bundle.
One bundle per person, limit one purchase.
It sounded like little, but it was enough to make a child’s outfit. For adults, it could make a long top or pants. If it was a slimmer adult woman, it might even be enough for a short-sleeved summer set.
The system loom could cut cloth to size, and once he set the size, every piece produced would be uniform.
But even though the cloth could be made, Xie Xingchen didn’t plan to sell it immediately.
He planned to treat it like a trump card—only list it after he made an appearance at Trade Day.
Those few hundred jin of cotton looked like a lot, but once woven into cloth, the amount was tiny: only ten bolts.
That meant the cost per bolt was high.
Even if he wanted to lower the price, it couldn’t be low.
In that case—he might as well go full luxury.
Thinking of modern luxury brands’ hunger marketing strategies, Xie Xingchen’s eyes creased with a smile.
Bundled sales were impossible—Earth Trading Company couldn’t even keep up with normal demand, let alone force bundle deals.
But hunger marketing… now that was a great strategy.
After the cloth built a reputation at Trade Day, he could start.
And it was perfect timing. He had no cotton left. In fact, he didn’t even have cotton trees yet.
If he wanted more cotton, he had to start by planting trees—so hunger marketing would happen naturally.
With fantasies of making big money, Xie Xingchen went to sleep, satisfied.
Early the next morning, before sunrise, he got up.
He took out the “Mysterious Planting Potion,” dripped three drops into a mixture of plant nutrient solution, plant growth solution, and other plant-growth medicines, then soaked the cotton seeds he’d collected yesterday.
As time passed, the mixture faded from vibrant green to clear, while the cotton seeds, now full of nutrients, swelled up—some even sprouted tiny new shoots.
Repeating the process again, Xie Xingchen carried the next batch of soaking cotton seeds to the place where he’d found the multicolored cotton tree.
He planned to plant the cotton trees here, so the robots began reclaiming the land.
With machines and robots working together, in a little over half a day they opened up a huge field.
By the time the cotton seeds finished their third round of soaking, every seed had cracked and sprouted—and the cotton field was fully prepared.
Get-Rich led the robots to build temporary housing at the edge of the field. Long-Life drove a watering truck and continuously sprayed plant nutrient solution. As for Prosperity, he led the idle robots in assembling equipment.
This land was far from any river, and it didn’t have anything like modern plumbing.
When conditions weren’t enough, technology made up the difference. Xie Xingchen spent a fortune buying a machine that could convert moisture in the air into water. Once it was installed, this cotton field would finally function properly.
Reclaiming the land was step one.
Building irrigation equipment was step two.
Planting the cotton trees was step three—and the most important step of all.
The small cabins Get-Rich built were immediately useful, because from this point on, Xie Xingchen and his team barely left the land.
Mental energy and green-matter potion were poured into the field as if they were free. In only a week, the cotton seedlings had grown to waist height.
And at that moment, there were only three days left before Xie Xingchen’s planned departure to the Insectoids’ territory for Trade Day.
Leaving enough travel time would guarantee he wasn’t late, but it also meant less time to prepare.
Looking at his completely drained mental energy and the green-matter potion stockpile that had been scraped nearly empty, Xie Xingchen stopped fantasizing about coming back to a bountiful harvest.
Now he only hoped that while he was away, his spice seedlings and cotton seedlings wouldn’t run into trouble—otherwise he’d cry himself to death.
But if he didn’t go to Trade Day?
He didn’t dare.
And he wasn’t willing either.
Because—Trade Day was being held on Insectoid territory.
The Insectoids.
Their turf.
Who, under normal circumstances, would dare to casually visit the xenophobic Insectoids?
A civilization that went to war at the slightest disagreement—if you went alone, you’d be tense the whole time. Enjoy a vacation? Dream on.
But Trade Day was different.
No matter where it was held, Trade Day was special.
Lots of participants. Every race. And there was an unspoken rule: participants were treated decently. Even the Insectoids would remind their citizens to rein in their tempers and be more civil during the event.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit the Insectoid civilization.
If he missed it, there might never be another chance.
He wasn’t a long-lived species.
Given the rotating hosting system—and the Insectoids’ occasional habit of dodging responsibilities—he might not get another chance in his prime.
So even though he worried endlessly about his spice seedlings and cotton seedlings, once he realized time was running out, he immediately began packing and selecting sample products to bring to Trade Day.
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