Chapter 144: Selling Fish
Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi went up to their room, which was next to the one shared by Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian.
The hotel room was similar to a basic room from before the catastrophe, with white walls, a desk, and a bathroom.
As soon as Xia Lu Nong entered the room, his eyes were immediately drawn to the computer on the desk. He could hardly wait to turn it on.
Kong Zhi, Xia Huo Qu, and Yan Xi Nian stood behind him as he powered it up. The familiar blue background appeared on the screen. Xia Lu Nong instinctively clicked on the browser.
The homepage opened with navigation links already set. Once inside, there were forums and a trading market. The four of them spent a long time browsing the site, gathering a wealth of information.
Yan Xi Nian shook his head. “Who would’ve thought that in just a year, the Black Gold Base has developed to this extent?”
Xia Huo Qu responded, “Human resilience is far greater than any plant, animal, or bird. If the plants and animals outside have mutated so drastically, why wouldn’t humanity develop to such a level as well?”
After Xia Huo Qu finished speaking, the four of them fell silent.
Xia Lu Nong glanced at each of them, then suddenly asked, “Brother, should our base keep up with this wave of development?”
Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian exchanged glances. Xia Huo Qu, somewhat unexpectedly, asked Kong Zhi for his opinion. “Kong Zhi, what do you think?”
“Technology and funding aren’t the issue; what we need is people,” Kong Zhi replied. “The population limits our ability to become a major base.”
Yan Xi Nian nodded. “People can make or break us.”
Xia Huo Qu looked at Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi and asked, “Do you both want a large bases?”
Xia Lu Nong questioned, “If we have more people, will there be more conflicts?”
Kong Zhi said, “That’s inevitable.”
Xia Lu Nong pressed his lips together in thought.
Xia Huo Qu leaned back on the bed, saying, “There are just the four of us here. We can speak freely.”
Xia Lu Nong said, “I feel that whether we become a large base or not won’t significantly impact our lives right now. But the future is uncertain. No one knows how the mutated plants and animals will develop or how the situation will evolve.”
He paused before adding, “Our base already has a lot of valuable resources.”
The phrase “a person without guilt, but guilty for possessing a treasure” came to Xia Lu Nong’s mind.
He felt that if Black Gold Base continued its current trend, as these large bases grew in population and advanced in technology, they would surely begin to expand outward. When that time came, smaller bases with abundant resources but lacking in defense would become nothing more than fat sheep waiting to be preyed upon. And no one would be able to resist the temptation of such easy targets.
Even though humanity had gained the ability to mutate into beast-like forms, human nature was still human nature.
Kong Zhi said, “If we want to grow into a large bases, aside from absorbing more people, we’ll also need to change the current development model of our base.”
Yan Xi Nian asked, “Are you referring to our rather loose management style?”
Kong Zhi nodded. “If we remain a small base, this village-style management is sufficient. But to grow into a major base, this style won’t be enough.”
Xia Huo Qu said, “Changing the management model is the easiest problem to solve. Even if we don’t return to our base, we could easily start a new one from scratch in another place.”
He looked around at the others. “What we need to decide on is the future development model for the base, and we need to implement it quickly. From what we’ve seen so far, time is running short.”
The four of them lapsed into silence again.
Xia Lu Nong spoke up, “We’ve only seen Black Gold Base so far, but we haven’t seen the most iconic Fireseed Base yet. We might need to visit Fireseed Base before we can decide which direction we want to go in.”
From the rumors they had heard, Fireseed Base was completely different from Black Gold Base. It was a base filled with light and hope. If they were to choose a model for their base’s development, it would make more sense to choose the bright Fireseed Base rather than the gray Black Gold Base.
More importantly, if they truly decided to develop their base, it would mean standing alongside other bases and no longer adhering to the old rules.
Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu had always allowed their base to develop freely, rarely interfering, perhaps out of nostalgia for the old era.
Xia Huo Qu agreed, “Xia Lu Nong is right. If we’re going to use a reference, we should at least compare two different bases.”
Kong Zhi added, “This isn’t just about development. We need to officially establish the base before we can discuss development. Frankly, our base now is more like a naturally formed settlement.”
Yan Xi Nian looked at each of them and said, “Given the current situation, we can no longer afford not to build our own base. The main issue now is choosing which model to follow.”
Xia Lu Nong glanced around and tentatively suggested, “Maybe we can take our time discussing this? After all, it’ll be several days before we return, right?”
Yan Xi Nian nodded. “True.”
Xia Huo Qu added, “In that case, let’s stay at Black Gold Base a few more days and observe it more closely.”
Xia Lu Nong immediately agreed. “I’m all for that. We should take a look at their crop seeds and see if we can trade for some of their modified seeds.”
“Money talks,” Yan Xi Nian said with a laugh. “That shouldn’t be a problem. We should aim to trade not just for seeds but also for their testing equipment. Ideally, we could attract a couple of talented individuals back with us as well.”
Xia Lu Nong perked up at that. “Like Mai Dong and the others?”
Yan Xi Nian nodded. “They’d definitely be included.”
The four of them continued browsing the forums on the computer, not heading downstairs until after lunch.
The receptionists had changed by then, but the two new ones were also tall, beautiful women with beast-like features. They greeted the group warmly.
Carrying their bags, the four stepped outside. Everyone outside was either showing beast-like traits or wearing various types of armor. With their large bags, the group looked somewhat out of place among the crowd.
Xia Lu Nong muttered softly, “Seeing this scene, it’s hard to imagine that we’re still on Earth.”
Kong Zhi whispered in his ear, “Maybe these scenes will become normal in the future.”
“Indeed—after two twists of biological evolution, no one knows in what direction things will go.”
They quietly muttered to each other.
People on the street were hurrying by, paying no attention to their conversation. Even if someone overheard a snippet, they wouldn’t be surprised.
Soon, they arrived at the Free Market.
The Free Market was quite similar to the farmers’ markets before the Great Catastrophe.
It was a massive building with a roof, accessible from all sides, with rows of cement stalls inside.
People set up all sorts of goods on these cement stalls—everything from clothing, food, and household items, to even weapons.
Many of the market-goers carried backpacks or baskets, blending into the crowd as if it was a common sight.
Xia Lu Nong glanced around and noticed that most of the stalls had random assortments of items, giving the impression that the sellers weren’t professional merchants.
These people were likely scavengers, trading whatever they had collected.
In this market, most people bartered, though currency was also accepted.
After circling the market twice, they quickly noticed there were overseers at the edges and some stalls that hadn’t been rented out yet.
Yan Xi Nian said, “We should rent a stall and sell the fish.”
Xia Huo Qu quickly understood his intent with just a glance.
Xia Huo Qu turned to Xia Lu Nong and said, “In a bit, we’ll take out the fish from the bamboo tubes and see how many we can sell.”
Xia Lu Nong met his brother’s gaze and nodded slightly.
The process of renting a stall went smoothly. They had some black gold coins from their stay at the hotel, so they just paid in coins.
Their stall was at the far end of the east side, near the residential area, where the foot traffic was minimal and several stalls were vacant.
This location was perfect for discreetly taking out the fish from the bamboo tubes.
The group hadn’t planned on setting up a stall beforehand, so they hadn’t brought much along.
Fortunately, the fish in the bamboo tubes had been frozen solid, and even after days inside, they remained hard as rock.
With the cold weather, the fish wouldn’t thaw once placed on the cement stalls, so they could be sold as-is.
They took the fish out of the bamboo tubes. Using their backpacks as cover, they took out roughly the amount of fish that could fit inside the packs.
Each of them carried large travel backpacks, almost half their height. Two of them took out over thirty fish, quickly filling up the cement stall.
There weren’t many people selling fish in the market. Aside from a few individuals keeping fish in small basins and selling them sporadically, no one else was selling fish on a large scale.
As soon as they brought out their fish, the strong fishy smell caught people’s attention.
After all, most people had beast-like characteristics, whether they were carnivores or omnivores.
Especially those with more pronounced animal traits.
Their heightened senses made them particularly attracted to the scent of fish.
After the four of them finished setting up, many nearby people began to glance over at their stall.
Yan Xi Nian, after arranging the fish, cheerfully glanced around and shouted, “Fresh fish for sale—come and take a look! Big, fat fish, fresh and cheap!”
His call sounded quite convincing.
Soon, people began to gather around.
“How do we trade for the fish?”
“How mutated are your fish?”
“What kinds of fish do you have?”
Yan Xi Nian answered them all at once, “The mutations aren’t too severe. You can trade anything for them. There are too many kinds of fish for us to know; pick what you like.”
Hearing this, even more people crowded around.
One person, smiling, pulled two potatoes out of a basket and asked, “Can I trade these potatoes?”
That person was standing right in front of Kong Zhi.
Kong Zhi lifted his gaze slightly and replied, “I’ll trade you a fish tail for them.”
“Sounds good.” The person grinned, picked out a fish from the stall, and said, “How about using this fish’s tail?”
“That works.” Kong Zhi took the potatoes and grabbed the fish, then picked up a hatchet.
A vendor across the way noticed the scene and enthusiastically called out, “Hey, cool guy, I’ve got a cutting board you can use!”
“No need. Thanks,” Kong Zhi replied, placing the fish on top of another frozen fish. With a swift motion, he chopped off the fish tail cleanly.
His precision was perfect.
He chopped off just the tail of that fish, without even scratching the fish below it.
In full view of the crowd, Kong Zhi handed the severed fish tail to the customer. “Thanks for your business.”
The customer took the small fish tail, smiled awkwardly, thanked him quietly, and stuffed the tail into his basket before walking away.
Anyone with such precision in using a blade was not to be underestimated.
This was no longer a time like before the Great Catastrophe, where a simple misstep could cost your life. The customer had no desire to test his limits.
After Kong Zhi’s display, the surrounding crowd’s attitude toward them subtly changed.
Many people who had initially wanted to approach turned away and left quietly.
Yan Xi Nian, acting as if he hadn’t noticed, cheerfully shouted, “Fish for trade! Big, wild fish, special offer! Trade anything!”
Two potatoes for a fish tail seemed like quite a deal.
More customers, unbothered by the earlier display, came forward, inspecting the fish and haggling over prices.
The fish on their stall came in various sizes. Every piece could be cut to order, and customers could trade for as much or as little as they wanted.
Their business grew briskly.
Soon, the customers realized that aside from the smallest and most delicate-looking member of the group, the other three had masterful knife skills. They could use one fish as a cutting board, chopping through another fish without damaging the scales of the one beneath.
Their stall was bustling with activity.
Who knew where these experts came from?
The few people lurking in the shadows quickly dispersed after seeing the situation.
