"With young Chu joining us, our chances of survival just shot up." Old Man Li chuckled from the side.
As he spoke, he pulled a ripe red Little Supernatural Cherry Tomato from his pocket.
"Here, this is for you. If you like it, I can trade the Supernatural Fruits I grow for your Sacrificial Items or upgrades."
Chu Sheng nodded and took the Little Supernatural Cherry Tomato, commonly known as a cherry tomato.
This Supernatural Cherry Tomato looked no different from the cherry tomatoes people had eaten before the apocalypse.
Unable to see any difference, Chu Sheng tossed it straight into his mouth without hesitation.
The Little Supernatural Cherry Tomato felt cool in his mouth. The moment he bit through its skin, warmth spread from his mouth through his body. In just two seconds, Chu Sheng felt warm all over.
Seeing this, Captain Hui smiled. "Every plant Old Man Li grows has a different ability."
"The Little Supernatural Cherry Tomato he gave you is the variety he's had the most success cultivating, and he grows more of it than anything else. Eating one when you're exhausted restores your stamina. It can also heal some wounds, though nothing too serious-only minor cuts."
"If you eat one when you still have plenty of stamina, it'll fill your body with warmth."
Chu Sheng's eyes lit up as Captain Hui explained.
This was good stuff.
Anything that could heal injuries or restore stamina was valuable in the apocalypse!
Once Captain Hui finished, Old Man Li smiled and shook his head. "We're all in the same convoy, so I won't hide anything from you. These are good, but they only keep their effects for two days."
"If you don't eat them within two days, they won't rot, but they'll lose all their effects and become ordinary cherry tomatoes."
Chu Sheng nodded. An idea suddenly occurred to him, and he asked, "How about I trade you a few bottles of liquor for some Little Supernatural Cherry Tomatoes?"
Old Man Li paused, then quickly brightened and nodded. "Sure!"
"For every five-hundred-milliliter bottle of baijiu, regardless of brand, I'll give you two and a half kilos of Little Supernatural Cherry Tomatoes."
"How does that price sound?"
Chu Sheng nodded. "That works, but I don't need that many right now. Keep growing them for me, and when I need them, you'll have to hand them over right away."
Old Man Li nodded. "No problem. Hui, Qing, and Xi all do the same thing."
Chu Sheng glanced at Captain Hui, who nodded to confirm it.
Seeing that, Chu Sheng opened his backpack and took out three bottles of baijiu, each containing five hundred and fifty milliliters.
Old Man Li took the bottles, checked them, and did a quick calculation. "Sixteen hundred and fifty milliliters in total. That gets you eight and a quarter kilos of cherry tomatoes, right?"
"Right."
"Since this is our first trade, I'll round it up for you. Let's call it eight and a half kilos of Little Supernatural Cherry Tomatoes."
"Thanks." Chu Sheng thanked him, then turned to Captain Hui. "Captain, roughly when will we run into another convoy?"
Captain Hui paused, rubbed his chin, and began counting on the fingers of his right hand.
After a moment, he said, "Good timing. We'll encounter another convoy in about a week, though that isn't exact. It could be seven days, or it could be ten, but it probably won't take more than two weeks."
An Xi had finished examining the White Jade Spear and was hugging it, unwilling to put it down. Hearing his answer and seeing him count on his fingers, she burst out laughing.
"Brother Hui, you're not doing it right!"
"You need a banner that says 'Never a wrong prediction,' then you can spout a few cryptic proverbs."
"Oh, get lost. I'm not some fortune-telling charlatan!" Brother Hui laughed, then looked at Chu Sheng. "You're planning to trade these things with other convoys, right?"
Chu Sheng didn't hide it and nodded.
"Don't sell them too cheaply."
"You only paid three bottles of baijiu for eight and a half kilos of Little Supernatural Cherry Tomatoes, but that's our internal price. Anyone else would need at least seven or eight bottles to get that many."
Old Man Li nodded beside him.
He didn't mind the other convoy members trading with his goods.
"Young Chu, remember not to undercut me, or I won't let you have any more of my stuff."
Chu Sheng nodded to show he understood.
After they chatted a little longer, Brother Hui said, "Get ready over the next couple of days. We're almost at our next supply stop. According to my divinations, it's a fairly large Town, and there's a Gas Station nearby."
"We can refuel there, then head into the Town to gather supplies."
"According to my results, there's only one Anomalies in the Town. I can't work out anything more specific."
"Another fight! Perfect timing to try out my White Jade Spear!" An Xi's pretty face flushed with excitement.
Like a child who had just received her favorite toy, she stood up with the White Jade Spear and spun it through a flourish. Pale golden light flowed through its white jade shaft, while a cold, pale golden gleam flickered at its tip.
Even that slight movement sent a chilling sense of sharpness washing over them.
An Xi grew even more delighted. "So this is the Supernatural Energy Conduction Attribute?"
She could clearly feel her Geng Metal Power flowing freely through the White Jade Spear. It was nothing like using her old Ordinary Spear.
Zhu Qing watched from the side, then turned toward Chu Sheng, his eyes almost red with envy.
"Coach! I want a Sacrificial Item too!"
"Nope, nope! I haven't got a drop left!" Chu Sheng waved him off. "Come find me when you have a weapon and some suitable supernatural material."
"Didn't you want clothes for after you transform? If you can find an Anomalies and skin it, I might be able to make a Sacrificial Garment you can transform in."
"Remember, my fee is one piece of supernatural material!"
Zhu Qing nodded, then stared fixedly at An Xi's White Jade Spear, unable to conceal his envy.
He wanted a Sacrificial Item so badly!
Sensing his envious gaze, An Xi curled her lips into a smile and flicked her wrist. The White Jade Spear flew out and pierced straight through a waist-high boulder more than twenty meters away.
With another movement of her wrist, the White Jade Spear flew back into her hand.
"Holy shit, holy shit! That thing can even come back on its own?!"
Zhu Qing's eyes grew even redder.
Watching from the side, Captain Hui was speechless. "It's just a Sacrificial Item. Do you really have to be that jealous?"
"Easy for you to say. Why don't you give me your Map, then?"
Captain Hui cleared his throat. "The moonlight is lovely tonight."
"Hah! The moonlight's blood-red in this apocalypse. What's lovely about it?!"
Zhu Qing scoffed, then stopped looking at him and turned his gaze back to the White Jade Spear.
Old Man Li shook his head at the sight and left with his three bottles of baijiu. He was going to enjoy a few good drinks tonight!
P.S. Thanks to Bakalaka Meow for the tip! You're the first reader to tip me, and I'm so excited! I'm a new author, so I won't say much else. I'll do my best to write this book well!
A new author with a new book-this newbie is asking for monthly votes~
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