Ah, but they couldn’t possibly think of such things when they finally saw what these children had been up to!
The aquaponics complex in the dungeon-linked space had been explained to them before, and they had heard plenty about the concepts and Luca’s grand plans. But this was their first time seeing the facility for themselves.
And it did not disappoint.
Sure, they couldn’t feel energy from the land, but considering how they nearly suffocated from the "stillness" outside earlier, this was already a giant leap forward!
Luca thought so too. Having traveled between places where the spiritual energy situation was vastly different, he believed that while the gap outside was terrifying, at least here was something that could bridge it.
And while it still took a few days to grow crops inside the aquaponics complex, it was something they could legitimately do outside of the space. Something the Empire could one day know about.
They just had to wait until the facility could produce continuously before selling.
Only, the elders had been waiting for... what, centuries? Maybe longer? And they couldn’t wait any longer. Especially not after being fed soup. Especially not after being given bodies again. The least they could do was prove that all of this was worth it.
More than worth it, Luca thought, because he honestly hadn’t expected any of this when he first bought those seeds. Who in their right mind could have imagined such an outcome?
The elders walked down rows of glistening lettuce. Bright green, full of life, their leaves shimmered with beads of water that dripped like jewels. At one point, Ollie squinted at a head of lettuce and swore it popped like in one of those "freshness commercials" he had once watched on Star Net. He even poked one. It sprang back. He yelped. Everyone stared at him.
Despite all the wonders they had seen before, this was different. This was, once again, one of those times they had witnessed such a major change take root outside the space. After all, the great divide between "inside" and "outside" had been unshakable until very recently. One that could be attested by the crops that Duke Leander attempted to tend to.
"!!!"
"This is possible because there’s concentrated energy inside this complex," Elder Shen declared.
"Correct. And while it is not advisable to do this forever, it might be best to ramp up farming until we set up a larger base."
"Also, what about farming more perennials?" Elder Wei added, stroking his chin. "The disadvantage has always been the long initial growing period. But we could temporarily bypass that here."
Luca’s eyes sparkled. If they planted more cherry tomatoes and strawberries, then wouldn’t they have even more crops they could harvest again and again? Wouldn’t that mean more food to send out?
Yes, definitely!
Beside him, Jax was scribbling notes like a man reborn. His fatigue from supervising animal births vanished with every lettuce leaf he passed. Plants were surely the best. Maybe one day, he thought, if he cultivated enough, he could talk to plants too. Then he would take care of his children even better. Definitely. All he had to do was become the next elder.
Only, he might be very surprised to find his ultra great-grandchildren "snappened up" if they were ever sold on Star Mall.
But that was for some other time. For now, after much discussion, they decided to schedule the shop update in three days, thirty days before the expo.
Obviously, the original poster was met with plenty of disbelief. Everyone knew Luca had been selling relics for practically nothing.
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