Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World

These questions piled up in everyone's minds, itching at them like a scratch they couldn't reach.

Finally, as the group finished their tasks, the neighbors couldn't hold back any longer.

"What kind of mission did you take on? Are they still looking for more people?"

"Was all this food provided by your employer? That's incredibly generous! What grade are these ingredients, can you tell us?"

"I'd like to buy some—I have a brother with crystal cores. Would you sell me just a little?"

Someone else noticed the cabbages in their hands and remembered something.

"Is this from a man named Mr. Kim by any chance? If so, I think I know who it might be."

"Oh! I think I've heard of him too. Isn't he the guy who showed up in the Fourth District? I heard he has a shop in the Second District now, and there's always a long line outside, with demand always exceeding supply."

"Yeah, I've heard that too. They say the food at his shop is top-notch, and the prices aren't too high. Mostly, he only takes crystal cores, but it's not that hard to get some. I even heard people from the Fourth District make trips just to buy his food."

"And they're even going so far as to sell their pots and pans to scrape together enough crystal cores. On the way, they cross the Third District and Second District border and are often sneered at by ability users—so why would they still go?"

"Honestly, I didn't understand it either, but after seeing the vegetables that Han Sori and the others brought back, I get it a little more."

Han Sori is one of the six people who are working on Kim Haru's farm.

Looking how he was now surrounded by the neighbors, he clutching the food protectively as if worried it might get snatched.

Hearing their conversations, the group suddenly understood.

So it was that man! They'd heard people from the Fourth District mention him before—a person of true kindness and integrity. Han Sori had once privately scoffed, thinking, "In an apocalypse, who could still care about kindness and integrity?"

But meeting the man himself had left him astonished. Only then did he realize he had judged too quickly and unfairly. "Yes, that's Mr. Kim," Han Sori answered. "Tell you what, tonight I'll cook up some potatoes and let everyone have a small taste."@@novelbin@@

"But I don't have much, so it'll only be a tiny bite for each of you. I hope you don't mind."

Han Sori thought he couldn't be as selfless as Mr. Kim, who seemed to care for the entire world in this harsh time. But he could do his part, however small, and help spread the word about Mr. Kim's produce.

After all, Mr. Kim surely hoped that more people could eat food that was free from the mutagenic virus.

How could anyone possibly mind? Not to mention just taking a bite, even if it was just a glance, no one would mind at all. Everyone was surprised that Kim Haru was willing to share such precious things with them, and a flood of compliments poured out.

The other individuals who also received rewards exchanged glances and smiled, saying, "Alright, then let's add what we have as well and let everyone get a big bite together."

Unbeknownst to them, something in this apocalyptic world was starting to change.

After this wave of soybean, cabbage, and potato harvesting, Kim Haru decided not to plant any more of these. Firstly, the amount harvested this time was enough for him to use for a long while. Secondly, continuously planting one type of crop on a piece of land for too long can degrade the soil, so crop rotation is necessary.

Coincidentally, the fertilizer had almost fully fermented over the past few days. Naturally, normal fertilizers don't ferment this quickly, but due to the system's enhancement, Kim Haru followed the system's method and added crystal cores to the mix. Even though the raw materials in the fermentation tank were limited, it still successfully produced good fertilizer.

The only minor drawback was that due to the insufficient raw materials, the amount of basic fertilizer obtained was also not plentiful, and he couldn't even spread it all over the newly opened wasteland.

Kim Haru could only focus on the plants in the sample field for now, of course not forgetting the garlic on Go Okrim's windowsill. He decided to first plant ten different types of mature plants to let the system upgrade. Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire

All the plants in the sample field received a round of basic fertilizer. However, the crops here had already sprouted. Among the first ten wheat plants he had sown, the tallest one had already reached half a person's height, while the other nine were around knee height.

For crops that had already begun to sprout and grow, the effect of pouring fertilizer on them wasn't significant, and if one wasn't careful and bumped into the plants, it could easily cause seedling burn. Fortunately, Kim Haru's basic fertilizer was provided by the system, so it wouldn't cause such issues.

The effects of fertilizing during the initial planting and now were still somewhat different.

[ Ding! The crop growth cycle is reduced... ]

[ Ding! Reduced to 58 days. ]

[ Ding! Reduced to 30 days until maturity. ]

[ Ding! Reduced to 75 days until maturity. ]

[ Ding! Reduction failed. ]

[ Ding! You are lucky! The crop will mature tomorrow. ]

Kim Haru watched as the fertilized crops vibrantly responded to the nutrient-rich fertilizer, beginning to shrink their growth cycles. He couldn't help but wonder whether the outcome depended on the plants' condition, the quality of the fertilizer, or perhaps his own skills as a farmer.

In any case, each plant had a remarkably unique reduction in its growth cycle. Some were unfortunate enough to show no reduction at all, while the lucky ones would be ready for harvest as soon as tomorrow.

The plant set to mature tomorrow was sweet potato.

Kim Haru felt a wave of joy wash over him.