Wasteland Development Diary

Zhou Yi sized up the Sea Lord before him: "I've heard so much about you. The Tree Monster Territory's lumber is excellent. We finally meet."

"Mr. Zhou, you're too kind."

The other party seemed slightly reserved: "Compared to the Wasteland Development Company, we're just a backwater."

Tree Lord Huan was a large, black feline creature with green eyes, nearly 3 meters in length, and a magnificent figure, yet it moved silently.

Red Falcon said it was a Light-infused species called a Shadow Cat, capable of disguising itself as a shadow to stalk its target.

Shadow Cats are natural-born masters of stealth and assassins.

Behind Tree Lord Huan were several otter attendants carrying wooden boxes.

"Those are Big-Claw Otters."

Red Falcon said via telepathy, "Their claws are large and powerful, adept at building dams, water conservancy projects, and land reclamation. The Tree Monster Territory is rich in water resources, giving them plenty of room to operate."

Zhou Yi listened internally, maintaining a slight smile on his face, "I just baked some flatbreads here. Would Tree Lord Huan like to try some?"

The other party looked embarrassed.

But Tree Lord Huan gritted its teeth and forced a smile, saying, "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Zhou Yi handed it a warm scallion pancake.

Tree Lord Huan opened its mouth, swallowed it, chewed twice, then swallowed with difficulty: "Very good, very good food."

At that moment, Zhou Yi suddenly thought, perhaps felines don't eat flatbreads?

Red Falcon reminded him: "Shadow Cats are carnivores. Zhou, it's giving you a lot of face."

Mine.

Zhou Yi pondered inwardly.

Could the other party think this is his compliance test?

So he decided to be frank: "I'm sorry, I didn't know you don't eat this kind of food. This is made with flour…"

Tree Lord Huan's eyes immediately cleared, its expression relaxed, and it no longer kept its thick paws tucked away.

"I also wanted to try something new, given Mr. Zhou's kind invitation."

Misunderstanding cleared.

It said, "This visit is mainly to meet with Mr. Zhou, hoping for cooperation."

Zhou Yi nodded: "The Tree Monster Territory's lumber quality is excellent. Our company likes it very much, and we will continue to buy large quantities in the future."

Tree Lord Huan glanced sideways at its attendants behind him: "Present the gifts."

"Yes."

The otters carried two boxes forward.

Tree Lord Huan stretched out its broad front paw and opened the first wooden box.

Inside were small mushrooms.

Their stems were slender, their caps thin, and they were a very ordinary gray-white color, but they were glowing.

Zhou Yi ordered Emerald City to turn off the lights.

The room was immediately shrouded in darkness.

The brightness of the mushrooms suddenly increased, emitting a bright yellow light, with a lighting capacity no less than rhombic stones.

The room returned to bright lighting.

Tree Lord Huan then said, "Mr. Zhou, this is a specialty of our Tree Monster Territory, Yellow Fluorescence Mushrooms. They emit a yellow fluorescent light and are very light, lighter than rhombic stones and more convenient than glow sticks."

"In the Tree Monster Territory, we mainly rely on them for lighting. They're not only easy to grow and fast-growing, but also edible. As long as they're wrapped in soil and given a little water, they can glow."

"I'm willing to gift the Fluorescence Mushrooms and their cultivation methods to your company."

Zhou Yi didn't respond.

Tree Lord Huan came to give gifts, so it seems they need something from me.

Still don't know what it is.

He prepared to wait and see.

Tree Lord Huan opened the second box next to it: "I heard that Mr. Zhou likes food very much, and I've also been researching in this area."

"This is a fish raised in our Tree Monster Territory, please take a look."

The box was filled with ice, with two sizes of fish placed on top. One big and one small.

The large fish appeared to be about 5 pounds each, there were two of them, while the small fish were 7-10 cm long, there were a dozen of them, and they all looked fresh.

Zhou Yi became interested: "You also raise fish?"

"This only started in recent years."

Tree Lord Huan grinned: "Our Tree Monster Territory mainly exports lumber, but operating with resources that are too single is prone to problems."

"One year, the Tree Monsters contracted a disease, and they started losing leaves and their branches turned yellow. Although I invited professional mech-doctors, two Tree Monsters still died despite resuscitation efforts."

"There were several reasons diagnosed at the time."

"First, drought caused transpiration, leading to the rupture of the water column in the ducts. The other was honey fungus infecting the roots and trunks of the trees, which was difficult to detect in time. The combination of the two caused a major disaster. The Tree Monsters barely held on, but the forest died on a large scale. At that time, the Tree Monster Territory was almost destroyed…"

The big cat's eyes were filled with pain, and its claws couldn't help but scratch.

Zhou Yi expressed his understanding: "Every family has its own problems. Only those who have experienced it know the difficulties. Disaster prevention measures must be taken."

"You're right."

A trace of agreement appeared in Tree Lord Huan's eyes: "So, from then on, I began to seek more transformation. I planted many fruit trees on the territory, and the subjects of the territory are also good at planting trees, plus the soil and water there are very good, so this is not difficult."

"It's just that exporting fruits is more difficult than I thought. Because fruits are easily damaged during transportation, and they can't be stored for long, and there's also the problem of the fruit's own taste and sweetness... This requires very professional talents, and it takes a lot of time to cultivate to improve them."

"From planting fruit trees to now, the Tree Monster Territory has also endured for more than ten years, and now the fruit business has just started to improve slightly. Our grapes, sweet and sour fruits, and pears are all okay, and many cities are willing to buy them."

Zhou Yi upgraded Tree Lord Huan's rating in his mind.

This Sea Lord has a wild appearance, but his style of doing things is very delicate, and his adaptation to local conditions is also commendable.

"In addition to the fruit forest, we have also exploited the Tree Monster Territory's unique water resources."

Tree Lord Huan continued to tell: "I made partial modifications to the existing lakes and rivers in the territory. The Big-Claw Otters built dams and fish ponds there. We are currently mainly raising these two types of fish."

It raised its paw and pointed to the two large fish: "The Grass Carp itself grows very fast, eats grass and algae, and can grow to 5 pounds in 4 months. However, it can only grow in land rivers."

Tree Lord Huan pointed to the small fish next to it: "The Silver Needle Fish tastes more delicious and can survive in the Dead Sea. It grows slowly, usually taking 1 year to be edible, and it's only that big. But the advantage is that it produces a large number of eggs. One Silver Needle Fish can produce 4,000 to 6,000 fish eggs, which is also good as bait for finding wild Light-infused species."

"Relying on these two types of fish—especially the Silver Needle Fish for export, our Tree Monster Territory has also improved slightly."

"If you don't mind, please accept these two types of fish, including the fish fry and how to raise them, I will never hide anything."

Zhou Yi was wary in his heart.

The other party is investing heavily, and must have a substantial request.

He asked: "Then what do you want to get, Tree Lord Huan?"

The Sea Lord, shaped like a giant black cat, licked its lips with its tongue: "I sincerely hope to join the Development Alliance, and under Mr. Zhou's leadership, I can get better development."

"…"

Scared me.

So it turns out he came to join.

Zhou Yi asked: "Why? The Tree Monster Territory has no external threats, and the development momentum is not bad."

Tree Lord Huan revealed a somewhat helpless look, with a hesitant appearance.

Zhou Yi suddenly came back to his senses.

In Tree Lord Huan's eyes, the Development Alliance is a rapidly growing powerful neighbor, and the pressure on it is constantly increasing.

The Development Alliance is an external threat.

Tree Lord Huan just said: "The Tree Monster Territory itself relies on a large amount of external exports. If it joins the alliance, the several cities here will be enough to digest the lumber, fruits, and even fish products from our territory."

"Now I can clearly feel that the development speed here is very fast. In comparison, the development of the Tree Monster Territory is too backward."

It hesitated for a moment and said: "I'm not afraid of you laughing, although the Development Alliance is not targeting the Tree Monster Territory, the Tree Monster Territory has suffered a lot because of the Development Alliance."

The big cat sighed.

"The Fire Cup exports a large amount, and the demand for wood for heating in various places has been greatly reduced. Our Tree Monster Territory has also been greatly impacted. In the most recent two quarters, lumber exports have decreased by 34% and 41% respectively, and they will continue to decrease if this continues."

"Then there's fish. The alliance's refrigeration boxes and related cheap cold storage technology are too needed by the Tree Monster Territory. Our fruits and fish all need refrigeration and low-temperature technology, which can greatly reduce our natural losses. Frozen fish can still be eaten even after half a year."

"Another one is the Mushroom House."

Tree Lord Huan also said: "The Tree Monster Territory's city construction is relatively poor. Mushroom houses can meet most of the needs of city construction. And I believe that Mushroom Houses will definitely be more than that in the future."

"So, whether now or in the future, I really hope to join the alliance, become a member, contribute our strength, and hope to get the alliance's support and shelter."

"Actually, before this, I also visited Sand Sea Lord, Bayou Lord, and Steel Refining Lord. They gave me some very useful suggestions, but they all said that the key to this matter is your nod. Only if you agree will it work."

Zhou Yi thought to himself, this guy has a mighty and brave appearance, but he didn't expect him to be good at networking.

He contacted the other three Sea Lords.

Sand Sea Lord and others had good evaluations of Tree Lord Huan.

The Tree Monster Territory is a geographical neighbor, and its local products can make up for the lack of wood, fruits, and fish in the Development Alliance.

Zhou Yi immediately nodded: "Then, welcome to join."

"Grateful."

Tree Lord Huan excitedly flicked its claws: "Mr. Zhou, whatever you say to do in the future, I will do it here!"

Zhou Yi laughed: "Putting aside other things, we are very short of fish here. You need to raise more fish there. The company employees like to eat meat very much."

"Definitely, definitely."

After formally joining, Tree Lord Huan revealed another piece of information: "Mr. Zhou, I also encountered something here. Because of the need to raise fish, I hired a mech-life. It specializes in aquatic seedling cultivation and is called Celerity."

"Celerity was recently forcibly taken away by the Mech City because it was infected with the Sunday virus."

"Before leaving, the special envoy from the Security Department also specifically asked me about the mech-life situation of the Wasteland Development Company…"

Its voice lowered: "I suspect that they may come over to conduct a mandatory inspection of the company."

Zhou Yi frowned.

He asked Red Falcon in his heart: "Can Mech City do this?"

The drone said: "According to specific agreements, triggering mandatory inspection clauses can restrict the freedom of mech-life and release them only after ensuring they are harmless."

"Will Mech City start a war because of refusing to hand them over?"

"No, it will only impose sanctions on cities that refuse to cooperate."

Zhou Yi knew what was going on.

Thinking about it carefully, Mech City is actually quite outrageous.

When their own people are threatened outside, they will try their best to protect and rescue them.

When their own people are infected with the virus outside, they will strike hard at their own people at the first time.