Wasteland Development Diary

The man wearing the monkey mask said, "Niger's aesthetic sense is slightly different from the locals."

"In his hometown, they value strength, height, and large hands and feet. These traits make it easier to overcome many natural difficulties, and people with these traits are more likely to survive there..."

The woman in the fox mask chimed in, "In Niger's eyes, you are a great beauty!"

"..."

Aqi was completely bewildered.

From childhood to adulthood, no one had ever praised her with words like 'beautiful' or 'pretty,' but rather with descriptions like 'capable,' 'strong,' and 'reliable.'

"Where is he from?"

"Another world."

The monkey-masked man said, "A place called the Mud Tree Civilization, completely different from here. It's full of towering trees, and people live in the trees."

Aqi finally understood why Niger always lived in the trees.

"Because they live in trees, their hands and feet need to be large to stabilize their center of gravity and balance?"

The man nodded, "Yes."

The fox woman beside him added, "Many women have tried to seduce him before, but in his eyes, they were all unremarkable because they were thin and small. To a Mud Tree person, they look like children and have no appeal."

"But you know how it is. When you meet someone you're truly attracted to, you become timid and nervous. If you don't feel anything, you're relaxed and natural... Niger is like that."

Aqi still found the whole thing too bizarre.

The monkey-masked man paused for a moment, "It seems you don't believe it. But that's normal, it really is counterintuitive."

"Let me tell you something else. The women who deliberately approached and seduced Niger were mostly instructed from behind, with the aim of obtaining the secrets of the Dead Sea Fruit and the Pan Tree from him."

"They were all bad women, not like you, a decent person." The fox woman covered the side of her mouth with the back of her hand and whispered, "They have all been arrested by the company."

"The reason we came forward is that Niger doesn't speak the local language, and there are many things he can't express."

The monkey-masked man explained patiently, "Meeting you is a huge encouragement for him. He is very actively learning the local language."

"We originally shouldn't have come forward, because this is, after all, Niger's private matter. However... it's better to clarify any unnecessary misunderstandings as soon as possible."

The man looked at the woman beside him, "Is that enough?"

"Yes."

The fox woman said to Aqi, "Don't say we came, goodbye."

The two disappeared into the nearby grove.

Aqi touched her head.

She had actually recognized these two people a long time ago.

The fox-masked woman was Miss Qian Su, the head of the delivery center.

Her voice was very distinctive, habitually ending with an upward inflection, making it hard for anyone who had heard it to forget. Even though she was deliberately straining her voice, Aqi recognized it immediately.

The one wearing the monkey mask was the chairman.

If Qian Su took a little time to identify, the chairman was too easy to recognize.

His right forearm had been lost not long ago and replaced with a prosthetic. Although it was covered with a black arm sleeve, the difference was still visible.

In addition, the chairman's strange voice was almost impossible for anyone to imitate, making it highly recognizable, with light and bright enunciation.

The one who could be accompanied by Miss Qian Su could only be the chairman.

Aqi thought.

I'm just ugly, not stupid.

It seemed that these two big figures didn't particularly want to hide it, more like a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Just a day later.

Niger came down from the tree and approached Aqi for the first time.

"You howl."

The tall Mud Tree man said awkwardly.

"Hello."

Aqi asked him, "You've learned to speak?"

Niger said, "Yes, a little."

"Why do you only come down from the tree at night?"

This was something Aqi had always been curious about.

The other party gestured: "We in the past, daytime live in tree, not down tree, Purple Sky, down tree, fight monster."

"What is Purple Sky? Is that nighttime where you're from?"

"Sun, purple, our side, sometimes is."

Aqi couldn't help but look at the sun in the sky, finding it hard to imagine why the sun would be painted purple.

Could it be that the sun there was broken?

However, Niger couldn't explain this clearly either.

He said, "Here night, instead, monster less, all sleep, very quiet."

"Yeah."

Aqi said, "Because the death light concentration is very low at night, and it's difficult to replenish after consumption, the monsters will also conserve their energy."

"Give you."

The other party handed over something.

Aqi saw that it was a mud tablet.

There was also a fist-sized piece of gold on the mud tablet, which was very heavy.

"No need." Aqi refused.

"Not say, you all like, gold, huh?"

The other party was puzzled.

"Too expensive."

Aqi said, "You can't give gifts like that."

She opened her own carry-on bag, took out a glass ball from inside, and gave it to the other party: "A gift like this is enough."

Niger picked up the glass ball with his huge fingers and brought it to his eyes to observe.

"Pretty, more than gold."

"Don't you have glass there?"

"This kind, no."

Mud Tree people are good at making mud tablets. They use mud and soil from the Dead Sea to manually make them into blocks. Their hands have heating and drying functions.

Mud tablets are a widely used tool for embedding ornaments, writing text, drawing images, fixing objects, and holding food.

They use mud to make various containers and furniture, such as cabinets, jars, vats, boxes, plates, etc.

Aqi finally accepted a mud jar.

The water jar at home always leaked.

The water jar made of mud by Niger not only didn't leak at all, but was also as strong as iron. If the jar was smashed hard on a stone, it would bounce up without cracking at all.

"Thanks, this is so useful to me!"

"See you later."

Aqi carried the big water jar and happily went home.

Now there was no need to worry about the mushroom house being damp.

It wasn't until she got home and replaced the water jar that Aqi realized.

She didn't mention Ye Qing's matter!

She must remember next time.

...

Niger has a high aptitude for languages. The first time they met, he could only use some simple words and didn't know how to connect them. After the second and third meetings, he could fluently speak complete sentences.

"I remember."

Niger sat cross-legged on the ground and pointed to his head: "Mud Tree people all have good memories."

"I really envy you."

Aqi handed him a sugar cake she had baked at home with a flame cup.

Niger chewed it in large bites: "I envy you, this world is so good. There are no crazy bugs, no Purple Sky that easily kills people, it's a peaceful and comfortable world."

"It's not."

Aqi waved her hand: "It's very chaotic outside. Raiders rob things everywhere, there's not enough food, and many people starve to death every year. When it gets cold, there's no fuel for heating, and many people freeze to death. Light Nascent Species emerge from time to time, causing many ordinary people to suffer, and they may even kill people just passing by."

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"My father was killed by a Light Nascent Species passing by, and my mother starved to death in winter."

Niger showed an incomprehensible expression: "Is there a shortage of food? This world has land, land that hasn't been submerged by the Dead Sea, why is there a shortage of food?"

"It's very, very difficult to grow grain, unlike the trees there that can be planted in the Dead Sea. It's not possible here, there's very little land that can grow grain."

"Not all places are like the company here."

Aqi told him, "Although there's no shortage of food now, I'm still used to sleeping with a full stomach, and I'll eat whenever I have time, because I was afraid of being hungry in the past."

"Good habit, eat more."

Niger showed a thoughtful expression: "No wonder the chairman likes the Pan Tree so much, it turns out that trees can't grow in the Dead Sea here."

"I want to introduce you to a friend."

Aqi brought him to an inconspicuous corner by the shore, where the tree monster Ye Qing stood.

After listening to Aqi's words, Niger said, "A living tree... no, you're actually a vine?"

"It's a leafy mistletoe."

"You can actually talk, that's strange."

The vines on Niger's body rose up and observed the mistletoe on Ye Qing's body.

"It's really different from my [Exploration Vine]."

The Mud Tree man showed a surprised expression: "You actually retain your own consciousness, why is that... ah, I see. It's still Purple Sky, there's no Purple Sky here. Although Purple Sky will cause large-scale mutations, it will also destroy self-awareness."

Aqi was shocked: "Then aren't you affected?"

"Of course we are affected."

Niger nodded: "We hide in safety houses specially made of mud tablets, and Purple Sun irradiation won't hurt ordinary people, it will only cause some memory loss. So we use mud tablets to record many things to avoid Purple Sun interfering with our memories. If it's an explorer or warrior like me, we'll also use vehicles similar to Black Thorns to go out, and they can also resist Purple Sun."

"There's no such influence here at all."

At this time, the tree monster couldn't help but say: "Your way of planting trees is too simple. You just bury the seeds in the silt of the Dead Sea. The core is light perlite, which completely relies on the effect of high-quality materials, but there is no skill at all!"

"Planting trees is very simple, what process is needed?"

Niger didn't understand.

"Of course there is!"

"Improve the soil to maintain its looseness, increase organic fertilizer, and increase the content of trace elements."

"Sort out the root system, cut off some of the main roots and injured large lateral roots. Prune some branches and leaves to reduce transpiration and increase the survival rate."

"Watering follows the 'three waterings and three no waterings', that is, watering thoroughly in the early stage of growth, watering as needed during the fruit development period, and reducing watering in autumn and winter; do not water frozen water, do not water excessive water, do not water immature water."

"Fertilization also includes base fertilizer and top dressing. Prune in time to enhance the ventilation and light transmission between fruit trees and reduce the spread and spread of diseases and insect pests. Use fruit bagging, use natural enemies, and use pesticides to control insects... You haven't done any of these!"

The tree monster scolded loudly.

The Mud Tree man was stunned and couldn't help but take two steps back: "So... so strong! Is planting trees so complicated here?"

"We just throw the seeds down there, bury them in the mud, and then they will grow very fast by themselves."

The tree monster trembled with anger: "It's because you live in a world where fruit trees are easy to grow that technology will stagnate. It's not easy to grow a fruit tree here, so research and technical depth must be carried out in all aspects."

"Also, you don't seem to be afraid of bugs here."

Niger suddenly realized: "It seems there are good aspects too."

"By the way, do you want to change a tree?"

"What do you mean?" The tree monster didn't understand.

Aqi had already understood: "Niger is saying that he wants you to go to the Pan Tree, right?"

"Yes, that's what it means." The Mud Tree man nodded: "You have experience and ability in planting and taking care of trees, and you can go there in person to guide. Since it's a vine, like the exploration vine on my body, it shouldn't be a problem to replace a tree, right?"

"That's right."

The tree monster hesitated: "Won't the Pan Tree be poisonous?"

"No poison, its energy is very abundant, you believe me. There are many vines on the Pan Trees there, and we have to clean them up regularly, but the vines here don't seem to be able to grow because they can't grow in the Dead Sea environment."

In the end, Ye Qing decided to take a risk.

Niger took it down from the tree circle by circle, and finally covered the severed part with mud, and then ran all the way to the first Pan Tree.

The mistletoe completed the parasitism of the Pan Tree!

Niger also carried Aqi all the way up the tree.

"Incredible!"

"This feeling of endless energy, this surging vitality, the Pan Tree is indeed an incredibly powerful life!"

"It still has a lot of room for improvement and evolution."

"I already have a general idea of what's going on inside it, let me think about how to come up with a plan..."

Ye Qing was very excited.

Aqi climbed the Pan Tree for the first time, standing on a tree that was already more than twenty meters high, but she wasn't afraid at all. The thick trunks coiled on the tree were like natural roads, and stepping on them didn't shake at all, they were solid and stable.

Dead Sea fruits hung under the branches, their surfaces covered with an inconspicuous layer of dust.

If you can't open the fruit, you won't discover the magic inside.

Perhaps many things in the world are like this.

That day, Aqi stayed on the tree until night.

The leaves rustled in the autumn wind.

Various mud tablets made by Niger were hung on the tree. The mud tablets had the company's tall Emerald Building, the Light Nascent Species Dam, the Leshan Giant Buddha, and soaring gliders...

Each mud tablet had Niger's own self-portrait, taking photos with all the scenes.

He wore an ornament like a mud-sculpted house on his head, wrapped in vines, but his face was serious.

At this time, Aqi finally knew why she felt a strange familiarity with Niger.

Like herself, he was a foreigner who had come here alone.

The difference was that she had gone through the adaptation period and had integrated into the environment of Emerald City.

Niger was still hiding in his tree.

He and Ye Qing chatted non-stop, agreeing with each other for a while, and arguing for a while.

Aqi opened her backpack, which, like every day, was full of food, full of security.

"You two stop talking."

"Let's eat first!"

No matter when.

A good meal always hits the spot.