Chapter 94: Buying Land

Xie Sen returned home, washed the wild fruits that the eagle had given him, put them on a plate and sat on the couch to eat and watch the news.

The headline at the top of the news was “Chilies, New Life!”

Xie Sen thought of the reporter’s question in the hospital parking lot, and had a sinking suspicion. He clicked on it, and quickly read the news. The content mainly was about how the chili really could improve fertility rate, Don’t believe it? Look at Xie Sen, and you’ll see.

Xie Sen rolled his eyes. His pregnancy, and the chili had nothing to do with one another, okay? As for the 100 percent rate, it should be just a coincidence.

He scrolled down the comments. Many people were very enthusiastic about chili peppers, but were also discussing where to buy them. Some people lamented that they could not grab them. Some said there were snatchers, and those people grabbed and sold them so the black market had a catty at more than 10,000.

Xie Sen was shocked. This was too profitable, right? He went to see the rich supermarket when the peppers were on sale, and the supermarket price was three thousand a catty. He was looking at the commentary when his bracelet rang. It was Ma Qun’s communication. He picked up, and Ma Qun’s voice came, “Sen. I’m not disturbing you, right?”

“No, President Ma, what’s up?”

Ma Qun asked, “Did you ever eat chilies before you got pregnant?”

Xie Sen realized what he meant and affirmed, “Chilies are good for your body, but it had nothing to do with my pregnancy. What the starnet says is too exaggerated.”

Ma Qun sighed. “The fertility rate has been gradually declining, and no solution has been found to improve it. Some sociopaths are putting forward the theory of human extinction to cause panic.”

Xie Sen looked at his stomach. The public’s attitude, and his sudden announcement of his pregnancy probably had something to do with it. His thoughts turned. “President Ma, compared to the total population of Brandt Star, the Institute has too few people and too little land. If you rely only on the Institute to produce food, the amount is just too small. Why not let other people grow plants as well?”

Ma Qun, “We tried earlier, but the land of Brandt Star isn’t suitable for plants. The Institute can plant successfully because of our special fertilizer. Since the fertilizer is not fixed, the researchers observe the growth of the plants every day. The fertilizer is mixed according to the change of the growth, so it cannot be packaged and sold.”

Xie Sen laughed, “It’s not the same as it used to be. Maybe the geology has changed. Didn’t you say before that the chili peppers can be grown even without nutrients, and that they change the soil quality?”

Ma Qun sighed, “We tried, using the mature peppers for seeds. After we raised the seedlings in the lab, we transplanted them to land outside the Institute, and the planting failed. But happily, they were able to grow in the current pepper field.”

Xie Sen froze, and then understood that only the System redemption plants, which were super vigorous, could grow in the harsh soil of Brandt Star, while the plants grown from them couldn’t unless they were planted in the land improved by the System.

Therefore, a piece of land was just like regular land as long as plants directly from the System had been planted there. Then it could be used continuously.

When he opened the System panel, there was more than 8,000 energy. There were dozens of seeds in one pepper, so if he exchanged 100 of them, he would have thousands of seeds, which could be planted in a lot of land.

While he was thinking about it, Ma Qun hesitantly spoke, “I’m looking for you for one more thing. I want to work with you. Your chili peppers are very peculiar. They are tenacious and can improve the soil quality. The people want to plant them, but they can only use your chili seeds.” He paused. “According to our experimental results, after planting the chili you gave us, that land, as well as the nearby land, can grow the rest of the plants. We plan to auction your chili seeds within a range, sell them to agricultural products companies, then keep long-term cooperation agreements with them.”

Xie Sen couldn’t help but ask, “There are farm product companies now?” Even if there was an edible plant, it would have gone out of business by now, right?

Ma Qun smiled gently. “No, but soon there will be. After discussing this with you, if you are willing to provide the chili peppers, the official announcement will be issued later to encourage the creation of agricultural companies, so that the private sector can also produce plants. Businessmen with brains will realize that this is a huge business opportunity, and there will definitely be many people starting companies.”

Xie Sen thought about it and asked, “I want to start one too. Can I?”

“Of course,” Ma Qun smiled. “I was just about to propose this for you. You graduated this year, and you’re young. It’s a good time to start a business. Since you are a plant major, it’s perfect to start a produce company.”

Xie Sen smiled, “I promise, I’ll try to provide more chilies.” He paused briefly in case he surprised anyone, and added, “I’ve accumulated a lot in the meantime, and haven’t eaten much of it, so it’s perfect.”

Ma Qun, “Don’t eat them. The Institute will send you ten pounds of chili peppers at the beginning of every month, without delay.”

Xie Sen laughed, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep it all.”

Ma Qun asked, “Approximately how many are there? With the chili peppers you gave before, one chili pepper had more than thirty seeds. To ensure that the chili pepper yield can reach three hundred pounds, we need five hundred seedlings, so a company needs seventeen chili peppers.”

Xie Sen made some calculations in his head. If he took out too many peppers at once, it would be suspicious. “Almost a hundred, I think it’s more attractive to provide at least one thousand seedlings per company. I have a hundred chili peppers in my hand, so I can provide enough for three.” 

Ma Qun thought for a moment. “Yes. I’ll send an official message.”

After he ended the communication, Xie Sen registered an agricultural company under his own identity, but even after he thought about it for a long time, he wasn’t able to come up with a name for the company. Finally his mind turned to Peony.

The plants came from the System. Adam’s essence was the peony, so this name was the most suitable.

The registration was completed, and the application was submitted for review.

He then looked up land near his home that was for sale on the starnet. The location of his home was considered a suburb, and there was a lot of vacant land when he bought it, but now there was none.

However there was one section of land close to the house that was available as a tract. It was halfway between the house and the border of the rogue forest, about thirty kilometers apart on each side.

He checked the price of the land, and it was only 2,000 a square meter, making it the cheapest piece of land in Star City. He checked the information and found out that the land had been for sale for almost three years, but no one had bought it because it was too close to the rogue forest.

Xie Sen smiled. He wasn’t afraid of the forest. Not to mention the fact that it was far away and the borders were guarded by the military, so he had no concerns. He calculated the price. The land was 52 acres, almost 35,000 square meters, which was a total of 70 million star coins.

He opened the anchor’s backstage. His account balance was still more than 500 million. He had spent a lot on building the house plus buying equipment before, and he typically kept using it, but the money was still steadily increasing.

When he thought of the time when he first arrived in this world, how he couldn’t even afford to take a shuttle. and thought it was so hard to make money. But after a few months, he had become so rich, and felt that it was too easy to make money.

He touched his right shoulder. It was all thanks to Adam. If it wasn’t for the beast affinity, he couldn’t have become friends with the contract beasts. Without Adam’s energy, the contract beasts wouldn’t have become so smart, and known how to start a live broadcast.

He didn’t hesitate, and he didn’t buy only part of the land like last time. He just contacted the land agent and bought all 52 acres.

The other party thought they heard wrong. They repeatedly confirmed with him that he was serious, since they feared that he would change his mind. The action to transfer the ownership of the land was quickly accomplished along with all the relevant procedures, while Xie Sen paid the money in a lump sum.

After Xie Sen bought the land, he let the flying eagle beast take him around to see the property. The makeup of the land was extremely hard, and it really didn’t seem possible to plant. He thought it over, and contacted the construction company. He wanted them to build a fence around the land, and at the same time, turn all the soil over again.

After the arrangements were made, he went home on the flying eagle beast.

The flying eagle landed in front of the house, opened its wings and touched the ground with its wingtips. “A’Sen, don’t jump down, but walk on my wings.”

Xie Sen rubbed the feathers on its back. “Thank you.” He stood up on the back of the flying eagle with a hand.

The flying eagle beast was huge, over three meters tall, and when Xie Sen stood on it, he looked higher off the ground, which made it seem dangerous at first glance.

“Sen!” Maine came out of the house, saw the situation and shouted out nervously, “Don’t you move!”

He hadn’t seen Xie Sen in their home, and was walking out while searching for his location. He hadn’t expected to see this scene as soon as he came out.

Xie Sen laughed and said, “It’s okay.” He walked down the wing, and Maine shadowed him to prevent him from falling off. When he could touch Xie Sen, Maine supported him on the way down until he was able to slide his hand under Xie Sen’s knees, and lifted him off in his arms.

“Where to?” Maine asked as he carried Xie Sen toward the living room.

Xie Sen kicked his feet. “Put me down. Don’t carry me around all the time.”

Maine walked to the sofa before he put him down, then poured him a glass of water. Xie Sen took a sip of water, then told him about opening the company and buying the land.

Maine looked at the photos of the land and said, “The area is too big, and planting by hand is too slow and tiring.”

Xie Sen smiled and took him by the arm. “You and I thought of the same thing. If we rely on human cultivation, it would be tiring and inefficient.”

Maine took his hand, and gently squeezed his fingertips. “I’ll follow up on the land situation, while you do the detailed planning, and remember to tell me when you go out again.”

Xie Sen rested his chin on his shoulder. “Yes.”

The next day at ten o’clock in the morning, Mu Lin and Gu Luo arrived at Xie Sen’s home, and Xie Sen personally welcomed them to the living room. Mu Lin sat down casually on the sofa, while Gu Luo took out a series of instruments. Xie Sen looked at them curiously, not able to guess what they could do.

Gu Luo smiled and said, “Don’t be nervous, we will soon finish measuring your values. We just need to draw a little blood at the end.”

Maine’s brow furrowed. “No.”

Gu Luo smiled helplessly. He’d expected this kind of result. He advised, “Just one drop. It definitely won’t affect your body.”

Maine was about to say something when Xie Sen put his hand down, and reached out to Gu Luo. “Do you have a clean syringe?”

Mu Lin and Gu Luo had helped him a lot. They were the representatives of the contract beasts, who were always championing the protection of the contract beasts, while doing research for the sake of the contract beasts and their masters. He didn’t care about doing this small favor.

Gu Luo took out a new syringe, sterilized it and handed it to Xie Sen. Xie Sen took it in his hand, held the needle part and carefully poked the tip of his index finger with it. Then he pinched his finger and squeezed out a bead of blood. “Luo. How do I collect it?”

Gu Luo took a small box, and put it against the skin of his finger, so the bead of blood slid into it. “Thank you.”

Xie Sen smiled. “You’re welcome.” He handed the syringe back to him, drew a piece of tissue from the coffee table, and was about to wipe his hand, when Maine pulled his hand over and took it into his mouth.

A warm touch passed between them, and Maine licked.

Xie Sen’s body shivered unnoticeably, and his heart beat wildly. His face quickly turned red, and he tried to withdraw his hand but Maine squeezed his wrist. Maine looked at him, his eyes deep and dark, until the smell of blood was gone, then Maine let go.

Xie Sen quickly retracted his hand. He was feeling so embarrassed, that he didn’t dare look at Mu Lin and Gu Luo, and the more he thought about it, the more embarrassed he was. He kicked Maine’s calf and moved to the edge of the sofa, as he put some distance between them.

When they were alone, he needed to remind Maine not to tease him when there was company!

Mu Lin raised his eyebrows and looked at Gu Luo, who glared at him then smiled at Xie Sen. “I’ll measure you now. You don’t have to be nervous, it’ll be done soon.”

Xie Sen gave a dry cough. “Okay.”

Since there was no inspection chamber, this inspection was slower than the one at the Institute, and took three different instruments to complete.

Gu Luo carefully wrote down the values, then double checked them afterwards, and smiled. “Your health is in good condition.”

Xie Sen nodded. He felt it himself. Except for that day when he was a little uncomfortable from the impact of the bonding aura, he always felt fine, full of energy, and in much better health than when he first arrived.

Gu Luo put the instruments away, and sat next to Mu Lin, who casually put his hand on his shoulder, as he inclined his head to look at him, without saying anything.

Xie Sen thought to himself, These two were really a pair.

Mu Lin said, “There is one more thing I want to tell you about this time. Sun City and Moon City’s Contract Beast Research Institutes and Plant Research Institutes have both applied to come to Star City for an academic exchange. The application has been approved, and the exchange will be held on the 15th. It will last for five days.”

Xie Sen immediately understood. “It’s about contract beasts and chili peppers?”

Mu Lin nodded, “The Contract Beast Research Institutes of the two cities applied shortly after your first live broadcast, but I rejected it. After the chili pepper launch, the Plant Research Institutes of the two cities also applied, and it was the highest level application, one sent through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so it couldn’t be rejected.”

Xie Sen nodded. “You made a point of reminding me because you think they will come to me?”

“Yes, they will definitely look for you,” Mu Lin said seriously. “Your affinity for contract beasts is too high, and every time you go out, you bring back contract beasts. Healthy and unresisting contract beasts. They have been curious for a long time.” He paused. “The three cities have maintained friendly relations for many years, but each city is self-ruled. Resources aren’t shared, so they may not have gotten your attention.”

Xie Sen knew that the three cities had developed from individual tribes, and though they were called cities, they were actually more like three countries. He nodded. “Thanks for the reminder, I’ll pay attention.”

Mu Lin and Gu Luo didn’t linger, and left after finishing their business.

Xie Sen accompanied Maine up to the second floor. Maine improved the farming tool program, while he sat on the stool next to him and watched the live stream while he brushed up on the news.

As he watched, Adam’s hesitant voice rang out in his mind, “Ah, Sen…”

Xie Sen froze, then hurriedly asked, “Are you okay? I thought you said you’d be done with the self-test in fifty hours, but it’s been longer than that.”

Adam whispered, “I’m fine. I finished my self-test a long time ago. I just haven’t contacted you.”

Xie Sen wondered, “Why?”

Adam stammered, “I didn’t know how to tell you.” He paused and his voice suddenly rose, “A’Sen, no matter what happens, you have to be calm. Don’t panic!”

Xie Sen tensed up, “Something’s wrong with my body? Is the safety time shortened?”

“No… But it can have an effect,” Adam broke off, then finally couldn’t help himself and said under his breath, “I found another human energy body in your body before. I thought I had a problem, but the self-test showed that everything was normal. I checked again at the end of the self-test to make sure that there was indeed another human energy body in your body, and I thought of only one possibility…You’re pregnant.” After he said that, he quickly added, “A’Sen, don’t be afraid. I know it would be unacceptable for you to be pregnant as a male, but your body is now female. Pregnancy is actually quite normal, and having a baby is something to be happy about!”

Xie Sen was very touched, Adam has always been very straightforward in his words, so he was obviously really worried about him, “I knew the day before yesterday. I’m not afraid.”

“What?” Adam exclaimed, “You knew the day before yesterday?”

“Mn. After you went to check yourself out.”

Adam exclaimed in frustration, “Aaaahhh! So I’ve been obsessing about this since yesterday for nothing? I’m so stupid, really!”

Xie Sen laughed, “You just care too much about me. Thank you. Adam is smart, not stupid at all!”

Adam was touched. “A’Sen, you’re the best master in the world. You’re so nice, you’re beautiful, you’re smart, you’re super smart!”

Xie Sen, “…Don’t flatter me, I’m embarrassed. You’re fine.”

Adam giggled. “By the way, I have good news. I can sense the remaining water energy.”

Xie Sen’s eyes lit up and he switched to the interstellar map, “Where is it?”

Xie Sen followed Adam’s description of the location, put a finger on the virtual screen, and finally stopped it at a location slightly closer than the Planet Blue. It was a planet opposite one with the Yagi Continent. It was a planet with a resource planet mark. Misty Planet.

Maine’s voice came from beside his ear, “That resource planet belongs to Moon City. There’s energy there?”

Xie Sen nodded. Maine put his hand on his right shoulder, and wondered, “All five petals are lit up, is there still a shortage of energy?”

Xie Sen spread his hands. “The water energy was scattered, and the remaining one-fifth is on Misty Planet. If it belongs to Moon City, I don’t know if there is a way to get there.”

Maine, “You can’t go.”

Xie Sen turned his head, “Why?”

Maine’s eyes fell on his abdomen. “Pregnant husbands aren’t suitable for interstellar travel. The huge vibration during the leap is dangerous during pregnancy.”

Xie Sen casually patted his stomach. “Pregnancy to birth, it’s almost a year. It’s too long. I’m in good health now, so I should go now while I’m okay.”

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. If his belly got bigger, it would be inconvenient to go out again.

Maine grabbed his hand, and said in a strong voice, “No. The baby is very fragile before the third month. It will easily miscarry if it is injured, and it will also affect the pregnant husband’s body.”

Xie Sen looked at him suspiciously. “That’s nonsense, right? How do you know? I feel better now than I did the last time I left Brandt Star.”

He had recovered the wood energy and most of the water energy, so his health had improved a lot.

Maine said seriously, “I’m not talking nonsense.” He looked down, and kissed Xie Sen on the lips. “I can’t put you at risk.”

He opened his bracelet, and clicked on a folder. Xie Sen looked at it. It was called ‘Pregnancy Precautions,’ and when Maine clicked in, he was stunned. It was full of pregnancy related information. Maine skillfully clicked on the third video, played it for two seconds and then sat back, forwarded through the first third of the video and let it play.

The gentle female in the video said, “The pregnant husband must be very careful in the first trimester. The baby is very small at that time, and the belly has not changed much, as if there is no pregnancy. But the baby is very fragile at this time. It is the most likely time to miscarry, and you must be careful.”

Maine pressed pause and clicked on another text profile with a hospital logo on the top left. Maine clicked on some of the underlined text. Xie Sen looked over and the words were similar to the video.

Xie Sen looked at Maine’s serious face. He wanted to laugh but he was also touched, so he kissed him on the cheek, turned his head and scrolled through the interface. “So much information. You didn’t read it all, did you…?”

When he returned to the previous page, he saw baby-sitting tutorials next to the folder, and his voice trailed off as he looked at Maine in surprise.

Maine coughed lightly, and turned off his bracelet. “I’ve read them all. You’re not fit for interstellar travel right now.”

Xie Sen thought about it. There were still three years of safety, so in a year, there would still be two left. As long as he knew the exact location, it wouldn’t be difficult to retrieve the energy. Within a year, he could accumulate more energy to activate plants, and then he wouldn’t have to worry that Adam wouldn’t be able to sense the water energy because his energy wasn’t sufficient.

Xie Sen said, “Okay. I won’t go now, I’ll go after I have the baby, so in the meantime, we’ll get the Misty Planet pass.”

Maine hugged him with a soft expression. “I’ll figure it out.”

Xie Sen reached out, cupped his chin, and looked him directly in the eyes. “What’s with the baby-sitting course? Are you going to enroll in a course to learn how to bring up a child?”

Maine grabbed his hand, and nibbled on it. “When I was looking up information, I saw someone say that raising a child is tiring, so I wanted to learn first.” His eyes focused. “I’m too young and inexperienced, but I’ll take care of you and the child.”

Xie Sen couldn’t stand it. He thought, How could there be such a good man! He moved closer to kiss Maine, and kissed him hard. Maine took him by the back of the neck, and kissed him back for half a second before they stopped.

Xie Sen gasped as Maine ran his fingers over his lips. His voice was slightly muffled, “You seem to be more sensitive.”

Xie Sen blushed slightly. He also felt it. With just one kiss, his body was soft and hot. He couldn’t help but silently spit out, this female body, too much to suffer! He tilted his head, and leaned over Maine’s shoulder to grab his left hand, as he avoided looking at him. “Maine, I’m really lucky to have met you.”

Maine wrapped his right hand around his waist, then kissed the side of his face, from his forehead to his chin. “I’m the lucky one.”

The light from the window spilled into the room, clean and bright, and the child who cowered in the dark corner faded away in the light.

Maine thought that if it weren’t for Xie Sen, he would never have dreamed that he would one day be able to hold the love of his life, who was carrying his child, in such a beautiful way. He could never have imagined it.

Xie Sen calmed his heart. After a while, he sat up, smiled and patted Maine’s face. “No need to read so much material alone. We will read and learn together.”

At night, the two sat side by side and they learned how to be parents. As they were watching, Adam’s voice suddenly rang out, “A’Sen, the location of the water energy has changed.”

Xie Sen froze, and opened the map. “Where is it now?”

Adam gave him a place, and Xie Sen looked for it. “It’s closer to Brandt Star.”

Adam, “Mn, it’s easier to sense it too.”

Xie Sen smiled. “That’s good. I can’t leave Brandt Star for a while, so it’s better if the carrier can move a bit. We’ll sense the location every day, and follow the news of the nearby planets to see if there are any special events happening.”

Adam, “Mn. I’ll sense it again tomorrow morning.”