[Exchange Store Update Complete. Please Check Later.]
When the system prompt suddenly echoed in the silence, Seratus furrowed his brow slightly and slowly clicked to open the system interface, entering the Exchange Store. The screen displayed a long list of items:
Balance: [0] (The harsh reality of poverty)
――Daily Specials――
[White Carrot Seeds]
Quality: White
Effect: Basic food source
Price: 1 point/seed
[Green Potato Seeds]
Quality: Green
Effect: Basic food source
Price: 10 points/seed
[Green Sunshine Mushroom Seeds]
Quality: Green
Effect: Provides energy, slightly enhances physical constitution
Price: 10 points/seed
[Blue-grade Radiant Flower Seeds]
Quality: Blue
Effect: Purification
Price: 20 points/seed
[Primary Elemental Fertilizer]
Quality: Common
Effect: Increases crop growth speed and yield (Primary)
Price: 20 points/bag
[Standard Elemental Fertilizer]
Quality: Fine
Effect: Significantly increases crop growth speed and yield (Standard)
Price: 50 points/bag
[Advanced Elemental Fertilizer]
Quality: Rare
Effect: Greatly increases crop growth speed and yield (Advanced), with a chance of mutation
Price: 110 points/bag
――Today’s Specials (Refreshes in 24 Hours)――
[Dream of Prosperity]
Quality: Unknown
Effect: A fleeting dream—a thousand years in a moment?
Price: 800 points (Special Offer)
[Aura of Wisdom]
Quality: Unknown
Effect: Temporarily enhances the wearer’s intelligence
Price: 160 points (Special Offer)
[Bodhi Tree Seed]
Quality: Gold
Effect: “The Bodhi is not a tree, nor is the mirror a stand.”
Price: 2000 points (Special Offer)
Seratus slowly scanned the lengthy list, his mind filled with complex and conflicting thoughts. He murmured to himself, “White carrot seeds, one point each—cheap but filling. Green potato seeds, ten points each… If one seed can yield three or four potatoes, the return on investment would be quite tempting.”
He tapped the screen lightly with his claw, his gaze lingering on the numbers as if making a bet with the future. After a meticulous mental calculation, he realized his current balance was zero. When he glanced at his nearly empty system backpack, only eighteen carrots remained.
After a brief moment of contemplation, his eyes narrowed, and he decisively selected “Sell.” With a light tap, the transaction was completed—the numbers on the screen quickly jumped, and his balance finally rose to 180.
“Hmm, at least I have some capital now,” he muttered, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.
Next, he spent 100 points to purchase ten [Green Potato Seeds], and his balance swiftly dropped to 80.
Just as he was browsing the exchange panel again, an inexplicable intuition struck him—the [Green Sunshine Mushroom Seeds], which had cost only 5 points yesterday, had doubled to 10 points; the [Advanced Elemental Fertilizer], originally priced at 100 points, had now increased to 110.
“Prices are soaring like this…” Seratus raised an eyebrow, a mix of helplessness and vigilance rising in his heart. He knew that in the early stages of development, resources were scarce and demand was high. Such fluctuations were inevitable, but they also reminded him to proceed with caution.
He consoled himself, “Since that’s the case, there’s no need to obsess over temporary fluctuations. This system… truly takes advantage of dragons!”
Then, he opened his system backpack, his gaze fixed on the [One-time Primary Plant Growth Acceleration Card]. The card read:
> One-time Primary Plant Growth Acceleration Card
> Effect: Significantly shortens plant growth cycles within one week! Particularly effective for low-quality plants; also improves high-quality plants to some extent. After use, crops within a 5-meter radius will enter an accelerated growth zone.
Staring at the card, Seratus almost held his breath, a sense of anticipation welling up within him. “If I can create a flower field in my garden, not only will it accelerate crop maturity, but it might also compensate for last night’s disappointing growth results…” he pondered.
After careful consideration, he decided to use the remaining 80 points to exchange for seeds. After confirming with the system, he successfully obtained four [Blue-grade Radiant Flower Seeds]. Although the system did not provide detailed information about the seeds, Seratus already had a plan—he would plant these four precious seeds in the carefully prepared flower field, creating a sea of hope for the future.
Filled with anticipation, he hurried back to the field. Arriving at the fertile plot, Seratus gently scattered the four seeds into the moist soil, each one seemingly carrying his boundless dreams of a bountiful harvest. Then, he picked up a watering can and meticulously irrigated the soil with clear lake water. Afterward, he took out several bags of [Advanced Elemental Fertilizer] from the system and evenly spread them across the field, striving to unleash the most vigorous vitality in this sea of flowers.
Time seemed to slow down in that moment—as he walked slowly along the field, he suddenly noticed five small sprouts peeking out of the soil, their tender green tips shimmering faintly in the morning light. At that moment, his heart swelled with indescribable excitement and joy.
However, Seratus did not let this initial success consume him. He carefully observed the surrounding soil and plants, only to find that the flowers planted the previous day were still growing sluggishly, showing no significant progress. A sense of disappointment and anxiety crept into his heart.
Just as he hesitated, the significance of the acceleration card flashed in his mind again: “Use it to activate the area between the flower field and the farmland, with a diameter of 10 meters!”
Without hesitation, he walked to the center of the flower field and gently activated the card, igniting the energy-infused rune. Instantly, a circle of soft green light rippled out from the center of the card, like a thin mist rising in a spring valley, silently yet firmly covering the entire flower field and the surrounding area within a 5-meter radius. The system displayed: For the next seven days, crops within this area will enjoy unprecedented accelerated growth.
