Chapter 159: Insect Plague
After she finished speaking, Moira Lynch looked around. "Hasn’t Hugh Finch come out yet?"
Kai York shook his head. "Not yet. Looks like he’s brewing up something big this time. By the way, the outside world has changed a lot these past two days. The temperature has dropped to the thirties, and plants have started to grow one after another."
Hearing this, Moira Lynch nodded. "I noticed. Does this mean farmers can start planting again?"
"Unfortunately, no," Shane Rhodes said. "Even though the temperature has dropped, the problem of soil contamination hasn’t been solved."
When people first noticed the temperature drop, they were ecstatic, thinking the apocalypse was finally about to end.
However, experts discovered that even though the temperature had dropped and new plants were sprouting, the soil was still unsuitable for cultivation.
In fact, the plants growing now looked different from those that existed before the extreme heat.
Their properties had changed as well.
Many formerly medicinal herbs had become poisonous; edible wild greens now tasted bitter, while some previously unremarkable weeds had become quite delicious.
"A lot of people have started leaving the base," Kai York said.
These people had come to the base seeking refuge, and now that the extreme heat had passed, they naturally wanted to return home.
The base might be safe, but the living conditions were abysmal. Sometimes, an entire family would be crammed into a single room, making everything inconvenient. It was nowhere near as comfortable as their own homes.
However, most of those leaving were ordinary people. The residents of Sector A, like them, had yet to make a move, clearly having no intention of leaving.
These people all knew that even though the extreme heat had ended, the apocalypse had not. The current situation was merely the calm before the storm.
Seeing that the residents of Sector A weren’t leaving, some people hesitated for a moment before deciding to remain at the base as well.
It’s not like their houses were going anywhere, after all.
"If only we knew what the next disaster would be. We could prepare in advance."
The moment Moira Lynch finished speaking, the door to Hugh Finch’s room swung open from the inside.
Hugh Finch emerged, his lips pale and his complexion ghastly. He looked at the other three with a grave expression and said, "The next disaster is an insect plague."
"An insect plague!?"
No wonder.
They recalled the animals they’d seen recently, infested with insects. The second disaster had already been showing signs back then.
"If it’s an insect plague, then we need to start preparing now," Shane Rhodes said.
While the extreme heat was a form of physical torture, insects would be a twofold torture of both body and mind.
Moreover, Moira Lynch and the others suspected this wouldn’t be just any ordinary insect plague.
After all, the plants had changed after the extreme heat and soil contamination; who knew what kind of mutations the insects might have undergone?
"Those fragrant spikes we collected on the Crino Prairie have insect-repelling properties," Moira Lynch suddenly said.
They had collected a large number of fragrant spikes back then. Though they’d traded many away, they still had plenty left.
Furthermore, the fragrant spikes burned very slowly, so the supply they had on hand should be enough to last them through the first month.
Beyond that, Moira Lynch’s space also contained a number of giant fragrant spikes and mint she had transplanted from the Mocha Dominion—all powerful tools for repelling insects.
Once they knew the next disaster would be an insect plague, Shane Rhodes, Kai York, and Hugh Finch got to work, becoming so busy they were hardly ever seen.
All the food in the house was vacuum-sealed for preservation.
This included the cured meat and dried fish Moira Lynch had prepared, as well as the previously gathered Extremely Hot Mushrooms, which were taken down once dry and also vacuum-sealed.
But that wasn’t all. Shane Rhodes, Kai York, and Hugh Finch planned to dig a cellar beneath the house to store food. They had even picked out the perfect spot in the backyard.
Moira Lynch wasn’t idle during this time, either.
She opened her shop, but perhaps because of the drop in temperature, business had been slow the last few days.
Previously, her items would sell out in seconds, with slower buyers missing out entirely. Now, the purchasing frenzy had clearly died down.
This was likely because even though the contaminated soil prevented farming, more edible wild greens had become available. Furthermore, the drop in temperature allowed people to raise chickens, ducks, and geese to meet their daily protein needs.
After assessing the situation, Moira Lynch decided to delist all food items like the Soldier Food Rattan and replaced them entirely with Water Wood Stones.
Water Wood Stones could directly remediate contaminated soil. Aside from a batch she had traded to Redlight, she hadn’t offered them since.
Redlight had asked her about the Water Wood Stones several times, wanting to buy more, but Moira Lynch had always refused.
In addition, Moira Lynch also listed a supply of Water Storage Mushrooms and Snow Water.
Even though the temperature had dropped and plants were beginning to grow, not a single drop of rain had fallen. As a result, people were still facing a severe water shortage.
...
Every nation and faction had people assigned to constantly monitor the activities of the various shops.
Among these, SoySauceDrunkard’s shop, "Don’t Miss It," was of particular importance.
Because the last game event had an ice and snow theme, Moira Lynch hadn’t listed any novel items, which initially disappointed quite a few people.
At the same time, they felt a sliver of schadenfreude, thinking that perhaps SoySauceDrunkard wasn’t so omnipotent after all.
The moment Moira Lynch added new items, they were immediately spotted.
Thanks to past experiences, everyone knew that the items in SoySauceDrunkard’s shop—whether in terms of function, practicality, or quality—were second to none.
Thus, without even reading the description for the Water Wood Stones, these people immediately contacted their teams to gather the necessary trade materials.
Only while waiting for the resources to be delivered did they finally click on the Water Wood Stone’s description.
It could solve the soil contamination problem. Wasn’t this exactly what they needed?
Watching the stock of Water Wood Stones steadily decrease, those who were moving slower and whose resources had yet to arrive began to frantically hurry their people along.
Besides the Water Wood Stones, there were also the Water Storage Mushrooms. They were like bottomless flasks—who wouldn’t want one?
This time, in addition to gold, silver, and jade, Moira Lynch was also asking for large quantities of insecticide and quicklime.
Some clever individuals took note of this. With a flash of insight, they also began secretly collecting insecticide and quicklime.
Although they didn’t know why the master player SoySauceDrunkard was stockpiling insecticide, they were sure the expert had their reasons. Following their lead couldn’t be a mistake.
Moira Lynch had listed a total of one hundred Water Wood Stones. Unsurprisingly, they were all snatched up in an instant.
Pausing her work, Moira Lynch began to check on the progress of the Body Building Aloe Vera she had listed previously.