Chapter 188: The Magical Vegetable Plot
Returning to the RV, Lily Hart wasn’t the least bit bothered by the incident. Fewer people actually made things easier. At worst, she’d just have to stay a few extra days to earn her hundred thousand.
She just found it strange. She had no quarrel with the Base Commander of Auspice, so why was he dead set on making trouble for her?
’Then again, Stan Sterling showed up right after I first heard about Auspice Base. That must have been premeditated.’
’Sigh, these people are so weird. They can’t win, yet they insist on picking a fight.’
She showered and went to bed. The next day, she was jolted awake by a call from Logan Holland. The moment she answered, his excited voice burst through the line.
"Boss Hart! Who owns the plot of land behind the hotel? You can actually grow fruit and vegetables on it?"
Lily Hart, still half-asleep, was shocked awake by his words. Most of her drowsiness vanished. "It’s not mine," she said bluntly.
’It’s hers and Stan Sterling’s.’
’The land belongs to Stan Sterling, but the trees, and the fruits and vegetables they produce, are all mine.’
Logan Holland’s voice was still buzzing with excitement. "Then whose is it? I need to go talk to them, see if they’re willing to come to Central Command."
"Why?" Lily Hart asked, her mind still foggy with sleep.
There was a moment of silence on the other end before he said, "A person with such talent should naturally serve Central Command and contribute to the people."
’Is it really about serving the people,’ Lily Hart thought, ’or about being tied down to this little patch of land for life, all for Central Command’s benefit?’
’I’m not a three-year-old. I know better than to take words like that at face value.’
She said casually, "It’s Stan Sterling’s. You can look for him. He’s staying at the hotel."
Only after she said it did she remember. "Minister Holland? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at Central Command?"
Logan Holland retorted, a bit miffed, "Are we not allowed to take a vacation? I’m on leave, and I missed my wife and daughter, so of course I came to see them."
And then, by sheer coincidence, he had discovered this plot of land behind the hotel and was left utterly stunned.
"Okay, then. I’m hanging up," Lily Hart said dismissively.
Little did she know that Logan Holland had already photographed all the crops and plants on that small plot and sent the pictures back.
He was sorely tempted to pick a watermelon, stuff it in his pocket, and take it back to the hotel to share with his wife and daughter. A shame he didn’t have the nerve.
He could only sweep his gaze over the field again and again, his eyes filled with longing, as he waited for a response.
Soon, his contact at the research institute replied, "It would be best if you could bring back a bag of that soil. If there’s any ripe fruit, bringing some of that back would be even better."
Logan Holland grimaced. ’Just taking some soil is already making me jump out of my skin. And they want fruit, too? Do I have a death wish?’
So, taking advantage of the early hour when no one was around, he pulled a bag out of his storage space and used his bare hands to shovel some soil into it.
He then scurried back to the hotel like a thief. Seeing him, Cherie Lowell wanted to laugh. "What were you up to?" she asked.
"SHH! Have you been behind the hotel?" Logan Holland whispered.
Even though they were in their own room, his cautious demeanor and hushed tone made Cherie Lowell instinctively lower her own voice in response.
"No, who has the time to just wander back there?" Cherie Lowell shook her head, still nibbling on a piece of bread.
Ever since they checked into the hotel, the quality of life for her and her daughter had skyrocketed.
They’d buy bread and milk from the convenience store for breakfast, grab a cup of instant noodles for lunch, have a self-heating hot pot for dinner, and even enjoy some snacks in the afternoon.
They never had it this good back at Central Command. She was more than content.
When Logan Holland pulled the bag of soil out of his storage space, Cherie Lowell immediately sensed something was off.
Why would he be digging up dirt for no reason? There had to be something special about it. She asked him directly, "What’s with the soil?"
A warmth spread through Logan Holland’s chest, but he just shook his head and said cautiously, "I don’t know yet. It needs to be sent for analysis."
Cherie Lowell nodded, making a mental note of it.
Lily Hart, on the other hand, was completely carefree. After hanging up, she drowsily fell back asleep and didn’t open her shop until nearly ten o’clock.
As expected, there were no customers. She wasn’t worried. After finishing a bowl of rice noodles, she waited patiently.
Diana Sharp and Tina Jacobs, however, were quite anxious. They kept peering toward the base entrance, sighing every time no one emerged.
They didn’t just sigh; they paced back and forth, making Lily Hart dizzy. She waved a hand at them. "Just sit down, will you? Stop pacing."
’Even without the huge stream of customers from the base, the hotel guests had plenty of spending power. They just didn’t come out very often.’
"Boss Hart!" Logan Holland’s cheerful voice rang out from outside, startling the dozing Lily Hart awake.
She squinted, and her eyes widened in surprise when she recognized the visitor. "Minister Holland? What brings you here?"
Logan Holland was taken aback. ’Did that phone call this morning mean nothing?’ His smile remained fixed as he stepped forward. "I’m on vacation. Came to see Cherie and my daughter."
"Oh..." Lily Hart felt like she was forgetting something. ’But it’s probably not important. I wouldn’t forget something if it was important, right?’
The two then stood in awkward silence. The smile on Logan Holland’s face was beginning to feel strained.
He finally broke the silence. "I’ll take a scratch-off."
Diana Sharp’s face lit up. Their first sale of the day! She immediately pushed the three tiers of scratch-offs forward for him to choose from.
Logan Holland casually picked the most expensive one and started scratching it while making small talk with Lily Hart.
"How’s business been?" It was just an automatic, friendly question, but the moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake.
The air hung still for a moment. Lying back in her lounge chair, Lily Hart chuckled. "As you can see."
Logan Holland laughed along. "How can that be? Who doesn’t love scratch-offs?"
Auspice Base was right behind him. He didn’t know much about the place, other than the fact that its Base Commander had some... peculiar tastes.
Other than that, it was completely unremarkable.
Lily Hart shook her head, sipping from a carton of soy milk. "I don’t know. It was the same yesterday. Maybe they’re just broke?"
When she didn’t get a response, Lily Hart glanced at Logan Holland. His eyes were glued to the scratch-off, shining with excitement.
"What did you get?" Lily Hart asked.
’For him to make that face, it must be something good.’
Logan Holland immediately shoved the card into the Lucky Cat, his eyes fixed on it. A moment later, the prize was in his hand.
Lily Hart was curious enough to get up and take a look. It was a dark, blackish stone that was hard to make sense of.
But one look at the stone and Lily Hart knew it was a yellow-tier prize or better.
The previous Protective Shield and the duplication prize had also come in the form of these dark, smooth stones.
Only Logan Holland could see the description on the stone. He glanced around first, making sure no one was watching too closely.
Then he summarized its function. "Duplication. Just think of the item you want to copy and silently repeat it three times in your mind."
Logan Holland stared blankly at Lily Hart. "Your prizes are getting more and more advanced. You guys have all sorts of tricks up your sleeves. This is incredible."
Her curiosity sated, Lily Hart waved a dismissive hand. "Someone else won that a few days ago."
"So what did they copy?" Logan Holland asked, his curiosity piqued.
His mind was racing. ’What should I copy? I’d love to copy this whole lottery shop, but that’s probably impossible...’
’The convenience store? But there’s an online supermarket now, so copying that wouldn’t be very useful.’
Then he suddenly remembered the small plot of land behind the hotel. He had his answer.
Lily Hart shook her head mysteriously. "I’m not telling." ’You’d just get jealous.’