Chapter 403: Chapter 403

Compared to Wu City, conditions here were worlds apart. The technological prowess there wasn’t particularly advanced, but they still managed to cultivate a variety of medicinal herbs. Before the apocalypse, the United States was a major country for pharmaceutical R&D, holding the highest cancer survival rates in the world.

At least in Huaxia, the survival rates for certain cancer patients hovered around 50%, but in the United States, it could reach 95% or even 99%, highlighting the country’s formidable healthcare system and cutting-edge technology.

This was also the first time Jing Shu and her companions were "job hunting" when they realized how desperate Austin was for personnel skilled in planting and cultivating medicinal materials.

Eiffel shrugged and said, "I brought you here to see for yourselves, so perhaps now you’ll understand. What Austin lacks most is raw materials, not equipment or extraction processes. In other words, as long as we have the herbs, we can produce all kinds of scarce medicines." This update ıs available on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝕟𝕖𝕥

On hearing this, Jing Shu truly became curious. To be honest, she had even planned on taking some American medicine back with her, given the extreme scarcity of drugs back home. If she could bring more American medicines, it would certainly be more convincing than claiming her treatments came from a family secret recipe, right?

One has to admit, it’s sad to acknowledge that before the apocalypse, a group of people from Huaxia went to a certain island and brought back intelligent toilet seats, only to find out they were all made in Huaxia...

The agricultural base of the grand castle was vast, but to better utilize energy and receive sunlight, all crops were grown on the second floor and the rooftop.

Electricity was in no short supply in Austin City, with machines operating continuously. Pieces of dried radish, tomato, and eggplant were processed and packaged.

"This floor mainly deals with the dehydrating process for vegetable crops, preserving them as strategic resources. Of course, some of the exceptionally good-quality produce is provided to the upper echelons of Austin. Every day, we process several tons of fresh crops," Eiffel introduced, while continuously greeting the Supervisors and workers around her.

Jing Shu counted the people on this floor, noting that the division of labor was efficient and almost fully automated, yet there were still over a dozen people fine-tuning the machines. It would be impossible for her to hypnotize someone covertly given these circumstances, as her Magic Cube Space could not make one person fall asleep and then control another. So, stealing such extensive and integrated equipment was pretty much out of the question.

There’s about a hundred square meters of industrial chain equipment that would need to be taken. That’s a massive undertaking. I wonder if Qian Duoduo managed to get hold of a complete set of such equipment in his previous life. Jing Shu sneaked some photos to discuss with Yang Yang later.

The group was then led to the second floor, close to a particular material that emitted light. Upon arrival, they beheld a cultivation base spanning hundreds of square meters, and beyond that, visible from an overpass, was another huge planting area.

However, these crops did not impress Jing Shu; rather, they made her brow furrow.

What lay before her were various mutant vegetables, each more hideous than the last! The most noticeable was an enormous tomato with various seedlings growing on it, a string of conjoined eggplants, a Mushroom that had pierced itself, fruit growing clustered together or leaves sprouting from the fruit itself—completely aberrant vegetables!

They even sported green-speckled colors that did not match the usual hues of crops, and the fat chicken at Jing Shu’s feet was completely uninterested in them, uttering a few disdainful clucks.

"Are these, these new agricultural creations? It doesn’t seem like they’re mass-produced much either."

Eiffel shook her head. "No, these vegetables grew naturally, which is also one of the reasons why medicinal herbs cannot be cultivated. Because Dr. B mentioned that the glowing material he developed has some flaws; there’s some radiation. As a result, the crops mutate, but the radiation is harmless. We have also conducted professional tests; after all, there are many types of radiation that are non-toxic to the human body... So the vegetables can be eaten after being sterilized at high temperatures. However, while vegetables can be cultivated , medicinal herbs have strict conditions for growth. Apart from the very hardy ones, most medicinal herbs cannot be cultivated in this environment."

Jing Shu looked up at the gentle light, squinting her eyes. Weird sonic waves reached her ears, seemingly the sounds of the plants’ crying and moaning. Jing Shu got goosebumps all over, and her intuition told her that these vegetables grown under these radiating lights were not good things.

The Americans had tested the technology and found no side effects, but she doubted its true safety. She recalled a certain island where a nuclear radiation leak had occurred. The surrounding crops became inedible. However, that island’s corrupt authorities didn’t consume these crops themselves; instead, they sold them to others. This resulted in many people falling ill, dying, or developing cancer.

"Are you saying that the researcher of this wall material is... Dr. B?"

Eiffel nodded. "Oh my God, he really is an incredible man. Recently, he’s also been worried about the issue with the medicinal herbs. If you can solve it, I will introduce you to Dr. B."

Jing Shu stroked her chin. Dr. B? She wanted to meet him, as it might be the best shortcut to learn about the Austin Castle walls.

"Maybe it’s because of the radiation. Then why not consider planting the medicinal herbs outside?" Jing Shu inquired.

As they continued to walk forward, Eiffel replied, "Because all of the Seeds have been irradiated. It’s very difficult to get new and intact seeds for medicinal herbs now."

"Eh, what is this short tree? Why does it grow so lush?" Jing Shu said as she looked at the short tree that was specifically encircled and treated like an honored guest.

This particular short tree received no ordinary treatment, and although it was only about as tall as a person, it was the most lush and well-growing tree in the plantation, bearing fruit.

"Oh, this is our ruler’s beloved Geisha coffee tree, the most expensive coffee in the world at 350.25 US Dollars per pound. It was transplanted here for a sky-high price and was nearly dead, but unexpectedly, since being transplanted here, it has been growing more vigorously every day. It really is the queen here."

Jing Shu listened as if it was very high-class. Isn’t it just a coffee tree?

Eiffel said excitedly, "Its floral scent is like fireworks, constantly bursting in the mouth during the tasting process, with the juice of lemon, orange, and strawberry, more like fruit juice than coffee."

"The coffee and fruit flavors weave together, with the fragrance of flowers emerging. The aftertaste is also full of floral scent; the sweetness and texture of the fruit linger long. Oh, I have had the privilege to taste it once! The flavor was truly delicious. It’s a pity we lack the technology to roast coffee."

Jing Shu was not originally interested, but she also wanted to take some back to plant in the Magic Cube Space; maybe she could enjoy some coffee in the future. But then she realized something vaguely familiar, so she searched in the Magic Cube Space.