Chapter 540: Chapter 540
"I still have some questions," Jing Shu said, touching her chin in thought.
"Please, ask away." Wen Jun appeared ready to share everything she knew. Since both parties intended to bind their interests, the other side was open to any inquiries. Conversely, Jing Shu’s group would also need to provide them with enough food in return. They hadn’t eaten rice, salt, or vegetables for more than half a year, let alone luxury items like eggs and milk.
Although they had plenty of insect meat, which was rich in protein and contained some salt, making them robust, there were also many downsides to such a diet.
"Of these 2,000-plus eggs, can they be hatched into a specific type? For example, can they all be hatched into soil-digging Abdominal Foot Worms?" This was an important piece of information, as different types of Abdominal Foot Worms varied greatly.
Wen Jun shook her head. "The ratio is predetermined while they are in the mother’s body. Soil-digging Abdominal Foot Worms only make up about one-tenth, and combat-types also constitute a small portion."
"Then please save up the combat-types and soil-diggers for us. Who knows, they might be very useful later." Jing Shu felt a little regretful. This meant only a few soil-digging Abdominal Foot Worms would hatch each month. Otherwise, she would have wanted to hatch more to dig insect pathways. However, considering the time, it was still early; there was time to accumulate them. A plan was vaguely forming in her mind; she had a strong feeling that Abdominal Foot Worms capable of digging insect pathways would be of great use.
"No problem." In any case, if not exchanged, the eggs would just be kept frozen in the incubation room.
"Then, Xiao Wei, what’s the maximum distance you can control these insects from? Or rather, how do you make them obey? Handover and transportation will also be a major issue later. If you’re not around, these insects might not be so friendly to us, right?"
Xiao Wei pondered for a moment before replying, "They are all unintelligent insects. They will follow my commands, even to the point of self-destruction. If they encounter difficult instructions, I can also control their bodies. Their genetic makeup imbues them with their life’s mission from birth. And strangely, I seem to know the general direction of every insect. It’s as if we can receive signals from each other regardless of the distance, though I don’t have a sense of how far away they are."
"That’s good. You are currently deep within the Tianshan Mountain Range. If we are to trade monthly, the best method would be for you to dispatch the insects to come out on their own. Our people will wait at the entrance to the mountain range, and your insects can then pull the supplies back. As long as the insects continue to obey you, no accidents should occur. However, it will get increasingly cold in the mountains. Can the others adapt? Have you really not considered relocating somewhere closer to the mountain range?"
Jing Shu felt a headache coming on. A round trip at the insects’ speed would take at least ten days, wouldn’t it? It took them a very long time to drive here, even though their vehicle was slow. Having the insects come out on their own would save transportation expenses. Besides, how could they transport so many insects? The number of trucks and amount of fuel required would likely cost more than the insects themselves.
Jun Bao chimed in from the side, "Yes, when we arrived, many people from the villages and towns had already migrated to the cities. There’s an abandoned town right at the entrance with much better conditions than here."
Xiao Wei looked at Wen Jun, who hesitated. "This is a major decision. We need to consider it further. The outside world is too dangerous, which means Xiao Wei would be at greater risk of exposure."
Jing Shu suggested, "In that case, have the soil-digging Abdominal Foot Worms excavate a tunnel to the mountain entrance. The surface roads will become increasingly difficult to travel on over time. A dedicated trade route would make transportation easier for us, and if anything were to happen here, it would also provide an escape route."
Xiao Wei looked a little embarrassed. "We actually tried digging when we first wanted to leave. Unfortunately, we didn’t know the direction and, after much random digging, still couldn’t find an exit." Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽
"That’s simple. Just this time."
Seeing that Jing Shu had no further questions, Xiao Wei rubbed her hands together, asking with eager anticipation, "So, how will the exchange work? What items can be exchanged?"
Jing Shu had a plan. She would collect these insects and then sell them at a slight markup to Qian Duoduo in exchange for the resources Xiao Wei’s group needed. After all, Qian Duoduo needed to stockpile large quantities of low-cost grain. However, Jingshu’s house didn’t have enough supplies to provide for dozens of people. Her family’s belongings were too precious to be traded; besides, her household was currently struggling even to get vegetables. She would just act as a middleman.
She might also have to sell a batch to the government to offset debts (acquiring a large factory and land for free, requisitioning a great deal of equipment—it was thrilling at the time, but repaying the debt brought tears). Jing Shu shot Jun Bao a sidelong glance. If this guy found out, it would be as good as Jin Tianci knowing she possessed a batch of insects. Selling some to the government would then be unavoidable.
Thinking of this, Jing Shu considerately asked Jun Bao, "Do you want to buy some insects too?"
Jun Bao waved his hands. "No need, no need." He had an even bolder idea.
Excellent. That means I can still stockpile a batch in preparation for next year,
Jing Shu then turned and continued, "Xiao Wei, the market situation outside is : food items are relatively the most expensive. Fruits, eggs, milk, and snacks are luxury items. Since crops cannot be grown currently and the government’s reserves of rice and flour are nearly depleted, rice and flour are very expensive, followed by vegetables.
Next are Quilts and cotton clothing for winter, and finally, some daily necessities. The government provides some subsidies for salt and vitamins; buying extra would be very expensive."
Wen Jun nodded with a wry smile. It had been since last year.
"One Abdominal Foot Worm can be exchanged for 5 kilograms of rice or flour, 15 kilograms of sweet potato, 10 kilograms of vegetables, 3 kilograms of Dried Vegetables, one Quilt and five pieces of cotton clothing, 20 eggs, 2 kilograms of milk, 1 kilogram of salt, 1 kilogram of seasonal fruit, or 50 kilograms of trash Fuel. If there’s anything else you want, tell me, and I’ll try to find it for you."
Jing Shu considered what else Qian Duoduo might have available for exchange, but it seemed there wasn’t much. Stone Garden had also been tightening its belt recently, turning all fresh vegetables into dried versions to prepare for the future. A 400-kilogram insect for only 5 kilograms of rice.
Although it was less than they had anticipated, it was good that all these items could be obtained, and the variety was quite decent. Wen Jun calculated and was pleasantly surprised to realize that if they traded according to their monthly breeding volume, they could not only feed everyone in the village but also have a significant amount of resources left over!
Xiao Wei and Wen Jun conferred briefly, then said, "Alright, let’s exchange 200 insects this time. We’d like:
100 insects’ worth of rice and flour (totaling 500 kilograms),
10 insects’ worth of sweet potato (totaling 150 kilograms),
30 insects’ worth of Dried Vegetables (totaling 90 kilograms),
20 insects’ worth of Quilts,
10 insects’ worth of eggs (totaling 200 eggs),
10 insects’ worth of milk (totaling 20 kilograms),
5 insects’ worth of salt (totaling 5 kilograms),
and for 10 insects, 1 ton of Fuel.
For the remaining 5 insects, could you see if you can get us some snacks? Dried fruit, chocolate, sunflower seeds, instant noodles, or ham sausage would all be fine."