Cultivator in a Zombie Apocalypse

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Three - Food for Thought

Naturally an opening offer was not without negotiation, though it was a little difficult to do so when a middleman represented one side and no matter how much Dexter and Jonah might dislike it, the fate of their small haven was entwined with that of the base.  It was a bit of a twisted fate, somewhat uneven at times and fragmented others, but entwined nonetheless.  Neither side was completely reconciled to this fact; one side hated that this strong group of outsiders were not under their watch, the other side were unhappy being eyeballed like some prize meat, they could only swallow their grievances.

But also, neither were really wronged by their loose alliance having both received benefits here and there.  And both understood that their position would not be so at ease if either one fell.

Such thoughts were buried deep, simmering below the surface and when faced with other men that they could communicate at ease with, were not dwelled upon.

The decision on whether to be employed by the base was left in the hands of the one the base wished to employ.  Chang Min was not unwilling to help the base and could even bring along his own assistant in the form of his lover.  The zombie attacks had somewhat eased upon their southern border thanks to a spreading weed dubbed a corpse daisy so now only a few more resistant monsters managed to barge their way through the eerie garden should they not be wary of the aura of those on top the walls as they approached. 

As for the seeds, this discussion would naturally take longer; the one who held the most knowledge was not comfortable in the presence of most people, especially outsiders.  Of course, when speaking to his favourite person about his favourite subject, Nathan was more than willing to talk.

"Did you know that you can harvest around ten pounds of beans for every ten foot space planted with bush style varieties? Of course there will be some varieties that do better and some worse... so I've read. I've never tested out by myself which varieties do better. Oh and if you plant one shallot set, it will split underground and give you many, many more... so long as they have enough space.

"Is there a problem with space? Because potatoes and sweet potatoes are quite greedy for space, don't like to share with other root crops... though if planting quick growing crops with them like radishes or shallow rooted crops like lettuces, it shouldn't be too much problem...

"You can grow peas and pole beans and squashes and melons up trellises, though squashes and melons are heavier, need strong support, so that reduces the need for ground space a lot... hmm, but you can also grow some things in small clusters as well, no need for traditional spacing for everything. Turnips, onions, leeks... so long as you don't want huge onion bulbs or long white leek stems, planting in groups of three or four is no problem.

"Good pruning can also let things grow closer than they should and help produce more fruit... but not always. I once pruned a type of tomato that I shouldn't and was confused when I didn't get much fruit. Mr Herbert, the old gardener, had to explain what I did wrong..."

This burst of information, having been recorded in the end on a strange black jade coloured tablet, could only bemuse Rhodes and did not satisfy the request at all. Rhodes gingerly placed down the cold stone marked with kanji-like symbols having managed to overcome his shock when the pure and cheerful tones had poured from it after being activated. Actually, Dexter and Jonah had been equally surprised, but due to their constant exposure to the two Cultivators these passed couple of years, they were more able to recover, just shook their heads inwardly.

*****

Chang Min and Cole returned with Rhodes while half of the man's squad remained behind in order to help guard the walls in their place.  Four of these individuals were ability users, benefiting from the basic cultivation techniques that Chang Min freely shared with them.  Ren Zexian imparted better techniques to each one, but invested no further time into their improvement otherwise; he saw no reason too.