Hmm.
Adam poked another Steak Shrub. The odd vine wriggled, the meat bulbs wiggling in the process. It would be a while before they could be harvested, the most 'ripe' pods were only at the white stage of growth.
Rockette had worked wonders with 'Research' again. She found a combination of spiritual energies that nearly tripled the growth rate of these Shrubs, which was extra impressive as any OTHER ratio of energies tended to stall or even kill the plants being watched.
So far, she had found three working patterns: The initial, 'normal' combination of earth, plant, and light energies; A second, 'rapid' combination of Soil, Tianshi's Green energy, and Binding energy; And this... 'WTF' combination... Decomposition, Life, Plant, Yin, Yang, and Binding spiritual energies.
The 'WTF' combination would NOT be used outside of Rockette's careful attention. Almost instant explosion if you were not carefully monitoring the stuff. It was NOT stable, even if it massively increased the 'natural' growth rate of nearly all the plants in the Soil Grid gardens.
Tianshi however was pretty excited that her personal Qi was so amazing to wildlife. Probably should have been self evident, considering how much her plant based Martial Spirit loved the stuff.
Anyway, with the 'WTF combo' being used exclusively, Rockette only had to experiment with the Soil Grid plots being used and the 'extras' added to the new Steak Shrubs.
This was one of the ones 'seasoned' with Fire Salts. Adam carefully moved one of the pods to the side... as far as they could tell, the extra ingredients got added to this protective liquid layer as the 'meat' nodes developed.
Carefully touching his tongue... yeah, Fire Salts seemed to be adding a liquid spice rub to the final product.
It lined up with the other experiments. Little Tianshi's 'Sugarcone' pinecones had already been ground up and added to that section of meat plants over there... they seemed to be producing a brown sugar like glaze, which sounded like they would be amazing. Hopefully there would be some caramelized meats in the future!
Especially in here, where there were no flies or insects to be attracted to the sweet sap sauce being produced.
Adam stood carefully, moving between the waving rows of plant life. Everything seemed to be going fine, as far as he and his Martial Spirit could tell.
Sure, some of the initial 'Seasoning' attempts didn't work out. Before Tianshi's Sugarcones, they had high hope for the Shrubs covered in 'normal' sugar, using the last of their reserves to give it a shot... it was pretty much ignored by the plants and made a mess.
Mr. Whisker's suggestion that they grind up the girls favorite treat however was a major breakthrough! Not only was it far more accepted by the Steak Shrubs, but the hardened sap candy treat was a fully renewable sugar substitute for the kitchens!
He chuckled. Being useful elsewhere didn't stop his little Disciple from using that as an excuse to fill her tree house with Sugarcone saplings. Her whole place had a slightly sweet smell now, and Sister Quan got pretty upset when the girl messed up her appetite before dinner.
Dinner, by the way, was MASSIVELY enhanced now.
The Frosted Tiger Sect members that guarded this caravan were VERY happy to trade with Adam's people... and much MORE happy that his group had so many new FRESH foods to share in return.
This meant that not only did 'Research' and Rockette have many more plants to test and grow, but that the resulting products FINALLY had a massive number of (willing) taste test subjects! They worked through the backlog at a mad pace.
Successes so far? Sugarcones was a quick hit, of course. Brine Melons, found later, not only provided an additional source of salt for refinement but was a flavorful liquid that made Spirit Beast meat taste even MORE amazing after a bit of a soak. Strange colored fruits that LOOKED like oranges... but had different flavor profiles, one which was VERY similar to lemon, another nearly identical to lime.
Also, the apples.
For some reason, apples mutated the most often and showed the most odd effects. Like the water apple, or the caramel apple (Kitchen loved them!), and so on and so forth. Adam had a theory that, since the apple showed up in so many creation myths, the fruit was more fundamentally adaptable and flexible due to the conceptual thoughts attached to it.
So there were a LOT of apples.
He wanted some more normal stuff too, but uh. Yeah, as far as food, water, and shelter were concerned? Adam was economically independent from the rest of the world.
Passing the Pasture caves, he grinned at the eager whispering from within.
The four eggs had hatched, which had caused quite a ruckus within the caverns.
The baby animals looked like short squished fuzzy piglets, with itty bitty horns, four eyes, bright red skin and fur, and that slightly too large head thing that most babies had going on.
The girls (and more than a few of the guys) loved them!
Adam himself had managed to sneak one of the babies away for a quick cuddle hug session. The things were super clean, barely needed to pee or poop, and were too young to fully catch on fire... so they felt like soft furry hot water bottles.
Tianshi already tried to take one as a pet, so uh... probably good that Adam wasn't planning on harvesting the things for food anymore.
Thank you, Vine Lion. Your sacrifice will always be appreciated.
...Shit, was that thing actually dead? "Rockette?"
Ding!
Oh thank goodness. NORMALLY ripping someone's spine out to harvest the goodies within meant passing on from this mortal coil, but this was a plant/cat/zombie thing.
Ding.
...Huh. So... it died from the collapsed mind, NOT from being ripped apart?
Plant zombies were scary things. High levels of cultivation made survivability pretty amazing to begin with BEFORE adding on top high level regeneration and durability.
A thought had Adam appear outside, back in the wagon his team had 'rented' from the caravan merchants. He stretched. "Report."
One of the on duty guards appeared to his right, knelt. "Sir. Four on shift report no attacks since the caravan has adjusted the trade route being followed."
Yeah, those wiggly seeds had been messing with a LOT of people. Glad the rest of the damn things were consumed into Rockette's care, even if he DID end up paying that oven guy more money. "How much longer till we reach the next trade stop?"
She glanced at her notes... wherever the hell THOSE had been hidden. "Three days at maximum speed, five days at current pace."
Well thank everything. "Anything to note?"
A nod. "The lead caravan defender, Xe Dian, may have been targeted by others in the Frosted Tiger Sect with this most recent attack. Unknown members within their organization or traitorous elements hiding within managed to sell the seeds responsible for the many issues she encountered to the merchant you traded with."
He frowned. "...I'm not sure I can do much to help. Not if I understand the culture of relationships between Sects, I mean."
A sigh. "Yes Sir. While within our Sect you may act fairly unilaterally, it is considered a family matter when outsiders are concerned. If she requests aid, officially makes a deal, or attempts to contact her higher superiors in an effort to officially open relationships with us... then you may act in numerous ways."
She shrug. "Otherwise, it could be considered an attempt at infiltrating the Sect or a similar style of immoral activity."
Adam was... not happy about this. "How serious was this attempt?"
The guard tilted her head. "Best case scenario, she could have left her customers to die and the Spirit Beasts MIGHT have stopped after acquiring the lure seeds. More realistically? It was an attempted murder of all the Sect cultivators, the clients, and the young lady."
No. Not happy at all.
He glared at nothing. "Since I shouldn't go stomp on a Sect just to kill a few roaches, what options DO I have?"
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Xe Dian held in a groan.
The caravan had moved quickly away from the bloody combat zone, and with those DAMN seeds now officially 'gone' she had quickly discovered that a number of the previous 'short cuts' so reasonably added to their route were all STUPID.
DAMN. STUPID.
At this point, she was concerned that she was losing her touch... mind manipulation seeds or no. Or maybe there were OTHER methods used as well to 'encourage' her odd actions.
She hadn't checked with her comrades before accepting the mission.
She hadn't questioned the (strangely) young Sect members being allowed on such a 'high profile' mission.
She hadn't wondered why such a 'high profile' mission was available with no competition or arguments, which was especially odd as that higher ranked sexist asshole had ensured even the most common jobs were fought over once she showed interest.
Well, either the fight allowed her to break free of whatever drugs or techniques were used on her, or the shock at finding (And removing) those seeds had helped clear her head... because the new trade route being followed DIDN'T aim towards horrible, deadly areas.
This was a DAMN good murder attempt. Or maybe they expected her to escape from the situation (she had managed so before, after all), and this was a social attack... have her be the only surviver, then rant to the Sect that her ineptitude got young children killed.
Honestly, she thought she had previously understood rage.
But she burned. Ice in her veins.
So. Angry.
Try to kill her? She was without social power, an orphan who fought for her steps with vigor and tenacity. Death attempts were common and accepted part of her lifestyle. She was stronger than them, and would prove so again.
No, her murderocity was being fueled because they were going to kill these (annoying, bratty) KIDS in the attempt.
Don't fuck with children.
It didn't come up often, but it WAS her bottom line. Bad memories.
Even killing the merchants wouldn't have pissed her off this much... this near blind rage.
The hot knife in her eye jerked when she noticed Brother Adam walking up. "Yes? If it is about the next tasting session, Sister Quan and I planned on waiting till the next rest camp..."
He shook his head... and she blinked.
Had his left eye always glowed like that?
Adam grinned, and... his teeth seemed a bit too sharp. His mouth slightly too wide... his eye glowed, even though the sun still shone above. "Sister Dian... I've been told you have suspicions."
Hold back the anger. "About the attack?"
A nod.
She grit her teeth and nodded back. "I know people with the power and motivation. I do not have proof."
The longer he grinned... the less human the boy looked. Was... was his skin pulsing? His smile was beginning to look unnatural indeed. "I assume that, even if you did acquire evidence, it would be less than useful considering how... talented your theoretical opposition has proven?"
Her face twisted into a scowl, and she checked... none of the kids were close. "Yes. Even if I had proof, the person is known for getting away with 'possible' rape and 'unprovable' murders. I've only resisted the other attempts through my years of social networking and being cautious."
Adam's eye flared. "Oh." Blue smoke drifted from sharpened teeth. "Oh my. That... that is not acceptable."
Thankfully she was used to the more... odd parts of the cultivation lifestyle. She bit back her anger. "Acceptable or not, I do not have the political clout to make the needed changes."
The boy hummed. "Is your Sect leadership corrupt? Or only a small section?" He gazed at her. "If it is an unwinnable situation, the Burning Sword Sect might have an open spot for those who defend the young rather than save themselves."
She honestly felt a bit touched. "No, it is only a specific Elder." She did air quotes. "Supposedly."
Ah, his deadly smile was back. "You know, I recently became fairly powerful in my own Sect." His fingers began flipping several... jade slips? "Tell me, if you gave massive contributions and rare knowledge to the Sect..."
Adam glanced at the Sect children. "If your fellow Sect members, during a single mission, managed to become more powerful and willing to tell everyone how you managed to increase their cultivation base and assist their training..."
A grin of nightmares. "How much political power could you gather?"
She responded in kind... Rage burning like frostbite inside. "If, assuming someone might be offering such assistance..."
The boy nodded.
Her thoughts drifted.
The near death moments. The sabotage. The lies. The scandals. And now, trying to kill children, annoying or not.
Do NOT fuck with her, damn it!
She couldn't, wouldn't promise everything in return... but she would trade a lot.
Her eyes met the boy with a blue flamed eye. "I'm listening."
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Sister Quan was looking at him again. "Well?"
Damn, it hadn't even been an hour! ONE of these guards was narking on him. "We just had a bit of a deal, signed a tiny contract. Nothing big."
She didn't seem convinced. "And?"
He shifted. "I didn't trade anything I promised to the Burning Sword Sect. Or to Big Fatty Lui, or the stuff I gave to the guards."
Adam gave a weak smile. "So uh. Technically it was just a few tiny jade slips. Nothing big!"
They were technically eating dinner, even though Little Tianshi and all the guards were watching the ongoing entertainment. The lead guard even had those berries that tasted like popcorn, and was sharing the Fire Salt toppings with his little Disciple. Traitors.
Sister Quan seemed to take a deep, centering breath. "Just... just give me the highlights. So I can feel less worried that the Frosted Tiger Sect will start farting lasers or something."
...Shit, that would have been awesome!
Seeing her glare, he must have shown something on his face. "HIGHLIGHTS! Right, highlights."
He coughed. "Well, like I said, we just had a bit of a talk or so, and a bit of a contract. In return for some of my resources..." Some Soul Water, a few of the tastier cultivation produce, and some spiritual energy stuffed cultivation circles for her and the kids... "She would provide me access to any and all cultivation methods and techniques that she personally knows and practices."
Seriously, he needed to find out how valuable Soul Water was to other people. It wasn't uncommon for a Cultivator to kill themselves rather than give away cultivation secrets, and Sister Dian nearly THREW hers away once he started listing the benefits.
He nodded. "Then I reviewed her methods and current spiritual network, wrote some methods to repair the damage done to her system and cure some old wounds she had, developed a customized version of 'Gentle Rebirth Body Cultivation Technique' that would kill anyone who didn't match her Soul signature..."
Seeing their expression he held up his hands. "I didn't want her sharing it! And I warned her first! This way if someone else tries to force her to share it, they get what they deserve!"
Sister Quan groaned as she leaned into the table. "Adam, you just... Eugh. Why."
He coughed. "Also I am going to train her brats and make custom cultivation plans for them."
She glared at the boy. Yeah, she heard that. "And in return? What is her half of this contract?"
Adam blinked. "Didn't I... I mean, I just told you, she told me her methods and stuff."
A groan. "WHY did you just boost her natural talent, fix past defects, and give a lifetime of benefits to someone you met a few days ago for basically FREE!?"
He shrugged. "She is being targeted by a powerful Sect rapist who just tried to kill all the kids outside."
The room stilled, other than a few guards who had been investigating. They were nodding to the others.
Sister Quan nodded. "I will extend the meditation classes with the children after their taste testing sessions. Please have their lesson plans ready in a day or so."
Adam took another bite of the pumpkin (But actually apple) pie.
It was good to have understanding friends.
