Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World-Chapter 353: Fuzzball and the Thorny Fish
However, soon, Fuzzball found new entertainment.
—The net full of thorn fish in the pond.
The winter cold hadn't affected the growth of the thorn fish.
However, their behavior during winter kept them inactive at the bottom of the net.
The pond's depth and the small size of the fish at the time hadn't caught Fuzzball's attention.
With spring's arrival, the thorn fish started surfacing.
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After a winter of intensive feeding, they'd grown to nearly half an arm's length, forming a large, lively school of fish swimming near the surface, which captivated Fuzzball's attention.
Several times, Kim Haru saw Fuzzball elegantly crouched by the pond, its wide eyes fixed on the swimming fish.
The little cat's head moved slowly, following the fish's movements.
Occasionally, it would lick its paw and sharpen its claws.
Kim Haru had already received concerned remarks from Go Okrim and Kang Hose, who worried that Fuzzball might catch all the fish in the pond before they had a chance to grow.
After all, Kang Hose had witnessed this cat's extraordinary fishing skills firsthand.
What else could Kim Haru do?
He had no choice but to repeatedly reason with Fuzzball, explaining that the fish in the pond were still growing and that waiting until they matured would mean enjoying more fish meat in the future.
Moreover, Kim Haru had observed that when the thorny fish swam, the spikes on their bodies pointed upwards.
While he wasn't sure if these spikes would be effective against Fuzzball, who was no longer just an ordinary cat, he hoped they would at least make fishing a bit more challenging for her.
In the end, it was unclear whether the diligent persuasion of her owner or the resilience of the thorny fish had worked.
For now, the little cat only watched from the pond's edge without showing any intention of taking action.
Occasionally, if Go Okrim and Kang Hose forgot to feed the thorny fish on time, the snow-white cat would take it upon herself to find the fish food, carry it to the pond, and pour it in.
However, Fuzzball's way of feeding the fish showed no regard for portion control.
She would pour food endlessly, eager to dump it all in one go, as if expecting the fish to puff up like balloons in the next moment.
Whenever this happened, Go Okrim and Kang Hose, who went to stop her, would inevitably get a sharp glare from the cat.
Kim Haru wondered whether, when the fish were finally ready to eat, he, the diligent caretaker, would even get a bite after Fuzzball had her fill.
For now, though, the small farm didn't require too much attention from Kim Haru, and the same went for the Pyeongseong Safe Zone.
The fields were mostly managed by Director Jang Dojung along with researchers from the Plant Research Institute.
Kim Haru only needed to handle the planning of planting areas.
Even the seeds were pre-selected in autumn by the research team from the previous harvest, ensuring top quality.
There was little for Kim Haru to worry about.
However, the scope of planting this spring was far larger than last autumn.
The previous fall's effort had been a race against time and focused on growing enough food to ensure people could survive the winter.
Now, with ample time, they could plant crops with longer growing cycles.
Kim Haru purchased some saplings from the system's trading interface: apple trees, orange trees, chestnut trees, and lemon trees—all of which had been unlocked.
The trees on his small farm were controlled by the mutated plants, but planting a grove that was controlled by the mutated plant in the Pyeongseong Safe Zone wouldn't be appropriate.
Even if the people in the Pyeongseong Safe Zone didn't mind, Kim Haru had to consider long-term development.
Thus, the fruit trees in the Pyeongseong Safe Zone were purchased fresh from the system store as ab ordinary non-mutated trees.
Every sapling from the system was of premium quality, and the fruits they would eventually bear would be no different in nutrition from those grown under the control of the mutated plants.
The only difference was that these trees wouldn't develop any intelligence.
However, their growth cycle was significantly longer than those controlled by the mutated plants.
Under the care of mutated plants, the fruit trees could mature in just a few days—something evidenced by the orange tree Kim Haru had cut down before the mutated plants revealed themselves.
On the other hand, the saplings from the system store had a growth cycle of at least 180 to 200 days—about two seasons.
By autumn, they should bear fruit.
Even at that speed, it would astonish most fruit farmers.
In addition to planting fruit trees, Kim Haru also planned to set aside some areas for cultivating fish mint.
This plant didn't require a specially tilled field to grow.
In his previous world, fish mint was considered a wild vegetable, capable of thriving along field ridges, hillsides, and practically anywhere.
The fish mint seeds Kim Haru had now were technically similar to the pigweed seeds.
They weren't picky about the soil.
After being enhanced by the system, the seeds carried some traits of the mutated plants, but the edible parts they produced would be perfectly safe for consumption.
Aside from this, Kim Haru also needed to reserve space for growing melons.
After delegating the planting area plans to Jang Dojung, Kim Haru no longer managed this aspect closely.
The moment he had some free time, Do Seungjin, who had been waiting for this opportunity, immediately approached him and said, "Mr. Kim, regarding the duck farming plan, the research institute has already drafted a preliminary proposal. Could you take a look and see if it needs any adjustments?"
As he spoke, Do Seungjin handed Kim Haru a blueprint showing the planned duck farming area designed by the Animal Research Institute.
In addition to the necessary fencing, the plan included a designated section for digging a pond later.
The blueprint required no major changes, so Kim Haru nodded his head in approval.
