Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System-Chapter 68: Fish Pond

A slightly mocking message appeared. Upon closer inspection, it was Divya’s message. Knowing the situation was turning awkward, he quickly changed his tone.

[Vikram: Just kidding, just kidding.]

Who told him and Divya that their relationship had become somewhat ambiguous now?

Hearing Little Divya’s words, which clearly carried a faint hint of jealousy, he naturally had to hold himself back. Otherwise, all the good impression he had painstakingly built would be wasted.

He could only refocus on his main purpose.

[Vikram: Food for soil and rocks! First come, first served!]

[Radhika: Hehe, I didn’t expect Big Boss Vikram to be a henpecked husband.]

[Vikram: Don’t talk nonsense. I’m doing this because I have important matters to handle.]

[Director Aditya: Big Boss Vikram, how are you pricing this food? If possible, I would like to trade some with you.]

[Vikram: Hehe, I don’t dare to be called a Big Shot. Group Owner Aditya can just call me Little Vikram.]

He did not accept Director Aditya’s title. It was fine when other group members joked around and called him that, but coming from a serious person like Director Aditya, he truly felt uncomfortable accepting it.

After all, this was someone else’s group. Vikram knew he had to keep a low profile where necessary.

[Vikram: As for the price, how about one ton of soil for one kilogram of food? The same rate applies for rocks.]

[Vikram: I’m collecting about 20 tons each of soil and rocks. Just send me a private message if you want to trade.]

[Radhika: Big Boss Vikram, I want to trade!]

[Bobby: Me too!]

[Divya: Can I trade as well?]

Divya quietly sent him a private message. She had already received many benefits from Vikram before, and now she felt slightly embarrassed to ask again.

However, given the current situation, hunting would have an almost zero success rate. The extreme cold still had a long way to go. If she did not stockpile food now, the outcome might be the same as that day when she had no cold-resistant supplies.

[Vikram: Don’t be silly. Anyone can trade. How could I leave you out?]

[Vikram: Call me handsome, and I’ll give you an extra half-kilogram of food.]

Seeing his decisive reply, Divya’s delicate face flushed faintly as her fingers continued to type. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

[Divya: Handsome.]

[Divya: No need for extra. Just trade me one kilogram of food. This ’handsome’ is a gift from me to you. Keep some food for yourself too, so you don’t run out.]

"Hehe, little Divya is being polite with me."

Vikram rubbed his hands together excitedly, looking almost like a delighted fly.

[Vikram: Take it. This handsome guy doesn’t lack your small amount of food, but he does lack a maid to warm his bed. Since you’re being so polite, why don’t you come to my Shelter for a visit?]

[Divya: Hmph, I’m not interested.]

Although she said that, on the other side of the screen Divya couldn’t suppress the upward curve of her lips. Her subtle smile did not escape Anjali’s notice, and Anjali looked at her with a faint expression of disdain.

However, Anjali’s status in the Shelter was relatively low, while Divya was the owner of the Shelter. No matter what she thought in her heart, she could not openly interfere with Divya’s decisions.

In the end, Vikram still traded food to Divya at the rate of one and a half kilograms.

He was very honest about his inner thoughts. Since he was interested in her, giving her a little extra food did not feel like a big loss at all.

After closing the chat, private messages began arriving one after another about half an hour later, and he gradually collected the materials he needed.

After this, Vikram walked with light steps toward the greenhouse.

A soft purple glow from the plant-growth lamps filtered through the transparent roof, spreading across a lush patch of vegetables below. Rows of cabbages were nearly ripe now. Their thick emerald leaves wrapped tightly around firm hearts, standing silently in the moist soil as if waiting patiently for harvest.

He squatted down and gently stroked a cabbage leaf, feeling its cool, slightly waxy texture. Tiny beads of dew still clung to the surface, shimmering faintly under the artificial light.

"According to the terminal’s progress... the earliest harvest should be tomorrow," he murmured.

Unknowingly, eight days had already passed since he had sown the seeds. Including the three rounds of fertilization during the growth period, the cabbages’ total maturation time would be roughly nine to ten days.

For now, cabbage was the only crop planted on the cultivated land. Once this batch was harvested, he planned to sow corn and potato seeds together in the next cycle to diversify his food sources.

After mentally noting the harvest schedule, Vikram shifted his attention to the chicks and the baby goats. Although they were lively and healthy, the cold still had a noticeable effect on them.

Especially for the newly hatched chicks, without the warmth of a mother hen, even the greenhouse’s maintained temperature of around twenty degrees Celsius was still far from ideal.

According to the Plant Life System’s guidance, the minimum temperature required for proper chick growth was above thirty degrees. Clearly, the greenhouse, designed mainly for crop cultivation, could not provide such warmth without compromising plant conditions.

So, he decided to move them closer to the ancient banyan tree near his Treehouse, where the natural warmth within the territory hovered close to the required temperature.

Carrying a small portion of meat and feed, he walked toward the animal shed and began distributing food, grain for the chicks, fodder for the baby goats, and a generous portion for Pinku.

It was worth mentioning that Pinku had hardly stepped outside since the greenhouse became its comfortable domain. Every day it stayed inside the modest shelter, pecking lazily or dozing in the warmth. Only when Vikram appeared with food did it suddenly become affectionate, rubbing against his pant leg as if they shared a deep bond.

"You’re far too materialistic... a proper money-minded chicken," Vikram grumbled, tapping his foot irritably as he watched Pinku devour the meat with single-minded focus.

Staring at the increasingly plump bird, he felt an urge to drag it outside into the biting cold for a little "character development."

However, Pinku, still pecking without even lifting its head, seemed to sense danger. With a sudden hop forward, it narrowly escaped Vikram’s reaching hand.

Just as he prepared to grab it again, "Cluck—!"

A sharp cry echoed through the greenhouse.

At the same instant, a small wooden box materialized out of thin air before him, hovering briefly in the air before dropping softly onto the ground.

Vikram froze mid-motion, his attention instantly drawn away from the troublesome chicken and fully captured by the mysterious reward that had just appeared.

Meanwhile, Pinku, who seemed to have developed quite a sharp survival instinct, quietly hid itself in a corner of the greenhouse.

Vikram bent down and examined the newly appeared treasure chest carefully. It was still blue in color, but faint purple patterns had begun to appear across its surface, forming delicate swirling lines that shimmered under the growth lamps.

"This box is only half a step away from Epic-level," he murmured.

He did not rush to open it. Instead, he turned his head and looked toward Pinku, which was still crouched cautiously in the corner.

Ever since following Vikram, the chicken had never worried about food or shelter. The most obvious change was its size — it had grown noticeably larger. Upon closer inspection, even its feathers now carried a faint iridescent sheen, appearing more vibrant and layered than before.

A system panel soon appeared before Vikram’s eyes.

Fortune Spirit Chicken — Purple Gold

Status: Can Advance

Feeding high-grade food grants a chance to drop purple-grade or lower treasure chests.

"Its grade has indeed improved... but the dropped rewards don’t seem to have changed much?"

He narrowed his eyes and read the description again, finally noticing the subtle difference.

Compared to the earlier wording, ’purple-grade and below treasure chests’, this version only added a single nuance, yet the implication was completely different. It meant that Pinku now had a chance to drop Epic-level treasure chests.

"So it wasn’t a waste after all. Fine... I’ll spare you today."

He walked closer and gently stroked Pinku’s plump feathers. Sensing no hostility, Pinku relaxed and even closed its eyes in enjoyment.

"I still can’t imagine how a chicken like you could be a legendary-grade creature," Vikram chuckled softly.

After all, even the terrifying Wolf Spirit Lord had only been an Epic-grade existence.

Shaking off his thoughts, he refocused on the treasure chest still lying quietly on the ground.

He reached out and flipped open the latch.

Click!

The crisp sound echoed lightly through the greenhouse. Four items floated out in streaks of soft light, while the chest itself dissolved into sparkling particles and vanished.

Obtained:

• Heart Grass Seeds ×200 g (Green)

• Child’s Diaper Bag ×3 (Green)

• Diesel ×6 L (Blue)

• Fish Pond Blueprint (Blue)

"These rewards are rather disappointing... wasn’t this chest supposed to be almost Epic-quality?" he complained, frowning.

After all, such items could easily appear in an ordinary blue-grade chest.

"I know blue-purple chests only have a chance to produce Epic items... but getting two green-grade materials is still too much, isn’t it?"

He scratched his head and then glanced suspiciously at the hand that had just been petting Pinku.

"Or is my luck ruined because I touched that greedy chicken?"

Muttering to himself, he wiped his hands on his coat as if performing a ritual to cleanse bad luck.

Soon, however, his attention was fully drawn to the Fish Pond Blueprint.

After carefully reading its construction requirements, Vikram decided without hesitation to build the pond inside his territory.

He stepped out of the greenhouse and walked toward a slightly lower patch of land near the banyan tree where the soil was naturally moist.

"Plant Life System... construct Fish Pond."

A soft hum responded to his command.

Materials consumed:

• Stone ×80

• Plastic ×20

• Iron ×10

• Plant Essence −120

A white radiance spread across the ground like flowing mist. The earth trembled gently as if guided by invisible hands.

Within seconds, the soil sank inward, forming a smooth oval basin roughly six meters long and four meters wide. Reinforced stone slabs lined the inner walls, fitted so tightly that no gaps remained. A thin iron mesh layer appeared beneath the surface edges to stabilize the structure.

At the same time, a slender root from the upgraded Aquaheart Root extended underground and connected to the newly formed pond. Clear water began to seep in steadily, first forming ripples, then slowly filling the basin until it reached knee-deep level.

The water was astonishingly pure, reflecting the pale winter sky like polished glass.

A faint system notification followed.

Fish Pond (Blue)

Type: Aquatic Resource Facility

Function:

• Supports fish breeding and aquatic plant growth

• Natural purification linked to Aquaheart Root

• Moderate temperature stabilization within pond area

• Potential food sustainability source

Standing at the pond’s edge, Vikram folded his arms and nodded in satisfaction.

"With this... once I get fish fry, I’ll finally have a stable long-term food supply."

The gentle ripples spread outward across the pond’s surface, reflecting his faint smile as he silently began planning the next stage of his territory’s development.