Chapter 57: Mountainous Land Use Rights Certificate

Chapter 57: Mountain Land Use Certificate

After retrieving the agreement and contract from the basement and pondering them repeatedly, Xia Qing proposed three items that needed modification

First, the mountain lease term would be changed from five years to two years. Upon the expiration of the two-year term, if both parties are still willing, the lease may be renegotiated; if they cannot reach an agreement, the contract will not be renewed.

Second, an additional clause: During the period when the Azure Dragon Team leases the mountain as a training base, all resources harvested from the mountain shall belong to the Azure Dragon Team. However, if the harvest consists of Green Light food, Xia Qing shall have the right to be informed and the right of first refusal.

Third, the leased area must be further clarified: The area leased to the Azure Dragon Team is the area belonging to Mountain No. 4 as indicated on the land use certificate, excluding the area one and a half kilometers north of Territories 1, 3, and 4. Xia Qing herself shall bear the responsibility and consequences of clearing dangerous evolved creatures in the non-leased areas.

Xia Qing's reasoning was to ensure her territory would not be subject to surveillance or sniper threats from people on the mountain. Beyond avoiding surveillance and threats, she had two unspoken reasons: first, this area might be where pollution-free spring water flows, potentially containing fertile planting zones; second, she needed an evolved forest to serve as her own exclusive training base.

She wanted to become stronger.

Twenty-five days later, while Xia Qing was munching on a freshly picked tender cucumber and admiring the jujube buds and fuzzy green apples no larger than a thumbprint, she received a message from Luo Pei: The mountain has been bought. Yang Jin wants to come over at eight tonight to sign the contract with you. Is that okay?

Bought so quickly? Xia Qing wanted to say that having just purchased the mountain was a sensitive moment that would attract much attention; wasn't it risky for a "golden deity" like Yang Jin to come to Territory 3 and risk being discovered?

But then, Xia Qing remembered they had dug a supply tunnel connecting Territory 1 to Territory 3, so she replied while holding her cucumber: That's fine. The cucumbers in my field are ready to eat; I'll bring some for Brother Luo and Captain Yang to taste tonight.

After hanging up, Xia Qing grabbed her slingshot and smashed the head of an evolved locust that was flapping its wings and charging toward the peanut seedlings in the terraced planting zone. The biting power of evolved locusts had increased; if left unchecked, they would break through her insect netting within minutes.

After Xia Qing knocked down the locust, Boss Sheep ran faster than the birds scavenging for food, pinning the locust's carcass down with its hoof.

"Good job, Boss!" Xia Qing jumped down two terraces of the field while still holding her cucumber, walked over, and stuffed the leftover cucumber end into Boss Sheep's mouth as a reward. She then picked up the headless evolved locust from under its hoof and stuffed it into the grass bag hanging around its neck. "Since you didn't stomp it into mush this time, there's a reward. Boss Sheep gets the cucumber, and the locust goes to feed the fish."

Boss Sheep squinted its eyes and crunched on the cucumber amidst the chirping of birds, slowly walking down the slope to feed the fish in the pond.

Xia Qing then picked up the steel pellets she had just fired, wiped them clean, and tucked them into her bullet pouch. Steel pellets had to be exchanged for points if they ran out; she couldn't afford to lose a single one that could be recovered.

Recovering steel pellets fired at high speeds was extremely difficult and time-consuming unless one was a high-level visual or olfactory evolver.

Visual evolvers' eyes could capture fast-moving objects, and olfactory evolvers' noses could detect various scents. Xia Qing was not only a high-level visual evolver but also an auditory evolver capable of capturing sound. Therefore, this task was nothing to her.

When the appointed time arrived, Xia Qing carried five cucumbers, marching heroically to sign the first and second contracts of her life.

What would it feel like to see the two leaders of the Azure Dragon Team from Base Hui San in the same room at the same time? Luo Pei could move freely now, which made Xia Qing happy; Yang Jin had actually become even more handsome, making Xia Qing involuntarily want to stuff all the good food into his mouth...

Xia Qing controlled her emotions and handed over the basket. "Captain Yang, Brother Luo."

Yang Jin accepted the basket with a calm expression, while Luo Pei's face was flushed, wearing a smile.

Don't overthink it. Luo Pei wasn't blushing from shyness or excitement, but because the toxin synthesis hadn't fully subsided. Xia Qing's face was always a dark red, so she appeared flushed in any situation or in front of anyone.

Luo Pei looked at the succulent cucumbers in the basket. "Why did you bring so many?"

"I managed to grow nineteen cucumbers. Once the vines grow, one leaf can produce one cucumber. It's just that there aren't many Green Light ones; only these few are edible today." Xia Qing spoke of her vegetable garden with immense pride.

Seeing Xia Qing, whose face and heart were filled with smiles because of her successful farming, Yang Jin's eyes also softened with a smile. He explained why Xie Yu hadn't come: "Xie Yu has wanted to come and thank you in person for a long time, but one of the three of us must remain to guard the safety zone, so he couldn't make it this time. This is a small gift he asked me to prepare for you."

If Yang Jin and Luo Pei were the divine soldiers of the Azure Dragon Team, then Xie Yu was its brain. Without any one of the three, the Azure Dragon Team could never have reached its current scale. Although the spring water was important, Xia Qing had never expected that all three leaders of the Azure Dragon Team would need to come together to sign a contract with her.

Xia Qing accepted the dozen-plus pounds of small gifts from the team's second-in-command with both hands. "Captain Xie is far too kind."

Only after seeing Xia Qing accept it did Luo Pei explain what was in the box. "There are two hundred rounds of ammunition in here. You'll need them for your shooting practice."

She needed them very much! This small gift was both thoughtful and precious. If Xia Qing had originally intended to ask Yang Jin to take two cucumbers back to Xie Yu as a thank-you gift, she wouldn't have been able to say it.

Fortunately, she had prepared thoroughly for tonight.

Xia Qing took a small bucket of mountain spring water and two packs of tea from her backpack. "Captain Yang, please take this tea and water back to Captain Xie for me. Brother Luo, can you brew tea here? This tea tastes quite good; I'll brew some for you and Captain Yang to try."

"Of course. You and Yang Jin sit down; I'll do it." Luo Pei took on the task of brewing the tea, looking expectant. "It's been a long time since I've had tea brewed with mountain spring water."

Once the spring water boiled, the aroma of tea quickly filled the air. This was a tea scent Yang Jin had never smelled before. He asked Xia Qing, "Did you find tea trees in your territory?"

Xia Qing shook her head. "I traded for this with another Lord. That person said it was a rare, high-quality tea. I don't know much about tasting tea, but I think it smells great and tastes good."

It must have been traded from "Zhang San," which explained why the fragrance was so pure. Seeing that Xia Qing was living well, Yang Jin's expression softened further. "What did you use to trade for it? Green Light cucumbers?"

This was a public trade on the Lord Channel, so Xia Qing didn't hide it. "Green Light cucumbers, spinach leaves, and chives."

Yang Jin gave her a subtle warning. "Zhang San from Territory 7 is an extremely particular person regarding food texture. If he was willing to trade such good tea for them, it's because he believes your Green Light vegetables are worth that price. Are your vegetables watered directly with spring water?"

Xia Qing shook her head. "During the seed soaking and seedling stages, yes. Once they grew, I switched to regular water. Captain Yang, is there a risk in trading Green Light vegetables with other Lords?"

The smile in Yang Jin's eyes became more pronounced. "If every variety of Green Light vegetable you grow has a lower toxin content than those of other Lords, there is a risk of exposure. However, you can trade with the Azure Dragon Team with peace of mind."

What does it mean to be a "stingy iron rooster" who knows how to negotiate? This was it!

Xia Qing nodded expressionlessly. "I understand."

Luo Pei couldn't help but laugh. "A-Jin, bring out the land use certificate and the two contracts."