"If that’s the case, couldn’t Black Dragon just say what he heard? Why make things so complicated?"
Black Dragon hadn’t immediately revealed his source, not because he was trying to keep a secret for Dawn Base, but because the conversation alone proved nothing. It would just make him look like he was jumping to conclusions.
Now that a survivor had brought it up, Black Dragon didn’t hesitate. He immediately posted screenshots of his chat with Dawn Base.
"Dawn Base has confirmed that the group they encountered was the same one I traded with. Doesn’t that prove something?" Black Dragon added.
’As for his online image, he didn’t care. He was going to stir things up anyway.’
"Just as I thought. But honestly, these conversations don’t prove a thing!"
"Exactly! Even if the conversation is real, it doesn’t prove the Iron Melon Tree you traded was an Evolutionary Plant!"
"You’re so naive, believing everything you’re told! Maybe they were just messing with you!"
When Ren Yuanyang saw the screenshots, he finally understood why Black Dragon was suddenly so hung up on their previous trade.
’Isn’t Dawn Base making this more complicated than it needs to be?’ Ren Yuanyang wondered.
Since Qin Haonan had used plant weapons in his fight against Dawn Base, Iron Melon and Spray Melon seeds were bound to be left behind. All the other party had to do was carefully clear the battlefield to find them.
’If Dawn Base found the seeds, they could have just kept that information to themselves. Why did they need to confirm it with Black Dragon?’
’So what if the Iron Melon Tree originally came from Black Dragon?’
Just as Ren Yuanyang was wondering about this, a message came from Qin Haonan: "Boss, I’m sorry. I’m the one who exposed our plant weapons!"
"It’s fine! So what if they know? You think they can cultivate the same plant weapons as us?" Ren Yuanyang replied with a laugh. "Remember, your safety is what’s most important. Nothing else matters!"
Hearing this, Qin Haonan nodded. Then he added worriedly, "I’m worried that when other survivors find out, they’ll raise the price of their plants!"
"You actually thought of that! Not bad!" Ren Yuanyang said, a little surprised. "But don’t worry. The plants they have aren’t necessarily essential for us, but the food we have is essential for them. If they try to jack up the prices, we can just choose not to trade. Understand?"
It dawned on Qin Haonan. "I get it, Boss!"
"We initiate the trades, so we call the shots. We can raise the price, but they can’t bargain!" Ren Yuanyang continued.
Qin Haonan was taken aback. "We’re going to raise the price ourselves?"
’In his mind, getting plants for the least amount of food was the best deal. Raising the price voluntarily seemed stupid!’
Ren Yuanyang smiled. "Tell me, what’s more efficient: one survivor looking for plants for us, or a whole group of them?"
"A group, of course!" Qin Haonan replied without a second thought. Then it clicked. "I get it!"
Ren Yuanyang continued, "Once we have an abundant food supply, we can raise the prices a little. It’ll make the survivors more willing to trade with us, and it will also help more of them survive. We’ll get more plants. It’s a virtuous cycle!"
"Right! It’s like you said before: get all the survivors to work for us!" Qin Haonan now understood completely.
"That’s the idea!" Ren Yuanyang replied. "We can use the attention from Black Dragon’s smear campaign to our advantage. Let’s advertise our trades on the regional channel. Every time you complete a successful trade, post it immediately!"
"You got it!" Qin Haonan responded.
At this time, the captain of the Dawn Cruise saw Black Dragon post the chat screenshots. He frowned slightly, then shook his head, unconcerned.
’The screenshots really didn’t prove anything. They didn’t even mention plant weapons.’
He had contacted Black Dragon simply to confirm whether the Iron Melon Tree had already evolved when it was traded to Ren Yuanyang.
Apparently, it hadn’t.
’Did the Iron Melon Tree evolve later? Or does Peach Blossom Base have a way to make plants evolve?’
Once the thought took root, it was impossible to shake.
"’That would explain why they’re willing to trade food for plants!’ The captain was stunned by the possibility. ’If that’s true, then I really missed a golden opportunity!’"
The Dawn Cruise had actually scouted Ren Yuanyang’s group before, but the captain had paid them no mind.
’If they had captured Ren Yuanyang back then, would Dawn Base now possess the method to evolve plants?’
’Maybe I’m overthinking this. Being able to evolve any plant... that’s just too insane,’ the captain told himself.
Just then, a message from Qin Haonan popped up on the regional channel.
"Congratulations to this survivor for trading three garlic cloves for 15 Cherry Tomatoes! Here at Peach Blossom Base, we do business with integrity and treat all our customers fairly! We welcome everyone to come and trade with us!"
He followed up by posting several photos of the trade.
Seeing the fresh Cherry Tomatoes in the photos, all the survivors’ eyes went green with envy.
"Fresh Cherry Tomatoes! How did Peach Blossom Base get those?"
"Don’t tell me they grew them themselves?"
"Not enough time for that! Unless... those Cherry Tomatoes are evolved!"
"Does that mean the seeds inside the Cherry Tomatoes are evolved too?"
"Theoretically, yes!"
"Then what are we waiting for! Let’s find some plants and trade for those Cherry Tomatoes!"
"@Tattooed Haonan, bro, I have poisonous mushrooms here. Do you guys take them?"
"Damn, you want to trade poisonous mushrooms for food? You’re dreaming! Besides, I don’t think mushrooms are even plants!"
"That’s right, mushrooms are from the Fungi Kingdom, not the Plant Kingdom!"
"Ah! So I’m out of luck!"
Seeing the discussion, Ren Yuanyang replied directly, "We’ll take poisonous mushrooms too. Haonan, check his location. If it’s on your way, go pick them up. If not, we’ll get them next time."
"Okay, Boss!" Qin Haonan replied.
When the survivor saw Ren Yuanyang’s reply, he was so moved he nearly cried.
"Thank you, Boss!" he exclaimed, echoing Qin Haonan.
Seeing that Peach Blossom Base would even take poisonous mushrooms, the other survivors scrambled to offer up all sorts of random things they had on hand.
"Hey, big shot, I’ve got half a piece of ginger. You want it?"
"I’ve got half a packet of seasoning, you taking it?"
"Brother Nan, I’ve got a pair of original-flavor silk stockings. Can I trade them for two Cherry Tomatoes?"
The entire regional channel was instantly flooded with messages.
"Everyone, please private message @Tattooed Haonan directly with your location. He will arrange whether and how the trades will happen! There are too many messages on the regional channel, it’s impossible to keep up!" Ren Yuanyang quickly posted, trying to stop the spam.
"Okay, big shot!" everyone replied in agreement.
Qin Haonan’s private messages instantly blew up.
"Boss, there are too many! It’ll take forever to sort through all this!" Qin Haonan cried out to Ren Yuanyang for help.

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