Chapter Forty-Two: Trade and Cultivation of Crops

After gliding for about half a day, the surroundings gradually transformed into a wasteland. Not far from this desert lay a swath of scorched earth, the remnants of a forest consumed by fire. In the world of Seven Days to Die, the effects of nuclear radiation from the war had rendered the environment wildly diverse. Even within the Navigan region alone, deserts, barren steppes, and snowy fields existed side by side.

Within this wasteland was a modest town, and on the outskirts, Qin Fei discovered a survivor camp. Like the Baishui River camp, a white flag fluttered above this settlement, bearing the name “Pais.” Pais was likely the name of someone important.

A quick glance revealed that this camp was much larger than Baishui River’s. Around Pais camp, countless logs had been driven into the ground, forming a crude palisade. Though the wooden walls were rough and primitive, the sheer size of the camp dwarfed its defenses—certainly inferior to Baishui River’s. Qin Fei wondered how they had survived the previous waves of the undead.

From a safe distance, Qin Fei stowed most of his prized possessions in his backpack. He retrieved some casino tokens before approaching the Pais camp. On the wooden wall, a woman stood guard, clutching a submachine gun. The desert heat, intensified by proximity to the scorched earth, made the temperature here much higher than at Baishui River. The woman wore very little: denim shorts below and just a bra above, her slender waist exposed to the sun. Her skin, tanned from constant exposure, accentuated her slim figure. Her long legs were flawless, without a trace of excess flesh.

In the apocalypse, there were no overweight survivors, nor any skincare products. Though her figure was astonishing, her face was merely average. Still, Qin Fei couldn’t help but admire her legs a moment longer.

Noticing Qin Fei gazing up at her, the woman raised an eyebrow and shot him an icy glare. “What are you here for?”

Qin Fei grinned, waving the casino tokens in his hand and flashing what he considered a friendly smile. “I’m from Baishui River camp, here to trade for some food…”

Upon hearing that Qin Fei was from Baishui River, the woman’s expression softened. “Wait here a moment.” With that, she stepped into the camp, presumably to summon someone in charge.

Her reaction gave Qin Fei a sense of relief. Apparently, news of Baishui River’s fall had not yet reached this place—a fortunate circumstance for him. In this lawless world, murder and theft among survivors were commonplace. Claiming affiliation with Baishui River was a precaution, a deterrent against any ill intentions. With that camp’s reputation as a shield, even if they wanted to act against him, they would hesitate.

As expected, the camp’s leader emerged and, upon learning that Qin Fei was a Baishui River survivor, promptly agreed to trade. Qin Fei spent all his casino tokens in exchange for food. He also acquired some fresh potatoes, grown by the people of Pais camp themselves.

This surprised Qin Fei. Even in ideal conditions, potatoes require at least sixty days to mature. In Seven Days to Die, a blood moon comes every seven days, with seven forming a cycle. To harvest potatoes, this camp must have survived at least one full cycle of the blood moon.

To survive the undead waves, a camp must either possess formidable defenses, overwhelming firepower, or significant supplies of gasoline—allowing them to stay mobile throughout the night. If luck holds, and the vehicles don’t fail, such mobility can also secure survival.

Whatever the method, the presence of potatoes spoke to the abundance of resources within Pais camp.

After exchanging all his tokens for food, Qin Fei quickly departed, wary of any unforeseen dangers. He dared not linger in the camp or its surroundings. Though the people here had no immediate designs on him, Qin Fei was not one of their own. One must never let their guard down; life is paramount.

His round trip took nearly half a day. Before nightfall, Qin Fei finally returned to his shelter.

With potatoes in hand, Qin Fei could now grow his own food. Though potatoes generally require over sixty days to mature, once in Qin Fei’s possession, they benefited from the game system’s enhancements.

[Potatoes: Can be eaten directly, used in several recipes, or planted as seeds. Harvest in about fourteen days.]

Qin Fei’s shelter lay beside the river, an ideal spot for planting potatoes, which require plenty of water. He selected a patch between his shelter and the river, planting some of the potatoes as seeds.

In the nearby woods, Qin Fei also found some wild autumn unicorn flowers.

[Autumn Unicorn Flower: Used for tea and crafting other items.]

Autumn unicorn flowers could be brewed into fragrant tea, able to treat ailments like dysentery and fever to some degree. Like the potatoes, with the system’s boost, these flowers would be ready for harvest in fourteen days.

That night, Qin Fei opened a can of lamb, added some potatoes, and stewed a pot of potato and lamb soup. Fearing that a prolonged fire might attract the undead, he kept the cooking time short. Even if it wasn’t perfectly prepared, after so many days of canned food, this soup was a rare gourmet treat in the apocalypse.

Three days remained before the fourth blood moon. With enough food, Qin Fei spent nearly all that time in his shelter, grinding steel plates and crafting steel blades for traps. Occasionally, he roamed the riverbank nearby, hoping to find more wild edible or medicinal plants, but found nothing to eat.

Instead, he discovered a patch of lead ore—rare, exposed directly on the surface.