Chapter 10 Wild rewards
"Live for a while?" David knew why Mark Watney said that. After he was accidentally forgotten on Mars in the plot, he could only live alone on this planet with nothing.
His motivation to survive is to wait for the next manned mission to Mars four years later.
How to spend these four years is the biggest problem he has to solve at present-not to mention whether the living camp can last for four full years without damage, whether the oxygen equipment and water-making equipment can work normally for four years, for this time For Mark Watney, the biggest problem is food.
The base stores enough food for six astronauts for 68 days. Even if there is only Mark Watney alone, the food can only support him for 300 days, and the proper amount can last up to 400 days. This is still a long way from four years.
It was at this time that Mark, who was thinking hard about how to grow enough food for him on Mars for three years, came to David's Winter Village in a daze.
At this moment, Mark Watney saw new hope—if what David said was true, he could freely travel between the two worlds, then he could live here, and at the same time find a way to communicate with the next batch Astronauts from Mars rendezvous and return to Earth together.
So, is there anything wrong with David taking on Mark Watney?
of course not!
So David directly welcomed: "This is not a trouble, welcome to Cold Winter Village." Apart from anything else, Mark Watney is a botanist, maybe he can help him solve the land problem? Or let yourself acquire some botanical skills from him?
reached out his hand to hold Mark, and welcomed him. David didn't feel that he had suddenly learned anything. I wonder if the favorability is not high enough?
David is not in a hurry. If his judgment is correct, Mark Watney will live with him for at least a few years. Whether it is botany knowledge or anything else, he is not in a hurry.
Worst of all, Mark Watney is a living man after all. He needs a certain number of villagers if he wants to become an official village head.
In David's plan, when Laura gets him the seeds of high-yielding crops and solves the most basic farmland and food problems, he will go to Iron Tree Fort to recruit a group of villagers. If there are people living in the village before then , will undoubtedly be more convincing and persuade more people to stay.
So, even if ignoring the gains brought by Goldfinger, Mark Watney only stayed for a few years and then left, he is very welcome.
Mark Watney doesn’t know about these things at the moment. In fact, even if he knows, he doesn’t care. As long as he can urgently solve his survival crisis, everything else is trivial.
Hearing David's welcome, Mark couldn't close his excited mouth, but he didn't know if he was hungry and confused. He seemed to smell the aroma of meat.
Soon he discovered that he was not hallucinating because he was hungry, but that there was really a pot of broth waiting for him.
"Our Winter Village is located in the northernmost part of the Kingdom. It is a newly established village. There are no good things. I hope you don't dislike it!"
Looking at the steaming broth that David brought in front of him, Mark smiled even brighter: "How come, thank you very much for your hospitality, and I hope to be able to help if possible."
Mark doesn't want to be a free eater, and has already started thinking about what he can do?
In his opinion, although he doesn't know how he came to this world, and he doesn't know much about this world, judging from the current observations, the civilization of this world seems to be at a relatively backward stage, and he should be able to use Some advanced knowledge makes this village better.
Eating breakfast, Mark expressed that he wanted to visit Xiarendong Village later, not just the 'inside' of the village with only four wooden houses, but he also wanted to see the surrounding situation.
"Of course." David had no reason to refuse, and Fording said that he would go to the forest in the north.
David knew that Fording had attacked David's wolves before he was worried, and wanted to go over to see if he could completely eliminate the hidden dangers. Of course he would not object to this.
Just as several people were eating breakfast and deciding what to do next, Laura came running again.
When Mark Watney held a wooden bowl and saw a person appearing from nothing in front of his own eyes, most of the last doubt in his heart disappeared, and the last trace of doubt was left to "this may be just A bizarre dream! ’ This option.
"Hi, my name is Lara Croft!"
When Laura introduced herself to Mark Watney, the botanist from Mars had a strange expression on his face. He held back for a few seconds before introducing himself to Laura: "Hello, my name is Mark Watney .”
None of the people present were idiots, and Fording was the best of the best. Although he doesn't know English at the moment, after these two days, he already knew that Laura's words were simple greetings and self-introduction, and only It's funny how Mark Watney reacted to such a simple greeting.
Laura also realized something, but she already had some experience, so she didn't rush to ask. At this time, she had more important things to deal with first. After asking for some food and water, and asking David to replenish various buffs for himself, he left in a hurry.
Looking at the golden light shining from David's wave, Mark suddenly realized that he had not only come to another world, but also witnessed the mysterious power that once only existed in various magical works.
"What's this?"
"Holy Light!"
Familiar name, Mark Watney suddenly felt that the possibility that he was actually dreaming became a little bigger.
Watching David skillfully tidy up the pots and pans, Mark followed behind to observe everything carefully, and secretly twisted his arms and thighs a few times from time to time.
No matter how hard he tried, the pain from his body didn't wake him up, and if he was really dreaming, the details would be too detailed and real.
"Wait." While following David around the village, Mark seemed to have discovered something, and stopped David who was about to take him to the river: "I seem to have discovered something."
"What?" David, who was stopped, was stunned for a moment, turned around and saw Mark rushing towards the back of a wooden house: "Is it a beast?"
Because the surrounding environment is not safe, David even keeps his weapons at hand when he is resting, let alone when he is active.
Reaching out to take off the hunting bow on his back, he heard Mark say: "No, I seem to have found a potato seedling."
"ah?"
The hand that was about to take the bow paused in the air, watching in astonishment that Mark Watney was squatting so cautiously on the open space behind the wooden house, observed carefully for a while, and finally raised his head and said: "I'm not mistaken, this They are indeed potato sprouts."
"..."
David really wanted to answer him with 'impossible'. He has lived here for two years, how could he not notice the wild potatoes under his nose?
Just about to speak, after looking at Mark Watney for a second, he suddenly realized something, and the blurted rebuttal turned into: "What is that?"
"A kind of food that is easy to survive and has a high yield." Mark didn't think much about it. He just thought that people in this world didn't know the edible value of potatoes. This thing can be eaten... and it is delicious: "Since wild potatoes can be found, it proves that potatoes can be grown here."
Mark Watney originally planned to plant potatoes inside the base on Mars, but there are too many troubles to be solved in planting on Mars, and the probability of success is very low.
Compared to this, bringing those live potatoes here, and then opening up a potato field in this world, and continuously planting a large number of potatoes, can not only ensure their own food, but also contribute to the village, which is perfect.
Mark Watney, who is in a state of excitement, is not going to continue to visit. He can't wait to start his potato field development plan immediately. Where is Tiankaipi located?
Looking at Mark Watney who was muttering in his mouth, David didn't interrupt the man's thoughts, but turned his head to look at the potato seedlings under his feet.
The green and fresh branches and leaves grow on the black land. After observing carefully for a moment, David found that there seemed to be very slight differences between the land under his feet and the land in the distance.
"Illusion?"
After looking at it a few more times, he couldn't tell if he had read it wrong; or maybe he hadn't noticed such a small difference before.
But one thing is certain, there were absolutely no wild potatoes in this place before—he lived for two years, and he never let go of the wild vegetables and berries that could be eaten and dug in the surrounding land. It is impossible for him to ignore the crops under his nose. . Besides, it's not that he doesn't know potatoes.
Since it didn't exist before, there's no reason for it to pop up out of nowhere.
The most reliable explanation is Mark Watney next to him who is muttering and calculating something.
"Could it be that the rewards are not only the skills or talents given to people like me, but also the actual items like potatoes?" David pondered: the rewards of this kind of actual objects should also be the same as the characters who "issue rewards" There is a special connection, just like Mark-Watney and potatoes-in the plot, Mark relied on potatoes to survive on Mars until the rescue arrived on Mars and successfully returned to Earth.
"However, this kind of potato that grows behind the house is easy to find. If there are other strange things, how to find or claim them?"
(end of this chapter)