Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World

Once chosen, the safe zone would assign personnel to build a specialized planting platform in the selected locations, with warning signs and barriers set up around it.

This approach not only prepared the humans to either avoid the area or proceed cautiously but also provided Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree sufficient private space, demonstrating respect for its status.

Indeed, upon hearing this decision, the Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree spread their leaves wider, clearly pleased with the humans' reverence.

However, this was secondary. What Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree desired most was the fertile soil and water from Kim Haru's land.

Moon Baein promised that the soil for their planting platforms would come from fields used to grow normal crops during the autumn. If Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree found the soil unsatisfactory, the safe zone would purchase soil from Kim Haru's farm using crystal cores.

As for fertilizer, the fermentation pools in the safe zone were jointly owned by the safe zone's administration and Kim Haru. The fertilizer usage would be meticulously recorded and accounted for, ensuring Kim Haru received his rightful share down to the last coin.

After all, the fermentation pools could only produce such miraculous fertilizers because they were part of Kim Haru's farming system, requiring his personal input of crystal cores to activate the system's recognition.

The safe zone's share of the fertilizer came from their expenses in organizing tasks to collect kitchen waste and manure from households. People who brought these materials directly to the fermentation pools earned points in return, with the costs covered by the administration.

Effectively, most of the land in the Pyeongseong Safe Zone had already become property under Kim Haru's name.

The Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree, satisfied with residing on Kim Haru's land, tolerated the humans' presence despite finding them somewhat annoying.

Soon, the residents of Pyeongseong Safe Zone discovered that they had acquired a rather formidable mutated plant neighbor.

At first, everyone was on edge. Those living near the planting platforms even began contemplating relocation. Before they could act, however, the official announcement regarding Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree's abilities was released—along with the fact that they were introduced by none other than Kim Haru.

The moment Kim Haru's name was mentioned, the entire community was reassured.

"If it was brought here by Mr. Kim, it will surely bring no harm to Pyeongseong Safe Zone," everyone thought.

Within just half an hour of the Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree being planted, people noticed that the ice around their homes became brittle and easier to break. Accidental contact with the ice and snow no longer immediately tore away layers of flesh.

These visible benefits not only deepened everyone's respect for Kim Haru but also dissolved any lingering resentment toward the Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree.

Some residents even learned that Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree enjoyed the fertilizer from the fermentation pools and specifically purchased it with crystal cores to gift to the mutated plants.

Unexpectedly, the Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree found themselves receiving bonuses in addition to their basic "salary" and began to enjoy life in the safe zone even more.

These were later developments. For now, after ensuring that the Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree was successfully planted and showed no signs of discomfort, Kim Haru returned to his small farm via sled, driven by Snowball No. 1.

Kim Haru wasn't worried about Snowball No. 2 to Snowball No. 11, as they still had work to complete for the day. Once finished, they would return on their own.

Back at the small farm, three Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree had stayed behind to help. By the time Kim Haru returned, everything had been restored to how it was before the ice storm. In fact, the snow on the ground seemed softer, and even the chickens, Sir Peckington and Little Nugget, cautiously ventured out of their coop for a short stroll.

Kim Haru spoke to the eldest, second, and third Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree among the trio, explaining the situation with the Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree at the safe zone to reassure them, fearing they might worry about their fellow plants.

However, Kim Haru didn't fully understand that mutated plants didn't have much to worry about. In fact, they preferred being spread out. It wasn't just about having a wider territory but also about not competing too much for nutrients.

For mutated plants like these, communication over distance wasn't an issue. The safe zone and the mountain forest might be over an hour's drive apart for humans, but for the plants, it was like making a phone call—smooth and instant, without any network latency.

Still, the three Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree didn't share this with their human companion. They enjoyed watching the humans fret over their well-being, finding it inexplicably delightful.

Unaware of all this, Kim Haru finished what needed to be said and then turned to plan where to set up the new duck coop.

That's right—Kim Haru had decided to separate the ducklings from the chickens, Little Nugget and Sir Peckington. With 25 ducklings crammed into the chicken coop, space was becoming an issue.

Duck coops, like chicken coops, are typically designed to house five adult ducks each. However, considering the size of the ducklings, Kim Haru decided to divide them into three coops: two coops for eight ducks each and one for nine.

The ducklings didn't mind the arrangement and curiously explored their new coops. What piqued their interest the most was the "swimming pool" at the center of the area.

It couldn't be helped—the ducklings had hatched in the winter and had never experienced a proper water source. The only water they had encountered was for drinking, either frozen solid outdoors or just enough in their coop to keep them hydrated. Seeing so much water at once was a novel experience.

The duck coops, unlike the chicken coop, came with a designated "swimming pool" for the ducklings to splash around in. Thanks to the heated system, the water wouldn't freeze, and its temperature wouldn't drop too low.