Chapter 231: To Stay or to Leave (part 2)

Red Moon’s attitude left Wu Qingsong momentarily stunned. He quickly responded, “Fine, after we leave, you can jump into the sea and kill yourself.”

This statement left Red Moon and Ram utterly speechless.

Red Moon’s face turned bright red, while Wu Qingsong pulled Ram away and turned to leave.

To be honest, he felt a bit guilty when he and Ram came to see Red Moon.

Although Red Moon was technically a hostage, taking her from the Imperial City was partly to ensure their group’s safety. More importantly, it was to prevent her from further influencing Xeila’s mind. However, she did help them escape the Imperial City safely, and their relationship had significantly improved before encountering the storm.

He had even thought about what to say if Red Moon cried or accused them for these reasons. How could he justify forcibly leaving her behind?

If it didn’t work out, he could take her to Orgrimmar. Just like on the ship, he could have Ling and Ram take turns watching her. After all, their abilities, once awakened, could last for a long time, and Red Moon wouldn’t be able to interfere with them during that time.

But Red Moon’s reaction completely erased any guilt he felt.

Perhaps Red Moon’s extreme reaction was because she was someone who had almost never tasted failure before. Suddenly experiencing unprecedented failures with Wu Qingsong and his people, and then with Queen Gale and her people, her hysteria after hearing this arrangement might have been a dramatic expression of her strong opposition. But to Wu Qingsong, it was undoubtedly a form of blackmail.

If Ling, Liuli, or Ram had said this to him, he would have considered it. Firstly, they rarely used threats to express their opinions. Secondly, they were all important to him, and he always took their feelings into account to avoid making them feel disappointed or uneasy.

But Red Moon? Sorry, who are you? Why should I care about your life or death? What does your life or death have to do with me?

If pushed, he didn’t fear elves, nor did he fear killing the son of an elven marquis. Why would he be afraid of someone from an underground organization?

As a hostage who lacks the awareness of one, don’t blame me for being rude.

“Wu, what’s with you?” Ram glanced back at Red Moon, who was standing there in a daze.

“Ignore her. I don’t believe someone like her would choose to commit suicide,” Wu Qingsong said. “By the way, keep an eye on Ling and Liuli. Don’t let Red Moon get a chance to contact them in the next few days.”

The Black Pearl was under strict guard by the penguin people to prevent anyone from trying to sabotage it out of desperation. The ship’s repairs were almost entirely complete, with only the installation of the masts and sails left, which were crucial for the ship. But now, Wu Qingsong no longer needed them.

Lings’ abilities could completely replace the function of sails, and those undead sea creatures could easily propel the ship forward from underwater. Wu Qingsong decided to take all the undead with him. Leaving them here would only result in further decay and waste the power of soul fragments, so it was better to put them to use during the journey.

The harpies brought plenty of fruit for their journey, filled all the barrels with fresh water, and carefully sealed them. Preparations were complete.

While waiting for these arrangements, Wu Qingsong, observing the poorly growing fruit trees, suddenly recalled his experience with balcony gardening back home. He specifically mentioned this to Mia.

“These trees could really use some pruning,” he told Mia. “Look, many old branches don’t produce fruit anymore but still absorb nutrients and block sunlight. Also, many branches grow too fast without bearing much fruit, yet they still consume nutrients and block sunlight. Plus, many trees have poorly shaped canopies that don’t fully utilize sunlight and space. Proper pruning could easily double your harvest.”

What he said was too complex for Mia to fully understand, but the idea of “doubling the harvest” caught her attention. She quickly invited Wu Qingsong to the queen’s court to explain these concepts to more people.

Actually, Wu Qingsong didn’t know much either. Back in the day, his family grew small tomatoes on their balcony, but without any pruning, the plant grew large but hardly bore any fruit. Whenever a tomato did appear, it would either fall off or never grow large. Meanwhile, their neighbor’s tomato plant, which was in a small flowerpot, was abundant with fruit, which was quite discouraging for them.

Wu Qingsong’s father specifically asked the neighbor for advice. The following year, their tomato plant improved significantly, although it still wasn’t as good as the neighbor’s. This left a deep impression on Wu Qingsong, and he understood a bit of the basics.

However, these harpies didn’t understand what he was talking about or the reasoning behind it. Wu Qingsong ended up giving them a basic science lesson, introducing some fundamental knowledge about plant growth.

“In short, overly dense foliage isn’t necessarily good for fruit trees. It can actually reduce yield. The key is to maintain a proper balance. You need to prune old, weak, and diseased branches promptly, and selectively thin out overly dense branches. Also, remove old trees with significantly reduced yield and replace them with new seedlings. You can try propagation by cuttings—take some strong branches, stick them in the soil, and water them regularly so they can grow roots. This might help them grow faster. And remember to fertilize when necessary.” 

Watching a large group of harpies intently listening to him, afraid to miss a single word, gave Wu Qingsong a satisfying feeling. It seemed that everyone had a natural instinct to show off and teach.

“Dung, fallen leaves, feathers, and the parts of fish, shrimp, and shellfish you don’t eat—dig a pit to collect all of this together, layer by layer. When it looks dry, just water it. With the weather here, in three or four months, dig it up and bury it around the fruit trees. I guarantee your fruit yield will greatly increase. You all have been relying on nature for food for thousands of years. Besides catching bugs, have you never thought about how to make these trees grow better? If this continues, these trees will just keep declining, yielding fewer and fewer fruits. What will your descendants eat in the future?”

“These trees indeed don’t bear as much fruit as they did when we were young…” a few elderly harpies murmured in a language Wu Qingsong couldn’t understand. 

His abilities had already earned their complete trust, and there was no need for him to make up such systematic advice to deceive them.

The words of a strong person must be reasonable. Even if they didn’t understand now, they’d write it down first and figure it out later.

This simple worldview meant they didn’t ask any questions, which gave Wu Qingsong great satisfaction.

What excellent students! If schoolteachers saw students like this, they would probably be moved to tears.

Wu Qingsong didn’t realize that his unintentional actions would earn him the true recognition of Queen Gale.

“He is indeed the one from the prophecy,” she declared with certainty after Wu Qingsong left.

“Your Majesty…”

“We must seize this opportunity,” Queen Gale insisted firmly. “Mia, my smartest daughter, I want you to stay by his side, learn from him, and show our sincerity as the Gale Clan. This concerns the future of our people. You must complete this task well.”

“Mother, trust me! I will fulfill this mission,” Mia said, both excited and determined.