The Eleventh Seed

"New play thing, plant nerd?" Zhenfeng chirped from the deeper side of the cavern.

Jianyu ignored his comment and reached for the satchel, his fingers rummaging through it as he searched for the turnip seeds. His hand came up empty. A frown crossed his face.

"System," Jianyu called out, annoyance lacing his voice. "Where are my turnip seeds? You told me to plant these things, didn't you? Don't tell me I have to find them myself now."

A calm, robotic voice echoed in his mind. "This is no longer a trial stage, Jianyu. You are now in the advanced phase. Resources must be obtained through proper channels. Seeds can be purchased through the Eden's Core Marketplace within the system interface."

Jianyu blinked, momentarily stunned. "What the hell? You're telling me I have to buy seeds now? Since when is planting vegetables a pay-to-win mechanic?"

The system, of course, remained silent, offering no further explanation. Jianyu groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Great. Just great. I'm stuck in some dystopian farming simulator where even dirt costs money."

With a resigned sigh, he pulled up the system interface again, scrolling through until he found the Eden's Core Marketplace. Sure enough, there they were—turnip seeds, sold in neatly packed bundles.

"Thirty points for one pack?" Jianyu groaned. "At this rate, I'll be bankrupt before we even harvest anything. Eden's Core, my ass."

Muttering under his breath, he reluctantly opened the system interface and navigated to the Eden's Core Marketplace. And there they were—turnip seeds, looking as innocent as ever, neatly displayed in pixel-perfect little bundles.

"Thirty points for one pack?" Jianyu practically yelled. "You've gotta be joking. At this rate, I'll be broke before I even sprout a single leaf. Screw this, Eden's Core is a scam."

He stared at the interface for a moment longer before slamming the "Buy" button with a defeated sigh.

Current total points: 550 points

"What's with the face? You're zoning out, but you look like you're mad at the world or something," Zhenfeng asked, giving Jianyu a judgmental side-eye.

Jianyu, without a word, grabbed a watering can—a pretty sizable one—and casually chucked it at Zhenfeng.

"Real polite, aren't you?" Zhenfeng snapped, catching the watering can just in time before it could hit the ground. Irritated but he still held onto the can.

"Instead of running your mouth, go fill this up for me," Jianyu said.

Zhenfeng glared at him, but with a dramatic huff, he trudged off to do as told.

Moments later, he returned, holding the now-filled watering can. "Here. It's full," he said, his tone still laced with annoyance.

By that time, Jianyu had already made himself comfortable, leaning back against the magical tree with his arms crossed. He'd been so close to dozing off that Zhenfeng's return felt like an unwelcome wake-up call. With an audible sigh, Jianyu sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Water those spots," Jianyu said, pointing lazily at several patches of soil.

Zhenfeng clenched his jaw, ready to argue, but then paused. He glanced at Jianyu—his tired face, the slump in his shoulders. The guy looked utterly exhausted. Despite his own annoyance, Zhenfeng's irritation softened ever so slightly.

"Fine," he grumbled under his breath, walking over to the spots Jianyu had pointed out. He started watering, the soil quickly darkening as the water seeped in.

"Done, boss," Zhenfeng said after a few minutes, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow.

Jianyu, now fully awake but still looking half-dead, nodded. "Good. Now go take a break or something. You've earned it."

"Gee, thanks," Zhenfeng muttered, rolling his eyes, but deep down, he didn't actually mind. He sit on the place where Jianyu was sitting while waiting for him before. Leaning on the tree and making himself comfortable while watching Jianyu works.

Jianyu grabbed a hoe from the tools given by the system, eyeing the stubbornly compacted-yet-has-been-watered soil in front of him. "Alright, let's do this," he muttered to himself, rolling up his sleeves. With a heavy swing, he drove the blade into the dirt. It barely made a dent.

"Need help, farmer boy?" Zhenfeng teased, leaning casually against the magical tree with an amused smirk.

Jianyu shot him a look, wiping the sweat already forming on his brow. "Unless you're offering, shut it."

Zhenfeng chuckled but didn't move from his spot. "I think I'll pass. Watching you suffer is way more entertaining."

Jianyu grumbled something under his breath and swung the hoe again, this time with more force. The ground finally started to give way, breaking into clumps. Each swing felt like an eternity, but the sight of soft, turned soil slowly spreading across the plot gave him a weird sense of satisfaction.

"Not bad," Zhenfeng remarked after a while, his tone losing its usual sarcasm. "You're actually doing it."

Jianyu paused, leaning on the hoe as he caught his breath. "Yeah, well, someone has to," he said, glancing at Zhenfeng. "You could make yourself useful, you know."

Zhenfeng sighed dramatically, finally pushing off the tree. "Fine, but only because I'm tired of watching you flail around like a dying fish." He grabbed a shovel from the tools and started working on the other side of the plot while squatting down, surprisingly efficient for someone who spent most of his time mocking others.

For a while, the cavern was filled with the rhythmic sound of metal against earth. Slowly but surely, the patch of soil transformed into a neat, evenly tilled garden bed.

"Okay," Jianyu said, straightening up and brushing dirt off his hands. "Time to plant these overpriced seeds."

Zhenfeng raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I'm actually impressed. Didn't think you'd make it this far without collapsing."

"Keep talking, and I'll bury you along with the seeds," Jianyu shot back, but there was no real bite in his tone.

Zhenfeng raised an eyebrow. He was secretly curious about where Jianyu had gotten the seeds, but he couldn't be bothered to ask.

Jianyu knelt down to plant the turnip seeds. He couldn't help but feel a small spark of pride. The neat rows of tilled soil and the promise of future crops—it wasn't much, but it was something. 

Zhenfeng, surprisingly quiet for once, crouched beside him, about to take a seed from his hand without being asked. Their hands brushed briefly, and Jianyu pretended not to notice the awkward pause that followed as he take his seed pouch near his chest, as if protecting it ever so possessively.

"What!?" He shot at Zhenfeng.

"You missed a spot," Zhenfeng said quickly, pointing to an empty patch.

"I was getting to it," Jianyu replied, annoyed and hurriedly planting another seed.