Plant a Seed (4)

The greenhouse was filled with warmth, the newly activated soil radiating a faint golden light around the room. Azihiro stood in silence, sweat still clinging to his neck from the labor of clearing, hauling, and layering each grain of soil into the 100-square-meter chamber. Every muscle in his body ached, but a new notification pinged from SOL's interface.

[Award Unlocked: Greenhouse Activation Complete.]

[Bonus Unlocked: Spin the Genetic Lottery.]

A small icon appeared, a spinning wheel segmented into dozens of panels, each marked with names Azihiro had never heard before. It hovered in midair, slowly rotating.

[You may spin twice.]

Azihiro hesitated. He had read about pre-interstellar agriculture, but most data about extinct plants had been wiped or lost during the Great Rewriting, a historic event when archives were digitized and filtered to prioritize only high-value information. Natural crops were no longer considered relevant in a world where nutrient solutions ruled.

He touched the wheel. It spun wildly, lights dancing across its surface in a hypnotic blur. It began to slow. One section blinked.

[You received: Sweet Potato.]

A second spin.

[You received: Sugar Cane.]

SOL immediately responded by generating two seed pods, glowing gently in his palm. Beside the pods, a window appeared.

[Plant Type: Root Vegetable – Sweet Potato.]

[Characteristics: Nutrient-dense, promotes digestive strength, harvestable in 90 days.]

[Plant Type: Grass – Sugar Cane.]

[Characteristics: High in natural sugars, can be processed into energy snacks and syrup, harvestable in 120 days.]

Azihiro stared at the seeds for a long moment. Sweet potato… sugar cane…

He could feel the memory of a forgotten glory, stories about soil and rain, fire-cooked meals and sweetness on the tongue. Things he'd never experienced, only read in speculative history textbooks. The concept of real taste, real food, it was a luxury long buried by time and the advancement of technology.

Carefully, he planted the sweet potato seed first. He dug a small patch in the most sun-facing plot of the greenhouse and gently laid the seed into the plot, covering it with the soil he'd fought so hard to bring inside. Then he repeated the process with the sugar cane. When he was done, he sat back and admired the bare soil.

There was nothing yet.

But he felt it.

Change.

The illusion of barrenness now held the promise of growth.

A soft chime rang again.

[New Mission Unlocked.]

[Objective: Locate and retrieve miracle plant - XIWEIS.]

Azihiro's gaze was locked on the mission bar. A miracle plant?

[Plant Profile: XIWEIS.]

[Type: Cave-dwelling Flora.]

[Effects: Enhances immune system, strengthens bone and muscle density, neutralizes mild poisons.]

[Habitat: Caves in Mount Vireon.]

[Warning: High danger zone. Occupied by Technobeasts.]

His fingers tensed at the word, Technobeasts. He had only read about them in simulations. These were not natural creatures. Engineered from flesh and circuitry, remnants of a war where biological organisms were fused with machine parts.

Over time, the programming warped the instincts of these beasts. They became predators of both organic and synthetic prey. 

So this is my first fight… But it's been so long since they vanished in the galaxy.

He packed quickly. SOL's emergency toolkit and the containment pod for the XIWEIS plant. The mountain range lay to the northwest, beyond the frost dunes and mineral flats. He moved at first light.

The journey to Mount Vireon was steep and grueling. The terrain turned jagged as he ascended, rock gave way to sheets of dark ice, and frigid wind howled through narrow passages. His boots cracked through frost, each step careful. By midday, clouds swallowed the sun, and darkness shrouded the area.

The entrance to the cave was narrow and difficult like a beast's mouth. A dark mist drifted from within. SOL's warning flashed one last time.

[Detected Energy Signatures: Three Technobeasts inside. Defensive protocols recommended.]

Azihiro slipped inside.

Darkness swallowed him instantly. The cave was alive with faint growls, and the occasional buzz of circuitry. His hand touched the wall to guide him, and after several cautious steps, he activated a soft blue light from his suit.

The cave opened into a large chamber. And in the center, nestled between stones that looked faintly green, was the XIWEIS. Its petals were translucent, like glass spun from starlight. Roots clung to stone with fierce strength. He stepped forward, but a low, synthetic growl stopped him.

Across the chamber, from a crack in the wall, emerged a creature the size of a small hovercraft. Its body was covered in steel plates, but interwoven with cords and muscle. Razor-sharp claws clicked against the stone, and its eyes, red and segmented, locked onto Azihiro.

Behind it, two more followed. One had wings fused with turbines. Another had rotating blades embedded into its spine. Azihiro's pulse spiked.

No weapons. No words. Only one option, move.

He sprinted to the side as the first beast lunged, claws carving into stone. He slid beneath a low outcrop and reached into his kit. SOL had given him a compact electric trap, meant for small animals, but it might work.

He threw it. The net deployed midair, electrified strands crackling as it wrapped around one of the secondary Technobeasts. It convulsed and slammed into a wall, temporarily disabled. But the other two were faster.

The winged one took to the air, dive-bombing with a screech that rattled the stones. Azihiro rolled, grabbing a shard of metal from the floor and jamming it into an exposed joint as it passed. Sparks flew.

The largest Technobeast roared and pounced. Azihiro used the terrain. He ducked behind stone pillars, luring the creature into narrow spaces where it couldn't move freely. He threw mineral dust into its sensors. It reared back, disoriented.

Now!

He dashed to the XIWEIS, heart pounding. He reached out, careful not to damage the roots, and twisted the stem with gentleness. It separated cleanly. He secured it in the containment pod and sprinted for the exit.

The remaining Technobeasts followed. But the cave began to tremble, whether from the fight or a natural quake, he didn't know. Rocks fell. The ceiling cracked. A massive slab collapsed, blocking the passage.

Azihiro didn't look back. By the time he emerged into the sunlight, his suit was torn, one arm grazed by a metal claw. Blood smeared the fabric. But he held the pod tightly against his chest, breath ragged.

Back at the greenhouse, he placed the XIWEIS inside a small containment bed with simulated cave conditions, low light, mineral-rich soil, and humidity control.

SOL chimed.

[Miracle Plant Acquired.]

[Analyzing medicinal profile…]

Azihiro collapsed beside the sweet potato plot, pain throbbing through his limbs, but he smiled through the exhaustion.