Qianyuan: My crew comes from the world of anime.

He seemed quite satisfied with the quality of the product inside.

The missionary "Captain Luo" snapped his fingers, and soon a young believer handed him an envelope containing banknotes. "This contains six thousand marks. Our cooperation has been very successful. I look forward to our next collaboration."

Luo Tianming glanced at the envelope; it seemed to contain more than six thousand marks.

However, he did not accept it and instead stated:

"That won't be necessary... More than the reward, I'd like to know—have you been planning anything big lately?"

missionary:"……"

Seeing his cautious expression, Luo Tianming continued to explain.

"Don't worry, I've already helped you get the Painted Skin Creatures, so I'm no longer a member of the Alliance... I'm just surprised by your sudden need for so many Painted Skin Insect Eggs."

He would definitely be willing to take the money, but the other party had so clearly told him that something was wrong. If he chose to take the money and leave, it would be like missing out on the opportunity.

“…Heh heh,” the missionary chuckled sinisterly, “Captain Luo, you have a keen eye…Indeed, you guessed right.”

"However, I think that such news alone is probably not worth a reward of six thousand marks. Since you refuse the reward, then it means..."

Luo Tianming nodded: "That's right, I want to attend your recent so-called big event. There should be quite a few high-ranking members of your church present at this event, right?"

Missionary: "That's natural. This is the first time since the massive raids we had last time—all the bigwigs from our sect's various regions will be attending the 'concert' next month."

"I just didn't expect... Captain Luo, besides knowing so much about us, you're actually really interested in our sect. Are you willing to join us and become a human in the new world?"

Luo Tianming: "No, I simply want to meet your Archbishop: Yakov Subra... It's said that he's a human who successfully coexisted with the Painted Skin, right?"

"certainly--!"

The missionary's voice suddenly took on a hint of fanaticism: "It is under the archbishop's leadership that we have embarked on the great path of coexisting with the painted skin. Ordinary people simply cannot comprehend how great this gift is."

"We will be engraved on the history pillar of the new humankind, and we will no longer have to endure the cold and dark, deep water pressure of Europa. Everything will usher in a new order."

Luo Tianming: "..."

Unfortunately, he had absolutely no liking for the so-called "Painted Skin Cult".

The main reason is that the founder of this sect was a truly insane person who succeeded by accident.

His ultimate goal is to infect all the humans on Europa with the Painted Skin Parasite, so that he can decide who should be in which position and permanently enslave those monsters who have lost their minds due to the Painted Skin Parasite.

The archbishop's wish is to turn back the clock of history and establish an eternal empire of masks that cannot defy his will...

This is even worse than other organizations.

The key is that Miaomiao could develop a name for her symbiotic relationship with the painted skin.

…………

Ultimately, the missionary agreed to take Luo Tianming to the 'concert'.

"Captain Luo, when the time is right... our people will seek you out. At that time, please help us gain more influence at the 'concert'. Please remember this code word—[Robert Schumann]."

Luo Tianming: "..."

What are these lunatics trying to do?

They don't really think that organizing a 'concert' using a musician's name will be ignored by the Europa Alliance, do they?

After the believers left, Luo Tianming walked down the metal suspension staircase.

As soon as he arrived, the news was quickly relayed to Catherine, who was in charge of the operation.

"Luo~!"

The red-haired Lolita, Catherine, skipped and hopped towards him from a distance.

She, who was barely up to Luo Tianming's chest, had to hold up the incubator with all her might so that the mushrooms could reach his eyes.

"Look!" Her eyes sparkled like a child craving praise. "I've grown the mushrooms! I already had someone test them for poison, and so far there haven't been any problems. These things are really good!"

"I've already ordered all the land to be cultivated and planted with mushrooms. We'll soon have more mushrooms than we can eat!!"

Luo Tianming: "..."

Why does this sound so familiar to him?

Chapter 78 Delicious Mushrooms

Upon hearing her words, Luo Tianming not only wasn't happy for her, but instead looked troubled...

He remembered giving Catherine a small bottle of mushroom spores, enough to plant an entire acre of land... In his memory, the mushrooms produced in those mushroom greenhouses covering 1 square meters were enough to supply the mushroom market of a whole township.

The mushrooms they are holding are a variety that grows much faster than ordinary mushrooms, and can be harvested in just three days... and they will also release spores to grow again.

If Luo Tianming remembered correctly, fresh mushrooms are also very easy to rot.

"..."

When he told Catherine about it, her face turned deathly pale.

"What...what should I do? I never expected it to turn out like this! I'm doomed! I scattered all the seeds the moment I got them."

The red-haired girl panicked for a moment. Perhaps she was reminded of the fate of the previous Minister of Agriculture who 'grew bananas,' and she became uneasy.

When she led Luo Tianming to the warehouse where the first batch of mushrooms were piled up like mountains, he was completely overwhelmed.

Catherine explained, "This is the first batch of mushrooms to be planted, about 300 kilograms... The next harvest will be tomorrow, at which time another 600 kilograms will be added to the storage capacity."

Luo Tianming: "..."

300 kilograms... that's about 600 jin (300 catties) in Chinese. At present, there are less than 60 people left at Chongshan Station. Even if everyone is mobilized to eat, it would take 10 jin (5 catties) of mushrooms a day to barely keep up with the consumption.

And this is not the limit. As agriculture gradually expands, the number of crops will definitely increase...

Luo Tianming knew that this matter was urgent and immediately ordered: seal the warehouse temporarily, control the ambient temperature at around 4°C, and inject a large amount of low-temperature carbon dioxide into the room to slow down the decay of the mushrooms.

This allows these mushrooms to be stored for about 5 more days.

Next, we need to discuss how to deal with the ever-increasing number of mushrooms.

Just as Catherine was preparing to call a meeting, Luo Tianming told her not to do it under the guise of a meeting, but instead to invite all her connections to a 'mushroom feast'.

He explained, "Don't ask why, let's go and invite everyone over for a meal first."

Catherine: "?"

Luo Tianming was quite confident in the so-called 'delicious' mushrooms. As long as everyone could have a meal with them, there would be no worry about their sales.

The dinner was held in the restaurant that was once reserved for members of the House of Lords—white long tables, sterling silver cutlery, sacred candlesticks, Baroque art chairs... Just looking at these, you could tell how much the former members of the House of Lords had embezzled.

However, the guests at tonight's dinner were no longer the members of parliament, but were replaced by Catherine and everyone she could find.

The submarine captain, the religious sectarians, the farmers, the clerk and her husband... these people sat clearly separated on either side of Catherine.

Luo Tianming and his crew were allowed to sit to Catherine's right, and closer to her first seat... This small change sent a signal to everyone that Luo Tianming had become the undisputed second-in-command of the station.

"..."

Catherine clapped her hands like a little princess, and the chef pushed the automatically heated food cart. After everyone had drunk their aperitifs, the appetizers were served one by one...

A plate of sliced ​​mushrooms simmered in gravy is arranged on it.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Catherine said, adopting a superior air, "Tonight's dinner will be made with mushrooms newly cultivated at our Chongshan Station... I would like to thank Mr. Luo Tianming for providing us with this new crop."

"..."

Everyone looked around, but no one touched their knives and forks... All eyes were on Luo Tianming, as if they wanted him to test the poison.

Luo Tianming: "..."

Alright, looks like he's going to be the 'first to try something new'.

That being said, Luo Tianming wasn't worried at all about whether the mushrooms themselves were poisonous... The system had assured him that they were 'delicious,' so it certainly wouldn't lie to him.

As for the side effects of 'deliciousness'... eating it only once won't cause any problems, anyway, he plans to never touch this stuff again after this meal.

The only psychological barrier to eating this is not to think about how it is collected from humus.

"...!"

He picked up a small piece with his knife and fork, then naturally put it in his mouth...

The moment he bit into it, the tender and juicy mushroom splashed his mouth with its broth.

The first thing his tongue tasted was umami. Then Luo Tianming felt as if he were swimming in an ocean of umami... His tongue unconsciously swirled and savored the taste, and then he swallowed it without even realizing it.

"..."

To be honest, this stuff tastes pretty good, a bit like 'chicken oil mushrooms'. As for the so-called 'deliciousness', he didn't think it was that exaggerated... Maybe his tongue, having been exposed to the eight major cuisines, had become resistant to the so-called 'deliciousness'.

Of course, while he found it unremarkable, it was a different story for others.

"Waaaaah~~~"

Beside him, Catherine followed closely, eating mushrooms and letting out happy moans.

She acted as if she'd never eaten anything good in her life. After taking a bite of mushroom, she cupped her face in her hands and smiled, making it seem like the visual filter around her had been changed to a flurry of flowers.

However, if Catherine still managed to maintain a semblance of ladylike manners, then the end of the table was like a chaotic dance of demons...

Those people have been ruined by the toothpaste-like space food their whole lives. Their taste buds were suddenly stimulated by the deliciousness, and they were hallucinating as if they had eaten mushrooms.

Some people, after taking just one bite, revert to their primal instincts, jumping around like monkeys...

Some people carried plates and started a marathon around the long table, while also performing backflips for everyone present.

Some people's plates were even cleaner than if they had been washed. Several believers, their faces grim, buried their hands under the tablecloth, apparently having bitten their fingers while licking the soup sometime during the night...

Then, at everyone's urging, soup, main course, pie, and dessert were served one after another.

After everyone showed a satisfied expression, Catherine began to speak softly, as Luo Tianming had instructed:

"Everyone, I'm sure you can now appreciate the wonder of this mushroom."

Everyone agreed.

"Our Chongshan station will soon begin mass production of these mushrooms and export them to other stations."

Suddenly, someone raised their hand and asked, "But... can such luxurious food really be sold?"

Catherine calmly replied, "We don't intend to supply this mushroom as a high-priced specialty; rather, we plan to mass-produce it and dump it on any surrounding sites. With the allure of this food, I believe we won't lack customers..."

Everyone nodded in agreement; they were all quite satisfied with the mushroom feast… If these foods could be promoted to the people at various stations, they would surely have a very good market.

Catherine looked at the people discussing their vision for the future, cleared her throat, and said, "Market expectations are certainly good, but the key issue now is promotion... Therefore, I would like to ask everyone here to help promote this mushroom."

As soon as she finished speaking, someone raised their hand and said, "We're willing to bring ten kilograms."

Meanwhile, someone else chimed in, "We're planning to take five kilograms with us to even more distant stations..."

"..."

The restaurant instantly turned into a bidding war, but hearing these voices did not improve Catherine's expression—in fact, it became even more unpleasant.

The reason is simple: these people only wanted a small amount... The whole table of people couldn't even take away 50 kilograms, which is a drop in the bucket for Chongshan Station, which can produce 600 kilograms every three days.

It's normal for these people to be so cautious, since no one can give an accurate answer as to how well these mushrooms will actually sell, so they are all observing the market situation.

Without a true hero stepping forward to make the decision, these people will not dare to follow suit.

"..."

Seeing that almost everyone was only taking a small amount of goods, Catherine looked helplessly at Luo Tianming.

Luo Tianming knew that he should set an example.

He held out his hand, signaling for quiet around him.

He then said, "I want... 200 kilograms!!"

"!"

The moment this number appeared, everyone present was instantly shocked!

200 kilograms is equivalent to four times the total amount ordered by all of them combined, and that's the amount he ordered alone.

Although Catherine was somewhat pleased that Luo Tianming had cleared out a large amount of inventory in one go, she was also worried that this might be a deal that would result in him losing everything.

Others were also skeptical...

"Captain Luo..." one of the men across the long table asked, "With so much cargo you're taking away, are you really going to be able to use it all up?"

"Food isn't particularly scarce anywhere right now, especially since the boundaries of the new hunting grounds for the giant beasts are still unclear. Isn't this move too risky?"

After hearing these words, Catherine bit her lip tightly.