Chapter 294 Interstellar Journey: Shennong Star and the Gemini Auction House
The property was registered for Lu Xuan by a service robot when he bought the house, but the news still leaked out not long after the purchase was completed.
Many people are frantically buying up properties next to Lu Xuan's houses/shops in hopes of increasing their chances of bumping into him.
This is not just because of idol worship, but also because the value of being an eighth-level superhuman is very high.
Who wouldn't be tempted by the chance to be neighbors with an eighth-level superpowered person?
Because so many people wanted to buy, housing prices in the surrounding area rose at an extremely rapid pace, breaking the growth record of the past ten years.
Eventually, the authorities decided that they couldn't let prices continue to rise like this, so they intervened to control them.
Nevertheless, many properties in the surrounding area were sold out, and many people who wanted to buy them couldn't, so they had to come in person to try and bump into Lu Xuan.
The outcome, of course, is impossible to encounter.
Lu Xuan initially purchased the well-secured research community precisely for this purpose.
Unless you have a pass, ordinary people can't sneak in there.
Most of the residents inside the community do not actually live there permanently; many more live directly in research institutes, military units, or other major workplaces.
Even if the family members didn't recognize Lu Xuan, who had changed his appearance, they wouldn't chase after him like ordinary fans. At most, they would greet him warmly or invite him to their home for a casual meal.
I won't force it if I'm rejected; I'll just treat them like ordinary neighbors.
Lu Xuan was quite satisfied with his life on the capital planet because of Lu Xuan's considerate attitude.
After taking out all the high-end furniture he had previously extracted from his space and adding it to his new home to make initial arrangements, Lu Xuan spent a few days touring around the capital star.
A week later, after visiting some famous tourist attractions, just as he was wondering where to go next, the official staff who had been out of the public eye for many days reappeared and sincerely invited him to visit the agricultural planet Shennong.
Lu Xuan had already learned from the audience that the grain seeds he had returned to the Star Alliance were planted on several well-known agricultural planets, among which Shennong Star was the largest in terms of area and had the highest grain production.
He was also curious about the specific production and research status of the Star Alliance's natural foods, so he readily accepted the invitation.
Shennong Star is not far from the capital star; it only takes three days to reach it by spaceship.
Upon arriving at Shennong Star, a group of staff members who had received the message quickly came to greet us.
These people were very enthusiastic, and they looked at Lu Xuan as if he were a precious treasure.
Before Lu Xuan could ask anything, they took the initiative to introduce the situation of Shennong Star.
Unlike Tianchen Star, which is full of man-made buildings and has a metallic feel, Shennong Star is a pure natural planet with a green area even larger than Sorenson.
Apart from about 20% oceans and other amber water sources, the rest of the planets are filled with a variety of natural foods that provide for the various habitable planets of the Covenant.
The staff member said, "The entire Shennong Star is divided into more than a hundred different planting areas. Each area grows different varieties of crops. Staple foods, vegetables, fruits and vegetables, and fruits are divided into temperate and tropical zones. The environment in each zone is adjusted according to the climate required by the plants."
Because the climate and temperature are artificially adjusted, Shennong Star does not need to prepare any greenhouses like Lu Xuan did back then.
Shennong Star itself is a super-large 'greenhouse'.
Staff member: "The person in charge of each district is at least a level six wood-type ability user, and a small number are level seven. They are the overall person in charge of the district."
These leaders also have many level 5 and level 3 or 4 wood-type ability users as assistants to help with the fertilization work.
Shennong Star has countless agricultural robots and plant protection machines, but to increase crop yields, the catalysis of wood-type ability users is indispensable.
When Lu Xuan was taken to a planting area by the staff, it happened to be the working time of the wood-type ability users.
All you could see was a vast field stretching as far as the eye could see, with a person standing at intervals along the way.
These people exuded a distinct power fluctuation unique to wood-type ability users.
As a signal-like bell rang in the air, a massive amount of wood-elemental energy was released towards the fields, and the crops in the fields absorbed a large amount of energy and began to grow rapidly at an extremely fast speed.
In just over ten minutes, the seedlings that looked like they had been planted for no more than seven days grew to at least a month old.
After that, the energy fluctuations disappeared, the growth process stopped, and this wave of expedited development was considered over.
The staff explained, "These are all level 5 ability users. Their abilities are not as abundant as Mr. Lu's. In order to avoid taking too much time for recovery, each batch of crops will be grown in multiple stages. From planting to harvest, it will take 7 days."
This speed is several times faster than the ancient times in which Lu Xuan lived.
However, since it was all done by high-level superhumans, the process was definitely fast.
Lu Xuan asked the staff if it was allowed to broadcast live from here.
After receiving a positive response, he started a live stream while visiting the next planting area, broadcasting the same spectacular scenes to viewers who already knew he had come to Shennong Star.
The scene of dozens of high-level ability users simultaneously generating abilities was something even Lu Xuan had never seen before, not to mention the audience, whose eyes were wide open, and the barrage of comments and gifts was so numerous that they couldn't even see them all.
While Lu Xuan was live streaming, the staff continued to explain the production situation of Shennong Star.
Crops with long growth cycles, such as staple foods and fruits, have had their ripening period shortened to 7 to 1/2 months after being accelerated by wood-type ability users. Vegetables, which are already growing fast, are being delivered in large quantities every day to various habitable planets and the legions guarding each star system.
Despite its shorter growth cycle compared to the plane Lu Xuan lived in, it seems that its annual output will definitely be many times higher.
Actually, that's not the case at all.
Don't forget, the land of the Covenant is 'toxic'. Not only are the plants and animals mutated, but the soil also contains a large amount of radiation.
Although the environment of the agricultural planet is superior to that of other planets and has undergone a lot of artificial optimization, crop yields are still far inferior to those in the natural environment of ancient or prehistoric planes.
The seeds optimized by Lu Xuan, when they reached the Star Alliance, did not drop to the exaggerated level of the original seeds native to the ancient planes, but were only about twice as many.
That is, the yield of rice and flour per mu can reach about 500 jin.
Even high-yield vegetables like radishes and cabbages, which can easily yield tens of thousands of kilograms per mu, can only produce a maximum of three thousand kilograms here.
This is the result of further optimization by the research institute; otherwise, it would weigh at most 2,500 jin (1,250 catties), and no more.
This also means that the total annual output of Shennong Star, plus the output of more than a dozen other agricultural stars, is far less impressive than expected.
In addition, the production of nutritional supplements also requires a lot of natural food, and a large proportion of it has to be allocated to military supplies, leaving even less natural food for ordinary people.
For ordinary people, being able to snag three to five kilograms of natural food a month would be a dream come true.
There is still a long way to go before the entire Covenant can truly achieve freedom to eat natural foods.
Therefore, the staff wished they could yell at Lu Xuan's live stream screen, telling him not to keep going to Xingbo to say that the output was too low, because the majority of the profits were being divided up by the powerful and influential.
Even powerful and influential people can't all eat natural foods every day!
Things are much better now than they were five years ago. Development always takes time; don't rush it like it's your life!
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After visiting the planting area, the next stop is the seed research institute, which requires confidentiality.
The live stream couldn't continue once they got to this point, so Lu Xuan could only say that he would tell the audience some things that didn't need to be kept secret after the tour.
Although it is called a seed research institute, it is actually involved in soil radiation, fertilizer research, and pest and disease control.
However, seed research is the most important of them all.
Since there are no seeds, there is no need to study these subsequent aspects.
However, this most crucial research is also the one that is progressing the slowest.
Back in the ancient world, Lu Xuan could optimize seed genes however he wanted, increasing yield, improving taste, and increasing fruit size with ease.
But when it came to them, none of the level seven ability users who helped with the research were able to produce any decent results.
As a result, these level seven wood-type ability users, who were highly sought after wherever they went after leaving the agricultural planet, were often disliked by the researchers.
This also led to the people looking at Lu Xuan with an indescribable resentment when he arrived.
We're both wood-type ability users, so why do your wood-type abilities seem different from mine?
Lu Xuan: "?"
After the researchers at the institute explained the cause and effect, Lu Xuan finally understood what had happened.
One of the level seven ability users couldn't help but ask him, "How did you do that?"
Before Lu Xuan could answer, the researchers eagerly pulled him to the seed cultivation area, asking him to help with the on-site catalysis practice.
Whether it was due to Lu Xuan's prior experience or his increased abilities after leveling up, he successfully optimized the seeds of both crops in just one afternoon.
The optimized crops recovered 10 percentage points of yield compared to the sharp drop after joining the Covenant, astonishing everyone present.
The level seven wood-type ability user who had been questioned earlier was even more frantic, unable to understand it at all.
"So how did you do that!?"
Their research had been going on for several years with slow progress, and the total increase in production was less than 5%. But Lu Xuan's arrival doubled their results.
Lu Xuan: How did he know that?
He's not a professional who specializes in agriculture.
If I had to put it into words, it would probably be...
Lu Xuan: "...It's just a feeling?"
The level seven wood-type ability user pressed further, "How does it feel?"
Lu Xuan: "A feeling like flying?"
The other party: "?" What the heck?
Lu Xuan: "It's nothing. Perhaps the ability users in different dimensions are just different."
The other person opened their mouth, then fell silent.
He really couldn't refute that.
According to the Star Alliance's research, the superpowers exhibited by a few dimensional streamers with special abilities are indeed subtly different from those of the Star Alliance.
These differences are often caused by the unique environments of different planes, making it difficult to simulate and reconcile them to the same characteristics.
Those with wood-type abilities who understood this were filled with regret, yet there was nothing they could do.
Never mind.
As long as they don't compare to Lu Xuan, they are still very powerful!
Because of Lu Xuan's uniqueness, the research institute asked him to help optimize more crop seeds, offering him a reward.
If nothing unexpected happens, Lu Xuan will be living in the Star Alliance for a long time. He will be doing what he can to help the Star Alliance and will even get paid for it, so he has no reason to refuse.
And so, Lu Xuan stayed on Shennong Star for a full ten days.
During this period, in addition to helping to deliver various seeds to optimize wood-type abilities every day, he also traded seeds of high-level plants and a batch of crystal cores with more than a dozen advanced wood-type ability users, making a fortune once again.
Lu Xuan originally thought that the Star Alliance officials would also find an opportunity to bring up the matter of trading natural food or precious resources such as crystal cores with him.
But no one contacted him until he finished the optimization work.
It wasn't until he boarded the spaceship leaving Shennong Star that he suddenly realized the reason.
Admittedly, the supplies he possessed were indeed enviable from a personal perspective.
However, compared to the Star Alliance officials who have management authority over a dozen agricultural planets and the entire dimensional system, this little bit of information might not be of much help to them.
It's definitely more cost-effective to be self-sufficient than to buy from him at a high price.
"This is a bit troublesome," Lu Xuan muttered, stroking his chin.
He didn't necessarily want to make a deal with the government, but he had stockpiled so many supplies that he couldn't use them to generate offspring, so he definitely had to sell them.
Trading with the official sources means they have a large demand, and if they want, they can sell all the supplies at once without any problem.
But that's not what the authorities intend, so it's going to be a bit difficult for him to get a good price.
Lu Xuan thought for a moment, then sent a message to Lu Jia, asking him to contact the wealthy A-level mercenary group and tell them that he was going to sell a batch of natural food and mutated fruit.
The transaction will take place three months later.
They pay first and then receive the goods. The goods will be placed in a designated warehouse at the Capital Star Airport in advance, so they can pick them up at their own convenience.
These are goods that can be sold in large quantities; for more valuable items, there are other ways to sell them.
Lu Xuan searched for well-known auction houses of the Star Alliance on the Star Network.
As expected, the capital star ranked among the top, but it was also the first one that Lu Xuan excluded.
As the power center of the Star Alliance, certain special groups of guests face much greater difficulties in entering and leaving than those on other planets.
He won't be picky about customers when he auctions off good items.
Ordinary wealthy merchants, soldiers, mercenaries, space pirates, or other outlaws, as long as they can afford it, all have a chance to get their hands on his goods.
Mercenary Star is actually a very good choice.
However, having already been there once, he had no intention of making another trip anytime soon.
Finally, Lu Xuan chose Gemini, a commercial star with a thriving trade and better public security than a purely touristy star.
This place has everything you could want for eating, drinking, and entertainment, and it offers a wide variety of goods. You can find things here that you can't find on other planets, things that are openly allowed to be sold, and things that are not allowed to be sold.
Even if it's not available right now, as long as you can afford it, we can find a way to get it for you.
Gemini is most famous for its two auction houses, which are renowned throughout the entire Star Alliance.
The auction house covers an area the size of a city, with countless small and large auction venues, and various auctions are held every day and every month.
The grandest auction is naturally held twice a year at the largest Gemini auction house, where many rare and precious items will be on display.
Limited edition custom-designed aircraft; real estate on specific planets; gene therapy drugs that can cure special genetic diseases; the latest combat mechs developed by a private research institute; improved warships;
Specialized commodities include settlement quotas on capital planets; priority mining rights on newly discovered mineral planets; ownership of small energy mines, etc.
Each major auction brings a large influx of visitors and a huge cash flow to Gemini.
Because the Covenant government also receives a large amount of tax revenue from this, there is a dedicated legion protecting the security of the area around Gemini.
The Legion doesn't rigorously screen the identities of its visitors, so even space pirates frequently visit Gemini and tacitly avoid causing trouble there.
Regardless of whether I ultimately acquire the desired item, I will not engage in any reckless behavior here to avoid becoming the target of public criticism.
After learning about the Gemini Auction House, Lu Xuan quickly found its contact information on the StarNet.
Upon learning Lu Xuan's identity, the other party was so excited that they couldn't control their voices. This was not only because the items Lu Xuan wanted to auction were of considerable value, but also because having an eighth-level ability user choose their auction house was itself a form of recognition and an elevation of their status.
This gimmick alone is enough to bring Gemini the same explosive growth in visitor traffic and economic revenue as the capital city.
To this end, the auctioneer made a special concession, reducing the commission from 5% to 2%.
After discussions, both parties agreed to hold the auction of the goods at the annual auction three months later.
The publicity work will be shared by both parties. The publicity work that Lu Xuan needs to do is actually very simple. He just needs to post an auction announcement in his live broadcast room with huge traffic.
As expected, the announcement immediately topped the trending searches on StarNet.
The wealthy people who coveted the good stuff in Lu Xuan's hands were overjoyed.
Finally, I don't have to chase after him anymore!
The auction house also announced that all items, including mutated fruits, crystal cores, and seeds of advanced mutated plants, would be auctioned that day, prompting interested customers to book their trips three months later.
Others, fearing some unforeseen circumstances might occur, decided to set off for Gemini immediately.
While waiting for the auction to begin, Lu Xuan embarked on his first Star Alliance sightseeing tour, based on the ranking of the popular planets voted on by the audience.
Rainbow Star, Alpha Star, ocean planets, desert planets... and some beautiful nebulae in the universe are all targets for Lu Xuan's sightseeing.
Three months is enough time to tour the entire country in modern times, but in the interstellar era, the journey alone would take up a lot of time, so Lu Xuan only managed to visit five planets in total.
The time spent on each planet is no more than 5 days; the rest of the time is spent on the road.
It's worth mentioning that, on every planet he visits, as long as the scenery doesn't disappoint him, he'll choose a place with a good environment to buy a house.
Regardless of whether they'll come back again or how long it will take, I'll just buy it and keep it.
It's just a trivial hobby of a rich kid.
Three days before the auction began, Lu Xuan finally arrived at Gemini after a brief journey.
Send the agreed-upon goods to the auction house, and take the opportunity to confirm the specific pricing and the order of the items to be auctioned with the auctioneer.
Afterwards, wearing the bio-mask, I spent two days wandering around other small auction houses on Gemini, casually spending tens of millions of star coins to buy some trinkets.
On the third day, the auction finally began.
Lu Xuan was taken to a VIP room reserved for him by the auction staff early on, where he could overlook the auction venue from a high vantage point.
The auction venue is oval in shape, with the auction stage in the center and the seating arranged in a circle around it.
There are 10,000 regular seats, occupying 123 floors in total. Above that are 1,000 regular private rooms, and the 5th floor is the VIP room where he is currently located, which has a total of 100 rooms.
The VIP room is 100 square meters in size, with understated yet luxurious decor that exudes wealth. Even the complimentary pastries and fruits are high-priced natural foods, and the service is impeccable.
The Gemini auction house isn't actually that big in terms of area, but the requirements for referencing the annual auction are quite high.
If your computer account balance is less than 100 million Star Coins, you can't even get a regular seat ticket.
The minimum requirement for entry to a private room is 1 billion yuan in assets, while VIP rooms require assets of 10 billion yuan or the provision of valuable auction items.
In other words, the Gemini Auction House, which is already packed with seats, has gathered tens of thousands of billionaires from across the Star Alliance.
Lu Xuan didn't care much about how much wealth the ordinary guests had; what he was more concerned about was the faint aura emanating from the various VIP rooms, which belonged to level seven or even level eight ability users.
What's truly astonishing here, rather than the number of wealthy people, is the sheer number of experts gathered here.
In addition, Lu Xuan also noticed that there were quite a few people from certain A-level mercenary groups whom he had met once or several times on Mercenary Star in the ordinary seats.
Judging from the resources available to the Gemini mercenaries, only A-level and a few top-tier B-level mercenary groups could get in.
Furthermore, even if these people manage to get in, regardless of their strength, their positions will be determined by their assets, and they will only be able to sit outside.
Only a few S-class mercenary groups can sit in private rooms or VIP rooms.
I don't know if Luca and the others have come.
While Lu Xuan was distracted, the scheduled auction time arrived quickly, at 10:00 AM local time on the capital star.
The auction officially began as the Gemini-exclusive auctioneer appeared on the auction stage.
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