Chapter 25 The Sensation Caused by the New Species
Minister Wen arrived very quickly, appearing at the window in less than ten minutes. Chi Xiaofan quickly pointed out the people outside the counter to him.
"Is it her? Have you checked the items? Could there be a mistake?" Minister Wen looked at the girl dressed as a scavenger, somewhat incredulous.
“I didn’t dare to test it, for fear of damaging the root system. But this Miss Zuo is the girl who brought the low-radiation alfalfa leaves last time, so I don’t think she would just make things up,” Chi Xiaofan said honestly.
“Alright, Ms. Zuo, please come to my office with me.” Minister Wen walked to Zuo Shan’s side and gestured for her to come in.
Zuo Shan felt uneasy, worried that this person might kill him and embezzle his achievements.
But then I thought, after all, he is the manager of this exchange hall, he shouldn't be so petty, right?
With a mix of trepidation and excitement, I followed Minister Wen through a long corridor and arrived at a door made of iron-gray metal.
After Minister Wen verified the iris, the door automatically opened to both sides, looking incredibly futuristic. Seeing this, Zuo Shan felt even more at ease.
The more prestigious the place, the less likely her achievements are to be embezzled. After all, it's a large sum of money for her, but in the eyes of the other party, it might not even be considered a day's pocket money.
Thinking of this, Zuo Shan couldn't help but laugh at herself. She had only been poor for less than a month, how could she have gotten used to the mindset of a poor person?
The environment is indeed a powerful tool for changing people. It seems that she will have to constantly reflect on herself in the future, lest she become a real beggar in both body and mind in this wasteland era where food and clothing are scarce.
"Minister Wen, please look!" Zuo Shan generously took out the pagoda-shaped vegetable from his backpack and handed it to him.
She knew the important person was busy and didn't want to take up too much of their time.
Minister Wen, seeing her attitude, held her in higher regard; he had seen countless scavengers in District 50.
Even if some women marry mercenaries or higher-ranking men because of their beauty, they always try to hide their humble origins when they meet people, but the air of poverty ingrained in their bones cannot be concealed.
The girl in front of me was different. She had a calm and generous temperament, and her demeanor was more like that of someone raised in a great family. She was neither humble nor arrogant in her interactions with others.
Even knowing his identity, she showed not the slightest bit of flattery or timidity.
"Okay! I'll put it into the plant gene bank for testing first. If it's confirmed to be a new species that hasn't been recorded before, I'll contact agricultural experts to come over for a detailed test and evaluation. After that, I'll give you a corresponding reward based on the economic value of this plant."
Minister Wen carefully took the pagoda vegetable, being careful not to damage its roots, then pushed open the door and went into the inner room, turning back to signal her to follow.
Zuo Shan was once again amazed. He saw Minister Wen put the entire plant into a machine that looked like a large oven, close the door, press the red detection button, and the machine emitted a slight rumbling sound.
Through the transparent floor-to-ceiling doors, you could see various colors of light shining on the plants. About half an hour later, a message appeared on the screen:
"After detailed comparison of the genetic map, this plant has never been included in the database before and has been confirmed as a new species. Please contact agricultural experts as soon as possible for more detailed testing and evaluation."
This species is a mutant plant with short above-ground branches, delicate and unique flowers and leaves, thick underground rhizomes that are easy to store, and rich in nutrients, making it edible.
Given that only this one plant has been detected so far, it is not yet possible to determine its yield or whether it is suitable for cultivation.
When Minister Wen saw the test results, his gaze suddenly became intense, as if a woman who loves beauty had seen expensive and gorgeous jewelry.
Zuo Shan was startled by his gaze and subconsciously took two steps back. Minister Wen then realized that he had frightened her.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I haven't seen a new species in a long time, especially an edible one. I got too excited and scared you!"
This is great news! You're a lucky girl, and you're sure to get a reward this time.
"Wait here, I'll contact agricultural experts to come and assess it right away," Minister Wen said in as gentle a tone as possible.
"That's good. You go ahead with your work. I'm not in a hurry. I'll wait patiently." Zuo Shan consciously found an empty chair and sat down to rest.
She remembered her mother saying that it's hard to keep a guest standing. No matter whose house you visit, try not to stand for too long, otherwise the host will get annoyed.
When Minister Wen saw her sit down on her own, he couldn't help but feel guilty. In his excitement, he had forgotten to invite his guest to sit down. He really deserved a beating!
But now was not the time to dwell on these things. He quickly dialed the agricultural expert in District 40, the highest-level agricultural expert he could contact. He, a mere minister in District 50, couldn't even get the contact number of the higher-level experts.
Half an hour later, agricultural experts from the 40th district arrived. It wasn't just the Xun expert that Minister Wen had contacted, but four of them at once!
Minister Wen was extremely excited, his face filled with trepidation. If this new species could be successfully cultivated, he estimated that he could be transferred from District 50 to District 49.
If the new species is valuable enough, he could even be transferred directly to District 45. Fifty years ago, a minister of the exchange hall in District 50 was transferred directly to District 45 because of a new edible species.
The agricultural experts paid no attention to Minister Wen; all four of them, with eight eyes, were focused on the plants on the tray on the table.
One of them frowned and said, "Why are you using a metal tray? Don't you know that metal can be toxic to some plants?"
Minister Wen was startled and quickly removed a transparent window made of high-grade resin, replacing the metal tray.
After carefully examining the new species and reviewing the test results provided by Minister Wen, the four agricultural experts all turned their attention to Zuo Shan.
“Miss Zuo, do you remember the exact location where this new species grew?” one of the oldest asked.
"Of course I remember. But old sir, it's hard to distinguish a new species, and it's easy to confuse it with other new species."
When I dug it up, I saw that it looked like a pagoda in a historical building, so I named it Pagoda Vegetable.
"Of course, if you feel uncomfortable, you can continue to call it a new species," Zuo Shan said.
"Great, great! I saw that kind of ancient building in an electronic history book when I was a child. It was a pagoda built by the ancient religion of Buddhism. It was very magnificent and grand, and it was called Pagoda Dish!" the old expert said excitedly.
The other three experts also had no objections, because according to the laws of the Green Algae Planet, the person who discovers a new species has the right to name it. Many people name new species after themselves, just so that everyone can remember their discovery.
This little girl wasn't greedy for fame or fortune. She chose an ancient Buddhist pagoda, as Buddhism emphasizes saving all sentient beings. The name had a very auspicious meaning, and perhaps she could even receive some good fortune. And so, she was successfully raised.
The four agricultural experts were all eager to go and immediately asked Minister Wen to find a mercenary group to escort them to the place where the pagoda vegetable grew. Even though Zuo Shan emphasized that there was only one such plant growing there, they insisted on going to see it.
Because by analyzing the soil composition, the types of surrounding vegetation, and the environment, we can determine the most suitable cultivation method for growing pagoda plants.
Upon hearing this, Zuo Shan couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. It turned out that cultivating a new species in the wasteland required such precise calculations. Therefore, her desire to cultivate the Pagoda Vegetable herself was probably just a pipe dream.
However, she did not regret keeping half of it, since she needed to store enough staple food and vegetables for herself when the extreme cold weather came.
"Ahem! Um, let me interject. According to regulations, the four experts should reward Miss Zuo. She's still waiting for your evaluation results," Minister Wen said cautiously.
Actually, he himself was waiting for the evaluation results to deduce how much he could benefit from this.
The person he contacted, the eldest expert Chu Heng, glanced at him coldly and immediately understood his thoughts.
Although he was annoyed, he wasn't angry. After all, the plant he had discovered had great economic value, containing about 150 calories and 12 grams of protein per 100 grams, as well as various vitamins.
Among vegetables, this is already extremely high in calories, and also extremely high in protein.
Its nutritional value alone makes it worthy of dedicated cultivation, not to mention its ease of storage.
If they succeed in cultivating it, their Agricultural Research Institute in District 40 will likely receive a large reward, and their research funding for the next five to ten years will be secure.
Thinking of this, he said, "Let's give her the first prize first. If she is successfully nurtured, we can give her the special prize later."
Zuo Shan listened intently from the side. Although he didn't know how much the first prize was, he was sure it wouldn't be much more than exchanging it for ordinary edible plants.
After all, this pagoda-shaped vegetable plant is moderately radioactive and won't fetch much money.
Minister Wen was thrilled upon hearing this. The first prize meant that he had made a great contribution this time. He immediately smiled and said, "Miss Zuo, I will transfer your reward to you first. We can complete the formalities after you return from the field."
Zuo Shan was delighted to hear this. Minister Wen was really good; he gave her the reward first and then signed it. It sounded very reliable. If she were lucky enough to discover a new species in the future, she would definitely come directly to him.
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