[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on becoming the first Survivor in the Wasteland World to light up a lamp!]
[Achievement Unlocked: Wasteland's New Radiance.]
[Achievement Gift Pack ×1 received.]
Vikram had barely taken a proper look at the plant grow light he had just activated when the system's mechanical notification interrupted his thoughts.
"Achievement…?"
"Gift Pack…?"
"There's actually such a reward?"
His slight irritation vanished the moment the reward box appeared before him.
"Hehe… System, open it quickly."
A soft flash of white light spread outward.
Congratulations on receiving:
LED Ceiling Light ×1
LED Desk Lamp ×1
High-Grade Electrical Wire ×300 meters
Diesel ×10 liters
Diesel Generator ×1
Vikram blinked in surprise, then slowly smiled with a hint of indifference.
"A generator… but I really don't need this anymore."
Ever since awakening the Plant Life System, his dependence on conventional technology had gradually faded. Warmth, illumination, purification, even defense, living plants now fulfilled most of the functions that machines once provided.
Compared to cold metal devices, plant-based systems felt more stable, silent, and secure. They blended naturally into his Territory without drawing unnecessary attention.
"Well… these can be traded later," he muttered.
Without wasting time, he carried the newly obtained equipment into the small decoy Shelter beside the towering Treehouse. Though modest in appearance, the structure was practical and intentionally inconspicuous, perfect for storing surplus supplies.
He placed the generator and wires neatly in the warehouse area, deciding not to trade them immediately. If he suddenly released such items onto the market, it would only attract unwanted curiosity. Remaining low-profile was still his safest strategy.
After finishing the storage, he took a slow look around.
The warehouse, once cluttered and dim, now felt more organized. Piles of resources were stacked methodically, leaving clear walking space between them. The faint ambient glow produced by the Territory's plant illumination system softly outlined every object, making the interior appear calmer and more structured.
Vikram stood quietly for a moment, arms folded. Then he pursed his lips slightly.
"Technology is useful… but living systems are better."
After enjoying the gentle warmth and natural light radiating from the Treehouse's plant network, he began planning his next routine adjustments.
The Lightfly Vine and internal bioluminescent growth nodes would handle most of the Shelter's illumination cycle. He decided to maintain a twelve-hour active light phase to support both the plants' growth rhythm and his own daily activities.
Unlike artificial lamps, the plant-light system required no fuel, no wiring maintenance, and almost no energy management. Its brightness could be controlled directly through his thoughts, creating a perfectly balanced living environment.
With this natural lighting network in place, Vikram felt an increasing sense of confidence.
Machines could fail. Fuel could run out.
But as long as his plants continued to grow… his Territory would continue to live.
He moved the fabric sofa he had made earlier and the high-grade carpet provided by the system into the living room. The Shelter finally began to feel like a home.
Other furniture, such as the bed, tables, and chairs, was also moved one by one from his small room into the Shelter.
Of the three rooms and one living room he had originally dug, two were now used for storing miscellaneous items.
The largest room became his bedroom.
"Phew!" Vikram wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.
"Everything is starting to get on track."
"All that's left is to accumulate 120 Plant Essence, then exchange them for a Smart Greenhouse."
Yes, Vikram's crops hadn't been planted yet.
"Are you kidding? In this temperature, how could he dare to plant anything directly? Even potatoes, which are easy to grow, wouldn't survive."
The seeds he had weren't cold-resistant varieties; they needed at least 7–8°C to germinate.
Not to mention that after germination, the temperature required for subsequent growth would need to be even higher…
---
The next morning. Vikram sat on his bed, clenching his fists excitedly.
"Yes! My Plant Essence has finally returned to triple digits!"
[Would you like to spend 120 Plant Essence to purchase: Smart Greenhouse?]
"Yes!"
Following Vikram's affirmative answer, the system immediately responded to his request.
Two items appeared in his backpack: a pure-white greenhouse and its core control terminal.
He took the greenhouse to the cultivated land near the Shelter, chose a suitable spot, and placed it on the ground.
The greenhouse's frame was made of lightweight but sturdy materials, forming a semi-circular dome structure, with a transparent plastic film covering the frame and completely enclosing the cultivated land.
His gaze shifted to the control terminal. The device was about the size of a book, with a smooth metallic appearance and only a small display screen.
At this moment, data flickered across the screen, showing the greenhouse's status and functions.
It could wirelessly control the entire greenhouse's operations, including temperature, humidity, and lighting. The grow lights Vikram had just acquired were already incorporated into the system.
With everything ready, Vikram entered the greenhouse and tried taking out some cabbage seeds and sowing them in the cultivated soil.
Since he had no planting experience and didn't know the proper spacing for cabbages, everything had to be done by feel.
Carefully, he buried the seeds one by one in the soil, watered them to keep the soil moist, and then exited the greenhouse.
Patting the dirt off his legs, Vikram took out the terminal.
He found that the screen indeed displayed the words "Cabbage Seeds (Not Germinated)."
Below the text were two options:
[Smart Mode: The Smart Greenhouse autonomously manages vegetable growth.]
[Manual Mode: The planter manually adjusts the planting environment.]
"Definitely use Smart Mode. If I were to manage everything myself, I'd starve to death before any vegetables grew."
Vikram unhesitatingly chose Smart Mode.
As the greenhouse began to operate, the Aquaheart Root started making soft "gurgling" sounds.
Through the transparent cover, he could clearly see mist rising inside. Vikram couldn't understand the principle behind it, but he was impressed nonetheless.
He reached his hand into the greenhouse, and within a few minutes, the temperature inside had risen significantly, climbing to at least above freezing.
Before he could pull his hand away, the top of the greenhouse suddenly began spraying clear water, which turned into a fine mist that spread evenly throughout the enclosure. When the mist landed on his hand, it felt like tiny ants crawling across his skin.
At the same time, the Aquaheart Root began operating, and the terminal clearly displayed:
"Ventilating… No wonder it's worth 120 Plant Essence. It certainly has its reasons."
Watching all this, he nodded in satisfaction.
The only thing that struck him as odd was that the terminal showed an estimated harvest time of 15 days.
Even though he had never grown vegetables before, Vikram knew that this harvest time was completely different from what he expected.
First, he ruled out the influence of the greenhouse because, when he bought it, there was no mention of any effect that accelerated plant growth. If it had such an ability, it certainly wouldn't have been this cheap.
"Logically, cabbage should take about two months to harvest."
"Could it be that the growth cycle of plants in the Wasteland World is completely different from that on Earth?"
He could only speculate in that direction. "That's right!"
He then remembered the Wasteland Survival Encyclopedia that every Survivor possessed.
Because the thing was practically useless, apart from containing various observations and rules about the Wasteland World, it contained no useful information about natural disasters, he had long since tossed it aside.
---
After quickly looking through the relevant content in the Wasteland Survival Encyclopedia, Vikram found that its description of planting in the Wasteland World indeed supported his guess.
The reason it was similar was that the encyclopedia described planting in the Wasteland World as follows:
Crop growth speed increases with improvements in the planting environment and quality, and crop quality increases as well.
It didn't mean that crops necessarily grew faster than plants on Earth. On the contrary, if the planting environment was poor, the harvest time might even be longer than that of crops on Earth.
"Now that the Smart Greenhouse is handling everything, I don't have to worry about it at all. I just need to wait for the harvest."
"And as for fertilizing, I just need to teach the Plant Sprouts to take care of it…"
To be honest, after spending so many days in the Wasteland, Vikram's three urgent needs had all been handled with a wooden bucket.
As for what happened afterward, he naturally cleaned everything up. There was no way he would keep it around.
Now that he had a proper need for fertilizer, once he built a toilet, he could run the waste through a biogas generator first and then use the resulting material as fertilizer.
This would both provide a new source of energy for the Shelter and fertilize the crops.
However, this was only the absolute last resort. If possible, he would, of course, prefer to raise some livestock directly in the Shelter and use their waste for fertilizer.
But with Crimson Creatures running rampant and ordinary animals being almost extinct, Vikram was powerless to do much about it…