Chapter 78 Digging Potatoes
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After Melton and Tiffany left, Elizabeth returned to the potato field and started digging, rubbing her temples as she worked.
Digging up potatoes was actually a strangely therapeutic process.
But when the number climbed into the tens of thousands, that sense of healing quickly turned into a brutal physical burden.
She worked for half an hour, moving efficiently, and had only cleared ten plants.
Looking at the more than 400 lush green potato plants still standing, Elizabeth decisively gave up on the idea of doing it alone.
If she kept going by herself, she’d be out here until dark.
No–at this rate, she probably wouldn’t even finish by dark!
even
She tossed aside the small shovel, stepped who was busy overseeing the soil turning.
out of the area
covered by the mirage circle, and found Fiona,
“Fiona, gather all the kids under 15. They’re coming with me to dig potatoes,” Elizabeth instructed directly.
Fiona didn’t know exactly what “digging potatoes” entailed, but she didn’t hesitate for a second.
“Alright, Ms. Schofield. I’ll arrange it immediately.”
Soon, 12 children were brought before Elizabeth.
They varied in age. The youngest, Yvonne, was only three, holding Selina’s hand.
The oldest, Matt, was 15, already halfway to being a young man.
Without exception, every one of them was painfully thin.
Their heads looked too large for their narrow limbs, long–term malnutrition etched clearly into their small frames.
And yet, when they looked at Elizabeth, their eyes shone brightly–full of curiosity and unfiltered admiration.
Elizabeth nodded to Fiona. “Fiona, you’re coming too.”
Then she led the small group toward the area covered by the mirage circle.
The moment Elizabeth stepped across the boundary with the children and Fiona, the scene before them shifted dramatically.
What had appeared chaotic and unremarkable from the outside was, within the circle, bursting with life.
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Chapter 78 Digging Potatoes
+30 Free Coins
Lush green potato plants crowded together, leaves stretching wide, forming a vibrant sea of green.
The contrast with the desolate decay of Garbage Planet was almost violent.
“Wow!”
The children gasped in unison, mouths open wide, eyes round as saucers.
The sudden, extravagant display of living green had stunned them speechless.
Even Fiona, who had seen far more than most, was frozen in place.
She stared at the thriving crops before her, her breathing catching.
On Garbage Planet, to see natural plants on this scale, growing this well–it was nothing short of a miracle.
Even on Centria Planet, it would be hard to find crops in such prime condition.
And they were growing directly in the soil.
Fiona’s eyes widened abruptly.
The potatoes that can stabilize mental power… are grown in dirt?
In Garbage Planet’s soil?
In that moment, she felt like her entire worldview had cracked.
Elizabeth wasn’t surprised by their reactions.
She cleared her throat and drew everyone’s attention back. “These are the potatoes I planted. Your task is to dig up every single one.”
As she spoke, she walked to one of the plants and demonstrated.
Gripping the stalk near its base with both hands, she gave a firm upward pull.
With a soft pop. the entire plant came free.
Hanging from the roots were several round, golden potatoes still dusted with fresh soil.
“Wow!” Another wave of astonished exclamations.
Elizabeth pointed to them patiently. “See these yellow lumps? These are the potatoes. You’ll pick them off and pile them together.”
She plucked each one from the roots and set them aside.
Then she picked up a small shovel and carefully dug into the hole where the plant had been, turning up even more potatoes buried deeper underground.
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