The Farming Saint in the Starry Wasteland (Elizabeth Schofield) novel Chapter 516

Chapter 516 Buying Eggs

+20 Free Coins

Vance didn’t think much of it. He headed straight for the egg section and reached for be familiar box of golden–packaged eggs.

The moment his fingers touched the carton, a robotic arm slid in from the side and blocked him.

“Sorry, sir,” a saleswoman in a Seafarm Group uniform said as she walked over. “Goldwing Eggs are no longer sold separately.”

“Not sold separately?” Vance froze. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Under our company’s new policy, all meat, dairy, and egg purchases must be paired with produce items,” the saleswoman explained, pointing toward a nearby sign. “Please refer to the guidelines.”

Only then did Vance notice the brand–new signs posted all around the fresh foodpection. In large bold letters, they read, “Important Notice:

“To optimize our product structure and improve the customer shopping experience, the Nutritional Balance Purchase Program wi take effect immediately.

“Any purchase of meat, eggs, or dairy products must include at least one fruit or vegetable item;

“The purchase ratio must not be lower than 1:1 by value.

“Produce–only purchases are unrestricted.

“Seafarm Group reserves final interpretation rights for this policy.

“Isn’t this forced bundle selling?” Vance blurted out.

The saleswoman kept her professional smile in place. “This is part of our company’s nutritional balance initiative. We’re simply promoting healthier eating habits.”

Vance took a deep breath and told himself to stay calm.

He walked over to the produce section, planning to grab a few cheap vegetables just to satisfy the requirement.

But after one lap around the area, his temper started flaring again.

r

Produce prices had jumped at least 30% compared to two weeks ago, and the quality was obviously worse.

The apples looked dull and lifeless. The tomatoes were soft and mushy. The edges of the leafy greens had already started turnir yellow.

He picked up a box of strawberries labeled premium grade, only to find the bottom layer already leaking juice.

“This quality at these prices…” Vance muttered, shaking his head. In the end, he picked a head of greens that looked barely fres enough. The tag said 50 stellar coins.

He remembered that Tycoon Farm sold vegetables of even higher quality for the same price.

More importantly, Tycoon Farm’s vegetables even had mental power restorative effects.

Returning to the egg section, Vance grabbed the Goldwing Eggs and the greens, then headed for checkout.

Chapter 316 Buying Eggs

סג

while standing in line, tre heard customers around him quietly complaining

“This is ridiculous. It’s obviously forced sales.”

“Look at these potatoes. The sprouts are already turning green, and they still care charge this much.

“If they weren’t the only place selling pork, I wouldn’t put up with this crap

+20 Free Couss

When it was finally Vance’s turn, the cashier scanned the items and said, “Sir, your produce total is insufficient. You’ll need to add at least another 500 more stellar coins‘ worth of fruits or vegetables.”

“What?” Vance stared at her. “That’s ten eggs and ten greens. Doesn’t that already make it one–to–one?

“The company policy is calculated by value,” the cashier explained, pointing at the screen. “The eggs are 1,000 stellar coins. The greens are 500 stellar coins. Your produce purchase must match the same value as your meat, eggs, or dairy purchase, so you’re still short by 500.”

Vance felt his blood pressure climbing.

Suppressing his anger, he turned around and grabbed five apples.

They were priced at 100 stellar coins each.

Then, he got back in line and checked out again.

This time it finally went through.

“Your total will be 2,000 stellar coins. Thank you!”

Vance silently swiped his Starnet account.

As he walked out carrying the shopping bag, the weight in his hands felt unusually heavy.

Not just because he’d wasted extra money, but because of the humiliation of being forced into buying things he didn’t want.

The moment he reached the supermarket entrance, he finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and sent his wife a voice message, “Seafarm is completely out of line. Buying eggs now means being forced to take home a pile of rotten vegetables. From now on, should probably just-”

“If you can’t afford it, then don’t buy it. Nobody is forcing you.”

A sharp female voice cut in from beside him.

r

Vance turned around and saw the same saleswoman glaring sideways at him, undisguised mockery plastered across her face.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify