The Starfield Farming Sovereign (Elizabeth Schofield) novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16 A Monopoly

Finishe

Maybe the kingdom’s most elite laboratories or highest authorities possessed technologies unknown to th public.

But even someone of the original body’s former status, a noble heiress from a powerful family, had never come into contact with such things. That meant that even if those technologies really existed, they were strategic resources beyond any valuation in stellar coins, utterly impossible to circulate on the open

market.

Which meant… was this business not hers alone?

Elizabeth’s pulse quickened. In her mind, she saw her account balance filling with endless streams of stell coins, then converting into countless energy stones until they drowned her completely.

She was so absorbed in her fantasy of monopolizing the market and becoming obscenely rich that a hesitant, slightly anxious voice behind her startled her back to reality. “Um… it’s your turn…”

She snapped out of it and realized the line had already moved forward. There was no one in front of her anymore. She was standing directly at the recycling station’s exchange window.

She quickly turned to apologize to the person behind her, then stepped up to the cold metal counter.

At the same time, the scanner inside the window lit up, casting a dim blue glow. A robotic voice sounded, flat and precise. “Hello. What service do you require?”

Elizabeth took a potato from her storage button and slid it through the opening. “Do you accept potatoes:

A mechanical arm took it with perfect accuracy and placed it on the inspection platform.

A red beam swept slowly from top to bottom.

“Inspection complete. Item, edible potato. Quality, freshness grade one. Weight, 225 grams. Based on unified recycling station pricing, the recovery value is 45 stellar coins. Please confirm the transaction.”

Elizabeth’s heart sank.

225 grams for 45 stellar coins. That worked out to only 20 stellar coins per hundred grams.

Half the price, then cut in half again.

Wasn’t this outright robbery?

“The official price on Starnet is clearly 100 stellar coins per 100 grams. Why are you offering only twenty here?” she demanded, anger flaring despite herself,

The price gap was absurd.

The robot showed no change in expression. Its electronic eye didn’t even flicker as it replied in the same monotone. “Garbage Planet recovery pricing is uniformly set by the system and cannot be adjusted. Please

confirm the transaction.”

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9:43 pm

Chapter 16 A Monopoly

Elizabeth frowned, frustration written across her face.

Finis

But she knew the truth. When you were under someone else’s roof, you had no choice but to bow your

head.

On this planet, the recycling station was her only sales channel. She had no leverage to bargain.

“Proceed,” she said through clenched teeth.

She emptied her storage button, dumping all the harvested potatoes onto the counter.

In an instant, a small mound rose on the platform, still carrying the scent of fresh earth.

“All of them.”

The robot efficiently scanned and weighed each potato.

“Total weight, 45,877 grams. Total recovery value, 9,175.4 stellar coins. Funds have been transferred to yo account. Please verify.”

Elizabeth glanced at the incoming transfer notification on her wrist display, but there wasn’t a trace of jc on her face.

This seemingly substantial sum had come from slashing the value of potatoes that should have been wo more than 40,000 stellar coins at market price.

It felt like her heart was bleeding.

She drew a slow breath and forced herself to suppress the resentment rising inside her.

Endure it. Yield to it. Ignore it for now. Let it pass. Be patient. There’d be time later.

What mattered most was strengthening herself.

She quickly regained her composure and opened the recycling station’s product catalog, calculating her purchases with care.

Three water storage containers of different capacities–about 1,300, 800, and 260 gallons–cost a total of 900 stellar coins.

The largest would replace the improvised iron container in the field. The two smaller ones would be used for drinking water and daily use.

A set of thick, durable spare clothing cost 109 stellar coins.

No special features, just durability.

Five low–grade liquid supplements for 500 stellar coins.

One would go to settle what she owed the child. The rest would be used to continue exchanging for seeds.

After some thought, she added an insulating mat and a thin blanket, 500 stellar coins.

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9:43 pm

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