The Interstellar Queen of Scavengers

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Harvesting Iron Pear Wood

Ji You looked up and found that behind the small hill, there was a stretch of Iron Pear Wood. The Iron Pear Wood plant grows quite uniquely—before maturation, its branches and leaves spread out like umbrellas of mushrooms; after maturation, all the branches and leaves fall off, leaving it resembling a bunch of wooden stakes. At this moment, the branches and leaves of Iron Pear Wood had already fallen off, leaving only bare trunks, some straight like stakes, and some slightly curved, with most trunks having a diameter of about ten centimeters.

Iron Pear Wood has low requirements for its growing environment, and its rhizomes, fruit cores, branches, and seeds can all reproduce. The fallen branches and leaves from each year can grow into a new Iron Pear Wood the next year as long as they don’t rot—

For those who go to harvest it, even if they chop down its trunk, as long as the roots are still buried in the soil, it will sprout new branches in the spring of the next year. It’s indeed a very easily reproduced economical plant.

The most economically valuable part of the Iron Pear Wood is the fibers in the trunk and bark, which are very flexible and have a wide range of uses. Ji You and his team aimed to collect these fiber tissues.

At this moment, in this place.

One.

Two.

Three.

...

At a glance, it’s almost countless!

So many!

Made a fortune!

Made a fortune!

Made a fortune!

A joyful light flashed in Ji You’s eyes as he sincerely exclaimed, ”Indeed, sticking with Ryan was the right choice!”

Ryan: ”...”

Lea smiled and said, ”I want to cling to this thigh too!”

Ryan: ”...”

Xie Lingzhi had already rushed over and was circling Ryan, her face full of admiration: ”Brother Ryan, when did you discover this place? You are amazing!”

Surrounded by so many girls, giving him starry eyes, Ryan felt very uncomfortable. He held a tense expression, his mouth tightly shut, his gaze fixed on the distance, only the slight redness of his earlobes revealing a bit of his embarrassment.

Grandma Jenny watched this scene and shook her head with a smile, ”Alright, you girls, stop bothering Ryan. Let’s all spread out and hurry up to collect the Iron Pear Wood.”

With that said, Grandma Jenny took out a machete and was about to start collecting.

Ryan suddenly said, ”Hold on, everyone get your weapons ready. Aqiong, you be on alert. I’ll take a round in the vicinity to check for any dangers before we start collecting.”

Xie Chuanqiong nodded, ”Good. Ryan, go ahead and explore with ease, I’ll handle things here.”

Ryan: ”Alright.”

Leaving those words behind, Ryan went to explore further away.

The others didn’t dare to move recklessly but instead closely watched their surroundings, fearing that a formidable Star Beast might suddenly emerge.

After scouting around for about ten minutes, Ryan returned and said to everyone, ”I’ve checked within ten miles nearby; there are no dangerous Star Beasts, only two or three long-eared rabbits. If you see them, just be careful to avoid them.”

Xie Chuanqiong asked, ”Ryan, are you heading deeper into the jungle now?”

Ryan nodded: ”Yes.”

Xie Chuanqiong cupped his fists, saying, ”Take care.”

Ryan said, ”Qiong, you protect them. If there’s an emergency, contact me immediately.”

Xie Chuanqiong replied, ”Don’t worry, I will be careful.”

Here, apart from Ryan, Xie Chuanqiong has the highest Combat Power, with a Spiritual Level of B and a Physical Level of C. Such talent is top-notch on the garbage planet. This year, Xie Chuanqiong has already been admitted to the Lanyue Star Military Academy and will soon become a Military Academy Student.

Xie Chuanqiong is a reserved and reticent person. After speaking with Ryan, he quickly assigned several people to their designated gathering areas: ”Lingzhi, you’re with me, we will take the left side, Grandma Jenny, you’re with Lea and You on the right side. Everyone keeps a distance of 500 meters and call immediately if anything happens. The others must rush to provide support quickly, understand?”

Ji You nodded, ”Mhm.”

The others did not object.

Especially Xie Lingzhi, pleased not to be with Ji You on the same side, didn’t want it to change. Besides, the harvesting of Iron Pear Wood depends on individual ability, and whatever is gathered belongs to the individual. Naturally, Xie Lingzhi prefers to be with her brother to avoid having to help others.

After Ryan left, Xie Lingzhi became silent and aloof, unwilling to speak with the others. She turned and headed left.

Xie Chuanqiong watched his sister’s actions with a helpless shake of his head. He then turned to Ji You, Lea, and the others, saying, ”You, make sure to stay alert. At any sign of trouble, immediately tell Lea and the others.”

Here, Ji You has the lowest Combat Power. Even Grandma Jenny’s talent surpasses hers, so Xie Chuanqiong is particularly worried about her and gave her specific instructions.

Ji You squinted her eyes with a smile, ”Brother Qiong, don’t worry, I understand.”

Xie Chuanqiong then turned and followed his sister.

Grandma Jenny looked at Xie Chuanqiong’s tall, lean figure and smiled, ”Qiong is such a good kid, and he’s about to go study at the Military Academy. He has a bright future ahead. Lingzhi is a bit impulsive, but she also has good talent.”

Saying so, Grandma Jenny felt quite envious of Xie Yi, who at a young age, managed to raise two children on his own, and now that the children have grown up, his blessed time is coming soon.

Lea held onto Grandma, saying, ”Grandma, let’s get on with the gathering quickly.”

Ji You pointed left and right, saying, ”Grandma Jenny, how about you and Sister Lea on this side, and I on this side? Let’s not exceed a distance of 5 meters?”

Lea replied, ”Yes, let’s go with that arrangement.”

The Iron Pear Wood here is of excellent quality. Whichever side is chosen for gathering, it’s the same. Now, it’s important to rush and gather as much as possible.

With the arrangement settled, Ji You didn’t waste any more words. She pulled out her axe and a short knife sheathed at her waist. These were ordinary tools, similar to those of the 21st century, clearly inadequate for quickly killing a Star Beast—an energy weapon would be more reliable. However, for chopping down trees, they were very useful.

Ji You looked around and picked an Iron Pear Wood tree with a diameter of nearly 15 centimeters. She drew her axe and fiercely chopped at the bottom of the tree.

Clang—

A crisp sound, only shredding a layer of the bark.

Ji You chopped again.

Clang—

Another layer peeled off.

Having practiced axe swinging in the Star Network, using the axe in reality was quite smooth for Ji You. After several continuous chops, she paused to catch her breath. Bending down, she closely examined the freshly chopped surface and found she had cut through almost a third. It would take just another ten or so minutes to sever it completely.

Iron Pear Wood’s fibers are fascinating. When still integrated with the roots and bark, they are relatively easy to cut using ordinary iron or steel knives—it takes just a bit of time. Once extracted from the tree, they rapidly harden, becoming tough in about a minute—too tough for ordinary bladed weapons to cut, and even low-level energy weapons struggle to make an easy cut—

This characteristic greatly facilitates their collection.