Chapter 691: Chapter 691: Lending a Hand

"How’s the base?"

Rhys Chase sighed. "Thankfully, we brought in all the grain, so the losses weren’t too heavy. It’s just... the gales a while ago killed quite a few people. And with the rain and thunder these past few days, the residents are afraid of flooding and won’t leave their homes. The few factories that had just started up have come to a standstill."

It seemed the situation at the base was not looking good either.

Just then, a bolt of lightning tore across the sky, followed by a deafening peal of thunder. Evelyn Ford put out the fire, rose, and shut the door.

"Everyone has been in low spirits these past few days. They’ll be happy to see you. Oh, and Mr. Lowell—he was always asking why you two never came over for a meal. He even had Liam Sterling pass on a message, telling you not to let work ruin your health."

Rhys Chase and Lachlan Locke exchanged a look, both of their hearts heavy.

After bringing them into her space, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick returned to the cabin. Liam Sterling led the two men to the storage area to pay their respects to Zion Lowell.

Everyone except Zoe was busy outside. Taylor Vance was tending the flowers in front of the cabin, Ethan Dawson was supervising the laborers, and the others were in the vegetable patch. Evelyn Ford called them back. Wendy was thrilled to hear Rhys Chase had come.

"Has the base gone back to normal? Maybe I can go back to work at the hospital tomorrow."

"Rhys Chase said the factories and the hospital came to a standstill after the gales. The hospital is empty. There’s no point in you going back."

Wendy grew anxious. "Is it still thundering and raining outside?"

"The rain isn’t heavy, but the thunder won’t stop." Evelyn Ford had developed a phobia after being struck by lightning, and now she was terrified whenever it thundered.

"This damn weather... If it keeps up, the base won’t be able to farm. With so many people, surely the base won’t have a famine, right?"

"Captain Denton and his team’s second crop is growing very well. Besides, the yield from the black soil is three to four times higher than outside. The base’s food situation should be fine."

Just then, Liam Sterling returned with Rhys Chase and Ryan Rowe.

Everyone entered the cabin. After some pleasantries, Rhys Chase asked about Leo Denton and the others.

"The second crop is already in the ground. They’re out weeding the fields every day. All the wheat we planted before has been threshed. If the base runs low on grain, Ronan Kendrick and I can deliver it to the warehouse at night."

"There’s no rush. The base isn’t short on grain at the moment. In fact, I’m more at ease knowing it’s here with you. It’s been so cold lately; the grain would get damp if we stored it outside."

"That’s good too. Does the base have a contingency plan? Looking at the weather out there, this cold and gloom might be here to stay."

Rhys Chase nodded. "After some recent observation and calculation, a few of our experts believe Eldoria will remain cold and overcast—for a few months at minimum, several years at maximum. Wheat, potatoes, radishes, fava beans... they’re all cold-hardy plants. As long as we don’t get waterlogged, we can still farm. The base will be fine, provided there isn’t an epidemic or some other major disaster."

"We still have to thank you for leasing over eight hundred acres of land to the base. The farmland on the desert side is just reclaimed sand, so soil erosion is a huge problem. It’s a good thing we planted deep-rooted crops there like cacti, Earth-Surging Golden Lotuses, and sorghum."

"Mr. Chase, it seems like there’s something else you want to talk about." Seeing his hesitation, Evelyn Ford broached the subject for him.

"I do have a favor to ask, but I’m not sure how to begin."

"Just say it. If we can help the base, we’re more than willing." ’As long as it’s not asking me to hand over the food and weapons in my space.’

"Well, a team we’d sent out to find supplies, survivors, and ore has returned. In the province of Serena, they found a good number of wild boars and bison. They also discovered a huge patch of Serena on a large river. But the roads in Serena have been destroyed by earthquakes and tectonic shifts, so there’s no way to transport anything back. Four of them returned, leaving four others behind to guard the boars, bison, and Serena. I originally thought about sending a helicopter to fly the goods back, but they said the river is flanked by ravines and high mountains, so a chopper can’t land. After thinking it through, I had no choice but to swallow my pride and come ask for your help."

From what Rhys Chase was saying, the team had likely found several hundred tons of Serena, and a significant number of wild boars and bison as well.

"About how far is that place from here?"

Rhys Chase pulled a map from his pocket. "About 370 miles."

’Three hundred and seventy miles. If the roads were clear, they could make it in a day.’

"For this haul, you can take fifty percent. Sixty percent is fine too. That patch of Serena is just massive. It’d be a real shame to abandon it."

If there were any other way to transport it, he wouldn’t have come to bother Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick time and time again.

"It’s thundering and raining, not to mention freezing. This damn weather can turn on a dime. Who knows if it’ll be hailing daggers tomorrow? Going to Serena right now is too dangerous," Quincy objected, the first to speak up.

Ryan Rowe stood up. "I’ll take a team to escort Mr. Kendrick and Joy Ford the entire way. They’ll be fine."

"They’re still just regular people, no matter how capable. How are you supposed to protect them? You’re not the Monkey King," Quincy retorted. Ryan Rowe fell silent.

The base was running low on food. If this awful weather kept up its fickle ways, it wouldn’t be long before they were back to eating grass and bark.

Making the trip wasn’t a huge deal; the journey wasn’t that long. Evelyn Ford, for her part, wasn’t too concerned about safety on the road.

’But we don’t need a team. Once we get there, I can just have Leo Denton and the others come out to do the work. As for the fifty percent Rhys Chase offered, that’s way too much. The space has plenty of food. Twenty percent is enough for me and Ronan Kendrick.’

"Ryan Rowe can come with us, but let’s not bring the team. We’ll go on horseback to make better time. And we’ll stick to the usual arrangement—a twenty-percent cut is enough. Like I said, I’m willing to help the base if I can."

"Evelyn, it’s too dangerous to go to Serena! I don’t think you should go."

"Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing."

Evelyn Ford looked at Rhys Chase. "When do we set out?"

Rhys Chase didn’t mince words. "Tomorrow."

"Fine. Tomorrow it is."

Once Rhys Chase and Ryan Rowe had left, Quincy led the others in a group effort to talk Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick out of it.

"We’re not getting the short end of the stick on this trip. Rhys Chase has always been generous—all the various things he sent us from our past collaborations are still in the storage area. His fifty-fifty offer this time was a last resort. If helicopters could land, or if cars could get through on roads not destroyed by the earthquake, he definitely wouldn’t have come to us. He doesn’t want to be a bother. But I don’t see it as a bother. This is just business. We help him bring back the Serena, the wild boars, and the bison, and we get a twenty percent cut. That’s a huge win for us. Most importantly, I’ve been wanting to get out and see the state of the world. This is the perfect opportunity."

Seeing that Evelyn Ford was adamant, the others stopped trying to talk her out of it.

"If you run into any danger, you two get into the space right away."

"We know."

"You turned down a fifty-fifty split for just twenty percent."

Evelyn Ford shook her head. "Twenty percent is enough."

"Aren’t you afraid of thunder? You’re not worried it’ll be thundering for the whole trip?"

Evelyn Ford shrugged. "As long as there’s life, there’s adventure."

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