Chapter 323: Chapter 323: Helping Others
Basil Xavier’s expression brightened when he heard this.
If what Stella Sterling said was true and these seeds could survive easily, then they could take them back to their base to try planting them.
If they could survive, they would have another kind of fresh vegetable to eat.
It wasn’t just about having another food source; at critical times, vegetables could be quite filling and feed a lot of people.
Even just as a simple vegetable, fresh produce was incredibly rare.
After all, the environment outside simply wouldn’t allow such things to survive. They could only grow a few things inside the base, but even then, the variety of vegetables they could cultivate was very limited.
And what they did manage to grow looked malnourished.
But the vegetables he had eaten at Caeluna Base were different.
Their vibrant colors alone were enough to stimulate one’s appetite.
Not to mention, most of the food outside had already spoiled, and it was impossible to plant new crops.
People would probably fight to the death over uncontaminated, fresh vegetables like these.
He looked at Stella Sterling, uncertain. "Are you serious? You’re really willing to let us take these seeds back?"
He could hardly believe it. Would Stella Sterling really just give them something like this?
If this stuff could really adapt and survive in the harsh environment, it would be far more valuable than a direct handout of food.
Was Stella Sterling really going to give it to them without even mentioning any conditions?
What about her own base?
"Of course. If I say I’ll give them to you, I’ll give them to you," Stella Sterling said with a smile. She had plenty of these seeds, so they weren’t that rare to her.
They were just sitting here anyway; she might as well give them to Gordon Ford and the others.
Meridia Base or Crescentia Base—either was fine. She had a good relationship with both of them.
She could give them these vegetables. In fact, it wasn’t just about these two bases.
A plan was already forming in her mind.
Her prestige in the nearby region was relatively high now. Once these two bases started planting, she could then release the seeds to a wider group, first finding a batch of people to try growing them outside.
She would see if they could be grown successfully. If they could, she would have the people in the surrounding area start planting them.
Before, she had worried about this and that, but now, she didn’t need to be so afraid anymore. There were some things she no longer needed to clutch so tightly.
As long as her own vital interests weren’t compromised and she wasn’t putting herself in danger, she never minded doing a few good deeds.
Every person she could save was one more person saved.
After all, the world was a big place. If everyone died, how boring would that be?
The apocalypse was going to last a long time. If, in the end, it was just her and the people closest to her, life would be terribly lonely.
No matter how you looked at it, humans were social animals; they didn’t like living in solitude.
Stella Sterling had already confirmed this for herself.
No matter how many TV shows and variety programs she had prepared, and though they could certainly relieve the boredom for a while, they ultimately weren’t enough. After a long time, a person just couldn’t take it.
She needed to talk to people, to have contact with them. Otherwise, a person’s spirit would break. It was an unbearable, drive-you-insane kind of collapse.
Compared to variety shows, people were far more interesting—her compatriots.
For the sake of these people who could occasionally add a little spice to her otherwise dull life, Stella Sterling felt that if she could lend a hand, she should.
A few vegetables weren’t much, but as long as they could be grown successfully, they could become a source of hope for many people.
Even though she knew that in the current, ever-changing environment of natural disasters, they might die off in the next cataclysm even if they were grown successfully now.
But at the very least, it could help a group of people overcome their current difficulties, and that was something.
"Then, do you have any conditions?"
Basil Xavier asked cautiously. They were from different bases now, not one single group.
Stella Sterling was offering something so precious; she couldn’t possibly be giving it away for free.
He just didn’t know what her conditions were, and whether they could afford to meet them.
At this thought, Basil Xavier glanced in Gordon Ford’s direction.
He wondered what Gordon Ford was thinking.
Or had Stella Sterling and Gordon Ford already discussed this? Had the two of them reached some kind of consensus and were only telling him now?
Gordon Ford met Basil Xavier’s gaze.
He understood what he meant and shook his head.
He was just as surprised by Stella Sterling’s decision, as she hadn’t mentioned anything to him beforehand.
At that moment, he also looked toward Stella Sterling. He had no intention of refusing her offer.
But he was already thinking about what he could give her in return. He couldn’t let her take a loss on this.
Just as the two men were pondering what Stella Sterling might want, she laughed. "I don’t need any conditions. I’m giving them to you. I have plenty more, and they’re just sitting here anyway."
"Besides, the first batch of crops planted at my base came from Meridia Base."
Back then, she had taken a batch of grain seeds from Meridia Base.
At the time, it was Louis Grant who had given them to her.
Something like that would definitely have been recorded at their base. The higher-ups couldn’t possibly have been unaware when Louis Grant took them.
The people in charge of that department must have known, but they never pursued the matter. She had even asked Louis Grant about it at the time.
But Stella Sterling still remembered Louis Grant’s answer very clearly.
And because of that, even without the connections to people she knew, Stella Sterling had always held a sense of respect for Meridia Base.
Hearing this, both Basil Xavier and Gordon Ford were a little surprised, as they hadn’t been aware of this matter.
Basil Xavier did, however, remember Stella Sterling spending some time at Meridia Base back then.
Could that have been when she got them?
Thinking of this, he smiled.
Just then, Stella Sterling spoke again.
"I know Meridia Base has been researching seeds that can adapt to various environments. The plan is to sow the successful seeds outside, batch by batch, once you succeed."
"I may not have Meridia Base’s grand vision or kindness, but I do have a tiny shred of conscience and a sense of morality."
’Just a tiny little bit,’ Stella Sterling thought.
Her voice was calm, and Basil Xavier gave her a surprised look.
What Stella Sterling had said today was indeed somewhat unexpected.
She didn’t seem like the kind of person who would say such things.
The first time he met Stella Sterling, she had left a very deep impression on him.
Even with her friends, she was rather cool and detached, not particularly warm. He had thought she was...
But then Basil Xavier thought about it and remembered some other things...
