Apocalypse: Reborn with a Soul Sync Farming Space System-Chapter 133 Food Makes People Happy

Laurel smiled faintly at Izzy’s words, though she did not let the praise linger too long in her mind because the harvest was only the first step and there was still much work that needed to be done before the food could safely reach the storage houses.

"Don’t celebrate yet," she said calmly while dusting the soil from her hands. "Harvesting is the easy part. If we leave them piled up here too long, half of it will rot before sunset."

The farmers who stood nearby heard her words and immediately began moving again. Several men carried baskets filled with cabbage, lettuce, radish, carrots, and tomatoes toward the narrow stream that ran beside the fields, while others gathered potatoes, onions, and corn that still needed to be sorted from the soil before storage.

The stream had always been there long before the fortress existed, quietly flowing along the edge of the valley, but now it had become one of the most useful parts of the farming sector. Farmers knelt along its banks and began washing the vegetables that needed cleaning, dipping cabbage heads and radishes into the cold water while rubbing away the dirt clinging stubbornly to their surfaces.

Fresh vegetables soon lined the flat rocks beside the stream where the sun could dry them naturally.

Meanwhile, the crops that required further sorting were carried toward the engineering sector where a small processing facility had been set up earlier. Inside that building workers would separate the remaining soil from potatoes, onions, and wheat using simple machines that the engineers had managed to assemble from salvaged equipment.

Laurel walked slowly between the groups while observing everything carefully.

She made sure the baskets being washed by the stream did not remain there too long, and she checked the workers transporting sacks of crops toward the warehouse to ensure nothing was misplaced along the way. The farmers had grown more confident over the past few days, but she still preferred to supervise personally because the first harvest inside the fortress would set the tone for everything that followed.

Izzy followed her closely as usual, though she now carried an empty basket since her earlier one had already been filled and transported away.

"Commander," Izzy said after watching the workers move back and forth for a moment, "I think this might be the happiest I’ve seen the farmers since we arrived here."

Laurel glanced toward the valley where laughter still rose from the stream.

"They deserve it," she replied calmly. "Food makes people happy."

Izzy nodded thoughtfully.

While Laurel continued observing the transportation of crops toward the storage houses, a faint shimmer suddenly appeared before her eyes.

The system screen unfolded quietly in front of her.

[Mission 010: Completed

[Reward: 10,000 points

[Farming EXP: +50]

Laurel’s eyes brightened immediately, and a small smile curved onto her face.

The screen flickered once more before a second notification appeared.

[Level Upgraded]

The information panel opened and displayed the updated statistics clearly.

[Farmer: Laurel Wayne / Ling Xuan

Age: {22 / 27}

Gender: {Females}

Class: {Beginner}

Level: {10 / 100}

Abilities: {Basic land analysis / Crop status panel / Basic irrigation assistance}

Weakness: {Unknown}

Expertise: {Unknown}

Speed: {10 / 500} 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Success Rate: {50 / 1000}

Intelligence: {70 / 1000}

Magical Abilities: {Healing/Reaper}

Farming EXP: {200}]

Laurel stared at the screen for several seconds, carefully reading the updated statistics.

The improvement was not enormous, but it was still far better than before. A satisfied smile slowly appeared on her face.

’I should tell sister Ling Xuan about this,’ Laurel thought.

The system clearly treated both of them as shared hosts, so the level upgrade benefited Ling Xuan as well. She could already imagine Ling Xuan’s calm reaction when she saw the numbers.

At the same time another thought surfaced in her mind.

’The Snow Lotus.’

The red mist had already begun thinning during the past two days, and if her memory from the previous life remained correct, the mist would almost completely dissipate within the next day or two. That window would be the perfect opportunity to leave the fortress and search for the Snow Lotus before other survivors began exploring the new world.

Laurel closed the system screen and began walking toward the road leading away from the fields.

She planned to return to the residence and discuss the matter with Ling Xuan immediately.

However, she had barely reached the edge of the farming sector when she saw a familiar figure walking toward her from the opposite direction.

Chris.

He walked with a charisma, commanding the air around him, though the faint fatigue in his expression had not completely disappeared.

Laurel slowed slightly.

"Chris," she greeted him with a small nod.

Chris stopped a few steps away and returned the greeting politely. "Laurel."

Laurel studied his face for a moment.

"How are you feeling?"

Chris seemed slightly surprised by the question... he immediately deduced he was talking to the calm Laurel. "I’m feeling fine now. Much better than before, all thanks to you."

Laurel frowned slightly. She still remembered the condition he had been in when she treated him earlier. Even though he looked stable now, she could not be completely certain that the damage had fully healed.

She had promised to extend his life for a year, and with three months gone now, he was left with nine months to live. Her heart clenched in her chest at the thought.

Her gaze lingered on him. ’If I leave the fortress to search for the Snow Lotus, I would not be here to treat him if something unexpected happened. And no one knows how to treat him... should I bring him along?... no, his condition is not suitable for such hardship... what if we encounter danger... I can’t put his life at risk.’

After a moment of silence, Laurel spoke again. "I will be leaving the fortress very soon," she said calmly.

"Leaving?" Chris raised an eyebrow as he asked.

"Yes," Laurel continued. "I need to search for a special plant outside the valley."

Chris did not ask what the plant was, but the slight change in his expression showed his surprise at the sudden announcement.

A strange pool of emotion he couldn’t tell settled in his chest.

Laurel continued speaking before he could ask further questions.

"I will need some men to accompany me." Chris’s brows lifted slightly at the request.

The change in his expression was subtle, but Laurel still noticed it. For a brief second Chris seemed to consider several possibilities in his mind before giving a slow nod.

"I understand," he replied calmly. "I will recommend some of my most trusted men."

"Shouldn’t you bring me along?" Chris asked, leaning forward towards her with a look that slightly looked like a puppy’s look.