Chapter 236: Alice's Father Appears
Chapter 236: Alice's Father Appears (Request for Subscriptions, Favorites, and Recommendations)
Greenville in the Plants vs. Zombies World is developing quite well, with the only issue being the lack of population. Despite the considerable time spent attracting humans scattered across various regions, the prolonged Zombie disaster has drastically reduced the human population.
For instance, the area where Greenville is located spans over 10,000 square kilometers. Even after excluding the mountainous and aquatic regions unsuitable for human habitation, there are still over 8,000 square kilometers. Yet, this vast expanse of land only has a population of about 20,000 people. This is why, over the past year, everyone has focused on constructing various facilities on the Greenleaf Plains rather than venturing out to reclaim territories occupied by Zombies. After all, it's a problem if you claim more land than you can defend.
To prevent Zombies from infiltrating, people, with the help of robots, have greened all areas suitable for planting. One consequence of this is that Greenville now has a severe surplus of food. Thanks to Dave's modifications to the Plants, even using just one-tenth of the land for growing food and vegetables, Greenville produces far more than it can consume. Recently, Liam even opened portals to the Radiation World and the Plants vs. Zombies World in the Multiverse General Store, using a conveyor belt to transport food to the Radiation World for an entire day.
So, Dave has now switched to growing new varieties of crops that grow more slowly, yield less, but are much higher in nutritional value. This is why Liam came to ask for some of these nutritious foods to help Alice recover from her illness.
Soon, Liam returned to the kitchen with two large burlap sacks, each as tall as he was, filled with vegetables and fresh meat and eggs. Apart from the eggs, which were indeed laid by chickens, the fresh meat came from certain newly cultivated Plants. This makes sense, considering Dave, who can grow so many Mystic Plants, could also grow trees that bear beef.
Moreover, the disaster has greatly reduced the population of animals previously bred by humans. While egg-laying animals like chickens, ducks, and geese can recover their populations relatively quickly, within a year, larger animals like cows and sheep face much greater challenges. Therefore, they rely on mutant Plants to solve this problem.
"Wow, so much fresh food. Do you know how to cook, Liam?" Alice asked, looking at the contents of the two bags.
"Of course, I know how to cook, but today it's not my turn to handle the kitchen duties." Liam then looked at the robot Helen. "The real cooking expert is right here."
"Of course, sir, miss. I would be delighted to show off my skills", Helen said, waving her mechanical tentacles. "Leave it to me. Miss Alice, you're recovering from a serious illness. I will prepare a scientifically balanced and delicious dinner for you."
Twenty minutes later, Helen floated in with a large silver platter, placing the dishes on the table while introducing them. "Miss Alice, this bowl contains Fish and Vegetable Congee, which is very flavorful and rich in nutrients, making it easy to digest. The Pork and Milk Mashed Potatoes beside it are equally delicious. Lastly, there is a Chicken Consomme with Vegetables. Please enjoy your meal, miss."
"This tastes amazing", Alice said after sampling each dish. Liam also started to enjoy the 13-course French meal.
The next afternoon, Alice took Liam to the manor's warehouse to show him her father's treasures. They walked through the snow-covered backyard and entered a rather elegant warehouse.
The items stored inside amazed Liam. For example, there was a clock similar to the one in the living room that could display various animals. There were dolls and animals that could move autonomously once wound up. When the box was opened, it revealed a complete puppet band capable of playing over a dozen songs. Liam could clearly sense that the power driving these items was not just from traps but was likely the result of some Alchemy.
"On the way back, Liam asked, 'I see you really like these things. Have you learned to make them from your father?'
'I really do like them, but unfortunately, I can't learn,' Alice said in a low tone. 'Learning Alchemy requires special aptitude, and I don't have that. One of the main reasons my father travels so much is to find a way to help me rise above the ordinary.'
'But without Alchemy, I can still make things,' Alice said. When they returned to the castle, she showed Liam many mechanical creations she had made, such as music boxes and clocks.
Over the next few days, the two of them discussed many topics related to Magic and mechanics. Liam, having a lineage in mechanics, found their conversations very engaging. They even spent an entire day using Kung Fu and Magic to build a steam engine. Alice was highly impressed with this machine that could run continuously with just fuel, even believing it could change the world.
On the fifth day of Liam's stay, he was in the parlor discussing the use of a condenser in the steam engine with Alice when a young man's voice echoed from the living room downstairs.
"Alice, where are you? Dad's back."
"Dad!" Alice immediately jumped up from the sofa and ran downstairs. A moment later, she returned with a young man with blonde hair.
"This is Wizard Liam, who saved my life", Alice introduced him to her father.
"Thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done if anything had happened to my daughter", Alice's father expressed his sincere gratitude.
"If you hadn't been gone all the time, I wouldn't have been in such danger this time", Alice said expressionlessly. Her father looked conflicted, unsure of what to say.
Liam, as an outsider, found the scene very awkward. However, he couldn't leave, so he stayed stiffly on the sofa. Soon, Alice returned to her room, leaving Liam and her father in the parlor.
"Thank you again, Wizard Liam. But could you tell me why you came to our world?" Once he was sure Alice had left, her father's words surprised Liam.
"How did you know I'm not from this world?" Liam asked, shocked. He hadn't expected anyone to recognize him as a traveler from another world at first glance. In the worlds he had visited before, no one had been able to do that.
"Alchemy is a powerful skill. When I came in, I used a special method from Alchemy to observe you. Naturally, I could see that you come from another world, and I could also see that the other worlds have been friendly to you. Otherwise, do you think you could still be sitting here safely? Of course, using that method to observe you wasn't very polite, but since you appeared by my daughter's side, I had to make sure of the situation."
"Am I falling into the hands of an overprotective father?" Liam thought to himself. However, since this man could see through him, there might be a way to detect lies. Using Taoist Techniques to seal his soul and prevent observation would seem too hostile. Deciding to be straightforward, Liam said:
"I travel to different worlds to trade and learn, strengthening myself in the process. Of course, if I see a world in need, I'll lend a hand."
"I see. You can stay at my estate for a while. We can exchange knowledge. By the way, you can call me Rogen." The young man with blonde hair extended his hand. Liam smiled and shook it. "Thank you, I appreciate it."
(End of Chapter)
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