There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

Burnett continued, "Then, within a week, the agave ripened again! We harvested another large crop. You wouldn't believe it, boss, if the artisans hadn't come and bought so much, I wouldn't have had anywhere to sell this stuff..."

The fact that it can grow back after being cut is due to its well-developed root system.

According to the growth pattern of agave, the reason it can thrive in this desert land is because of its roots that penetrate deep into the soil to absorb nutrients. If only the stems, leaves and fruits are cut off, it can easily sprout again with its abundant energy.

"So you just let it grow? Are you saying that wherever the leaves dance, the fire will never die out?"

"No, boss, we didn't manage it at first. But as the number of residents here increased, the food problem became prominent. We were only able to barely supply food here thanks to the fast-growing agave."

Burnett sighed, looking quite worried about the free trade zone; even his hairline seemed to have receded significantly. "We were planning to expand the planting, but unfortunately, most of the agave we transplanted died... The few that survived grew extremely slowly, not exhibiting the magical ability to mature in a week at all. Boss, where did you get these amazing varieties?"

Forget about it. The colonist system only exists with me, and only modified seeds have the special effect of rapid maturation. Even varieties transplanted from the same seedling are worlds apart.

I glanced at Ganan, then avoided answering and continued to ask Burnett, "Did you send the Cedar Clan over hoping they would supply raw materials and food?"

Bernette nodded and said, “That’s right. Other places can’t even be self-sufficient in food. For example, the Loader’s Territory is short of food this year, and Sabre Bay only knows how to forcibly grow crops, not how to cultivate them. Besides, even if we could buy them, we can’t rely on these enemies to supply something as important as food.”

That shows great strategic vision. The strategy of relying on the enemy for sustenance is only useful in the stage of total war. If faced with a scorched-earth strategy, the deployed army will inevitably be trapped and die in the wilderness. If, due to food shortages, a decisive strategic battle is forced upon them, then they are utterly foolish.

“Just eating agave probably won’t be enough, right? There aren’t any other food sources around here. Do you have enough to eat?” I asked.

Burnett smiled modestly: "No, boss. Under my arrangement, it's enough for now. We can barely manage to have meat and vegetables, a good balance of meat and vegetables."

There's meat too? They're living quite comfortably... How come I didn't know there was meat to eat around here...?

"Oh, that's good..." I answered subconsciously, then suddenly remembered something, jumped up from the chair, grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air, and questioned him sharply.

"Wait a minute, tell me clearly what kind of meat it is! I didn't see any wild horses, camels, or leopards! Did you bastards eat them all?!"

Chapter 442 Meeting an Old Acquaintance in a Foreign Land

"This is a misunderstanding... Boss... we didn't..."

Burnett was pinched until his face turned red and he was having trouble breathing. He struggled to explain to me, and the scene looked just like a world-famous painting: "Don't Underestimate Me, Uncle".

I thought about their appetites, and these skinny animals probably didn't have enough to eat either. They certainly didn't seem like they would be used as food. So I put him down, crossed my arms in front of my chest, and asked.

"Where did the animals go? I haven't seen a single one."

Burnett caught his breath for a moment before regaining the strength to speak. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he said, "Boss, the camels were taken away today by the Six-Wheeled Team to Silent Valley to transport goods. A large portion of our food supplies come from there, and we also have to transport steel back, so we're very busy..."

The food I planted at the Reverse Lightning Legion's base in Silent Valley is high-yield, fast-growing barley. If the first harvest goes smoothly, it will be enough to feed them for a long time, so it's normal for them to have the surplus to support the Free Trade Zone.

but……

"What are you doing bringing the steel back here?" I asked.

Ganan, who had been frozen in place for a long time, finally found a chance to interject, raising his hand and saying, "Boss... I know that! Steel is used to mint currency!"

"Currency?" I frowned.

Ganan took a square metal block out of his bag and handed it to me: "This is it. We just got it from the blacksmith. It's the currency we use here."

I held this somewhat crudely cast square iron piece in my hand. The surface felt rough, and the rough edges weren't very clean. However, the whole piece of iron had a dark gray sheen, and it felt heavy and substantial in my hand.

"Burnette, is this the currency you produce? It looks rather poorly made... and there aren't any anti-counterfeiting features or anything?"

Burnett smiled wryly and said to me, "There's no need for patterns here. This steel is already a scarce resource. With the Loaders' Territory and the pirates fighting every day, the price of steel doubles every day. It's perfect as currency."

I shook my head and said, "No, if that happens, merchants will definitely mint coins privately, trying to increase their profit margins through monetary and financial means. In the end, bad money will drive out good money, and the entire market's credit currency will be abandoned."

Burnett smiled slyly and pointed at Ganan, saying, "Boss, I was prepared for this too... They are my secret weapon!"

Over the next period of time, Burnett told me about a monetary system that sounded both very makeshift and very distinctive.

For currency issuance, Burnett sought out Ganann, from whom he obtained a special metal that, when added in small amounts, could enhance the wear resistance and corrosion resistance of steel. Simultaneously, this special steel was forged in designated blacksmith shops and, under Burnett's supervision, minted into square coins.

This can prevent the private minting and excessive issuance of currency. Of course, this cannot completely prevent the machinations of those with ulterior motives.

Therefore, in terms of currency circulation, Burnett stipulated that for transactions involving large sums of money, the currency on the books should be used for barter or book-based settlement. After the two parties reached an agreement, they would then exchange the currency and realize the barter.

In this situation, someone who can produce a large sum of money must be a major merchant bringing a large quantity of goods to trade, with their financial strength secured by a substantial amount of cargo. It's impossible for someone to lavishly spend counterfeit money—in that case, everyone would suspect the source of their funds.

Finally, regarding the currency management system, Burnett stipulated that all caravans and artisans leaving the area were not allowed to take their currency out of the free trade zone; they could only deposit it in the tavern's money exchange through bookkeeping.

This policy was enforced by force; force served as both a threat and a safeguard, preventing anyone from smuggling themselves out.

It may seem a bit cold-hearted, but after all, the wilderness is not a credit society, and people are not going to voluntarily deposit money in Alipay to earn interest.

However, the advantage of this policy is that all departing merchants will try their best to exchange all their money for goods before leaving, thus preventing currency fluctuations.

In this way, the transaction speed of the entire free trade zone has been raised to a higher level, and a depository institution similar to a central bank has been established to protect the stability of the financial market and adjust the money supply at any time according to market demand.

On the other hand, artisans and laborers, other than traders, were more willing to settle here, accept employment, exchange currency, buy a wide variety of goods at reasonable prices, and remain stably in the free trade zone, never leaving unless absolutely necessary.

“That’s a good approach. Free trade zones have secured a stable labor market and stabilized capital flows through them through financial policies, preventing malicious short selling,” I praised.

The only drawback of this plan is that the turnover of funds is relatively slow, as it mainly relies on barter to complete transactions, which can easily lead to deflation. But I don't care about that. This place, which I see as a farmers' market, doesn't need inflation to unleash its economic vitality.

Burnett bowed his head modestly and said, "Boss, you flatter me... The meat we eat is mostly sea fish from the coast, caught by these migrant workers. They earn money here and spend it here, so the meat just rots in the pot and there's no loss."

Of course.

Not to mention these hired laborers, even the artisans create value through their labor. Compared to the merchants, they are the core of this place.

"We've gone off on a tangent. What about what I asked you earlier? What about my other animals?" I quickly steered the conversation back on track.

Burnett slapped his forehead and quickly said, "Right, right! Boss, that's how it is. Those two cheetahs don't like crowded places. As more and more people came over here, they went to find new territory. Four-legged Chicken said he saw them go to Silent Valley. They also spoke with the bald guy from the Reverse-Flash Legion, and he replied that staying there was fine."

"What about that group of punk wild horses?" I continued to ask.

Burnett also said firmly, "Everything is fine! The wild horses don't mind the crowds, but it seems that their usual roaming area has been encroached upon by the trading area, so they run off to play in faraway places during the day and only come back to rest at night. We leave barley fodder for them to supplement their nutrition."

Ganan chimed in, "Yes, I've seen them too. They're all top-notch horses. It seems the herd has expanded recently. I don't know where a pony came from, but they're always running around together."

Suddenly, Burnett, who was standing behind me facing the tavern door, exclaimed excitedly, "Boss Zoffy, look! I wasn't lying to you! They're back!"

I turned my head and saw several faint black dots in the glaring sunlight, leaping and running in the distant sandy bay, rapidly enlarging their shape as they approached.

Four wild horses with extremely bushy coats led the way, kicking up clouds of yellow sand behind them. Each horse held its head high with pride, like victorious generals surveying their territory—it was clear the cheetahs weren't around, and they were quite arrogant.

Behind them followed a smaller horse, its mane less flamboyant, which followed the wild horses with all its might, looking equally cheerful.

As the herd of horses traversed the mixed-use market area, crossed the workshop road, and arrived at the tavern, I finally recognized these familiar animals from my territory. Hmm, they certainly looked healthy; they'd all gained weight…

Wait a minute, the little horse buried in the herd over there looks kind of familiar.

The pony and I stared at each other, and I watched as its expression slowly changed from blank indifference to familiarity…

(;'??Д??`)！

……Depend on!

Emoji Pony!

What are you doing here?!

Chapter 443 What is the special ability?

After standing there in a daze for about three minutes, the little horse with the most expressive face suddenly darted out of the herd, stretched its head into my arms and nuzzled against me, even trying to stick out its tongue to lick my face.

Seeing its snotty and tearful appearance, I decided to keep it from running wild for the sake of its image. I quickly pulled it aside, found some barley stored in the tavern, poured a bowl of it, and let it eat its fill.

Although the power of the emoji remains undiminished, the appearance of the emoji pony clearly shows that it has suffered a lot.

The bridle and reins that were originally tied to it were all worn and broken, leaving only two ropes around its neck. Due to the effects of wind and sun, its once glossy mane was now covered with dust and grease, looking particularly dirty and disheveled, and it might even be infested with lice.

Its four hooves were worn and cracked to varying degrees, indicating that it had been running in the wilderness for some time and had been damaged by the complex Gobi Desert environment.

As for why it ended up with the wild horses, it was undoubtedly running around in the wilderness hungry when it happened to come across the Shamate family, whose herd was dwindling and needed to expand. It was then naturally absorbed into the family and started eating and drinking for free at the tavern.

But why would it appear in this wasteland...?

I touched its body and felt that although the subcutaneous fat had decreased, the muscle ratio had increased a lot from exercise, and it didn't look like it had been starving and wandering.

Besides, this guy grew up on old man Muqi's ranch and has zero knowledge of wilderness survival. If he were to try to survive alone in this barren and desolate Gobi Desert, he would probably die in two days.

So there might only be one way...

Has this guy just arrived here? Two or three months after I arrived?

"Emoji, how did you get here?"

I patted the pony's head, and it thought I was being affectionate, so it stuck out its tongue and tried to come closer again. Finally, I grabbed its ear and said it to it again, and it stopped its restlessness and entered a clear state of thinking.

After thinking for a while, the emoji pony began its performance.

First, the little pony emoji took two steps back, then suddenly lay down on the ground, revealing its unique sleeping posture:

(|3[▓▓]

Then it opened its eyes:

(:3[▓▓]

Then, it got up from the ground and looked around very expressively:

(°□°；)～～(；°□°)

Then, it paced around a couple of times in a state of agitation before beginning its hasty escape:

ε=ε=ε=ε=ε=┌(;￣◇￣)┘

Little Horse skipped a couple of steps and came right up to Wild Horse, casually recreating their epic meeting.

Meme Pony: (°ー°〃) (Where did this horse come from? It's so tall!)

Wild Horse with a Shamate Style: (。__。) (Whose child is this? So silly...)

…………

"Okay, okay, I think I understand!"

After watching for a while, I stopped the performance from continuing.

Such lifelike expressions almost achieved cross-species communication, but for some reason, Burnett and Ganan seemed unmoved by their emojis—could these guys be less intelligent than a horse? Or is it because only I, with my system, can understand these emojis?

In summary, the meaning of the emoji pony is that it was originally sleeping comfortably in the ranch stable under a hay blanket, and when it woke up, it found itself in the wasteland.

But it was luckier than me. It had just started its wandering journey when it met another wild horse, found a place where it could get free food, and soon met me there.

The arrival of the little pony emoji not only comforted me while I was far from home, but also signified something important...

I wasn't the only one who was teleported to this planet!