<h4>Chapter 82: Sol Hundred and One, nting the Tomato Seeds in the Pots</h4>


    Trantor: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon


    Tang Yue kept a note of the time. Once the twenty minutes were up, he and Tomcat scooped the soaking tomato seeds from the beaker.


    “The sterilization isplete. Next up would be vernalization. It’s done simrly by soaking,” Mai Dong said. “However, the soaking will take a little longer. You need to soak the seeds in water for eight hours, so you can soak them tonight and scoop them out tomorrow morning.”


    Tang Yue unplugged the heater and removed the beaker from the tripod. The precious water could still be used, and Tang Yue didn’t wish to waste a single milliliter.


    They soaked the seeds in water again. Soaking them for an entire night was to allow them to absorb sufficient water.


    Sufficient water allowed the hibernating seeds to awaken and regain their vitality. This was the result of nts adapting to their environment over millions of years. Sufficient water often meant that the rainy and warm season was at hand—the best season for nts to grow. Sprouts would seize this precious opportunity to tear out of the ground and grow tall. The intelligence of life was often that subtle but infinite.


    “How do you n on growing them?” Tomcat circled Kunlun Station’s interior. “This ce is only so big. You aren’t going to just pile soil on the ground, right?”


    Kunlun Station was structured like a Mongolian tent. It had attice structure and a circr base te with a diameter of about ten meters. The tiny space was already filled with amodation, gym, medical, and research facilities. The one that upied the most space was the desktopputer, the bathroom, and the life support system. If they had to pile soil on the ground to grow tomatoes, life would only be more miserable.


    “We can’t nt them in the ground. We won’t have space to walk, and we can’t control the water and fertilizer provided. Furthermore, it could contaminate the environment.” Tang Yue shook his head and surveyed his surroundings. He pointed at a shelf along the wall. “We can nt the tomatoes on the shelf like nting flowers.”


    The Hab had cabs and shelves along its inner wall. The rack had four levels that were separated by stic shelves. They were typically used for food, clothes, samples, and misceneous objects. Now, the rack was covered with food.


    They put words into action as Tomcat and Tang Yue began moving the boxes from the rack, stuffing them into empty amodation cabins, emptying out two racks.


    “Tomcat, are there any suitable containers? Ones that don’t leak water or soil, and are rtively sealed.”


    Tomcat rummaged around and pulled out a pile of bottles and containers. “There are another two plexiss water troughs, which were likely left behind by Old Zheng.”


    Tang Yue received the rectangr water trough, narrowed his eyes as he inspected it against the light. It was light and solid without any cracks. It was perfect for a container to nt tomatoes.


    He ced the water trough on the rack, took a step back, and scrutinized it. “Let’s nt them here. Tomcat, Mai Dong, what do you think? The soil, fertilizer, and water will all be in the water trough, so it won’t make a mess.”


    “A water trough can have five tomato nts?” Tomcat measured the length of the water trough. “Will it be a little too much of a squeeze?”


    “That can’t be helped. We can only get our dear tomatoes to make do with it. We are sleeping in kennels ourselves, so there’s really no way to get them a vi to stay in.” Tang Yue pped his hands. “Thendlord doesn’t have any spare food either.”


    “Would it be fine nting them like that?” Tomcat asked the camera behind it.


    “No problem,” Mai Dong said. “Your conditions are restricted after all. The sprouts shall be nted here first. When they are bigger, we can think of ways to make space for them. Tomatoes aren’t fragile nts. They are very tenacious.”


    Due to the restricted conditions of Kunlun Station, Tang Yue wasn’t able to find a better way to nt these tomatoes. There were only two water troughs left, and if they were to scale their farming, Tang Yue would have to personally build containers.


    Tang Yue had previously imagined nting the nts outdoors in an experimental field. He came up with a ratherplicated design—circle out a small area in front of Kunlun Station, line it with stic sheets, then cover it with soil before scattering the seeds. Then, he could use another stic sheet to create a sealed greenhouse... But this idea died a death. Tang Yue could tell that the n faced great difficulties and was impractical. Not only did heck the materials, but he couldn’t ensure the right temperature or pressure.


    Right on the heels of that, he had another idea. It was to dig out a squarish pit around Kunlun Station’s periphery. He would fill the pit with stic sheets and soil before scattering the seeds. He would then seal the pit with stic sheets in a bid to try an underground, experimental field... Of course, this idea simrly died a death. Tang Yue was still unable to ensure a stable temperature and pressure.


    Tang Yue’s third idea was to drive the Mars Wanderer over, empty the garage, and use it to nt tomatoes. However, this was still unfeasible. Even though the temperature in the garage was stable, its highest temperature was around zero degrees Celsius. Tomatoes were nts that preferred high temperatures, so it was unlikely that they could survive in such low temperatures.


    Tang Yue’s fourth idea was to dig up Kunlun Station’s floor tiles, nting tomatoes in the pit he dug up. But considering how this might end up killing him, he abandoned this dangerous n.


    Tang Yue racked his brains and discussed all the possible ideas, but ultimately discovered that any method employed was blocked by two unresolvable problems. The first was pressure. The atmospheric pressure outside was too low, and the tomatoes that were exposed to it had no way of living. Second, it was the temperature. Temperatures at –50°C made the tomatoes brittle from frost. To resolve these two problems, Kunlun Station usedplicated heat instion material and an OGS, but Tang Yue had no means to create an OGS himself.


    After all, he wasn’t Tony Stark.


    If Iron Man were here, he would probably have dismantled Kunlun Station and built a spacecraft capable of flying through the cosmos. He would then use some baffling element as its driving force to leave Mars to seek revenge on Thanos.


    And clearly, Earth had been snapped away by Thanos.


    Don’t ask how Kunlun Station could be rebuilt into a spacecraft for everyone knows that the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn’t obey the conservation of mass.


    Finally, Tang Yue could only nt the precious seeds in pots.


    Tang Yue was depressed to realize that regardless of what he wanted to do, he was limited by the tiny space offered by Kunlun Station. He wasn’t able to expand his living environment by even a small step.


    In the harsh environment of Mars, every tiny step he took outside was a result of a quantum leap in basic science and engineering.


    “That’s it for today,” Mai Dong said. “Tang Yue, Mr. Cat, the tomato seeds have already been soaked, right? Remember to scoop them out in eight hours to dry them.”


    “OK! OK! Agriculture expert, Miss Mai Dong, thank you for your guidance!” Tang Yue turned to face Mai Dong as he gestured. “Miss Mai Dong, are you going to sleep? If you aren’t, shall we y FreeCell?”


    “What do you mean y!? Look at the time! How can you have thoughts of ying games!?” Tomcat kicked Tang Yue in the ass. “Go take in the sr panels!”


    Tang Yue donned the Radiant Armor as he angrily left the Hab.


    Tomcat pped its paws and looked up.


    “Mai Dong, are you nning on sleeping?”


    “Uh... I’m not in a hurry to.”


    Tomcat’s eyes lit up.


    “Then shall we y FreeCell together?”