HLM -Chapter 1114 Planting Ginseng

Because of its size and appearance, the mouse deer had become a celebrity as soon as it arrived in Sunset Town; everyone present recognized it.

Seeing the little creature, everyone laughed.

The mouse deer nervously crouched there, staring at the group. It hopped around, trying to escape, but when it turned, it bumped into the wall and was bounced back.

This made the laughter even louder.

Bishop Rooney walked over. The mouse deer, a bit dizzy from the collision, tentatively reached out, but the mouse deer ignored him and instead noticed his robe, darting straight into it.

Someone asked with concern, “Bishop, be careful—mouse deer have pretty strong jaws.”

Bishop Rooney smiled: “It’s alright. It’s just a little, hesitant life. Besides, its appearance now—is it just a coincidence? No, perhaps it’s a messenger sent by God.”

He walked back onto the stage, and the little mouse deer followed him step by step. Whenever he paused, it would dart into his robe again.

“What a cute little fellow—truly a messenger of God.”

“Look at how much affection it has for the Bishop.”

“Thank God for blessing all creatures.”

Wang Bo, however, felt this was a bit superstitious. Clearly, the mouse deer had wandered in by accident. After all, the distance from the church to the animal enclosure wasn’t far, and since the mouse deer was new, it was normal for it to run around and get lost.

But he couldn’t say this out loud—if he did, he’d likely lose votes in the next election.

“Respect others’ beliefs,” Wang Bo reminded himself.

Under the direction of the trainee Bishop, the choir gathered from the elementary school began singing the hymn “As If in Heaven”.

In this setting, everyone wore solemn expressions and the atmosphere was reverent. Listening to the children’s voices, there was indeed a sense of transcendence.

As the song continued, the congregation began softly singing along. Wang Bo, caught up in the moment, joined in for a few lines, though he didn’t know the lyrics well and couldn’t keep up with the rhythm.

After the hymn, the main service began, with Bishop Rooney leading everyone in prayer.

Wang Bo treated it like the New Year prayers back home. He sincerely wished: “God, bless my family with harmony and happiness, bless every family in Sunset Town with harmony and happiness, and bless Sunset Town to grow and develop even better.”

The rest of the activities held little interest for him. In fact, not just him—many of the faithful began to doze off as the service went on. Wang Bo noticed several familiar faces with their hands supporting their heads, heads bowed—they were asleep.

He was very familiar with this posture; he used to do the same in college lectures.

Today he wanted to reminisce a little about those days, but it was difficult. Thanks to the Castle Heart, he had been well-rested, and now he couldn’t sleep.

After sitting through the morning, Wang Bo hadn’t expended much energy, so he wasn’t very hungry. At lunch, he only ate some pastries Eva had made.

Atulu, meanwhile, was devouring food like there was no tomorrow. The guy seemed oblivious to everyone else, holding a fork in one hand, a spoon in the other, with a pair of chopsticks still tucked in his pocket, eating with enthusiasm.

After participating in the church activities, the church officially opened for use. From that day onward, it would be open during the day and only close at night.

On Monday, a team of experts came to Sunset Town. This was a joint aquatic science inspection team from the University of Auckland, the University of Otago, and the University of Canterbury.

The discovery of freshwater coral in Lake Haweya had undoubtedly caused a stir in the global aquatic research community, though most people didn’t believe it, thinking it was just a gimmick.

New Zealanders liked to play pranks and exaggerate. They often claimed to have discovered some extinct species, but inspections always revealed it was either a joke or a misunderstanding. Freshwater coral was initially treated the same way.

More than ten days had passed without media coverage, mainly because tourists rarely had underwater cameras. There was discussion online, but evidence was lacking.

Previously, students from Otago University in the aquaculture field had visited and returned amazed, likely reporting it to their school. Then a team of experts from several renowned universities was dispatched to verify it.

Unlike in China, the New Zealand government had no involvement in such research matters and wouldn’t notify Wang Bo. He only learned of the experts’ visit to Lake Haweya through Elizabeth.

Almost all the professors initially considered the reports fake; to them, it was as ridiculous as someone claiming to have found primitive humans.

But once their diving equipment reached the lakebed, they shut up and stopped doubting.

Wang Bo knew the outcome. He paid little attention to the experts’ visit and instead followed some news online.

For Sunset Town, it was the beginning of spring, but in the Northern Hemisphere, it was already autumn—a crisp, clear season, ideal for harvesting ginseng.

Wang Bo’s Level-2 Forest Heart had produced a lot of black truffles, and over the past ten-plus days, Lancaster and the others had harvested abundantly, almost like it was a full-fledged production area.

But black truffles alone weren’t enough; he wanted to plant something else, and so he thought of ginseng.

There was no native ginseng in New Zealand, but since the 1970s, it had been introduced for cultivation. American ginseng and Korean ginseng had been planted, but Wang Bo didn’t choose those—they weren’t valuable. He aimed for the top of the “Three Treasures of Northeast China”: Chinese ginseng.

New Zealand’s environment was pollution-free, with beautiful mountains and waters, and plenty of forests, making ginseng cultivation popular.

The news Wang Bo saw discussed a series of industries supported by the new government, including ginseng cultivation.

According to the reports, last year’s ginseng harvest in New Zealand had been optimistic.

Wang Bo found information on Maraeroa C, a government-supported enterprise. The data showed that high-quality New Zealand ginseng was already quite competitive in the international market, successfully making inroads into North America.

To expand the industry chain, the New Zealand government also supported ginseng cultivation, offering favorable policies, especially for new immigrants—foreign currency earned from cultivation could offset taxes.

Like agriculture, where farms grow crops operated by commercial institutions, New Zealand had commercialized ginseng cultivation.

Currently, there were fewer than ten commercial ginseng enterprises, cultivating a total area of 500–800 hectares, mainly in the Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Taupo, and other regions.

In the South Island, ginseng cultivation was limited, with most Asian ginseng grown being Korean ginseng. Chinese ginseng, although potent, was harder to grow.

Fortunately, some people saw the potential profit. In Auckland, North Island, a plant breeding company had certification from customs and quarantine authorities and possessed Chinese ginseng seeds.

After some consideration, Wang Bo called the company.

Ginseng seeds weren’t expensive—just 20 yuan for every hundred seeds. At first glance, selling seeds didn’t seem profitable, but in reality, it was more complex.

Commercial ginseng cultivation in New Zealand rarely involved sowing raw seeds directly. If you did, they would take 20–21 months to germinate—a very long time.