C19 Prepare to Broadcast

Before dawn, Everett invested in an additional 260,000 desert pillar cacti and began planting them by the lakeside. Initially, he had planned to plant cacti worth 130,000 yuan, but he decided to reduce the spacing between them to five meters each. In doing so, he envisioned that as the cacti matured, they would form a natural wall. This barrier would protect the delicate desert reeds from harsh sandstorms, giving Everett peace of mind.

After completing the planting of the desert pillar cacti, which amounted to a total of 260,000 yuan, the afternoon sun was high in the sky. Everett was on the verge of collapse, drained from the relentless effort.

"I'm exhausted! Time to head back and rest."

Weighed down by fatigue and sleepiness, Everett made his way to the edge of the desert reeds and stretched out on a lush patch of grass, quickly falling asleep. Unbeknownst to him, he slept straight through until the following morning.

At the break of dawn, the sound of rushing water stirred Everett from his slumber. He initially thought he was dreaming, but the sound was unmistakable, as if it were right there...

"Ah! The desert reeds have actually formed a river!"

Everett's eyes widened in disbelief.

He pinched himself hard, feeling the sharp pain confirming the reality.

"It's true, it's true, there's water in the desert, there's water in the desert!"

Everett realized that broadcasting this phenomenon live on Chili Live would send shockwaves around the globe.

Overwhelmed with excitement and under the scorching sun, Everett stripped off his clothes and dove into the refreshing water. The coolness enveloped him, touching every hair and capillary, as if he were bathing in an enchanted realm.

Everett swam blissfully in the deep waters, which reached over two meters at the shore and four to five meters towards the center. After enjoying a good hour or so in the water, he emerged from the lake feeling rejuvenated.

By noon, as he gazed upon the golden ripples dancing across Crescent Bay and the expansive green reeds, a wave of nostalgia washed over him, reminiscent of his childhood swims in the secret spots of Hadleigh.

Lost in these warm reflections, his reverie was interrupted by the chime of his phone.

"The boundless sky is…"

"Hello?"

"Everett, it's Sara. Are you all set for your desert live broadcast debut tomorrow?"

"Yes, I'm ready. How's the promotion going?"

After Everett inquired, Sara let out a sigh and responded, "Haven't you checked Chili Live these past two days?"

"No way!"

"Are you busy?"

"Extremely busy!"

"Okay, I'm not sure what's so busy in the desert, but listen up, you need to start your live stream at 9 a.m. sharp tomorrow. I'm expecting you to wow everyone with a surprise."

"Also, your channel will be featured on the homepage of Chili Live tomorrow. If all goes well, you're going to be the next sensation!"

After Sara finished speaking, Everett nodded. He was in dire need of cash, so he seized this chance and discussed the live stream details with her before hanging up the phone.

Once the call ended, Everett gazed out at the rippling waters of Crescent Bay, lost in thought. Crescent Bay was a beautiful spot, but not suitable for broadcasting now. Tomorrow marked his live stream debut, and just showing barren sand dunes seemed lackluster...

"I need to add something special."

While pondering his options, his phone chimed again.

*Ding dong!*

System Notification: Congratulations on the preliminary development of the Bellhand Scenic Area in Limesvilles. You have earned a new seed!

"What? I completed the first task?"

The surprise was unexpected. Everett had assumed that developing a desert tourist attraction and attracting ten visitors was one task, not realizing it was actually two.

"Great, a new seed! I was just worried I had nothing interesting to stream!"

He opened the Desert Seed Merchant Shop, and to his surprise, a small red flower had appeared in the seed slot.

A small flower?

Everett was taken aback. The system usually provided practical seeds, so why a small flower this time?

"Who cares, let's plant it and see what happens!"

He clicked on the little red flower, and a description soon appeared on the right side of the Seeds Pavilion.

Seed Description: Congratulations on acquiring the Desert Rose Seed.

The Desert Rose Seed, once modified, requires very little water and can bloom into the largest and most dazzling flower in the world. Moreover, the Desert Rose, with its stunning beauty, has earned the title of 'Queen of the Desert.'

"Desert Rose? Amazing! Planting a field of roses in the desert, it would be tough for Money Nightingale to beat that!"

Everett found himself dreaming of a beautiful life: standing amidst an endless desert oasis, surrounded by a vast sea of desert roses that stretched into the blue haze of the early morning...

[Price Alert: The Desert Rose commands a high price due to its challenging cultivation and high ornamental value. A one-meter-tall Desert Rose costs 1,000 yuan per plant, a 50-centimeter Desert Rose is 500 yuan per plant, and a rose seedling is 100 yuan per plant.]

[System Notification: Players are encouraged to purchase and start planting!]

"Damn it!"

Everett was abruptly yanked from his daydream into reality.

That's right! A thousand yuan for a single plant. Such a costly endeavor could be the death of him!

"Let's do the math. A thousand per plant, ten plants is 10,000 yuan. To create a sea of roses, I need at least 50 acres, maybe even 100 acres, considering 50 acres might be too small. How many roses would that be for 100 acres?"

"Typically, one acre can accommodate five to six thousand rose plants. But Everett's roses can't be planted that closely together. At a minimum, each acre should have five hundred plants. That's half a million yuan per acre. For one hundred acres, that's a staggering fifty million yuan!"

The thought of 50 million yuan made Everett's head spin. Where on earth was he going to find that kind of money?

It was an outright trap, an impossible task!

Everett sighed as he checked his account balance. He had previously topped up 20 million yuan, and Crescent Bay had taken a bite of 18.76 million yuan. Now, he had a balance of 1.24 million yuan left, which at best could buy 12,400 roses at 1.5 meters tall. But upon further reflection, he realized that this amount could indeed create a rose sea, provided he didn't plant them too densely.

With this in mind, Everett had no choice but to proceed with the purchase. He spent his entire balance on Desert Roses and then made his way to Stratdwell Mountain.

Two hours had passed by the time he reached Stratdwell Mountain. Everett had taken his time on the journey. Standing atop the lofty Stratdwell Mountain, he surveyed the land below, pondering the perfect spot to plant the Desert Roses.

"The Desert Roses need to be planted with the protection of the desert pillar cacti. It seems I can only plant them on the east side, as the west side is home to the Bellhand Lawn. East side it is, then."

Everett gazed at the undulating sand dunes on the eastern side of Stratdwell Mountain and resolved to take action. He clicked to plant, and a rose seed fell to the ground. In the blink of an eye, the seed rooted, sprouted, and grew to the size of a person.

This was no ordinary rose. Its base was thick, resembling an arm, and it was covered in branches that bore wide, oval-shaped leaves. The deep green foliage bristled with sharp thorns.

As Everett parted the rose's canopy-like branches, he recoiled with a yelp, "My hand!" The stem was a minefield of thorns—a true rose with defenses.

Blood welled up from a prick on Everett's finger, dripping onto the rosebud and lending it an even more vibrant hue of red.