Morning sun spilled over the green ridges of Chen Valley, warming the dewy grass and shimmering gently on the surface of the aquaculture pond behind Lin Feng's courtyard. Birds chirped from the high camphor trees as Lin Feng finished sweeping the stone pathway that led from the main gate to his greenhouse.
In the quiet stillness, he stood for a moment, observing the seedlings in neat rows inside the newly completed passive solar greenhouse. The translucent panels glowed faintly, trapping heat even in the early hours. Inside, trays of rare leafy vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers were arranged with clinical precision.
Lin Feng made a note in his ledger:
> Greenhouse A – Humidity at 72%. Temperature holding at 25°C overnight. Microgreens batch D germinated fully.
The satisfaction was subtle but genuine. These weren't just plants—they were assets. Carefully selected, tested inside the Inner Realm, and now cultivated under tightly controlled real-world conditions.
Just then, his phone buzzed. A message from an unlisted number:
> "We've noticed your recent logistics activity in the Qingshui corridor. Expect an invitation soon."
Lin Feng narrowed his eyes.
He didn't respond. But in the back of his mind, he knew: The capital has noticed me.
---
That same morning, in the county city, Xu Yuhan sat at her desk reviewing a stack of supplier requests. She had been formally hired as the procurement liaison for a new cooperative-funded initiative—on paper, an outreach effort to bring more farmers into modern systems.
In truth, it was Lin Feng's soft expansion network.
She smiled faintly as she saw the latest feedback from the city's upscale organic restaurant.
> "The greens have generated online buzz. Influencers asking about the source. We've told them we can't disclose for now. Demand is exceeding supply."
She forwarded the message to Lin Feng with a short note:
> "The brand is no longer local. You ready for what comes next?"
The reply came back seconds later.
> "Only just begun."
---
In the early afternoon, Lin Feng visited the underground cold storage facility beneath the repurposed fertilizer plant. Though the surface structure retained its old, dilapidated look, the lower levels were a different story—insulated walls, humidity-controlled chambers, and rows of industrial shelving holding sealed containers of sorted produce.
Each box bore the silver leaf logo. No text. No origin.
Liu Qiang met him there, clipboard in hand. "We've finished installing RFID tracking. Every container now has a unique code traceable only through the in-house system. If someone tries to reverse-trace supply… they'll hit a wall."
Lin Feng nodded. "Good. How's the southern route?"
Liu flipped to another sheet. "Partnered with a small fleet in Qing'an. Independent drivers, cash contracts. We rotate license plates and shuffle delivery patterns weekly."
"And drivers?"
"Local. Paid well. Trained to say they're hauling 'regional groceries.' No one asks questions."
Lin Feng walked along the rows of chilled goods. Cucumbers, chives, tomatoes, and now the Silverleaf Greens—all packaged with high care, ready for city distribution.
"Double-check water content levels before transport," he reminded. "Humidity shifts during loading can ruin the sheen."
"Yes, boss."
---
By dusk, Lin Feng returned to his private courtyard, carrying a small crate of trial herbs. Inside the Inner Realm, he planted them in a new shaded plot beneath tall faux-bamboo canopies.
He had begun crossbreeding Inner Realm variants with hardy real-world strains. The result was interesting: greater resilience, longer shelf-life, and flavor complexity unmatched by common produce. These were no longer just crops—they were intellectual property.
Sitting on a low bench beside the cultivation bed, Lin Feng looked up at the endless artificial sky of the Inner Realm. A gentle wind blew through the trees. Even after spending so much time here, he never grew tired of it.
But tonight, there was something different—a whisper of unease.
He had noticed it earlier. A faint shimmer at the edge of the realm, near the forested region he had yet to explore.
He stood and walked toward it, boots sinking slightly into the fertile soil.
As he approached, the air felt… heavier. The digital sky glitched for a second, then smoothed out. A hidden limit?
He stopped, not stepping beyond the shadow of the forest.
The Inner Realm, for all its gifts, was still a mystery.
And every gift had a price.
---
Back in the real world, news spread quietly among a few political and investment circles.
An anonymous agricultural network was gaining influence across three rural townships.
No registered brand.
No corporate entity.
But fresh produce—impossibly fresh—was appearing on high-end menus in multiple cities, all bearing the same symbol: a silver leaf.
Several agricultural investors began making inquiries.
"Who's behind this?"
"Where are the farms located?"
"Why is there no traceable origin?"
Most received nothing in return—only silence, or dead ends.
But one name surfaced repeatedly in whispers: Lin Feng.
And from a dark office in a Beijing commercial building, a new investigation order was quietly issued.
---
Meanwhile, Lin Feng's grandmother watched proudly as neighbors praised the "miracle vegetables" her grandson sold. Though she knew little of his operations, she had come to accept his routines.
She called from the porch as he came in.
"Feng'er, the Wu family wants to know if you can help grow some winter beans for their son's wedding feast next month."
Lin Feng smiled. "Of course. Tell them I'll deliver by the 12th."
He didn't say the beans were already blooming in the Inner Realm. Nor that they would be hand-sorted by moonlight inside a time-dilated space.
He just nodded, like a regular village boy doing his part.
Because appearances mattered.
---
Later that week, a small group of agricultural scholars from the provincial university arrived in the county under the guise of a field study. Xu Yuhan caught wind of their presence and met them casually in a local cafe.
"So what brings you all the way here?" she asked, sipping her tea.
One of the scholars, an older gentleman with glasses, smiled politely.
"We're studying rural logistics innovation. Someone's redefined the model without government subsidy or tech platform support. That's… unusual."
She tilted her head. "Maybe it's just good farming."
"Maybe," he said, eyes narrowing. "Or maybe someone's rewriting the playbook. Quietly."
She said nothing.
When the meeting ended, she immediately messaged Lin Feng.
> "You've got eyes on you now. Academic, political, financial. The system's trying to identify you."
The reply was short.
> "Let them look. They won't find me."
---
The following day, Lin Feng tested a new packaging material he'd designed with a contact from his university days—biodegradable mesh infused with peppermint oil and bamboo fiber. It kept produce cool, naturally deterred insects, and gave the box a fresh scent upon opening.
In an industry of sameness, these small touches mattered.
He packed five trial orders himself, checking every detail, then loaded them onto an unmarked van with a false registry.
At the last minute, he added a hand-folded note to one box:
> "Food should not be complicated. But it should be respected."
– S.L.
Silver Leaf. Not a name. Just a symbol.
That was the brand.
---
In the Inner Realm that night, Lin Feng began sketching plans for a new zone—an experimental fermentation and storage cellar. With the time acceleration, he could test dried vegetables, aged teas, and possibly… soy sauce or fermented tofu.
Long-term goods.
Shelf-stable legacy products.
He didn't need mass production. He needed timeless quality.
As he shaded in areas on the parchment, a small gust passed through the space. The forest edge trembled.
And in the distance, for the first time, he heard a faint, low rumble.
Thunder?
No.
It sounded almost like… movement.
The forest was waking up.
And Lin Feng realized, for all he had built, there were still unknowns inside the space.
A new variable.
A new arc.
And he would face it.
Just like everything else—quietly, steadily, and without fear.
---
End of Chapter 24