"Most people don’t need this stuff. Even if they have come across it before, they likely wouldn’t have noticed, so not many have it on them."

"But that should make collecting it easier. I have a little here now, but not much. I was thinking of gathering a larger quantity to give you all at once. It would save you from making trip after trip."

"No problem. I’ll leave it to you."

"Now you’re just being polite. I should be thanking you for giving me so much business."

Mr. Cheney let out a hearty laugh.

He had spent the past year helping Stella Sterling collect the things she needed, but Stella had been more than fair in return.

The two of them drank some tea and chatted for a bit.

Stella then headed out and began to wander around the trading post. Since she was already out, she figured she might as well relax a little. She didn’t want her life to be so high-strung.

After all, her goal in getting stronger wasn’t just to survive, but to live a better, freer life. Indulging in simple pleasures now and then was a part of that.

The trading post’s reputation was growing, drawing in more and more people. Aside from Mr. Cheney’s own men, others made special trips here, hoping to trade things they didn’t need for things they did.

Mr. Cheney didn’t stop this, but he did make those who came to set up stalls pay a protection fee.

At first, those people naturally refused. But after being taught a lesson, they obediently fell in line.

Of course, Mr. Cheney had his own way of doing business, which hadn’t changed even in the apocalypse.

When people paid the protection fee, he would in turn solve their problems. If anyone tried to rob the stall owners, the people from his small village would step in and deal with the troublemakers.

After that, the stall owners never had any more objections and paid their fees honestly. They came to deeply respect Mr. Cheney. As a result, more and more people flocked to the trading post, its reputation grew, and in turn, the variety of good items available increased as well.

Stella Sterling walked along with her small black backpack. When she reached a certain spot, she saw someone was actually selling piglets. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately went over.

"What’s the trade? What do you need? I’ll take all these piglets."

The man’s eyes lit up when he heard her words, and he looked up at Stella.

But when he saw she was alone, a flash of disappointment crossed his eyes. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Miss, you must know how hard it is to get meat these days. If I didn’t need grain right now, I wouldn’t be willing to part with them. So if you want to buy, I’ll only accept grain in trade."

"My price isn’t high. Two pounds of grain for every pound of pork. There are four piglets here, and I weighed them at 63 pounds total. If you want all of them, that’ll be 126 pounds of grain."

He said it, but he wasn’t very hopeful.

’126 pounds of grain... How could any ordinary person just pull that out? That’s enough to keep someone alive for a long time!’

’Pork was a tricky thing. For people who weren’t short on grain, trading two pounds of it for one pound of meat was a deal some were willing to take.’

’But for those who were starving, it was a different story. Even if they could somehow afford the trade, no one would be willing to make it.’

’Grain was what kept you alive. Trading two pounds of it for one pound of meat? You’d have to be crazy to do something like that.’

’No matter how much you craved meat, you couldn’t make a trade like that. Otherwise, you’d eat meat once and starve later.’

’The woman in front of him didn’t look like someone who could pull out 126 pounds of grain.’

’He gritted his teeth. He had no real hope she’d buy them all, but as long as she was willing to buy just one piglet... hell, at this point, he’d be willing to butcher one on the spot if she’d just trade for a few pounds.’

’He had no choice. He simply couldn’t afford to raise these pigs anymore. And as much as he’d like to eat the pork himself, he needed grain more. The meat wouldn’t last him long, but if he could trade it for a larger amount of grain, that would be a different story.’

A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind in that brief moment.

Stella Sterling glanced at the piglets. ’Two pounds of grain for one of pork isn’t an outrageous price. I’m not short on grain, but I’m definitely short on pork.’

’Besides, these are live pigs. I can raise them, and they’d grow bigger. And if...’

At that thought, she asked, "Can these pigs breed with each other?"

The man was taken aback. He hadn’t expected such a question, but he answered truthfully, "There are two boars in the group, but they’re still young. They’ll be able to breed when they’re older."

Stella nodded. "Alright, no problem. Hold on to these pigs for me. I’ll be right back."

’If they can breed, that’s even better. I’ll raise them in my space first. Once they’re grown, I’ll let them breed, and they’ll produce even more piglets. That way, I’ll never have to worry about running out of pork.’

’This is a great deal.’

After telling the pig seller to wait, Stella went back to find Mr. Cheney. She needed to borrow some grain, promising she would have it sent to him once she returned to Caeluna.

’She had grain in her personal space, of course, but she couldn’t just pull it out of thin air. She had to borrow some from Mr. Cheney first.’

Hearing this, Mr. Cheney was taken aback. Grain was a critical resource these days, and over 120 pounds was no small amount.

He looked at Stella, then nodded. "No problem. Wait a moment, I’ll have someone get it for you."

’While it was a lot, it wasn’t an amount he couldn’t afford to lose. He trusted Stella’s character. If his bet on her turned out to be wrong, well, it was only a hundred and twenty-something pounds.’

"Thanks," Stella nodded.

Mr. Cheney asked curiously, "Why do you suddenly need so much grain? Did you run into some trouble?"

"It’s nothing. I’m buying some pigs, and the seller will only take grain," Stella explained.

After hearing this, Mr. Cheney didn’t know how to react. Finally, he gave Stella a thumbs-up. "You’re really something else, willing to trade so much grain for that little bit of pork. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to part with it."

"Haha! Gotta have a balanced diet. You need to eat some meat every once in a while."

Stella said jokingly. Just then, Mr. Cheney’s men arrived with the grain. She thanked Mr. Cheney, then effortlessly lifted the 120-plus pounds of grain and went to find the pig seller.

Behind her, Mr. Cheney and his men watched Stella lift the 120-plus pounds of grain with such ease, their jaws dropping slightly in amazement.