Kai stood over the lettuce bed, hands on his hips, watching green heads burst out of the soil like it was time-lapse footage in real life.
It had been nine days since planting.
They were already half-grown.
No signs of pests. No rot. Just big, bright, butter-soft leaves that shimmered with moisture even in the morning sun.
Status: Butterhead Lettuce x12
Growth: 52%
Estimated Harvest: 10 days
Merge Available at 100% Maturity
This wasn't normal lettuce.
The Merge System had infused the soil with drainage control and nutrient optimization. The composted chicken waste added nitrogen in just the right balance. Kai didn't just grow food anymore—he grew assets.
And assets need a name.
⸻
He walked into the kitchen, cracked open a triple-yolk egg, and scribbled in his notebook while it sizzled in the pan.
He circled the words:
• Organic Fusion?
• Nature+?
• PureGrown?
None of them hit.
Then he wrote:
Merge Grown
Simple. Bold. Truthful. Built around the system's core feature.
He grinned.
"Merge Grown. Clean food. Real gains."
⸻
By the afternoon, Kai had hand-cut ten rough cardboard cartons and filled them with eggs. He used an ink stamp he made from a sponge and black paint to press a logo on each:
MG – Merge Grown
No fancy label. No barcode. Just initials and a short printed slip inside:
"Merge Grown is real food from real work. No steroids, no junk. Just clean yield, better taste, and honest results. – K.R."
He loaded them into a cooler in the back of a borrowed minivan from his neighbor, Ms. Cally, in exchange for six eggs a week and two heads of lettuce once it was ready.
⸻
The Downtown Saturday Farmers' Market wasn't big, but it was consistent.
Old folks, yuppie couples, chefs in disguise — all kinds rolled through looking for "authentic" food to post on their pages and feed their guilt for shopping at chain stores.
Kai showed up in a black hoodie, jeans, and a folding table. No sign. No decorations. Just two dozen cartons of eggs and three bowls of sample scrambled eggs still warm in insulated dishes.
By 10 a.m., he was sold out.
By 10:30, he had 12 new customers asking to reserve next week's batch.
⸻
A stocky man with a beard and a backward hat approached with a clipboard.
"Name's Jonah," he said. "I run four meal prep companies in the county. I got bodybuilders asking for better yolks. These taste dense. Not that watery crap from stores."
He sniffed the eggs like a sommelier.
"I'll take 300 a week. Can you handle that?"
Kai blinked.
He could barely do 160 at full stretch with current hens.
But he didn't flinch.
"Give me two weeks."
Jonah grinned. "I'll email you the contract. $1.30 an egg. You deliver, I pay weekly."
Kai nodded. Inside, his mind spun.
300 eggs/week = $390
That's 22 Lv.3 Hens
Or 11 Lv.4 Hens
Time to scale. Again.
⸻
Back on the farm, Kai opened the system and tapped the Merge Panel.
Merge Available: 2 x Lv.3 Layer Hen → 1 x Lv.4 Layer Hen
Egg Output: 3.2 eggs/day
Egg Grade: Omega-Rich
Price Multiplier: +20%
Health Effects (Consumer):
• Anti-Inflammatory
• High Bioavailability Protein
• Natural Appetite Control
• Enhanced Cognitive Response
Kai's eyes widened at the last line.
"Enhanced cognition… from eggs?"
He tasted one raw. Thick. Smooth. Slight sweetness like corn-fed meat but cleaner.
Merge Complete:
4 x Lv.3 → 2 x Lv.4 Layer Hens
Total now:
7 x Lv.3
2 x Lv.4
Projected Weekly Output: ~186 eggs
Merge Goal to 300 eggs/week: 3 more Lv.4 or 8 more Lv.3
⸻
Kai ran numbers for hours.
Then flipped to a new page and wrote:
⸻
Phase II Scale-Up Plan
• Buy 24 x Lv.1 Chickens → $96
• Merge to 6 x Lv.3 → 3 x Lv.4
• Merge 2 x Coops → Ultra Coop (if unlocked)
• Build cold storage unit from scrap cooler and insulation
• Register with county market permit office — $25
• Create online form for subscriptions
Goal: Hit $600/week net by Month 2
⸻
That night, he opened the system again and scanned his lettuce bed.
Crop Merge Available:
12 x Butterhead Lettuce (100%)
Merge Tier Options:
– Merge 2x → 1 Large Leaf Butterhead (Premium Grade)
– Merge 4x → 1 Gourmet Cluster Lettuce (Chef Grade)
Kai merged four heads.
Merge Complete:
1 x Gourmet Cluster Lettuce
Stats:
• Nutrient Density: +60%
• Weight: 2.3 lbs
• Shelf Life: 16 Days
• Flavor Notes: Crisp, Slightly Sweet, Clean Finish
Market Price: $5.75 per head (restaurant value)
He sliced off a leaf, rinsed it, and tasted it.
It crunched.
His mouth filled with flavor. Not bitterness. Not that watery nothing taste. It was alive.
He grinned.
"Time to sell greens to the people who think they're healthy… and show them what real health tastes like."
⸻
Monday morning, Kai called Joe's Eatery.
"Y'all serve side salads?"
"We do."
"You want greens that make every other salad taste like wet paper?"
There was silence.
Then Joe said, "Bring it in."
⸻
He dropped off three Gourmet Cluster Lettuce heads in a cooler and let Joe's team try it.
Next day, he got a text:
"Bring 10 heads every week. $6 each. We'll put your name on the menu. Merge Grown Lettuce. – Joe"
Kai stared at the message.
Then at the system.
Then at the field.
Then at his reflection in the cracked glass of his window.
No handouts.
No loans.
No shortcuts.
Just the system, the work, and the dirt.
⸻
That night, the Merge System pinged again.
Milestone Reached: $500+ in Contracts
System Module Unlocked:
Distribution Node Merge
Merge Available:
2 x Delivery Routes → 1 Merged Route
Benefits:
• Fuel Efficiency: +30%
• Time Saved: -40%
• Brand Visibility: +25%
Next Goal:
• Create Merge Grown Subscription Service
• Reach 1,000 Units/Month Sold
• Unlock: Processing Plant Tier 1
Kai closed the system and looked out at the farm — no longer dead. Chickens strutted. Lettuce shimmered. Wood pallets became raised beds. Plastic tubs became water collection barrels.
He whispered like a prayer:
"I feed the people… and I own the future."