The first Legacy Crate left the farm at sunrise.
Hand-packed.
Cold-locked.
No logos. No stickers. Just a simple black stamp burned into the side:
Merge Grown: Foundation Line
Real Food. Built From Bloodlines.
Inside:
1 Legacy Egg
3 Titan Eggs
1 Titan Lettuce Head
A folded card: "Consume within 48 hours for maximum resonance."
Kai didn't have marketing.
He had results.
And when Chef Darius cracked the Legacy Egg into a hot cast iron pan, the yolk didn't just sit — it stood up. Thick. Dark gold. Viscous like oil and velvet.
Darius didn't speak. He plated it next to a single wedge of Titan Lettuce, lightly grilled.
Two bites in, he ordered twelve more crates.
Back on the farm, Kai stood at the edge of Titan Bed #3, pruning outer lettuce leaves. The heads were heavier this week — nutrient density increasing with every generation.
He pulled up the Seed Merge panel.
Seed Merge Available:
– 1000 Raw Lettuce Seeds
→ Merge Result: 250 G1 Genetic Seeds
Bonus Trait: "Flavor Lock" – 90% taste consistency
Shelf Life: 12 months (climate-stable)
He tapped MERGE and sealed them into air-tight mason jars.
Each jar held 50 seeds.
Retail value: $62.50 per jar
Production cost: Less than $4
"Add another income stream."
He wrote it down:
Merge Grown Weekly Revenue Map
Source
Units
Net/Unit
Total
Standard Crates
34
$15
$510
Titan Crates
18
$20
$360
Legacy Crates
12
$33
$396
Sub Boxes
6
$140
$840
Seed Jars (G1)
12
$58
$696
Total Net:
–
–
$2,802
The system chimed again:
Milestone Achieved: $2,500 Weekly Net
Unlock: Merge Grown Reputation System
– Reputation now tracks per region
– Crates delivered increase awareness score
– Score impacts crate demand, merge bonus, and seed viability
Reputation Status:
• Home County: 31% Awareness
• Nearby Towns: 12%
• Distant Cities: 2%
New Goal Unlocked: Regional Showcase Opportunity
Host a Merge Grown Tasting Event
Requirements:
– 3 Crate Tiers Displayed
– Live Egg Crack + Cook
– Lettuce Sample Dishes
Reward:
– Reputation Boost: +15%
– Customer Loyalty Spike
– Bonus Unlock: Merge-Inspired Recipe System
Kai checked the date.
Two weeks from now, the county was hosting the Fall Farm Fair.
He booked a stall — $25 flat fee.
He'd never done public display before. But if he wanted to scale, the crates had to speak louder than words.
He started prepping immediately:
Built a mini cold-lock from an old freezer shell and foam insulation
Crafted a display rack from pallet wood
Cut rough slabs for tasting trays
Ordered eco-plates and utensils from a generic wholesaler (no brands)
That night, the second Legacy Layer hatched.
A deep-gray hen with dark plum-tinted feathers and black claws.
Legacy Layer #2 – "Iron Nest"
Traits:
– Daily Egg Yield
– Passive Aura Sync: Nearby hens grow 5% faster
– Trait Stack Bonus: +10% to all lower-tier merges within aura
Aura Radius: 40 ft
Bound to Farm
Kai placed her beside "First Root" in the Legacy Coop.
The system pulsed again:
Legacy Pair Active – First Root + Iron Nest
New Passive Activated:
– "Blood Web" – Merge traits now retain up to 60% within the line
Effect: Future Apex Layers will carry partial legacy DNA
(Chance to unlock hybrid traits without full legacy process)
At 6:00 a.m. sharp the next day, Kai watched as his workers — three local teens he'd started paying cash — sorted, cleaned, and packaged the next batch of crates under his instructions.
He didn't trust anyone with merging.
But crate prep? That was fine.
Everything had its level.
Sunday came, and so did the Farm Fair.
Kai rolled in with a flatbed carrying a single cold-lock, a crate tower, and a fold-out wooden table.
He didn't yell.
Didn't post signs.
He just put out samples and let the product talk.
One bite of the Titan Lettuce got a woman asking if she could pay cash right there.
One crack of the Legacy Egg drew a crowd.
They watched the yolk rise tall, the whites sit thick and unmoving in the pan.
One man — a retired vet — said:
"Tastes like the eggs my granddad had. Real food. This is what food used to taste like."
Kai nodded.
"That's exactly the point."
By the end of the event:
86 crates reserved
40 seed jars spoken for
9 new subscribers locked in for weekly boxes
Merge Grown Reputation in the region: +19% boost
As he loaded his gear back into the truck, the system gave a final ping for the day:
Merge Grown Tier 2 Reputation Achieved
New Unlock:
– Recipe System (Merge-Based Dishes)
– Collaboration Pathway: Merge Grown + Local Chef = Signature Meals
Future Feature: Crate-Linked Branding (Tier 3)
Kai stared out at the fairgrounds disappearing behind him.
Merge Grown wasn't just a farm anymore.
It was becoming a brand.
And he still hadn't touched cows.