Chapter 34: Thank You
When news of Yumura Hideyoshi's serious illness reached Uesugi Kiyoshi, it only elicited an "Oh" from him.
He was too busy to care about such insignificant people now.
Compared to this, the condition of the honey trees worried him more.
It has to be said that this time was too hasty and too aggressive.
Products developed based on the characteristics of honey covered over a dozen industries and dozens of products, from daily life to production, and were successively launched into the market.
Although they received widespread praise as expected, at the same time, it also brought a new problem.
That's it, the honey tree is about to collapse...
The honey extracted from the tree is not the main point, it's just a drop in the bucket for the tree itself.
Except for the higher concentration needed for steel processing, other beverages, massages, express packaging, fitness equipment, etc., only require a small amount of the original liquid to produce a large quantity of products.
The issue lies in the branches.
The frequent attacks crossing through space have almost drained the energy of the honey tree. According to researchers around the tree, the speed and frequency of branch movement seem to be slowing down.
A more visual representation is that the caught plaster finally left a mark on the ground.
Meanwhile, there has been an increase in user feedback, with the steel plant reporting a rise in defective steel rolling and massage parlors saying customers are complaining about not being strong enough.
If this continues, how can we expand and develop in a market that was just beginning to enter?
"Or should we just focus on the beverage market in the future?"
Anda Tuozhen, who is in charge of food, had an idea.
"We can also introduce high-end products, increase the concentration. Hmm... How about an advertisement for a natural drink from South America, refreshing inside and out with just one sip?"
"Let's wait first." Uesugi Kiyoshi stared at the foie gras on his plate, lost in thought. "To cure a disease, you have to address the root cause..."
The Institute of Special Events had experts in agriculture. After lunch, Uesugi Kiyoshi called the experts to his office. When it came to tree treatment, they were the authorities.
"The trees lack nutrients? That's easy to fix, just fertilize, loosen the soil, and water..." one expert said.
Another expert chuckled and interrupted him.
"Traditional methods are too slow. The company president probably wants a faster solution, right?"
Uesugi Kiyoshi nodded and gave an encouraging look.
"In that case, we need to use nutrient solution. Have you seen newly transplanted saplings by the roadside? Their roots are not fully developed, so they can't absorb enough nutrients. That's why they need to be fed nutrient solution."
The hanging needles in the trees were actually used for this purpose, he had thought they were for curing diseases.
"In that case, can we inject it directly?" Uesugi Kiyoshi thought of a similar idea and asked, "Dripping water is too slow, like feeding a goose, can we just inject it straight in?"
"Um, well..."
The experts exchanged glances and after a moment, one hesitantly replied, "It should be possible, the honey tree is not an ordinary tree, its absorption ability should be much stronger..."
"Then let's give it a try!" Uesugi Kiyoshi made a decision confidently.
He planned to send a new medical team for honey trees to South America jungle.
Compared to honey harvesting, injecting nutrients into the trees shouldn't be too dangerous.
It's like how someone might slap a mosquito dead, but in front of a doctor, even if a big needle goes in and it hurts, we still have to smile through the pain, right?
Soon, good news came from South America, the honey trees indeed lived up to his expectations, and production could finally continue to expand.
Nakasone Kazuko, who came to visit, saw an astonishing scene in Uesugi Kiyoshi's office.
It was like a steel monster from another world, with a giant tank reaching into the sky, and countless metallic pipes like tentacles waving wildly.
Accompanying their movements was a thunderous drumming, making the spectacle even more grand.
"What... what is this?" Nakasone Kazuko's eyes widened.
"This is the honeytree I mentioned before!"
"This tree is really special..."
Uesugi Kiyoshi leaned in and looked at the monitor. "Oh, this is our nutrient tank, the honeytree is next to it, uh, it's inside these pipes..."
Nakasone Kazuko followed his finger for a while, finally finding a small brown spot among the crisscrossing pipes, where the honey was collected.
"You actually built such a big facility in the South American jungle, it must use a lot of electricity, right?"
"Electricity? What electricity?"
"So this..."
"Adapting to the situation, we naturally use the honey press system."
Uesugi Kiyoshi raised the camera up, reaching the top level of the nutrient tank.
The automatic brush liquid device evenly spread honey on the top of the tank, then ignited it. Simultaneously, the power from the honey tree activated the top piston mechanism, pressing down vigorously, repeating this process.
Nakasone Kazuko glanced at it, then shifted her focus to the canopy of the honey tree.
"What about the branches?" she curiously asked, "Didn't you mention earlier that the branches are the main attack method of honey trees... You didn't pull them all out, did you?"
"How could I be so wasteful!" Uesugi Kiyoshi exclaimed.
Uesugi Kiyoshi protested.
"They were moving so fast that you just couldn't see them."
Now honey tree products are rapidly gaining market share like a rolling snowball, leading to an increasing number of attacks.
Originally, the tree branches would come back to rest for a moment after attacking, but now the intervals of rest have almost approached zero.
Sipping on a sweet drink and playing in the office, Nakasone Kazuko couldn't help but feel new worries arising.
"Kiyoshi, do you think this honey tree will retaliate against you?"
Although the drink was delicious and the products were very useful, considering things from the honey tree's perspective, this lifestyle might not be what it truly desires.
If it had a will, it would definitely not spare Uesugi Kiyoshi!
"Don't worry, Kazuko!"
How could Uesugi Kiyoshi not have made preparations early on?
The honey gatherer is a plaster statue that comes from a local craft company, a subsidiary fully owned by the Uesugi Society.
How could they come knocking unless the will of the honey tree reads the stock certificate?
On the contrary, the employees sent to deliver nutrients to the tree are regular employees dispatched from the main office of Uesugi Society. There are even signs with Uesugi's name erected on the site.
"So, if the tree truly has a spirit, it should be thanking me, after all, I'm the one who saved it!" said Uesugi Kiyoshi.
Just then, it seemed like an echo from a distant land, as if a dying moan from a grave, seeped into their ears.
"Th..ank..."
...
"I told you so!"
Uesugi Kiyoshi wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.
