A Toast to the Alliance's Victory!

"Let's raise a toast to victory!" "Hahaha, cheers!" "Long live the Alliance!!" North Street, Dawn City. The Highway Inn, situated next to the trading post. Before dusk had even fully settled outside, the ground-floor lobby, packed with tables and chairs, was already overflowing with the yeasty aroma of frothing beer and the boisterous clamor of voices. Like it had sprouted wings, news of the victory flew back from the front line to Dawn City, far off in the northern suburbs of Qingquan City. Thanks to the broadcast in the square and the little screen hanging behind the bar counter, the drunkards sitting here weren't the last to find out. Whether merchants or travelers, caravan guards or mercenaries, upon hearing that the New Alliance's army had defeated the Bone Chewer tribe on an open battlefield, everyone couldn't help cheering in their hearts for the Administrator clad in power armor. For a long time, the Bone Chewer tribe had been a name that made countless wastelanders pale at its very mention. Spreading from the north-central region to the south, they were like a walking plague, leaving nothing but scorched earth in their wake. Hundreds of survivor settlements had been wiped from the map; no one had been able to stop their advance. And now, they had finally kicked an iron plate—smashed in the teeth by the Alliance's iron fist. "Twenty-seven tanks wiped out in a single battle! Great Horned Deer God above, just how many soldiers did they mobilize?!" "I don't really get it. Are those, uh... *hic*... tanks really that tough?" A drunken mercenary sprawled over the bar counter, asking between hiccups. "Tough? Haha, are you kidding me? Those things are total monsters—walking fortresses on land! There's no way an ordinary guy can take one on! I'd rather face a Deathclaw; at least my gun gives me a shred of security against that." The mercenary sitting beside him began boasting about what he had seen while risking his life up north working for the folks in the Great Rift Valley, drawing quite a bit of attention. Among the listeners was Sun Shiqi, sitting in the tavern. Three days ago, he had transported six tons of copper ingots, two tons of chromium, a ton of cobalt and nickel... along with a huge haul of sulfur and phosphorus from Red River Town. To his astonishment, however, the copper and sulfur he had pinned the highest hopes on nearly erased the profits he made on the other goods. The New Alliance really seemed to have found a copper deposit. Had it turned from the second-largest importer of copper in southern River Valley Province into an exporter of resources overnight? Although they hadn't begun exporting ore yet, they had clearly suspended bulk imports of copper ingots. Coupled with the rapid drop in the price of platinum used as an industrial catalyst, it seemed to signal that this war had entered its final stages. Intuition told him that Dawn City's market was about to undergo a sea change. Going by past patterns, once the fighting ceased, the New Alliance would quickly convert part of its military production lines to civilian use. Explosive production lines would switch to fertilizer and soap, and the most prominent sign of this transition was that capacity expansion for basic industrial materials like nitric acid and sulfuric acid would halt. In no hurry to make his next deal, Sun Shiqi had spent every evening lately sitting on the ground floor of the Highway Inn, ordering a plate of fried potato wedges and a glass of beer. Even though he had already purchased property of his own in Dawn City. "Defeating the Bone Chewer tribe in open battle... Looks like nothing can stop the New Alliance's rise now." Sitting opposite Sun Shiqi and staring at the small screen behind the bar counter, Zhou Nan spoke with a wistful expression. Hearing that, Sun Shiqi chuckled. "Wasn't that inevitable?" Inevitable? Zhou Nan shot the fellow a sidelong glance. Cut the damn crap! Two months ago when the New Alliance first announced the Northern Expedition, that sure wasn't what you were saying! Still, it was understandable. Back then, no one gave the New Alliance a chance to win, apart from those blue jackets believing in themselves and the residents who revered the Administrator as a god. On one side were thirty thousand barbarians who had inherited the Legion expeditionary force's equipment and even command structure; on the other was a fledgling survivor settlement of barely five thousand people, founded less than a year ago, having harvested only a single crop from its fields. Nobody could have imagined the New Alliance would actually win. And win so decisively. An armored century of twenty-seven tanks, trailed by a massive flock of anti-aircraft guns, with Dillon himself in command. Relying merely on those little dive-bombing planes, how could they possibly win? Then again, saying any of that now was just hindsight. Seeing as Sun Shiqi was footing the bill for the drinks, Zhou Nan didn't mock him, merely taking a quiet swig of fragrant beer. As for Sun Shiqi, he rambled on, envisioning the future. "...The future River Valley Province will be divided into three parts: Boulder City in the south, the Great Rift Valley in the north, and the New Alliance filling the vacuum in the central region." "This place is practically paved with gold! No, it's worth far more than gold!" Unlike most survivor settlements, the New Alliance possessed a strange obsession with land. Even though Dawn City's permanent population was only around five or six thousand all told, they had already pushed their borders all the way to Xizhou City. Indeed, before the war was even over, the blue jackets had absorbed Hope Town in Xizhou City into their territory and were even handing out food to relieve the residents there. To Sun Shiqi, it seemed downright bizarre. Yet for him, it was a good thing. If the New Alliance was willing to open up the unpopulated northern frontier and take in displaced refugees and herders, he was more than happy to supply them with shovels and other tools. Right then, a thought struck Sun Shiqi, and he looked across the table at his drinking buddy. "I remember you mentioning earlier that you came from Hope Town too, right?" Zhou Nan paused, then laughed. "My friend, these days there are more survivor settlements named Hope Town than people named after seasons, mountains, or rivers. I do come from Hope Town... but it's the Hope Town in Jinchuan Province. We don't have any Bone Chewer tribe down our way; the only headaches are mutants and countless venomous mutant bugs." On top of that, there were the cultists from Death Coast to the south, and pirates who slipped inland across the southern coastal provinces. Still, none of that was a critical issue. Life had gone on like that year after year, and the locals had long since struck a balance that allowed them to survive between chaos and death. At that, Zhou Nan couldn't help sighing with emotion. "...In any case, we owe thanks to the New Alliance for holding the line. Otherwise, by this time next year, we'd be wringing our hands over Bone Chewers bypassing Boulder City and pushing south." "Indeed, thanks to them," Sun Shiqi sighed, gazing into the foam of his beer with mixed feelings. "Otherwise, I'd probably still be a petty peddler scraping together small profits..." He wasn't the only one who ought to be grateful for this victory. The merchants, mine owners, and chambers of commerce throughout Red River Town all owed the Administrator a debt of gratitude. The reason the Snake Clan had been unable to commit their full force against Red River Town was largely due to the New Alliance tying them down. Now that Xizhou City had been taken by the New Alliance, even if the Snake Clan didn't care to rescue their brethren, they would have no choice but to break off their siege of Red River Town. The war was finally coming to an end. The two clinked their glasses with smiles, offering heartfelt blessings. "To the great Alliance!" "To the wise and mighty Administrator!" "May he live long!" ... Outside the Highway Inn. In a corner of the neighboring street market, an old man wrapped in a scarf and robes sat tending a street stall. Plumes of smoke curled from a faded old pipe, lending a touch of mystery to his wrinkled face. Before him lay a carpet of camel hide, arranged with peculiar little wooden plaques. A mutant camel whose two humps had fused into one dozed beside him, its squished features looking rather grotesque. On the wasteland, however, mutants with this sort of look were utterly mundane. "...Just two silver coins. Write his name on the wooden plaque, and the Spirit of the Sand Sea will protect him and grant him safe return." Lifting a half-drooping eyelid, the old man glanced at the girl standing before his stall, her face fraught with worry. He thought to himself that tomorrow's dinner was in the bag. "...Can it still work without any sand around here?" the girl asked softly. The old man swore solemnly: "Of course it doesn't matter. Long, long ago, the boundless Sand Sea covered the entire center of the Mid-Continent, stretching for tens of thousands of kilometers. The plain beneath your feet, the nearby mountains and lakes—all of it was once the territory of the Spirit of the Sand Sea... Back then, there was no Great Horned Deer God to speak of; only endless swirling sands reigned over this earth." Looking at the muttering mystic of an old man, Shuang Xue hesitated for a moment. Thinking it was only two silver coins anyway, she reached for her coin pouch. Unlike the other residents celebrating the victory, she was more concerned about Lord Administrator's safety. Beginning half a month ago, she had rarely seen him working in the library. Whenever documents or recovered books were delivered from the Merchant Guild, it was that little tree-stump robot that handled the handover. Later, she learned from a colleague that the Administrator had gone to the front lines. Though triumphant news kept pouring in, bullets had no eyes. She had even heard that the enemy commander named Dillon had been killed on the battlefield by a stray shell. She just wished he would be more careful with his own safety... Watching the young girl pull out her purse, the old man's eyes crinkled with greed. But just then, a fair arm reached in from the side. "Hey... you don't actually believe that, do you?" Shuanghe looked in shock at her younger sister, who had already brought out her pouch. "Just scribbling a name keeps someone safe? Since when is anything that easy?" Meeting her elder sister's astonished gaze, Shuang Xue couldn't help blushing, murmuring, "It's only two silver coins anyway..." "Young lady, watch what you say," the old man growled, glaring with displeasure at the woman ruining his business. "As the saying goes, better to believe it than not. If some accident happens, don't blame me for not warning you." Seeing the old man try to intimidate her, Shuanghe smiled sweetly and said: "Save your tricks. Our Lord Administrator said that materialist warriors bow to no gods or ghosts—better to use money to provide for the people than squander it on offerings to spirits." Leaving the old man with eyes wide as lightbulbs, she turned to her sister. "If you have someone you care about on the front, instead of praying for his safety here, why not wait until he returns in triumph and buy him a bouquet of flowers?" Shuang Xue's face was flushed crimson—not so much from her sister's teasing as from the growing crowd of onlookers gathering around. It was terribly embarrassing. Tugging at her sister's sleeve, she whispered, "All right, all right, I know it's pointless. No need to argue with him... I won't buy it, okay?" With that, she dragged her sister by the sleeve and trotted out of the crowd, stopping only when they reached the other end of the market. Catching her breath, Shuang Xue hadn't even had a moment to rest before her sister poked her enthusiastically in the ribs. "Confess! Whose name were you planning to write down? Let me see which lucky lad caught your eye." With her cheeks still flushed from running, Shuang Xue squirmed bashfully for a good while. Unable to withstand her sister's relentless pestering, she finally whispered, "...Promise you won't laugh at me." Her eyes gleaming with gossip, Shuanghe—who just a moment ago had proudly declared that "materialist warriors bow to no gods or ghosts"—immediately raised three fingers and swore solemnly: "I, Shuanghe, swear to heaven! I will never laugh at my clever, cute, beautiful, and generous little sister, nor will I tell a third soul!" "..." Shuang Xue gave her sister an exasperated eye-roll. After a brief hesitation, unable to keep secrets to herself, she leaned close to her sister's ear and whispered the name she had intended to write. Shuanghe froze, then stared at her with wide eyes. Her expression was even more shocked than when she had seen her sister handing money to a fraud. "You haven't given up yet?" Blushing furiously, Shuang Xue stammered, "Y-You promised not to laugh!" "I'm not laughing..." Shuanghe sighed, shaking her head like a rattle-drum. "Not a chance in hell." Shuang Xue looked at her sister with conflicted eyes, letting out a soft, faint sigh after a moment. "I didn't say there had to be a chance... I just want him to be safe far away on the front line. Don't you want that too?" Shuanghe nodded thoughtfully. "True..." She couldn't begin to imagine what Dawn City would become without that man. Perhaps this oasis wouldn't have existed in the first place. Those blue jackets loyal only to the Administrator personally would probably leave, either returning underground or heading somewhere else. The refugees certainly wouldn't stay obediently in collective dormitories waiting for indefinitely postponed resettlement; they would do whatever it took to push into neighboring cities. The prisoners of war wouldn't stay quiet either; they would seize the once-in-a-lifetime chance to break their chains. The various corps would likely maintain their allegiance, perhaps even carrying on the Administrator's "final wish" of reviving the People's Federation by raising a military strongman to power and using harsher methods to suppress chaos... yet that would only plant the seeds for even greater turmoil. As for the merchants, who possessed no loyalty to speak of, they never belonged here anyway. Under the guise of a free market, they would do everything they could to squeeze every scrap of value from the residents until even silver coins became worthless. Working at the trading post, she knew all too well what wastelanders were like. Not only did they have flexible moral codes and professional ethics, they even had flexible identities. Elsewhere, they might be slavers or highway bandits, but here, no matter what they were before, they dared only obey the law like model citizens. It was practically a miracle. After thinking for a long time, Shuanghe nodded. "...If anything happened to him, everyone would be heartbroken." Hearing that, Shuang Xue reacted like a bunny that had its tail stepped on, hurriedly slapping a hand over her sister's mouth. "Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo! Bite your tongue! If Dad heard you talk like that, he'd tan your hide!" "Mmph—whoosh! What does it matter? It's not like I'm saying it in front of Dad." Breaking free from her little sister's hand, Shuanghe dodged away, grinning cheekily. "Besides, Lord Administrator himself said that if someone mentions his name in private, there's no need to make the atmosphere so solemn. Names are meant to be used by others, after all." "Are you a parrot? Always parroting 'the Administrator said this, the Administrator said that,'" Shuang Xue panted, her cheeks glowing red. Working as a clerk at the Merchant Guild, she certainly didn't have the stamina of her sister, who worked at the trading post. After chasing her for just a short distance, she had her hands on her knees, completely out of breath. Shuanghe paused and blinked at her. "Huh? You're not jealous, are you? Don't worry, your sister is someone who just wants a steady life. I don't daydream. My future husband only needs to—" "W-Who the hell is jealous?!" Watching the playful sisters, Yaya rested her chin in her hands on the steps outside the branch of Tengteng Cottage, speaking with envy. "I wish I had a little sister too." Or a little brother. Though it would be a bit of a pity not being able to buy him cute dresses, having someone to play games with would be nice. For a shut-in like her who spent years cooped up at home never going out, finding someone to talk to in reality was just too hard. Damn it... She was actually envying NPCs in a game! Sitting beside her and sipping sparkling water, Tengteng had an entirely different sentiment. "There haven't been many familiar faces in Dawn City lately." Over the past two months, most of the customers frequenting her shop were NPCs. While business hadn't really suffered and she had designed plenty of standard-style outfits, the lack of bizarre custom orders made her feel as though her creativity and talents had nowhere to shine. Compared to the conservatively dressed NPCs, the players' wacky, eccentric brainstorms were far more likely to make her eyes light up. Of course, it would be even better if they could be just slightly more decent. Yaya consoled her friend: "Well, everyone's at the front line, after all." Tengteng gave her a sidelong glance. "Speaking of which, didn't you claim to be a combat-class player? How come you're so free?" She had assumed Yaya would head out to fool around on the front line with Tail and the others, but Yaya hadn't joined the fray this time. It seemed taking that tumble last time had taught her a lesson. "Heh heh, don't let my idle look fool you," Yaya smirked proudly. "I've made quite a neat little fortune recently." "Oh?" Releasing the straw she was chewing on, Tengteng looked at Yaya with curiosity. "What kind of quest?" Yaya gloated, "Remember that pointed blue-green mushroom I found earlier? Later, it was sent to the shelter's Medical Lab for testing, and that white-haired NPC lady found out it contained a substance similar to penicillin." Tengteng nodded, realization dawning. "Now that you mention it, that rings a bell... It was added to the official website's compendium afterward. Was it called mycocillin and turquoise mushroom? So you were the one who discovered it!" "What do you mean, 'so you were the one who discovered it'?! There was a server-wide announcement, okay?!" Yaya protested indignantly. Clearing her throat, she continued with glowing excitement, "Anyway, after that, I got a hidden quest from the shelter: harvest twenty tons of turquoise mushrooms for the survivor settlements in Xizhou City." "Twenty tons?!" Tengteng stared at her, astonished. "Are there really that many?" Yaya curled her lips upward. "Of course there are! Everyone thought that mushroom was poisonous before, so hardly anyone picked it. But with an order that huge, there was no way I could handle it alone. Fortunately, the sweet lady at the Merchant Guild helped me register a company and hire around ten natives, so I finally finished the quest." "Not bad, not bad! Our Yaya has finally embarked down this road. Now you can make silver coins without having to pick mushrooms yourself," Tengteng said, nodding approvingly. Yaya pondered for a moment. "Mmm... that's true, but compared to worrying about a mountain of affairs, I still prefer the feeling of exploring alone." In this game, there was always something new she had never seen before. As for silver coins, she didn't care about them all that much. "Are you humble-bragging, you jerk?" Tengteng rolled her eyes, gazing up at the sky and stretching languidly. "With everyone working so hard, looks like I need to step up my game in the new version too." Yaya giggled and patted her best friend on the shoulder. "Don't be such a tryhard! Gaming isn't about achieving some grand status; enjoying the ride is fun enough. Oh, by the way, there's going to be a victory fireworks show in the square in a bit. Word has it there's also sand sugar brought over from Sunset Province!" "Granulated sugar?" Tengteng asked, puzzled. "Haven't we had that for ages?" Once upon a time, back before trade routes opened, sugar had been cheaper than salt. After all, Brown Farm grew sugar beets, and refining them with slightly improved techniques yielded pure granulated sugar. Salt, on the other hand, had to be imported from afar in inland regions. Yaya smiled. "No, sand as in desert sand! Sunset Province is entirely desert, right? It's probably some local specialty treat. I saw it on the forums too... Apparently Xiao Yu discovered it!" As they spoke, fireworks were already ascending into the sky. Before they realized it, the time had arrived. Hearing that it was a snack she hadn't seen before, Tengteng's face immediately lit up with interest, and she hopped off the steps. "Come on, take me over to check it out!" Under the brilliance of the fireworks, the people living in the rear sent their blessings toward the distant front line. Stumbling drunkenly out of the tavern, Sun Shiqi looked up at the dazzling fireworks in the sky. After staring blankly for a few seconds, he lowered his head and muttered under his breath: "Green... that's probably copper sulfate." Zhou Nan, propping him up as they leaned on each other, also muttered quietly: "What a waste... Are these people so loaded that they can just turn leftover explosives into fireworks?" "Looks like the war really is coming to an end." While the people of Dawn City celebrated the sweeping victory on the front lines, far away in Xizhou City, the marauders were suffering in an agonizing abyss of misery...