Due to Server Network Fluctuations, the Silver Coin Trading Platform Is Temporarily Suspended for One Day

Inside the spacious tent, a man dressed in opulent attire paced back and forth, a grave expression lingering between his brows as if he were agonizing over something. Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside. Hearing the approach, he instantly arranged his features into a radiant smile and stepped forward toward the entrance to greet his guest. Almost at the same moment, Chu Guang appeared at the tent's doorway. "Xavier! Sales representative from the Flint Group! A true honor to meet you, esteemed Leader of the Alliance!" Xavier introduced himself in an enthusiastic, borderline theatrical tone, while subtly taking the measure of the man in the doorway. He was exactly as the rumors described: the leader of the New Alliance had a pair of deep, obsidian-like eyes, and was remarkably young and handsome. Most importantly, he had reportedly come from a vault. Such a background was hardly unheard of in the wasteland. Although most survivor settlements were led by native wastelanders, those communities rarely grew exceptionally large—finding one with a population exceeding ten thousand was exceedingly rare. The truly monumental powers—such as the Enterprise, the Academy, the Legion far to the west, or the zealots along the Death Coast to the south—were all more or less tied to vaults in their origins. What truly surprised Xavier, however, was that this man was an Awakened. Just what had this guy gone through? "Chu Guang, Administrator." Chu Guang showed little enthusiasm in return for Xavier's warmth, offering only a concise introduction. After all, this was an arms dealer who had sold weapons to the Bone Chewer tribe. It would be a minor miracle if he received a warm reception. Realizing he had used the wrong title, Xavier wore a fleeting look of awkwardness. Still, as a seasoned trader who had traveled far and wide, he was undeniably thick-skinned and quickly smoothed things over. "My apologies. I fell into the trap of empiricism... A great pleasure to make your acquaintance, Administrator of the Alliance." Chu Guang looked at him and got straight to the point. "State your business." Xavier bowed his head slightly. "Mr. Sigma, head of our conglomerate, asked me to convey his heartfelt congratulations on winning this war. Xizhou City has gained a truly wise master!" Congratulations, indeed. Having just lost a major customer, shouldn't they be weeping instead? Still, the war was over; now was the time for development. Chu Guang had no intention of stirring up unnecessary trouble, so he refrained from mocking his northern neighbor and merely offered a faint, wry smile. "Send him my regards as well." "I shall certainly pass them along!" Breathing an internal sigh of relief, Xavier cleared his throat and continued, "In addition to congratulations on your victory, Mr. Sigma instructed me before my departure to ask if I might ransom someone back from you." "Who?" "Dillon, commander of the Legion's 21st Ten-Thousand-Man Corps!" "Ah, that man..." Chu Guang recalled the name, his expression turning somewhat subtle. "Indeed," Xavier said, completely oblivious to what had transpired as he pressed his case. "For your part, the war has already concluded, and you hold no direct enmity toward the Legion. That man is of no use to you, so why not exchange him for a handsome ransom? We are prepared to offer... five hundred thousand dinars. What do you say?" Five hundred thousand dinars. That was certainly no small sum. Chu Guang was mildly surprised that Dillon was deemed worthy of such a steep buyout. Had the man still been drawing breath, he wouldn't have minded trading him for cash. Unfortunately... "Regrettably, I'm afraid I cannot grant this request." Xavier froze, clearly unprepared for a refusal, and pleaded anxiously, "Do you consider it too meager? By the standards of a corps commander, that price is already exceptionally fair—" "Because he is already dead," Chu Guang cut him off flatly. "Dead?!" Xavier blanched in sheer shock, his complexion shifting rapidly. Chu Guang remained unperturbed. "Indeed. Bullets have no eyes on a battlefield, and anything can happen. Is that not perfectly normal? Since he chose to hunker down in the same trench with those marauders, he should have anticipated such a day." At this point, Chu Guang fixed Xavier with a penetrating gaze. "Though I must say, I am rather curious—why go to such lengths to ransom him?" "...Those were Mr. Sigma's orders. He did not divulge further details to me," Xavier said, trying to maintain his composure, though the tension written across his face betrayed him. Evidently, he was not entirely in the dark. Chu Guang gave a faint smile and chose not to press the matter. If the man refused to speak, asking further would be pointless, and he could hardly drag an envoy off to the torture chamber. That would be thoroughly beneath him. "If you came all this way for Dillon, your trip has been in vain." Xavier squeezed out a strained smile. "How could that be... Merely meeting you in person makes the journey well worth it." Pausing briefly, he continued, "Mr. Sigma entrusted me with a third matter. Now that the north-south trade routes are restored... we hope to sign a trade agreement with you!" ... Outside the tent, in the delegation's rest area. Butan had gone to inspect a nearby construction site to examine Daybreak City's drainage system, and had been shaking his head ever since his return. "...Their construction plan has massive flaws. You can't tell right now, but given the historical summer precipitation in Xizhou City, come July, it's bound to collapse into a disaster!" "...Could it really be that severe? I never heard of the survivor settlements in Xizhou City getting flooded before," Yuan Feng said, looking hesitant. They had come on a goodwill visit, not to pick apart someone else's home. Though he trusted Mr. Butan's professional expertise in environmental engineering, he was not in favor of stirring up complications. "Can a settlement of five thousand—or even ten thousand—be compared to one of two or three hundred people? Unless they plan on throwing up their hands and soaking in a swamp!" Unable to hold back any longer, Butan slapped his thigh and stood up. "I'm going to see their Administrator again! I have to make this clear to them!" For the sake of that generous gift, he couldn't in good conscience pretend he hadn't seen it. At worst, he would simply spend some time designing a new plan for them! It wasn't that difficult, after all. As Butan walked toward the Administrator's tent, the rest of the delegation continued chatting about what they had observed in Daybreak City. Erecting a thousand emergency housing units in a single day was undeniably astonishing productivity on the part of the New Alliance. However, immense output did not equate to advanced productive forces. Objectively speaking, the design and safety of those sheet-aluminum houses left much to be desired; the technical sophistication hardly looked like the work of a vault. With mountains flanking Xizhou City, the winds were mild, so making do with them for the time being was fine. Over time, though, problems were bound to surface. Everyone conversed in lively chatter, with only a certain 'mascot' abstaining. The energetic Pai was thoroughly engrossed in fiddling with her newly acquired toy, sitting in the quarters having the time of her life. Having quickly grasped the knack of controlling the drone, she had used her tablet to compile a simple control script and linked the drone to her VR headset. Its gossamer-thin propellers fluttered into motion, and the silver-white sphere shot into the sky. Looking down at the expanse of Xizhou City through the drone's perspective, Pai's face was painted with awe and wonder. "Incredible!" Unfortunately, the Hummingbird drone had only modest endurance; constrained by its fist-sized frame, the battery capacity was inevitably limited. Guiding the drone back down, Pai reluctantly took off her headset, a yearning gleam emerging in her eyes. "Lyra, what do you think Dawn City will look like?" Seated upright in a chair, Lyra did not answer, remaining as motionless as a wooden statue. Pai stared at the cloak, a spark of curiosity suddenly flaring within her. Come to think of it, she had never seen what Lyra looked like. Ever since stepping out from behind that colossal door, Lyra had worn that all-enveloping cloak and spoken to no one. And to think she had such a lovely name... Pai whispered, "May I take a look?" Lyra gave no reply. Pai added in a hushed voice, "...If you don't say anything, I'll take it as permission, okay?" Still no response. Mustering her courage, Pai reached out carefully and gently lifted a corner of the thin cloak. In stark contrast to a name drawn from the stars, what lay beneath the shadow was a face of utterly plain features, resembling a mannequin standing in a decrepit display window. The only difference was that its eyes could move—and were staring right back at her. "Is something the matter?" These were the first words Lyra had spoken since leaving the vault. Pai swallowed hard in nervous fright, shook her head, and swiftly retracted her hand. Looking at the face now hidden once more beneath the cloak, she offered a guilty whisper. "I'm sorry..." Lyra looked at her, seemingly puzzled. After a moment, it replied with complete earnestness, "There is no need to apologize. You did nothing that warrants an apology." Hearing that, the anxious Pai breathed a sigh of relief, a cheerful smile returning to her face. "I'm just glad you aren't mad at me." Mad? Lyra looked at her in silence. Yet another incomprehensible concept added to the list... ... Meanwhile. Having concluded his meeting with the Flint Group's representative, Chu Guang returned to his tent. The negotiations had not gone well. Although Chu Guang did not object to setting disputes aside for the time being, the 'trade agreement' the other party had produced nearly made him roll his eyes. Zero tariffs, prospecting rights, and mining concessions. They had to be dreaming! Those three terms alone crossed his bottom line, while the slew of counter-concessions and promises offered by Xavier lacked any shred of tangible benefit. In plain terms, what could he possibly gain from trading with the Free State of Bugra? A heap of arms and munitions? The New Alliance was neither short on weapons nor in need of fighting another war anytime soon. The foremost task at hand was converting surplus military industrial capacity to civilian production, ensuring the settlement's grain supply and reserves. Viewed from that angle, doing business with the farmers to the south was far more appealing than dealing with arms merchants to the north. "...In that case, let us save more formal trade agreements for when there is sufficient mutual trust between us," Chu Guang had concluded, shutting down Xavier's request in a single sentence after hearing his demands. Xavier had pressed no further, expressing his regrets before taking his leave. Chu Guang could sense that the man possessed very little genuine sincerity regarding this trade agreement to begin with. That impression had grown even more pronounced after Xavier learned of Dillon's death. The Fang clan was destroyed, and the total disintegration of the Bone Chewer tribe was only a matter of time. Yet too many enigmas still hung over that rotting corpse. How had a band of marauders managed to secure the backing of both the Church of the Torch and the Legion simultaneously? There had to be hidden depths here that eluded him. Unfortunately, with Golden Fang dead and Dillon dead as well, his only recourse was to investigate through the other prisoners of war... At the entrance of the tent. Chu Guang happened upon Butan waiting outside. He tucked away his somber expression and restored a warm, approachable smile. "Is something the matter, my friend from Camp 101?" The elderly man did not beat around the bush, getting straight to the point. "Daybreak City's drainage system requires a complete redesign. Follow the current construction plan, and by July, this place will turn into a gigantic puddle!" Turn into a puddle? Was it really that bad? Surprise flickered across Chu Guang's face, and he immediately treated the matter with gravity. "Could you elaborate?" "That is precisely why I came to speak with you!" Butan held nothing back, laying out his observations for Chu Guang, including past rainfall patterns in Xizhou City and the oversights in the current drainage layout. Having listened intently to the recommendations, Chu Guang quietly sent off a quest to the Alliance's chief designer, Spare the Blade. Urban planning in the New Alliance was primarily handled by the players. While twenty-first-century design concepts were more than adequate for the wasteland, blunders were inevitable when transplanting them without adjustment. Exchanging ideas with a bona fide wasteland expert would not only greatly benefit the New Alliance's future development, but would also aid the players' own personal growth. "The drainage system certainly cannot be taken lightly! As for the specific revisions, could I trouble you to coordinate with our designer?" Taken aback by how seriously Chu Guang took his input, Butan was pleasantly surprised and promptly patted his chest in assurance. "Not a problem! I'll stay here for the next few days to help you work through this and see if we can improve the design." Such a stroke of luck?! Chu Guang was certainly not one to decline, replying with immediate delight, "Splendid! We'll be in your debt, then!" Butan smiled sheepishly. "Think nothing of it, a trivial favor. As for the delegation, I must ask you to look after them in my absence!" Chu Guang smiled. "Naturally! Leave it in my hands!" ... At the Daybreak City construction site. Sewer construction had been brought to a halt. Squatting atop a concrete block, Spare the Blade scratched frantically at his head, staring at the blueprint covered in circles and annotations until his scalp nearly bled. Just moments ago, he had received a quest summoning him to the Administrator, who introduced him to an old man purportedly specializing in environmental engineering. At first, Spare the Blade hadn't thought much of it, treating it as a mere cutscene. To his astonishment, the instant the Administrator made the introduction, the old fellow grabbed his blueprints and began chattering away, pointing out flaw after flaw. The VM solved the language barrier. Having someone pick apart his blueprints rubbed Spare the Blade entirely the wrong way, and he had immediately started arguing back. Yet after a brief back-and-forth, he began to realize that the old man's words actually made a great deal of sense. And far more than just a little. Which made things thoroughly embarrassing... Passing by, Makabazi noticed the scene and wandered over out of curiosity. "What's up, brother?" Spare the Blade let out a heavy sigh. "I'm stumped..." He relayed the recent exchange to Makabazi. The latter scratched his head, looking utterly bewildered. "So to sum it up... an NPC thought your design had problems, and now sewer construction is paused?" "Yeah," Spare the Blade admitted honestly with a nod. Makabazi was stunned. "Holy crap, what does an NPC know?" "No... this NPC isn't like the others. He genuinely knows his stuff," Spare the Blade sighed. During their conversation, he had almost felt as if he were back in a university lecture hall. Whether in core design philosophy or conceptual approach, the academic rigor and professional standard the man exhibited made him wonder if he was dealing with an NPC or a real-life professor draped in an NPC's skin. Thinking back, it brought a wave of nostalgia. How many years had it been since he joined the workforce? Though he wouldn't call himself a master in civil engineering or urban planning, and hadn't worked on the front lines in quite some time, his practical experience was beyond reproach. The more Spare the Blade thought about it, the more baffled he became. Was it really necessary for a gaming company to make even minor details this damn professional? Makabazi scratched his head. "So what now?" He understood absolutely nothing about design or construction; that wasn't his profession in reality, and as a Strength-type, his entire creed was that overwhelming force produced miracles. Besides, with so many heavy hitters in the game, there was no need for him to stress his brain over such things. "What else? We modify it according to his suggestions for now," Spare the Blade sighed, brushing off his trousers as he stood up. "Call the foremen from the aid teams for a meeting. We have new work assignments." ... The following morning. On the northern outskirts of Qingquan City. Amid the thumping rhythm of drums and the roaring cheers of the crowd, a train laden with victory and glory pulled into the station north of Dawn City, trailing a long, resonant blast of its whistle. People held baskets of blossoms, showering petals over the carriages in celebration of the warriors' triumphant return. Young boys chased one another along the fringes of the crowd, laughing and playing at war, taking turns playing righteous soldiers and wicked marauders. The rumble of the locomotive served as an ideal accompaniment. Though a real battlefield was infinitely more cruel than any scenario their imaginations could conjure. Most of the young girls stood beside their parents, their eyes brimming with curiosity and admiration as they gazed upon the train. Lightly tugging at Shuang Xue's sleeve, Shuanghe stood beside their father, lowering her voice with a curved smile. "...Feel your heart racing yet?" Shuang Xue blushed and shot her elder sister a glare, though her eyes never once drifted from the train. The youngest, Shuangye, blinked her eyes, not quite understanding what her two older sisters were whispering about. The Dawn City guards stood lined up along the railway tracks, maintaining order and keeping the crowd at a safe distance to prevent accidents. Yet even so, nothing could hold back the surging wave of enthusiasm emanating from the residents of Dawn City. The war was over! This was indisputably an epic triumph! Those bloodthirsty savages would never again threaten the peace and prosperity of Dawn City. Praise be to the Alliance! Praise be to the Administrator! All thanks to those brave expeditionary warriors who had cleaved through evil with their blades— Every single one of them was a hero! Standing inside the locomotive cab, looking out at the radiant faces beyond the window, Chu Guang could not help but smile with profound gratification. He lightly patted the back of the engineer's seat. "Slow it down a bit. Let our soldiers savor the joy of victory a little longer." The train engineer nodded with a grin. "Right away, my Lord!" A long blast of the whistle sounded, and the train gradually eased its pace. Meanwhile, the carriages behind were alive with identical fervor. "Ooooh! Is this the capital of the New Alliance!" Pai pressed her face flat against the window, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she practically leaned her whole head out. Seeing this, Yuan Feng hastily reached out to haul the restless girl back, scolding her with a stern glare, "Behave yourself! Have you forgotten what your teacher told you? You represent the image of all the residents of Camp 101... Do you want to embarrass everyone?" Pai pouted discontentedly, casting a furtive sidelong glance. "I'm not the only one doing it..." Indeed, she was far from alone. Compared to the players' antics, her behavior was practically a model of restraint. Take a certain Tail, who had not only pressed her face against the glass, but had flattened her nose completely out of shape. "Holy crap! Xiao Yu! Waaah, cute little Xiao Yu, you must have missed Tail to death!" Seated beside her, Sisi sighed softly. "Wake up, Tail. Isn't your Xiao Yu clearly here to welcome the Administrator?" "I don't care! I'm going to give Xiao Yu a big kiss!" Tail shouted stubbornly. Hearing that, the great white bear sitting across from them took offense instantly, her brows furrowing in indignation—insofar as a bear's brows could furrow. "Shut your trap! Xiao Yu is mine!" Tail gasped in shock. "Ew! You fickle, two-timing Rou Rou, how can you do Teddy dirty like this?!" "Who the hell is Teddy?! Stop shipping me with random weirdos, aaaaah!" "Stop fighting, you two... How about one kiss each?" With her cat ears twitching uneasily, Sesame Paste attempted to pacify the squabbling duo. Sitting beside them, Sisi sighed, offering a helpless reminder, "...I understand your excitement, but violating an NPC's consent or acting indecently toward them will get you kicked offline, you know." Just then, a gentle electronic voice echoed through the carriage. It was not the Human Alliance language. It was Mandarin. "Attention, esteemed players. This train is about to arrive at the station, where the residents of the New Alliance await our triumphant return. Please mind your speech and conduct, and refrain from excessive behavior that might tarnish our collective image." "Due to the one-account-per-person policy, socially deceased accounts cannot be deleted. Therefore, please behave like normal human beings—at least during cutscenes!" Tail instantly peeled her face away from the window. "Huh? Was that the dev's voice just now?" Sisi looked up at the speaker in the carriage ceiling. "...Who knows." The train rolled to a halt. Flowers. Applause. And deafening cheers! All of it surged forward like an unstoppable tide! Feeling the overwhelming warmth washing over them, the players stepping out of the carriages felt briefly dazed. It felt as though... They were genuine heroes. No, not 'as though'—they truly were! They had protected a corner of this world! A sense of honor and spiritual fulfillment never before experienced in any other game began sprouting in their hearts like a burgeoning seed. This soul-deep sense of accomplishment was something a few lines of cold statistics or an end-game credit roll could never hope to rival. Looking at the bouquet forcibly shoved into his hands, Construction Site Youth and Brick mumbled dazedly, "This game is way too realistic..." "Thank you!" Beaming as he accepted flowers from a young girl, Elaina offered a polite expression of gratitude. Watching the blushing girl vanish into the crowd, he stared at the blossoms in his hands, then leaned in curiously for a sniff. Unable to resist, he plucked a flower and popped it into his mouth. Hmm... Tasted decent enough? Standing nearby, Brother Mole happened to witness the spectacle and shot Elaina an utterly flabbergasted look. "Ew! You're even eating flowers now?!" Elaina took it in stride. "What if it gives a buff?" How could you know without trying? Wasn't that how they discovered that yaoguai meat granted a Constitution buff in the first place? Mole couldn't help but roast him. "Like hell it gives a buff!" This guy was completely unhinged! On the station platform, Chu Guang stepped down from the train amidst a sea of flowers. Seeing Boss Xia, Xiao Yu, Yu Hu, Old Charlie, Luka, and everyone else among the crowd, a smile broke across his face. "I'm back." "Congratulations on your triumphant return, esteemed Administrator. We have prepared a victory banquet in your honor," Old Charlie said respectfully. "It's wonderful that you returned safe and sound." Seeing Chu Guang unharmed, Xiao Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Pale yellow blossoms were clutched tightly in her hands, though in her bashfulness, she couldn't quite bring herself to hand them over. "Thank you." Looking upon those who supported him, Chu Guang nodded with a warm smile. Though his hands were already full, he still reached out to accept flowers from everyone. Once he returned, he would plant them near the sanatorium. Looking at the azure armor plastered with colorful petals, Xia Yan muttered under her breath, "Aren't you roasting in that iron hunk every single day? It's practically summer." Chu Guang smiled faintly, speaking with a touch of smugness, "That just shows what you don't know. This iron hunk comes with built-in air conditioning—warm in winter, cool in summer. Care to put it on and try it out?" Xia Yan's face flushed crimson. "What... what kind of weird things are you saying?!" Chu Guang: "...?" He racked his brain, but couldn't fathom what could possibly be wrong with what he had said. Clearly, the issue lay with the listener. The welcoming ceremony lasted from early morning until midday. The banquet and revelry that followed stretched from noon deep into the night. The wine and food consumed throughout the day would likely be measured in tons. Yet on an occasion like this, even the frugal Old Luka raised not a single objection. They were celebrating a shared triumph. After tonight, those who had banded together for survival would be far more united than they had been yesterday. Night fell, deepening into darkness. Reluctant to leave, the players gradually logged off. Yet the festive atmosphere was far from over, carrying over onto the official website's forums. While the players were enjoying themselves in-game, people outside the game were anything but idle. The silver coin market had reached a boiling point. Astronomical buy orders flooded in one after another. Unknown high rollers seemed completely possessed, furiously pouring money into sweeping up silver coins from the players' hands. Seeing prices show signs of spiraling beyond all reason, the game's official administration finally intervened. Furthermore, they published two announcements back-to-back. [Due to Server Network Fluctuations, the Silver Coin Trading Platform Is Temporarily Suspended for One Day] [Special Event: The Special Spoils of War Auction Has Officially Begun!] [(Details Link)]