Chapter 517 That Is the Spell of My Hometown, Bad Luck Will Entangle Their Oars (1/2)
"Goodbye, brothers, don't miss me... you pangolin masters need to be solo for a while."
The Heart of Steel put away its anchor chain and headed eastward under the midday light.
Thousands of thoughts were taken away to the distance by the giant whale floating in the clouds. The warlord waved his hand and said goodbye to the victorious brothers.
In a little while he will also triumph.
It’s just that we are not going to Dawn City, but to Triumph City.
Although I don’t know what methods Saren, the commander of the Eastern Legion, used, in short, they returned to the Triumph City as victors.
To be honest, the warlord is still confused by now.
The Legion fought an inexplicable war and then returned home inexplicably. In addition to shocking the company and the college, where did these big noses win?
Just consider it a win.
He didn't care about such insignificant things. What made him extremely melancholy was another thing.
At first it was just an idea, even a joke, but I didn't expect that in the end I would cross the entire desert for it, and even go to the far west...
City of Triumph.
Forget it, just think of it as an early experience of the new version.
Closed beta, closed beta...
Isn’t that what closed beta players do?
"what are you saying?"
A pleasant voice came from behind.
Guessing who that person was, Warfield Man expertly switched to the human language and said with a serious face.
"That's the spell of my hometown, that bad luck will catch their oars."
Penny was stunned for a moment, then chuckled.
"...You are so funny."
Looking at the silent pangolin, Penny thought he was still brooding about the incident in Shelter 0, so she lowered her voice and comforted him.
"Governor Cohen did not blame you for what happened to Wall-E... It was not your fault. You fulfilled your mission faithfully and brought back the original copy of the Torch Project so that we would not be invaded by the greedy and cunning East Coasters and shady people. The evil swamp people were kept in the dark.”
The warlord said solemnly while suppressing a smile.
"It's my duty."
Penny looked at him with wide eyes.
"Can you do me a small favor?"
"It's an honor to serve you."
Looking at the pangolin, who was sometimes dull and sometimes gentlemanly, Penny couldn't help but curl her lips, but soon her expression took on a rare hint of coyness.
"My... uh, father wants to meet you."
"Your father?" Looking at Penny who looked away, the warlord was confused for a moment, "Why did he see me?"
"You may not know..." She flicked her bangs lightly, and said in a normal tone, "The Triumph Newspaper has reported a lot about your deeds, and I happened to write a lot of the materials sent to the capital. , Anyway, just help me, okay?"
I always felt that the casual tone was unnatural, but Warfield Man didn't say anything and nodded anyway.
In fact, he is not very good at rejecting people, whether in reality or in the game.
Just think of it as a triggered side mission.
Seeing the wooden man nodding, Penny had a happy smile on her face and looked at the thin clouds in the sky.
"By the way...are we going to stay here all winter?"
"Well," Warfield Man nodded, "Without an airship, it's too dangerous to take the land route... If you don't follow the large army, accidents can easily happen."
The northern industrial area was once the logistics center of the People's Union era. Although it had the densest transportation network, it was already in the prosperous era.
Nowadays, those high-speed networks and underground passages have been completely cut off, forming a three-dimensional maze with the intricate office buildings and warehouses.
The desertification there is not as severe as in the eastern industrial area, but the danger is no less dangerous than here. If you want to get around there, you have to walk through the Wandering Swamp, which is the moat of the college. It's also not a beautiful place.
Just looking at the description on the official website of "Wasteland OL", Warlander doesn't have much confidence in being able to play in the desert or the swamp alone. Maybe it will be better when he reaches level 50 or 60.
By the way, he has just passed level 30, the fourth stage of his genetic sequence. According to the common saying in the wasteland, he has completed the third awakening.
The first 10 levels of this game were only a little easier to upgrade, and he couldn't help but wonder if Aguang was deliberately trying to lower the levels of beta testers like them.
At this rate, almost no one can reach the legendary level 100.
Penny sighed softly.
"I really want to go home soon..."
That was a casual remark, but it made someone next to him feel "nostalgia" in his heart.
I heard that Old Hooker bought the warehouse behind the Highway Town Hotel, demolished it and converted it into a building, with a large yard enclosed in the middle. The trading post was originally located at the edge of Dawn City. Due to the increasing number of houses built, it has now been enclosed in the sub-center.
The biggest change is in the train station. There used to be an open space in front of the platform, but now there are rows of concrete buildings scattered around it.
The square where they held their triumphal ceremony has now been planted with many green plants and has become a place for residents of Dawn City to walk, socialize and relax. The newly established municipal garden management department of Shuguang City City Hall is responsible for the planning of public buildings and keeping everything in order... I heard that this is inseparable from the contribution of a life professional player specializing in urban planning.
If the regional reputation of a specific NPC settlement reaches 1,000 or more, you can invest in setting up factories, if you have more than 1,000, you can participate in grassroots municipal work, and if you have more than 100,000, you can even serve as the director of the city hall in charge of municipal administration. Warlords have only recently heard that there are actually players who are working tirelessly to improve the reputation of their region, just to be able to enjoy the mayor's addiction in the game.
Wouldn't it be nice to just start a game of "City Skylines"?
Since the beginning of the year, Crow Crow has been updating aerial photos of Dawn City from time to time on its official website, and the warlord has also seen that post.
However, he always felt dissatisfied with what he saw in the photos, as if something was missing.
Only then did he realize that what was missing was people.
Those NPCs with their own behavioral logic are like living people. Together with many players from "another world", they constitute the entire society and give real meaning to the latter's actions.
He knew what he really missed.
hateful……
I really want to go home!
…
Just as the Heart of Steel was on its way back, the official website of "Wasteland OL" was updated with new content.
Although there is still no news about Beta0.5 and new closed beta qualifications, the content is much better than that of Beta0.4.
[New survivor settlement - Kaituo City: Kaituo City, which stands on the ruins of the eastern industrial zone of the People's Federation, is not livable, but it has a richer pre-war civilization heritage than Dawn City. A group of brave adventurers once came, and those with a brave heart will continue to follow their footsteps. 】
[Newly added NPC corps - Bicester 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Construction Corps: The prisoners of war in the Falcon Kingdom refused to go back and continue to be the cattle and horses of the noble lords. They would rather face the yellow sand with their heads above the scorching sun. Even if it is not easy to build a city in the desert, at least the dried sweat is for themselves, and they will prove that they can still live well without those arrogant men! 】
[New NPC Corps - Thorn Corps: Among them are tailors, herdsmen, carpenters, teachers and even scholars. The poison of chaos destroyed their past lives, but it did not knock them down. In order to spread the light of order and save those who have not yet been saved, they resolutely chose to stay and declare war on all chaos and barbarism. Revenge against the Enlightenment Society that deprived them of their past...]
[New map - Eastern Industrial Zone: The processing industry center of the People's Union era. Even if it has been completely turned into ruins, unexpected treasures can still be unearthed under the dilapidated concrete and iron-containing sand. If you find the dormant blue jacket, Please bring them to Pioneer City before the initiation meeting. Recommended map level: Lv15 or above. (Note: Since it is far away from the resurrection point, players who go to explore this map should be cautious.)]
Tails: "Oh! Sisters of Thorns! Cunning spellcasters! Si! Let's sign up! (✪ω✪)"
Debt-eyed: "Sisters of Thorns are okay, wouldn't the Eleventh Interstellar Corps be more suitable? Bad review!"
Si Si: "Wake up, O'Wei, we finally arrived at the Southern Islands. It would have to be several thousand kilometers to go back."
Tails: "Damn, the ship is moving too slow... I wish I could get an airship. (｡・`ω´･)"
Roushan Damomo: "I'm afraid it will cost tens of billions of silver coins."
Night Ten: "Be more confident and get rid of the fear. (Funny)"
Aoao Sesame Paste: "Ah ha ha ha... too much."
Edge of water: "Is it okay to leave the defense to the local survivors?"
Fang Chang: "From the Falcon Kingdom to the Honey Badger Kingdom, there are too many places where troops need to be garrisoned. The alliance's standing corps is no longer enough, but there are a lot of exoskeletons, bulletproof armor and guns left. The local survivors are willing to protect themselves. , I think it is still worthy of encouragement.”
Mole on the run in the canyon: "+1, from an economic point of view, recruiting troops from the local area is better than sending troops from the alliance to station there. Anyway, large-scale military conflicts are unlikely to occur there recently. As for small-scale conflicts... Isn’t there someone staying there?”
Irena: "You can trick the newcomers into helping. (Funny)"
Commander Quan Shui: "But having said that...the processing center in the People's Alliance era, even from a probability perspective, the good stuff there is probably several times more than in Qingquan City."
I was the darkest: "Gan! I regret what you said. I should have stayed with the grandson of Dog Battlefield!"
Debt-eyed: "Hahahaha!"
Compared to the newly formed NPC Corps, most players are obviously more interested in the ruins of the "People's Federation Eastern Industrial Zone".
No one knows what is buried under the concrete ruins.
If we dig out a set of power armor that can still be used, it will become T0 instantly!
The only problem is distance.
The Great Desert is really far away from Dawn City.
If you start from Dawn City and do not rent a corporate transport plane, you need to take a train via Luoye City to the Lion Kingdom, then transfer to a truck and head northwest to the Honey Badger Kingdom, and then go to Bicester Town, bypassing the entire 2 to the south of the oasis before entering the great desert.
This trip will take at least half a month.
It may be faster after the Alliance's railway is laid to the Honey Badger Kingdom, or we can only wait for the Alliance to come up with longer range and faster transportation means.
While the players on the forum were talking about the new map, Chu Guang was standing in front of the French window of the airship bridge, looking at the horizon.
Sitting on Chu Guang's shoulders, Xiao Qi swung her legs and pointed at the mountains and forests in the distance and shouted excitedly.
"Master, the River Valley Province is ahead!"
Finally going home!
The communication in the desert was intermittent, and she was disconnected most of the day. When she returned to the River Valley Province, there would be no such trouble.
Looking at the horizon and squinting his eyes, Chu Guang couldn't help but smile.
"Yeah."
He hadn't been back for a long time, and he missed the people there. I believe the residents of Dawn City must miss him too.
Because some armor was abandoned and some supplies were left in the pioneer city, the return speed of the Heart of Steel was much faster than the outbound speed. The average cruising speed of the long-distance trip could even reach 80 kilometers per hour!
Although this speed cannot catch up with the plane, it can still fly nearly 2,000 kilometers a day, and it takes less than two days to get from the Great Desert to the River Valley Province.
It must be said that in the wasteland full of alien species, the airship is indeed a good long-distance transportation tool, even if the rare anti-gravity device is not taken into account.
The only disadvantage is that hydrogen is too dangerous and helium is not easy to get.
"Our Fallen Leaf City is ahead." Standing next to Chu Guang, the acting captain stared at the settlement next to Ruigu City with great enthusiasm.
Rows of houses surround the two sides of the train station, and the warehouse next to the station is full of crops shipped from the Fallen Cloud Province and industrial products that will be sent to the desert.
The original alliance built this settlement just to accommodate the wastelanders gathered by the legion. After the alliance's expeditionary force officially went to the Fallen Cloud Province, it served as a transit station for front-line supplies, attracting a large number of merchants from the Hump Kingdom and the Giant Stone City, as well as refugees who fled from the war.
Now that the war is over, the prosperity here has not ended. Instead, it has risen to a higher level due to the increase in business exchanges.
In the future, this survivor settlement will continue to exist as a trade hub connecting Luoxia Province and River Valley Province.
Chu Guang still has great expectations for the future of this settlement.
Compared with Dawn City and Dawn City, Luoye City has a wider plain to use, and without the huge ruins of Qingquan City, it will be easier to go from Luoye City to Jinchuan Province.
It would be great if Jinchuan Province in the south could also be included in the trade map of the alliance.
Even if it has Luoxia Province as a granary, the alliance no longer needs the food there, and the development value of that land is also very high.
Moreover, according to the intelligence investigated by the White Bear Knights at sea and the relevant clues revealed by the company, the development of the ocean in the era of the Human Alliance is not inferior to that of the land. From the sea level to the seabed, there are many relics of the prosperous era, and even shelters!
If you want to use those resources on a large scale, you must first have an outlet that belongs to the alliance. Starting from Luoye City, opening a corridor to the south is a good choice, at least from the map.
"... I didn't expect that the changes in a few months would be so great." Looking at the night view of Luoye City, Chu Guang couldn't help but feel a little bit of anticipation.
I wonder what it would feel like to overlook the night view of Shuguang City from a high altitude.
It seems that it has been a while since the last celebration.
The acting captain standing next to him, who had been observing the expression on Chu Guang's face, said respectfully.
"... Sir, do you want to stop here?"
"No need, keep moving forward. Rather than enjoying this beautiful night view, I hope to bring back the news of the triumph as soon as possible."
After a pause, Chu Guang said with a smile.
"By the way, hang up our flag! Let everyone see it! Don't let those compatriots who are looking forward to our return home wait impatiently, and let those who curse us see it by the way."
"Not only are we back, but we are back with victory and glory!"
Looking at the manager with a sharp gaze, the acting captain excitedly straightened his back and saluted with his right fist on his chest.
"Yes!"
...
Just as the Iron Heart hung the flag of the Alliance and returned with great fanfare, the Stone City was a scene of prosperity and excitement.
It was not only the Alliance that made a fortune from the war, but also the major business houses and factory owners who invested in the Alliance early on.
The door of the Queen of the Night's bar was full of guests, and the temperature of the whole street rose by several degrees. Whether it was the nobles in the inner city or the bosses of the factories, they had to find a place to spend their money after making a lot of money, otherwise what was the point of making money?
It was not only the bars and commercial streets that were lively, but also the city hall several streets away.
Because of the wise decision made a few months ago, Mr. Melvin, the president of Boulder City Bank, has been in the spotlight.
If he and Dulong had not passed the resolution to lend money to the Alliance against all odds, there would be no prosperity in Boulder City today!
Now everyone is making a lot of money, and he should be the first to make a contribution!
Just after returning home from the meeting, Melvin wanted to have a drink to relax, but he was pestered by his cute little daughter, who said she wanted to tell him a bedtime story.
Melvin was originally very happy, but his face was not very good when he saw the "Survivor Daily" on the table.
He could guess with his hair that this little girl had probably learned some of the accents of those wastelanders, and wanted to tell him some big truths that she didn't actually understand.
Although he was impatient, after all, she was his favorite little daughter, and Malvern couldn't get angry. It happened that he was in a good mood, so he patiently sat on the sofa.
Alyssa cleared her throat, held up the picture book in her hand, and read in a childish voice.
"...In the long history of the People's League, there was a very, very small kingdom. The area there was even smaller than the honey badger kingdom."
"In order to open up the future of the kingdom, the merchants set sail to sea with the support of the king. However, after those merchants earned huge wealth, they bribed the people of the kingdom, pushed the old king to the gallows, and became the leader of the kingdom. The uncrowned king.”
"Although there is no king, the lives of the people of the kingdom have not become better. They used to work in the fields for the feudal masters, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, but now they are driven into coal mines and factories, regardless of age or age. Work non-stop all day long.”
"Until later, the unbearable citizens united and overthrew the kingdom ruled by merchants and nobles, and hung those who defrauded their property from street lamps... just like those merchants who pushed the king to the gallows."
After listening to the story told by his daughter, Malvin pinched his eyebrows and sighed.
"You're trying to say we're in a dangerous situation right now."
Alyssa looked at her father intently, her childish face showing intelligence and agility that belied her age.
"I heard from the servant at home that a piece of bread outside has been sold for 2 chips, and even the price of nutritional cream has tripled... This is very strange. You said that our factories have increased and there have been more jobs. , everything is getting better, but the lives of the residents of Boulder City have not improved much, which is abnormal, isn’t it? I don’t think this is a good sign.”
Not a good sign...
What else is better?
Listening to that childish voice, Malvin smiled and shook his head.
Is there a better sign than “everyone’s pockets are full of chips”?
"My child, we are fundamentally different from the kingdom in the fairy tale picture book in your hand. Have you forgotten the origin of the outer city? There was only one building and an inner city here... If we hadn't taken in the place where we live now, Those wastelanders in the outer city have long been exposed to the wilderness, becoming the remains of predators and mutants... they are not good things in any case."
As he spoke, he unconsciously brought the high-spirited mood at the conference table back home.
Alyssa frowned, dissatisfied with her father's tone, and corrected her seriously.
"...This is not a fairy tale picture book, it is our history."
"Of course, my boy...this is indeed something that may have ever happened on this planet."
Immediately realizing that something was wrong with his tone, Malvern made his words sound gentler.
Looking at his cute little daughter, he continued patiently.
"...But the difference is that Boulder City has never been ruled by merchants from beginning to end. Do you really think it was the bank that made them unable to buy bread? On the contrary, your father may not be a good person, but if not I lend money to those factories, and those poor people can’t even have a chip in their pockets, so what’s the point of making bread cheaper?”
There was a trace of confusion in Alyssa's eyes.
Although she learned a little bit from newspapers and books, it was only what others told her... and what her father said was beyond her knowledge.
Malvern touched his daughter's head and said lovingly.
"Don't be mechanical when thinking about problems. Our situation is different from the beginning of your picture book. Whether it is Weijia Trading Company or our Boulder City Bank, our shareholders were the nobles of the inner city from the beginning. They lent us Our first chip.”
"I should have told you that your mother's family... her ancestors were the first survivors of the Rock Building. I hope you can learn more about the etiquette and ways of the nobility from her. If it doesn't work, I can only send you there. Studying in Ideal City.”
He liked his smart little daughter very much, but sometimes he thought it would be better if she wasn't so smart...or a little dumber.
Being smart is not a bad thing.
But if you add naivety to it, big problems can easily arise.
She is not too young, and it will be time to start a family in two years. Maybe he should be a little stricter, or at least stop treating her like a child.
Alyssa blinked.
"Brother's place?"
Malvern nodded.
"That's right."
This is a back road.
Of course he knows that there are hidden worries in the current situation in Boulder City, but this is not a problem that he can solve.
The city lord will not support him, the militia leader will not support him, the chairman of Jushi Military Industry will not support him, and the nobles in the inner city will not support him.
All animals know how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, not to mention a banker with a keen sense of smell like him. Since the problem cannot be solved, it is better to make more money before the problem occurs.
Especially recently, he found a good channel, which is the rising alliance in the northern suburbs.
Although those wastelanders and blue coats always did things that he couldn't understand, the final result was surprisingly good.
Not only did they sustain the Legion's attack, they even gained the friendship of the ancient survivor forces.
I heard from his youngest son who was far away in Ideal City that the alliance businessmen even sold fried chicken wings and Coke to Ideal City!
This is incredible!
God knows how those guys figure out the shipping problem!
But this is not the key. The key is that silver coins can be exchanged for Cr in "large quantities", which is something that even chips cannot do.
Usually if you want to exchange for Cr, you have to exchange it at the exchange in Boulder City like buying trading goods. The trading volume is pitifully low.
Don't look at how one chip can be exchanged for several Cr now. That's because caravans from Yunjian Province rarely come, and most people don't have any use for Cr.
If the exchange volume really increases, ten million chips may not be exchanged for one million Cr at the exchange in Boulder City.
Thinking of this, Malvern looked at the "Daily Survivor" on the coffee table unconsciously, and touched his chin thoughtfully.
"Speaking of which, the manager is back."
Alyssa nodded vigorously and looked at her father expectantly.
"Yeah! I heard that there will be a big, big triumphal celebration... Can we go there and have a look?"
After touching his daughter's head, Malvin said with a gentle smile.
"Of course...but you have to listen to dad. After all, there is a wasteland outside the wall. It is not as safe as home."
"That's great!"
A rare excitement appeared on that peaceful face. Alyssa looked at her father with a kind smile in surprise and swore seriously.
"I promise you, I will be good!"
Looking at his daughter with expectation written on her face, Malvin smiled gently, but he was thinking about other things in his heart.
Boulder City had borrowed a lot of money from the alliance to fight the war, and it was soon time to pay the interest. I believe that person should have brought back a lot of good things.
However, what worried him was not the treasure trove of the King of Falcon Kingdom and the golden but useless gold, but other things.
perhaps……
The cooperation between them can be further deepened.