Chapter 239
The Star-chain Fruit vines outside Lan Hu Forest were growing at a rate similar to those in the Desolate City Haven.
However, due to the larger planting area and greater quantity, the harvest was even more abundant than at the central lakeside.
“A total of 7,568 Star-chain Fruits, please verify!”
[You have completed a profitable transaction with a loyal customer. EXP +1, Points +151,360]
Adding this to the first batch, that made a total of 250,000 points!
Tang Yu’an’s point balance instantly skyrocketed past 1.5 million, experiencing rapid growth.
Looking at the unripe fruits still hanging on the vines, he could almost feel himself drooling—this was an absolute fortune in points!
If he could draw a Point Multiplier Card before the next harvest, wouldn’t that mean huge profits?
Seeing the excitement sparkling in the young man’s eyes, Lan Yunqing’s lips curved slightly into a gentle smile, a sight so mesmerizing that even the guards and farmers around them momentarily lost focus.
He turned to Tang Yu’an and said, “Why don’t you stay until the next batch of Star-chain Fruits ripens?”
That way, the Mother Tree would also remain happy for a while…
Tang Yu’an thought about it for a moment before nodding. “Alright, we’ll stay for a few days.”
Lan Yunqing sighed in relief. “No need to be so formal.”
Then, he led the two young men aside and whispered, “I’ve added you to the overnight guest list. Are you staying at the Lan Hu Grocery Store again?”
Tang Yu’an shook his head. “We’re employees, so we have lodging privileges at Store No. 5. We don’t need to take up a guest slot.”
Lan Yunqing suddenly remembered that Mo Ke wasn’t on the guest list either. Plus, the full name of the function was “Invite Customers for Overnight Stay.”
“I see.” He nodded.
Even though he was now the store manager of Lan Hu Grocery Store, and the store itself was located within his territory, Lan Yunqing never considered it his own property.
The Lan Hu Grocery Store belonged to the Church of the God of Commerce.
This mysterious and powerful religious organization wielded influence far beyond Lan Hu Town, making it something that Lan Yunqing had to tread carefully around and respect deeply.
With that in mind, he looked at the two young men again and asked, “I have another question I’d like to ask you.”
Tang Yu’an grinned. “Brother Yunqing, you already said we don’t need to be formal. Just ask us directly!”
Lan Yunqing then asked, “Even though I haven’t received a task for it, do you think it would be necessary to build a church in Lan Hu Town to honor the God of Commerce?”
Tang Yu’an: “…”
Wait a second—Brother Yunqing, you seem so educated, yet why are you sounding like someone caught up in superstition?
Tang Yu’an prided himself on being well-trained and unshakable in any situation, yet he suddenly felt the urge to curl his toes in secondhand embarrassment.
He instinctively glanced at Zhou Qi.
Zhou Qi, however, remained completely composed. He calmly replied, “The Divine Messenger has said that the great God of Commerce does not require empty rituals or superficial displays.”
“As long as this land prospers, as long as more people can escape hardship and enjoy peace and prosperity through our help, and as long as commerce is restored to its former glory, that is the true way to honor the God of Commerce.”
“Rather than wasting resources on constructing a church, it would be far better to invest in infrastructure that benefits the common people.”
As Lan Yunqing listened to Zhou Qi’s words, his expression gradually turned serious.
Finally, he nodded. “I see. Thank you for enlightening me!”
Though Zhou Qi’s words were direct, Lan Yunqing was not offended in the slightest—because he agreed with this philosophy.
The more he interacted with them, the more he realized just how righteous the Church of the God of Commerce seemed to be.
Regardless of the true nature of the forces behind this church, the believers themselves were genuinely working toward its stated ideals.
Lan Yunqing wanted to continue discussing this further, but to avoid revealing too much, Zhou Qi politely declined.
“We’d like to explore the area a bit—would that be alright?” he asked.
“Of course,” Lan Yunqing replied. “Would you like a guide?”
“We’d prefer to walk around on our own.”
“Understood.”
Normally, outsiders weren’t allowed to wander freely, but since Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi had Lan Yunqing’s approval, the guards wouldn’t dare stop them.
As soon as they were alone, Tang Yu’an whispered excitedly, “Brother Qi, that was such a great speech! I need to write it down so I can use it next time.”
Zhou Qi chuckled, then turned his gaze toward the fields outside Lan Hu Town.
Earlier, they had agreed with Lan Yunqing that they would take the points, but leave the Star-chain Fruits behind.
Now, the guards were loading the harvested fruits onto carts to transport them back to town. Even the tricycles they had gifted Lan Yunqing were being used for hauling.
Meanwhile, Lan Yue Liang was busy distributing Peace Coins to the farmers.
Most of these farmers were low-level Wood Ability users, and their efforts had played a huge role in making the Star-chain vines grow so rapidly.
Additionally, there were also workers responsible for watering, weeding, pest control, and trellis building, all of whom were fairly compensated as well.
“Looks like Lan Hu Grocery Store can start introducing even more products,” Zhou Qi observed.
Of course, now that they had handed control over to Lan Yunqing, he would be the one to decide what to sell next.
Noticing that Tang Yu’an hadn’t responded, Zhou Qi turned his head—only to see the boy staring into the air, clearly checking his system panel.
“What’s wrong?” Zhou Qi asked.
“There are several green dots nearby,” Tang Yu’an replied.
By now, most of Lan Hu Town’s residents had become loyal customers of Lan Yunqing’s faction, so any new customers would be rare and scattered.
For multiple green dots to suddenly appear together could only mean one thing—outsiders had arrived.
“Should we check it out?” Zhou Qi asked.
“Let’s go!”
Tang Yu’an retrieved the Shadow Umbrella, and the two of them vanished as they silently flew toward the green dots.
*
Somewhere in the hills outside Lan Hu Forest…
A group of people crouched behind rocks, secretly observing the fields on the outskirts of the forest.
“Look! I told you those Lan Hu people were growing a ton of fruit outside the forest, but you guys didn’t believe me. See for yourselves now!”
A scruffy middle-aged man lowered his voice as he spoke.
“It looks like they just finished harvesting. Should we go steal some?” a young man squinted as he asked.
“Steal? Mao Da, are you joking? With just the few of us? We’d be dead before we even got close to the Lan Hu guards!” Da Huzhi shook his head, refusing.
“Who said we’re going to steal it ourselves? I mean we should go back and call more people! The cold season is coming soon. If we don’t stock up on food, a lot of people are going to die again this year,” Mao Da said irritably.
The floods in the Desolate City hadn’t reached their area, but just like how the drastic temperature difference between day and night was a widespread issue, the cold disaster was too.
“The Lan Hu people aren’t even afraid of the cold. They can survive on tree leaves. Even if we take their fruit, they won’t starve,” a teenage boy beside him disagreed.
“If we’re going to steal, we have to wait. It’ll take us time to go back and gather people, and by the time we return, the fruit will probably already be transported away.”
“Mao San makes a good point.” Mao Da nodded. “Let’s watch them every day, and when the second batch of fruit ripens, we’ll strike!”
“Brother, do we really have to steal?”
The only girl in the group spoke up. “Those Lan Hu guards are strong. If we go after their supplies, we’ll get killed.”
“Either way, it’s death. Mao Hua, do you want to freeze or starve?”
Mao Da stared toward the Lan Hu forest. “Tch, those Lan Hu people are only living so well because of that forest. If we could take it from them, things would be different!”
“We can’t take it,” Mao San said. “It’s been decades. If it were possible, we wouldn’t still be suffering like this.”
Their settlement, Red Bee Town, was the closest to Lan Hu Town. You could even call them blood enemies.
Lan Hu Town had plenty of resources, but its people were extremely xenophobic. Red Bee Town couldn’t even get scraps from them, so they had to resort to raiding. The two settlements had clashed many times over the years.
But as time went on, Lan Hu Town grew stronger while Red Bee Town declined. Organizing effective raids had become nearly impossible.
Fortunately, the Lan Hu people weren’t aggressive. Aside from the natural expansion of the Lan Hu Forest, they had never actively waged war.
Because of that, Red Bee Town still existed instead of being wiped out in a fight over resources.
“Can you guys stop talking like we’ve already lost?” Mao Da said indignantly.
“Can’t we try working with the Lan Hu people instead?” Mao Hua spoke again. “I saw that they’ve started beekeeping.”
Red Bee Town was named after the red-colored mutant bees they raised.
These red bees could survive in extreme temperature shifts and fly great distances to gather nectar. They were the main source of food for the people of Red Bee Town.
Unfortunately, they had their limits. Once temperatures dropped below freezing, the bees would die.
That meant that every cold season was a nightmare for Red Bee Town.
“We could lend our bees to the Lan Hu people and let them help us raise them. If they just share some honey with us, we can get through the cold season and take the bees back afterward. Wouldn’t that be a win-win?”
Hearing this, Mao Da sneered.
“You think if you just walk over there right now and say you’re from Red Bee Town, the Lan Hu guards won’t cut you down on the spot?”
Mao Hua opened her mouth but then closed it, saying nothing.
A decades-long conflict between the two settlements wouldn’t be solved so easily. She was being too naive.
“Enough arguing! Keep your voices down, or we’ll be discovered!” Da Huzhi warned in a hushed tone.
“Then what did you bring us here for?” Mao San asked.
“Stop always thinking about fighting. The old folks back in town messed things up by being so stubborn and making the Lan Hu people our enemies,” Da Huzhi sighed.
Red Bee Town was struggling badly. It might sound shameful, but if groveling to the Lan Hu people was what it took to survive, then so be it.
“Mao San, Mao Hua, you two have never been involved in the fights with Lan Hu Town before.”
Da Huzhi lowered his voice further. “Go over there and pretend you’re refugees from somewhere else. Beg the Lan Hu people to take you in.”
“Don’t mention the forest. Just ask to live near the farmland.”
He pointed toward a blue-haired figure surrounded by people. “See that guy? He’s the lord of Lan Hu Town. If you appeal to him, you’ll have a much better chance.”
Mao Da’s eyes lit up. “You want Mao San and Mao Hua to act as spies and help us from the inside? That’s genius, Old Hu!”
Old Hu smacked him on the head. “Quit thinking about stealing all the time! If you weren’t so reckless in fights, you could’ve gone in too!”
“If we’re not stealing, what’s the point of sneaking in?” Mao Da rubbed the back of his head, confused.
“Idiot! To become Lan Hu people!”
Old Hu continued, “From what I’ve seen, the only trees in Lan Hu Forest are Lan Hu Trees. But now, they’re planting other crops around the edges. That means something.”
“What does it mean?”
“It means they need more workers.”
The Lan Hu Forest was enormous. Old Hu had been watching for a while and noticed that even the Lan Hu guards took a long time to travel between the town center and the forest.
If they were growing crops outside the forest, they would need people to guard and tend to them. But right now, there weren’t many workers.
“Those Lan Hu people have been living comfortably for too long. They’re not used to hard labor anymore. That’s why they don’t have enough farmworkers.”
Clearly, Old Hu had been observing Lan Hu Town’s movements for some time.
He continued, “This is your chance. If you can get them to accept you, at the very least, you’ll have food and survive the cold season.”
Mao San and Mao Hua both shook their heads. “No way. We’re not becoming Lan Hu people.”
Ironically, Mao Da—who had been the most against the idea—now seemed uncertain.
His eyes flickered as he hesitated before asking, “Are you sure about all this?”
“Of course! But you have to move fast. If you can catch the attention of that Lan Hu lord, your chances will be much better!” Old Hu said.
Mao Da gritted his teeth before finally speaking. “Mao San, Mao Hua, dirty up your faces and go try it.”
Mao San and Mao Hua stared at him, wide-eyed.
“No way! We’re not going!”
Mao Da had already made up his mind. He said, “Listen to me. If even one of us can survive, that’s good enough. Worst case, after the cold disaster is over, you can come back.”
But no matter how much he tried to persuade them, the two younger ones kept shaking their heads.
They weren’t blood-related siblings, but they had grown up supporting each other, forming a bond even deeper than that of real family.
“If we go, we go together!” Mao San insisted.
“Didn’t you hear what Da Huzhi said? If I go, they’ll recognize me!” Mao Da argued. “Do you want to end up like Mao Er, starving to death? When the cold disaster hits, I won’t have the time to take care of you. If you stick with me, you’ll only drag me down!”
Mao San and Mao Hua’s eyes turned red at his words.
“No matter what, we’re not going!”
With that, they exchanged a glance and, as if they had an unspoken agreement, turned around and ran down the hill, disappearing into the distance.
Mao Da was furious, while Da Huzhi could only shake his head in regret.
“Ah… That Lan Hu leader is easier to talk to than the guards. If you miss this chance, you might not run into him again later!”
Mao Da took one last look in the direction of the Lan Hu Forest, clenched his teeth, and said, “I’ll go bring them back!”
Da Huzhi sighed and got up to follow him. “Hey, wait for me!”
By the time he caught up, panting for breath, he saw that Mao Da had suddenly stopped in his tracks, staring ahead.
He looked up and saw that, about a hundred meters away, the two younger ones had also stopped.
Standing in front of them were two figures… cloaked in black robes and wearing masks!
“Who are you? What do you want?”
Mao Da rushed over, positioning himself protectively in front of Mao San and Mao Hua.
The two cloaked figures were, of course, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi.
Zhou Qi still wore his previous black mask, but this time, Tang Yu’an had switched to a gold-and-red one.
“Mysterious merchants. Sun Blaze.” A deep voice came from beneath the golden-red mask, sounding like a refined middle-aged man.
Beside him, Zhou Qi used the same voice as before and succinctly said, “Dark Moon.”
Da Huzhi finally caught up.
He stepped in front of Mao Da and the others, pushing them back while putting on a fawning smile. “Honored lords, they’re just kids, they don’t know any better. Please don’t take offense!”
Even though the two mysterious figures wore masks, their attire alone suggested they were not people to be trifled with.
Tang Yu’an, keeping up his act, gave a cold nod.
They had been listening in from the side for a while and had roughly grasped the situation of these four. After a quick discussion, they decided to step in.
The area around Lan Hu Town was still largely unexplored on their map, so they hadn’t known that other settlements existed nearby, let alone that their relationship with Lan Hu Town was so hostile.
They had no intention of playing peacemakers. After all, they didn’t know what had happened between the two settlements or what kind of history they shared, so it wasn’t their place to mediate.
However, they did need to expand their market.
Most of the new customers in Lan Hu Town had already been tapped, and now they were mainly relying on daily task refresh cards to keep avoiding the new customer recruitment tasks.
Once the refresh cards ran out, if they didn’t find new sources of customers, their daily and weekly missions might be in jeopardy.
And these four people from Red Bee Town had left a decent impression on Tang Yu’an, so he decided to give them a chance.
If Red Bee Town could develop and sustain itself with proper resources, they might not resort to robbery anymore.
Besides, this was a good opportunity for his third persona to make an appearance.
“Are the two of you from the Fortress? Is there anything you need us to do?” Da Huzhi was quick to catch on and saw this as an opportunity. Rather than showing fear, he actively tried to establish a connection with them.
“We are from the Church of the God of Commerce, the emissaries of the great God of Commerce on this wasteland!”
With the mask on, Tang Yu’an let loose, saying the most dramatic lines without hesitation.
And for his character “Sun Blaze,” he had set up the persona of a devout fanatic of the God of Commerce.
After hearing this, not just Mao Da and the others—even the usually shrewd Da Huzhi was stunned.
What… what god?
There’s a god in this world?
While Da Huzhi was still processing this, Tang Yu’an turned to him and said, “You seem competent. Would you like to join the Church of Commerce and become my employee?”
“Uh… my lord, this… um…”
Da Huzhi wanted to refuse—he had a feeling he was dealing with lunatics—but the sheer presence of the masked figures overwhelmed him, making him too intimidated to outright reject them.
“What’s wrong? You don’t want to worship the God of Commerce?” The red-masked figure’s voice grew sharper.
At the same time, the black-masked figure, Black Moon, raised a hand, conjuring a ball of fire.
Da Huzhi immediately collapsed onto the ground in fright.
Even Mao Da and the others turned pale.
They were all just ordinary people without abilities. If they had powers, they wouldn’t be so afraid of the Lan Hu guards.
“I… I’m willing! I will worship… uh… that God of whatever…”
“The God of Commerce,” Tang Yu’an corrected him. “Complete the trial first.”
Then, he sent Da Huzhi a recruitment prompt.
[Would you like to recruit “Da Huzhi” as an employee?]
Tang Yu’an hesitated for a moment but quickly ignored the odd name—people born in the wasteland rarely had elegant names anyway—and selected “Yes.”
[The mysterious merchant wishes to recruit you as a clerk for “Peace Grocery Store No. 6”]
[Job description…]
[Accept] [Decline]
Da Huzhi stared at the panel that had suddenly appeared in front of him, listening to the mechanical voice in his ears. After a brief moment of shock, he clicked “Accept.”
Immediately, a set of guidance tasks and employee rules popped up.
“Go and complete the trial! Remember, abide by the employee regulations. If you ever violate them, I will dismiss you at any time, erase your memory, and administer the harshest punishment!”
After speaking, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi turned around and left.
In the blink of an eye, they vanished into thin air before the four people—though in reality, it was the Shadow Veil Umbrella that had flown over to conceal their figures.
Once under the umbrella, Tang Yu’an removed his mask.
Seeing how stunned the four were, he chuckled and said, “Brother Qi, I think I just looked like a villain back there!”
Zhou Qi responded, “Then you were a charming and adorable villain.”
For some reason, Tang Yu’an’s heart skipped a beat.
He looked over at Zhou Qi. His Black Moon mask was still on, and with the voice modulation from the mask, his voice sounded more mature than usual, making him seem somewhat unfamiliar.
The familiar face of “Brother Qi” suddenly felt blurry, replaced instead by… “Zhou Qi”?
Tang Yu’an wasn’t sure why that thought popped into his mind, but it was fleeting.
He quickly put it aside and refocused on the four people from Red Bee Town.
As expected, Da Huzhi did not disappoint. After his initial shock, he snapped out of it and was soon overcome with joy.
Without hesitation, he followed the guidance task and got the three siblings to help him complete the beginner’s mission, successfully unlocking the employee panel.
Tang Yu’an then activated the exchange for “coarse rice” and “hardwood charcoal” for him.
“We’re in business! We’ve struck gold!”
After carefully studying the employee panel, Da Huzhi was ecstatic. He turned to Mao Da and said, “Let’s go! We need to head back! Red Bee Town is saved!”
“Da Huzhi, have you lost your mind?” Mao San looked at him warily, feeling uneasy about his erratic excitement.
“I’m not crazy! We really did meet benefactors! No—divine envoys! They were truly divine envoys!”
Da Huzhi grabbed the three siblings, and their figures gradually disappeared into the distance.
At the same time, the map’s fog of war was slowly lifting, revealing a cluster of green dots.
Although it wasn’t as densely populated as Lan Hu Town, there were at least several thousand people there.
[Employee “Da Huzhi” has completed a profitable transaction with a new customer: +2 points, +3 experience.]
[Employee “Da Huzhi” has completed a profitable transaction with a returning customer: +2 points, +2 experience…]
Moreover, Da Huzhi proved to be incredibly competent. Ever since he returned to Red Bee Town, the notifications of profitable transactions flooded Tang Yu’an’s system without pause.
By the end of the day, he had completed over a hundred profitable transactions, earning enough experience to level up to Lv5—unlocking the Message Board Posting feature!
Currently, Ping’an Grocery Store No. 6 only had Lao Mo and Lao Ping, who frequently exchanged their interpretations of the Church of Commerce’s teachings.
To be fair, their discussions had given Lao Mo quite a bit of insight—Old Ping seemed to have a natural talent for theological comprehension.
That day, just as Old Mo was about to engage in their usual discussion, he saw a new message pop up—
[Store Channel]
[Razor]: Greetings, seniors! I’m a new recruit to the Church of Commerce and still have a lot to learn. Could you teach me?
