Chapter 277
As soon as Yu Lixia, who had been dragged along by the crowd, entered the fishing village, he immediately sensed something different.
This fresh air… how many years had it been since he last experienced this?
Looking at the difference in visibility inside and outside the village, he quickly recalled his friend Li Chang Qing mentioning something called a “protective barrier.”
This was the power of the Merchant God Cult!
Originally a firm atheist, his beliefs had been continuously challenged since being recruited as an employee.
Especially since one of his coworkers at Branch No. 6 was an examiner from the Merchant God Cult!
After quietly observing Qingxue’s entire trial, Yu Lixia had come to understand that if he wanted to be valued within the cult, he would likely need to undergo a similar assessment…
But the ideals and philosophy of the Merchant God Cult were indeed compelling, and he found himself absorbing them without even realizing it.
Now, witnessing yet another miracle, his old worldview completely shattered.
Of course, the governor and guards who had dragged him here didn’t give him much time to reflect.
They too noticed the change in air quality and immediately concluded it was due to the Merchant God Cult’s technology—so they became even more eager, practically dragging Yu Lixia toward Zhan Xiong’s house.
Because their attitudes had shifted, although they still had some fear toward the Merchant God Cult, they no longer harbored hostility. As a result, most of them were able to enter the fishing village without issue.
Only a few individuals—still carrying ill intent—were blocked just as before. No matter how they tried, they were ejected by the barrier and could only stomp their feet in frustration, powerless.
“Zhan Xiong… Captain Zhan! May I ask who these two are…?”
The governor who had brought Yu Lixia along as a spokesperson couldn’t help but speak when he saw the two mysterious, cloaked figures.
Purple Sky Fortress was large, and for easier governance, it was divided into five sectors: east, west, south, north, and the central region.
The fishing village where Zhan Xiong resided was located in the eastern sector, under the jurisdiction of Governor Qing Hongyi.
He had been informed about the fishing village and the Merchant God Cult over a month ago by his subordinates, but since it only involved a few hundred people and hadn’t expanded outward, he didn’t take it seriously.
He procrastinated until today to deal with it, only to hear the sound of a ship’s horn coming from the sea midway through his journey.
When his subordinates reported that the Merchant God Cult had dispatched a massive ship to pick people up, he didn’t believe it.
But after climbing to the top of the barrier and seeing the giant ship with his own eyes—and using binoculars to witness the villagers being teleported aboard—he was finally convinced.
Which brought him to this very moment.
“This is Lord Silverlight, and this is Lord Dark Moon,” Zhan Xiong proudly declared. “They are divine envoys of the Merchant God Cult—apostles sent by the God of Commerce to teach humanity!”
“An honor indeed! I’m Qing Hongyi, the governor of the eastern district of Purple Sky Fortress,” the governor said with a smile.
Silverlight gave a slight nod. “Hello.”
Qing Hongyi quickly offered a flattering smile. “It’s truly an honor to receive such distinguished visitors! Would the two of you be willing to come to the city, so I can prepare a proper banquet in your honor?”
As the chief governor of the eastern district, his posture was remarkably humble.
His refined manner of speaking and acting made it clear he was an educated man—something Tang Yu’an wasn’t quite used to.
After spending so long in the wastelands, he had never encountered someone so cultured and courteous.
He didn’t have much experience dealing with people like this. If not for the mask on his face hiding his expressions, he might’ve broken character right then and there.
Fortunately, he quickly composed himself.
He shook his head. “No need. We’ll be leaving later today.”
Qing Hongyi was taken aback. “Leaving so soon?”
“Zhan Xiong will remain here to continue operating the Purple Sky Grocery Store and oversee matters related to preaching the faith,” said the warm, youthful voice—gentle and kind, yet leaving no room for doubt.
Qing Hongyi realized they couldn’t be persuaded to stay, but his mind was already spinning for alternatives.
He quickly collected himself and carefully asked, “So you came specifically to take people away this time? I saw residents of Purple Sky Fortress boarding the ship…”
Silverlight nodded. “That’s right. The living conditions in Purple Sky Fortress are harsh. The Merchant God Cult’s mission is to help the poor and powerless survive on this wasteland—we cannot stand idly by.”
Hearing this philosophy, Qing Hongyi couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
The Merchant God Cult seemed far more righteous than he had imagined—at least it sounded that way.
“I see!” he said. “Then may I ask—after relocating these residents, how do you intend to resettle them?”
To avoid misunderstandings, he quickly added, “These people are, after all, under the jurisdiction of Purple Sky Fortress. We have a responsibility to ensure their safety, so we’d appreciate a clearer picture.”
His question even made Zhan Xiong perk up and listen closely.
The mission description he received didn’t specify where the relocated residents would be settled.
After becoming friends with Yu Lixia, he had discussed the matter with him. According to Old Yu’s speculation, it might be a place called “Desolate City Haven.”
Zhan Xiong had never heard of it, but the word “Haven” sounded beautiful enough to fill him with hope.
At that moment, he heard the warm young voice say:
“They will be settled in Linhai Haven.”
That was right—after the protective barrier at Store No. 1 had expanded to cover the center of Linhai Town, the area had been renamed Linhai Haven.
This allowed for the formal implementation of their newly developed “Haven Calendar” system in Linhai.
Though it was crude, it was sufficient for basic timekeeping. As for whether it would need to adapt to climate or environmental changes in the future—that would be left to time.
Like a currency system, people first needed to know it existed. And that was exactly what they were doing now.
“Linhai Haven was formerly known as Linhai Town. It is now under the jurisdiction of the Merchant God Cult,” Silverlight continued.
Qing Hongyi nodded. He didn’t know where exactly this place was, but it sounded quite reliable.
“You’re departing today, correct?”
Silverlight nodded again.
“Then… may I ask—are there any spots left on the ship? Purple Sky Fortress would like to send a squad of guards to accompany you for protection. They can return with your next ship. Would that be acceptable?”
Qing Hongyi had finally revealed his true intentions.
That escort squad—they say it’s for protection, but isn’t it really just a way to investigate the Merchant God Cult?
Tang Yu’an glanced at Qing Hongyi, then heard him say, “Of course, all the supplies needed for the journey of both the escort and the relocated residents will be provided by Purple Sky Fortress.”
“We hope to establish a long-term and friendly cooperative relationship with the Merchant God Cult. What do you think?”
Seeing Qing Hongyi’s face full of flattering smiles, Tang Yu’an thought for a moment before replying, “That’s acceptable, but…”
He paused, then said, “From now on, you must not obstruct the Merchant God Cult’s preaching activities in Purple Sky Fortress, nor interfere with our recruitment of followers.”
“Naturally!” Qing Hongyi agreed immediately.
He then asked if the cult would continue to send ships in the future to pick up more followers. When he received a positive response, his face lit up with joy.
At that moment, he noticed the man in the black mask—who had remained silent until now—reaching out from under his cloak and placing an hourglass on the table nearby.
“You have two hours. Once all the sand runs out, the Merchant God Cult’s ship will depart.”
Qing Hongyi’s expression changed, and he hurried off to organize the escort squad.
After all, this was a departure from Purple Sky Fortress to an unknown destination with an uncertain future. It wouldn’t be easy to gather the right people in such a short time.
But thinking about the other party’s strength and the situation in Purple Sky Fortress after dark, Qing Hongyi dared not bargain.
As Qing Hongyi led his men away, Yu Lixia remained behind.
He bowed respectfully to the two divine envoys. Tang Yu’an used wind magic to gently lift him up.
“No need for formalities,” Tang Yu’an said, maintaining his role as Silverlight and avoiding any unnecessary conversation. Instead, he asked, “Do you wish to leave with us?”
Yu Lixia hesitated, then shook his head.
Although he no longer had any family in Purple Sky Fortress, there were still many people he couldn’t bear to leave behind. He hoped to one day bring them all to this new homeland.
So he would stay, use his influence, and help more people join the Merchant God Cult—giving them a chance to leave as well.
Tang Yu’an nodded in understanding and didn’t try to persuade him. Instead, he took out a small box.
“This contains gas-filtering masks. Please take care of yourself.”
Yu Lixia accepted the box, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the young man in the silver mask before him.
He hadn’t expected a divine envoy to be so polite and kind…
“Thank you… thank you, my lord…”
To avoid slipping out of character, Tang Yu’an didn’t say anything more.
“In two hours, the ship will depart on schedule. Prepare yourselves by then.” With that, he reached for Zhou Qi’s hand. “Let’s go.”
The long-waiting Shadow Umbrella instantly floated above them.
And just like that, the two vanished into thin air before everyone’s eyes.
Yu Lixia and Zhan Xiong were both stunned. They stepped forward in disbelief, only to find that the pair had truly disappeared without a trace.
“Those divine envoys really do come and go like ghosts!”
“Well, how else could they be divine envoys?”
High in the sky, Tang Yu’an let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“Whew, glad I didn’t slip up.”
It was his first time interacting with so many people in Silverlight’s identity—it really wasn’t easy to stay in character the whole time.
Zhou Qi gently patted the back of his hand. “You did great.”
Tang Yu’an grinned.
“Come on, let’s check on the ship.”
Other than a few housekeeping robots, the ship had no defensive forces. But under the supervision of Zhan Xiaotian and Hai Qian, the villagers who boarded behaved themselves.
In fact, faced with the sleek, tech-filled interior of the massive ship, they were quite timid.
They sat quietly on the deck, whispering about their uncertain future.
Zhan Xiaotian, on the other hand, stared blankly in the direction of Purple Sky Fortress.
He hadn’t expected that once he boarded the ship, there’d be no turning back. This departure meant he probably wouldn’t see his father again until his dad came to find him.
The thought made his nose sting.
If he had known, he would’ve said a proper goodbye back on the shore…
Just then—
[A mysterious merchant wishes to recruit you as a clerk for “Peace Grocery Store Branch No. 6”. Benefits and compensation are as follows…]
[Accept] [Decline]
Zhan Xiaotian froze. He was being recruited too?
Wiping his tears, he quickly tapped [Accept], and began the newbie onboarding tasks.
Soon, he completed them and unlocked access to the online store and employee forum.
He had heard from his father about the forum’s functions, and knew that his dad had added Old Yu as a friend—so they could contact each other, even have voice chats.
But staring at the flood of dazzling messages in the forum, Zhan Xiaotian felt a little lost.
Which one of these people was his dad? How could he get in touch?
Then a new system message popped up:
[Your outstanding performance has earned you the mysterious merchant’s favor. You are now granted a new title: “Xiao Tu”.]
Zhan Xiaotian had been smiling while reading the first part, but when he saw the title at the end, his expression turned confused.
Xiao Tu? What kind of name was that?
He wore a puzzled look like: Who am I? Where am I?
But then he saw the chat records on the message board—and froze again.
That “Da Tu”… could it be his dad? (Da Tu = Big Tu; Xiao Tu = Little Tu)
After arranging Zhan Xiaotian’s onboarding, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi returned to the wall platform.
They stood beneath the Shadow Umbrella, gazing out at the sea beyond Purple Sky Fortress.
During the day, the mutant jellyfish sank to the bottom of the sea. Now the surface of the water was calm and peaceful—no one would’ve guessed that this stretch of sea could be so dangerous.
“If only we could collect all this hydrogen gas,” Tang Yu’an said.
Electrolyzing seawater not only produces chlorine gas, but also generates hydrogen. That’s why outside Purple Sky Fortress, once night falls, in addition to the high-voltage currents, explosions become a frequent hazard.
The outer walls of the barrier were visibly battered. For them to have held out this long in such an environment was no easy feat.
Zhou Qi gave it some thought and said, “Do you think we could use the item list function to separate the two gases?”
Hydrogen is a clean energy source—when burned, it produces water, making it very valuable in cold and arid regions.
“That would require including this entire sea area within Store No. 12’s territory.”
And hydrogen is extremely explosive. How to store it safely and improve its stability was another big challenge.
“Let’s think of a solution later,” Zhou Qi said.
If they could set up an electric grid and use the mutant jellyfish to generate power and produce hydrogen energy, they wouldn’t need to rely on the system for electricity anymore.
“Mhm!” Tang Yu’an said. “We’ll ask Dad and Mom later—see if they know anyone skilled in this area.”
If they could find the right talent, they could prioritize bringing them over once the teleportation array was established.
Finally, Qing Hongyi returned within the two-hour time limit, bringing twenty guards up to the wall platform.
Zhan Xiong and Yu Lixia naturally followed along.
Seeing this, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi revealed themselves again.
When Qing Hongyi saw them appear out of thin air, he was momentarily stunned. But after glancing at the calm expressions on Zhan Xiong and Yu Lixia’s faces, he quickly adjusted his own reaction.
“Lord Silverlight, Lord Dark Moon, these are the twenty guards. Are they ready to board the ship?”
“Have them step into the circle of light.”
As he watched the guards being teleported onto the giant ship one by one, Qing Hongyi fought the urge to step in and try it himself. Instead, he leaned in to ask the divine envoys in a low voice:
“Lord Silverlight, I noticed that the poison gas in the fishing villages under the Merchant God Cult’s protection seems to have completely disappeared… May I ask—if other areas of Purple Sky Fortress also wish to obtain this technology, what kind of payment would be required?”
He finished his question, then waited anxiously.
To his surprise, he heard the young man in the silver mask chuckle softly before replying:
“Just hand over all your houses and land to the Merchant God Cult. That’ll do.”
