Chapter 278
When Qing Hongyi heard Silverlight’s words, his expression clearly changed.
He forced a stiff smile and said, “Surely you’re joking, Lord Divine Envoy…”
Tang Yu’an just shrugged. He knew full well that Purple Sky Fortress wasn’t going to hand over its land and houses that easily.
Besides, the level of the Purple Sky Grocery Store wasn’t high enough yet. Even if it upgraded to Level 3 in the future, its overnight list wouldn’t be able to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people.
So he was really just speaking offhand.
“Well then, we’re leaving. Take care.”
After saying goodbye to the others, Tang Yu’an once again took Zhou Qi’s hand. Sensing the signal, the shadow umbrella flew over and shielded them from view.
The two of them vanished before everyone’s eyes.
Shortly afterward, the pillar of light projected from the giant ship disappeared as well.
The anchor was slowly raised, the horn sounded again over the sea, and nearby boats that had come to observe hurriedly scattered in fear.
Only once the small boats were lifted back onto the platform did the giant ship set sail again.
Waves splashed as the massive vessel gradually faded from the sight of the citizens of Purple Sky Fortress—coming and going as suddenly as a dream, unreal and fleeting.
Those who had rushed over only to miss it by a moment could only stare at the turbulent sea while listening to others describe how magnificent The Peace was, and how powerful the divine envoys of the Merchant God Cult were.
To command such a ship and sail safely across a perilous sea—just how strong must they be?
Qing Hongyi kept watching the giant ship retreat into the distance, still pondering Silverlight’s final words, when Zhan Xiong and Yu Lixia approached.
Zhan Xiong gave him a cheeky grin and said, “So, when will you be fulfilling the reward you promised the Merchant God Cult?”
Qing Hongyi blinked, finally remembering that he had agreed to cover the travel expenses of the migrants and guards from Purple Sky Fortress. But… hadn’t The Peace already departed?
Looking at Zhan Xiong’s smiling face, Qing Hongyi could only nod. He had never intended to go back on his word anyway.
Still, before fulfilling his promise, he probed cautiously, “That gas-filtration tech… is there really no room to negotiate?”
“We’re willing to talk compensation.”
Zhan Xiong simply spread his hands. “Didn’t the divine envoy already say? Just hand over the land and houses.”
“…”
Qing Hongyi sighed and shook his head. “I’ll send the supplies over, but there aren’t many people left in your village, right?”
Almost all the villagers in Zhan Xiong’s fishing village had boarded the ship. Even those who were hesitant had brought their families along after seeing the giant vessel.
Now, only five or six trusted aides remained with Zhan Xiong.
“No need to worry about that.” Zhan Xiong smiled. “Just make sure the supplies arrive!”
Qing Hongyi felt a little helpless. With the Merchant God Cult backing him, Zhan Xiong no longer showed the slightest deference to Purple Sky Fortress’s governor.
He nodded and left with his entourage.
News of the Merchant God Cult sending a giant ship to pick people up spread like wildfire, causing a huge stir in Purple Sky Fortress.
At first, most people didn’t believe it.
So naturally, the first to act were those from the fishing villages who had witnessed the ship firsthand. They came the very same day.
Upon seeing how empty Zhan Xiong’s village had become—and hearing that the villagers had left on the ship to be resettled in a new homeland—everyone looked on with envy.
It wouldn’t be long before Purple Sky Fortress was swallowed by the sea. As fishermen, they knew this better than anyone.
Now that someone had a chance to leave for the mainland, how could they not yearn for the same?
“Zhan Xiong, why didn’t you go with them?” someone asked.
“I couldn’t bear to leave all of you behind,” Zhan Xiong replied with a smile. “The divine envoy said this was just the first group. If I recruit more believers and they wish to leave Purple Sky Fortress, the Merchant God Cult will send another ship.”
Gasps spread through the crowd.
“You mean just by becoming a believer, we can leave too?”
“There’ll be more ships?”
“How do we become believers? Are there any requirements?”
Everyone started talking at once, but Zhan Xiong raised a hand to quiet them.
“Becoming a believer of the Merchant God Cult is simple: just follow the commandments, worship the God of Commerce, and come trade with me daily…”
Zhan Xiong patiently explained everything to the villagers.
Within an hour, the once-deserted village gained several hundred new “believers.”
After all, there was no harm in trading with Zhan Xiong. Whether more ships would come, and whether they’d leave, could be decided later.
The effects of the protective barrier soon became apparent—
The second group to arrive came after six o’clock, just as the barrier activated and concealed the entire village.
This “miracle” spoke louder than any words.
With the formerly empty houses already taken, disputes broke out between newcomers and early arrivals.
Zhan Xiong stepped in right on cue.
He declared that by offering their land and homes to the Merchant God Cult, they would receive the protection of the God of Commerce. He then detailed the barrier’s functions:
Not only did it block toxic gas and conceal the village at night, but it also shielded against natural disasters and hostile creatures—
All this was relayed to Zhan Xiong by Yu Lixia, who had learned it from Old Li.
With such a visible “miracle” backing him, Zhan Xiong’s words carried authority, and his claims were easy to verify.
“What if we hand over our land and homes and still don’t get protection?”
“Relax. I still need to recruit more believers—why would I ruin the Merchant God Cult’s reputation? Believe it or not, that’s up to you.” Zhan Xiong didn’t force them.
Within two days, people from nearby villages couldn’t resist the temptation and went back home to fetch their land deeds.
They were the first ones to arrive and move into Zhan Xiong’s village—after all, who knew when the Merchant God Cult’s ship would return? While waiting, they preferred to stay on their own familiar land.
Some were willing to take the lead, while other fishing villages chose to wait and see.
Before long, land deeds were brought over.
Zhan Xiong followed the same process as before. After they signed and stamped the documents, he added the people from both villages to the overnight registry.
“You must ensure that every person in the village comes to me to complete the initiation ritual,” he reminded them. “If someone doesn’t go through the ceremony, the God of Commerce won’t recognize them—and at night, they’ll be locked out of the protection!”
So, men and women, young and old from the two villages lined up to stand before Zhan Xiong.
Thanks to the week-long “training” he received from Old Mo, Zhan Xiong was quite convincing in the role of… well, not a con man, but a priest.
With a solemn expression, he gently tapped each new believer’s forehead with his finger and said, “May the God of Commerce protect you!”
And he took the opportunity to complete a trade and earn some points.
Meanwhile, onlookers from other villages, having confirmed that Zhan Xiong wasn’t lying and that the protective barrier had indeed expanded to cover the two new villages, rushed back to fetch their own deeds.
The next day, Old Yu Lixia came over with a stack of land deeds in his arms, followed by a long line of villagers.
“All eighteen fishing villages under my jurisdiction, a total of 9,276 people—they’re all here!” Yu Lixia declared as he placed the land deeds on Zhan Xiong’s desk.
Zhan Xiong couldn’t help but laugh heartily. “Uncle Yu, you’re so generous!”
The overnight accommodation limit was just over 11,000. With these 18 fishing villages plus the others Zhan Xiong had recruited, the capacity was full. They couldn’t take in anyone else for the time being.
However, Zhan Xiong needed to personally meet each person before adding them to the list, so the villages had to come one by one.
After nearly two busy weeks registering land and people, just as Zhan Xiong was finally taking a break and doing some trades, Qing Hongyi showed up with a group.
Their large-scale operation had naturally attracted attention. And once word got out that the Merchant God Cult was acquiring land en masse, everyone who knew about it grew suspicious and wary.
But considering the power of the cult—especially that colossal ship that could take people away—most remained silent and continued to observe.
Once it became clear that the land acquisitions had stopped, Qing Hongyi could no longer sit still.
He brought some land deeds over himself, hoping to see whether the rumored “protective barrier” really was as miraculous as they said.
However—
“Sorry, we’re not accepting any more right now,” Zhan Xiong refused him.
“What do you mean, not accepting?” Qing Hongyi grew anxious.
Zhan Xiong looked at him strangely. “We’re full. We need to send off this batch of believers before we can take new ones.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Since the guards who left hadn’t returned yet, Qing Hongyi didn’t know exactly what happened to the people who left. But the functions of the barrier were confirmed.
And if it could block toxic gas, could it block seawater too?
If the entire Purple Sky Fortress could be covered by the protective barrier, wouldn’t they no longer have to worry about the rising sea levels flooding the fortress?
“We want to receive the God of Commerce’s protection and set up a protective barrier elsewhere. For that, in addition to land deeds, I can also donate other things!” Qing Hongyi gritted his teeth and raised the stakes.
Zhan Xiong looked at him helplessly. “I already said—after we send this batch of believers, we can accept more.”
“But I just want to set up the protective barrier!”
“After this batch is sent off, it’ll be possible!”
The two of them went in circles for a while. When Zhan Xiong showed no sign of budging, Qing Hongyi finally realized he had missed his chance.
His face fell, and regret began to set in—why hadn’t he just tried it out before saying no?
The barrier didn’t just block toxic gas; at night, it turned invisible. Rumor had it that villagers living inside could light fires freely without worrying about explosions—
Purple Sky Fortress had a total fire ban at night due to the risk of explosions and fires.
Not long ago, there was even an attack from a flock of mutated seabirds, but the nearby villages under the barrier’s protection were completely unharmed…
All of this, Qing Hongyi had found out through his own investigation. Which was why he finally came knocking.
And now he was being rejected!
It didn’t make sense! Wasn’t the Merchant God Cult just collecting land like crazy? Why would they refuse him when he was handing it over voluntarily?
“Then… when is the Merchant God Cult sending another ship?” Qing Hongyi asked, grasping at straws.
“Soon,” Zhan Xiong said. “Should arrive the day after tomorrow.”
At first, Qing Hongyi thought he was being brushed off—which was understandable, since giving an exact date was difficult—but when he heard that final sentence, his eyes widened in disbelief.
“What did you say? The day after tomorrow?!”
Indeed, half a month was enough for Tang Yu’an and the others to settle the migrants.
It wasn’t far from Purple Sky Fortress to Linhai Town. They left that afternoon and arrived by the third morning.
As the giant ship emerged from the horizon and grew larger as it approached, even Hai Jing who had heard the news and were waiting on the shore stared in awe.
Since Linhai Town didn’t have a port, the ship didn’t come too close. It stopped about a hundred meters from shore, and a beam of light shot from the ship to the land.
Then, one by one, figures began appearing within the light—these were the migrants from Purple Sky Fortress.
They stared blankly at the land before them, breathing in the fresh, salty sea air and feeling the sunlight on their skin—and many were moved to tears.
They had finally left the fortress and the constant dread of being swallowed by the sea.
Linhai Town hadn’t changed drastically, but it had changed.
Now, the beach was enclosed with low fences that extended along both sides, seemingly wrapping the entire coastline.
What was strange, though, was that every so often, the fence was connected to the road inland by another fence, dividing the shoreline into segmented sections.
In addition, there were fishing boats on the sea, all connected together.
They were tied bow to stern and secured to the shore with ropes, forming a kind of “sea wall.” This way, the protective barrier extended out into the ocean as well.
This “sea wall” wasn’t very long—covering only a few acres of area—but it was already enough to allow the fishermen of Linhai Town to fish in the sea without worrying about mutated sea creatures.
Once the weather got colder and the sea froze over, they wouldn’t need to use boats to expand the barrier. They could just build fences directly on the ice.
The people from Purple Sky Fortress were taken by Hai Jing to be resettled, while The Peace ship remained anchored offshore.
During the voyage, Tang Yu’an had already taught Zhan Xiaotian how to operate the ship. In the future, they wouldn’t need to make trips back and forth themselves to pick people up.
Of course, the Peace ship didn’t have a protective barrier, and although it was large, it still couldn’t truly scare off the massive beasts lurking in the sea.
What actually ensured their safe return was the aura of pressure released by Zhou Qi.
To resolve this issue, Zhou Qi stayed aboard the ship for the time being to find a solution, while Tang Yu’an went ashore. He removed his silver disguise and revealed his true identity to Hai Jing.
“I received a mission. The Divine Envoy said Linhai Town just received a batch of immigrants and was worried you wouldn’t be able to handle it alone, so he sent me to assist you.”
Hai Jing looked pleasantly surprised. “That’s great news!”
He used to be just an ordinary fisherman who rarely even visited the town center. Suddenly being put in charge of an entire town had been a huge source of stress.
In just over a month, all the weight he had put on had melted away again.
Seeing how haggard he looked, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. They really had dumped a huge responsibility on Hai Jing.
Even Grandpa Li, with all his experience, wouldn’t be able to manage a settlement like Desolate City Haven all on his own.
So Tang Yu’an said, “The Divine Envoy mentioned you were short on manpower. We have a few literate residents in the settlement who can do calculations. They’re a bit older and can’t do heavy labor, but they’re capable of handling administrative work.”
“Would you like them to come and help you out?”
Hai Jing’s eyes lit up. “Yes, absolutely!”
