Chapter 283
Zhou Qi stared blankly at Tang Yu’an, feeling like all the blood in his body was boiling and rushing.
“Brother Qi, your face is so red.”
Tang Yu’an looked up and saw Zhou Qi’s flushed cheeks and red-tipped ears. He couldn’t help but smirk mischievously. “Even your ears are red!”
Zhou Qi: “…”
He looked helplessly at the boy. Seeing how increasingly bold he was becoming, he finally couldn’t resist—cupping Tang Yu’an’s face, he leaned forward and gently bit his chubby cheek.
His bite was light.
Tang Yu’an first felt Zhou Qi’s warm, soft lips… then his damp tongue… and finally, his firm teeth—
His once smug expression froze instantly.
Only when Zhou Qi pulled away did Tang Yu’an react, holding his cheek with a stunned expression as he stared at him.
Now, both of them were red-faced and flustered.
They stared at each other for a moment, then quickly looked away at the same time.
Tang Yu’an rubbed his cheek and muttered, “You bit me again…”
“My bad…” Zhou Qi lowered his head.
Tang Yu’an opened his mouth slightly, then quickly shut it again. This time, he didn’t dare to act as cheeky as before and ask for another kiss.
The two of them fell silent, though a subtle and ambiguous atmosphere lingered between them.
“Meow~”
Black Pearl walked in from outside, tilting its head at them.
Tang Yu’an immediately stood up, scooped up the cat, and ran out to the deck to get some fresh air.
Watching the boy flee in embarrassment, Zhou Qi’s lips slowly curved into a smile. So An’an finally knows how to be shy, huh?
*
A few days later, Zhou Qi finally figured out a way to allow the giant ship to safely sail across the sea.
They once again put on their masks and summoned Zhan Xiaotian, appearing before him as Silverlight and Dark Moon.
Half a month had passed, and the first group of immigrants from Purple Sky Fortress had been successfully resettled. In the meantime, Zhan Xiaotian had already contacted his father and told him everything about their new coastal settlement.
“Lord Divine Envoys, during this time my father has recruited over ten thousand new believers. They all wish to leave Purple Sky Fortress and settle in our new settlement!”
Silverlight nodded. “In fact, that’s why we called you here.”
“From now on, you’ll be responsible for transporting the Purple Sky Fortress immigrants.”
Zhan Xiaotian was stunned. “Me? You two aren’t going to Purple Sky Fortress anymore?”
Silverlight nodded again.
Zhan Xiaotian immediately grew anxious. “How can that be? What if we encounter sea beasts on the way? We can’t handle them…”
“No need to worry,” came Wuyue’s calm and cool voice. “I’ve left a mark on the ship. For the next seven days, it will be able to travel across the sea unimpeded.”
“As long as you return to the waters of the coastal settlement within those seven days, you won’t have to worry about sea beasts.”
Now that they had a way to expand their territory with protective barriers, Hai Jing had already begun mapping out and claiming the shallow waters around Linhai Town for the Church of the Commerce God.
With the temperature dropping by the day, the sea surface had started freezing over. However, once covered by a protective barrier, the ice melted, so it didn’t pose a major problem.
This stretch of ocean would eventually become a safe harbor—ideal for fishing and aquaculture.
Zhan Xiaotian opened his mouth, but in front of the two divine envoys—despite their faces being hidden behind masks—he just couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
“I… I understand…”
“You can bring more people this time,” Silverlight added, “but the standard capacity of the ship is 2,000. It’s fine to exceed it a bit, but don’t overload it.”
Tang Yu’an didn’t know much about sailing. The ship’s documentation listed its capacity at 2,000, but since they didn’t assign a crew or sailors, it should be okay to squeeze in a bit more.
Two to three thousand should be manageable. Any more and Hai Jing might not be able to handle it logistically.
Once conditions became more favorable, they’d bring out the teleportation array, which would make moving people far easier.
“Y-yes, got it!”
Zhan Xiaotian committed the instructions to memory.
As for piloting the ship and embarking/disembarking procedures, he’d already been taught those during the initial journey to Linhai Town.
Tang Yu’an had him repeat the operations to make sure he’d really learned them before handing over the ship.
Watching Zhan Xiaotian’s empty sleeve, Tang Yu’an thought for a moment, then said, “Work hard, and maybe one day you’ll get a mechanical arm.”
Their barter trade with Cosona via message bottles was still ongoing. Thanks to the use of self-heating water containers for transport, their trading speed had increased significantly.
Out of the 10,000 tons of water initially promised, nearly 2,000 tons had already been delivered. They had also traded for signal transmitters, increasing their water debt again.
But debts didn’t bother them now—so long as Kosona kept trading, they had an entire ocean’s worth of water to spare.
It was truly a pity that someone as young as Zhan Xiaotian had lost an arm.
If Cosona’s world produced mechanical limbs—and they were easy to install—Tang Yu’an figured they could buy a batch.
He’d seen a lot of amputees in the fishing villages near Purple Sky Fortress, after all.
Zhan Xiaotian stared blankly at Silverlight. Though his face was hidden behind a silver mask, his warm, clear voice swept through Zhan Xiaotian’s heart like a gentle breeze.
“Mechanical arm? You mean… my arm could be restored?”
“You could regain the function of your arm with a mechanical exoskeleton. It may not be exactly the same as before, but close enough.”
Even so, that was more than enough to excite Zhan Xiaotian.
His eyes reddened with emotion. “Thank you! I’ll work hard—really!”
Tang Yu’an nodded and handed over the 3,000 Overnight Stay Cards he had made recently, instructing Zhan Xiaotian to distribute them to the new immigrants.
This batch of cards didn’t yet have billing features; they were the most basic bound-type cards.
If someone not already on the overnight stay list touched a card, it would automatically bind to them, and their name would be added to the list. That way, there was no need to manually input each person.
Once things stabilized and they needed to start collecting rent, they could simply update the system and add the new features to the interface.
“I’ll take good care of them!”
And with that, the giant ship was entrusted to Zhan Xiaotian.
He immediately got to work mobilizing people. The previous fortress administrator had sent guards along, supposedly for protection, but in reality, to spy on the situation. This time, Zhan Xiaotian needed to bring those guards back as well.
However, when he went to find them, he discovered that most of them had already settled in the villages of the coastal sanctuary along with the others—and refused to return!
He went to each one personally, but in the end, only three agreed to go with him—and that was because they still had family in Purple Sky Fortress they wanted to bring over.
Zhan Xiaotian wasn’t surprised.
Purple Sky Fortress was a repressive environment, nothing like the freedom of Linhai Town. The local villagers had warmly welcomed the newcomers, and their treatment in Linhai was far better than what they had in the fortress.
In short, by the time evening came, Zhan Xiaotian and his small group finally boarded the ship and officially began their return journey.
*
Meanwhile, Tang Yu’an finalized the locations for two new branch stores in Linhai Town.
He didn’t place them inside any of the fishing villages but chose new plots and had construction robots build them from scratch.
Now that Bus Line 3 was running, it was much easier for fishermen to travel, and Tang Yu’an also planned to start selling bicycles and tricycles in Linhai Town.
The roads to various villages were already under construction, so in addition to public transport, there was also a market for private transportation.
And since Linhai Town produced salt, there was no shortage of points (currency). Soon, every household would be able to afford one!
And so, Branches 14 and 15 were officially completed!
Since they were built within protective barriers, Tang Yu’an didn’t enable that function again—he just installed teleportation arrays.
Li Peng, who had been helping Hai Jing, was officially hired to manage Branch 14.
As for Branch 15…
On Old Li’s recommendation, Tang Yu’an sent Xiao Cao.
She was the second employee he had ever hired, and her performance had always been impressive. But ever since Hong Li had joined the team, business at Jufeng Mountain had become harder to maintain.
Jufeng Mountain had limited population resources. Hong Li took a major share, Desolate City took another, and the guards’ store also started selling salt—leaving Xiao Cao’s business in a slump.
Now even Xiao Cao alone could handle the Jufeng shop’s workload.
It was clearly a waste—she needed a bigger stage.
Tang Yu’an had originally thought her young age meant she should focus more on studying, but it was clear Xiao Cao didn’t see it that way.
Old Li had noticed this, which was why he made the suggestion.
She was born and raised in the wasteland—she couldn’t be expected to grow up slowly like pre-disaster kids who matured at eighteen.
Maybe future generations could, but not this one.
After listening to Old Li’s perspective, Tang Yu’an remained silent for a long time, then finally accepted the recommendation and put Xiao Cao in charge of Branch 15.
When she received the assignment, the previously unmotivated Xiaocao instantly came alive with new energy.
Since she was considered “one of their own,” she could use the teleportation array, so she could still go home to sleep at night. It didn’t change much for her.
There was no need for goodbyes—the next day, she happily boarded Bus Line 1 and headed to her new post.
Although she could have used teleportation, she chose not to—she was going there to run a business, so scouting the area and understanding the environment were important.
Shi Tou, her brother, went with her. He didn’t feel comfortable letting her go to Linhai Town alone.
Until the situation at Branch 15 stabilized, he would stay by her side.
As for the Jufeng Grocery Store, Tang didn’t shut it down but reassigned someone else to run it.
That person came from Old Li’s talent training program. Though he liked reading and arithmetic, he had a laid-back personality and little drive—not exactly a business type.
Old Li had originally planned for him to become a teacher, but now felt that running the Jufeng shop was also fine.
After all, the Jufeng shop didn’t need to grow—just maintaining the regulars was enough.
The man was consulted and agreed right away.
And so, the first large-scale personnel shift in the sanctuary passed smoothly.
The next day, Tang Sheng successfully obtained land in the northern part of the city and established Branch 16 of the Peace Grocery Store.
He also hired Chen Jianjiang and his deputy Mo Yu as employees for the new branch.
The northern city shelter still housed over 100,000 survivors, and their needs were enormous. Once Branch 16 was completed, Tang Sheng—now store manager—began rapidly gaining experience.
It wouldn’t be long before he unlocked the authority to activate protective barriers!
With Linhai Town and the original world’s arrangements temporarily settled, Tang Yu’an and the others finally returned to the Peace Grocery Store.
“We’ve opened so many branches now!” Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but marvel.
“Feeling pressured?” Zhou Qi asked.
“A little. It feels like there’s always something to do. But when I think about how our home is growing bigger and stronger, I feel really happy.”
Tang lay in the small attic. Even though he now owned lots of land and houses, this tiny space still made him feel the most at peace.
Zhou Qi smiled softly. He felt the same way.
Then he seemed to remember something. “Did Wen Qingqing pass Old Mo’s assessment?”
It had been half a month since her first test…
Tang Yu’an shook his head. “Not yet—but she’s gained a lot of experience points. She’s just a bit away from Lv20.”
During the day, she has to engage in high-intensity trading, so she probably won’t have much time to study—especially since she’s not particularly interested in theology. That’ll make it a bit harder for her to learn…
Zhou Qi nodded thoughtfully and said, “Once she reaches Lv20, if she still hasn’t passed the assessment, let’s sit in and observe.”
If there’s no major issue with her moral conduct, they might as well ease up a little and let her pass. After all, Ice Flame Fortress really needs a branch store like that, and they can’t afford to delay things much longer.
“Oh right, should we send out a mission to Qingmu Fortress?” Tang Yu’an asked.
“You want to give it to Chi Hao?”
“Yeah.”
Tang Yu’an nodded. “With the blessing of the God of Commerce, maybe Brother Chi Hao could do better in business?”
It’s been two or three months now—Qingmu Fortress should’ve relaxed their surveillance on Brother Chi Hao a bit, right?
Zhou Qi thought for a moment, then said, “Alright, let’s give him the same task and bring him into Store 6. Have him go through Old Mo’s assessment too.”
Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but look hesitant. “Do you think Brother Chi Hao… can pass?”
“It’s fine—Lord Lanhu and Hong Li will be there too.”
Coincidentally, Lan Yunqing and Hong Li haven’t spent any time at Store 6 yet. Let them experience a bit of Old Mo’s “influence” too.
Tang Yu’an thought about it and agreed. He then drafted and sent the mission over to Chi Hao, who was still far away in Qingmu Fortress.
