Doomsday Grocery Store – CH303

Chapter 303

Upon seeing the message, Tang Yu’an quickly opened the map and saw a new glowing dot representing an employee at the entrance of the Desolate City Haven—it was none other than Lan Yunqing!

“Wow, Brother Yunqing is at the Desolate City!”

Tang Yu’an remembered Lan Yunqing had said before that he was a lord and couldn’t easily leave Lanhu Forest. He didn’t expect him to be the one leading the team this time.

Seeing Tang Yu’an’s excited expression, Zhou Qi pursed his lips slightly.

Although he wanted to suggest letting Grandpa Li handle the reception, when Tang Yu’an proposed going to meet them, Zhou Qi didn’t say anything more.

The two took the teleportation array to Building No. 1.

When they flew to the main gate of the Desolate City Garden, they saw a crowd of residents gathered at the entrance to watch the commotion.

Surrounded by the crowd were dozens of representatives from Lanhu Town.

They all had blue eyes and fair skin. Regardless of gender, they were striking in appearance. But the most stunning of all was the man standing at the front of the group, speaking with Old Li.

He had long blue hair, loosely tied back with simple braiding. He wore no accessories, and though his clothing was plain, he had an aura that made it hard to look away.

Old Li was well-experienced and knowledgeable, but even he couldn’t help but widen his eyes upon seeing Lan Yunqing and his group.

He sighed inwardly—no wonder Lanhu Town was so exclusive.
In a wasteland plagued by disaster, possessing such a paradise capable of nurturing people like this was truly a case of “innocence brings guilt” for possessing rare treasure.

However, thinking of how the Desolate City Garden now not only had Lanhu Forest but also defensive barriers and many other mystical features, Old Li felt surprisingly at peace.

“Brother Yunqing!”

Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi revealed themselves and descended from the sky.

The crowd stirred restlessly.

Compared to the newly arrived group from Lanhu Town, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi, as the current owners of the Desolate City Haven, naturally commanded more respect.

Even though they didn’t often appear in the settlement, their achievements had been repeatedly passed down to new residents by the long-time ones.

The staff sent out by the garden, while promoting the religion of the Merchant God, never forgot to mention them.

So now that the two appeared, it naturally caused a stir.

Of course, Old Li wasn’t about to let the crowd run wild. He waved his hand to disperse them and said, “You all catch up; I’ll take them to complete the check-in procedures.”

The overnight stay cards had already been fully implemented in the Desolate City Haven. With these cards, collecting rent became much more standardized and efficient.

Residents remembered to pay rent themselves—after all, if they missed the deadline, their overnight points would be reset, the card would disappear, and they would be locked out of the settlement.

They could still enter during the day, but at night, not only would they be unable to enter—they wouldn’t even be able to see the settlement.

Because the system had just been rolled out, everyone had three chances. After three missed payments, they would permanently lose the right to stay in the settlement.

Now that “Desolate City – Jiufeng Mountain – Li Hai Town” had all become parts of the Desolate City Haven, losing residency meant losing access to all three settlements at night.

This was a matter of survival, so no one dared to take it lightly.

Of course, while the rule sounded strict, residents saw it as quite compassionate—because elderly and children who met the age requirements were exempt from rent.

Though there were few elderly residents in the settlement (most were intellectuals from the original world), the rent exemption was a reward for their knowledge and experience.

But for the young and strong, this was a huge incentive.

It was their first time encountering the idea of “retirement and elderly care.”

They began to wonder: when they reached the qualifying age in the future, would they be able to live rent-free in the settlement?

Though that future felt very distant—especially for people used to living precariously on the wasteland—it gave them hope for the first time.

With renewed hope, they threw themselves even more passionately into building the settlement, wishing for it to last for generations.

This spirit, along with all the novel things in the Desolate City Haven, left every visiting Lanhu person in awe.

Before arriving, they had already heard that the settlement had cultivated a new Lanhu Forest.

They would be lying if they said they didn’t feel anything about it.

However, knowing the garden’s owner had healed their mother tree—and how fond the mother tree was of Master Kang Kang—those feelings quickly vanished.

Originally, they thought that even with a Lanhu Forest, the Desolate City Haven couldn’t surpass Lanhu Town. But the reality proved them completely wrong!

As they crossed the plains, climbed the canyons to Jiufeng Mountain, and took a bus from the mountain’s base to the settlement, everything they saw challenged their understanding.

Certainly, the Lanhu Forest played a huge role during the cold disaster, but now it seemed that its importance was not as high as imagined.

There was no Lanhu Forest along the roads, yet the temperature remained bearable—as long as one dressed warmly, they wouldn’t freeze.

Moreover, the “iron beast” they had never seen before even had a heating system powered by something called flame stones.

With so many ways to resist the cold, the Lanhu Forest became less crucial.

Meanwhile, the Desolate City Haven had so many unfamiliar wonders! Compared to them, the Lanhu people felt like backwater bumpkins.

Their initial arrogance gradually faded the deeper they explored the settlement.

They had once thought Lanhu Town was the last utopia in the wasteland. But compared to what was before them—it simply didn’t hold a candle!

Old Li saw these changes in the Lanhu people and couldn’t help but curve his lips into a small smile.

He had already spoken with the Lanhu lord. Every one of these visitors was literate and cultured!

The key was—they were still young, unlike the elderly who needed special care and couldn’t handle much work.

“I wonder how long you all plan to stay this time?” Old Li asked a nearby man.

It was a man who looked to be in his forties, with short blue hair and a strong, imposing build. He was second in status only to Lan Yunqing and was called Lan Jianlin.

“That depends on Lord Yunqing’s decision,” Lan Jianlin replied.

“I think you all should stay longer,” Old Li said kindly. “Since this is a study tour, wouldn’t it make sense to stay a whole year?”

Lan Jianlin was just about to say a year was too long when the old man continued to speak…

“Our settlement is very large—not only Desolate City and Jiufeng Mountain, but also Li Hai Town. In the future, we’ll expand to the grasslands and Flame Dragon Fortress as well.”

“Each place has its own unique conditions, and we adopt different governance and development strategies accordingly.”

Old Li spoke earnestly and seriously: “There’s a lot of nuance involved. Do you really think that just staying here briefly and taking a look around is enough to copy the Desolate City Haven’s experience back to Lanhu Town?”

“If you can’t adapt to local conditions, copying our methods wholesale won’t bring progress—it could even cause harm to Lanhu Town.”

“It’s like wearing shoes—everyone has a different size. We can’t make the foolish mistake of cutting our feet to fit the shoe, right?”

Lan Jianlin hadn’t interacted with many outsiders, and in his view, the wasteland was full of illiterate bandits. But Old Li’s words completely overturned his assumptions.

He couldn’t help but lower his head in shame. The other Lanhu people standing nearby had also been listening and started to feel uncomfortable.

Old Li chuckled as he sized them up.

Though they were naturally more guarded when facing outsiders and seemed smarter than the naive ones Dark Moon had brought before, they weren’t much better.

“It’s just my personal suggestion. Desolate City Haven welcomes you to stay long-term. The more we exchange and learn from each other, the better.”

“Of course, it’s not mandatory,” Old Li added. “You can discuss it with the Lanhu Lord before deciding.”

“Got it! I understand!” Lan Jianlin responded solemnly.

From the look on his face, Old Li could tell he had taken the message to heart. With a satisfied expression, he continued leading the way.

Meanwhile, Lan Yunqing was being taken to a quieter place by Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi to catch up.

“You two have changed quite a bit.”

To Lan Yunqing, it had only been two or three months since their last meeting, but the two youths had undergone visible transformations.

If Tang Yu’an still retained a hint of boyishness, Zhou Qi now looked like a full-grown young man.

Tang Yu’an laughed it off and then asked, “Brother Yunqing, how come you came in person this time? Weren’t you supposed to be guarding Lanhu Forest?”

“Now that we have the protective barrier, the pressure to defend is much lower. Leaving for a short time isn’t a big problem.”

Lan Yunqing looked at a nearby Lanhu tree and gently placed his hand on its trunk.

“I thought about it for a long time and still felt I needed to come see it for myself.”

He said softly, “You’ve taken good care of it, but with Master Kang Kang here, I really don’t have much to worry about.”

Suddenly, a vine extended over and gently brushed against Lan Yunqing’s cheek.

He sensed a curious, affectionate emotion—along with a strange, heartfelt fondness—and was momentarily stunned.

The new generation of Lanhu people had been deeply influenced by the Lanhu Forest. Even their hair and eyes had turned blue.

Their blood carried the genes of the Lanhu Mother Tree.

In a sense, they were kin to every Lanhu tree in the Desolate City Haven.

“Your name is October, right?”

Lan Yunqing’s face lit up with a smile. “I’m Yunqing. I’m here on behalf of the Mother Tree to visit you.”

The entire Lanhu Forest swayed its branches, and the rustling of leaves echoed like a welcoming response to Lan Yunqing.

The next moment, a bewildered Kang Kang suddenly appeared beside them—

Of course, he had been teleported there by the Lanhu tree.

Seeing Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi, the child immediately ran over excitedly and was scooped up into Tang Yu’an’s arms.

“Brother Tang! Brother Zhou!” Kang Kang clapped his little hands, his face full of joy.

Tang Yu’an rubbed his small head and then asked, “Was it October who brought you here?”

“Uh-huh.”

Kang Kang nodded, then turned to Lan Yunqing and said, “October says you look good—it likes you!”

Lan Yunqing blinked, just about to thank him, when Kang Kang added, “October also says it wants you to stay. It… it wants to see you every day!”