Chapter 47.1: Snowboarding
Naturally, the 1.5 million residents didn’t all leave at once—they headed out in batches.
The first group of Blue Sea residents to step through the Safe City’s gates were positively beaming with excitement.
There was still a massive crowd lined up behind them!
Sure enough, living near the city gates really was more convenient.
Whenever there was an event that required people to queue up to leave the city, they always ended up in the first wave. Hehe.
Not everyone heading out was from Blue Sea, however. Mixed in among them were residents from other planets.
Compared to the Blue Sea natives, they were far less enthusiastic.
Watching the frozen world outside from the warmth of an indoor shelter was one thing; actually stepping into that icy wasteland was an entirely different experience.
The first thing they noticed was how obstructed their vision became.
The moment they left the heated area, wind and snow blasted straight into their faces.
People had to awkwardly brush the snow off their face shields with their gloved hands, then adjust the angle of the visor and keep their heads slightly lowered to avoid more snow being blown into their faces.
The second problem was how severely their movements were restricted.
The protective suits were so thick and bulky that wearing one felt like having dumbbells strapped all over the body. Their joints couldn’t move naturally, and the insulated boots were incredibly heavy as well, making even walking much slower than usual.
Finally, there was the cold.
The purpose of the protective suit was to retain as much body heat as possible, not to generate heat on its own.
It would keep people from freezing to death, but their hands, feet, and faces still felt unmistakably cold.
The Blue Sea people handled it much better. Because of their genetics, they were naturally drawn to challenges that looked difficult.
Feeling physically cold would instinctively make a Blue Sea native feel gloomy, irritable, and emotionally tense.
But stepping into the vast, boundless world outside and facing an extremely demanding challenge would make them feel exhilarated, joyful, and full of anticipation.
As a result, those two opposing emotions neatly canceled each other out, leaving the Blue Sea people free of any negative feelings they might otherwise have experienced.
The end result was this:
They were still cold—but they were in an excellent mood.
The other alien residents, however, didn’t have Blue Sea’s genetic advantage. Aside from two humanoid residents covered in thick fur, who were naturally more resistant to the cold, everyone else was freezing.
A resident from Velvet Star shouted over the public communication channel:
“I thought wearing the protective suit would at least feel comfortable. Is my suit defective?”
He couldn’t help but raise his voice. The blizzard outside was so fierce that even though everyone was wearing helmets with face shields, any sound they made was instantly swallowed by the howling wind.
This was exactly where the polar protective suit’s built-in shortwave squad communication system came in handy.
At the very least, it allowed everyone to communicate with one another instead of effectively becoming deaf and blind.
Different squads could also stay in contact and coordinate their tactics as normal.
Someone else answered the Velvet Star resident’s question over the public channel:
“It’s not defective. That’s normal.”
“There are thermal suits that can keep you warm and comfortable. But once you’re fully suited up in those, your mobility becomes even more restricted—you wouldn’t even be able to squat down, let alone fight snow beasts.”
Hearing that, the Velvet Star resident who had asked the question immediately felt much better about the current temperature inside his suit.
“All right. Maintaining combat effectiveness is more important.”
A combat rating of 70 wouldn’t be considered the absolute elite among the Blue Sea people.
After all, Blue Sea natives were born with exceptional physical abilities. If you grabbed a random passerby off the street, they might already have a combat rating of 50 to 60.
But for the Velvet Star people, whose natural physiques were much weaker, reaching a combat rating above 70 meant one of two things: either they possessed an awakened ability that boosted their strength, or they had undergone specialized training and developed solid combat skills.
So after hearing that explanation, every Velvet Star resident accepted the current level of cold inside their suits without further complaint.
A little extra cold wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t like they would freeze to death, and as long as they moved around a bit more, they’d quickly warm up. But if their mobility was too severely restricted and they ran into a snow beast, they really could end up dead.
So everyone continued walking toward their chosen directions while casually exchanging all sorts of information over the public communication channel.
“I’m heading south. Anyone want to team up?”
“I’m an Outer City resident. I’m strong, hardworking, and not afraid of tough jobs. Would any official Inner City resident be willing to take me along?”
“If you haven’t finished reading the ‘Dazzling Star Pioneer Guidelines,’ make sure you download it now. Once you’re outside the AI’s signal range, you won’t be able to access it anymore.”
“Stop chatting idly in the public channel. If too many people keep talking at once, it’ll drain everyone’s batteries faster. If you don’t find cold-weather clothing in time, you’ll really end up deaf and blind later.”
As soon as those words were spoken, even more people began looking for teammates.
The AI had already distributed detailed information about the various types of snow beasts to all the pioneers.
Given that no one had found any building cards yet and their bulky protective suits already limited their movements, traveling in groups was clearly the safer option.
Taking into account the snow beasts’ tendency to target places where only a few people were gathered, pioneers generally limited their teams to no more than five members, with most forming squads of three.
What if, in the short time they’d been walking, people had already spread out so far in their preferred directions that many had moved beyond one another’s communication range?
It didn’t matter.
Even this first wave of pioneers numbered 300,000 people.
No matter which direction someone chose, they were still surrounded by a dense sea of fellow travelers.
Say a single sentence over the public channel, and you’d have a whole crowd replying to you almost immediately.
Of course, there were also people who had no interest in teaming up and preferred to venture out alone.
Compared with those lone wolves, however, ninety-nine percent of the Outer City residents were busy trying to find official Inner City residents to team up with.
Lu Song was one of them.
“Outer City resident. Velvet Star native. Combat rating: 73. Former special forces soldier. Experienced in combat. Skilled in wilderness survival. Previously completed a 209-day solo survival assignment on Velvet Star.”
“I’d like to join a team of up to three official Inner City residents. I’m willing to accept as little as a twenty percent share of the team’s joint gains, and I hope to sign a formal contract after joining.”
Taking advantage of the fact that they were still within the AI’s network coverage, Lu Song successfully joined a team.
Including him, the team now consisted of exactly three people.
“Hello, I’m Qi Yi, and this is my younger brother, Qi Er.”
After a lengthy process of confirming the partnership over the public channel, repeatedly jumping up and waving their arms in the crowd to identify each other’s location, and finally finding one another, Lu Song met his two future teammates.
The brothers perfectly matched his stereotype of Blue Sea natives: tall, broad-shouldered, a full head taller than him, and wearing bright, open smiles.
“Welcome aboard. We can sign the contract right now. But can I ask something? Why are so many Outer City residents looking for official Inner City residents to team up with?”
Looking at the unmistakable curiosity on the brothers’ faces—a curiosity so obvious that even their face shields couldn’t hide it—Lu Song strongly suspected that the main reason they had agreed to team up was simply because they wanted to know the answer.
To be safe, he signed the contract with the brothers first before explaining.
“It’s to improve our chances of survival.”
“We’re not followers of the Great Creator God. So if something unexpected happens, we can’t return to the temple under the guidance of the deity the way you can.”
“If we stay with you, we’ll always be able to find our way back.”
To be honest, Lu Song himself had originally been like most Velvet Star residents who had recently joined Blue Sea—he hadn’t believed that Blue Sea really had a god.
That changed while he was still on Velvet Star.
Although he had joined Blue Sea, he failed the crystal-ball test and therefore couldn’t enter the Inner City. However, thanks to his respectable combat rating, he was accepted into a crystal hunter squad.
Because of his high combat rating, Lu Song earned plenty of crystals by hunting zombies, which he exchanged for a good amount of points. He ate well every day and even treated himself to a relaxing bath now and then. Overall, life was pretty good.
Other than not being able to join the better-treated Inner City, Lu Song was thoroughly satisfied with his life in Blue Sea.
He still insisted on taking the crystal ball test once every week. He believed the crystal ball test was simply the Blue Sea government’s way of consolidating power through religion. If he took it enough times, surely he’d pass eventually.
Then came the last operation on Velvet Star.
The crystal hunter squad he had joined had already reached another city. Everyone was discussing how they should continue their exploration.
Suddenly, nineteen of the squad’s twenty-three members stopped in their tracks.
Then those eighteen native Blue Sea residents, along with one Inner City resident who had joined Blue Sea later, solemnly told the remaining four:
“Our God has issued a divine revelation. The temple is about to leave this world. We need to head back immediately.”
At the time, Lu Song and the other three Outer City residents could only stare at them in silence.
“…”
It all sounded unbelievably far-fetched.
Still, the minority should follow the majority. Since those nineteen were absolutely convinced, the four of them decided to go along.
More importantly, there was no way they were going to let those nineteen leave while the four of them remained behind to explore an unfamiliar city alone.
What surprised Lu Song even more was that the nineteen didn’t retrace their steps.
Instead, they headed off in a direction none of them had traveled before.
When someone asked why, the answer was:
“Our God has revealed that the temple has already relocated. The direction we’re heading now is toward the central point of all believers currently outside. It’s the fastest route that will allow everyone to return to the temple.”
Lu Song: “…”
No matter how shaken he had been at the time, or how skeptical he still felt…
What happened afterward was undeniable.
The entire group really did follow that invisible, intangible, yet unmistakably real divine guidance. Taking a route completely different from the one they had used to get there, they successfully returned to Blue Sea Safe City.
At the same time they returned, crystal hunter squads were arriving from every direction.
All of them had been scattered across distant regions. All of them had received the deity’s revelation far from home, and only by following the divine guidance had they managed to find their way back to the Safe City after it had relocated.
Lu Song: …I have no choice but to believe it now.
Only then did he finally understand why Blue Sea Safe City had a rule stating that only official Inner City residents could form crystal hunter squads.
And only by forming or joining one of those squads could residents venture far away to explore.
Back then, Lu Song had honestly thought it was just racial discrimination by the Blue Sea people.
As it turned out, they were simply afraid that non-believers would get lost.
From that day on, Lu Song began reading books about the Great Creator God’s creation.
Unfortunately, believing that such a deity existed and sincerely having faith in that deity were two entirely different things.
No matter how hard he tried to brainwash himself…
He just couldn’t develop genuine faith.
So the only thing Lu Song could do was make sure he stayed attached to official believers whenever they entered an unfamiliar world.
That way, when the Safe City relocated and the deity announced it, he could hitch a ride home with them.
“Thanks be to our God.”
Although he still hadn’t become a true believer in the Creator God, that didn’t stop Lu Song from imitating the other Blue Sea residents when they prayed.
“Back on Velvet Star, the decree that only Blue Sea natives could form hunter squads was actually the deity’s mercy toward us Outer City residents.”
“I noticed that once the Outer City residents realized why that rule existed, the decree disappeared. Thanks be to the Great Creator God for Her compassion.”
He genuinely meant it.
After all, he had personally benefited from that regulation.
And he had also witnessed something else.
Believers in the Creator God didn’t just enjoy a more comfortable life in the Inner City—they could also receive divine warnings that helped them avoid danger and guided them safely back to the temple.
Is Blue Sea’s god really this amazing?!
By now, no one was more anxious than Lu Song to become a true believer.
Qi Yi and Qi Er exchanged looks of sudden understanding.
Then they nodded as though it all made perfect sense.
“Our God has always been like this—benevolent toward all living things. Blue Sea has survived to this day only because of Her protection.”
Thus, two genuine believers and one Velvet Star native who wished he could instantly become a believer found themselves chatting away in the frozen wilderness.
Before they knew it, the three of them were performing a set of prayer gestures toward the sky.
Meanwhile, the Great Deity herself was sitting comfortably at home, enjoying a steaming hot pot.
Cheng Qisheng: “…”
Only Blue Sea natives could form hunter squads?
This was the first she’d ever heard of it.
Minor administrative matters like that were usually handled by the Blue Sea government.
Cheng Qisheng guessed it was probably just an accident. After all, while Blue Sea had been on Velvet Star, they had spent almost all their time fighting, and then the following months had been devoted almost entirely to mining. There simply hadn’t been enough time to perfect every policy. A few administrative loopholes were only to be expected.
She turned to Aether, who was sitting on top of the television remote beside her, and asked,
“Aether, was that really a thing?”
Aether answered immediately: “Yes, City Lord.
“When the profession of crystal hunter was first established in Blue Sea, the city had not yet decided to accept local survivors. Therefore, the registration process for forming a crystal hunter squad was hardcoded to require an Inner City resident identification code.
“After local survivors were admitted into the Safe City, separate ID formats were created to distinguish Inner City residents from Outer City residents. Inner City IDs retained their original format, while Outer City IDs used a new format.
“As a result, when Outer City residents attempted to register a crystal hunter squad using their resident IDs, the system displayed: ‘Insufficient permissions.’”
The AI displayed the relevant records one after another on a virtual screen.
“Because no one reported this bug, it went unnoticed until last month, when a staff member discovered it. After a report was submitted, the application process was updated to recognize Outer City resident ID codes as well.”
Cheng Qisheng smiled wryly.
“Well… I suppose it turned into a fortunate misunderstanding.”
If that rule hadn’t existed, there really was a chance that Outer City residents would have formed their own squads, ventured out of the Safe City on their own…
…and then been unable to find their way back after the city relocated.
That, she realized, had been her oversight.
After taking it easy for so long, Cheng Qisheng had long since grown accustomed to simply glancing at whoever she wanted to observe. With a single look, she could see them.
The non-believers she paid special attention to had always stayed inside the city, so it had never even occurred to her that non-believers might actually get lost.
Now that the loophole had been discovered, naturally it needed to be fixed.
“Aether, add a new regulation. Whenever Outer City residents leave the AI’s coverage area, they should, for their own safety and to avoid getting lost, travel with Inner City residents whenever possible.”
After thinking for a moment, Cheng Qisheng added, “Make it clear that this recommendation exists for their safety and to ensure they can make it home if something unexpected happens. If an Outer City resident still insists on traveling alone, advise them once. If they refuse after that, let them make their own decision.”
This world was rather unique.
Although the temperature kept dropping lower and lower, defeating snow beasts yielded item cards that allowed people to maintain a normal standard of living.
And because of the snow beasts’ unusual behavior, city lords had no choice but to send large numbers of residents out to explore independently.
Once residents obtained their own houses through building cards, however, things became different.
The item cards could even contain things like a torch capable of heating an entire home.
Yes—a torch.
It produced no smoke, required no fuel, and a single Tier 1 Torch could keep a 30-square-meter house warm for fifty days.
Blue food cards might contain a whole box of instant noodles…
…or a package of frozen meat…
…or even an entire pork leg sealed in vacuum packaging.
Because of that, it was inevitable that some residents would start thinking:
“Staying in this world doesn’t sound like such a bad option.”
In the city lords’ group chat for this world, most discussions revolved around one topic:
How could they bring as many residents as possible with them when it was time to leave?
Coriander was especially active whenever that topic came up.
He practically lived in the group chat twenty-four hours a day, constantly keeping up with every discussion. Every so often, he’d privately send Cheng Qisheng summaries of the most useful information he had gathered.
Among all the city lords, Cheng Qisheng was probably the one who had the least reason to worry about her residents deciding to stay behind or run away.
No Blue Sea native would ever willingly leave the protection of their Creator God.
If Cheng Qisheng were to issue a divine decree ordering them to hand over every item card they had obtained, the Blue Sea people would obey without the slightest hesitation.
But of course, she would never do such a thing.
When your people are already willing to offer up everything they own, taking their possessions loses its meaning.
The better her followers lived, the stronger Cheng Qisheng became.
She wished every one of her believers could become rich.
As for non-believers, hers was a faith-based organization. She believed in taking things slowly and letting faith develop willingly.
If someone ignored her advice, there was no point forcing them to stay.
However, Cheng Qisheng noticed something.
Although the group chat was extremely active, nearly all the discussions revolved around first- and second-tier Safe Cities.
City Lords of Tier 3 and Tier 4 almost never participated in conversations like these.
Coriander diligently continued acting as her information scout.
[I had a private chat with one of the Tier 4 big shots. He said there’s no way his residents would ever choose to stay behind.]
[The more disaster worlds people have survived alongside a Safe City, the less likely they are to leave it.]
[Safe Cities only descend upon worlds that are on the verge of destruction. Some worlds may look peaceful and perfectly livable on the surface, but if you stay behind, you’ll actually die even faster. Residents who’ve followed a Safe City through multiple worlds all understand this.]
Residents of lower-tier Safe Cities, however, had never experienced anything like that.
Even if their City Lord explained it to them, they probably wouldn’t believe it. They’d simply assume the City Lord was making it up to stop them from leaving.
So these days, Coriander spent every day lurking in the group chat, collecting every trick and suggestion people shared for persuading residents to leave with the city.
Cheng Qisheng replied with a thumbs-up emoji.
[You actually managed to get information from a Tier 4 big shot? That’s incredible!]
Coriander replied:
[Coriander Safe City: Hehe, all I can really do is chat with the big shots. As long as I can help you, Boss, that’s enough for me!]
Wen Huahua, for his part, remained perfectly clear-headed.
Although Boss Blue Sea was only a Tier 3 City Lord and technically ranked below the Tier 4 veterans…
When it came to loyalty and personal bonds, there was no comparison.
To him, Boss Blue Sea would always come first.
The two of them had survived the Velvet Star world together.
Wen Huahua had personally witnessed the way Boss Blue Sea had treated the other three Safe Cities with generosity and integrity. That alone was enough to ensure he would never switch sides just because someone stronger came along.
Besides, although everyone said that advancing from Tier 3 to Tier 4 was a major hurdle, Wen Huahua simply had an inexplicable confidence in Boss Blue Sea.
Who knew?
Maybe one day Boss Blue Sea would surpass even that Tier 4 powerhouse.
The reason he had deliberately mentioned that the information came from a Tier 4 City Lord was also because he wanted to demonstrate his own value as much as possible.
Look, Boss! I’m useful!
I know lots of things!
Ask me! Come on, ask me!
As expected, Cheng Qisheng praised him enthusiastically, sincerely acknowledging how good he was at gathering information.
She had actually already guessed part of what she wanted to know.
But seeing Coriander practically wagging his tail as if shouting, “I know so much!”…
Well, since he’d already acknowledged her as his boss, she decided to humor him.
So she asked:
[Blue Sea Safe City: In a disaster world like this one, with item cards available, people should be able to survive for around fifty years, right?]
Fifty years would essentially be an entire lifetime for residents who were currently only in their twenties or thirties.
Coriander replied:
[Coriander Safe City: This isn’t like Velvet Star. Dazzling Star is a natural-disaster world. Although there’s a very long buildup during the early stages, the disasters keep getting worse and worse as time goes on.]
[The temperature is still dropping. When I first arrived, people could still expose a little skin and only suffer frostbite. By the time you arrived, Boss, going outside without cold-weather gear would freeze you to death. Give it a little more time, and it’ll definitely become even worse.]
