Chapter 103.1: World Mission
The Pirate Conference had actually managed to have a Blue Sea person posing as a gatekeeper.
Even Cheng Qisheng hadn’t expected things to develop this way.
Through Ma Yuetian and Zhu Feifan’s perspectives, she watched as one person and one sea monster calmly followed behind the Gale Wind and began living a life where they could get whatever they wanted.
Ma Yuetian showed absolutely no awareness of being an undercover agent. Whenever she wanted something, she simply went straight to the Gale Wind and asked for it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The planting project that she and Zhu Feifan had been forced to abandon had finally officially begun.
“I want hydroponic racks covering the middle section of my ship’s deck and the tops of the superstructures. Make sure the supports are reinforced and can be securely anchored to the deck.”
“I also want seeds, plastic planting boxes that won’t deteriorate—glass ones are fine too—along with soil and fertilizer. If you have hydroponic nutrient solutions or anything like that, I’ll take those too.”
“Oh, right. The sea winds are strong right now, so give me some reinforced waterproof tarps as well. I want to use them to protect my planting area from the wind.”
“Do you have grow lights for the plants? What about aeration pumps and sprinkler systems?”
Ma Yuetian’s thinking was very simple. Since everyone said Kansidang was powerful and had abundant resources, surely these things she wanted wouldn’t amount to much to them, right?
And even if the Gale Wind thought it was too much, they could always bargain!
The pirate responsible for relaying Ma Yuetian’s requests aboard the Gale Wind had a rather indescribable expression.
The other things were one matter, but soil and seeds from Green Billow Star were incredibly precious.
With seawater everywhere now, where could they possibly find fertile land?
But Ma Yuetian was clearly highly valued by Raven. Although the pirate thought she was making an outrageous demand and acting like a poor person who had suddenly gotten rich and was now throwing her weight around, he still relayed her exact words to Raven.
Raven, however, remained quite calm.
“Looks like my guess was right. She probably used to live somewhere quite nice, with vegetables, crops, and plenty of land.”
The pirate’s eyes lit up.
“You mean… she’s from Lonely Land?”
Green Billow Star was almost completely covered by seawater, but there were still places that had escaped the flooding. They might be islands, or perhaps patches of higher ground, where the soil or rocks—both exceedingly precious on Green Billow Star—remained intact. Pirates collectively referred to such places as Lonely Land.
For ordinary people and pirates alike, discovering a Lonely Land was equivalent to discovering a treasure trove.
They might find all sorts of crops growing there, or even animals that had long been considered extinct. And even if they found none of those things, the soil itself was already precious enough.
Even pirates living within Kansidang’s territory couldn’t resist the temptation of a Lonely Land.
The subordinate was delighted at first, but then hesitated.
“Could she really be from one…? Look at how shabby she is. There’s not even a single speck of soil to be found on her ship.”
Raven shook her head.
“You haven’t seen enough of the world. She may look impoverished, but look at the way she asks for things. If she’d never seen any of this before, would she be asking for it so naturally?”
“And earlier, I gave her some precious vegetables. An entire half. If I’d given that to you, you’d have been thanking me profusely. But look at her. There wasn’t even the slightest hint of surprise on her face.”
Not only had her expression remained completely calm when she saw the vegetables, there had even been a faint look in her eyes that seemed to say, ‘Is that all?’
She had even cut the half a vegetable in two and given the other half to the sea monster, which knew nothing about any of this.
She had done it as naturally as a wealthy family before the apocalypse might have casually shared some of its food with a pet.
The subordinate thought about it and felt that Raven did indeed have a point.
Although Ma Yuetian looked like she was getting by in miserable circumstances, she certainly didn’t seem like someone who had never seen good things before. Whether she was asking for a ship or supplies, she was always remarkably brazen, with an almost absurdly high sense of entitlement.
“But it’s certain that there’s not a single speck of soil on her ship. Perhaps the reason she ended up here in the first place is because the Lonely Land she came from was submerged.”
Raven shook her head, her eyes gleaming.
“No. It’s precisely because it wasn’t submerged that she wasn’t able to take even a single speck of soil with her.”
“Think about it. If you lived on a Lonely Land and it was about to be submerged, what would you do?”
The subordinate thought for a second, then his eyes lit up.
“I’d take as many of the treasures on the Lonely Land onto my ship as I possibly could, especially the soil.”
“Exactly. And although her garbage ship looks like a complete mess, there’s actually quite a lot of good stuff on it. When Ma Fu went to help her carry the dried fish, he even saw two toothbrushes, along with something that was probably toothpaste.”
In the apocalypse, something as ordinary as brushing one’s teeth every day had become a luxury that only the wealthy could afford.
People could barely fill their stomachs anymore. Who had the time to worry about taking care of their teeth?
And yet Ma Yuetian could.
Even though she was this poor, there were still several soft towels on her ship.
Just how abundant must the Lonely Land she came from have been for her to develop the habit of brushing her teeth every day and using good-quality towels to clean herself?
The more the subordinate thought about it, the more excited he became.
“Then why don’t we ask her where the Lonely Land is?”
“Idiot.”
Raven casually picked up a skull decorating the cabin and smacked it against the subordinate’s head.
“It’s obvious that people are still living on that Lonely Land. They’re very likely Ma Yuetian’s people. She even gives half of her vegetables to a sea monster. Do you really think she’d betray her own people to us?”
She looked through the window toward the Destiny Unordinary, trailing behind the Gale Wind not far away.
Her eyes were filled with ambition.
“Wait.”
“Right now, we aren’t even certain that there’s actually a Lonely Land, and we still need her. We absolutely cannot turn against her. Once the conference ends successfully, we’ll find an opportunity to get the Lonely Land’s coordinates somehow.”
An otherworldly being capable of controlling sea monsters was extremely valuable, but this could very well be a Lonely Land with vast quantities of soil…
If there really was a Lonely Land, and she offered its coordinates to Kansidang, the Gale Wind could very likely use that achievement to leap straight to the ranks of the Kwei Feng. Raven’s status and the number of affiliated pirates under her command would both increase dramatically.
That damn Gareth would never be able to compete with her again.
She might even be able to secure a piece of territory of her own within Kansidang.
Raven stared coldly and hungrily at the Destiny Unordinary, like a predatory fish watching a smaller one.
Wait. Just wait a little longer.
She wanted both the otherworldly being capable of controlling sea monsters and the Lonely Land.
Once the conference was over, it would be time to cast the net.
…
“I don’t even want to cast the net anymore.”
Looking at the enormous quantity of supplies the pirates had delivered in response to her requests, Ma Yuetian finally experienced the joy of her days in the Blue Sea—whatever her mentor wanted, the higher-ups would provide.
She had drifted across the ocean like a savage for several months without finding even a single seed.
And now, all at once, she’d gotten an enormous pile of them.
She was so happy she could practically fly.
No wonder the Blue Sea vanguard who had secretly contacted her earlier had told her that she didn’t need to disguise herself too much. She was young, and trying to act like someone else wouldn’t suit her anyway. She might as well just be herself.
This was Raven’s first time being granted the right to provide security for the Pirate Conference. Based on the Blue Sea experts’ analysis of Raven’s personality, even if she noticed something suspicious, she would wait until after the Pirate Conference was over before doing anything.
Ma Yuetian: Be yourself? Doesn’t that mean asking for whatever I want whenever I want it?
The “senior members” had taught her correctly. Sure enough, whenever she asked for something, she got it.
“This is Qingpine Greens, this is Cloud Sprout, this is Jade Whisker. This round tuber looks a lot like Starfruit Greens. The Green Fruit is probably a nightshade, and apparently it has a very high yield. I wonder if we can crossbreed it with our Purple Eggplant.”
Ma Yuetian went through the vegetables one by one, then happily planted each of them according to the cultivation instructions.
“Feifan, if the two of us study these properly and manage to produce some actual results, won’t we get promoted like crazy?”
“Awooo! Awooo!”
Zhu Feifan was happy too. His round tail spun through the water like a propeller as he let out repeated, cheerful howls.
The pirate ships affiliated with the Gale Wind watched the sea monster and couldn’t see any sign that it was under control. Without making a fuss, they all quietly moved a little farther away from the Destiny Unordinary.
Anyone could see how much Raven valued Ma Yuetian.
If her sea monster suddenly went berserk and attacked and swallowed their ships, there was no guarantee that Lady Raven would be willing to seek justice for them.
…
The “Lonely Land” Raven had been eyeing was already gone.
As the seawater continued to rise, the patch of high ground occupied by Blue Sea Safe City was naturally being submerged as well.
Now, Blue Sea Safe City, like the other cities, had spent crystals to purchase a floating device, suspending the entire city high above the clouds.
Of course, before leaving, the Blue Sea residents who had stayed behind had worked diligently with the laborers to dig up every bit of soil that could possibly be removed from the high ground.
[City lords of the Tier 4 and Tier 5, if you have enough crystals, it’s best to buy a permanent floating device.]
The floating devices were also the topic of discussion in Green Billow Star’s city-lord group chat today.
This world was unusual, so basically every city lord who had managed to stay had purchased a floating device.
In other words, none of the city lords were particularly poor.
The truly poor city lords had already been forced to leave this world ahead of time because they couldn’t afford a floating device and had no way to survive on Green Billow Star.
Another large batch of Cheng Qisheng’s mattresses had been sold.
The things were genuinely popular. Even Tier 4 city lords would buy a hundred at a time, and they would ask Cheng Qisheng with particular curiosity which world she had obtained them from.
[I’ve only ever seen this kind of industrial product meant for comfort in the beginner world. Every world I’ve encountered afterward has been desperately short on resources. Forget comfortable mattresses—take Green Billow Star, for example. There’s barely even anywhere you can dig up some dirt.]
Cheng Qisheng had nothing to hide.
[I got them from the beginner world.]
The city lord who had asked was surprised at first, but then felt that it made sense.
The Blue Sea had an ultimate weapon, after all—one that could take down a Tier 5 sea monster while only at the Tier 3. It was perfectly reasonable that they’d been able to obtain more resources during the beginner world.
That was what the city lord thought, anyway. But when speaking to Cheng Qisheng, this city lord was noticeably more polite than before.
After all, people naturally showed greater respect toward the strong.
The harmonious atmosphere in this world’s city-lord group chat was at least 70% thanks to the influence of the Blue Sea.
Even Tier 5 city lords treated the Blue Sea politely out of consideration for its ultimate weapon.
So when Cheng Qisheng took the initiative to join the conversation and asked, [Why is it best for 4 and Tier 5 city lords to buy permanent floating devices?], quite a few more people immediately joined the discussion.
The topic had been brought up by Duxi Safe City.
As soon as he saw the Blue Sea appear, he immediately answered:
[The Tier 5 and below section of the shop we’re seeing now is actually considered a beginner’s benefit. It’s like how, when you first descend into a world, you get a 24-hour beginner protection shield. Once you reach the Tier 6, the prices of most goods in the shop will increase several times over.]
[Large-scale items like floating devices will only become more expensive at the Tier 6. So if you have enough crystals right now and can afford one, it’s best to buy it in advance.]
The moment Duxi said this, the previously peaceful group chat exploded with messages from numerous city lords.
[What? The current shop prices are actually considered cheap?]
[I nearly bankrupted myself buying food. If the prices double again after reaching the Tier 6, won’t we literally be unable to afford food??]
[I just checked the shop. A permanent floating device costs five million! Are they trying to rob us?!]
Cheng Qisheng went to take a look as well.
If this had been before, she definitely would have joined in with everyone else and shouted, ‘Are they trying to rob us?!’
But now…
Cheng Qisheng looked at the pirate ledger in her hands.
Then she thought about the upcoming Pirate Conference, not to mention the supposedly incredibly wealthy Kansidang.
Cheng Qisheng: She actually felt like she could afford one.
After Blue Sea Safe City took to the skies, there were only two words to describe it:
Worth every crystal.
With the Safe City situated above the clouds, there was almost nothing that could threaten it. The residents living inside could continue their lives as normal, living and working in peace.
The sense of security was simply too great.
If prices really increased several times over after reaching the Tier 6, then buying one now would indeed be more cost-effective.
After thinking it over, Cheng Qisheng decided that if this operation brought in around five million crystals, she would buy one!
She had already made up her mind, but the group chat was still buzzing with arguments.
[It’s actually pretty reasonable. Look, I’m only Tier 4 right now. Based on the size of my city, a temporary floating device costs 30,000 crystals. At five million, I’d break even as long as I used it for more than 166 worlds.]
[Do you hear yourself? I’ve only survived thirteen worlds, and I already feel like I’m about to die. 166 worlds—how difficult would that be?]
[What exactly are you all arguing about? You make it sound like everyone can afford one. That’s five million crystals we’re talking about.]
The moment that message appeared, the city-lord group chat—which had just been holding what was practically a formal debate—fell silent.
After more than ten seconds, one city lord finally sent a message:
[Hahahahaha, right! There’s no way we can afford a floating device, but we could probably stock up on other supplies before reaching the Tier 6.]
Someone else noticed a problem:
[@Duxi Safe City, boss, aren’t you only Tier 4? How do you know what happens after reaching the Tier 6?]
[Duxi Safe City: In the later stages of my native world, many Safe Cities arrived. The Empire had established cooperation with them, so a lot of information about the Safe Cities was made public at the time.]
[Luoyu Safe City: Ah… In that case, how did your native civilization end up so badly that only ten thousand people managed to escape?]
With so many Safe Cities around, and each one taking in a portion of the population, surely quite a few more people from Duxi’s native civilization should have been able to escape.
What’s more, they were an interstellar civilization with an abundance of advanced technology. In theory, any Safe City should have been more than willing to take them in.
[Duxi Safe City: They didn’t dare. At the time, my native civilization had already been almost completely pulled into subspace. Anyone contaminated by subspace energy would pull the people or objects around them into it as well.]
[Duxi Safe City: No Safe City could determine who among us had been contaminated by subspace energy and who hadn’t. So none of them dared to take us in. We could only wait for a Safe City from our own civilization to arrive and use the beginner protection period to escape the range of subspace.]
That was truly tragic.
But the city lords had all experienced apocalypses themselves, so their first reaction wasn’t, ‘How could your civilization have suffered so terribly?’
Instead, it was:
‘What?! People contaminated by subspace energy can pull the people and objects around them into it too?’
