novelraw Chapter 1046 - 748: The Current Situation in District 4
Chapter 1046 - 748: The Current Situation in District 4
In the blink of an eye, seven days have passed...
Huh?
You’re asking what we’ve been doing for the past seven days?
Eating, drinking, and having fun!
Since the plan is to relax, we’ve definitely opted for the most indulgent lifestyle.
During these seven days, Li Zheng, relying on his wealth, took Mirel and the others around the entire 950 district, tasting many unique delicacies rarely found in other districts.
For example, the panda-like Mopan race has a special dish made from tender bamboo that has been infested by worms. The bamboo is crisp and tasty, and chewing on a hidden bamboo worm occasionally lets you experience the strange sensation of the plump worm bursting in your mouth.
The worms are a delicacy too, devoid of any disgusting taste. Chewing them a bit longer even generates a highly unique aroma.
A blend of the fresh scent of the tender bamboo and the taste of the worm’s own protein and other nutrients after cooking.
Summarizing, this dish appears to be a dark culinary concoction, yet it’s a harmonious blend with superb taste and texture, worthy of praise.
There were many similar dishes, each with distinct flavors, allowing Li Zheng to thoroughly indulge in the experience.
On the third day, Hu San returned.
This guy almost crawled back to the Botanical Garden, looking noticeably emaciated and extremely weak.
Upon seeing Kota, he burst into tears, unable to say a complete sentence and nearly cried himself unconscious.
Li Zheng asked if he still wanted to see Xiaohua, and Hu San’s face changed just at the mention of her name. He scrambled to a corner, curling into a ball and clinging desperately to his family jewels, trembling.
Seeing this, Li Zheng understood roughly what Hu San’s experience over the past few days had been like.
Having been through similar situations, he deeply empathized with Hu San’s current state.
If anyone were treated like a workhorse that was non-stop toiling on the same land for three consecutive days and nights, they would end up like Hu San.
Li Zheng was relieved that Mirel’s mood swings had been suppressed and utterly disappeared; otherwise, he might have ended up like Hu San, reacting just at the sound of a name.
Li Zheng asked him what he planned to do in the future, and Hu San meekly replied, "I’ll work with Big Brother to earn medical fees!"
Li Zheng further queried if he would still be lazy and idle in the future.
Hu San swore vehemently that if he ever repeated his past mistakes, he should let Xiaohua capture and torment him to death.
From that day on, Hu San joined Li Zheng in going around, eating and drinking, essentially as a way to restore his health.
On the seventh day, Hu Er also returned.
However, his condition was quite peculiar; every step he took was cautious and meticulous, giving off a furtive vibe.
Li Zheng, curious, inquired about what was going on.
Hu Er answered, "I’m figuring out which foot to step first in order to avoid fines."
Li Zheng asked him if he would still gamble.
Hu Er became instantly furious: "The saying ’nine out of ten gamblers lose’ is deceitful! It’s ten out of ten! Ten out of ten losses, sob sob sob~"
He wasn’t sure about the grievances he suffered at the casino, as once he started crying he couldn’t stop, tears streaming down his face with no one able to console him.
Only until Li Zheng cleverly declared, "There’s a fine for crying," did Hu Er swallow back his remaining sobs.
Li Zheng told Kota, "Alright, keep an eye on these two. If they misbehave again, tell me anytime, and I’ll find ways to handle them!"
"We wouldn’t dare! Absolutely wouldn’t dare!" Hu Er and Hu San trembled as they kneeled on the ground, making various vows until Li Zheng forgave them.
With these two daft fellows back, Li Zheng saw no need to stay longer in 950, so he informed Kang’er and together with the others set off towards the fourth district.
Upon arrival at the Fourth District, Li Zheng entrusted Kota and the others to Xiao Siyuan, requesting him to arrange suitable job positions for the trio.
Knowing that Hu Er and Hu San couldn’t handle detailed work, Xiao Siyuan simply assigned them to look after the Forest Wolves and delicious rabbits among several animal packs, feeding them, cleaning waste, and bathing the animals — their daily tasks.
The work was so easy and joyous that they clung to Li Zheng’s legs with gratitude and cried again, claiming if they had known earlier that work could be so easy and happy, they wouldn’t have suffered.
Li Zheng kicked them away one at a time, paying no regard to their hindsight. If they hadn’t suffered for those days, how could they have appreciated the ease and enjoyment of this work?
Compared to these two brothers, Big Brother Kota was calm, diligent, and had learned for a while from Kang’er the skills of caring for plants.
Xiao Siyuan placed him on the farm side, to work with the Ugly Farmer.
Once the three brothers were settled, Li Zheng asked Xiao Siyuan about the progress of the hundreds of Water Blue Star players during this period.
"At present, most people have adapted to life in the Outer City," Xiao Siyuan said, "Some have found jobs they like in the Outer City and are working alongside the three races, while others have adapted to exploring and fighting, traveling back and forth between the Wilderness and Task Hall daily. During the missions, over a dozen have died."
"People have died?" Li Zheng sighed, "They all chose their own paths, and with this outcome, they should have been mentally prepared."
Catching up with the development of other races is very difficult, and there will certainly be numerous casualties along the way, which is unavoidable.
Everyone has their own ambitions, destiny is determined by heaven.
Li Zheng realized after entering the Matrix his heart had become increasingly hardened. In the past, he would feel compassion for young wild boars, but now hearing about deaths doesn’t evoke much emotion in him.
Perhaps this is how intelligent beings adapt to different environments.
"What about other aspects?" Li Zheng asked, "Is there anything that’s significantly improved?"
"The cultivation of Elf Fruit has gotten on track; I allocated a portion to focus on fifty individuals, and recently the first Spiritual Power Node was consolidated, making them currently our most elite team." Xiao Siyuan appeared troubled, "However, besides Zhouzhou helping to train some simple swordsmanship, we’re truly lacking in combat skills. It would be great if we could attract merchants selling Memory Release Devices into our district."
Currently, Water Blue Star players haven’t entered the Outer City in large numbers, and the Fourth District hasn’t opened for external investments temporarily, to prevent all resources from being seized by people from other races.
The Blacksmith Shop and Menghua Pavilion, which Li Zheng previously agreed upon, have only bought properties through Li Zheng but haven’t been able to open doors for business yet.
"I’ll handle this," Li Zheng pondered for a moment, deciding to buy more Memory Release Devices, store various combat skills in the Dark Realm, then take all fifty people into the Dark Realm at once, enabling them to quickly grasp some skills through the Bodhi Tree.
The rest will be entrusted to time for them to delve into more profound martial arts, to quickly earn their first barrel of gold in the Seven Great Sin Domains. When the Blacksmith Shop opens, they can directly purchase a batch of high-quality weapons, leading to a major enhancement.
Though the Fourth District doesn’t lack advanced combat skills, the inherited skills of the Suffering Race and Blood Race require wing-like flight assistance to perform, unsuitable for Water Blue Star people to learn.
Aside from this, the Fourth District currently faces no other continuing difficulties.
Li Zheng then glanced around, asking, "Where’s Lin Fengjiao? Why isn’t she with you?"
"You finally noticed!" Xiao Siyuan suddenly got excited, saying, "I developed a potion with extremely strong regenerative powers yesterday; she’s currently soaking in a medicinal bath, hopefully healing her previously damaged skin!"