Chapter 1152: Chapter 1152
1152: Chapter 1138: Not a Great Start 1152: Chapter 1138: Not a Great Start Lu Ping’an strolled on the woody dock, savoring the sweet sea breeze.
His view was mostly of the ocean, except for the reality of the giant beasts slowly turning over in the distance, only to be swallowed whole by an even larger giant whale, clearly showing that this place was the Otherworldly, not Earth.
Unlike the familiar modern docks, this simple pier resembled a pile of timber.
Known as “Floating Wood,” the large plants formed the foundation of the city, but also made this district seem even rougher and more primitive.
Sitting atop a log at the corner of the dock, Lu Ping’an watched the bustling scene below like an outsider watching a play.
There were dilapidated tugboats slowly dragging six-legged beasts resembling hippos towards the harbor area—these were Mud Horse Beasts, named by the outsiders after their “nu nu” calls.
It was said their meat tasted somewhat like horse, delicately balanced between delicious and distasteful…
Lu Ping’an found it average but couldn’t refuse to eat it, after all, it was the cheapest and most accessible protein here.
Soon, it would be dragged into the meat processing factory on the dock, where the fresh meat would be sold on the spot while the second-rate cuts became military rations in canned form, and the hide would be turned into makeshift clothing material.
“How fascinating, this city’s ‘hunting’ and ‘fishing’ economy is surprisingly large.”
Wandering through the wilderness full of giant beasts, one could probably collect and hunt with ease, harvesting a wealth of ‘materials,’ and if the supply was stable, the industrial and processing industries could naturally earn steady profits.
Lu Ping’an propped his chin with both hands, watching the sunset slowly descend, probably for a good fifteen minutes before the sky gradually darkened.
But this didn’t mean that this world or this city had entered the night yet.
A faint silver glow drifted on the sea’s surface, with something barely visible floating within.
It was both beautiful and exceedingly deadly…
To Lu Ping’an’s knowledge, there were at least a dozen creatures with extraordinary combat power lurking within these “luminous spots.”
Without sufficient strength, this beautiful sea was also deadly.
“It’s already been three days, huh…”
New in town, Lu Ping’an hadn’t rushed to connect with the locals or start working; after confirming the safety of his surroundings, he temporarily disbanded his Team…
His companions all needed time and energy to adapt to the environment, a process Lu Ping’an was too lazy to manage.
During this time, they would naturally become familiar with this unknown world, make local connections, and gather intelligence.
Letting everyone act freely often brought pleasant surprises.
As an Explorer, Lu Ping’an was also an old stager, and as a team-leading manager, he didn’t need to use strict discipline and harsh commands to unite the team and establish authority.
Even without the Courtyard, he was confident in retaining the team with common interests and systems, not to mention with the Courtyard at hand…
Not utilizing it in a treasure mountain was out of the question, just “Hometown Dishes” alone were enough to win people over.
“Here, a cabbage is sold at the price of gold, which is a bit ridiculous…”
For the Eastern Country People who come here, perhaps the most helpless fact is that due to the extreme scarcity of soil resources, growing vegetables has become an extremely luxurious “recreational activity,” with the tiny yield making veggies many times more expensive than meat.
“Heh, it seems like just selling vegetables here could Earn a Fortune…”
Years of good habit had ensured there were always “grain fields” in Lu Ping’an’s Courtyard, containing various demonized grain and vegetable seeds.
As long as his Courtyard functioned normally, he would never starve or thirst to death.
And normally, the Divine Boat’s precious cargo capacity would not be used to transport vegetables…
They would be Almost Rotten by the time they got here, and the long-term freezing technology wasn’t effective on the Divine Boat either.
Thus, these days, Lu Ping’an, while liaising with other forces, casually promoted “Hometown Dishes,” treating guests to meals and gifting them some as well.
The effect was eerily good…
Many local Big Bosses would come over to freeload meals around dinner time, to the point that Lu Ping’an was a bit overwhelmed.
But from another perspective, the “affluent” outsiders were naturally popular, especially since Lu Ping’an’s Team wasn’t yet prominent (the local news here was still a year behind).
Of course, Lu Ping’an also smoothly earned plenty of Gold Coins…
He was planning to open a “Hometown Dishes Restaurant,” partly to fulfill Zhi Xi’s dream of becoming a chief chef, and also to earn more Gold Coins for strategic reserves.
Lu Ping’an was not in a hurry, he was truly not in a hurry, as blindly pursuing speed was meaningless.
The war here was measured in years, and in fact, it had already lasted for hundreds and thousands of years.
In the short term, no one and no power could stop its continuation.
As a “small fry” like himself was merely a drop of water in the historical tide, only to be pushed along by other waves, going wherever they led.
“…Is there another dispute?”
Looking at the disputes on the dock area, Lu Ping’an sighed and had no intention of intervening,
Below was a group of the Long Hand Clan surrounding a human, using both speech and gestures, seemingly discussing something…
while the man just shook his head, completely ignoring them.
Was it about unpaid wages?
Was it the cheap labor revolting?
Neither, the reality was actually much more ruthless.
“…Please let them join us…
we can take a pay cut…”
“…We don’t want a salary…
just something to eat is enough…”
The words Lu Ping’an did not want to hear were carried over by the wind, some things were truly crueler than imagined.
How could those new “outsiders” possibly have come to negotiate for their salaries?
They were so cheap that even the employers felt a pang of conscience.
Now, the newcomers were looking for work simply to have something to eat.
The various manual labor jobs at the dock area were actually already overloaded, where a box would be carried by as many as a dozen people.
There are some things outsiders shouldn’t interfere with, and indeed can’t interfere with.
You ask those dock bosses to hire a few more workers?
The food and shelter issues of the Long Hand Clan could accumulate, enough to bankrupt the dock bosses…
You hire one person on a whim today, and tomorrow twenty might show up, and then in half a month, maybe two thousand.
The Long Hand Clan appeared to be in a worse situation than their counterparts from Earth, but it seems that the arrival of humans was indeed a good thing for them.
At least, finally, there was a dominant species that didn’t plan to serve them at the dinner table, and was even willing to provide some survival resources…
“Lu Ping’an, if the situation allows, could you help out…”
Remembering the night before, when Xia Qin had sought him out privately, asking him to think of a solution, Lu Ping’an felt a bit of a headache.
She wanted to lend a hand, which was indeed in line with her usual role known privately as “the conscience of the team/Lu Ping’an’s external conscience,” and seeking Lu Ping’an privately, whether he agreed or not, wouldn’t affect the team’s morale or Lu’s authority, but…
“Do you really think I’m the Buddha?
I can’t handle this kind of thing either.”
Lu Ping’an flatly refused.
One reason was that the current situation was unclear, but more so because this was a bottomless pit, one that could drag any person or power into its depths.
“Let’s just see how things go…”
Lu Ping’an sighed with resignation, turned around, and left, preparing to return to his temporary residence.
Out of sight, out of mind, if he didn’t see it, that should be fine.
The departure of the youth didn’t change anything, but after about fifteen minutes, an adult man came along, holding a recruitment sign and shouting directly on the dock.
“Hometown Dishes Restaurant is preparing to open for business, recruiting ten carriers, six cooks, and some miscellaneous workers.
The pay isn’t much, but meals are provided…”
Instantly, the area in front of him was packed.