This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 304: Only When You’re Full Can You Go to the Front Line

Chapter 304: Chapter 304: Only When You’re Full Can You Go to the Front Line

[Frost Snow at the Merchant Guild Reception: Recently, the trading price of copper ore at Red River Town has fluctuated significantly, affected by an increased supply. The copper and sulfur reserves of the New Alliance are already nearing their storage limits, reducing the buying price by 10% and the supply price by 6%. Please, merchant players, pay attention to the risks.]

[Charlie, President of the Merchant Guild: Friendly reminder, the Merchant Guild provides hireable NPCs with a trading level of 3 or above, who can help you get better prices in trades. If you’re not confident in your negotiation and language skills, we suggest hiring one or two NPC companions.]

[NPC companions holding VM will be great helpers on your journey; some excel in combat, while others are skilled in hunting or medical services. Their abilities can grow along with you during your travels. However, serious injuries or death will cause them to leave your team permanently, so please be sure to keep them safe!]

Online forum.

Today was as bustling as ever.

The first batch of commercial teams returning from Red River Town had started coming back one after another, thanks to the guide written by Mole Old Brother, these pioneer players made a pretty penny.

As the trading was done early, they didn’t even feel the fluctuation in prices before they had already converted their cargo into silver coins.

Tail: "Eh??? Did copper prices go up?"

Si Si: "Emmm... It seems like it doesn’t really affect us, we were already on our way back when you guys started discussing the price increase."

Actually, she had foreseen this situation and had been urging Tail to set off early, although they still got delayed because of some issues with their team name.

Fortunately, they had left at the right time, just before the rise in copper prices, and by the time they woke up the next day, the price had already gone up.

Now thinking back on it, Si Si couldn’t help but feel relieved.

Thank goodness she had insisted on settling in cash back then. If they had given her vouchers or waited until the next day to settle, their trip to Red River Town would have earned them at least 10% to 20% less.

Makabazi: "Spill it! How much did you guys make?"

Tail: "Not much, just a few hundred thousand or so! Heh, another big step forward towards the Mercenary Guild’s dream! (proud)"

The message was sent.

The post exploded instantly.

Silver Daddy: "Hiss..."

Quit Smoking: "A few hundred thousand?! Are we talking RMB or silver coins?!"

Si Si: "Cough... Tail is messing around, don’t believe her."

Edge Shoveling: "For a moment, I actually couldn’t tell which was more absurd."

Valley on the Run Mole: "Wait a minute, where did Tail get so many silver coins!?"

Tail: "Ehehe, that’s a girl’s secret!

Valley on the Run Mole: "Ehehe my foot! Come on, spill it! (frantic)"

Debt Giant Eye: "This must be some shady PY trade behind the scenes!"

Less Bull: "PY trade?! Where?!"

Makabazi: "Pass it on! Tail is not clean!"

Lost Rookie: "Wuwuwu, rich lady is hungry, I don’t mind!"

Tail: "?!Σ(ﾟДﾟ;)"

In the end, no one could figure out where Tail’s silver coins had come from.

After all, this guy just seemed like an ordinary sand sculpture internet friend, totally lacking the aura of a cash player.

Si Si, Sesame Paste, and Meat Meat did know the reality, but they didn’t spread it around, and after being privately lectured by her besties, Tail sulkily slipped away from the post.

Compared to the first batch of players who almost picked up money, the second batch found things a bit more difficult.

Many players arrived at Red River Town to find that copper prices had begun to roller-coaster, and many spent more than 1000 Blue Notes extra for a ton of copper in just one day.

However, some were incredibly lucky and happened to arrive during a massive sell-off in various major mining districts.

Up until a few hours before the official website announcement, almost all trading stations except the one in Horseshoe Town were selling copper ore at nearly rock-bottom prices.

Investment must be cautious, as many green rookies were taught a lesson by the NPCs.

The economic system of "Wasteland OL" is not simply about buying low and selling high, especially when the copper prices suddenly fell, many felt an invisible hand influencing everything.

Mole Old Brother in the canyon: "Actually, I’ve always suspected that someone was stockpiling goods before the expansion pack started, I figured copper and sulfur would definitely go up in price if there was going to be a war."

Thunder Mage Professor Yang: "Buddy, why didn’t you buy some? (grinning with teeth showing)"

Mole Old Brother in the canyon: "Well, I wanted to, but you can’t play this game well without tens of millions of silver coins."

Copper prices are nearly ten times that of iron prices, and because it is more suitable for manufacturing bullets than steel, it’s particularly hard to find in the wasteland.

The market price for a 100-kilogram pure steel breastplate is 100 Silver Coins, but if it’s pure copper, it’s 1000 Silver Coins... although no one uses copper for armor.

By that calculation, a ton of copper would be ten thousand silver coins, and NPC warehouses start at a hundred tons, now supposedly reaching thousands of tons.

Ten million silver coins!

All the silver coins in the pockets of all the players on the server combined wouldn’t amount to that!

The game has a loan feature, but it can only be applied for under the name of a company for "production and business purposes," and if the use of funds is deemed against regulations or suspected of interest transmission in the accounts, fines could lead to bankruptcy.

Not a Professional Opposer: "Damn, now that you mention it, did the NPCs drive up the price?"

Elena: "The NPCs in this game are something else, they even know how to fleece the players. (facetious)"

The fluctuations in the trading price of copper ore, although just a minor episode before the expansion pack, truly made many people envious of these newfound fortunes.

Especially now with the official Silver Coin consignment platform, not only players but also backseat drivers can participate in trade.

Seeing all the forum posts predicting whether the silver prices would rise or fall with the new expansion pack, Ye Wei played on his mobile phone in the classroom with a helpless expression on his face.

Mainly because the topics discussed by these people were becoming increasingly esoteric, and he was beginning to feel lost.

"You guys discuss this every day on the forum, aren’t you tired?"

Thunder Mage Professor Yang: "You don’t understand! This is also a form of fun! (proud)"

Ye Wei: ...

Oh boy.

He was completely unaware that he had been turned into one of the figurative chives by Ah Guang.

There is a backseat driver player called "Working Class Warrior" who hasn’t even entered the game yet, but his account already has ten thousand silver coins.

However, the clever thing about this guy compared to other backseat driver players is his flexible application of the rule "any form of virtual assets can participate in transactions."

He contacted players with beta access through the trading platform and registered a company, investing money and technology, letting players with beta access hold shares on his behalf. They produced a DC to AC inverter, and he managed to turn "Wasteland OL" into a business simulation game.

Although it’s not a highly technical commodity, it unexpectedly sold quite well and secured a number of orders from downstream manufacturers.

While players can’t physically access the game, the official website acknowledges the right to freely dispose of "unbound" assets within the game — as long as they don’t exploit loopholes for malicious money farming.

Ye Wei thought carefully, although Ah Guang often made empty promises, he was actually quite friendly towards the players.

Other game companies treated players like family, but Brother Guang treated them like brothers. He never harvested their "crops" and even distributed benefits from the backseat drivers’ "crops" to them.

Thinking of this, Ye Wei was moved to tears.

Such planning was too conscientious!

"Achoo!"

Chu Guang sneezed.

"Got a cold?"

Xia Yan, standing beside him, glanced at him.

"No, I guess someone is talking behind my back about how handsome I am," Chu Guang muttered as he rubbed his nose.

It must be the pollen.

Xia Yan gave him a look and, seeing it wasn’t a cold, didn’t concern herself further.

Today was the first weekend of April and also her first day off of the month.

As the number of players gradually increased, the workload at the weapon store became busier. Some heartless boss finally had a change of heart, assigned a few more people to help her, and she finally got one day off every week.

Today, she didn’t have to work and could blatantly slack off.

Xia Yan had originally planned to curl up on the sofa in the lounge and read novels all day, but she was lured out by Chu Guang with a phrase, "I’ll take you to see a treasure."

Unusually, that guy didn’t wear his signature deep blue power armor and even left his blue jacket at home, slipping out very low-key.

Xia Yan was somewhat embarrassed at first, wondering what treasure this guy was secretly planning to show her, but when they reached the destination, she was stunned.

Next to the refugee village, a tall red brick mill stood, and beyond the muddy ridges nearby, there was an endless expanse of lush greenery.

Residents nearby were busy in the fields, thick-bodied double-headed cows were there, and several clunking tractors drove on the road, their boxes full of bulging sacks.

This was the north of City of Dawn, the west side of Long Endurance Farm.

The scenery was nice, but...

Was this the treasure he was talking about?

Xia Yan blinked, her expression slightly confused.

Alright.

She admitted, this endless farmland was indeed spectacular to behold.

It just wasn’t quite the romantic outing she had imagined.

She had thought he might take her for a walk by the lake or to dig for bird eggs in the woods.

But just then, Xia Yan suddenly remembered that just three months ago, this place had still been a barren land filled with bushes and rocks.

Turning into what it was now in just three months was simply unbelievable.

Following behind Chu Guang, Little Fish, who had been curiously looking around, suddenly showed an expression as if she’d discovered a new continent and excitedly pointed ahead.

"Look at all the green wheat!"

"Hahaha!"

Chu Guang laughed as he ruffled her hair and kindly explained,

"That’s not green wheat, it’s wheat. The bread made from wheat flour is much tastier than those dry green wheat breads!"

Little Fish unconsciously swallowed and looked up at him with anticipation,

"Really?"

Chu Guang nodded with a smile.

"Absolutely! Not just flatbread, but wheat flour can also be made into bread, steamed buns, dumplings, and noodles... There are just so many ways to eat it."

After entering April, the wheat would enter the heading and flowering stage. During this phase, the young ears of wheat would begin to differentiate and grow rapidly.

It was necessary to ensure there was enough water in the fields, and also to fertilize and protect against pests.

If these issues were not handled well, the wheat not only would the leaves turn yellow and the tips dry out, it might even age prematurely.

Without any exaggeration, whether the work during this stage was done properly directly determined the grain yield in July and August.

Currently, whether it was refugees or players, whether it was contracted fields or resettlement fields or collective farming fields, everyone was using seeds cultivated by Shelter No.117’s plantation.

Even though these seeds already had excellent genetics, getting a better yield still required some careful tending.

Previously bought from Giant Stone City, Chu Guang had allocated at least half of the camels to the irrigation channels to solve the water supply issue.

The fertilizer issue was slightly easier to resolve, as there was a lot of animal dung near Rhombus Lake, all of which were natural high-quality fertilizers that could be used directly with minor processing.

Regarding pesticides, the most widely used in Long Endurance Farm was a type of organophosphate produced by the nearby industrial zone’s chemical plant.

It is said that during the Prosperity Epoch, the large plantations used integrated planting technology that included a subsonic wave extermination device.

Although being exposed to a high-intensity subsonic environment for a long time could severely impact human health, the farmers of that era did not need to work in the fields like those of the New Alliance, as they used intelligent wearable devices for one-click sowing, so the issue of affecting health didn’t exist.

The New Alliance didn’t have this condition.

Currently, they could only opt for more primitive pesticides to control pests.

"What about over there?" Little Fish, excitedly on her tiptoes, looked toward another part of the field.

Chu Guang followed her gaze and said with a smile,

"Over there, that’s chives."

Chives were also a great thing, unlike other vegetables, which only grew one or two seasons a year; chives could be eaten all year round.

Most importantly, chives grew fast, maturing in just over 20 days, with early spring chives being the most tender and fragrant.

After discovering chive seeds in Shelter No.117, he immediately had them planted.

Thinking of scrambled eggs with chives and dumplings filled with chive and pork, Chu Guang unconsciously swallowed, already contemplating the official web’s recommended recipes for tomorrow.

Just as his thoughts drifted, Old Luka, the person in charge of the farm, came towards him, looking at him with a surprised expression and said,

"Manager? What brings you here?"

These days, being busy with farm work, he almost stayed in the fields every day, almost having moved his bed over.

Chu Guang looked at Old Luka and smiled,

"I’m just casually checking things out, don’t mind me. By the way, how’s the farm’s yield this month?"

When Old Luka mentioned this, a look of joy immediately surfaced on his face.

"3000 mu of vegetable fields and 5000 mu of early-maturing potato fields are already being harvested!"

"Thanks to the harvester that the residents came up with, we attached the machine to the front of the tractor and just watched as it chugged forward, quickly filling up the baskets with crops!"

As he said this, he couldn’t help but express his admiration.

"That harvester is simply too useful; not only does it harvest the crops, but it also plows the land all over again! We don’t even need to till the soil anew; we can just scatter the new seeds and start planting!"

Hearing Old Luka talk so excitedly, Chu Guang’s face also showed a happy expression.

"That’s great!"

The variety of vegetables is wide, mainly consisting of fast-maturing leafy greens like cabbage and baby bok choy, typically ready for harvest within 20 to 30 days.

The only downside is that these vegetables don’t last long in storage; they’re primarily used to improve our meals.

But those potatoes are incredibly useful; not only are they nutritious and can substitute for grain, but they also yield well.

Although they planted an early-maturing variety that matures in 60 days, and it was just the end of January when they planted it, each mu still produced about two to three thousand kilograms of potatoes.

Adding that up for the 5000 mu, that’s at least 5000 tons of potatoes!

Those 5000 tons of potatoes could be said to have resolved the immediate crisis for the New Alliance.

Players eat a lot, and the awakened strength-type livestock even more so; a single meal for them could equal the intake of three or four adult residents, and could even stretch to five if they weren’t being modest.

With these 5000 tons of potatoes, Chu Guang no longer had to worry while looking at the grain inventory lists, whether his players were steaming, frying, or inventing new ways to prepare them.

The only problem with potatoes is their high water content—about 70% water—making them difficult to store in large quantities for long periods unless they’re dehydrated or turned into powder.

But then, they wouldn’t be suitable for seeds.

Plus, the continuous cropping debuff makes few countries consider it as a main staple.

However, in times of food scarcity, relying on potatoes for emergency relief is quite effective.

Using high-yield potatoes and short-cycle vegetables to meet the nutritional needs of the New Alliance residents in spring and summer, and holding off until the main crops like wheat, rice, and corn are harvested in July and August, was a top-priority task assigned by Chu Guang to the logistics department of the New Alliance.

Only when the grain stores of the New Alliance were fully stocked could he accommodate more NPCs and recruit more players.

Only then could they truly start to live better lives.

"... Always remember what I told you before, don’t keep planting the same crop in the same field, you can plant spring corn after potatoes, and after leafy greens, you can switch to rice; alternate between dry and wet crops."

Even though Chu Guang knew that Old Luka had written down everything he said in his notebook, he couldn’t help but remind him again.

Old Luka responded with a smile.

"Sir, rest assured, I definitely won’t forget what you’ve instructed! Actually, when I used to work at Brown Farm, after a crop cycle, we typically scattered some green barley seeds, the kind that matures in one or two months. We kept half of the harvest for ourselves to eat and the other half for feeding the livestock, and the remaining straw was burned and mixed into the soil as fertilizer."

"That should count as crop rotation too!"

Chu Guang slightly coughed and said.

"Green barley... let’s not plant that on a large scale anymore. Although it grows fast, its yield is too low and it affects the production of wheat fields, which only harms us at this stage with no visible benefits."

The most crucial point was that it tasted bad.

No matter how long you boiled it, you couldn’t get rid of the taste of oxalic acid, and the pancakes made from it were dry and crumbly. Chu Guang always suspected that it reacted with the alkali used to leaven the dough, resulting in the formation of calcium salts or something else.

Since they had enough arable land, Chu Guang would prefer his residents and players to eat better.

As for green barley and other Wasteland crops like goat horn potatoes, they were good for aiding refugees, supplying POW camps, and feeding livestock in the tribes’ pastures.

He had heard from the Frost Spear Tribe that double-headed cows fed with green barley not only grew meat faster but also produced more milk than those fed on grass.

Growing a little in the pastures was still acceptable.

Old Luka nodded earnestly.

"I’ll remember."

After not disturbing Old Luka’s work and letting him go about his business, Chu Guang took a walk around the edge of the fields.

Enjoying the sight of the flourishing chive shoots, Chu Guang’s lips involuntarily curled into a smile.

This prosperous scene was eternally delightful.

If only autumn could come sooner.

By then, the scenery at Rhombus Lake’s north shore would surely be even more spectacular.

Following behind Chu Guang, Xia Yan asked curiously.

"Is this how you spend your holidays?"

Chu Guang joked with a smile.

"What holidays do I have, as if anyone takes turns with me?"

Little Fish looked at him worriedly.

"Brother Chu, you also need to rest, don’t overdo it."

Chu Guang smiled and said.

"Don’t worry, although I don’t have holidays, I’m not working 24 hours a day; I still manage to carve out time for rest and collecting materials."

However, he had been indeed very busy recently, squeezing out time to visit here amidst his packed schedule.

The day for the northern expedition was getting closer.

On one hand, he needed to discuss and develop specific attack plans with the staff, and on the other hand, he had to coordinate the production in the industrial zone and develop the economy of the New Alliance.

Although Xiao Qi helped him a lot, it wasn’t possible to replace him in handling everything.

Using AI to assist in management was an experience from the Human Alliance Era, but leaving decision-making entirely to AI was an unprecedented path.

Xia Yan looked at Chu Guang in amazement and didn’t speak.

Seeing Xia Yan fix her gaze on his face without moving, Chu Guang subconsciously touched the tip of his nose.

"Is there something on my face?"

Xia Yan shook her head.

"No, I just found it a bit surprising... How long are we going to stay here?"

Guessing that she wasn’t interested in farming, Chu Guang said with a smile.

"Stopping here was just on the way... Let’s go; I’m planning to show you something interesting on North Street of Changjiu Farm."

"Speaking of which, it has developed into a place bigger than the market at the north gate of our base. Let’s go browse around there."

Upon hearing about shopping, Xia Yan immediately perked up, and all signs of fatigue vanished.

"I need to buy clothes!"

"Buy them!"

Chu Guang laughed.

"Anyway, I gave you all my salary."

"Don’t ask me how you want to spend it."

"...Our town to the south, Far Creek Town, discovered a copper mine? And it’s a huge vein with a million-ton capacity?"

In the department store center of Qingstone County.

Lion Tooth, slouching in his chair, had an expression of surprise instantly spread across his stark features as he listened to the report from his subordinate.

A copper mine?

Far Creek Town?

Is that even possible?

"Are you sure the information is accurate?"

Last year during the heavy snow, he stayed in Far Creek Town for several months and didn’t find any copper mine. How could those fellows in Blue Jackets discover it just by passing through?

That’s too coincidental!

Of course, it could also be that his subordinates lacked the necessary discernment.

As the boss, he was well aware of how foolish his men could be.

The Looter kneeling on one knee at the bottom of the stairs hesitated for a moment before saying,

"I’m not sure... but I heard that the whole City of Dawn is talking about it, and it has even spread to Red River Town."

Hearing this, Lion Tooth’s expression became unsettled.

A copper mine.

That was a copper mine.

Even if he was naive, he knew that copper bullets worked better than iron bullets, whether for bolt-action rifles or automatic rifles.

And most critically, copper smelting was much easier than steel smelting.

The Chewing Bone Tribe had always been distressed by their inability to scale up steel production, even though they had taken over a large quantity of military hardware. Relying on others’ leftovers was definitely not sustainable.

They had enough equipment for now, but they should at least be making their own bullets, right?

In fact, the Chewing Bone Tribe had tried to address their supply issues, but unfortunately, there were too few educated people in the tribe.

Even though some capable Looters, Corrupted Mercenaries, and Bounty Hunters had joined them from neighboring provinces, developing industry wasn’t something you could solve with just a few people and some blueprints.

Technology required educated individuals, and industrialization was based on such people, which, ironically, conflicted with the Chewing Bone Tribe’s "organizational philosophy."

They aimed to establish a nation of Looters, not a civilized nation, and other Looters joined them with exactly this intent.

For this reason,

Whether it was the Ya Clan, the Snake Clan, or other clans, their industrial development was notably malformed.

They managed factories the way they managed slaves—using large furnaces for steelmaking on one hand and primitive forging techniques on anvils on the other, trying to compensate for quality with sheer quantity.

Lion Tooth didn’t care to ponder how bullets were made, but he knew the tribe needed copper.

A one-million-ton copper mine, and discovered so swiftly, suggested that the mining difficulty wouldn’t be too high.

At this thought, a hint of greed glimmered in Lion Tooth’s eyes.

The Looters had a rule about spoils of war: whoever conquered, owned. If he could seize that southern copper mine, his deed would not only elevate him to Ten Thousand Leader but also earn him his own clan banner.

Noticing the greed in Lion Tooth’s eyes, Bernie, the advisor standing by, frowned and whispered a warning,

"This could well be a trap."

Lion Tooth furrowed his brows.

"A trap?"

Bernie nodded.

"It’s possible... Those Blue Jackets might be deliberately spreading this news to lure us out of Qingstone County."

Lion Tooth chuckled.

"Those Blue Jackets? Even if they lure us out, what can they do?"

Bernie shook his head.

"Clearly, they are not the same as they were a few months ago. Didn’t those wizards from Death Coast tell you? They even have airplanes now."

Pausing, he continued earnestly,

"A few months ago, without those resources, they managed to rout the Black Snake, who were far better equipped. It would be wise for us to exercise caution."

Hearing this, Lion Tooth calmed down.

Though greedy, he wasn’t foolish.

The Black Snake’s gear was far superior, even possessing a powerful tank, but they still hadn’t managed to dislodge the thorn on the north side of Clear Spring City.

Still, he thought,

It was a copper mine!

Seeing that Lion Tooth still couldn’t let go of the copper mine, Bernie said sternly,

"Our immediate priority should be to verify the accuracy of this intel. I suggest we dispatch a scouting party to investigate."

"No matter what, we need to first confirm its existence and location before making further plans."

"That makes sense! We need to clear up the situation first!"

Nodding in agreement, Lion Tooth glanced at his subordinates, then casually pointed to a burly man with a broad face to his left.

"Tonglou, your name has ’copper’ in it, so you should know about this stuff. Take a team there to check it out and report back to me immediately with any findings!"

The man named Tonglou was taken aback, his face filled with confusion.

His name might contain ’copper,’ but he knew nothing about copper mines.

What did a copper mine even look like?

However, this was a direct order from the Ten Thousand Leader, so he dared not ask or say more, hurriedly lowering his head and responding,

"Yes, sir!"