This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 366 After all, it’s something from Ideal City, expensive also has its reasons

Chapter 366: Chapter 366 After all, it’s something from Ideal City, expensive also has its reasons

[7. Fixed minor bugs...]

Finished reading the update announcement.

Ye Wei roughly distilled the contents of the announcement. Put simply, even more bionic prosthetics have gone live.

Some imported from Giant Stone City.

And some from Ideal City.

On top of that, they’ve rolled out a new, higher-ranking "Apprentice Knight" title.

Given Ah Guang’s ways, one didn’t even need to think about it; he’d definitely come up with "Intermediate Knight," "Senior Knight" in the near future.

Is this trying to emulate the Iron Brothers Association or what?

But honestly, titles like that don’t really matter—they’re just like Penguin’s membership ranks, merely eye-catchers.

Even if you get a "Duke" or "Emperor" title in the game, what of it?

You’re not actually an emperor.

The key is what kind of perks Ah Guang gives.

"1000 square meters of land and the rights to purchase power armor... Holy shit!"

"When did Dog Guang become so generous!?"

After reading the benefits of the new Contribution Levels, Ye Wei, sitting in front of the computer, was completely stunned.

He was so eager to stand up on the spot, roll back to his bedroom, put on his helmet, and take a look at the power armor updated in the NPC shop.

However, seeing the requirement of one hundred thousand Contribution Points, he felt deflated and leaned back in his computer chair.

A hundred thousand...

That’s double the threshold of being an "Intermediate Citizen!"

How long would he need to grind for that?

Ye Wei remembered his Contribution Points were about 80k, which was already among the top in the entire game. Old White might be slightly higher than him, but not by much.

This meant that if he wanted to reach the knight title threshold, he’d essentially have to grind out two more Intermediate Citizens (10k Contribution Points).

[On my knees begging Brother Guang to implement a feature to exchange silver coins for Contribution Points! QAQ]

Although he knew such a balance-breaking feature would never appear in Wasteland OL, Ye Wei still typed out these words and posted them in the comments section beneath the update announcement.

To his surprise, it instantly received a hundred likes.

Ye Wei was shocked.

Well, damn.

Complaining is one thing.

But do you all have that many silver coins too?

At that moment, from the living room outside his study, a shouting voice drifted in.

"Big bro, it’s lunchtime! Time to order takeout!"

"Right away, right away."

"What are you watching?"

Quietly slipping into the study and walking up behind big brother, Ye Jiu curiously leaned in to look at the screen but didn’t see anything she shouldn’t have.

It seemed to be just an ordinary webpage.

"They just updated to Beta 0.3 version... Don’t you follow the forum?" Ye Wei said casually.

"What’s there to follow about that?" Ye Jiu wondered.

"...Nevermind, it’s better you don’t."

Although he wanted to say that the forum is where the real Wasteland OL is at, thinking of the weird and bizarre chat content, he suddenly felt it was good that his little sister had no interest in that forum.

"Big bro."

"What?"

"Why can’t we log in during the day?" Suddenly talking about the game, Ye Jiu, who had finally resolved not to think about in-game matters, felt her cravings piqued again and spoke in a pitiful tone.

"Because game characters also need to sleep."

That setting wasn’t problematic.

Though already an adult, Ye Wei also felt that limiting the online time wasn’t a bad thing. After all, if everyone could stay online 24/7, the game would turn into a contest between grinders.

"Damn it..."

Ye Wei gave his sister a puzzled look.

"Since when do you not play games?"

Ye Jiu blinked.

"Huh? Did I ever say that?"

Looking at his feigning-ignorance sister, Ye Wei rolled his eyes.

"...Right, you never said that."

At this point, he didn’t feel like arguing with his little sister; all he wanted to do was wait for Brother Fang Chang’s breakdown of the update.

Come to think of it, Fang Chang has been all mysterious recently, only going online in the afternoon. It’s unknown what he’s up to in the game.

Ye Wei picked up his mobile phone to check the beef and horse group chat.

Just in time.

He had just clicked in, and Fang Chang’s messages popped up, two in a row.

"Beta 0.3 version is out! Just saw the update!"

"Holy shit! Power armor! Brother Guang is awesome!"

Ye Wei wasn’t the only one squatting in the group chat.

However, it seems the group’s focal point was not on the game.

Wild Wind: "Twelve o’clock."

Quit smoking: "Wasn’t it eleven-thirty yesterday?"

Old White: "Surprising, usually this guy is the first to show up when the version updates, but today he ended up being the last to know. (smirk)"

Killer Dagger: "Brother Fang Chang, how is the situation on the Zhiyuan Star battlefront?"

WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "When are you planning to get married? (joking)"

All the Good Names Are Taken by Dogs: "Have you thought of a name for the kid yet? (joking)"

Fang Chang: "???"

"Scram! I’m just doing quests in Giant Stone City, what the heck are all of you thinking?"

That makes sense for doing quests.

Ye Wei had a look of an auntie’s amused smile on his face and sent over a joking emoticon.

"I almost believed you!"

Fang Chang didn’t seem to want to dwell on this topic and quickly switched the subject.

"I just took a glance at the posts on the Forum... let’s just get to the conclusion, the focus of this update seems to be on the interaction between the Alliance and various factions."

Quit Smoking: "Interaction?"

Tomatoes and Eggs: "Is this interaction you’re speaking of serious? (smirking)"

WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "In-depth? (joking)"

Fang Chang: "Roll, roll, roll, you dirty old perverts! I’m talking about serious stuff, and your minds are in the gutter! Anyway, after the ’Northern Expedition’ ended and the main threats in the region were cleared, it’s unlikely the Alliance will engage in external military actions for a while. The mainstream gameplay will shift to life-profession players and trade competition."

Old White: "Are combat professional players once again the unlucky ones in this version? (curious)"

Fang Chang: "Not exactly, while combat professional players might have moved away from the center stage, they’ve still gotten quite a boost in the new version. The NPC shops have not only released a wide range of bionic limb equipment, but they’ve also put power armor on the shelves."

"And correspondingly, there are more dangerous new maps. For example, the city center area we explored before, where the evolutionary bodies are hard to defeat relying solely on Awakeners’ powers. But if you pair up with bionic limbs and high-level exoskeleton equipment, the situation is completely different."

"However, compared to the previous version’s large-scale group battles, the new version might emphasize more on squad cooperation and individual adventures. This could be challenging for players who overly rely on gear and don’t pay attention to leveling up regularly; they will need some time to adjust to the new version."

"Right now, I’m about 20,000 Contribution Points shy of the 100,000 mark. My advice is to take on high-contribution quests to quickly pump up your Contribution Level to Apprentice Knight. Reaching the Contribution Level just satisfies the purchase requirement; whether the store has stock is another matter."

"Don’t forget the Type Five Exoskeleton; plenty of players meet the purchase criteria, but can’t buy it due to lack of stock in the store..."

As his fingers tapped the screen, Fang Chang, lying on his bed, was mapping out his thoughts on the new version and typing them into his mobile phone.

He penned a good one or two thousand words.

Seeing that the attention of the group chat had finally shifted from himself to the new version, Fang Chang heaved a sigh of relief and tossed the phone aside.

Every time he logged off, it took him a few minutes to adjust to the differences between offline and online.

Especially recently.

The "withdrawal symptoms" seemed to worsen.

His gaze unconsciously fell on the helmet on the nightstand, and a strange thought suddenly sprung up in Fang Chang’s mind.

If only the operator with the name he didn’t know would be willing to disassemble the in-game AI and sell it separately.

That might be even more popular than the game...

"Bionic companion, huh?"

"Even though it’s kind of lame in the game, in real life... it would be nice to actually buy a robot that takes care of your daily life."

Not only could it help with household chores, but it would also be pleasant to look at.

But he probably wouldn’t see it in his lifetime.

Grinning and shaking his head, Fang Chang cast aside these impractical thoughts and decided to forget about the game for a while.

Sitting up from the bed, he glanced at the midday sunlight outside the window and muttered softly.

"Dawn breaks at around six in the evening over in the Wasteland."

"Better go out for a walk..."

...

In the world of Wasteland, on Floor B4 of the Shelter.

Chu Guang, sitting in front of the computer, browsed the comments players left on the update section, his face adorned with a gleeful smile.

Many players showed great interest in the prosthetic modification function introduced in the new version.

Some planned to get themselves a Mantis Knife, others intended to install a grenade launcher on their arm, and there were those who wanted to attach rocket pods to their shoulders.

It had to be said that these players’ imaginations were extraordinary, though it might cost them quite a few Resurrection Coins.

Besides, there were some less decent ideas that Chu Guang saw but chose to ignore selectively.

At that moment, a communication request suddenly flashed on his VM.

Seeing that the call was from Boss Xia, Chu Guang reached out and pressed the answer button, and her fiery red hair soon appeared on the screen.

Different from her usual mercenary attire, Xia Yan now wore a breezy T-shirt and was sprawled on a soft duvet.

VM itself didn’t have a video call feature; it required an external device, so the camera must have been placed near the pillow.

Because it was her first time using this feature, Xia Yan wasn’t very proficient, her face too close to the camera and almost filling the entire screen.

"Are you trying to show me your nostrils?" Chu Guang joked while capturing a screenshot, planning to tease her with it later.

Xia Yan blushed and immediately moved further away from the camera.

After she repositioned her face from in front of the camera, Chu Guang finally got a clear view of her living quarters.

The video showed a double dorm room, about twenty square meters in size—neither big nor small—with a compact layout and even an independent bathroom.

Clothes belonging to Little Fish hung on the clothes rack; the two must be roommates.

Clearly, this wasn’t one of the New Alliance’s production of those container-style houses. Chu Guang guessed it was likely Shelter 101’s own barracks.

Seeing this, Chu Guang felt somewhat relieved.

It seemed that the annual fee of ten thousand was not spent in vain, and his support for them wasn’t for nothing.

"How do you like the new environment? Are you getting used to the life there?"

"It’s okay, I guess. It can’t compare to life inside the Shelter, but it’s not too bad. I’m not picky about where I live, but the food seems so scarce... It’s much quieter than City of Dawn."

Looking at Xia Yan’s sullen expression, Chu Guang couldn’t help but laugh.

"It will get better. We’ll open a few shops at Camp 101 after a while, and then you’ll have a proper place to spend your living allowance."

"Really?" Xia Yan’s eyes lit up, and she swallowed eagerly, asking excitedly, "Can you bring the barbecue stand over too?"

"We will have one... but don’t just think about eating. You’re not there for a field cookout," Chu Guang said, laughing, "By the way, what courses did you choose?"

"Mechanical Engineering!" Xia Yan said proudly, perking up her lips while lying in front of the pillow, "I’m best at modifying machinery. I’m planning to pursue that path!"

"Can you understand it?" Chu Guang asked curiously.

"Classes don’t start until tomorrow! I just picked up a textbook today... But to be honest, those things look really tough; I stared at them for a long time and still didn’t get it," Xia Yan said, a hint of vexation crossing her face.

Despite her resolve to become stronger, she lacked confidence, uncertain that she could master all the complex matters at hand.

After all, she had neither the talent of Little Fish, nor the advantage of youth. Her proficiency was due to her early exposure to firearms and various mechanical components.

However, in the face of higher education, her practical skills and experience hardly counted for anything.

"...There’s definitely a difference between professional knowledge and experience gleaned from practice. Struggling is normal, but I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it."

"You speak as if you know what you’re talking about," Xia Yan rolled her eyes, unable to help herself, yet the trustful look and encouraging words still warmed her heart.

"If I understood this stuff, would I need you to learn it?" Chu Guang said with a smile. "By the way, where’s Little Fish? How come I haven’t seen her?"

"She’s asleep already. That little girl was muttering about you just now, wanted to call you, but was afraid of interrupting your work," Xia Yan said in a bantering tone.

"Then why didn’t you turn off the light?"

Chu Guang’s voice was involuntarily softer, but he quickly noticed that she was wearing headphones.

"It’s fine. We’re used to sleeping with the light on in the shelter," Xia Yan said nonchalantly.

"..."

This person really acts as if electricity is free.

But considering the power consumption of the cultivation chamber, Chu Guang didn’t care about the energy use that much anymore.

Seeing that Chu Guang wasn’t responding, Xia Yan continued.

"She’s chosen math and economic management, both subjects seem quite unpopular. Pai’s master plans to teach her personally."

At this point, Xia Yan suddenly remembered something.

"Oh right, I almost forgot, Pai had a piece of good news for you."

Chu Guang immediately perked up upon hearing this.

"There’s a result regarding the VM matter?"

Xia Yan nodded.

"Yeah, the manager of Shelter No. 404 agreed quite readily, but he did put forward a condition."

Chu Guang immediately asked.

"What condition?"

Xia Yan said.

"The person wants to meet you."

...

At the entrance to Shelter No. 404.

The barracks once situated here were now reduced to a handful.

Apart from the production and research facilities, which still needed a bit more time to be moved, most people couldn’t wait to return to the surface.

As the manager of the archive, Aven would likely be the last to leave.

Before returning to the surface, he had to organize the materials in the archive meticulously, ensuring that there wouldn’t be chaos in the new location.

Luckily, he had recently taken on an apprentice, which should lighten his workload considerably.

Of course, before that, there was another pressing matter...

Inside the archive.

The gray-haired old man sat quietly at his desk, leafing through the "Observation Diary" written by his apprentice.

Due to the abundance of abstract sketches mixed in, understanding it fully required some time.

Seemingly aware of this, Pai, standing nearby, wasn’t idle; she animatedly described her observations in the City of Dawn.

Including how its people transformed trash into steel, whittled wood into furniture, and extracted fuel from plants...

After quite the monologue, she made her final summary.

"In short, although it’s quite backward, it’s an interesting place! Unlike other Waste Land Wanderers, they don’t just adapt to the Wasteland; they’re also transforming the land beneath their feet!"

"I heard that a year ago it was a barren wasteland, but now it has endless fields and even a huge train station and trains... Little Fish showed me photos from before, it’s just unbelievable!"

Watching her apprentice gesticulate, Aven teased with a smile.

"Have you been bought over by a bowl of shaved ice?"

"No way! But but, the shaved ice with syrup is super delicious! It’s an amazing taste! And it’s not just the shaved ice, there are so many things I’ve never seen before!" Pai explained, eyes sparkling.

Still at the age where pleasure-seeking prevails.

But it’s precisely because of this that through her perspective, Aven also managed to see things that ordinary people might not notice.

Perhaps this was also why the forerunners intended to send her there.

Aven smiled, putting down the rather incomprehensible "Observation Diary."

"Is that so? I guess I’ll try it sometime."

"Sure! I’ll take you there!" Pai said excitedly, already looking forward to sharing her treasure trove of discoveries with her master.

"In a little while, I need to finish my work first..."

He paused, then continued, "Could you tell me about their manager? What kind of person is he?"

"Um..."

Upon hearing this question, Pai touched her chin, pondering as if struggling to describe.

Just then, her eyes lit up and she began to speak.

"It’s hard to sum up in a few words... but I think he’s very approachable."

"Approachable?"

"Yeah!" Pai nodded, cheerfully adding, "Even though he’s a manager, he’s completely different from our managers... How do I put it? He doesn’t have that distant vibe."

That distant vibe...

Aven paused slightly, his face then adopting a contemplative expression.

Although the description was abstract, he understood what his student meant.

The people of Sanctuary B4 Layer often called themselves "Tutors," yet the residents of Camp No. 101 seldom referred to themselves as students. Instead, they were more content to be known as "those under protection," regarding the denizens of Shelter No. 404 as "forerunners" and "masters," among other titles.

The emotions this connoted were not merely gratitude for enlightenment and protection, but also a sort of reverence.

It wasn’t just an adoration for knowledge, but also a worship of status and the like...

This reverence, almost religious in nature, inevitably created a sense of distance.

Even though he could feel the forerunners were trying hard to avoid this, and even though he recognized the problem, he still couldn’t escape from convention.

"...No wonder the Forerunner wanted to talk to him," Aven murmured softly.

He suddenly became increasingly curious about that man.

He’d pay him a visit some other day.

...

The following day.

After returning from Giant Stone City, Luka gave his inauguration speech at Changjiu Farm, swearing loyalty to the Alliance and officially taking on the role of mayor of Dawn City.

For the residents of Dawn City, this wasn’t something extraordinary; they had been familiar with Old Luka for a long time.

However, for the merchants and mercenaries who had come from other places, this was indeed big news.

After all, Old Luka’s background was no secret; many had heard that he used to be a serf at the Brown Farm.

That evening.

In a tavern on North Street.

A group of merchants from Giant Stone City, gathered around a wooden table, drank and animatedly discussed the day’s events.

"I heard the new mayor of Dawn City used to be a serf."

"A serf? Can he manage such a large settlement?"

"Who knows? But I’m not optimistic about him. What does a farmer know? Can he even make sense of the ledgers?"

"But after all, he was appointed by those Blue Jackets... those smart people surely wouldn’t make a mistake, would they?"

"Ha! Smart people? Would smart people end up as Ground Squirrels? Look at the mess they’ve made here; don’t think too highly of them. They’re just a bunch of cowards hiding in burrows," a bearded merchant belched as he spoke.

"Shh... keep it down, this isn’t Giant Stone City."

Noticing the unfriendly glances from around, the young merchant sitting beside him quickly pulled his drunk companion back, signaling him to shut his mouth.

They were here for business, not trouble.

In the corner of the tavern, Sun Shiqi listened to the group’s discussions with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Seeing the expression on his face, Zhou Nan, sitting across from him, could not help but say with a smile,

"Haven’t you heard about this?"

"Uh... I just got back from the south," Sun Shiqi nodded.

Half a month ago, he had taken a truckload of military hardware, which he’d bought cheap, to Brocade River Province and traded with the farm owners there for a hundred tons of grain, arriving in Dawn City only this afternoon, just missing the mayor’s inaugural speech.

However, he did know about Luka.

It seemed that, a long time ago, the old man had been working for the manager of Shelter No. 404.

First as a warehouse manager, then as the operator of Changjiu Farm, and he seemed to have been responsible for the reorganization of Brown Farm as well; his resume was without issue.

What he hadn’t expected was that the manager would have the audacity to actually place a man who had once been a serf, a "lower-class person," in the position of mayor.

And the mayor of the capital of the New Alliance, no less—Dawn City.

He himself had no prejudices; in fact, he somewhat admired the decision, given he was also a survivor from humble beginnings, who last autumn was still trading in junk.

Even if it was just for show, they certainly did it well.

At least better than the mine owner and the Business Association chairmen who ran the Red River Alliance.

Watching the merchants from Giant Stone City pay their bill and leave, Sun Shiqi suddenly thought of something and spoke up.

"By the way, it seems like there have been a lot of merchants coming here from Giant Stone City recently."

Not just here.

He had seen many at the trading posts as well.

While merchants from Giant Stone City had visited in the past, they weren’t as common as they were now, where you could find those snooty folks sitting in just about any tavern, their nostrils flared as if they owned the sky.

"Because of those two-hundred-million Silver coins of loan," Zhou Nan said with a smile, "you probably haven’t heard... A few days ago, Giant Stone City Bank loaned the New Alliance a large sum of money, as compensation for the Alliance giving up the airspace over Qingquan City."

He had heard there was more to it.

But that’s all he knew.

"Two hundred million?!" Sun Shiqi’s eyes widened in shock, "Has Giant Stone City Bank gone mad?"

"I don’t know about mad, but that’s the reality," taking a swig of cold beer, Zhou Nan said with a teasing tone, "Yesterday, Haus from ’Voice of Giant Stone City’ was mocking on the broadcast, saying that now the entire Industrial sector of Giant Stone City is serving Dawn City, willingly becoming servants to a bunch of country bumpkins... Although they look down on their poor neighbors from the ’North Suburb,’ their actions are quite submissive."

Sun Shiqi couldn’t help but laugh.

"Understandable—who would fight Silver coins?"

Zhou Nan said with a nostalgic expression.

"Exactly... The market here is unimaginably broad, especially since people from corporations have started coming here recently. Although I don’t know what they plan to do, the goods they bring from Ideal City have turned the nobles of the Inner City green with envy."

At these words, Sun Shiqi couldn’t help but be intrigued.

"Do you have a way to get your hands on those things?"

Regrettably, Zhou Nan shook his head.

"I wish I had that connection. I’ve tried, but those corporate people simply won’t do business with us... and who knows what kind of perks those Blue Jackets have given them, the goods they’re bringing are completely monopolized by the sanctuary."

"Can we buy from the sanctuary then?" Sun Shiqi quickly asked.

"You can, but it won’t be cheap," Zhou Nan nodded, "What I’ve gathered is that a Bionic Kidney costs 600,000 Silver coins."

"600,000 Silver coins?!" Sun Shiqi’s eyes widened in shock once more, "Are they mad?!"

"After all, it’s something from Ideal City, it makes sense that it’s expensive. Think about the Inner City nobles flush with chips and nowhere to spend them—you won’t find it pricey then. A perfect liver and kidney could give you twenty more years of life, and you wouldn’t have to worry about alcohol and debauchery draining your health... I’m considering getting one for myself as well." As he said this, Zhou Nan’s face was filled with envy.

A single trade could bring in profits well over double.

Such business was just too good!

"...What I’d really like to know is what the corporations are actually getting from the New Alliance." Sun Shiqi’s face was also filled with envy, but even more so with curiosity.

Even with the "friendly cooperation partner" label, those coming from corporations seemed a bit too generous towards the New Alliance.

Zhou Nan just shrugged his shoulders.

"Who knows? Maybe it’s some incredible weapons or a Black Box worth a fortune?"

"I’m not imaginative enough; that’s all I can think of."