This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 515: Do I Still Have to Pay for Fixing the Water Pipe?

Chapter 515: Chapter 515: Do I Still Have to Pay for Fixing the Water Pipe?

The celebration lasted until late into the night.

On the last night in the Great Desert, if Chu Guang had not cleverly set up a limited-time opening event on the official website, those rowdy players would have wished to party in the Game world until dawn.

These guys really wanted to live in the "Game world"...

The next day, Chu Guang got up early.

Yawning as he pushed aside the door curtain, he had just stepped out of the tent when he saw Lama standing at the entrance, wearing a Type Ten "Oath" exoskeleton.

This exoskeleton, captured from the hands of the Enlightenment Society, was a standard issue for the Human Alliance Army, emphasizing protection against rifle bullets and explosive fragments more than the police model Type Five "Light Cavalry."

After the Alliance had repaired it and applied a new coat of cement-gray paint and enemy-ally identification markers, it was considered Alliance equipment.

In order to familiarize herself with the use of the exoskeleton as quickly as possible, she had hardly taken it off since receiving it, even sleeping in it.

Seeing Chu Guang emerging from the tent, Lu Bei, who was standing guard at the entrance, immediately stepped forward to salute him and reported,

"Sir, she has been standing here since dawn."

Chu Guang nodded and looked at Lama at the entrance, speaking in a gentle tone,

"Is there something you need?"

Imitating Lu Bei’s motion, Lama placed her right fist on her chest, bowed her head respectfully, and said,

"You mentioned last night that you would arrange my future work this morning."

It did seem like that had been discussed.

Chu Guang had planned to ask Captain Adria what he wanted last night, but considering that the man with the large nose was probably not awake yet, he turned to Lama and said,

"Since you have already put on this armor, I assume you are prepared. I will not waste words."

After a pause, Chu Guang continued,

"Come with me, I want to introduce you to someone."

"Who?"

"Your future partner."

Partner?

Lama was stunned, but seeing Chu Guang already walking past her toward the other side of the camp, she quickly followed.

They arrived in front of a tent.

Just then, the tent’s curtain was lifted, and Lama’s eyes were met with a fair, beautiful face.

It was a dignified woman with light golden hair tied up in a high ponytail with a simple headband.

At first sight, Lama thought this woman seemed like she belonged to a completely different world than her own.

Even though she was only dressed in a simple jacket and dirt-resistant cowboy jeans, it was hard to conceal her innate elegance.

A distant concept surfaced in Lama’s mind; the woman seemed like a daughter of a wealthy landlord, yet not quite so.

"Respected Manager, good morning," said Teresa, her face showing a hint of surprise as she greeted the Manager with a small bow.

"Good morning to you too."

After a brief greeting, Chu Guang looked at Lama and introduced, "This is the girl I mentioned to you over the phone."

Hearing this, Teresa’s eyes lit up as she looked at the lady in the exoskeleton.

"Are you Miss Lama?"

Lama, looking embarrassed, replied,

"Yes, that’s me... may I ask who you are?"

Teresa’s lips curved into a smile, and she spoke in a pleasant voice,

"I am Teresa, a resident from the Alliance... although it might sound odd to say that now, since this place will also be one of the Alliance’s Restoration Zones from now on."

"She was once one of the queens of Falcon Kingdom, but now she has renounced that title to become a resident of the Alliance."

Seeing the puzzled look on Lama’s face, Chu Guang succinctly explained Teresa’s past, then continued,

"She initially did miscellaneous and bookkeeping work at the Home of the Refugees. After the establishment of Falling Leaves City, while accompanying the Expeditionary Army through the Lion Kingdom and arriving at Honey Badger Kingdom, she was responsible for coordinating the management of relief supplies, some post-war reconstruction efforts, and aiding local survivors."

"Based on the evaluations of her former boss, the Mayor of Falling Leaves City, Ma Ban, and her former cooperate partner, Ady Honey Badger, she has performed exceptionally well in her duties. Thus, I intend to appoint her as the mayor of Pioneer City, responsible for the administrative and management affairs of this settlement."

Like other Survivor Settlements, the first mayor of Pioneer City was still appointed by the Alliance.

Chu Guang needed someone with sufficient management and practical experience, who had specifically worked on survivor assistance and understood the principles of the Alliance.

As for her background,

this was never a concern in the Alliance.

His chief of staff had initially been a surrendered Weylent Military Officer, the mayor of City of Dawn had once been a serf, and the mayor of Dawn City had even been a refugee fleeing from war.

As for Lama, she lacked management experience and preferred to be a warrior rather than dealing with paperwork in an office.

Teresa took Lama’s hands firmly, looked intently into her sincere eyes, and said earnestly,

"I heard your story," he said, "and I was deeply moved by your dedication to stay for those who haven’t been saved yet. I also want to do something for you with my own efforts... and please, lend me your strength in the future!"

Under the fiery gaze, Lama’s expression grew increasingly embarrassed, and her voice unintentionally hesitated a bit.

"I, I actually just made up my mind to become a warrior. I might not even be proficient with guns yet, perhaps not as reliable as you might think."

"Where is that coming from?"

Teresa curled the corners of her mouth gently and spoke softly.

"Everyone starts from not knowing to knowing. What’s more crucial than the outcome are courage and determination. In my eyes, you are already the most reliable person."

"Before joining the alliance, I was merely a vase sitting in the palace until I met many people. I gradually realized that life holds many nobler pursuits beyond the parts that are well designed. Compared to me, who learned these things too late, you who dare to stand up and face the barbaric Wasteland are already very strong."

Lama’s overly tense expression relaxed slightly, and her deep-set eyes unconsciously reddened a bit.

Chu Guang looked at Teresa with a slight surprise.

It had been some time since they had last seen each other, and she had really grown a lot.

He already saw a politician’s shadow in her, only some aspects were still immature.

Pioneer City was going to be a challenge for her.

This survivor settlement didn’t have many people, but it would take in many survivors from the Great Desert in the future. There would be Waste Land Wanderers, Blue Jackets, and even Old Popsicles from two hundred years ago.

How to handle the relationships between different groups, use limited resources to meet their needs, and unite them rather than letting them be eroded by conflicts... The problems she would need to solve piled up like a mountain.

But Chu Guang still had quite a lot of confidence in her.

Disregarding her resume, she was practically a graduate from his tutelage by having cleared the "instance" of Honey Badger City with the debuff of her lineage.

Yet every time he thought of this, Chu Guang couldn’t help but wonder.

Lu Bei, that Simpleton who had been with him for so long, and was so close, should have gained some insight by now, yet he remained the same.

Other than worshiping him more than before, this young fellow hadn’t changed at all.

Chu Guang didn’t dislike this loyal young man; loyalty was a priceless virtue. Unfortunately, there was still a long way to go before he could become a pillar able to hold his own.

Originally, Chu Guang wanted to send him out to be the commander of the Third Army of the Alliance, but it seemed now that the Guards Corps suited him better.

Withdrawing his gaze from Teresa, Chu Guang looked towards Lama.

"I said, today I will assign you specific duties."

"The alliance plans to establish a new army corps. This corps will mainly engage in search and reconnaissance missions, specialized in combative operations, and will be stationed for long periods around the Great Desert, using Pioneer City as a base for operations."

"The commander of this corps will be you. Your tasks will include not only searching ruins for survivors and eradicating Mutant tribes but also recruiting reliable comrades from those who are saved and teaching them how to use weapons, encouraging them to join your cause."

Pausing for a moment, Chu Guang continued to speak.

"Just as Teresa said, being unskilled has never been an issue here. Everyone starts from not knowing... I hope that by this time next year, I can see an excellent corps commander and a group of experienced warriors."

Lifting his right fist to his chest, Lama solemnly said,

"I will not let you down!"

Chu Guang smiled, nodded approvingly at this brave girl, then turned his gaze toward the tents of the distant survivors.

"These people chose to stay with you."

"Just don’t let them down."

...

Regarding the name of this newly established corps, Chu Guang originally planned to seek Lama’s opinion, but she looked utterly clueless and couldn’t decide.

In the end, the troublesome task of naming was thrown back to Chu Guang.

With no good ideas and not wishing to waste time on trivial matters, he simply started a poll on the Forum to collect players’ suggestions.

Surprisingly, what Chu Guang found bothersome, players engaged with enthusiastically, offering all sorts of advice.

However, the names were diverse and bizarre.

Names like "Eleventh Interstellar Warrior Corps" and "Combat Nun Sect" popped up... What did these guys think the alliance was?

Eventually, Chu Guang picked a decent and memorable name following the simplicity of other corps’ names in the alliance.

"...How about ’Thorns Corps’?"

Thorns Corps...

Muttering the name to herself, Lama suddenly seemed to receive some inexplicable inspiration or call.

She placed her right fist against her chest and said solemnly,

"Thank you, Manager, for the name."

She seemed quite pleased with the name.

Chu Guang nodded and cheerfully said,

"Then it’s decided."

Just like that, the Thorns Corps was established.

From the wilderness, they would select like-minded partners from the saved survivors.

Of course, like other NPC legions, the Thorn Corps also welcomed players interested in the Great Desert to join them.

Soon after Chu Guang had delegated the specific tasks of the Thorn Corps to Lama, Captain Adria finally woke up from his deep sleep.

Rubbing his painfully throbbing head, Adria grabbed his personal guard, spewing saliva as he spoke.

"...Where’s Chu Guang, the Alliance’s Manager...? Go call him here, tell him I have important matters to discuss with him!"

Looking at his still tipsy superior, the guard said with a smile yet not quite smiling.

"Sir, the Alliance’s airship is about to weigh anchor, I saw their Manager by the suspension capsule... If you sleep any longer, chances are you might miss him."

Hearing this, Adria immediately sobered up.

"Weigh anchor?"

The personal guard nodded.

"Mm... I heard they plan to return to River Valley Province."

"Quick, take me there!"

Watching Adria flip out of bed, the personal guard paused for two seconds, then hurriedly responded.

"Yes, sir!"

Without bothering to wash up, Adria threw on his jacket and rushed out the door, managing to catch Chu Guang just before the Steel Heart was about to raise its anchor chain.

The guy had drunk quite a bit the previous night and was emitting a strong smell of alcohol, causing Chu Guang to withdraw a step with a frown.

It’s noteworthy how bold this guy was, indulging in drunken stupor in enemy camp not even half a month after the ceasefire agreement had been signed.

He had been so busy explaining the work of the new settlement and the legion that he had almost forgotten this fellow.

"Burp—Thank you for your hospitality," rubbing his swollen eyes, Adria managed to muster some spirit and, trying to appear less disheveled, cleared his throat forcefully, "Next time, I’ll treat you to a couple of drinks."

Looking at his drunken demeanor, Chu Guang teased him.

"You’re welcome, you can stay here tonight if you don’t feel too embarrassed."

Nevertheless, feeling somewhat embarrassed, Adria cleared his throat and continued, "I have a proposal."

Chu Guang: "Go ahead."

Adria spoke rapidly.

"Your camp is so big, and now that a group has left, all those barracks are empty anyway, how about lending us a few?"

Before, the Alliance’s soldiers had been expanding the camp, and many barracks were built and then left unattended. Not to mention the facilities were anything but comprehensive, but they at least had water and electricity, which surely were more comfortable than the shabby tents they had on the airship.

It was November now, and the northern hemisphere had already entered winter. Even though it was a mild winter by tradition, it would still start to snow by December at the latest.

Especially considering the specific heat capacity of sand, the nighttime temperatures in the Great Desert would drop to below minus ten degrees Celsius. Staying in those linen tents might very well freeze someone to death...

Looking at the awkward-faced Captain Adria, Chu Guang did not make it hard on him and casually asked.

"How many do you need?"

"One hundred rooms..."

Seeing Chu Guang’s expression turning odd, Adria hurriedly added, "Of course, I won’t be using your rooms for free... I’ll pay! How about in dinars?"

Watching Adria scrambling to explain, Chu Guang couldn’t help but chuckle.

If it were any usual wasteland wanderer, or a slightly smaller survivor settlement, these guys with prominent noses would probably have already resorted to plundering, not negotiating payment.

This bargaining behavior really wasn’t typical of those haughty military officers.

"Pay? What use do I have for dinars?"

Watching Adria still trying to argue, an idea suddenly struck Chu Guang, and he added, "Let your governor speak to me, you’re not making it clear."

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Adria, whose spirits had just hit rock bottom, suddenly cheered up and immediately said.

"Okay! Wait for me!"

"You better hurry," Chu Guang glanced at the VM for the time, briefly saying, "We plan to leave at noon."

...

Not waiting any longer at the Alliance’s camp, Captain Adria immediately returned to the Adjudicator airship camp and contacted Governor Cohen, who had just woken up from a 100-square-meter luxurious bedroom, reporting the difficulties he and other officers were facing.

In simple terms, the Adjudicator’s malfunction was serious, and fixing it thoroughly would take a significant amount of time. If nothing went wrong, over a thousand people would have to spend winter in the Great Desert.

Although food and drink could be transported from Falcon Kingdom, security remained an insoluble issue.

Especially since the Enlightenment Society was lurking menacingly in the shadows, no one could guarantee that those rats in the sewer wouldn’t strike back.

After listening to Captain Adria’s predicament, Cohen had no choice but to toughen up and sent a communication request to Chu Guang, expressing his hope to rent some barracks in the camp to accommodate the stranded Weilante People.

However, after hearing Chu Guang’s offer, Cohen couldn’t help but burst out.

"One hundred silver coins a day for a room?! Are you mad?"

Looking at Cohen through the holographic image, Chu Guang unashamedly said,

"That’s the price throughout the City of Dawn. Of course, if you rent by the month, I can also offer you a 10% discount."

This, of course, wasn’t the price in City of Dawn.

Taking a motel in Town of Dawn as an example, the cheapest room would cost less than 10 Silver Coins a day.

However, this didn’t stop Chu Guang from citing an inflated price to heavily charge these people from Weylent.

Chu Guang was well aware that even if he doubled the quote, it was still cheaper than them building a campsite in the Great Desert themselves.

Not to mention, just on the issue of freshwater supply alone, the situation for the people from Weylent was nearly a dead-end.

To drill for water in the Great Desert, they would need to drill at least a hundred-meter-deep well. Given the industrial capacity of the Falcon Kingdom at present, unless they transported drilling equipment from the west side of the Great Desert, there was no solution.

Pinching the bridge of his nose which was sore, Cohen said with a headache,

"... Where the hell am I going to get your damn coins... Would a silver mine work?"

"That won’t be necessary," Chu Guang waved his hand, "although we use Silver Coins, we’re not on a silver standard. Do you understand?"

Cohen stared hard at Chu Guang, pausing with every word,

"What the hell do you want? We might as well do it ourselves—"

Chu Guang coughed softly, interrupting,

"Bister Town needs fresh water. I plan to rent a water supply section nearest to it from Oasis No. 2, then build a water pipeline to Bister Town, to solve the local residents’ domestic and industrial water needs... a ten-year term, for one million Silver Coins. How about that?"

He paused, then added,

"Of course, we could also divert water from Oasis No. 3, but compared to the nearby Oasis No. 2, a 170-kilometer pipeline is too costly. After ten years, we’ll pay you based on the water used. What do you think?"

This was a plan he devised based on the design of the Petra Fortress.

According to a few players from the White Bear Knights, the freshwater resources there were bought from the nearest riverbank and paid for according to the amount of water used.

But since Cohen was new and unaware of the standard rates, he probably didn’t know how much a water supply section could produce; thus, Chu Guang didn’t discuss the amount of water used and simply rented it based on time.

In fact, the "maximum" output of a water supply section could provide one million cubic meters of freshwater per year, roughly half the volume of Poyang Lake.

In ten years, enough to create an underground lake in the desert.

As for the remaining capacity of the riverbank?

Who knew about that sort of thing.

The riverbank’s produced freshwater, just like the oil buried under the feet of a few major players in reality, was constantly being pumped without any visible reduction, the operators just used it when needed.

It was a nuclear fusion-powered desalination device, anyhow. Undoubtedly, it wouldn’t run out in just a mere ten years.

As Chu Guang had anticipated, Cohen wasn’t mainly concerned about how much freshwater a water supply section could produce.

After glaring at Chu Guang for a long time, he suddenly asked an irrelevant question,

"Do I also have to pay for constructing the water pipeline?"

Chu Guang coughed again.

"No, that won’t be necessary."

Using someone else’s faucet and making them pay for the pipeline construction was a disgraceful act that he wouldn’t commit.

Cohen remained silent for a while, but was calculating internally,

Ten years...

Once this agreement was signed, the freshwater supply of Bister Town would be in his grip; if the Alliance wanted to challenge him one day, he would just need to turn off the water to make them submit.

As for the matter of renting a water supply section for one million silver coins being expensive or cheap, he wasn’t too concerned.

A riverbank had at least eight water supply sections; even renting one to the Alliance wouldn’t be a big deal, not to mention it was a vassal state’s asset.

Cohen reluctantly nodded.

"Deal! However, I have to clarify that the prices for using the campsite and other expenses must also be included in this contract!"

At the moment, there was no stable trade relationship between them, and he didn’t want to agree to terms only for the Alliance to increase the camping fee tenfold afterwards.

Then, one million silver coins, even ten million or a billion, couldn’t withstand such treatment.

Chu Guang nodded with a smile,

"No problem, but... before we sign the contract, I also need to give you a heads-up."

Cohen squinted at him,

"What sort of heads-up?"

"People from Weylent in our camp must abide by our laws and regulations, including robbery, theft, and..."

Seeing that Cohen didn’t look pleased, Chu Guang slightly saved his face and said in a quiet voice, "and all behaviors that are not permissible in a civilized society, which are considered crimes on Alliance land. If any unwanted incidents occur, we will not turn a blind eye because of your nationality; we will punish the offenders according to the laws of the Alliance."

"So if you want to avoid diplomatic disputes or even worse consequences, you’d better make an effort to control your subordinates."

Cohen glared at Chu Guang.

"That goes without saying. I will naturally do so!"

Chu Guang nodded and spoke with a smile,

"That would be best."

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