This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 655: This Time Even the Messenger from the Free State Has Come

Chapter 655: Chapter 655: This Time Even the Messenger from the Free State Has Come

Just down the street from the square, Mosquito, who was selling fireworks from his truck, was caught red-handed by players patrolling with "Celebration Autonomous Management Committee" armbands.

Bystanders passing by crowded around, curiously watching the commotion.

"Damn it! What’s wrong with selling a few fireworks? Why can others sell them, but not me?" Mosquito tried to justify himself, shouting loudly.

The two players who caught him did not give him any face and relentlessly retorted.

"You’ve got some nerve!"

"Are those even fireworks?"

Elena rummaged at the stall, picked up a rocket with a diameter as thick as a calf, and clicked her tongue as she spoke.

"Hail Rock 1.0 rocket... Are these things not obsolete yet?"

A rocket launcher with a distinctive alliance feature.

He remembered using this very thing when they fought the Chewing Bone Tribe, and couldn’t believe it still existed in the Wasteland Era, year 213.

Mosquito chuckled, far from embarrassed, an almost proud expression on his face.

"Of course, simple and brutal weapons are the best. I adjust the charge a bit, and they could be used into the next century."

Making a Dove-type Missile needs over a hundred auxiliary industries, but making a man-luck-guided rocket only requires a small workshop.

However, this clearly wasn’t the point.

Elena rolled her eyes, tossed the rocket launcher back onto the stall and startled the curious onlookers.

This wasn’t the end of it.

A young worker rummaged in the truck for a while and suddenly, with widened eyes of astonishment, carried out a launching tube.

"Holy shit, is that a recoilless gun?!"

The players wearing "Celebration Autonomous Management Committee" armbands suddenly looked at Mosquito Brother with unfriendly eyes.

Elena paused and looked at Mosquito.

"Wow, you are liquidating military stock here!"

Feeling the chill of numerous stares, Mosquito Brother cleared his throat hurriedly and explained,

"Cough cough... that’s just a shell. Try it, and you’ll see they actually shoot flares... how on earth would I sell real weapons here!"

Of course.

He hadn’t discarded the idea of using the festival as an opportunity to promote Goblin Technology arms.

What if?

What if, after seeing the alliance’s powerful fireworks, someone became interested in Goblin Technology arms?

There definitely would be some!

However, Mosquito Brother’s explanation didn’t convince everyone, at least not two players wearing the armbands of the Celebration Autonomous Management Committee.

Two strength-type brutes, one on each side, grabbed his arms, ignoring his flailing mechanical limbs, and started dragging him toward the direction of the police station.

"Explain it to the guards!"

"Take him away!"

"Let go of me! I have contributed to the alliance! I have bled for the alliance! I want to see the Manager—"

"Keep quiet!"

Watching the guy being hauled away, Dolly spoke softly with slight surprise as she walked in the crowd.

"What did he do...?"

Her gossip antennas twitched!

She smelled a news story!

Seeing a curious Dolly, Fang Chang cleared his throat softly and tightened his grip on the small hand entwined with his arm.

"Who knows... Alright, let’s ignore that guy. The fireworks display is about to start; you wouldn’t want to miss it, right?"

Fang Chang wasn’t surprised by Mosquito Brother’s antics at all. If that guy actually settled down one day, that would be real news.

"Is it starting? Where, where?"

Hearing about the fireworks display, Dolly immediately lost interest in the commotion and looked up at the night sky with a face flushed with excitement.

For her, the City of Dawn fireworks held a special meaning.

It was the happiest moment of her life.

Seeing the blush that spread across her cheeks, Fang Chang smiled knowingly and gently squeezed her hand.

"I’ll take you to a spot with a better view... Follow me."

...

At eight o’clock, the cannons of the Iron Heart were aimed at the night sky, firing an illuminating shell to announce the start of the fireworks display.

This was Xiao Qi’s show.

Clusters of flickering flames spread out in the night sky, weaving a brilliant sea of flowers under its command.

Although tens of thousands of silver coins were burned that night, Chu Guang didn’t mind at all, as the smiles on people’s faces were worth much more.

Countless survivors had been attracted to settle here by the prosperity of the City of Dawn, a wealth that couldn’t be measured in money.

And seeing Xiao Qi having so much fun, he was quite happy himself.

Money only makes sense when it’s spent, and Chu Guang was more than willing to spend some to cheer up his little players and NPCs.

Looking up at the flickering fireworks in the night sky, Little Lamb, holding cotton candy and standing among the crowd, had her face filled with surprise.

"What is that?"

"It’s fireworks."

Standing beside her was her father, Yang River, who was smiling warmly at the sky.

Little Lamb glanced at him curiously, blinking her eyes.

"Why set off fireworks?"

Yang River thought for a moment, then spoke in a gentle tone.

"There’s a legend that the alliance was born from fire, like a phoenix rising from the ashes... so whenever the people here overcome a major challenge, they celebrate their victory with flames."

Little Lamb nodded her head, seemingly understanding.

"I see..."

"It’s just a rumor," her father said with a smile, watching his adorable daughter, "Of course, there’s another saying that this is a tradition brought from the Prosperity Epoch by the people in Blue Jacket, commemorating that era which was as brief and beautiful as fireworks."

Little Lamb bit into her cotton candy, her face still written with curiosity and confusion. Clearly, at her age, she couldn’t grasp these concepts.

She had grown up at the Pinecone Wood Farm and had never seen these novel things.

Though she had only lived in the alliance for just under two months, she could feel that what the people here said and thought was completely different from her hometown.

And there were so many delicious foods.

No wonder her father didn’t want to go back and was always thinking of taking her away from the estate.

Little Lamb couldn’t help but think of Yinyin, wondering how she was doing, and then she wished she could share this white and soft sweet with her.

Watching the child with a confused look, Yang River’s face showed a comforting smile as he gently tousled his daughter’s hair.

"Don’t think too much, just standing in that light and enjoying it is pretty nice."

Children shouldn’t understand too much anyway. Some things should naturally be understood as they grow older.

He wasn’t proud or boastful about her maturity; he just felt guilty that he owed her far too much...

Not far from them, Frost River was excitedly holding his sister Frost Night’s hand, counting the stars falling from the sky.

Frost Snow looked up at the Iron Heart, her face flushed with a tinge of red, caught up in her thoughts.

And on another side, at the embassy building of the Honey Badger Kingdom, Afni, sitting by a window, was also looking at the star-studded night sky.

In her eyes reflecting the fireworks were both admiration and yearning for that beauty and prosperity, as well as a hint of faint resentment.

If only she could stand by his side to enjoy this beautiful scene...

On the roadside of the eastern outskirts of the City of Dawn, a Titan covered in pale red mutated slime fungus and mottled rust was standing still, using its large palms to lift travelers and children high, occasionally uttering metallic sounds of enjoyment, showing no sign of its previous ferocity.

Controlling it was Xiaoyu, and Falling Feather was not far beside it, occasionally throwing a few candies to it and showing a knowing smile.

Dolly, just having descended from its palm, hugged Fang Chang who helped her down and gave him a hearty kiss.

"Yi Wu! (I want one too)"

Seeing Xiaoyu eagerly wanting to squeeze over, Falling Feather quickly reassured him.

"You can’t, Xiaoyu, this body is too big, it could hurt people."

"Yi Wu..." Xiaoyu made a sad sound but obediently continued to serve as an elevator for the children.

Coincidentally witnessing this scene, messengers from other settlements were startled.

Especially the envoy from the Bugra Free State.

They had brought gifts here, intending to extend their congratulations while also probing the alliance’s intentions to see if they could complete their task of taking over the Grand Canyon, but they had not expected to see such a startling scene!

The alliance could manipulate war machines from the Prosperity Epoch using mutated slime fungus!

Although the combat abilities of this Titan were unknown, just this fact alone was enough to draw their attention...

Meanwhile, not far from the Titan, a group of Eaters, dressed in strange and exotic attire, performed acrobatics, stilt-walking, and ball juggling under the command of Debt Giant Eye.

Watching the silver coins piled up into a small mountain on the ground, Big Eyes was so jubilant he couldn’t close his mouth, slowly losing himself amid the cheers and hollers of the crowd.

With the tips from the crowd, he had made at least a few thousand silver coins from this haul alone, nearly earning back the money spent on those scraps!

The man truly considered himself a genius!

...

In the messy, clinking tavern of Highway Town, people were raising glasses to celebrate this momentous occasion.

"To the Alliance!"

"To the Manager!"

"May the next time we gather with such cheer be for that great man’s child’s full moon celebration!"

"Ha ha ha! That would still be some time away!"

"To his health and longevity!"

Not everyone, however, was interested in the fireworks outside, as single folks like Old White and Edge Shoveling preferred sitting in the tavern, drinking and boasting.

Watching the bustling room, Sun Shiqi, seated at a corner table in the lobby, was slightly tipsy and reflected with his drinking mates—

"The changes here are unbelievable, growing day by day, did you know? My proudest deal wasn’t buying the Incredibly Powerful Steel Mill from Fred, but rather my first earned gold as a merchant, which I used to buy land next to the central square in Dawn City. I built a building and a warehouse... pity the warehouse is a bit far from the trade station, though; I plan to convert it into a shop."

Zhou Nan rolled her eyes from across the table.

"Stop bragging! If you’re not satisfied, sell it to me, then!"

Sun Shiqi laughed. "Dream on!"

Those sitting nearby knew he was showing off, but they could only feel envy.

This guy’s vision and courage were indeed unquestionable.

Two years ago, if a merchant made a modest profit, they would think immediately about converting to stakes at Giant Stone City to arrange for some assets, not about building houses in the possession-less "North Suburb," even though those Blue Jackets and other variants were indeed different.

The nobles of the Inner City, though lacking in martial virtues, at least had strong handles and were much more disciplined than the slaver traders and Looters of the Wasteland.

However, nobody anticipated that, in just two short years, this settlement would develop into what it was today, even drawing sidelong glances from Ideal City residents!

At that moment, in an inconspicuous corner of the lobby, Sun Yuechi pored over the latest headline of today’s newspaper, a contemplative expression crossing his face.

He had initially thought the Alliance would follow the old path of Giant Stone City, but now it seemed they were not as he had imagined.

They chose the authority of law over the authority of man without hesitation.

Even more astonishing to him was that behind this incident, he saw not just immense cohesiveness but an unbelievable self-healing ability.

After understanding the ordeal of Shelter No.117, he had deeply studied the society of Giant Stone City.

That settlement had also drawn numerous learned individuals under the leadership of heroes, creating a miraculous history, but alas, those survivors ultimately lost to time.

"They are like slime fungus," he mused. "Rapidly healing their wounds after being pierced by bullets and evolving armors to resist puncture wounds... More incredible than mere cohesion is their error-correction capability; they are constantly evolving."

Sun Yuechi smiled, closed the newspaper, left money for the bill, and walked out of the inn.

The place wasn’t as chaotic as he had imagined, and the Manager wasn’t merely a warlord dressed in a monkey’s garb as he had initially thought.

Compared to the Era of Prosperity, this place clearly had many shortcomings, but they were willing to change and let people see that change.

Perhaps—

Shelter No.70 could lend him a hand.

After all, he couldn’t find a better candidate.

...

After enjoying Xiao Qi’s fireworks display, Chu Guang entered the Alliance banquet hall, representing the Alliance and accepting compliments from other Survivor Settlements of the Wasteland.

Frankly, he had little interest in showing off himself; the delegations from other settlements could just as well be handled by the Foreign Minister, but considering it was an excellent opportunity to secure diplomatic support for the Alliance, he graciously made an appearance.

Otherwise, who would foot the bill for his extensive constructions and campaigns to the south and north that had cost so much?

The Alliance was set to continue its campaign to the south soon, cleaning up the cancer nestled between Brocade River and Haiya provinces, which would be another significant expenditure.

Such beneficial deeds for all humanity surely couldn’t be funded by him alone!

Rather than silently funding good deeds, Chu Guang preferred making a show of spending others’ money on charity.

After establishing the Cross-regional Cooperation Organization, his first order of business would be to define the roles of each member state and the Alliance’s leading position in "slime fungus-related matters."

After that, he would immediately start the second task—declaring the Torch Church, which exploited slime fungus DNA to create hell on Earth, as a disaster of this game!

This war pretext wouldn’t exactly help unify the Red River Alliance, Garbage City, or the settlements built by Wasteland Wanderers in Luo Xia Province, but it did naturally appeal to the ancient Survivor Forces.

Even if a mere morally high war pretext couldn’t fully mobilize the Academy and corporations to commit to the Torch Church problem, it would still rally part of their society, using that portion to consolidate small and medium-sized settlements around River Valley Province.

Then, the Alliance’s diplomats could boast to other settlements—"Look, even the Degenerate Empire has joined; how can you not contribute?"

At that point, the war between the Alliance and the Torch would no longer be a unilateral conflict by the Alliance but a clash between the entire civilized camp.

When the time comes, those with money will give money, and those without will contribute their efforts. This way, not only will the enormous war expenses be covered, but the alliance’s chariot will also gain a technical ally.

To maximize the utility of the "United Processing Center" on floor B7, the academy’s technology is essential.

Just as Chu Guang had anticipated, the moment he entered the banquet hall wearing his power armor, he immediately became the focus of everyone attending.

Besides representatives from the academy and corporations, there were numerous settlements Chu Guang was hearing about for the first time.

Of course, what surprised him even more was that just moments ago, Xiao Qi had whispered to him that the messenger from the Bugra Free State had also arrived here.

If the news was true, this would be the first time a messenger from the Free State had reached the alliance.

Since the two parties had not previously established embassies for each other, the representative from the Free State, like other messengers from small and medium settlements visiting the alliance for the first time, entered the hall wearing a "temporary identity badge."

The alliance was quite lax about screening identities for the banquet, allowing players recognized for their contributions in the expansion pack, as well as old friends who had established diplomatic relations with the alliance, and messengers from settlements visiting the alliance for the first time.

As long as the name of that settlement could be found in the trade station’s import and export records, and the messenger could circle on a map where they represented, tell how many survivors lived there, and bring along gifts, they could come in and freeload.

Although there had been cases of people impersonating messengers, or small communities pretending to be large settlements, nobody really cared about these incidents.

The multitude of messengers from the City of Dawn was likened to cow’s hair; let them pretend if they want!

In Chu Guang’s words, all are guests, and he was not short of a meal anyway. Trading a meal for gifts to display in the museum was not a loss.

Moreover, this was the Wasteland.

Although the alliance had established some amount of order within limited areas, most places remained in a state of wilderness. A settlement that existed yesterday might not be there tomorrow, and one that did not exist today might appear tomorrow.

Thus, Chu Guang specifically instructed the alliance’s foreign affairs department that if someone claimed to come from a certain settlement, regardless of whether it had been heard of or not, just treat it as existent.

Nevertheless, recognition does not imply full diplomatic relations—the serious partnerships were at least with survivor forces with substantial trade dealings under the alliance’s flag, not leaving room for random wasteland wanderers to spin tales.

In this context, the Bugra Free State messenger entering with a temporary identity badge undoubtedly stood out as an oddity in the banquet hall.

Despite their transactions being valued in the millions of credits, since they had not formally established diplomatic relations with the alliance, no one could confirm if their identity was genuine or not, justifying the issuance of a temporary identity badge and not considering it a slight.

In reality, not only were the master of ceremonies and the alliance’s foreign minister skeptical about this man’s identity, but even messengers from smaller settlements doubted he truly came from the Free State.

Seeing the man standing alone in the banquet hall, a well-dressed, slightly drunk man approached him with a laugh and teased,

"Man, that’s impressive! Others come up with convoluted names to freeload food and drinks, and you directly use the name of the Free State. Wouldn’t it be awkward if your bluff got called?"

Looking at the impolite man, Nuoerige felt annoyed but remembered Mayor Otto’s instructions and still managed to keep his temper in check, extending his right hand cordially,

"I am the foreign minister of the Free State, Nuoerige. May I ask who you are?"

Seeing the man’s drunken appearance, Nuoerige couldn’t help but view him with contempt.

When it comes to freeloading, who could better fit the part than this man?

"Nice to meet you, I am from Ideal City and the chairman of the company, Luo Hua," the man said with a playful smile as he shook his hand.

Nuoerige rolled his eyes at this blatant liar, feeling as if he was touching something filthy, and quickly withdrew his hand.

He was the foreign minister appointed by Otto and belonged to the pro-business faction in the Free State. He had been to Ideal City countless times, even more knowledgeable about it than the people from there.

He had only heard of a council there, never a chairman.

What a joke!

Luo Hua did not care either and laughed heartily. After all, he really was just joking and indeed came to freeload food and drinks.

Just then, Nuoerige saw Chu Guang approaching the entrance of the banquet hall. His eyes lit up, and he immediately put on a forced smile and greeted him,

"Respected Manager Sir, good to meet you for the first time. I am Nuoerige, the foreign minister of the Free State. I’ve long admired your reputation!"

Chu Guang was not sure whether this man was legitimate, but still extended his steel-covered hand for a handshake,

"Welcome to the Alliance, Mr. Nuoerige. I have heard about the prosperity of the Free State and the commercial miracles of the northern corridor. We welcome all law-abiding merchants and travelers to visit us."

Although Chu Guang made just a casual comment, the words rang differently in Nuoerige’s ears.

Reflecting instinctively on the scandalous case of Sindison that was rife in the Free State, his expression slightly stiffened.

However, recalling the directives from the Grand Canyon and Mayor Otto’s instructions, Nuoerige managed to suppress his emotions and squeezed out an awkward yet polite smile,

"Of course... our merchants are definitely law-abiding."

Chu Guang looked at the man oddly, not understanding why he felt the need to stress that point deliberately. However, before Chu Guang could ponder further, he noticed an old acquaintance nearby,

"Luo Hua?!"

"Chu Guang! Haha, my old friend, I knew for sure you’d be here. It’s been too long! By the way, I have some good news for you, and you must join me for a drink!"

The ever-enthusiastic Luo Hua holding a wine glass approached Chu Guang, while Nuoerige stood by, stunned.

Is this guy really Luo Hua?

Wait—

Could the chairman be real too?

Watching the smiling alliance manager receive the wine glass and toast with the man, Nuoerige was utterly dumbfounded...

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