This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 675: Next Stop! Potato Harbor!

Chapter 675: Chapter 675: Next Stop! Potato Harbor!

Circular Island Governor’s Mansion.

Mr. Chaning walked into his office as usual, tossed the newspaper he’d picked up on the way onto his desk, and settled in for another day of drinking tea and reading the paper.

But the moment he sat down in his chair, a pungent, fishy stench made him involuntarily frown.

"What is that smell?"

So foul!

He stood up and walked over to the window, intending to open it to air out the room, but as soon as he cracked it open, the foul odor rushed in with the sea breeze.

The stench caused his eyes to water, and he finally figured out where this nose-assaulting smell was coming from.

He quickly shut the window and, pinching his nose, walked over to the door of his office to summon his secretary from the next room.

"Damn it... What are they doing down at the port? That smell is outrageous!"

The secretary, clearly also struggling with the stench, replied helplessly to the governor’s inquiry.

"... The Northwestern Wind, docked just now, brought in more than a thousand pieces of fur."

"Fur?!" Mr. Chaning stared at him, instinctively exclaiming, "How can fur smell so bad?!"

The secretary grimaced and said,

"They are the kind that were just peeled from Variants, not only dripping with blood and fat but seemingly also fermented for some time."

"Fur that was peeled from Variants?" Mr. Chaning stared, disbelief widening his eyes, "Where did they get it from?"

Over a thousand freshly peeled furs...

That was no small number!

Although residents of the thirteen islands in the southern sea area occasionally sailed to the beaches south of Baiyue Province to hunt, even experienced Hunters often dared not linger too long, considering themselves lucky to return with one or two catches at most.

The food sources for the islands primarily came from fish in the sea, extracts from cultivated algae, and occasionally grains and livestock sold here from Silver Moon Bay.

He hadn’t heard of any port capable of producing so many furs—

Wait.

A thought suddenly struck Mr. Chaning about the Alliance’s outpost on the northern shore of the Baiyue Strait; those people had previously sent a congratulatory message to the authorities of the Southern Islands Federation under the guise of broadcasting from "Potato Harbor."

He had originally taken those people for a joke, thinking they wouldn’t last long before retreating in the face of hardship, but had they actually endured?!

As if to confirm his speculation, the secretary swallowed hard and said,

"I heard from the patrol team that the Northwestern Wind imported the furs from that settlement at the eastern exit of the Baiyue Strait... from Potato Harbor."

Mr. Chaning fell silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and said,

"I understand."

Watching the governor’s solemn expression, deep in thought, the secretary cautiously nodded, turning to head back to his own office.

However, just as his hand touched the doorknob, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, nearly hitting his nose.

Before he could see who had come in, an aggressive voice swept in with the wind stirred by the door.

"Governor, sir! We must take control of that ship!"

Seeing the man who marched into the office, Mr. Chaning, standing by the desk, pressed his temples and gave a signal to the secretary standing at the door.

"Go pour a cup of tea for Director Stacey."

"Yes... sir."

The secretary nodded, cast a quick glance at that impolite fellow, then turned and left the office, shutting the door behind him.

Watching the door close, Mr. Chaning then turned his attention to the irate director of the port office and spoke in a calming tone.

"Take a seat—"

"Don’t waste time," Director Stacey waved his hand dismissively and interrupted him, pressing on aggressively," I don’t understand why you are being so lenient with those people! We are the settlement of the Southern Islands Federation, not an outpost of the Alliance! Today they are brazenly handling those furs in our port, tomorrow they could be selling their bodies right under our noses!"

Mr. Chaning coughed.

"It shouldn’t come to that... So far, they have been abiding by the rules."

"You call this abiding by the rules?" Stacey walked to the window and pointed angrily at the two cargo ships outside," The entire harbor stinks of rot! Those unfamiliar with it might think Shelter No. 70 has sent us a biological weapon!"

"There’s indeed no rule that states ships docked at the port can’t wash clothes on their own decks..." Seeing Director Stacey glaring straight at him, Mr. Chaning realized his own argument sounded weak and cleared his throat," Okay, one week... if that ship is still sticking around here after a week, I’ll give them a final ultimatum."

"That’s what you said last week too!" Director Stacey bluntly stated," Give them a week! You might as well extend their grace period until next month!"

Called out so mercilessly, Mr. Chaning’s expression turned awkward, and his heart was full of irritation, yet there was nothing he could do.

"Alright, I admit it, I’m wary of provoking the Alliance and haven’t chased those people away, but what’s wrong with that? We are at war with Shelter No. 70, and the current situation is becoming increasingly unfavorable for us. Those old turtles lock up their doors, and all is well for them, while we have to care for the needs of over a million people! Plus, we must supply the Federal Navy with provisions! Do you understand what it means if we offend those people now?"

Stacey snorted coldly.

"Over two thousand kilometers away, they can’t really hit us directly, can they?"

Seeing the man’s carefree expression, Mr. Chaning laughed dryly.

"I’m not joking; they really are capable. I’ve heard that our northern neighbors took a fall at their hands."

Watching as Director Stacey’s demeanor started to shift, Mr. Chaning picked up the teacup from his desk to take a sip, moisturizing his throat before continuing.

"If I were them, I wouldn’t even bother with all this trouble. Just by saying hello to the Camel Hump Kingdom and severing the shipping route from Silver Moon Bay to us, guess how many people on this island would end up drinking northwest wind? Are you sure you want me to take that risk for a thankless task?"

Stacey’s lips twitched.

"So we just keep enduring this?"

"Being a bit magnanimous doesn’t hurt," Mr. Chaning shrugged and took another sip from his teacup, "Since they are paying the demurrage according to regulations, we can just let them stay, according to regulations. After all, they can’t stay forever... or do you have a better solution?"

The office was quiet for a long while.

The port director apparently had no better ideas, his lips moved but no words came out.

Just then, the office door opened, and the secretary who had gone to make tea earlier walked in with a tray.

"Mr. Stacey, your tea."

Stacey glanced at the teacup on the tray, then back at the ineffectual governor, but ultimately held back his words and left the office through the open door without saying anything.

He still felt that the Circular Island Governor’s Mansion was far too weak in their stance towards the Alliance.

He admitted that, just as that guy had said, faced with the behemoth that was the Alliance, they truly didn’t have a better approach other than maintaining restraint...

...

The time passed by second by second.

The Sun quickly moved from the east to the west, then dipped into the sea, leaving layers of glittering gold on the distant waves.

Squatting on the dock, the loading workers blew the sea breeze and drank beer leisurely as they looked at the freighter not far away smeared with blood and grease, and the busy girls on the deck.

From around four o’clock in the afternoon, there wasn’t much smell at the dock.

Those women were cleaning the furs with all their might; some scrubbing with mops, some kneading with hands, and others scraping with Small Blades, leaving the furs spotlessly clean.

Then, they scooped up seawater from the sea, bucket after bucket, pouring it over the surface of the furs.

Bucket after bucket of seawater washed away the stinking bits of flesh and fat into the sea, becoming bait for the fish.

After the fur was rinsed clean, the girls hung them on wooden racks, arranging them neatly on the deck like a row of sails.

These "sails" became natural barriers.

A short-haired girl and a large white bear were running wildly around those fur racks, playing hide-and-seek with a group of giggling kids.

Of course, they weren’t entirely there just to make the job of those drying the furs more difficult.

When it was time to repeatedly beat the fur surfaces with sticks, the two clowns had put in a lot of Work.

Seeing the girl and bear playing hide-and-seek with the children, the faces of many of the kids’ mothers showed knowing smiles.

It seemed like such a scene hadn’t been seen for a long time...

On the other side of the deck.

About twenty girls, around fifteen or sixteen, under the guidance of an old lady, rubbed the oil of sea Variants into the inner side of the furs.

This oil from sea Variants was rich in unsaturated fatty acids which would slowly oxidize in hot and humid conditions. The polymers formed naturally wrapped around the collagen fibers in the inner layer of the fur, giving it a soft texture and excellent water repellency, while the resulting aldehydes and other oxidation products crosslinked with the skin collagen fibers, producing a tanning effect.

The process of tanning fur involved far more than just these steps, including soaking in alkaline water, rinsing, and many other procedures.

However, once these steps were completed, the decay of the fur was essentially halted, and these goods, originally worth only a couple of ten thousand silver coins, thus doubled in value many times over.

If all were taken to Silver Moon Bay, one piece of goods could sell for at least a thousand silver coins! A thousand pieces would be a million!

This wasn’t even counting the high-grade items included, like mink fur.

The entire royal families of the desert would go crazy for them!

However, although these furs were worth a fortune, for the old men sitting on the dock, they clearly weren’t as attractive as the girls with exotic allure.

Especially because Work that uses a lot of water inevitably makes the clothes wet.

Many a young man, full of vigor, gawked until their mouths were dry and their tongues were panting, their eyes glued, only able to keep chugging beer, bottle after bottle.

Thanks to this, the taverns near the docks saw a substantial increase in business.

"Are they Moon tribeswomen?"

"Yes."

"They don’t seem any different from the other people who came here from Poluo Province."

"I mean, this ship has been stopped here for over a week now, and this is the first time I’ve seen them all standing on the deck."

"What I’m more curious about is how so many people managed to squeeze onto the ship."

A young man with slightly curly hair scratched the back of his head and asked his companion beside him.

"I still can’t understand why the West Winds Empire would want to drive these hardworking girls away. Wouldn’t it be better to just give them work to do?"

He had never seen people who could endure such hardship.

They could work non-stop from noon until evening under the scorching sun, be they eleven or twelve-year-old girls or elderly women.

This was simply incomprehensible for the residents of Circular Island, whose living conditions were relatively better.

An older man beside him squinted his eyes, took a swig from his beer bottle, and said casually.

"Who knows? Beyond the sea is all Wasteland. Haiya Province is, Baiyue Province is, and so is Falling Leaves Province, let alone Poluo Province... God knows what those folks on the Wasteland are thinking."

In his youth, he had once gone to the Wasteland to escort Blue Jacket from Shelter No.70 up north to a place called Qingquan City to retrieve some data.

Since then, he had lost interest in the world on land and had completely understood why their ancestors had insisted on moving to this remote little island.

That piece of Wasteland was simply hell.

No matter what happened, it was not surprising...

While the workers on the dock were enjoying the last moments of dusk and the stunning view on the deck, Mogavi, standing on the Northwestern Wind cargo ship, was also staring with bulging eyes, his heartbeat quickening and his breath hurried involuntarily.

But what stole his attention wasn’t any exotic-looking girl. It was each and every one of those freshly renewed fur goods!

The soft and beautiful fur gently swaying in the sunset, dazzling with a razzle-dazzle gleam, to him, it was just like the glittering of gold coins!

Of course.

This description certainly had an element of exaggeration, as most of the furs had only been preliminarily cleaned and were some time away from being processed into finished products.

But even so, these scrubbed furs, compared to their previous bloody, greasy, raw state, were so much better!

"This is fantastic! Thank you! I really don’t know how to show my gratitude!"

Handing over a bag filled with eleven thousand paper silver coins to Si Si, Mogavi’s face was filled with excitement, and his speech was an excited jumble.

Without any exaggeration, this was the most worthwhile deal he had made all month!

It seems the Alliance isn’t entirely made up of unreliable people.

After receiving the reward from the NPC’s hand, Si Si opened the bag, counted it carefully, and pulled out a few bills to check their authenticity.

After confirming there were no problems, a smile finally appeared on her face, and she replied in a teasing tone.

"Well, that’s easy, just pay us a few more thousand silver coins."

Hearing that, Mogavi nearly choked on his saliva and coughed twice before saying.

"Cough... Although that sounds like a good idea, I really don’t have a single bill left in my pocket right now."

Not having believed his nonsense, Si Si just smiled faintly, then handed the money bag to Sesame Paste beside her and whispered instructions.

"You go ahead and hand over the reward to those people; I’d rather not make an appearance."

"Sure! Leave it to me!" Sesame Paste nodded cheerfully and happily trotted off to the other side of the deck.

Mogavi’s eyes were fixed on the bulging purse until it disappeared with that bouncing figure at a corner of the deck.

He looked away from the distance and turned back to Si Si, giving her an apologetic smile.

"By the way... um, don’t forget about the cleaning job, okay?" Si Si said with a faint smile.

"Don’t worry, my memory isn’t that bad."

After speaking, she turned and moved towards the direction of the cabin.

Watching the figure about to vanish at the cabin entrance, Mogavi, for some reason, impulsively called out.

"Hey, are you free later?"

He watched the person stop in their tracks, and he forced a sunny smile that did not quite suit his demeanor.

"If you’re free... how about having a meal together? My treat."

Watching the NPC’s comical expression and raised hand, Si Si couldn’t help but chuckle.

However, she did not want to waste time on a side quest that was already complete, and besides, she didn’t quite fancy the look of this NPC, so she politely declined the invitation.

"Thank you for the offer, but I’ve already eaten."

"Alright..." Mogavi awkwardly lowered his raised hand and scratched the back of his head, "That’s a shame... I remember there’s a decent restaurant around here."

Although the feeling of rejection was dispiriting, such a trivial disappointment was nothing more than a speck to a businessman like him.

Especially when he thought of the value of those furs, he immediately relegated the insignificant regret to the back of his mind, his face once again beaming with confident smiles.

He had no doubt that once he shipped this batch of precious goods back to Silver Moon Bay, his name would become a new legend in Silver Moon City!

The noble ladies and young misses of the city would go mad for the exotic goods he brought back from the East!

In that flourishing port, what on earth could money not buy?

If there were something—

Then it simply meant the money wasn’t enough!

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the deck.

Sesame Paste, after searching for a good while past rows of fur pelts stretched out on racks, finally found Granny Sang Ru, who was teaching the tribe’s youth the art of tanning furs. Sesame Paste handed the purse containing one hundred and ten thousand silver coins to her.

What Sesame Paste didn’t expect, though, was that when she excitedly told the elderly woman that all these silver coins were their payment, the old lady looked at her in shock and pushed the bag of coins right back into her hands, without hesitation.

"Take it away, this isn’t right at all! These are things within our power that we ought to do. You were kind to take in us homeless folk; we are already immensely grateful. How could we possibly have the cheek to take your money?"

Seeing Granny Sang Ru obviously misunderstanding the situation, Sesame Paste couldn’t help but laugh and cry as she explained.

"No, you’ve misunderstood, this isn’t our payment to you... it’s from that cargo ship across the way. You helped them process these furs, and this is the rightful fruit of your labor—"

"That won’t do either!"

The old man stubbornly stuffed the money bag back into her hands, his thin hands gripping hers tightly, afraid that she would let go, and earnestly said, "Even if you give us money, we have nowhere to spend it. It’s better to keep it with you. If we need to buy something later, use this money first! We trust you!"

It wasn’t just Grandma Sang Ru.

The other Moon tribeswomen nearby did the same, all earnestly pleading for her to take the money back, refusing to accept the payment.

"Yes, please hold onto it for us!"

"We just wanted to help you out a bit, we never thought about any reward."

Having never dealt with this kind of situation, Sesame Paste was caught between laughter and tears, unsure how to persuade the stubborn group.

Just as Sesame Paste was in a quandary, a lively voice suddenly interrupted from the side, relieving her of the encirclement.

"Oh! Don’t worry, elder, this hefty sum will soon have a chance to be put to good use!"

Upon hearing the loud voice, everyone turned toward the direction it came from, and saw Tail standing there with hands on hips, accompanied by a Meat Meat.

"Ah Wei?" Looking at the suddenly appearing Tail, a look of surprise appeared on Sesame Paste’s face.

Giving her a ’leave it to me’ look, Tail cleared his throat and continued to address the crowd gathered around.

"Just now, I was discussing with my companions, and it’s indeed not great to be squatting at someone else’s port all the time. Moreover, with the war going on here, who knows when we might get dragged into it."

"Fortunately, our companions have established a new settlement on the northern shore of the Baiyue Strait, a vast Land Without a Master that anyone can settle in, as long as they comply with the Alliance’s laws!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd stirred with whispers, exchanging looks of surprise and bewilderment.

A vast Land Without a Master?

But...

They’d heard it was a world of Variants.

And would those who had already settled there really accept them?

Seeing the concern in everyone’s eyes, Tail continued energetically.

"Don’t worry, although there are many Variants there, we are the Alliance that even conquered the lair of Qingquan City! A few Variants are nothing, these furs were skinned right off those Variants!"

The visible facts have more persuasive power than any rumor.

The survivors of the Southern Islands Federation had once withdrawn from Baiyue Province, and the kingdom of Oasis No. 4 had also suffered a big blow there. Those who had faced setbacks naturally spared no effort in painting Baiyue Province as terrifying and the forests as unconquerable.

Yet now, the players from Potato Harbor not only managed to hold their ground on that unconquerable land, but also proved with facts that those savage, bloodthirsty Variants were not invincible.

Although most of the survivors here were unaware of the situation Tail mentioned about the lair of Qingquan City, when they turned to look at the rows of fur skinned from Variants, they all simultaneously relaxed their furrowed brows.

The last nagging worry left in everyone’s hearts was now—

"Will they... accept us?" Hesitantly looking at the nearby port, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen stepped out of the crowd and asked Tail in a soft voice.

"Oh! Of course!" Tail gave her a thumbs-up and a reassuring look, smiling confidently as he continued, "Actually, it was the survivors from Potato Harbor who invited us over to settle. They’ve promised to guarantee the safety of the settlement."

"There are many big shots there who can easily take down monsters and BOSSes, but some basic tasks still need more hands. Not just tanning furs, there are salt fields near the port, and in the future, there are plans for orchards and such... In short, there’s a huge need for workers! As long as you’re willing to Work, you can earn a reward just like today and buy lots and lots of stuff!"

Looking at those eyes gradually lighting up with longing and desire, Si Si couldn’t help but smile.

"Of course, everything there is just beginning, and conditions are still very primitive compared to the Ideal City... but Si Si can assure you that things will gradually get better! What do you think? Would you like to go there with Si Si?"

More and more people gathered around, the clamor of discussion growing louder as it spread through the crowd.

Some people’s eyes were filled with hope, but there were also those who looked nervous, uneasy about changing their current situation.

Just as everyone was undecided, a firm voice suddenly came from the side.

"I’m willing... I’ll follow you!"

That voice sounded familiar.

Sesame Paste subconsciously turned to look and saw Misa tying her ponytail, looking seriously in this direction, making her way through the crowd towards them.

A look of surprise appeared on her face.

It was the first time she had seen such bravery on the face of this shy girl.

Hearing her echo his words, Si Si was as thrilled as if he had discovered a New Continent and looked at the brave girl with serious expression.

"Whoa! Young lady, be sure you’ve thought it through, once aboard our ’pirate ship’ – ahem, our harbor, you won’t be able to go Ideal City anymore."

"Ideal City, huh... that’s someone else’s home. No matter how nice it is, there’s no place for us."

Misa’s eyes drifted towards the nearby harbor and the faces of those watching the excitement from the harbor, her face alighting with a smile of relief.

"Rather than living under people’s roofs for the rest of my life, I’d much rather have a home of my own. Even if it’s still shabby for now, I am willing to be there as it slowly improves."

After saying this, she turned to face her surrounding tribespeople, mustering the courage to raise her voice.

"Everyone... how long has it been since we lived in the sunlight like today!"

Ever since they were herded into the Jinjaron Harbor concentration camp, selected like livestock by buyers.

Ever since the West Winds Empire stripped them of all their property and freedom for inexplicable reasons.

That poignant voice touched off countless resonances, including the revered Sang Ru, whose wrinkled face also showed a moved expression.

The elderly lady, trembling, took a couple of steps forward, extending her thin hand to hold that of the child, her face beaming with a warm smile.

"Misa... you’ve spoken the words we all didn’t know how to express. I feel like they’ve been hidden in my heart for a very long time."

Then, she looked at Sesame Paste and then at Si Si, gratitude and sincerity gleaming in her aged pupils.

"I am willing to follow you to that settlement. If there is anything we can help with in the future, please be sure to tell us!"

As her words fell, more and more powerful voices came from all directions.

"Me too!"

"Please take us with you!"

Looking at the group, full of vigor, both Sesame Paste and Meat Meat’s eyes lit up with moved emotions, and Si Si shouted excitedly.

"Whoa! Then it’s happily decided, next stop Potato Harbor! Meat Meat, get the boiler firing up for departure!"

"Who’s the captain anyway!"

"Don’t worry about the details! Hurry up, hurry!"

Watching the two lively individuals suddenly cause a ruckus, Sesame Paste said with a mixture of laughter and tears.

"Wait, before we set off... shouldn’t we clean the boat first, since they’ve already paid?"

Si Si, who was pushing Meat Meat from behind, suddenly stopped.

"Giao! I almost forgot."

"Hahaha!"

A hearty laugh carried on the sea breeze, blending into the endless expanse of sea, merging with the deepening night and the rolling waves.

Sitting at a distance, watching everyone, Si Si holding a notebook in her arms couldn’t help but show a tender smile.

Although this was undoubtedly the Wasteland.

With these lovely companions around, she often forgets that...

She turned back to the cabin.

Si Si spread the notebook on the table, took out the newspaper she bought from the harbor that morning, laid it beside it and started cutting out news worth noting.

The side missions in this Game are hidden deep, requiring players to actively gather relevant clues and analyze them.

Probably thanks to Shelter No.70, the media industry in the settlements of the Southern Islands Federation is fairly developed, making information gathering much easier than it was in Silver Moon Bay.

It wasn’t just for collecting side quest information.

She also needed to discern the progress of the war in the southern sea area and the right time to enter Shelter No.70 through hints revealed in the news.

The place is currently under blockade by the Southern Islands Federation Navy. There are not only warships patrolling the nearby waters, but also submersibles conducting searches and mine-laying operations underwater.

It’s not a place you can simply sneak into with a diving suit.

After all, the Southern Islands Federation is a power nurtured by Shelter No.70. From her observations over time, these people are much like an "Alliance without players".

To a certain extent, they ended the Wasteland beneath their feet, establishing an order different from most native survivor settlements on the Wasteland. However, due to various reasons, Shelter No.70’s members separated from the local survivor populace, changing from "forerunners" to an aloof, special class, leading to a very different fate than Camp 101.

However, what puzzled her was that the spark that ignited this war was oddly hasty, filled with confusing puzzles.

And not just the spark that started the War –

But also some strange details in the battle reports.

"’Gold Coast’ research ship sank... Oh boy, they sure have a lot of ships."

She read the text in the picture quietly, cut it out from the newspaper’s front page, and stuck it in the notebook, aligning it with three other images she had cut from other newspapers.

Standing up by the sea chart, she drew a red circle on the northern side of the southern islands based on the approximate location provided by the newspaper.

Together with the previous three, all four circles were focused in the North.

Si Si’s face took on a pensive look.

"This is the fourth one, and like before, it’s outside the trade routes..."

Would there really be submarines lurking in such places?

Although she had no proof, she felt she was getting close to the truth...