This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 86: Steel Factory No. 81 and the ’Exclusive Mission

Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Steel Factory No. 81 and the ’Exclusive Mission

Several small players quickly stood up, afraid of arriving late, while admiring the lucky ones surrounded by an envious crowd.

"So jealous!"

"Damn it! Why isn’t my Gwent Tavern working!"

"Maybe the manager doesn’t know how? Try switching to playing cards next time."

"It’s 2340, how can there be no Big Bird Whirl Bar? It’s totally unreasonable."

Despite the snow falling from the sky, the surroundings were bustling with excitement.

At that moment, the players huddled around the map finally confirmed their positions and began chattering.

"Wow wow wow, Teng Teng’s cabin is right next to the respawn point! Nice!"

"My slaughterhouse is so close to the granary, awesome."

"Damn! Why is my Goblin Chemical Factory on the very edge?" Mosquito looked at the map with a face wanting to cry but unable to shed tears.

Chu Guang glanced at him and snickered inwardly.

The very edge?

It’s already good that I didn’t assign you outside the wall!

As everyone knows, the chemical industry, especially one that manufactures gunpowder, is very dangerous. It doesn’t matter if people get blown up, but if it destroys the neighboring houses as well, that would be a huge loss.

Chu Guang would have Luka monitor the Gothic Industry’s raw material usage and daily output, keeping hazardous materials within safe levels.

If the Outpost Base expands in the future, he would consider relocating it further outward.

Brother Ciso "I Need to Go to The Toilet" and Brother Levin "Who Has Athlete’s Foot" stared at the map, completely puzzled.

The two players had no complaints about the location of the steel workshop, as it was close to the south gate but near the main road, making trips to the warehouse convenient. However, a question mark had been penciled on their workshop’s location on the map, confusing them.

Brother Ciso looked up at the Manager.

"Honorable Manager, may I ask... what does the question mark on the map mean?"

Brother Levin also nodded and asked.

"Yeah, I don’t understand it either."

The question mark, of course, meant that a task was available.

These two players had even forgotten this basic knowledge. Chu Guang cleared his throat and spoke seriously.

"Steel is the backbone of industrialization at the Outpost Base, and your hardworking performance has triggered a hidden task. Of course, this task is optional, and you have the right to choose whether to accept it or not."

Hidden Task!

The two players’ eyes instantly lit up like light bulbs, and the surrounding players also cast envious glances.

"A plot of land of 200 square meters and a hidden task!"

"Damn!"

"That’s too cool!"

Brother Ciso’s hands trembled with excitement.

"Honorable Manager, we are willing!"

Brother Levin also nodded vigorously.

"Yes! I’m willing too!"

With a slight, barely noticeable smile, Chu Guang handed them a task book—or rather, a contract—that he had already prepared.

"Take a look at it before you decide."

...

[Task: Fire of Industry (Optional)]

[Explanation: To stimulate the steel production capacity of the Outpost Base and improve the efficiency of smelting scrap metal, the Chief Manager of the Shelter has issued a directive, willing to allocate a budget of 2000 Silver Coins to support the research and development of steelmaking technology.

If you accept the budget support, the steel workshop will be upgraded to a joint venture steel factory, with the Shelter holding 80% of the shares and the founder holding 20%.

The founders only need to pay 50 Silver Coins as the registration capital to set up a corporate account for receiving the budget subsidy.

Funds in the corporate account cannot be directly withdrawn but can be used to purchase materials from the warehouse, commission the warehouse for scavenging, exploration bounties, and to pay salaries for hiring up to 4 workers.

A salary of less than 1 Silver Coin per hour and a work duration of less than 12 hours only needs to be registered; if exceeded, it requires the Manager’s review.

When the funds in the corporate account exceed 2000 Silver Coins, partial profits can be requested for distribution. Within one month, distributions of less than 1000 Silver Coins are tax-free, distributions between 1000 and 10000 Silver Coins are subject to a 4% tax, and distributions exceeding 10000 Silver Coins are subject to an 8% tax, with the rates incrementally increasing. The specific tax rate will fluctuate with policy changes.]

[Important Note:

1. For the regulations on the use of funds, see the ’Rules for Corporate Account Management.’ If there are any behaviors such as exploiting the rules to extract funds, the offending accounts will be subjected to a penalty of at least 200% of the extra amount and at most permanent deportation underground.

2. Accepting the task will trigger a series of exclusive tasks and orders. The rewards include but are not limited to equipment, money, Contribution Points, budget subsidies, land, and shares. If abandoned, specific conditions must be met before it can be triggered again.

]

Should one start a small workshop or a large factory?

If this were reality, this question might require serious consideration.

But in the game...

This is a hidden task, damn it!

Though the budget can’t be withdrawn directly from the account, it was still 2000 silver coins! Spending 50 silver coins to get the usage rights for 2000 silver coins, it’s definitely a bargain.

Without even a second’s hesitation, Brother Ciso and Brother Levin eagerly accepted the task and signed their long string of IDs on the mission document.

The main responsible party registered was "Who Invited Levin with Athlete’s Foot," and after discussing, they each held 11% and 9% of the shares.

"Respected Manager, what should we call our steel factory?"

Chu Guang naturally didn’t want to take care of such troublesome matters.

"You can decide on your own."

To have the power to pick the name!

The two players’ eyes lit up, and they immediately huddled together to discuss.

"How about Sun Steel Factory? What a powerful name!"

"Pff, what if we get sued for infringement once the game goes public? Better change it to another day!"

"It doesn’t have the same ring to it though."

"Stop dawdling, hurry up and think of one, don’t keep the NPC waiting!"

"How about Number 81? That number is auspicious."

"Okay!"

And so, the first steel factory in Shelter No. 404, "Number 81 Steel Factory," was officially established.

Brother Ciso and Brother Levin also unlocked their first exclusive task—"Customize a set of armor for the Manager’s KV-1 Exoskeleton!"

The task requirements were simple—the total weight of the armor had to be less than 200 kilograms, capable of protecting the wearer from light weapons fire from the front without affecting mobility.

Additionally, there were some detailed requirements, such as the breastplate needing to be thicker than 10mm but less than 20mm, and it had to be detachable for replacement when damaged.

As for the task reward, it was as high as 200 silver coins!

That was 200 silver coins!

Many people end up penniless after buying equipment!

Once the news spread, the entire Outpost Base was abuzz.

"I swear, isn’t a 200 silver coin reward way too high?!"

The speaker was Brother Mosquito.

After dividing the land, the Manager went to sit on the third floor of the sanatorium, while the busy players of the day squatted on the first floor eating.

Originally, he was quite excited about the name change approval for "Goblin Industry," but compared to those two idiots’ steel factory, it felt completely insignificant.

Scrambled Eggs also appeared envious.

"Compared to 200 silver coins, I think the 2000 silver coin budget is even more outrageous! A historic boost for lifestyle profession players. But why wasn’t I the one enhanced, damn!"

Several players from the Cow and Horse Group were nearby, and Night Ten, chomping on a lamb horn potato, chuckled.

"Manager said there are no hunts to slaughter now, why don’t you dig trenches instead?"

Tomato Scrambled Eggs: "Cried, can we change the purpose of use? Can I secretly set up a stove and open a restaurant?"

Wild Wind: "That’s risky, you should still apply for it, changing land use is said to result in its recapture and even fines."

Tomato Scrambled Eggs: "Wuu wuu wuu."

Fang Chang, who was watching nearby, couldn’t help but interject.

"Actually, it’s not as outrageous as you think. Receiving a 2000 silver coin budget means control is reduced to 20%, and it’s clear the planning team considered the problem of value inflation. In other words, even if you earn 10,000 silver in a month, your share would only be 2000 silver, and you can’t even withdraw that money! Dividends must first have tax deducted, and when calculated, each person gets less than 1000 silver."

WC really has Mosquito: "But it’s still a lot!"

Old White: "Combat profession players are crying in the restroom."

Wild Wind: "No, there’s actually a very interesting mathematical problem here, it’s about the yield curve. Normally, the earnings of a newbie player in a month are around 300 silver. If the steel factory’s profit is less than 3000 silver, then it’s a ’loss’ for the two co-operators because they could earn that much just by performing regular tasks. But if they can improve production and reduce costs to create a profit over 3000 silver, then the task is profitable for them."

Night Ten: "There’s a reward of over 200 silver coins for an exclusive task, is earning 3000 silver in a month difficult?"

Fang Chang: "It is still a bit challenging, don’t just look at the present, you also have to consider the long term. Think about it, how many sets of armor can the Manager wear?"

WC really has Mosquito’s eyes lit with realization, he owns a store in reality and immediately understood.

"Wait a minute, now that you mention it... I think I get your point."

Fang Chang loves chatting with smart people and smiled.

"Right?"

Night Ten was still confused, seeing that Fang Chang had no intention of explaining further, he quickly asked.

"What what what? What does it mean? I still don’t get it!"

Fang Chang explained impatiently.

"Tch, to put it plainly, exclusive orders are limited! This game introduces a concept many MMORPGs don’t have, which is ’demand’!

"NPCs won’t buy endlessly from lifestyle players like a black hole. What players produce mostly needs to be sold to other players, which means the steel factory’s profits aren’t actually determined by themselves, but by other players’ spending power, especially combat profession players!"

"So, suppose I’m a combat player with 100 silver coins in my pocket, and I plan to spend 50 silver coins on upgrading weapons and armor, then lifestyle profession players can possibly make that 50 silvercoins, and they have to compete with NPCs too, do you understand now?"

Night Ten spoke in a daze.

"...So you’re saying, how much money lifestyle players can earn actually depends on how much combat profession players make from quests? Wow, now that you put it that way, I think I kind of understand..."

Fang Chang: "That’s roughly it. For example, I’m planning to buy a piece of power armor, so there’ll be corresponding demand for the engine, steel, sensor elements, and other equipment. If lifestyle players want to earn this money, they first have to make it affordable for me. And where does my money come from? Obviously, from completing tasks. Most players are the same!"

It’s a simple concept, if a game plans to place a piece of equipment on the store shelves, it definitely makes it affordable for a group of players.

Either use cash to buy vouchers, or spend time farming.

So overall, the total earnings of combat professional players won’t be less than those of lifestyle players, because the products of the latter need to be consumed by the former.

Even if value inflation happens, it affects both together.

For instance, when the gene sequence level reaches Level 10, suppose they open a dungeon for raiding abandoned shelters, perhaps the rewards for clearing might reach 1000 or even 10000 silver coins?

That’s not impossible!

Old White immediately asked a follow-up question,

"So are the first tier still combat professional players?"

Being a Strength Type, he naturally cared most about this.

Fang Chang nodded,

"That’s one way to put it. At least while combat remains the main theme, the ’Children of the Version’ will definitely be born on the front lines of the battlefield. The only difference would be which gene sequence they have! Combat players earn the NPCs’ money through tasks, while lifestyle players make money from combat players. This way, the game’s economic chain can form a closed loop, and value is less likely to inflate. There won’t be too much money chasing too few goods, nor will there be goods without buyers."

Wild Wind thought for a long time, carrying his bowl, then added,

"At present, the shelter’s economic model is militarily oriented. Maybe if the external environment changes, like an update to the export system that allows for selling goods to other survivor settlements, this theory might no longer hold true."

Fang Chang said lightly,

"Right, so what I’m discussing is the Children of the Version, not the planner’s own kids. As for the possibility you mentioned, it would probably take many versions later. We haven’t even solved the essential needs from the threat of the Blood Hand Clan or opened the map of Giant Stone City yet."

Wild Wind replied, "Indeed."

After thinking for a while, Old White suddenly spoke,

"But what you just said, doesn’t that mean that one day lifestyle players will come into a powerful era?"

Fang Chang said with a smile,

"Version rotation is the norm; is it not very normal?"

Old White then said, "Shouldn’t we also consider setting up a steel mill to hedge the risk? In case one day combat players aren’t popular anymore, we could still make money from the industry."

Fang Chang gave him a sideways glance,

"... You know how to make steel?"

Old White chuckled and said,

"I might not know how to make steel, but I can burn bricks and make cement! Especially bricks, there are many brick factories where I’m from. I’ve seen those ring kilns operate; bricks are just loaded on kiln cars, which move along rails into the furnace just like that. As the fresh bricks go in, the fired bricks come out at the other end, cool down, and they’re ready to use. I heard some impressive ones can produce up to a million bricks a day!"

Night Ten exclaimed, "... What the fuck? That’s awesome?!"

Wild Wind added, "Shelter No. 404’s warehouse sells red bricks at 1 silver coin for 100 pieces, and the purchase price is 4 copper coins. The theoretical income from producing one million bricks daily is 4000~10000 silver coins? But I think, given the conditions of Outpost Base and the settings of Wasteland OL, it’s unrealistic to set up a brick factory covering 20 acres."

Old White retorted, "Nonsense! Investing in such a brick factory would cost at least 20 million RMB, not to mention the equipment. How much steel do you think we’d need?"

Fang Chang added, "Actually, we don’t need a million bricks daily. Even 10,000 bricks would earn us 40~100 silver daily. With a brick burner’s daily wage at 10 silver coins, as long as the daily production exceeds 1000 bricks, it would be profitable. If it’s less than 1000, might as well apply for a brick burner’s job at the manager’s office to scrape by."

Night Ten interjected, "I have to ask, what’s the deal with 1000 bricks?"

Old White replied, "It’s less than two cubic meters."

Night Ten asked, "Er, is it difficult to start firing?"

Old White explained, "Using the African method, you’d slop up a mud kiln and fire it for three days and nights, which should yield about four to five cubic meters, over two thousand bricks. Pick a larger area, dig a few proper brick kilns, and arrange for a semi-annular kiln... Yikes, brothers, why don’t we build a brick factory? I think it’s a promising venture!"

Fang Chang asked, "Do you think the base would give you land for it?"

Old White laughed, "Well, just trying doesn’t hurt! Anyway, winter’s coming, and there’s no hunting, so why not get the brick factory started? When it’s time to build the guild’s structures, we’ll have bricks available."

Wild Wind stroked his chin and nodded,

"That makes sense... if everyone needs to build, the demand for bricks is likely to be greater than equipment."

At that moment, Fang Chang also snapped back to reality, realizing a serious overlook on his part,

"Wait a minute... How did I forget this? Wasteland OL isn’t a traditional MMORPG; players’ demands aren’t limited to equipment. So, damn, the demand for bricks might really be high!"

Old White affirmed, "24-brick walls require 128 standard bricks per square meter. Do the math. (grinning)"

Brother Mosquito and Brother Egg, listening from the side, were stunned,

"Fuck, can I join in?"

"Damn! Listening to you guys makes me so tempted!"

Fang Chang shook his head,

"You both have your own land; don’t bother joining us in this venture, and just focus on developing your own industries. And don’t just listen to Old White’s boasting, if we can produce two to three thousand bricks daily, I’d be satisfied."

Seeing Fang Chang’s disbelief, Old White replied confidently with a bright smile,

"It will definitely be more than two to three thousand bricks! I’ll ask my fellow villagers back home about increasing production. And guys in the chat, don’t rush, once the guild system launches, the profits from the brick factory will be the guild’s funds! I won’t say how much, but it’s sure to benefit everyone."

Fang Chang put down his bowl and stood up assertively,

"The night is long, and full of dreams; what we can think of, others can too. I propose we get started right now and submit the application before someone else beats us to it! If we submit early, we might even trigger hidden quests... Old White, how much area do we need for a small brick workshop?"

Old White thought and replied,

"400 square meters should be enough, one kiln 5*5, about two meters high... I reckon."

Fang Chang nodded,

"Alright, then let’s apply for 400 square meters."

Night Ten chimed in, "666, big bro is awesome!"

Wild Wind proclaimed, "Boss, I’m sticking with you!"

Four little players didn’t dare to delay, they even skipped dinner and rushed to the warehouse to write their application.

The orders for Shelter No. 404’s warehouse had specific requirements for brick materials and dimensions, almost the same as standard bricks in reality, measuring 240mm×115mm×53mm.

A standard brick amounts to about 685 pieces.

Currently, the brick-burning technique in the industrial area had evolved from primitive stacking methods to more advanced sunken kilns, which were easier to control in terms of dimensions, had higher internal temperatures, and consumed less fuel.

However, although the temperature of these kiln pits had increased, changing from "one kiln every three days" to "one kiln per day," the output still couldn’t increase.

Even with two kiln pits operating together, the daily output was only between 1400 and 1500 bricks, roughly adding up to about two standard pallets.

Chu Guang had previously done some calculations,

The daily wage for a brick burner was 10 Silver Coins. Assuming a two-shift system, the labor cost would be 20 Silver Coins.

Taking the maximum daily output of 1500 bricks, based on the Shelter’s own "purchase price" of four Copper Coins per 100 bricks, these bricks were only worth 6 Silver Coins.

Even if it was assumed "these bricks don’t go into inventory," and were snatched up by players as soon as they came out of the kiln, valuing them at 1 Silver Coin per 100 bricks, the daily output value was merely 15 Silver Coins.

Obviously, whether it’s 6 or 15, a shelter with a human labor cost as high as 20 Silver Coins was definitely running at a loss.

Moreover, it was a "heavy loss"!

This meant that the Shelter had been subsidizing these brick burners all along.

Was this reasonable?

From the perspective of the Shelter’s manager, this clearly wasn’t reasonable.

If two workers were employed, with a daily wage of 10 Silver Coins each, the daily output value had to be at least 20 Silver Coins to avoid a loss.

Here, according to the warehouse purchase price of four Copper Coins per 100 bricks, 20 Silver Coins would correspond to an output of 5000 bricks, which would split as 2500 bricks per person.

Otherwise, to avoid losses, the only options were to raise the prices of the bricks or cut the brick burners’ income.

But doing so could lead to other issues.

Raising the prices too much could cause demand to dwindle. If everyone couldn’t afford the bricks and switched to building wooden or cement houses, the demand for cement would also shrink, destabilizing this cycle.

Reducing the income of the brick movers was even less feasible; brick burning was already hard work, and if a day’s labor couldn’t even earn 10 Silver Coins, no one would be willing to do it.

Even Lumberjacks, despite being slashed twice by the dog planner, could earn 10 Silver Coins a day by renting an ax and continuously chopping down trees!

Looking at the application in his hands, Chu Guang spent less than half a minute pondering before making a decisive decision.

"Approved!"

The faces of the four players from the Ox-Horse squad immediately showed joyful smiles.

They had only intended to try their luck, not expecting the application to actually pass!

That was incredibly exhilarating.

Not only that, before they could celebrate for a couple of seconds, the next statement from the manager excited them even more.

"Your application has triggered a hidden quest. Would you like to accept it?"

"If you accept, you will receive a budget support of 5000 Silver Coins. In exchange, the Shelter will hold 80% of the shares in the brick factory."

Silver Coins!?

The four little players were instantly dazzled by the Silver Coins, almost unanimously shouting out.

"I’ll take it!"

"Take it, take it!"

Chu Guang nodded with satisfaction.

"Very well, I will now allocate land for you."

Saying this, Chu Guang took out a map of Wetland Park and stared at it, pondering for a long time.

Watching the manager deep in thought, Night Ten, who had waited for a while, couldn’t help but whisper to Old White beside him.

"Weren’t they supposed to announce it in the evening?"

"Why fuss so much!" Old White glared at him, afraid that the manager might hear and recall, speaking in a lowered voice, "Isn’t an early batch better?"

Fang Chang added, "Exactly! Just keep quiet."

Seeing his teammates staring at him, Night Ten sheepishly smiled.

"I’m not saying it’s bad, just a bit curious... Besides, isn’t there a saying? When something is abnormal, there must be a demon—"

Before he could finish, several hands pressed down on him.

Chu Guang, although having heard the players’ whispered conversation, paid no attention to it; he had his own plans for how to use them.

Brick manufacturing differed from steel refining; the latter required some trial and error and, before capacity expanded, could be temporarily placed in the "downtown" area. However, the former did not demand high technology but rather a large amount of fuel and soil.

Thus, the map Chu Guang was holding was definitely not of the Outpost. He also had not planned to locate the brick factory right at his doorstep.

"The location of the brick factory will be about 1km northwest of the base, by the river. There, abundant clay resources are available, and the surrounding trees can be used as fuel."

Pointing to a 100x100 grid on the map, Chu Guang looked at the four players and continued.

"I’ve considered it; a 400 square meter layout is too small to be effective. Therefore, I plan to allocate all of this 15-mu land to you."

"Please make good use of it."

mu?!

The four little players were instantly stunned.

But then again...

This land wasn’t even in the industrial area!

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