"What the hell!"
Zhan Zhouzhou rolled her eyes at him and put down the bowl: "Open the door for . I need to go out for a task."
"A task?" Li Zheng paused: "Going to the wilderness?"
"Yes, the rewards for wilderness tasks are quite generous." Before coming, Zhan Zhouzhou strolled through the Task Hall and found several tasks similar to yesterday's 'Pureblood Redskin Pig Tusks' collection.
She's ntally prepared today. At worst, she'll just slaughter an area clean, collect everything in capsules regardless of purity, and return them to complete the task as fast as possible.
This ti, she's taken on five similar tasks. Zhan Zhouzhou plans to finish them all in one day, earning half a million White Crystal Coins as a reward.
"Did you forget what happened yesterday? Why still go to the wilderness?" Li Zheng urged, "Can't you just take the errand tasks in the Outer City?"
"Errand tasks?" Zhan Zhouzhou replied, "An errand task pays only three to four hundred White Crystal Coins maximum, with uncertain ti wasted. It's nowhere near tasks done in the Outer City."
Only in the Outer City can one do tasks, whether collection or other kinds, where the rewards are lucrative unless it's tasks released by the terminal.
The lowest paynt starts with the number five, reaching four digits.
"Less, indeed, but such tasks are more stable... Oh, I forgot, with your personality, chasing stable comfort isn't Zhan Zhouzhou." Li Zheng realized halfway through his words, stopped advising, stood up, and walked to the Teleportation Gate asking: "Number."
Zhan Zhouzhou followed behind, reciting all the area numbers she needed to go to, so she can move directly to the next place after completing a task in one area using the Ring without needing to transfer back to the Outer City.
"So many... How many tasks did you take?" Li Zheng grumbled while inputting the numbers one by one. Once completed, and after the Teleportation Gate gave stable feedback, he cautioned: "Be careful in the wilderness. If you encounter danger, find a safe place to return to the Outer City!"
The Ring not only requires a ten-second buffer when returning but also when jumping between preset areas, which is why most in the Outer City are reluctant to venture into the wilderness, finding no loopholes and lacking self-security assurance.
Fear of death is a common trait among Outer City survivors of all races. Those unafraid of dying perished long ago in the initial resistance against the spiritual storm, not ending up eking out a living in the Outer City.
Consequently, the Teleportation Gate Receptionist role, originally the busiest job in the Outer City, turned into a leisurely position, which Li Zheng found reasonable.
"Don't worry. I'm not stupid; I know my limits," Zhan Zhouzhou saw the Teleportation Gate emit light. She had no physical weapons stored, so she could enter directly.
Watching Zhan Zhouzhou's figure disappear into the depths of the Teleportation Gate, Li Zheng sighed.
Now, he's the only new player in the entire Outer City...
With or without books, ti stretches or contracts accordingly.
At the Matrix, Li Zheng had endless tasks every day, living quite fulfilled.
Becoming a temporary receptionist is exceedingly boring, as a whole day drifts away in complete tedium.
During this period, Li Zheng idly attempted to create sothing potentially useful.
Like: Cultivation Liquid.
The White Crystal Coins he had were exhausted, so now he's making so Cultivation Liquid to trade with a Botanical Garden once his temporary receptionist term ends.
Luckily, the Pharmacy Table, like a stove, can operate within a capsule, sparing Li Zheng so worries.
"Hmm... I rember having a USB drive with a 'lting Furnace' stored in it?" Li Zheng rummaged in his capsule and indeed found a USB drive.
Holding it absent-mindedly: "Could this be the device used for weapon-making in the Outer City? Like the stove, Pharmacy Table, and Sword Mantis production line?"
Previously, because weapons could be hand-crafted, Li Zheng didn't rush out the lting Furnace. Now rembering owning such a blueprint, suddenly felt regret...
To save trouble and materials, he didn't create the lting Furnace earlier, not expecting he'd need it now.
Once needed, realize it's too late, making the blueprint just paper unless he finds another way to create the lting Furnace in the Outer City.
"When returning to the Matrix, I'll check again." Li Zheng stored the USB drive, feeling that just one lting Furnace isn't enough, planning to find compatible equipnt blueprints when back at the Matrix.
From then until dinner, Li Zheng stayed at the table, staring at the Teleportation Gate.
Afternoon saw several Outer City residents use the Teleportation Gate but only for district transfers; none ventured to the wilderness.
Sending them away one by one, Li Zheng returned to his table, shaking his head in disbelief: "All these cowards - what's the Terminal keeping them for? A waste of resources..."
Mid-complaint, Li Zheng realized he also considered being cautious when sending Zhan Zhouzhou to the wilderness, laughed self-mockingly a few tis.
In the evening, Mirel returned from a shopping spree.
Though they were penniless, it didn't stop Mirel from going out to browse without buying.
She said, "Even if I don't buy anything, I'm happy just trying them in stores..."
Li Zheng found it logical. It seed to echo many won's thoughts, which, as a straightforward guy, he'd never consider.
Mirel asked Li Zheng for so ingredients, fumbled at the stove busying the dinner, while Li Zheng continued staring at the Teleportation Gate, calling out boredom.
Since entering the Matrix, these past two days have made Li Zheng miss the tis with internet, cellphones, computers, and other electronic entertainnt devices...
If only he had a phone to play so mini-gas, he wouldn't be shouting boredom here.
"Isn't there anyone among all the Outer City's successor players who could make the internet?" Li Zheng squinted in a complaint. Clearly, Blacksmiths can produce Spirit Communication-like devices, creating networks shouldn't be difficult?
Unless...
Li Zheng glanced up contemplating.
Unless soone doesn't want the Outer City to have 'Internet'.
[Friendly Tip: The Outer City does have internet, but most people lack the authorization, unable to use it.]
Old Pu provided a tip ssage. After reading, Li Zheng felt indifferent: "I already expected."
Undoubtedly, the network control belongs to the Terminal's entity.
Let it not be forgotten, Li Zheng's core presently lives within a device similar to a supercomputer. Should the Outer City see a network, the Terminal would undoubtedly connect to it.
Then, he'd be overwheld daily dealing with hackers invading the Terminal.
Thus, it's not the absence of networks in the Outer City, but the fact not everyone can utilize the internet.
Within the Outer City, the Terminal holds absolute control. If anyone connects to the web, its authority would be consistently challenged and disturbed.
Hence, its image as the absolute controller among Outer City residents would lose its threatening presence.
Stopping everything at the root, denying anyone a chance to disrespect it, keeps its position secure.
"Ancient emperors were overthrown because once rebels breached the Forbidden Army's defense, their blades could rest upon the emperor's neck, right?" Li Zheng summarized the Terminal's ntality: "So, my core's strategy is eliminating any potential threats to him... Eliminate any intent to place knives against his neck!"
Lanting the core's practice, Li Zheng sighed internally:
So stable... like an old sly dog indeed...
Then, the Teleportation Gate flashed, soone was arriving.
User Comments
0 comments from readers