Chapter 708.3: Not Bad, My Child Has Grown Capable

Wasteland Online’s official website, on the forums.

They were as lively as ever.

Ever since the Hive Clearspring City was dealt with, the Mutant Slime Mold Research Committee had been making increasing progress under the administrator’s arrangements. And with the successive establishment of save points at Ice Sea City in the far north and Below Cloud City in the far east, many players had tasted the sweetness of opening up the map, bringing back distant stories and intelligence to the official site.

But compared to those scattered travel anecdotes, the big news stirred up by the Burning Corps in the Poro Province was far more exciting.

500 people taking down a settlement of over a million inhabitants.

The population of that single settlement was almost larger than the New Alliance’s total population combined!

As usual, it was Ample Time bringing the day’s new entertainment to comrades far away in the River Valley Province. He quickly told the story of their victory to those hauling bricks, mixing cement, running dungeons, and farming ruins.

Ample Time: We received a telegram from the Heavenly City! They’ve agreed to pull back 100 kilometers, but also mentioned they’ll send more troops to the front unless we completely withdraw from the Poro Province. In addition, they demand that we not leave Port Gallon. We can either return to sea or stay within the settlement. That’s their bottom line, otherwise the temporary ceasefire is void. As for the specific ceasefire agreement, it will be negotiated and signed by Duke Garawa, who’s currently in Dawn City.

Quit Smoking: Holy shit?

Tail: Eehhhhhhh?!

Night Ten: Damn, these guys are really that bold? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Elf Wang: You’re telling me we just swallow this?!

Irene: If it were me, no way I would agree to the ceasefire. We should build an airport and smash them! ₍₍⚞(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)⚟⁾⁾

In an instant, the thread gained dozens of replies, and the entire forum was filled with cheerful chaos. A small number spammed how cool the Burning Corps was, while most fanned the flames, urging them to keep pushing west all the way to the Heavenly City and capture the old emperor alive.

Some weren’t satisfied just watching the spectacle and wanted to head to the front lines themselves.

Midnight Umbrella: Brothers, need mercenaries? The Garbage kun I’m raising eats too much. (╥﹏╥)

Eye Owe Money: Bro, look at me! I didn’t raise that brain-dead thing, I mainly just want to help the suffering local survivors. (￣▽￣)

Garbage: ???

Me Quiet: Can you guys act like proper humans? (¬_¬")

Ample Time: Calm down. We’re civilized people, rules that should be followed still need to be followed. How we fight and how far we go should still have limits.

Spring Water Commander: Honestly, I think it’d be fine even if you didn’t follow the last condition. They can’t see you guys anyway, and even if they do, they’ll probably pretend they didn’t. ( ｡ •̀ ᵕ •́ ｡)

It sounded more like the Xilande Empire was threatening the New Alliance to save their reputation, just like the earlier telegram.

Old White: We think so too, but for now we don’t plan to stir things up. Port Gallon is a total mess right now. It’s a ruined sight everywhere from the Governor’s Manor to Kalaba Market in the north. We’re planning to rebuild parts of the city, set up some industries, and then support a local faction to take over municipal and police institutions... Ample Time’s handling this at the moment. I don’t really get it, haha, all I know is how to fight. Lifestyle Profession players who are interested can ask him. <(˘ ˘ ˘)>

Ample Time: Yeah, the land traits of French Fry Harbor aren’t suitable for industrial development, the maintenance costs are too high. On the other hand, agriculture gets a growth-speed buff, especially for tropical and subtropical crops. Based on local feedback, yields are looking great. So we’ve adjusted our initial plan. Secondary industries will be placed in Port Gallon, while the Baiyue Strait coast will focus on primary industries.

Sword Execution: Damn! My DNA is reacting! ₍₍⚞(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)⚟⁾⁾

Athlete Foot: Do you need us to build a branch plant there?

Old White: Oh, you guys are absolutely welcome! There are plenty of mineral resources here but electricity costs might be a bit high, though.

Poro Province was rich in mineral resources. The massive amounts of waste produced by the de-urbanization movement more than two centuries ago have either rusted and weathered away, or been buried beneath soil layers or mountains.

Resources didn’t disappear. All they did was change forms, like the Red River Alliance’s mines. Anyway, there was an abundance of resources in the Poro Province. In addition, there was abundant manpower. Education levels may be low in the Poro Province, but many labor-intensive industries didn’t actually require high educational thresholds.

Ample Time: ... It isn’t urgent to bring heavy industries over. We plan to start with textiles. I checked the port’s import-export ledgers and textiles are already one of its main exports. There’s no shortage of raw materials or workers, and production equipment can be bought in Boulder Town and Dawn City. Shipping it over through Silvermoon Bay isn’t too much trouble.

Teng Teng: By the way, isn’t power pretty scarce there? You’ll probably need foot-pedal sewing machines... Ummm, do we even still have those? ∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?

Night Ten: Of course we do. What kind of electricity are you expecting in a concentration camp? Dawn City only switched from kerosene lamps to electric lights a few months ago. (◔_◔)

Sisi: Ahem, I’m no expert, but I feel you should probably think about feeding the locals first. Most of the fertile land around Port Gallon grows cash crops like cotton, sugarcane, tea, and spices. The locals’ staple food relies mainly on imports from the western plains via inland river ports on the Everflowing River... At this rate, they might really end up eating dirt for every meal.

Tail: Oh! Tail agrees too! That dirt tastes awful, last time it almost sent me off, giao... (`－д－；)ゞ

Quit Smoking: Holy crap, you’ve eaten it?!

Mosquito: Irena: I concede.

Irene: I’m so mad, but it feels like arguing now would be losing. (lol angry-limited.gif)

Elf Wang: Hahahahaha.

Ample Time: We’ll keep an eye on that. Over the past couple of days we’ve already noticed a general rise in bean prices. In the short term, we’re considering importing some grain from Silvermoon Bay. In the medium to long term, it should be feasible to convert some plantation cash crops into cornfields or rice paddies.

Escaping Mole: By the way, what about those 10,000+ prisoners? How do you plan to deal with them?

Ample Time: That’s actually what I was about to talk about. The Xilande Empire hopes we can return them as soon as possible, for the sake of the families behind them. But we plan to delay releasing the prisoners until the ceasefire agreement is formally signed. In the meantime, we may have them do some work, like the Kalaba Market renovation project or something. We can’t just feed that many people for nothing.

Spring Water Commander: Labor reform is indeed a good idea. Who knows, maybe they’ll even take something back home with them. >ᴗ<

Ample Time: Hopefully. But honestly, I don’t have high expectations for the locals’ initiative. The few worth cultivating are all warlord-type talents. One step forward spiritually puts them at Boulder Town’s early days. One step back and they’re pure marauders. And forget about assimilating them, stay there long enough and you might end up like Eye Owe Money, throwing all your integrity away.

Eye Owe Money: What the hell, I’m catching strays when I’m not doing anything?!

Tail: Oh, oh, oh! Early Boulder Town? I got it! I’ll go tell Dori that we have a new place for her to report on, when she’s distracted, I’ll swoop in and carry off our cute Miss Dori while the chance is there!

Sisi: ???

Ample Time: Heh, if you grab her, go ahead and try. I’m pretty confident in myself... Oh right, Tail, what about those people you let go from the port district earlier? Any way to contact them?

Tail: Ohhhhhh! Sisi left them a radio. If they didn’t break it, it should still work! By the way, do you need them for something?

Ample Time: Yeah. We want to invite them for a chat.

While the players were chatting away enthusiastically, Chu Guang, sitting in his chair on level B4 of Shelter 404, drinking cola and lurking on the forums, also wore a look of relief and pride.

A long, long time ago, back when the Corps System had just been introduced, he had envisioned players spreading the sparks of civilization into the wasteland.

They were still a bit clumsy, and their motives and starting points might not align perfectly with his own, but it was starting to look the part.

He knew very well that wanting everything was a bad idea. Excessive control and trying to have it all usually led to getting nothing at all.

He had only one expectation of his players, and so far, they were doing quite well. They were gradually improving.

Chu Guang extended his index finger contentedly and rubbed Little Seven’s small head. “Not bad. My child has grown capable.”

Little Seven tilted its head slightly in confusion. “...?”

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.