Chapter 759.2: Site 721

Jiang Xuezhou didn't think much of it. She nodded blankly, though she still reminded him, "Alright then... But if there's anything you don't know, make sure you ask me."

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Night Ten got straight to the point. "Do you have cooking wine?"

Jiang Xuezhou blinked. "What's that?"

"... Beer, then? At least you've got scallions, ginger, and garlic, right?"

"Oh, those we do..."

"Are you going to drink the beer?"

"Who told you I was going to drink it?"

"Just bring it over. Right, and stand beside me."

As he spoke, Night Ten picked up the bowl of roasted potatoes from the table. Looking at Jiang Yuehan, who was watching him expectantly, he smiled gently and coaxed her like a child. "I'm borrowing these for a little while. I'll give them back in a bit."

The roast chicken was probably beyond saving. But the potatoes could still be rescued.

"Mhm!" The little girl nodded obediently and watched the two of them disappear into the kitchen.

Looking at the lively atmosphere inside, she no longer bothered eating her drumstick. Resting her chin on both hands and swinging her little legs back and forth, she watched with sparkling eyes, lost in thoughts only she knew.

Come to think of it, that was the first time she had ever seen her sister so cheerful. Every previous visit, Jiang Xuezhou had always worn an expression weighed down by worries. Even when she smiled gently, there had never been much genuine happiness behind it.

I hope she's this happy every single day...

...

Meanwhile, under Jiang Xuezhou's guidance, Night Ten familiarized himself with the kitchen appliances. There wasn't a wok, only a stockpot for stews. But for someone who specialized in lazy one-pot meals, a pot was a pot.

To save himself from washing an extra bowl, he'd even stir-fried food in a rice cooker before. A soup pot was hardly an obstacle.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! What are you doing?! Why are you pouring beer over the duck legs? Won't that taste weird?" Watching Night Ten casually pour an entire can of beer into the pot, Jiang Xuezhou hurriedly rushed over to stop him, only to discover she couldn't move his arm at all.

She had almost forgotten. Most of the components inside his body had been built by her.

Tossing the empty can aside, Night Ten looked at Jiang Xuezhou's tearful expression and couldn't help laughing. "What do you know? This is called Beer Stewed Duck. Stop making a fuss over nothing..."

Jiang Xuezhou froze. "B-Beer Stewed Duck? What's that... Ah, no! Yuehan can't drink alcohol!"

"Pfft..." Night Ten burst into laughter. "The duck's going to be fully stewed. Do you really think there'll still be any alcohol left?"

"Oh, right... Alcohol evaporates easily." Realizing she'd asked a rather silly question, Jiang Xuezhou blushed and nodded before watching him dump the roasted potatoes into a bowl and begin mashing them. She blinked again. "What's that for?"

Night Ten answered casually, "Mashed potatoes. Kids love this stuff... Do you have milk, butter, and black pepper?"

This dish had become something of a tradition in the New Alliance. Back in the day, Tomato Eggs had spent a lot of effort figuring out how to make Shofar Potatoes actually taste good.

Jiang Xuezhou quickly nodded. "Yes! I bought some when I came back... They should still be in my room."

Without even turning around, Night Ten continued mashing the softened potatoes. "Why did you leave them in your room? Go get them! And grab the soy sauce from my suitcase too, the black bottle."

"O-okay!" Blushing, Jiang Xuezhou nodded again and hurried out of the kitchen.

Halfway there, she suddenly remembered she was still wearing the apron, so she ran back and tied it around Night Ten's waist before leaving again.

When he had first volunteered to cook dinner, she planned to stand beside him and give him pointers. Instead, she had somehow become the clueless novice, reduced to running errands as his assistant.

...

About 40 minutes later, darkness had completely fallen outside.

The time was around 7:00 at night, and Jiang Xuezhou's parents arrived home almost exactly on time.

Hearing the clattering coming from the kitchen, the two elders assumed Yuehan was making a mess again. After hurriedly changing into slippers, they walked inside, only to find Yuehan already seated at the dining table, while two dishes they had never seen before sat steaming on it. An enticing aroma drifted through the air.

Father Jiang’s nose twitched while Mother Jiang instinctively looked toward the kitchen. The second she saw who was in there, her eyes immediately widened.

With mashed potato still stuck to the corner of her mouth, Yuehan giggled happily. "Dad! Mom! Big Sis brought a man home!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Jiang Xuezhou immediately rushed over and covered her little sister's mouth before nervously glancing toward the kitchen.

At that moment, Night Ten emerged carrying a steaming pot of Beer Stewed Duck. With a smile on his face, he greeted them politely. "Hello, Uncle! Hello, Auntie!"

"Hello, hello..." Father Jiang answered out of habit before giving him a careful once-over. Then he hesitated and asked, "And... you are?"

Night Ten had just been about to say he was from the wasteland, but Jiang Xuezhou beat him to it. "His name's Night Ten! He's from the New Alliance... It's complicated to explain, but you can think of him as something like a diplomat. We'll explain over dinner!"

"Oh, someone from the Foreign Affairs Department then." Father Jiang nodded. "Come, have a seat, young man... Xuezhou, why did you let our guest do the cooking? You could've waited for us to come home."

He turned and lightly scolded Jiang Xuezhou, however, his tone wasn't harsh.

Mother Jiang smiled indulgently as well, gently brushing aside the bangs damp with sweat on her daughter's forehead. "Exactly. Why didn't you tell us you were coming home? I could've just taken the day off."

Jiang Xuezhou smiled brightly and clung to her mother's arm. "I wanted to surprise you! Oh, right. Where's Big Brother?"

Father Jiang chuckled, "Your brother's already married. He was transferred from Site 721 to Site 702 at the end of last year. He's the workshop supervisor now. I'll call that brat back tomorrow."

The whole family gathered around the table and enjoyed dinner together.

At first, Night Ten was somewhat reserved. Soon, he relaxed after experiencing Jiang Xuezhou's incredibly welcoming family.

Of course, his excellent cooking also deserved some of the credit.

Sitting at the table, Yuehan continuously stuffed mashed potatoes into her mouth. Her eyes sparkled like little stars.

The word “delicious” was practically written all over her face.

"... I didn't expect you to be this good at cooking." Jiang Xuezhou poked him in the arm and whispered.

The compliment nearly sent Night Ten floating. He almost held his nose high enough to touch the ceiling. "Of course I am. Too bad there's no chili oil or rice here. Otherwise I’ll make you my signature fried rice."

Eating Beer Stewed Duck with bread still felt a little strange, but it was certainly more normal than strangely orange colored roasted chicken legs.

"Heh..." Jiang Xuezhou snorted sourly as she watched his smug expression. "You never cooked for me back in the New Alliance."

Grinning with a thoroughly punchable face, Night Ten replied, "Well, you never asked."

"You..." Jiang Xuezhou gritted her teeth and wanted to bite his arm. Then she remembered they were at the dinner table and forced herself to stop.

Besides, his bones were made of titanium alloy she bought herself. She was worried she would chip her teeth instead.

Halfway through dinner, Father Jiang, slightly flushed from a few drinks, poured Night Ten another glass. Holding the young man's hand, he spoke earnestly. "Our Little Jiang can be a bit impatient sometimes, but she's actually a very caring girl. There's not much we can do to help her with her work. So... when you're out there, I would appreciate it if you could look after her."

Caught completely off guard, Jiang Xuezhou nearly choked on her food. After coughing twice, she cried out in embarrassment, "Dad! What are you talking about?!"

Her father ignored her entirely, nor did he seem inclined to take the words back. He simply looked straight at Night Ten, patiently waiting for the young man's answer.

"Big Sis is blushing!" Yuehan giggled mischievously, her clever little eyes darting back and forth.

Looking into the earnest eyes of the concerned father, Night Ten laughed heartily and answered without hesitation. "Don't worry, I'll protect your daughter."

After all, he was one of the server's top-tier players. Protecting a single NPC would be a piece of cake.

Jiang Xuezhou's face instantly turned bright red. She merely let out a tiny snort and fell completely silent.

Father Jiang smiled with obvious relief. "With your promise, I can finally rest easy."

...

That night, Night Ten stayed at Jiang Xuezhou's house, sleeping in the guest room on the second floor.

Jiang Xuezhou had taken a week's leave to visit her family. During that week, he planned to explore the area around Site 721, learn more about the locals' way of life, and better understand the Scientific Committee.

Ice Sea City was a Special Zone. Trying to understand the Academy or the Scientific Committee from there had been far too difficult.

Another thing worth mentioning was that Site 721 wasn't part of the Special Zone. There were no save points specifically built for players, nor were there spots where players could log out safely.

As a result, he could only spend the night in an NPC's home.

Simply put, merchant caravans never came. The lavish dinner they had just enjoyed had only been possible because Jiang Xuezhou had exchanged GP for ingredients. Normally, if she hadn't regularly mailed supplies home, her family probably wouldn't have been able to afford such a feast.

At least, during the entire trip here, Night Ten hadn't seen anything resembling a shop.

A sudden thought crossed his mind.

If only the Scientific Committee's market could be opened up...

Beneath the land lay enormous undeveloped resources.

Oil, natural gas, and even metal ore deposits.

Apparently, the people of the Prosperity Era had anticipated the possibility of civilization's collapse. They had intentionally left vast reserves of untapped resources beneath the tundra, inside mountains, and even under the sea.

In other words, this land possessed tremendous development potential. Otherwise, the Academy wouldn't have chosen to establish itself there.

However, after giving it some thought, Night Ten quickly realized just how difficult the task would be. His instincts told him opening up the market in the Academy would probably be even harder than opening up the market of the Xilande Empire.

...

Removing his helmet, Ye Wei sat on the sofa in his living room, staring blankly at the large flat-screen television. Outside, daylight had already illuminated the lands. On Earth, it was already morning.

Every time he logged out, it took him a while to readjust to the real world.

I really can't tell the difference anymore... Is this what people call gaming addiction? No wonder minors aren't allowed to play.

Not long after he took off his helmet, Jiujiu wandered out of her room with a huge yawn. She had already slept for most of the day, yet she still looked exhausted. Who knew what she had been doing inside the game?

She looked at her older brother sitting motionless on the sofa, blinked, and waved a hand in front of his face. "What's wrong, Bro? Hello? Your soul still in there?"

Recalling the dinner he'd just shared with Jiang Xuezhou and her family, Ye Wei shook his groggy head, set the helmet aside, and sighed. "Nothing. It's just... This game is a little too realistic."

Jiujiu froze, then she stared at him with wide eyes. Her mouth formed a perfect circle. Eventually, she gasped, "Holy crap! So you really got together with that NPC?"

Ye Wei frowned. "What are you talking about? What does that have to do with anything?"

Jiujiu awkwardly poked her two index fingers together and mumbled with a blush on her face, "When you said it felt realistic, I-I thought you two had... um... Forget it. If you didn’t, then never mind! Tsk!"

"...?" Watching Jiujiu disappear in a flash, Ye Wei scratched his head in complete confusion.

What's gotten into her now?

Leaving the helmet on the sofa, he ordered takeout before opening the official website. Coincidentally, the first post he saw was Sisi's latest update.

Clicking into it, he found that their cargo ship had already docked at West Sail Harbor. Besides sharing her observations of the port, Sisi had also posted local market prices.

According to her report, demand for spirits there was incredibly strong. If someone transported potatoes from French Fry Harbor to Port Gallon, distilled them into liquor, sold them at West Sail Harbor, and then used the proceeds to buy steel or cement for shipment back, they could make a fortune with their eyes closed.

It was especially so because the Wislanders enjoyed tax exemptions there.

Many Wislander merchants simply purchased arriving liquor shipments and immediately reloaded them onto their own ships for transport back to Army-controlled territory. As a result, although the records showed the liquor had been exported to the Xilande Empire, it ultimately ended up flooding the Army’s domestic market instead.

At the end of the post, Sisi also included the profits from the voyage.

What made Night Ten envious wasn't the money. It was how incredibly fast they had worked! They actually managed to pry open the Wislanders' treasury already!

Granted, they had only managed to crack open a tiny gap and there was no telling when the big-noses might slam it shut again, still, it was undeniably major progress.

"They're all so capable... Guess I'd better work harder too." Muttering enviously to himself, Night Ten closed the post and leaned back on the sofa in deep thought.

To begin with, the Academy undoubtedly possessed far more treasures than the Army. Moreover, they were exactly the kinds of knowledge the New Alliance needed most.

The problem was... There weren't even 100 active players in the Wandering Swamp!

Thinking of that, Night Ten couldn't help rubbing his forehead.

Setting aside the problem of prying open those old fossils' minds, just convincing enough fresh recruits to come to the Wandering Swamp would already be difficult enough.

So... where the hell am I supposed to swing this hoe?

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