Chapter 40 Even the glowing mushrooms couldn't sit still.

Xu Yongyuan carefully placed the eggs into the pot: "Brother Lin and the others should be back by now, right? There are six eggs, one for each of us. Brother, you can have two."

"No need, you can eat it yourself," Xu Yongfeng replied without looking up as he was wiping his weapon.

He's a battle maniac, only interested in hunting monsters, and has little interest in food.

Xu Yongyuan knew his brother's character and deliberately boasted, "You might not even be able to eat these things later, since only registered residents can afford them, and you're not one."

On the day the quota for official residents was announced, Xu Yongyuan was still thinking about how his brother had missed out, but then his brother didn't come back for several days in a row, so he had already missed out.

Xu Yongfeng paused in wiping his weapon, looked at his younger brother's retreating figure, and frowned, asking, "You've joined this territory?"

Xu Yongyuan knew exactly what his brother was thinking. Staring at the eggs bobbing up and down in the pot, he waved his hand behind him and said, "Don't worry, brother, I wasn't fooled. There are a lot of benefits to becoming a formal resident."

Xu Yongyuan knew his battle-crazed brother too well, so he directly picked out the most attractive part of the benefits: "Just the permanent increase of 50 attribute points in health points and the one-point increase in basic health regeneration speed are already worth it, okay?"

Amidst the gurgling sound of water, the eggs bobbed and tumbled in the boiling water.

Xu Yongyuan carefully scooped up the boiled eggs with a wooden spoon, turned around to hand them to his brother, but was startled by the brother's intense gaze.

"Brother, why are you looking at me like that?"

Xu Yongfeng withdrew his somewhat ardent gaze and slammed the weapon on the table with a bang. "Why didn't you tell me about this good thing sooner?"

He asked eagerly, "How can I become a full-fledged resident?"

"Didn't you say you weren't interested?"

Xu Yongyuan's attention was focused on the eggs. He almost reverently pried open the shell, and the long-lost aroma of the eggs made him take a deep breath. "The quotas are all gone. So many people have been begging and pleading these days, but the territory hasn't given in."

Xu Yongfeng's eyes lit up, but he didn't give in. However, he didn't reject the idea outright, so there was still hope. "Who did they talk to?"

Xu Yongyuan swallowed the egg in one gulp, his mouth bulging, and said, "The person in charge of external affairs right now is Zhou Qisheng, who just took office a few days ago..."

Before Xu Yongyuan could finish speaking, his indistinct voice was interrupted by the sound of the door slamming shut.

He stared at the empty doorway and shook his head helplessly: "You really aren't going to eat the eggs? Honestly, I went through so much trouble to get them."

After asking for directions for a while, Xu Yongfeng found the person in charge his brother had mentioned in the water park's administrative office. He went straight up to Zhou Qisheng and got straight to the point: "How can I become a formal resident?"

Zhou Qisheng, who was planning his territory, slowly raised his head and his gaze lingered on Xu Yongfeng for a moment.

He recognized the man, who exuded a fierce aura; he was a typical battle maniac and the kind of talent the boss wanted.

"Mr. Xu, is it?" Zhou Qisheng calmly put down his pen and gave a professional smile.

"You must have inquired before you came. Our territory is currently too small, and the number of official residents is indeed very tight. Although the territory can expand its enrollment appropriately, we must always give priority to those who have made contributions."

His fingertips tapped rhythmically on the table, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

Xu Yongfeng understood the meaning behind Zhou Qisheng's words, and without saying a word, took out an iron box from the backpack behind him.

The moment the box was opened, a faint fluorescent light shone on Xu Yongfeng's face. Inside, a crystal-clear mushroom lay quietly.

“A glowing mushroom,” Xu Yongfeng said briefly. “This is my harvest this time. I’ve tested it, and this mushroom can not only provide some illumination, but also block the detection of monsters within a certain range.”

He paused, then added, "I've only found this one in all these years. It should be enough to get four official resident slots."

Zhou Qisheng stared at the mushroom emitting blue light, a look of amazement flashing in his eyes. Having survived the apocalypse for ten years, he knew all too well the value of such strategic resources. This Mr. Xu was indeed a powerful and advanced player.

Before Xu Yongfeng could lose patience, Zhou Qisheng tapped the air a few times with his right hand, "Of course, the supplies provided by Mr. Xu fully meet the requirements."

At the same time, a system notification popped up in front of Xu Yongfeng.

[Player has been detected as meeting the requirements for official resident of Star Territory. Do you wish to pay 1000 game coins to become an official resident?]

Xu Yongfeng paid the money without hesitation, enjoying the comfort brought by the territory bonus. He placed the glowing mushroom on the table, nodded to Zhou Qisheng, and left.

Xu Yongfeng's attitude towards work is just like his fighting style: extremely decisive and efficient.

Zhou Qisheng watched his departing figure, then chuckled and carefully put away the box containing the glowing mushrooms.

When Xu Yongfeng opened the door, he found Lin Hongwen and several of his brothers in the living room. There were several cups of milk tea on the coffee table that had lost their air conditioning, indicating that they had been there for a while.

Only then did he realize that he had forgotten to discuss handing over the glowing mushrooms with his teammates.

"Boss, we've been waiting for you." Lin Hongwen was the first to stand up, patting non-existent dust off his pants. "Shall we go eat?"

Only registered residents can eat at the restaurant. Seeing his companions' knowing expressions, Xu Yongfeng coughed lightly: "In order to become a registered resident, I gave away the Glowing Mushroom. You don't mind, do you?"

"What's the big deal?" Lin Hongwen interrupted him with a smile. "We work ourselves to the bone every day just to live a better life. Since we can eat hot meals every day in the Star Territory, what's a mushroom?"

“Exactly,” another team member chimed in. “I was worried about how to get a spot, but you solved it all for me, boss. We’re so grateful to you.”

In this apocalyptic world, who would want to live a life of constant danger if they could have a safe place to eat?

Of course, their leader is an exception.

"Oh, it's just a mushroom, brother, why are you so bothered by it? Maybe if we hand this glowing mushroom over to the territory, we can grow more glowing mushrooms. It's much more useful than if we keep it."

Seeing that his brother was still silent, Xu Yongyuan stepped forward and interjected, "Brother, when you came back, did you see that farmland on the outskirts of the territory? The daily yield is amazing."

Xu Yongyuan finished the last sip of his milk tea. "I've heard that the territory uses a growth-accelerating agent. Maybe your glowing mushrooms can be cultivated too. You'll definitely sell them then."

Xu Yongfeng and his group had only recently returned and were not as familiar with the territory as Xu Yongyuan. Upon hearing what he said, their eyes lit up.

If they could cultivate a large number of luminous mushrooms, they could buy them back, which would be equivalent to getting a formal resident quota for free. Thinking of this, Xu Yongfeng finally put down the letter.

"It's already eleven o'clock." Xu Yongyuan rubbed his still rumbling stomach and, remembering his empty-handed experience that morning, couldn't help but urge, "Now that we're all official residents, let's hurry to the restaurant. I bet there will be a lot of people there, so we need to grab a table in advance."

"Those guys snatched all the breakfast this morning. Let's hurry up, or we'll have to queue again." Xu Yongyuan was full of resentment when he thought about what happened this morning.

At this moment, on the main street of the territory, the official residents walked with their heads held high, heading towards the Star Hotel with a clear goal, which attracted frequent sidelong glances from the players who were not qualified, their eyes full of envy.

As noon approached, the area around the Star Hotel was filled with players who stood and watched through the glass windows as the diners inside enjoyed their meals, their eyes filled with longing.

The aroma of the food seemed to come alive as it wafted out from under the door. The fragrance included the savory aroma of braised pork, the sweet and sour taste of stir-fried shredded potatoes, and the unique sweet and sticky aroma of freshly cooked white rice, making one's stomach ache.

Several high-level players brought by Shu Yi were also among the onlookers.

Hu Ba swallowed hard, looking at the three people next to him who had the same expression as him, and felt somewhat comforted.

Fortunately, he wasn't the only one who was naive and had never seen the world.

"Gurgle—" It was unclear whose stomach was the first to let out a long rumble.

"No, I can't stand it anymore, I want to eat it too."

The first to speak was surprisingly Si Hao, the most taciturn swordsman in the team. He stared intently at the plate of glistening braised pork knuckle that a table of guests inside the window was sharing, and his grip on his sword tightened unconsciously.

"We're all standing here, who wouldn't want to eat?" Wang Qian nodded in agreement, then her eyes lit up as she thought of something. "Why don't we go find Shu Yi? Didn't he say he's a registered resident here? He must have food there."

She lowered her voice and added, "Not only that, my gut feeling tells me that he should have some information about how to become a formal resident."

Apart from Hu Ba, who is the younger brother of the town mayor of Chixia Town, the other people don't have a strong sense of belonging to the town they live in.

They've gotten used to life in the Star Territory these past few days, and they absolutely refuse to go back to their old impoverished lives.

When Star Territory was recruiting before, they did consider applying, but their pride as high-level players prevented them from taking any action.

However, those who become top players naturally have their trump cards up their sleeves, so they are not worried about whether they can get a spot as official residents.

After discussing it for a while, the group decided to first go to their acquaintance Shu Yi to freeload a meal.

As soon as they climbed to the fourth floor and reached Shu Yi's door, they smelled an enticing aroma of hot pot.

Hu Ba took a deep breath and began knocking on the door impatiently. "Shu Yi, open the door! I know you're home. Don't hide inside and stay silent."

Despite Hu Ba's persistent knocking, Shu Yi opened the door with a dark expression, looking at the four of them with hostility. "What is it?"

As soon as the door opened, the aroma of hot pot wafted up even more intensely.

Hu Ba ignored Shu Yi's expression and darted in, followed closely by the other three. As soon as they entered, they saw a familiar-looking girl at the dining table.

Lin Nanxing greeted them warmly, holding a piece of freshly cooked beef in her hand.

Hu Ba's gaze darted back and forth between her and Shu Yi.

"Excuse me." Wei Feiyang brazenly sat down, took out a set of bowls and chopsticks from his backpack, and stared at the still boiling soup pot, saying, "Hot pot is of course more delicious when there are more people."

Shu Yi stood at the door, looking at these robbers who were essentially breaking and entering. He didn't seem to care about their suggestion, but instead looked at Lin Nanxing with a questioning gaze.

"It's alright, I brought plenty of ingredients, more than enough for six people." Lin Nanxing smiled and added two more plates of beef to the boiling pot.

The red oil broth was bubbling, with a layer of golden chili oil floating on the surface. Various seasonings rose and fell in the soup, emitting a spicy aroma that whetted the appetite.

The chef we hired recently is particularly good at Sichuan cuisine. He made this hot pot base using the available ingredients, but because there wasn't enough raw material, it wasn't made available to the public.