Chapter 63 Selecting Wines and Good Items for Building Diplomatic Relations

When Zhao Ming spoke to Lao Zhou, he finally came to his senses and quickly responded.

He looked down at the ever-accumulating numbers in the ledger, then glanced at the guests filling the room, and the last bit of unease in his heart finally dissipated.

Although today's business was mostly due to the pub's new opening, and most people came in out of curiosity, and it's unlikely to be as lively as it is today in the future, Lao Zhou is already very satisfied.

After ten years of gaming, he never imagined that his family's traditional brewing skills could be revitalized in this apocalyptic world.

"Master Zhou, do you offer takeaway service? I'd like to buy some wine to take home and drink."

It was still that familiar young girl.

"Yes, yes," Old Zhou replied hastily, his wrinkles smoothing out with the high turnover. "Which kind do you want? I have specially made bamboo tubes and earthenware jars that can be sealed to prevent leaks."

Although the player's system shop is not as extensive as the lord's, it is still all-encompassing. As long as you have money, you can buy anything. Although bamboo tubes and pottery jars are expensive, Zhao Ming said that they are necessary investments.

Old Zhou initially thought the young man was being extravagant, but now it seems he was prescient.

"Use the bamboo tube, and bring me one of every kind of wine in the tavern."

Lin Nanxing was carrying the packaged wine home when she ran into Shu Yi, who was also returning home.

"Would you like to try some of the drinks from Hope Tavern?"

Is that tavern open today?

Since the distribution of the swamp was no longer random and everyone figured out the map, Shu Yi resumed his life of hunting demons from dawn till dusk, unaware of what was happening in the Star Territory.

Seeing the girl's flushed face, he couldn't help but ask with concern, "How much did you drink?"

"It's not much, just a small cup." Lin Nanxing raised his hand, using his thumb and forefinger to indicate the size. "It's just that I don't like drinking, and I drink very little, so my alcohol tolerance is not high."

Shu Yi stared at the bamboo tube she was carrying. If she didn't like drinking, why did she buy so much wine? She was even so drunk that she forgot to put the wine she bought into her backpack and carried it back by hand.

Seeing the red marks on the drunk girl's hands from carrying heavy objects for a long time, Shu Yi frowned almost imperceptibly and took the bamboo tube from her hands.

With someone helping her, Lin Nanxing was happy to relax. She followed Shu Yi like a little tail, muttering, "Strange, I only drank a small cup, why am I feeling dizzy?"

"But that wine was actually pretty good, completely different from milk tea." She muttered softly, then suddenly her tone turned angry: "Why is this building so tall... there's no elevator, what a rip-off! I'm going to complain to the property management..."

As Shu Yi listened to the girl's drunken ramblings behind him, a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

"I'm so tired, I don't want to walk anymore." Lin Nanxing's voice was soft and limp, with a slightly tipsy, sticky quality. She followed Shu Yi with unsteady steps, stumbling and falling even though it was only a few flights of stairs.

Fortunately, the floor they lived on wasn't high. Shu Yi stopped and turned around to help the person, but a soft body unexpectedly bumped into his arms.

Shu Yi froze completely. The girl's face was buried in his chest, and the faint fragrance of her hair mixed with a hint of alcohol wafted up from her.

Just then, the door in front of him opened from the inside. Xie Yuan stood in the doorway and froze on the spot when he saw the two people outside almost embracing.

Shu Yi unconsciously placed his hand on Lin Nanxing's waist, and when he looked up, he met Xie Yuan's surprised gaze.

The corridor light cast an ambiguous shadow on his profile, and the person in his arms shifted restlessly, uttering a muffled murmur.

The eternal night immerses one in darkness, and the air suddenly becomes exceptionally quiet.

"Brother, what happened outside?" Xie Yi's voice broke the silence, and Xie Yuan closed the door as if waking from a dream.

Shu Yi heard the boy comforting his sister, "It's nothing. A sudden gust of wind startled me. I've already checked, and everything is fine outside."

After an unknown amount of time, Shu Yi looked down at the fluffy hair on the top of his head in his arms, and his voice unconsciously softened, "Nanxing, we're home. Open the door."

*

The next morning, Lin Nanxing, feeling refreshed, opened the window and looked at the same dark night outside, and suddenly felt annoyed.

There's still one month left before the eternal night ends.

She happened to run into Shu Yi at the door, and greeted him casually, "Good morning."

Seeing her like this, Shu Yi felt a strange tightness in his chest. She really had no recollection of what happened last night. He pursed his lips, his tone unconsciously becoming a little indifferent: "Going out?"

Lin Nanxing didn't notice Shu Yi's emotions: "Yes, I plan to have breakfast at a restaurant and then take a stroll around Hope Tavern."

"Didn't you say you didn't like drinking?" Shu Yi asked, frowning.

"Did I say that?" Lin Nanxing tilted his head in confusion, but didn't dwell on the question. He explained, "I don't really like drinking, but Hope Tavern is the first shop that is completely run by players themselves, so I have to go and support it more often."

Lin Nanxing was still thinking about the territory upgrade tasks, one of which required that there be five or more commercial shops independently opened and continuously operated by the territory's residents.

Currently, there are only three businesses: Tan Ya Shao's pastor's clinic, Zhou Qisheng's school, and Hope Tavern, which are still far from the goal.

After all, consumption is a one-time event, and even if one lives in the territory, it's only for a few days. Even if one becomes a formal resident, one can leave at any time.

But opening a store is different; opening a store is equivalent to tying all your interests to the Star Territory.

Not everyone has that kind of courage.

Many people are watching and waiting to see how the tavern will operate before making any plans, which Lin Nanxing naturally takes very seriously.

Seeing that she insisted on going, Shu Yi remembered her drunken appearance last night and subconsciously said, "Then I'll go with you."

Lin Nanxing looked at him in surprise: "Aren't you going out today?"

Shu Yi looked away, his tone slightly stiff: "It's good to relax sometimes."

If someone who knows him well heard this, they would be shocked. After all, in everyone's impression, Shu Yi has always been a workaholic, so it's unbelievable that he would say something like "take a break."

The oblivious lord didn't notice anything amiss, and instead nodded in agreement. He believed that a balance between work and rest was essential for efficient work, and that this applied to demon hunters as well.

*

Inside the pub, warm yellow lights illuminated the dark wooden bar, creating an unusually ambiguous atmosphere.

Seven or eight wine glasses were lined up in front of Shu Yi, the different colored liquids shimmering in the glass.

He looked up at the person opposite him.

Lin Nanxing was still placing the remaining wine glasses on the table when he said enthusiastically to Shu Yi, "Shu Yi, quickly help me taste them and tell me which ones you think taste better?"

The man suddenly regretted saying he had a good alcohol tolerance.

Shu Yi picked up the nearest glass of pale pink wine, took a small sip, and found the wine to be mellow and lingering, with a faint fruity aroma, yet it brought a warm and soothing sensation as it went down his throat.

“This one is good.” He gently pushed the glass towards him. “The aroma is mellow, and the taste is mild, making it suitable for first-time drinkers.”

Lin Nanxing leaned closer and took a sniff, her eyes brightening slightly: "It really smells wonderful."

She wrote down Shu Yi's comments in her notebook, then looked up at him with complete trust in her eyes, "Why don't you try something else?"

Shu Yi did not refuse her suggestion and tried several kinds of wine, including strong liquor suitable for high-level players and fruit wine suitable for priests.

Lin Nanxing lowered her head and took notes seriously. Her seriousness even made the usually composed Shu Yi ask, "Nanxing, what are you doing?"

“I was choosing wine,” Lin Nanxing subconsciously bit the tip of her pen, her brows furrowing slightly as she hesitated. “I was thinking of picking a few as diplomatic gifts for the Star Territory, but after hearing what you said, I think every single one of them is worth recommending.”

Two months have passed since the territory was upgraded to a town, and the progress of the upgrade task is extremely slow. Lin Nanxing is having a headache looking at the conditions for completion.

To upgrade a town to a city, the following conditions must be met:

1. Establish Diplomatic Relations: Establish formal friendly relations with at least three territories of similar size (township level) (1/3)

2. Prosperity: Five or more commercial shops independently opened and continuously operated by territory residents (3/5)

3. Reputation: The territory's overall reputation value reaches 20 points (Current reputation: 7/20)

[4. Special: Successfully defended against and resolved five medium-sized or larger external attacks (including but not limited to beast tides and attacks from hostile forces) (1/5)]

Everything else was fine, but establishing diplomatic relations with the towns was indeed too difficult. Lin Nanxing had also consulted Yun Aobai to understand how the towns established connections with each other.

Yun Aobai seemed to have guessed her thoughts and frankly told those ordinary people the inside story that they had no way of knowing: "The towns are not completely isolated from each other. The management level always maintains contact, exchanging resources and allocating personnel. The management methods are no different from those of the old era, and naturally, daily relationship maintenance is also indispensable."

Yun Aobai suggested that she find a special resource to serve as a symbol of the Star Territory, which would also help her better penetrate the town's management.

In Yun Aobai's view, the Star Territory itself is a huge special resource pool, and there is no need to worry about it at all.

Ironically, this made it even harder for Lin Nanxing to make a decision.

Having too many options can sometimes be more frustrating than having no options at all.

Lin Nanxing hesitated for a long time, and since the tavern was opening, she decided to test the waters with alcohol.

In the society where Lin Nanxing used to live, cigarettes and alcohol were hard currency, but she had hated cigarettes since she was a child, and even if the territory could produce them, she would not consider it.

In a post-apocalyptic world of extreme heat, using alcohol as a local specialty is neither too ostentatious nor makes one seem neglected.

Knowing her plan, Shu Yi immediately selected two of the most distinctive liquors, one spirit and one sake, which together would be perfect for sale as a specialty of the Star Territory.

Just as Lin Nanxing was about to express his gratitude, a system notification suddenly popped up:

[Special personnel detected entering territory]

[Identity Verification: Wen Zhiming, Mayor of Wenjia Township]

[Identity Verification: Yuan Chengping, Mayor of Dongyang Town]

*

Wen Zhiming and Yuan Chengping stood at the entrance to the Star Territory, their eyes filled with astonishment.

The town they managed was much smaller than Yunpei Town, and the two towns were not far apart, so the two town mayors had a very close personal relationship.

Players are now familiar with the perpetual night environment, and the game no longer randomly generates swamps, so everyone has resumed going out and about.

The two mayors had originally planned to go to Yunpei Town today to build a good relationship with Yun Aobai and discuss countermeasures against the upcoming spring beast tide. However, before they even reached the outskirts of Yunpei Town, they saw the long-lost train tracks.

One end of the track connected to the underground entrance to Yunpei Town, which they knew well, while the other end pointed to an unknown place.

After making some inquiries, I learned that the train was heading to the Star Territory.