Chapter 79 Final Upgrade of the City

When the ten-day period was up, Lin Nanxing delivered five hundred sets of bamboo armor to Qi Ruiyi as promised.

These bamboo armors were made to order by the artisans working through the night, and each piece was exquisitely crafted, with the verdant bamboo strips shimmering with a warm luster in the sunlight.

As for how to transport this batch of goods back to Dongling City over thousands of miles, Lin Nanxing didn't inquire. Which elite player who could survive in the apocalypse didn't have a few hidden treasures? She believed Qi Ruiyi had his own way.

A day later, Zhou Qisheng brought some interesting news when he came to report: "Captain Qi left alone, but the other members of the Dongling City team are still active in the territory. Should we continue to monitor them?"

"It seems she's hiding something else from me; she probably has a small teleportation array of her own."

Lin Nanxing didn't seem to care, saying indifferently, "But it doesn't matter, anyway I didn't plan to rely on Dongling City to solve the teleportation array problem."

Zhou Qisheng continued his report, "There's one more thing. The Sand Fox caravan has returned and wants to purchase a batch of bamboo products, but our inventory has been completely depleted, and we may not be able to supply large quantities in the short term."

Without hesitation, Lin Nanxing said, "Then we'll prioritize supplying the Sand Fox Caravan. Inform the workshops that all production for the next three days will be reserved for the caravan."

She hadn't forgotten the extra reputation points she'd gained in those two unfamiliar towns, mostly thanks to the Sand Fox Caravan's efforts in securing them for her. Naturally, she deserved special treatment from such partners.

After Zhou Qisheng finished recording, he did not leave immediately. He hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been bothering him: "Nanxing, why are you so obsessed with the teleportation array? With the resources our territory currently has, we can be completely self-sufficient."

"Of course it's to go out and explore! Don't you want to see what other places are like?"

My lord isn't one to go out much.

Seeing Zhou Qisheng's disbelieving look, Lin Nanxing casually changed her tune: "Okay, okay, maybe I'm just a saint. I not only want the residents of Star Territory to live a good life, but I also hope that other players struggling in the apocalypse can have the opportunity to develop."

"As the old saying goes, 'When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when prosperous, one should benefit all under heaven.' We can't have only our territory thriving while other cities fall into desolation."

This answer surprised Zhou Qisheng slightly.

Of course, this was just Lin Nanxing's casual excuse to Zhou Qisheng. She only revealed her true thoughts when facing Shu Yi that evening.

The game's environmental change patterns are being disrupted, and many of these changes have only become apparent since the arrival of this outsider.

Whether it's winter arriving a month early, the appearance of grass left over from the previous season in spring, or the higher-than-usual surface temperature in summer, the changes are both good and bad, making it impossible to predict how the game will develop next.

Lin Nanxing's concern is that if the changes in the game are merely preparations for unleashing a major attack, then when an even more catastrophic environmental change occurs, given the current resource reserves of the players, they will likely be unable to withstand it, and at least the vast majority of players will disappear.

"If the people on this land can't survive, what's the point of making the territory as prosperous as possible?"

Talent is the foundation of development. Without people, even the richest resources will dry up, and even the most fortified city will become an empty shell.

Only when the whole world prospers can Star Territory truly have a sustainable future.

Knowing that upgrading a territory to a city might unlock teleportation features, Lin Nanxing focused even more on promoting his territory's reputation in order to gain more prestige points.

Finally, on the last twilight of midsummer, Lin Nanxing stood on the watchtower at the edge of the territory. The system interface unfolded before her, and those numbers that she once thought were unattainable had now all been achieved.

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) (4/3)

2. Prosperity: Five or more commercial shops independently opened and continuously operated by territory residents (12/5)

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

[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) (126/5)]

[Territory detected to meet upgrade requirements]

Should the "town" be upgraded to a "city"?

Lin Nanxing took a deep breath and lightly tapped his fingertip in the air: [Confirm Upgrade]

The entire territory suddenly fell into an eerie silence. The snow stopped, the bamboo leaves ceased to sway, and even the distant sound of blacksmithing seemed to vanish instantly.

The next second, the entire territory seemed to come alive.

The originally transparent barrier now appeared, with ripples spreading across its edges. It then expanded outwards at an astonishing speed, causing the low-level monsters that had been lurking and attacking outside the barrier to scatter and flee in terror at the sudden expansion.

The monsters couldn't keep up with the expanding barrier, and the panicked monsters instantly turned into data and vanished into the air.

Inside the barrier, the bluestone path seemed to extend forward as if it had its own consciousness, and wherever it passed, the scorching sand was instantly covered by the smooth stone surface.

The massive commotion of the territory expansion drew players out to investigate, and Lin Nanxing noticed a system notification.

[Congratulations on leveling up, host. Your level-up rewards are being calculated.]

[Reward 1: Territory area expanded by 300%, new planable land added]

[Reward 2: The protective barrier has been upgraded to level 7, its health has been increased to 200,000 points, and the "Chemical Damage Immunity" function has been successfully acquired (Effect: Ignores all chemical damage)]

[Reward 3: Global Delivery Network: Unlock the "Star Delivery" Level 1 channel, allowing territory specialties to be delivered to all friendly territories]

[Reward 4: Safe Zone Fusion Ticket x3: Allows you to merge other territory barriers with the main barrier. The merged territory will enjoy the same protection, and the original territory's unique buildings will be retained after the fusion.]

After upgrading to a city, the system did not pop up any further territory upgrade tasks. However, the system had already stated at the beginning that the final form of the territory was a city, so Lin Nanxing was not surprised.

After the upgrade, the territory expansion is a standard reward, and the barrier upgrade was also within Lin Nanxing's expectations, but what does "ignore chemical damage" mean?

The most common thing you encounter in your territory is a monster siege, which, in principle, should be considered magic damage.

But the system doesn't think it will provide a useless function during the upgrade. Is it because the game will involve chemical-related damage later on?

Lin Nanxing suddenly became wary.

But there was no use worrying about the unknown, so Lin Nanxing quickly shifted her attention to the safe zone fusion scrolls and delivery network that the system had mentioned.

The safe zone mentioned by the system should be the towns and cities that players talk about. The integration is easy to understand, but Lin Nanxing doesn't think that any city with sufficient population and resources would be willing to give up its autonomy and merge into the Star Territory. As for other smaller towns, to be honest, she doesn't think much of them at the moment.

As for reward three, could the Star Delivery Channel be the function of the teleportation array mentioned by the system?

To be on the safe side, Lin Nanxing stayed away from residential areas and selected a newly expanded vacant lot before using the "Star Delivery" function.

In an instant, a uniquely shaped building rose from the ground.

The main body of the building is made of various minerals. There are no doors or windows inside, only a device resembling an altar, on which constantly changing runes float.

[Star Delivery Station is now activated]

[Level: Lv.1]

[Currently available safe delivery areas: Yunpei Town, Chixia Town, Dongling City, Beihai City, Xijiang City, Nansha City, Zhongyuan City]

Looking at this unexpected delivery list, Lin Nanxing couldn't help but ask, "System, how was this delivery area determined?"

[Host, Yunpei Town and Chixia Town have automatically unlocked delivery permissions due to establishing friendly relations with the territory, while the five major cities have automatically connected their spatial coordinates to the delivery network because they possess teleportation array facilities.]

In addition to these seven main locations, there is a long list of secondary locations.

Lin Nanxing glanced at the list and saw familiar names like Linbei Town and Yichuan Town, followed by many unheard-of town names. The list seemed to be automatically sorted by distance.

The coverage of Star Delivery far exceeded her expectations; even remote towns that she had not yet established diplomatic relations with appeared on the list of available options.

She seemed thoughtful, then asked again, "System, does having this list mean that as long as the other town exists, delivery can be made regardless of whether it has a friendly relationship with our territory?"

[Theoretically, this is true, but an additional service fee will be charged for territories not yet established]

"What does the service fee mean here? It's not for ore, is it?" Lin Nanxing was a little startled by the teleportation array created by the doomsday game.

[No, host, the Lord System only accepts game currency.]

Got it, this is a pure pay-to-win system.

After communicating with the system, Lin Nanxing finally figured out the operating mechanism of the "Star Delivery" channel.

Currently, only the first-level channel is open, which can only be used for item teleportation. To transport personnel, the channel needs to be upgraded to the second level.

The way to level up is very simple and direct: accumulate experience points by constantly transferring items. The more items you transfer, the more experience you accumulate, and the easier and faster you will level up.

As for how to do it, simply enter the destination coordinates and recipient information on the altar-shaped control panel. After the recipient confirms, the system will automatically deduct the corresponding game currency from the sender's account to complete the instant teleportation.

Lin Nanxing planned to find someone to test it out.

She opened the communication channel on the control panel and sent a message to Lin Qiulan, who was stationed at the Yunpei Town branch: "Sister Lan, are you busy? I need your help with something."

The upgrade of Star Territory was a huge event, and many people were chatting in the world channel. Lin Qiulan was indeed online, and she received a reply as soon as she sent the message: "[Yes, yes, everyone should be watching the channel by now. I saw the commotion in our territory even in Yunpei Town.]"

Seeing that she had time, Lin Nanxing placed a pair of bamboo shoes on the teleportation altar. These were new products developed by the bamboo workshop this morning and had not yet been released to the market, so they were perfect for testing the teleportation function.

[Sister Lan, I sent you a small gift. Remember to check it!]

【Check your account? What does that mean?】

Less than three seconds later, Lin Qiulan sent another message, and you could tell how shocked she was just by looking at the words.

My system suddenly displayed a new interface that I've never seen before, saying "Star Express Delivery Awaiting Receipt." Should I click the confirmation button?

Before Lin Nanxing could reply, another message arrived: 【!!! Oh my god! I just clicked confirm, and a pair of sandals appeared out of thin air in my hand! It startled me; I thought there were invisible monsters in the game!】

Seeing Lin Qiulan's series of exclamations, Lin Nanxing couldn't help but laugh out loud, replying swiftly with her fingertips: 【This is the gift I sent you~ It's a new feature unlocked after the territory upgrade; from now on, we can send packages to any territory anytime】

[Judging by how fast you received it, it was even faster than SF Express before the apocalypse!]