Chapter 85 Reappearance of Civilization

Rong Yi got goosebumps from Xie Qi's tone. "Speaking of which, how do you remove the fishy smell from the fish here? I remember that both sea fish and freshwater fish have a fishy smell."

Xie Qi rested his chin on one hand and looked at her with a gentle smile. "Yes, but someone found a kind of herb that, when ground into powder and mixed into fish oil, can completely remove the fishy smell and also enhance the umami flavor of seafood. That's why there are so many stalls selling fried fish."

“Seaweed can remove the fishy smell of aquatic creatures,” Wei Yanqing suddenly said.

Rong Yi belatedly remembered this herb; her memory wasn't bad, but she didn't remember it as vividly as Wei Yanqing.

The owner cut the large fish in half and fried it on a griddle. Soon, both sides were golden brown, and the aroma of the protein masked the fishy smell of the seafood.

"Seaweed?" Xie Qi heard this name for the first time. "The people at the base call it 'fishy-smelling herb'."

Wei Yanqing took out a bottle of mineral water, twisted off the cap and handed it to Rong Yi, "It should have been found at the seaside. This kind of grass usually grows in shallow waters of the ocean, and aquatic creatures can easily get entangled if they get too close."

Rong Yi silently drank his water.

After listening for a while, Xie Qi smiled and said, "I have learned a lot."

Rong Yi put down the bottle. "Have you completed the side quests here?" Since arriving at this base, or rather, since entering the Jijiang City area, she had not received any system notifications about side quests.

They previously thought that side quests would be issued according to region.

"So you were thinking of doing side quests in other places," Xie Qi said. "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Side quests are issued in different cities, and you can't get new quests just by going to other territories."

Rong Yi nodded thoughtfully. She had started chatting with this person to find out about the side quest.

Just then, the owner finished frying the fish, cut it into four pieces, and placed it on a plate for them. "Eat it while it's hot; even the bones are crispy."

Xie Qi took his share and paid for the fish crystal cores as well.

Upon receiving the crystal core, the boss's face creased with wrinkles, as if a flower had bloomed. "Please enjoy your meal, everyone."

People here eat fried fish with their hands. Rong Yi followed the local custom and made the fish meat crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a fragrant charred skin. The bones were also easy to chew. If these were sold at the Jin'an District base, the business would definitely be good.

Meat is difficult to store. Apart from players' storage items, Rong Yi has not yet encountered any awakened spatial ability users. So, ordinary people can only marinate the meat, while the official system has to consume electricity to freeze and store it.

After the outbreak of the virus, many places experienced power outages. Those days were also quite hot. If the thawed meat was found a few hours later, it might have already spoiled. Therefore, there was not much meat left at the base.

As for farmed animals such as chickens, ducks, and geese, they have long since disappeared after the mutation.

As Rong Yi ate the fish, he was making a decision in his mind: should he buy some fish to take back with him? After all, fish is meat too.

Rong Yi and Wei Yanqing adhered to the principle of not talking while eating fish, and Xie Qi did not rush to find topics to talk about until the meal was finished.

"You can't do the side quests here, but buying some fish to sell back home won't be a wasted trip."

Rong Yi wasn't stupid; she sensed a subtle sarcasm in his words, even though he wasn't directly addressing her.

Wei Yanqing took out a pack of tissues, handed one to Rong Yi, and wiped his mouth himself. "No need to buy them. We just happen to be looking to sell off some supplies, so it's a win-win situation." He then stood up. "Thank you for the treat. If I ever visit the Jin'an District base in Baiquan City, I will definitely treat you in return."

Xie Qi didn't react to his words, only staring at Rong Yi, "Let's add each other as friends."

Rong Yi shook his head decisively, "No, I'm in a hurry to change the fish."

The two of them didn't leave empty-handed; they left him a bottle of fine liquor before making their escape.

Xie Qi wasn't annoyed at all. He leaned against the table, watching their departing figures, and sighed, "They really do just use it and then throw it away." His slender fingers traced the surface of the wine bottle.

·

"Looking at it this way, the base can't replace them on its own initiative. When we get back, Wu Junzhi will definitely ask about those papers." Rong Yi was referring to the papers they gave Wu Junzhi before they left. "But we can't just give them away for free."

They were completely taken advantage of; the base's higher-ups treated them like mere tools, which was not the outcome they wanted.

Wei Yanqing: "We're exchanging these books and materials for partial management and control of the base."

Their request is not unreasonable. If the players don't provide these, it would take the native inhabitants of this world many years to verify them themselves.

Rong Yi nodded, "That's settled. The crystal core energy conversion element will be used to win over the initiator of establishing a safe passage from the mining area to the base."

They will take the lead in the initial construction to maximize the completion rate of the task.

"We'll take care of this when we get back, but how are we going to get a large quantity of fish right now?" Rong Yi looked around. "Should we set up a stall?"

"Let's set up a stall. First, find the staff at the base and see what the conditions are for setting up a stall." Wei Yanqing led her to the entrance of the base. The base was quite safe, and there were no officials patrolling.

They found the window where they had previously applied for their temporary identity cards.

"Can temporary personnel at the base conduct transactions?" Wei Yanqing asked.

"It's you two again." The clerk at the window remembered them. "Transactions are fine, small amounts are no problem, but for larger transactions, it's best to complete them under the supervision of the base, otherwise, there will be endless disputes later."

The staff member thought that since they came from other bases, they probably weren't doing any small business.

"The quantity is quite large, several tons of various resources, including staple foods, daily necessities, and seasonings," Wei Yanqing said as he checked the storage space.

The employee, who had been relaxed, slowly sat up straight. "How much? How many tons?" With so much stuff, why bother setting up a stall? "Wait a minute, if you don't mind, I'll get my supervisor and we can do a one-time transaction, how about that?"

Rong Yi and Wei Yanqing both thought it was feasible, so they nodded and asked her to contact the person.

The staff led them to a room to wait, and after about ten minutes, a middle-aged man in his forties with a beer belly appeared.

"You two want to trade supplies, right? There are so many things, our base is willing to send a vehicle to transport them."

The leader assumed they had stored several tons of supplies elsewhere.

Rong Yi blinked. "No need, we have spatial abilities."

Players are widely distributed, and the Fuhai District base naturally has many players as well. It is common for them to collect resources out of thin air.

Sure enough, the base leader looked enlightened upon hearing this. "Well then, what would you like to exchange? Our coastal cities also have many unique items. We can exchange salt, fresh or dried seafood, etc. We will definitely not disappoint you."

Since the discovery of seaweed, the people at the base have become even more enthusiastic about fishing. They often send people out to fish, which inevitably delays the process of collecting supplies, but the various seafood harvested every day can make up for some of the losses.

Even if supplies can still be collected in the city, who would complain that it's not enough?

Wei Yanqing had already made plans and handed out a piece of paper listing what they wanted.

Salt is the most important commodity. Shiraizumi City has no salt fields and is not near the sea, so the demand for salt is considerable. Next is seaweed, because with so much seafood, you have to bring back some good seafood. Finally, there are various kinds of seafood, as well as seaweed and kelp.

The leader nodded as he looked at the items. "We have all of these. What other supplies do you two have on you? We'd like to do an exchange."

(End of this chapter)