Chapter 146 Spring Rain 1
Spring, 34 days until the decisive battle.
The continuous rain was beating against the protective shield outside the town.
Spring rain always makes people sleepy. Lin Muqiu yawned and received the message from the system:
"Your auto-targeting watchtowers (purple level) have been completed at the east, west, south, and north corners."
"We have built 1,000 Holy Light Mobile Medical Stations, leaving us 3,000 more to reach our target."
"Berries, false physalis, and tomatoes have filled your eastern warehouses."
“…”
Lin Muqiu's lips curled up slightly.
To accumulate food and slowly claim the throne is indeed engraved in the DNA of Chinese civilization.
The feeling of building a world is really good. Watching the granaries pile up and the buildings stand up bit by bit always makes her feel like she is playing a simulation business game.
If only no one died in the town.
She tapped the little pop-up buttons on the Lord's system, processing them one by one. She had muted the online shopping progress notifications from other cities and decentralized the process between different departments. But even so, the town's information continued to pile up, pouring in.
After finishing, she quietly exhaled, rubbed her sore shoulders, and tossed the Lord System aside. Fortunately, the system was a thin, translucent sheet, weighing nothing at all, otherwise her cervical spine would have been a problem.
Just as she was about to open the window to get some fresh air, she heard a shout from outside:
"Oh my god, what the hell is going on?! Damn it, my ranch!"
"Help me, help me! This damn system won't let us leave the city, but it should extend the protective shield to the suburbs! My entire thirty acres of farmland have been completely destroyed by this acid rain."
"Stop shouting. The bitter melon egg is still wailing. Smart people have already started shopping online and ordering others to help take care of the land."
"All you do is worry about your little piece of land. The Magic Continent is about to be destroyed, and what are you still yelling about?"
“…”
Lin Muqiu listened to the noise outside, raised his eyebrows slightly, and skillfully sent a message to the old mayor, Kede Luo: "Be sure to carefully guard the area around the town and don't cause any more trouble during the spring rain."
The old mayor responded quickly, "Don't worry. While acid rain is troublesome, its corrosive effects aren't severe. It takes a long time for them to show their effectiveness, and nothing major has happened over the years. It's fine."
She tapped the window sill with her fingertips. "Is everything going on over at the Wind Express Department?"
"No problem," the old mayor replied. "We've already put rain covers on the items at the delivery station, and other towns have implemented the same standard. So don't worry about it, and sleep well."
"Hmm," Lin Muqiu took a deep breath and just as he lay down on the bed, the system began to crackle like firecrackers. It was apparently a message from Kedero:
[Oh no! Look outside!]
[The express delivery was corroded! This time the corrosion was particularly severe, unlike usual!]
【Get up quickly! 】
*
At the same time, the townspeople who were originally active in the town also discovered this:
"Oh my god, look up at the sky! Why is our package wet?"
"That's impossible! Doesn't the online shopping system have regulations? All express delivery must use acid rain-proof protective covers. How could it be so wet?!"
"Look, the delivery box is smoking. Could it catch fire in the rain?"
"Fool, that's not smoke, that's corrosion."
“......?”
The people who were originally joking around finally realized that something was wrong.
A cry of "Fuck!" erupted in the sky. Those who had been slurping noodles stopped, those who had been drinking tea and breakfast stopped drinking, and those who were smelting iron stopped practicing. Suddenly, they rushed out on their fire-breathing turkeys: "No matter whose delivery this is, it's from the city! This is the city's loss!"
At the same time, the wind mage in the express station also felt that there was a problem with the express, so he urgently arranged for an emergency landing.
Express packages fluttered down, landing on the ground like pearls, large and small, like jade plates. They were covered in a sticky, strange, dark fluorescent green light, and were corroding and aging at a speed visible to the naked eye, emitting white smoke.
【Your express delivery is under attack! 】
[Express Delivery (Corrosion Buff): Corrosion rate 10mm/second. Anything contaminated by acid rain will quickly corrode into droplets, causing significant damage to the land. This effect increases with color, from orange, red, purple, and blue.
Note: Because express delivery is in the sky, it is closest to acid rain, which has not yet volatilized and has the strongest corrosive power. Therefore, ordinary rainproof equipment will not provide protection.
Congratulations on discovering the hidden Easter egg on the mainland: In the air, the acid rain hasn't completely evaporated, and its effects are exponentially stronger!
Everyone: ???
You call this an Easter egg?
With a cry of "Fuck, take the high ground!", the Wind Mage and the Electric Mage rushed out first, followed closely by the Pharmacist, who used his signature skills:
"Ice Ball Cooling Technique!"
"Ice Purification!"
"Potion to remove evil corruption!"
“.....”
As skills were released like crazy, the sticky green corrosion effect gradually stopped. A swordsman present shouted, "This is my delivery," and then opened the box to check it impatiently.
The man cried, "Damn! My Ice and Snow Quick Melting Sword! I bought it for 20 silver coins! And the durability went straight from 100 to 92!"
"It's okay, I'm glad you're okay. A little damage to the durability is nothing."
Everyone consoled him, and his hanging heart was put down. Then he started cursing:
"Damn it! This rotten world is actually doing this. Isn't this going to kill us?"
"Damn! Objects in the air will be corroded at an accelerated rate. Why hasn't this happened before? Are you sure it's not coming for us?!"
"No, well, we've never used the wind to send things through the sky before..."
"Is this the important thing? The point is, the ultimate natural disaster is approaching. If the wind delivery system collapses, won't everything be over?!"
"It's okay, it's okay. At least the rain isn't too heavy."
“…”
The people present gradually fell silent as they spoke. As the sound of rain hitting the protective shield began to patter, a certain thought came to their minds without exception:
The problem is, it's drizzling now.
If this is the case with light rain, how should we deal with heavy rain?
If Fengxi Express collapses completely, won’t their food storage plan fail on the spot?
Their pupils suddenly shrank.
*
At the Fengxi Express Station headquarters, Lin Muqiu remained calm as he continued analyzing the data:
"There are a large number of express deliveries at 3,640 meters east of Ankang City. Arrange for an emergency landing."
"All express deliveries near Talian City are to be forced to land on the spot."
"The courier from Oaiz City will go another 300 meters west and arrange for a forced landing."
“…”
The wind-type couriers all broke into sweat and swallowed their saliva.
The longer the express is in the air, the sooner it will be corroded, and the greater the loss will be. Judging from the situation, it can only make an emergency landing.
The problem is that they were able to use wind express to transport so many items in the past because they didn't have to worry about road conditions in the air and only needed to use the wind magic stone to carry the express forward.
If it were on land, the situation would be much more complicated. They would have to consider the flow of people, the environment, the windingness of the road, etc. Now that the express delivery has made an emergency landing, will it really not hit pedestrians?
At this moment, they are all doing things based on their trust in the lord.
They quietly wiped the sweat from their palms and looked up at Lin Muqiu, only to see that she looked calm as she processed which express boxes needed to be forced to land while poking at the system, as if she would not waver even if a sudden rainstorm was about to come.
"Master Lin is so handsome." The wizard was distracted, his face flushed slightly, and he said to his companions.
Lin Muqiu, who heard everything: "......"
No, it's already this late and I still have the heart to think about these things
She coughed and said to the old mayor, Kedeluo, who was watching over her, "Help me recruit space mages. I want to open a land route."
Kedero looked up in astonishment, his tone difficult, "Overland? That means the trade route map must be made public and replanned. Will the other dukes agree to that?"
"Besides, our Space Express Station has always been the leader and is already in competition with other chambers of commerce. Will they be willing to make concessions and open up a new route for us?"
"They have to be willing even if they don't want to."
Lin Muqiu's tone was firm, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly: "What else can they do?"
"Um?"
Kede Luo was puzzled, but he saw that her eyes were slightly curved, and her peach blossom eyes were smiling brightly. In her clarity, there was a hint of the cunning and scheming of a fox, which was enough to make him shudder violently.
Kedeluo was too familiar with her appearance and knew she must be secretly plotting something bad.
He could only hope that those great dukes would take care of themselves.
*
【System error! 】
[You received a message: Due to acid rain, Fengxi Express has experienced a malfunction, so your package is temporarily stranded. Please wait patiently for Fengxi Express to arrange delivery.]
【Or you can send a caravan to arrange the shipment yourself. 】
Many town lords received the message simultaneously, their vision darkening. The continent's productivity was driven by wind-powered express delivery, and suddenly the main transportation route collapsed. What kind of a disaster was this?
In the wilderness, heavy rain swirls, and a town lord, panting heavily, wanders through the trees and fields. Spring's insect swarms, coupled with the corrosive effects of acid rain, have left his legs dented and stained with mud. All around him, servants, butchers, hunters, and others keep busy with their work.
He kept directing his followers to move the forced-landed package back to the city: "Here! To the west... Hurry! The rain cover on the package is broken. The longer it's left outside, the more it will corrode!"
The attendant endured the mud and rushed over to put a raincoat on him, "Master Xavier, please go back first, we are here!"
Xavier's eyes were slightly red and he remained silent for a long time.
All his belongings are here, how can he go back?
Originally, he wanted to make some money by sending the town’s specialty black bread to Ankang City. Who would have thought it would turn out like this?
It takes one pound of wheat to produce seven ounces of flour. They use the finest wheat and sift it carefully to make it taste better and not let the people of Ankang City feel disgusted.
In fact, Ankang City was really considerate, offering the highest price ever. To this end, he even harvested the wheat in advance, mobilizing the entire town to use the remaining grain to make wheat bread.
The more excited he was then, the more devastated Xavier is now.
The hope of the entire town was destroyed, but the problem was that they still had to continue paying taxes. What qualifications did he have to go back and comfort the villagers?
Just like now, he didn't even dare to look up at the villagers who were helping him for free.
They both specialize in wheat products, but Ankang City is so prosperous, while their town is starving. How dare he...
A farmer beside him brushed off the rain and mud for him. With a pair of hands as thick as hemp ropes, he took out a copper coin and stuffed it into his ragged pocket. "Don't worry, my lord. There is always a way."
Xavier dodged it with difficulty, his throat hoarse.
The town itself was broke, so how could they be any more? Besides, with the acid rain coming, I'm afraid the harvest won't be very good this year.
Thinking of this, he sighed heavily, like a cow in the field that was about to die, and fell heavily to the ground.
After a while, he seemed to have made some kind of decision, and with trembling fingers, he clicked on the lord skill:
[Lord Skill: Summon Scarecrow
You can shorten your lifespan by five years and summon your childhood friend, Scarecrow, to help you through any crisis in the area.
Skill Source: Born into a minor noble family, you witnessed a childhood playmate starve to death before your eyes. You vowed to protect the town with your childhood friend, so your Lord skill allows you to summon your playmate, transforming him into a scarecrow to help you overcome the crisis.
No one is not afraid of death, but guilt is something more unbearable than death.
He took a deep breath, and his fingers, rough as rubble, suddenly stopped shaking. Just as he was about to press down firmly, he heard a sudden explosion beside his ears:
"Holy Light Protection Shield."
"Holy water purification."
"I'll carry it and teleport it to town for you."
“…”
A few hurried instructions suddenly rang in his ears. He looked up and saw a group of people he hadn't recognized for a long time surrounding the courier, unleashing their skills. A protective shield enveloped the item, holy water cleansed the corrosion, and other swordsmen, blacksmiths, and others automatically carried the items and delivered them to the city.
The team members were seen riding their signature turkeys, with their heads held high and looking very energetic. The team members stood with their legs straight, their heads held high and their chests puffed out. The words "Ankang City" on their badges shone even more brightly in the sunlight.
Their eyes burst with pride, and they licked their cracked lips like children, which meant: praise me, praise me quickly!
Seeing that Xavier noticed them, the team members became more proud and raised their chests, with the health cards on their chests shining brightly.
In their expectant gazes, the attendants ran towards them with eyes full of sincere admiration, like old friends meeting, and then...
Then he chopped her off on the head with a knife.
Cavaliers: ???
The sword flashed with this blow. Fortunately, they were at a high level and had drunk the agility potion in advance, otherwise their necks would have been cut.
"What are you doing?" The Cavaliers dodged sideways, startled.
Unexpectedly, Xavier's sword hit the vital points with every blow, and he and his men had no intention of stopping.
Xavier even shouted angrily: "How dare you pretend to be the wise Lord Lin?"
The knight frowned, but his expression relaxed slightly after hearing the second half of the sentence. "Yes, my master is indeed very wise. No, what does this have to do with you beating me up?"
With a clang, the blades collided.
"We are really not fake..."
"Heh," Xavier said, the dark wrinkles on his face stretched out by the force, and without hesitation, he activated his lord skill and summoned the scarecrow. "Don't think I don't know, Lord Lin's city has been blocked long ago!"
"No, how come you are both well-informed and uninformed?"
The knight frowned, "We are the mercenaries from Ankang City who fled because of the water shortage in the city."
"What?"
*
On the other hand, the knights on General Elda's side were much more comfortable.
The knights dispersed, helping others carry packages, their eyes filled with silly roe deer-like admiration. "Sir, do you think Lady Lin had anticipated this? She knew things could easily go wrong in the city, so she sent us out in advance to maintain stability on the continent and prevent any accidents, right?"
A smile flickered in Elda's eyes. "I guess so. You can't put all your eggs in one basket."
"Master Lin is amazing! He thinks so far ahead!"
"Stupid, you're just too short-sighted."
“…”
Western officer Chabrolzer, who was eavesdropping nearby, frowned. Although their attitude toward Ankang City had softened considerably after the Imperial Capital Knights had helped them defeat the beasts that attacked the city from the west, as the saying goes, "Those who are not of our kind must have different hearts." Despite his gratitude, he still had doubts.
Originally, he thought that the people of Ankang City became mercenaries and were scattered everywhere. This was Lin Muqiu's way of acting as a second king and secretly supervising other towns.
I didn't expect that they went out voluntarily just because the townspeople were short of water?
This reason is quite willful.
"What are you thinking about?" Elda patted his shoulder and said, "Your brows are almost twisted into big big curls."
Chabrol subconsciously stiffened, and after a long time he suppressed the nausea and twitching between his brows, "Nothing."
Facing his reaction, Elda's fingers dulled and he silently withdrew them, saying in a calm tone, "I know you are prejudiced against our Knights, but Lord Lin is not that kind of person."
"Yes, I know." Chabrol said absentmindedly.
Elda said firmly, "No, you don't know. If she really wanted to monitor other towns, she could just use her magic power to cover the entire city. There's no need to go through so much trouble."
Chabrol: ???
Do you want to listen to what you are saying?
"Really," Elda said sincerely, her heart and eyes filled with admiration, "She is like an omniscient and omnipotent God. She can hear everyone's inner voice."
"Rationally speaking, this is impossible." Chabrol rubbed his temples. "You don't have to speak well of her. I won't be accepted..."
Before he finished speaking, he heard the sound of gold coins arriving in his account:
Thank you for helping deliver packages to Ankang City. Here's your bonus. 7 copper coins have been credited to your account! (The system will allocate bonuses based on the size of each package.)
【5 copper coins have been received! 】
【6 copper coins have arrived! 】
【……】
The jingling sound of gold coins is very pleasant.
Chabrol: I admit that I was bribed QAQ
*
Lin Muqiu pulled the dukes of the five continental plates into the group chat and went straight to the point:
[Dear Dukes, are you willing to share the continental map with me and open up a land-based wind express delivery channel?]
[The mainland is in imminent danger, and the express delivery station is a very important hub. You don't want the mainland to perish due to insufficient inventory, right?]
Please consider this carefully. Thank you.
At the Duke's Castle in the center.
Duke Alexander sat on the golden throne and spat at the system. "Who doesn't know that the strategic map is crucial? Handing it over is like controlling the opponent's lifeline. Lin Muqiu is dreaming!"
The attendant calmly wiped away the spit that had splattered from his face. "Sir, the western and southern parts of the country have always been on good terms with them. Wouldn't it be bad if we didn't follow suit and express our stance?"
"Just pretend you didn't see it," Alexander rubbed his sore temples. "Lin Muqiu is using this as an excuse to force us. It's a self-torture tactic. Don't worry about it."
The attendant glanced at him secretly, a look of dissatisfaction flashing across his face: "After all, Ankang City is helping the entire continent overcome the crisis..."
"Okay, shut up."
Alexander scolded him, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples.
The attendant curled his lips in dissatisfaction.
The room was silent for a long time. The acid rain of spring was damp and everything was not pleasant. The sound of group chat was like the sound of raindrops, pattering. It was obvious that the other dukes were chatting happily with Lin Muqiu.
Alexander tugged at his collar in annoyance, muted the group chat without even looking at it, and collapsed on the sofa to start handling government affairs.
He clicked the Academy Repair button, but unexpectedly a reminder popped up:
[Sorry! Your copper coins are insufficient, please recharge in time! ]
Alexander was very puzzled: "This is strange. Shouldn't the tax be credited to my account by the end of the month?"
As he said this, he opened the tax system and was stunned.
There is a glaring red cross behind the name of each town. No town has paid enough share. No, it is not just not enough, it has not paid a cent. It is even more pitiful than a locust swarm.
His eyes widened, thinking the system was stuck. He refreshed it several times before gritting his teeth in disbelief and asking, "What do they mean?"
The attendant whispered, "We have goods from other towns piled up in our hands, and we're relying on selling them to Lin Muqiu to recoup our losses. Naturally, we have no money..."
The servant's voice gradually became quieter. Alexander gritted his teeth and said, "Lin Muqiu..."
He chewed over these words over and over again, as if he wanted to tear her apart and crush her to death to vent his hatred.
"So," he said, laughing instead of getting angry, which was quite shocking, "if I don't cooperate with her, I won't even get the most basic tax payment, right?"
The attendant whispered, "It's not just because of this..."
"What is that?"
"It's the end of the world, who wants to pay taxes?"
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