Chapter 238, exclusively published on Jinjiang Literature City: The new year's rainy season has arrived...
Star Alliance Forum, Dimensional Live Streaming Section, Lu Xuan's Special Zone.
[Title: The streamer got a teleportation ticket, guess when he'll come to the Star Alliance?] (Breaking News)
1L: This is a chance to travel to an interstellar civilization that is more advanced than the primitive civilization the streamer used to live in. If it were me, I would use the teleportation ticket as soon as I got it!
5L: The cataclysm is still ongoing on the streamer's side, and the streamer's sister is about to give birth. It's not something that can be easily left alone in the ancient plane, so it probably won't be that quick.
9L: If the streamer comes to Star Alliance, will the higher-ups send someone to make contact with him?
35L: To make contact, we need to know which planet the streamer was teleported to, right? If it's random, the official location can't be determined either.
81L: Let's not use random selection. It would be such a waste if we were teleported to a remote planet where a public spaceship only comes once every ten days or so.
99L: Didn't the streamer say he was going to launch a warship?
101L: I think x was just joking. Sailing a warship for tourism is an exaggeration. Besides, the streamer's warship doesn't have proper identification, so it can't go to planets under the Star Alliance's name, unless it's going to some gray planet.
124L: Speaking of which, the streamer probably doesn't know which planets the Covenant has, right? Why don't we give him some ideas!
284L: Great idea! I'll go first! I think we could go to Alpha, as the second most important political planet in the Covenant after the capital, which would allow the streamer to better understand the Covenant.
427L: The host is here for tourism, not political investigation. Why go to Alpha Star? Rainbow Star is much better! The scenery there is amazing!
495L: I recommend Sorenson Nature Star! It's a paradise for mutated plants and animals!
616L: It's even more exciting on Mercenary Star!
740L: Gemini! Gemini!
...
1081L: There are too many well-known planets in the Star Alliance. Everyone recommends different planets. The streamer must be overwhelmed by the choices. Why not hold a poll to select the one with the most votes? Then everyone can flood the live stream with comments.
1422L: Brilliant! I support voting!
1526L: Hurry up and open it! Who can open one and I'll go for it!
1565L: The voting thread next door is already open, listing dozens of well-known planets in the Star Alliance, and there are already hundreds of thousands of voters. Go vote!
Soon, everyone in the building moved to the voting post. The number of voters for the various planets listed in the post increased rapidly. Alpha Planet, which was ranked first, had more than a million votes, and even the planet ranked last had more than 100,000 votes.
The entire poll post attracted tens of millions of votes.
And as the post was shared and forwarded by many people to Starbucks and other social media channels, this number continued to increase.
Lu Xuan's live stream has accumulated over 10 billion concurrent viewers at its peak, and usually has at least 1 to 2 billion viewers. To convince the public, the voting results will not be available so quickly.
Before the results were announced, the viewers tacitly refrained from mentioning it in the live stream. Occasionally, someone would break the "rules" and bring it up, but it would be drowned out by a barrage of comments to prevent Lu Xuan from seeing it.
Therefore, Lu Xuan had no idea what the Star Alliance was up to.
After the first test flight of the warship, Lu Xuan would take time almost every day to board the ship to familiarize himself with its operation, and also continue to perform genetic optimization on the several non-mutated fruits that he hadn't had time to cultivate during his previous trips.
·
After all the new fields were cultivated, the able-bodied men of the village set off once again to do business in various gathering places, but this time, there were quite a few changes in the personnel.
"I heard that three or four fewer people went out this time?" Aunt Zhang asked curiously while weaving a bamboo basket in the sunshade of the Li family.
The women sitting with her, enjoying the cool air from the air conditioner, nodded and said, "Indeed, a few of them didn't go out."
Aunt Sun was puzzled, "They're not going even though they can make money. What are they thinking?"
Miao Jinfeng chuckled, “What’s so hard to think about? Although merchants earn a lot, their status was low before the catastrophe. They were considered unworthy of respect by the powerful and wealthy, and even their participation in the imperial examinations was restricted.”
Aunt Sun was puzzled. "That's the idea of the powerful and wealthy. What does it have to do with us? Aren't the supplies we have in hand more practical? If Li Miao weren't still a bit young, I would want him to go out with us."
Their family consisted of only an orphan and a widow, making them one of the poorest families in the village. They were also among the few families that didn't send anyone to do business, so she never got to experience the immense wealth that was a source of regret for her.
There are actually people who could have made money but chose not to?
Miao Jinfeng snorted, "Isn't this all thanks to Ah Xuan? The village has dozens more nobles now, which means we've gotten close to the circle of the powerful and wealthy. Some of them probably think they're powerful and wealthy now, so they don't want to do business anymore."
Going out to trade goods can certainly make money, but traveling back and forth in this hot weather is quite tiring.
Their village was already well-supplied with resources. After the emperor bestowed a title upon them, he also granted them fifty acres of land. The output of this land was enough to ensure that the recipient would live a prosperous life for the rest of their days.
It is estimated that there will still be a salary after the disaster.
With money, food, and a safe house, one has acquired most of the things a person needs in life. It's understandable that some people don't want to work hard anymore.
Aunt Zhang shook her head as she listened. "Isn't a baron the lowest of all noble titles? And it's just a title; there's no fiefdom and no real power. We have no qualms about contacting the real powerful and wealthy, so how can we say we've even gotten close to the inner circle of the elite?"
Aunt Chen also said, "Didn't Lu Xuan say that this title is actually just an honorary title? It's an empty title given by the emperor to win over people with superpowers. If you really want those in high positions to take notice, you have to make a name for yourself."
Otherwise, with more and more people possessing superpowers in the future, there could be hundreds of barons, let alone dozens. Who would remember who is who among so many people?
Besides, going out to trade goods isn't just about making money; you can also meet different people in different gathering places and make friends.
Especially those influential people in the community are not simple people. These connections may bring considerable benefits in the future. Can't you see such an obvious advantage?
Look at Lu Xuan, he's already a marquis, has he gotten arrogant? Doesn't he have enough resources at his disposal? He still goes out every now and then.
Miao Jinfeng sighed and said, "Never mind, everyone has their own ambitions. Doing business is not a mandatory activity. Whether to go or not is a personal choice."
She also looked down on these people's shortsightedness, but upon closer reflection, most of the awakened ones who didn't go had physical enhancement abilities, which inherently had less potential than other types. Some of them were also naturally introverted and aloof, so it wasn't too surprising that they made such a decision.
On the bright side, fewer people leaving means more people staying to protect the village, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Aunt Zhang, Aunt Chen, and the others still shook their heads. However, they couldn't really control what others wanted to do. In the end, Aunt Chen said, "They'll regret it later."
Years later, Aunt Chen's words indeed came true.
After the catastrophe ended, peace returned to the land, and the new emperor rewarded those who had contributed to the cause.
Although the young men and women from Yunlu Village went out to do business with the initial intention of earning goods, it is also true that they helped countless disaster victims overcome their difficulties. Therefore, those who persevered to the end were rewarded with a merit. Not only were their titles promoted by one rank, but their land and salary were also doubled, and their descendants were given a place to enter the Imperial Academy.
The Imperial Academy was the highest institution of learning. Those who could study there were either the descendants of high-ranking officials and nobles or exceptionally talented students from poor families—all of them had first-rate connections.
Even if those who enroll don't achieve academic success in the future, the mere fact of being classmates is enough to benefit them for a lifetime.
Those villagers who chose comfort, upon realizing what they had missed, continued to live quite comfortably, but seeing the growing gap between themselves and most of the other families in the village, and the vastly different social statuses of their descendants when choosing spouses, they were filled with deep regret.
·
Lu Xuan returned from the capital in mid-July. From then until mid-August, apart from helping Huo Tiankuo for a few days, Lu Xuan spent most of his time either familiarizing himself with the operation of the warship, occasionally teaching the kids a lesson, going out to catch a few fish every now and then, or having fun in the holographic world.
Life is fulfilling and leisurely.
The temperature had reached over 50 degrees Celsius, causing large-scale withering of plants outside, while the dried-up river had almost no effect on him.
In late August, Lu Xuan set off again.
When Lu Xuan visited the various gathering places again this time, he expected to find that the disaster victims were in much better condition than before.
The sufficient nutritional supplements for all the disaster victims and the increasingly abundant food reserves have freed them from the state of not having enough to eat. Their bodies, which had been emaciated by the disaster, have grown back. Although they still look a little haggard due to the heat, at least their lives are no longer in danger.
Even though not everyone can afford biosuits, cooling patches, dry ice, and heatstroke medication can ensure they don't die.
If you're willing to spend resources, you can buy popsicles and cold drinks every now and then, and occasionally feel a sense of happiness that you've never felt before during a catastrophe.
With basic supplies no longer scarce, towns gradually resumed production, many shops reopened, and even the purchasing power for gold and silver began to recover.
Seeing such an immediate and remarkable change, viewers exclaimed: "The streamer has saved countless lives; these people are incredibly lucky."
Lu Xuan's main purpose in going out to do business was not to save people, but to earn points to buy warships as quickly as possible.
But seeing that the supplies he provided saved the lives of countless disaster victims, he was indeed in a good mood.
This time, the items he traded included not only daily necessities but also goods prepared for the upcoming rainy season.
This includes, but is not limited to, sturdy and durable raincoats, umbrellas, hail-proof helmets, life jackets, swimming rings, and inflatable platforms that accumulate more and more after opening blind boxes.
Some kayaks and fishing boats, as well as some medium and large vessels, were also sold.
Among them, kayaks are mainly large, hand-operated boats with a high cost-performance ratio, and there are many of them. Fishing boats and large boats, especially the latter, are only purchased by the government as a representative in a few cases for emergencies.
These items were not cheap, and with the successful collection of the second batch of debts, Lu Xuan's points easily surpassed 10 billion again.
Upon arriving in the capital, Lu Xuan also took the opportunity to give the young prince a contract for a second-level bloodsucking vine he had cultivated.
Many viewers in the live stream were both envious and jealous when they saw the little prince, who was two years younger than Lu Chen, manage to grow a mini vampire vine. This made the already increasingly popular trend of contracting wood-type ability users in the Star Alliance even more heated.
Many wood-type ability users subconsciously want to find a high-level vine-type mutated plant to form a contract with.
Unfortunately, after actual operation, it was found that these 'tentacle-type' mutated plants are quite troublesome among plants of the same level. Not to mention level seven, no one has been able to successfully contract even level five mutated vines.
This made everyone even more envious of the young prince who had obtained a vampire vine with a maximum level of seven for nothing.
Why wasn't I the one who contracted with the vampire vine?!
[Can't the streamer really give away a few low-level Vampire Vines in a giveaway? We're willing to spend a fortune to get them!]
[Yeah, yeah! We don't need it to become a regular thing like drawing evolution fluid, just once, okay?]
Despite the audience's best efforts to persuade him, Lu Xuanlang remained unmoved and refused to agree.
Once, he got so impatient with the audience that he ended the broadcast abruptly.
Now the audience knew how firm the streamer's stance was, and finally gave up their ideas.
Lu Xuan was away during the few days he was away when the extreme heat peaked, with temperatures soaring to over 60 degrees Celsius.
On the day we returned to Yunlu Village, the temperature reached 70 degrees Celsius, and even the villagers stopped going out and stayed at home to escape the heat.
However, after learning that Lu Xuan had brought back the imperial edicts bestowed upon each family, they happily went to the Lu family's residence in the evening when the temperature wasn't so high to collect their own edicts and prepare to enshrine them.
As for Lu Xuan himself, he brought back the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, as promised by the new emperor.
Lu Qing exclaimed in surprise, "So you're really going to become His Highness the Crown Prince's teacher from now on?"
Lei Yan was also surprised, "When the Crown Prince grows up and becomes the emperor, won't he also be the emperor's teacher?"
Lu Xuan said, "It's just an honorary title. I don't have the time or the ability to teach a crown prince." He couldn't be held responsible if he taught him badly.
Lei Yan replied, "It might not be entirely a nominal title. Didn't you say that the Crown Prince also contracted with the Vampire Vine? There's definitely no one in the palace more familiar with how to control the Vampire Vine in battle than you. It would be more appropriate for you to teach him this."
Lu Qing agreed wholeheartedly, “The Crown Prince’s tutor must be a very high-ranking official, right? Since His Majesty has given you such a high position, we can’t just take the benefits without doing anything in return.”
Lu Xuan: "I have already taught the Crown Prince about the properties of the Vampire Vine. The rest is up to him to familiarize himself with."
When the new emperor initially promised him the official position, he only said it was in exchange for the contractual blood-sucking vine. Teaching the crown prince to fight? That was a separate price.
Lu Chen tugged at Lu Xuan's sleeve and asked, "Brother, how old is the Crown Prince? Does he play games?"
Lu Xuan casually said, "It's probably for fun. The Emperor even bought him a holographic capsule."
Lu Chen's eyes darted around. "Do you know what the Crown Prince's ID is? Can I play with him?"
Lu Qing was startled. "Playing with the Crown Prince? Isn't that inappropriate? What if we offend the Crown Prince? Won't we be punished?"
Lu Xuan didn't take it to heart. "There's nothing wrong with it. Chenchen's gravity ability has unlimited potential. If the new emperor knew that Chenchen wanted to play with the crown prince, he would be more than happy to see it happen."
With him around, Lu Chen didn't need to think so much and could be with whomever he wanted.
He casually told Lu Chen the prince's game ID.
Lu Qing was still a little worried when she saw Lu Chen excitedly go upstairs, but seeing Lu Xuan's calm expression, she didn't say anything.
The day after Lu Xuan returned home, good news came from Xiong Mao's family.
Su Ying, who had been longing to have another child ever since Lu Qing became pregnant, finally got her wish and became pregnant again. This time it was a girl, which would make a perfect family with Xiong Dabao.
When Xiong Mao found out, he was overjoyed and kept telling everyone that he was going to be a father again. While everyone was happy for him, they also found him a bit annoying.
Two days later, the peak of the extreme heat ended and the temperature began to drop. At the same time, the more than 3,000 mu of newly reclaimed land in the village also ushered in its first harvest.
These lands don't need to pay taxes, nor do they need to give Lu Xuan dividends. The purchase of heating materials, plant protection machines, and air conditioning supplies are all paid for out of their own pockets.
In other words, all the harvested grain belonged to them.
Each person can cultivate 50 mu (approximately 3.3 hectares) of land, with a minimum yield of 90,000 jin (approximately 45 tons). If more high-yield crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, radishes, and cabbages are planted, the yield may even double.
The Mei siblings, Mei Cheng and Mei Xue, owned 200 mu of land, and their harvest was outrageous. The harvest of the two of them was equivalent to the total harvest of the entire village before, with a net income of 500,000 jin.
The siblings were both stunned.
Although they had expected their harvest to be greater than others, they were still shocked and unable to recover for a long time when they actually received hundreds of thousands of kilograms of grain.
Afterwards, the siblings discussed it and decisively approached Lu Xuan, each buying a three-story villa!
Thus, less than one-tenth of the grain was spent.
They couldn't finish the remaining grain, so they kept only a few thousand catties and asked Lu Xuan to help them sell the rest.
Other villagers also came to Lu Xuan to buy houses. The village chief's family and the Zhang family, who had many people and planned to prepare multiple houses for their descendants, bought all the houses they needed in one go, achieving their expected three-year plan ahead of schedule.
The unprecedented bumper harvest and the booming scene of everyone buying houses made the village very lively for several days.
It wasn't until three days after the harvest, when the new year's rainy season arrived, that everyone calmed down from their excitement and became tense again.
Because they all know that this year's rainy season has undergone new changes compared to last year.
Without the buffer of light and moderate rain for most of the first half of last year, not only did it come down with torrential rain, but the rainwater was also highly corrosive acid rain.
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Author's Note: Thanks to "Changyushan" for throwing a grenade. (Time of throw: 2025-06-17 21:43:30)
"A skinny salted fish", irrigate with nutrient solution +20 +10
"Swallow", irrigate with nutrient solution +1+1+1
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