Chapter 256
"Uncle Hai Qian, if it's too difficult, don't force it..."
Tang Yu'an was grabbed by the man's shoulders and walked forward. Although he appeared calm on the surface, he was anxiously thinking of ways to escape.
He didn't dare to break free for fear of losing his cloak. Moreover, if he really broke free, it would not be consistent with the character of "Abu", a thin boy.
"It's not a big deal. I just see that you're sincere, so I have to help you today no matter what!"
Hai Qiang said, "You're not going out to sea right away anyway. You can start by butchering fish for the fishing team. Once you've built up your physique, it won't be too late to go fishing with me later."
Hearing this, Tang Yu'an finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as he doesn't go out fishing right away, otherwise his cloak may not last that long.
He relaxed and stopped resisting.
After all, he had two purposes for this trip: one was to find a suitable house to build a branch, and the other was to find suitable employees.
He glanced at the man next to him. This Uncle Hai Qian was quite warm-hearted and his personality was quite to his liking.
"Uncle Hai Qian, do you know anyone named Lixia or Dongzhi?" Tang Yu'an asked.
Grandpa Li said that his two friends were very good at fishing. If they were still alive, maybe they would be in the fishing team?
Just as the sea pliers were about to speak, they arrived at the house of the fishing team leader.
Having just returned triumphantly yesterday, the fishing team is resting today and has not gone out to sea.
As soon as he entered the house, Tang Yu'an smelled a scent of medicine.
The room was very simple. At the end, a man who looked to be in his forties was holding a bowl of medicine and feeding it to a young man lying on a hospital bed.
The young man should be only in his twenties and doesn't look much older than Abu.
"Boss!" Sea Clamp called out gruffly, "How's Xiaotian?"
Zhan Xiong glanced at them and continued to feed his son medicine: "He won't die for the time being."
Zhan Xiaotian, who was lying on the bed, smiled weakly and greeted Hai Qian: "Uncle Hai Qian."
He looked at Tang Yu'an again, "Is this Abu?"
"Yes, that's Abu, the guy who's not physically fit yet always wants to go fishing!" Hai Qiang said. "Boss, our fishing team is really short of manpower. How about keeping him here to kill fish?"
Zhan Xiong didn't answer immediately. After feeding his son the medicine, he stood up and looked at them.
"You haven't given up the idea of going fishing?" He pointed at Zhan Xiaotian and said to Tang Yu'an, "Do you want to be like him in the future?"
Zhan Xiaotian on the bed was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head with a gloomy expression.
Tang Yu'an couldn't help but look at him carefully again, only to find that one of his sleeves was deflated.
"He had his arm bitten off by a sea beast. At least he managed to survive, but from now on, no one will want him to go out to sea, let alone work on the farm."
"Do you want to be like him?"
Zhan Xiong said this bluntly. Zhan Xiaotian, who was lying on the bed, had tears already rolling down his eyes. He bit his lip, turned over, and turned his back to this side in silence.
"Boss, why are you saying this in front of the child?" Hai Qian lowered his voice, "Xiaotian is already suffering enough!"
He quickly pulled Zhan Xiong out of the house, and Tang Yu'an was also pulled out by him.
Zhan Xiong sat down on the bench outside the house, wiped his face with both hands, his expression heavy and gloomy.
"I was against him going out to sea from the beginning," he said in a low, sorrowful voice. "Fishing is not an honor. Who would want to go down this path if they had a choice?"
"Boss, what you said is wrong."
Hai Qian said, "If we weren't short of manpower, Xiao Tian wouldn't have been injured. We can't stop recruiting people just because we're afraid of injuries. What will happen to the rest of the team then?"
"If you fail the assessment, you will be a burden when you go out to sea, and you will die faster!" Zhan Xiong said coldly.
"It's not that I don't want to recruit, it's just that there are fewer and fewer new people who meet the requirements!"
As Tang Yu'an listened to their argument, he gained a deeper understanding of the dire situation in Zitian Castle.
Going out to sea to fish is a very dangerous thing. Little Hailan’s biggest wish is not to let her father go out to sea.
The people in Guanyu Village are lucky. Even if they don’t go out to sea, the waves will bring some small seafood to the beach for them to pick up.
Although we still need to guard against creatures such as mutant crabs, safety has been greatly improved.
But it was different on the side of Zitian Fort. Outside the barrier were mutant jellyfish. On the way over, Tang Yu'an did not see any schools of fish on the sea.
It is estimated that the fish were eaten by the mutant jellyfish or scared away, so the fishing team of Zitian Fort needs to go to a farther place to fish.
Now, the new generation of people from Zitian Fort who are willing to go out to sea to fish are in increasingly poor physical condition, and the number of people in the fishing team is also decreasing sharply.
With the sharp decline in numbers and fewer new recruits, the safety of veteran team members is no longer guaranteed. It can be said to be a vicious cycle, and there is no good solution.
Tang Yu'an couldn't help but frown. It seemed that the construction of Zitianbao's branch and the recruitment of store employees were imminent.
"So do you still want to join the fishing team now?" At this time, he heard Zhan Xiong ask him again.
Tang Yu'an froze for a moment, then quickly said, "I'll think about it again."
Zhan Xiong immediately showed an expression of "a teachable young man". He stood up and patted Tang Yu'an on the shoulder: "It's too dangerous to go out to sea. Find a job that allows you to stay in the fortress."
Hai Qian opened his mouth slightly, and just as he was about to say something else, he was stopped by Zhan Xiong's sharp eyes.
"Oh, alright, alright, whatever you want!"
Hai Qian waved his hands, said something angrily and helplessly, then turned and left without paying any more attention to Tang Yu'an.
Tang Yu'an quickly said goodbye and slipped away, but he turned a corner and came back holding an umbrella.
Zhanxiong sat on the bench at the door in a daze.
Looking at the man's confused and tired expression, Tang Yu'an also felt a little sympathy for him.
Zhan Xiong's physique is similar to his father's. Although their personalities and appearances are completely different, when he patted her shoulder just now, Tang Yu'an still thought of her father.
So he came full circle and made his decision.
Tang Yu'an flew to the roof and then controlled a mechanical insect - although it was equipped on the ship, it could also be connected to his optical computer for use.
The mechanical insect flew towards Zhan Xiong and then landed on his back.
Tang Yu'an took out the silver mask again, put it on his face, and spoke to the computer.
"Zhanxiong."
As he spoke, the mechanical insect perched on Zhan Xiong's shoulder also made a sound in sync.
"who?"
Zhan Xiong heard someone calling him, but when he looked around, he found no one around.
Today is the day for slaughtering fish. Most of the villagers have gone to the fishing grounds, and there are few people on the streets.
Zhan Xiong looked back at the room. His son was lying on his side on the bed, crying himself to sleep. The voice just now didn't sound like him.
Could it be that he heard it wrong?
Zhan Xiong was wondering when he heard the voice again in his ears: "Don't look for me anymore. You can't see me."
The mechanical insect stopped behind Zhan Xiong, and no matter how he turned his head or moved around, he couldn't find it.
"Who are you?" Zhan Xiong frowned and asked, "Is this your special ability?"
"Superpowers? You could think of it that way."
What sounded in his ears was a gentle and clear voice of a young man. He didn't sound like a villain, but the words he said made Zhan Xiong's eyes widen.
"I am Yin Guang, from the Merchant God Cult, and I am an apostle sent by the God of Commerce to preach in the human world."
Shang, Shang God Religion?
Zhan Xiong was stunned for a moment, then frowned and said, "God's religion? Preaching is strictly prohibited in the fortress. What exactly do you want to do by pretending to be a god?"
Yin Guang did not answer this question.
He spoke to himself, "Do you want to save your son? Do you want to protect the members of the fishing team and prevent tragedy from happening again?"
Zhan Xiong was stunned. This was indeed what he wished in his heart, but reason still made him alert.
"No matter who you are, leave here. I may not report you to the law enforcement team, but you must not continue to challenge my bottom line!"
Yin Guang sighed slightly, "It seems that you don't want to save your son. In that case, I can only take the potion back."
Zhan Xiong was stunned. "What potion?"
"It's right there at your fingertips."
Zhan Xiong lowered his head and saw that a small bottle had appeared at one end of the bench without him noticing.
"The bottle contains a healing potion. It won't grow your son's arm back, but it will save his life."
"My son can't die!"
"Yeah?"
Tang Yu'an's supernatural powers are now very strong, and coupled with the orthodox cultivation techniques he has practiced, he can feel that Zhan Xiaotian's breath is very weak.
He fell silent after that, and didn't even notice Zhan Xiong talking to himself so loudly. It probably wasn't because he was hurt by his father or was angry with him...
Zhan Xiong also realized that something was wrong, so he quickly got up and walked back into the room. He went to the bed and turned his son's shoulders over.
“Xiaotian…Xiaotian!”
Zhan Xiaotian closed his eyes tightly and did not respond to his call. He looked dying and his breath was extremely weak.
Tears suddenly welled up in Zhan Xiong's eyes.
"Son...son...wake up! Don't scare me...I just want you to be alive, as long as you're alive...I can still support you even if you lose your arms...wuwuwu..."
At this moment, he heard Yin Guang's voice again: "Hurry up and feed him the potion, he should still be able to be saved."
Zhan Xiong no longer cared about anything else. He quickly opened the bottle cap and poured the healing potion into Zhan Xiaotian's mouth.
The dosage of this medicine is very small, only three drops in total, but the effect is very significant.
As soon as he drank it, Zhan Xiaotian's pale face turned rosy and his breathing became stronger.
Half an hour later, Zhan Xiaotian's condition was getting better and better. Although he had not woken up yet, one could tell from his heartbeat that his life was saved.
Zhan Xiong couldn't help but wipe away the tears from his face.
He put his son back on the bed, covered him with a quilt, and then tiptoed to the kitchen at the back of the house.
He carefully looked around before whispering, "Silver Light... Lord Silver Light, are you still there?"
"Um."
"Thank you for saving Xiaotian, I..."
Tang Yu'an stopped him, "No need to thank me, the potion is not free."
Zhan Xiong paused, then gritted his teeth and said, "What price do I need to pay?"
"Become my employee and donate your residence to the Shangshen Sect." Tang Yu'an made a request.
Although he could also successfully recruit Zhan Xiong and then assign him tasks, he felt that this was too inefficient.
Moreover, the initiative of whether to complete the mission is in Zhan Xiong's hands. If he hesitates and struggles, he will waste some time.
He has been away for a week and is now anxious to go back and retrieve the dream bottle.
I don’t know if my parents have encountered any new situations, and they received the reply late, so they must be worried.
Therefore, direct communication in this way is more efficient and will also facilitate his future actions in Zitian Castle.
"What does the Shangshen Cult want to do with my house?" Zhan Xiong asked with some caution.
"You'll find out soon," Tang Yu'an said. "The God of Commerce is the greatest and most benevolent deity in the world. He has saved countless people, so you don't need to be so defensive."
"Since this deity is so great and benevolent, why does he need to be paid?"
"Because the God of Business hates something for nothing!"
"Okay, I didn't mean to offend you, please accept my apology."
In the end, Zhan Xiong accepted the job offer.
On the one hand, it was because of the strength that Yin Guang showed, and on the other hand, it was because...
From Yin Guang's accent, he could tell that this messenger of the gods was not from Zi Tian Castle.
An outsider!
How many years has it been since outsiders appeared in the fortress?
If he could come in from outside, could he also leave? Then could we take Xiaotian away and let him live on land?
With such expectations, Zhan Xiong decided to join the Shangshen Sect!
What surprised him was that the Shangshen Cult seemed different from what he had imagined...
The salesperson at Ping An Grocery Store No. 6?
Zhan Xiong looked at the text on the panel and chose to accept it, and he also received the guidance task.
"I am willing to donate my residence to the Shangshen Sect. What next? Do I need to go through the transfer procedures?" Zhan Xiong asked.
"No need, your residence has been requisitioned by the Shangshen Cult."
Tang Yu'an looked at the "Ping An Grocery Store No. 11" that successfully appeared on the panel and couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
New branch built!
"You go and complete the guidance mission. If you fail the assessment, you will be fired."
Upon hearing this, Zhan Xiong couldn't help but shudder.
However, when he glanced at Zhan Xiaotian lying on the bed, he couldn't help showing hesitation.
"I will take good care of him while you are away, you can rest assured." Tang Yu'an saw his concerns and said again.
"Then I'll leave it to you!"
Zhan Xiong tucked the corner of the quilt for his son and left quickly.
After he left, Tang Yu'an flew into the house and released the construction robot to start digging the basement. Because of the protection of the shadow umbrella, there was no need to worry about making too much noise and waking up Zhan Xiaotian.
It was just a basement three meters deep and two meters long and wide. Before Zhan Xiong came back, the construction robot had finished it.
Tang Yu'an quickly set up the teleportation array and confined the opened protective barrier to the basement.
The protective barrier cannot be exposed for the time being. After all, Zhan Xiong still needs to leave the house to solicit customers. The place where he lives is a fortress, not a small settlement like Chifeng Town.
As for the timing of opening, we can only wait and see.
Tang Yu'an jumped into the basement without concealing the entrance to the basement.
Anyway, since the store was closed, Zhan Xiong couldn't see what was in the basement, let alone jump down.
Tang Yu'an kept holding the umbrella, and then returned to the carriage of the Ping'an Grocery Store RV through the teleportation array.
When he came over, Haijing had parked his RV by the sea and was doing business with the residents of Linhai Town outside the car.
In addition to him, there were a dozen other people helping him maintain order.
These people are the "believers" he accepted during this week.
After all, Haijing is a fisherman who seldom leaves the village. The farthest place he has been is the center of Linhai Town, so his knowledge is limited.
He also knew this shortcoming of his, so he posted a paid help post on the employee forum to solicit everyone's opinions.
The reply content of the paid help post can only be seen by the poster. Once it is sent, regardless of whether a satisfactory answer is received in the end, the poster must make a choice before the deadline and send out the bonus.
His post for help soon attracted Lao Mo's attention, and the Haijing bonus eventually fell into his pocket.
The group of "believers" surrounding Haijing now were recruited under the guidance of Lao Mo.
With their help, Haijing became more and more adept at doing business.
In just one week, the points and experience points gained were astonishing. Tang Yu'an successfully upgraded to a higher level yesterday, and his merchant level has reached lv24!
Among the unlocked functions, the most eye-catching one is probably the private chat function with forum friends!
Yes, from now on, if he wants to chat privately with Brother Xiaoqi, he finally doesn’t need to use the message board.
You can set message reminders for private chats with friends, so you don’t have to worry about missing messages even if you don’t check the message board!
However, there are restrictions on adding friends. For example, you can only add friends if you are at level 5 or above, and the number of friends that can be added corresponds to the number of levels that are unlocked every 5 levels, etc.
This can be considered as a disguised way of encouraging employees to upgrade more.
Tang Yu'an observed Hai Jing's work site and saw that he was proceeding in an orderly manner, so he did not disturb him. Instead, he opened the door and returned to Ping'an Grocery Store.
He first released Zhou Qi from the spirit storage bag, and after seeing that he was not seriously injured, he ran up to the attic.
After not coming back for a week, some messages in bottles from other dimensions had already arrived, so Tang Yu'an opened the window and fished out these bottles.
The first message in a bottle was from Kosona.
Because of the upgrade of "Big is Beautiful", the drifting bottle has become much larger. This time, the bottle that came back also contained something, which was -
Automatic water storage thermos cup.
"Great mysterious businessman, thank you for your trust in us. With this super-large thermos, we received more water than ever before, and more people can survive!"
Yes, Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi filled an automatic water storage thermos with water last time and sent it to Cosona's dimension.
After upgrading to level 3, the thermos has a capacity of 100 cubic meters. With the addition of Kosona's space capsule, it has expanded to 160 cubic meters.
"This time we have integrated all the newly produced space capsules into it, and now it has expanded to 260 cubic meters."
"Hoping to receive more water, I look forward to your reply!"
Tang Yu'an couldn't help but be shocked. He took out the thermos cup, opened it and took a look.
Who would have thought that this thermos cup with a capacity of only 210 ml can actually hold 260 tons of water!
and……
After the space capsule was "eaten" by the thermos, it could no longer be taken out. How could Kosona and the others be so willing to do that!
However, in this way, the delivery speed of the remaining 9,000 tons of water can finally be faster.
And now he can go to the beach and no longer have to worry about not having enough water to deliver!
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