Chapter 89
Qingshui Town.
Xia Qing came back from a long trip. Without even having time to wash or dress, she rushed to the town office.
Before anyone entered, a voice came first: "Mom!"
Xia Qing's mother, Xia Ruihe, the mayor of Qingshui Town, learned that her daughter was returning. She had been waiting at the door with a group of people since early morning. When she heard her voice, she hurried out to greet her, "Xiaoqing, did you have a smooth journey? What's the situation in Guangming Town?"
"It went smoothly." Xia Qing was overjoyed and took her mother's hand. "Come on, let's go inside and talk."
The people behind Xia Ruihe exchanged glances silently, somewhat surprised.
Xiaoqing grew up in their care. She was like her mother, with a calm personality since childhood. How come she became a different person after going out?
What makes her so happy...could it be that that thing has been accomplished?
Thinking of the mission Xia Qing was going to carry out this time, the few of them could no longer contain their excitement and hurriedly followed the mother and daughter into the house.
After finding a meeting room and sitting down and closing the door, they couldn't wait to ask, "Xiaoqing, did you find the hot spring?"
"The advertisement says that they provide hot spring services and catering. Is that true?"
"How can there be hot water in a game about extreme cold and doomsday? What on earth is going on..."
Several people were extremely anxious.
All those present at this moment were veteran figures of Qingshui Town, and most of them were close confidants who had come through the novice period with Xia Ruihe. Many of them were old enough for Xia Qing to call them uncles and aunts. However, at this moment, the faces of this group of middle-aged players showed similar tension and uneasiness.
Some people even had sweat on their foreheads. Looking at Xia Qing, they unconsciously clenched their fists, as if waiting for the judgment of fate.
They couldn't help but be nervous.
After discovering the specialness of those gift boxes, Xia Ruihe, in addition to letting his daughter taste them, the first thing he did was to call them over.
A group of people gathered together, and it didn't take them long to see the information about Nuannuan Hot Springs printed on the box. At that moment, they were so restless that they wanted to set off to Guangming Town to find out what was going on.
But no one knows whether this is a trap - what if someone has somehow preserved the food before the game and is deliberately making it mysterious to lure them into falling for it?
In order to compete for resources, similar incidents have occurred in the past, and they have to be on guard.
After much discussion, they decided to send out an elite team to check out the situation.
But at the same time, they had some other ideas. If the incident at Nuannuan Hot Springs was not a trap but was real, they had to react before other towns did. Because of the important mission, the team finally decided to be led by Xia Qing.
Her personal strength is already quite good, and with a group of elite players, she is able to deal with most situations in the advanced area. Moreover, she will never betray Qingshui Town.
After receiving the task, Xia Qing set off with his men without saying a word.
During these few days of waiting, the remaining town leaders stayed in the town and had no intention of doing anything else.
They removed the wrapping paper of the gift boxes intact and smoothed the corners. For a few days, the most they did was to flip through them again and again until the packaging was almost torn apart. They also read and studied the advertisements word by word, wishing that every stroke of the simple drawings printed by Shu Mo would be firmly imprinted in their hearts.
[Nuannuan Hot Spring, coordinates xxx... provides hot springs, accommodation, and food...]
They both hope this is true, but are also afraid that having such high expectations will only end up with false joy.
In such a complicated mood, a group of people looked forward to it day and night, and finally Xia Qing's team came back.
Before Xia Ruihe even touched the chair, she looked at Xia Qing from head to toe. Seeing that her daughter was safe and sound, she breathed a sigh of relief and urged, "Tell me what happened."
Xia Qing didn't keep the secret and stated the conclusion first: "The story about Nuannuan Hot Spring is indeed true."
The room was silent for several seconds.
Several people even breathed more lightly, and some of them trembled slightly unconsciously.
"It's actually true..." A warrior in khaki armor breathed rapidly, and after several seconds he murmured, "That's great, that's great."
He repeated it twice unconsciously.
Xia Qing glanced at him.
This soldier is the leader of the Qingshui Town Reclamation Team. He is considered one of the best fighters in the town. He is usually decisive and efficient when leading the team. His subordinates all respect and fear him. Who would have thought that he would reveal such a side of him.
Xia Qing felt a little touched. Thinking back to when I first stepped into the hot spring, I felt the same tremor in my heart.
Knowing that everyone was anxious, she told everyone everything she had seen and heard along the way.
Including the special "protective shield" of the hot spring, the warm temperature inside, ordinary players can also leisurely stroll in the high-end area, the various small shops on the shopping street, the rich dishes in the restaurant, and the large baths that are always crowded with people...
From Xia Qing's narration, everyone slowly sketched out a warm and peaceful place that was like a paradise.
This resort hotel stands on the snowy plain, with magnificent views and is bathed in brilliant sunshine.
It's so beautiful that it seems unreal.
No one spoke for a long time after Xia Qing finished speaking.
They were still immersed in their imagination of the warm hot springs.
On the one hand, they wanted to get up and set off immediately, but on the other hand, they were a little hesitant to take a step. A feeling of timidity similar to homesickness arose in their hearts - are they really going to make it?
This hot spring is like a symbol, connecting them to their lives before the advent of the game.
Then, belatedly, ecstasy surged over me like a tide.
Xia Ruihe came back to his senses, "Xiaoqing, how are your inquiries about opening a branch going?"
When she learned about the existence of the hot spring, she was not completely overwhelmed. Before Xia Qing set out, Xia Ruihe discussed with her: If the matter of Nuannuan Hot Spring was true, it would inevitably lead to a huge change in the game situation. Their Qingshui Town lost to Guangming Town in distance, but they must not fall behind other towns.
Therefore, this time, she asked Xia Qing to bring tens of thousands of points with her for only two purposes -
First, try your best to convince the owner of Nuannuan Hot Spring to open a branch in Qingshui Town. The town can provide full support.
Second, if the boss rejects the previous proposal, or the quantity of the goods in the Nuannuan Hot Spring is limited and not enough to supply a new town, then buy as many of the hot spring's goods as possible.
Buy as much as you can and don’t be stingy with the points - Xia Ruihe emphasized.
This is to prevent the goods from being sold out in the future and all the benefits going to the people of Guangming Town, leaving the people from other towns with nowhere to cry.
Those stored things are all important supplies in the doomsday, far more important than any resource points in the game.
This is also why this task can only be carried out by her daughter Xia Qing herself, because she would not feel at ease if she entrusted it to anyone else.
The towns were in competition with each other for many years because of their close proximity. How could Xia Ruihe not understand what the mayor of Guangming Town was thinking? He couldn't have given her the gift out of kindness, nor could he have given it to her alone.
The mayors of other surrounding towns probably took about the same amount of time to react, and since Qingshui Town was close in distance, it had an advantage in comparison, so they had to seize this advantage.
Xia Qing heard her mother's question and shook her head. "The boss didn't have any plans to open a branch, so he rejected me. But I brought back a lot of souvenirs this time."
As she spoke, she began to take out things one by one.
Fresh meat buns*99, rock sugar Tremella and pear soup*99, candied haws*99, coffee milk*99, oden (radish, fish balls, kelp knots, tempura, rice cakes...)*99 items, five-spice melon seeds*99, pickled pepper chicken feet*99, red bean buns*99...
There are also some take-out dishes from restaurants, snacks from food stores in the shopping street, etc.
Even the dipping sauce in the hot pot restaurant, Xia Qing begged the boss to pack up several portions, thinking that he could use it to dip the oden.
She felt that she was just an ordinary little genius.
In short, Xia Qing's trip was like a hungry ghost entering a village. He swept through every shop and facility in the hot spring, and finally returned to the city with all his bags, feeling satisfied.
The large conference table used for discussions in the town was several meters long and wide, but Xia Qing had just taken out half of it when there was no empty space on the table.
Those delicacies couldn't be placed on the ground, so she had no choice but to stop.
The room was filled with fragrance and everyone was petrified.
When they heard that they couldn't open a branch, they were really disappointed for two seconds, but before they could get too emotional, they were blinded by the things that quickly covered the table.
Missy, seeing that she can't open a branch store, is she planning to start her own business as a second-hand dealer?
"To buy so many...Xiaoqing, how many points did you spend on this trip?"
Xia Ruihe is down.
These are things that have never appeared in the doomsday. Even if a bun is priced at 100 points, she won't blink an eye.
Several people have speculated on the price of the Chinese pastry gift box in recent days, and everyone generally believes that it is at least around 1,000 to 1,500 yuan.
...But Xia Qing actually brought back so much? ?
She counted the points she gave her daughter, but it was not enough. After thinking about it, she came up with only one possibility: "Did you use your own savings?"
"No." Xia Qing said obediently, "I just spent the points you gave me, mom."
But she spent all those points without hesitation. Knowing the distance between Qingshui Town and Guangming Town, Xia Qing didn't know when he would come again, so he thought it would be better to buy more to balance the transportation costs.
After all, these things will not be wasted.
Once the things are in hand, through Xia Ruihe's reasonable allocation, they can fully play a huge value.
If you calculate it this way, 99 pieces of each item is really not a lot.
"But are those points... enough?" Xia Ruihe continued to doubt his life.
Xia Qing hesitated and said something shocking, "In fact, more than half of it is still in the backpack and has not been taken out yet."
——I can’t let it go!
Everyone: “???”
What kind of magical price is this?
A wizard wearing a pointy wizard hat looked at the table, swallowed dryly, and looked at Xia Qing again, "The hot spring owner not only provides delicious food and hot water, but also charges such a cheap price..."
How is this possible.
Why not make money when you have the chance? If it were him, there is no way he would have ordered it so cheaply.
He subconsciously thought of some conspiracy theories, "Does she have any other purpose?"
Xia Qing looked innocent, "I guess it's because these things are precious to us, but very common to the boss."
She stayed in Nuannuan Hot Spring for a total of three days. On the last day, which finally came on a Monday, she checked into a hotel room.
During these three days, Xia Qing spent the other two days, except for the first day with Shu Mo, observing the hot springs and experiencing the various facilities.
According to her observation, thousands of items are sold every day in the specialty area alone. There are also vending machines in the annex, which require staff to restock from time to time, and the daily transaction volume of one machine is in the hundreds.
They replenished the stock very quickly, as if they had never calculated the inventory at all, as if the hot spring had a constant supply of goods and there was no need to worry about stock out.
But for those who have been in the doomsday for a long time, this seems like a fairy tale.
Even Xia Qing was prepared to compete with countless people before he went.
Who would have thought... that there was no need to rob at all.
This made her feel quite confused and bewildered at the time.
"The hot spring items are supplied in unlimited quantities. Since there's no limit on the quantity, a lower price won't affect the boss's profitability, but it's great news for guests like us." Xia Qing said seriously.
"According to this pricing, even ordinary players at the bottom can earn enough in a day to have a hot meal at the hot spring. If they save up a few points for two days, they can even take a hot bath in the hot spring... Today, Guangming Town has greatly improved its residents' quality of life and happiness because of the existence of Nuannuan Hot Spring. This is all thanks to the boss."
"I can't see that she has any other thoughts. Uncle Lei, please don't say that again in the future. Otherwise, if someone spreads it, the boss will think that it is us in Qingshui Town who suspect her..."
Xia Qing paused and didn't say anything else, but there was a hint of warning in his tone.
His cold brows furrowed, and a feeling of oppression arose.
The mage who had just spoken also realized that he had said the wrong thing, and said awkwardly: "I know, I was just saying it casually."
It sounds like this hot spring is privately run, and everything is managed by the young boss. If they want to benefit from it, they have to try their best to please her instead of doing stupid things that would offend Shu Mo.
"By the way, there is a handicraft shop in the commercial street of the hot spring. The business is very hot. I think the things sold there are very interesting, so I bought two. Sister Wang, take a look."
Although Xia Qing is young, she has grown up with her mother, the mayor, and has a sharp eye. She looked past those cute woolen dolls and immediately discovered the special features of the decorative items in the store.
She took two artifacts out of her backpack and handed them to a woman wearing a monocle.
The latter took it, took just a glance, and his eyes immediately focused.
"This is Xie Qingyun's craftsmanship."
After a long while, she said firmly. He stroked the ornament in his hand and couldn't let it go.
"I didn't expect that he was also attracted to the warm hot springs..."
Of course, Qingshui Town also has its own team of blacksmiths, but unfortunately, they lost in the "battle for Xie Qingyun" a few years ago. Although they later paid a large sum of money to invite an excellent blacksmith named Sister Wang to be the chief, they were ultimately no match for Xie Qingyun's craftsmanship.
This resulted in the situation that although their official team's average level was obviously higher than that of Guangming Town, their weapons and equipment were always far inferior to theirs, and in the end the strength they displayed in the battle was actually comparable.
This has always been something that has bothered everyone in Qingshui Town.
Now knowing that the talented person whom they had paid so much to get but failed had gone to work in a small shop in Nuannuan Hot Spring, they didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The power of Nuannuan Hot Springs becomes increasingly clear.
They had mixed emotions. "Guangming Town will rise in the future thanks to the hot springs."
Although it was heartbreaking to have a forging master taken away, it was nothing compared to gaining the hot springs.
Thinking that this long-time rival might leave them far behind in the future, the senior officials of Qingshui Town felt somewhat disappointed.
"In any case, this is a good thing for mankind." Xia Ruihe spoke, breaking the heavy atmosphere.
"Perhaps the emergence of Nuannuan Hot Spring will be a turning point for mankind." She said firmly, "Hasn't the reason we have been striving for resources all along to make our families live better? If the natural disaster ends, then what will be the meaning of all that competition?"
They have been rivals for many years, but Xia Ruihe believes that neither she nor the mayor of Guangming Town has ever forgotten that humans have a common enemy, the Doomsday Disaster.
"It would be really stupid to damage the development of hot springs for the sake of the immediate benefits." She said firmly with a sharp look.
Even if there were people present who had some bad thoughts out of jealousy, they would come to their senses after hearing what was said.
"The mayor is right."
"Instead of thinking so much, it is better to think about how to maximize the benefits of hot springs."
Xia Qing cleared her throat, "Oh, there's one more thing. I heard from the boss that Nuannuan Hot Spring is planning to build a B&B. If it opens, I'm afraid I can sign a long-term contract with the boss for more than a year."
Everyone pricked up their ears immediately.
If the hot spring's "protective shield" is really as powerful as Xia Qing heard, and can even resist the attack of the monster tide, then doesn't it mean...
"Long-term accommodation rights in the safe zone!!" someone blurted out.
In a doomsday world full of dangers, what could be more exciting than this?
As long as you live in a hot spring, you no longer have to worry about monster tides or the invasion of cold, and you can also enjoy hot water and bright lights 24 hours a day!
Nowadays, hotel rooms are ultimately a one-time enjoyment. Even if you successfully grab a room and move in, you always know that you will have to move out in a few days. This is completely different from the mentality of long-term accommodation of more than a year.
The latter is almost equivalent to treating the hot spring as your temporary "home".
From Xia Qing's description, we can tell that the living conditions there are no less favorable than those of the resort hotels before the doomsday. Living there, I can completely forget that I am in the end of the world for a while...
Isn't this what players have been dreaming of for the past ten years?
They instantly put aside their previous melancholy, and their minds were filled with: "No matter what, we must grab a B&B in Nuannuan Hot Springs."
In the end times, this is truly a priceless treasure.
All those who had some family background present couldn't help but be moved at this moment.
Their own jobs are in the town and they cannot leave Qingshui Town for a long time, but they still have families.
Send your family to the warm hot springs, where they are protected by the barrier and can work with peace of mind. Then I can go there and stay for two days every month and treat it as a vacation.
What’s more, you don’t have to fight for a room before you go there. You can go whenever you want. There will always be a light on in the safe zone for you... It feels so good just thinking about it!
Everyone looked at each other, with sparks and lightning in their eyes.
You may be close colleagues sitting in the same conference room one second, but suddenly become competitors the next.
They all said in unison: "Xiaoqing, when will this house be available for reservation?"
Xia Qing: “…”
I was careless. If I had known, I would have grabbed one myself first and then told them.
I wonder if it’s too late to send a pigeon message to the boss and ask her to build another hundred or eighty rooms?
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