Chapter 64 Two Towns Seek Refuge, Ten Thousand People Acquired
The two town mayors immediately changed their plans. They took their guards and, without even entering the gates of Yunpei Town, bought tickets for the next available bus to come over.
At this moment, as the group entered the Star Territory's barrier, Yuan Chengping couldn't help but take a deep breath: "Brother Wen, can you feel it? The air here is different."
Wen Zhiming glanced at his friend with some disdain and coldly reminded him, "You should keep your mouth shut; you're drooling."
Yuan Chengping subconsciously wiped his mouth, nothing had happened, and he immediately became furious: "You liar, you've ruined my image."
After saying that, he wanted to fight Wen Zhiming, but fortunately he was persuaded to stop by the people around him. "Mayor, we are still in unfamiliar territory. It's better to be careful."
As soon as the words were spoken, a gentle voice sounded from the side: "Is this your first time visiting the Star Territory?"
The group turned around and saw a young woman standing not far away. She was dressed in a clearly visible waitress uniform and was obviously a staff member of the property.
"If you wish, I can give you a tour of our territory."
Yuan Chengping instinctively straightened his back, adopting his usual air of a town mayor: "We are..."
Where is your town mayor?
"Gah...!" Yuan Chengping was forced to stop halfway through his sentence, choked by his friend's sudden action, and turned his head in astonishment.
What's going on? Did Wen Zhiming take the wrong medicine? Isn't this guy someone who doesn't like to get involved in anything except his wife's affairs? Why is he so enthusiastic today?
The receptionist hadn't expected them to suddenly ask about the leader, and her eyes immediately showed a hint of wariness, but her expression remained smiling: "I wonder what business you gentlemen have with our town mayor? I can pass on your message."
“You probably don’t have the authority to interfere in this matter,” Wen Zhiming said coldly.
The receptionist's expression visibly darkened.
"I'm sorry, he's not feeling well today and is in a bad mood. He didn't mean to offend me." Yuan Chengping quickly grabbed Wen Zhiming's arm, signaling his attendant to continue communicating with the receptionist, while he pulled his friend aside.
“No, brother, what are you doing?” Yuan Chengping pulled the man to a corner, looking at his usually calm friend with a puzzled expression, and lowered his voice to say, “Did you come here today to cause trouble? If that’s the case, I’m not going to play along with you. I have no intention of going against this town.”
Wen Zhiming took a deep breath, his eyes bloodshot: "Chengping, your sister-in-law... she might not last much longer."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Chengping fell silent, as he knew about Wen Zhiming's family situation.
Wen Zhiming's wife, Zhao Jiaxin, has been frail since childhood. After the apocalypse, she failed to become a professional gamer. The prolonged exposure to high temperatures and her constant underground living further worsened her health. Over the years, Wen Zhiming has kept her afloat with various rare drugs.
Putting aside everything else, this small town is indeed a suitable place for recuperation.
Thinking of this, Yuan Chengping sighed and softened his tone: "I understand you are worried about your sister-in-law, but no matter how anxious you are, you can't lose your composure. We must first find out the details of this town. If we offend people before we've even settled things in, wouldn't that be counterproductive?"
Just then, a clear voice came from behind: "I was unaware of your arrival, and I apologize for not welcoming you properly."
A beautiful woman walked over from a distance, followed by a man carrying a bow and arrows.
"Are you Mayor Wen and Mayor Yuan?" Lin Nanxing smiled slightly, accurately identifying them, and then introduced himself: "I am Lin Nanxing, the administrator of Xingxing Territory. I just received a system notification that distinguished guests have arrived."
Yuan Chengping was taken aback and exchanged a surprised look with Wen Zhiming. Their journey had been sudden and it was the first time the two sides had met, yet the other side was able to recognize them at a glance.
Lin Nanxing seemed to sense their confusion and explained, "When important guests visit, the territory barrier will automatically send me a reminder. Since you two are here, why don't I show you around?"
This barrier even has a built-in identity detection function, and its intelligence level secretly surprised the two town mayors. Not only that, but more importantly, this barrier also has a powerful defensive function.
They had just seen it on the train; this barrier could automatically defend against external attacks, making it far more advanced than any barrier they had ever seen.
Yuan Chengping coughed lightly, about to politely decline the overly enthusiastic hospitality, but Wen Zhiming beside him preemptively agreed: "Then I'll have to trouble Mayor Lin."
Hearing this address, Lin Nanxing couldn't help but smile.
These days, people have been calling her all sorts of things, from waitress, boss to lord, and now there's even a town mayor. When the territory is upgraded, will we have to call her mayor?
Lin Nanxing chuckled at her own association. Seeing the puzzled looks from everyone, she quickly cleared her throat and said, "Please follow me."
To leave a good impression on the people of the two towns, Lin Nanxing specially granted them full access, allowing them to experience everything from milk tea shops to water parks, restaurants to fresh food supermarkets, before finally stopping at the Hope Tavern.
Zhao Ming sat at the bar calculating the store's expenses, but his gaze kept drifting towards the corner.
After watching for a while, he nudged Old Zhou, who was wiping cups next to him, with his shoulder and asked curiously, "Uncle Zhou, who do you think these people are? They all look like high-level players."
Old Zhou glanced in the direction of her gaze. The familiar-looking girl was visiting the tavern for the second time today. This time, she brought many impressive players with her, including Zhou Qisheng, the person in charge of their territory.
The guests were scattered throughout the tavern, forming a circle, with only four people sitting in the very center, including the little girl.
Even their undisputed best archer was sitting at the table next to them.
After looking around, Lao Zhou calmly lowered his head and advised his young partner: "Don't be so curious. Those are not things we should worry about."
"I was just curious," Zhao Ming said with an awkward smile, but he understood what Lao Zhou meant. Those people were clearly people they couldn't afford to mess with, so it was best not to provoke them.
After a day of visits, the two groups had become familiar with each other.
Alcohol is the best way to relax. Wen Zhiming suddenly put down his glass and said solemnly, "Mayor Lin, I have a favor to ask."
"I'd like to hear the details." There was no wine glass on Lin Nanxing's table, but there was a glass of lemonade that was half-empty.
Wen Zhiming took a deep breath and said something surprising: "I want to lead all the residents of Wenjia Town to the Star Territory."
This sudden request stunned everyone present.
Yuan Chengping looked at his friend in shock: "Brother Wen, you..."
“I have thought it through very clearly.” Wen Zhiming’s gaze was firm. “Along this journey, I have seen a territory where ordinary people can live and work in peace. Wenjia Town is not large to begin with, and now the burden of the barrier is gradually increasing. Rather than struggling to survive in the upcoming beast tide, it is better to relocate the entire town and give the residents a better future.”
“We don’t have much else in Wenjia Town, but we have a good geographical location and a mine. The resources from that mine will be transported here as well.”
He turned to Lin Nanxing and asked earnestly, "I wonder if Mayor Lin would find it convenient to take me in?"
Actually, Wen Zhiming's initial consideration was Yunpei Town; Xingxing Territory was an unexpected development.
Although everyone received the advertisement sent by the system at the beginning of the eternal night, this does not mean that Star Territory is a safe zone that can accommodate tens of thousands of people.
Yunpei Town is a town that has existed since the early days of the apocalypse, with a population of over 20,000. It is the only town in the vicinity that may have the capacity to accommodate another 5,000 people.
But things are different now. Wen Zhiming saw the train tracks connecting Yunpei Town and the Star Territory, the farmland and breeding farms in the territory, and the residents living on the surface with ample space.
More accurately, he saw life in the Star Territory.
Lin Nanxing tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, lost in thought.
If Wenjia Town surrenders, the territory's population and strength will be significantly improved, and she won't have to worry about not having enough manpower. Moreover, there's a mine! Da Tie keeps complaining in the forge about the lack of ore resources and the inability to mass-produce weapons. Isn't this a godsend?
However, accepting such a large population will inevitably create other problems, and she is unsure whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages or vice versa.
Lin Nanxing looked at Zhou Qisheng beside her, but before she could ask for his opinion, a system notification suddenly sounded.
[Detection of investment intentions in Wenjia Township]
Accepting surrender will automatically complete the "establishment of diplomatic relations" task (2/3)
Is incorporating small towns into the territory considered completing the task of establishing diplomatic relations?
Lin Nanxing felt as if he had opened the door to a new world.
Since the system also encourages her to do this action, it means that the benefits definitely outweigh the drawbacks.
Therefore, to those at the table, Lin Nanxing only paused for a few seconds before nodding without hesitation: "The Star Territory currently has enough space to accommodate more new residents. Since Mayor Wen has this intention, we naturally welcome him."
Since the last upgrade to a town, the area of the entire territory has doubled. As far as the eye can see, it is all concrete and soil. The Star Territory has more than enough room to accommodate so many people.
This prompt response relieved Wen Zhiming, and his tense shoulders relaxed.
Seeing this, Yuan Chengping stroked his chin and suddenly laughed, "Since Brother Wen has decided to stay, I'll bring Dongyang Town with me to join him."
Wen Zhiming looked at him disapprovingly, "Xiaoping, the situation in Dongyang Town is much better than in Wenjia Town, and there is absolutely no need for population relocation."
Yuan Chengping spoke casually, as if he were saying that the weather was nice today. "To be honest, I was only made the mayor because there was no one else in the town who could handle things. I didn't like being a leader, and now that I have a better place to go, why should I force myself to stay?"
"Mayor Lin, although Dongyang Town is not as rich in resources as Wenjia Town, everyone in our town is a top-notch player. You will definitely not lose out by taking us in."
The successive surrenders surprised Lin Nanxing. She had only intended to establish friendly relations, but unexpectedly, she gained two complete towns.
System prompts kept popping up:
[Detection of Dongyang Town Investment's Intent]
[The "Establish Diplomatic Relations" mission is complete; Reputation Points +2]
They even added reputation points!
Lin Nanxing suppressed his surprise and pretended to be calm, saying, "Since you two are both interested, we need to discuss the specific arrangements for the relocation in detail. There are quite a few residents in the two towns, and accommodation, employment, and livelihood security all need to be planned in advance."
Lin Nanxing turned to introduce Zhou Qisheng, "This is Zhou Qisheng, who is in charge of administrative affairs in our territory. You two can arrange for someone to liaise with him on specific matters."
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