Chapter 672: The Vibrant Fries Port

Chapter 672: The Vibrant Fries Port

Jungle, beach, and the sea!

I’m back again!

Inside the airship cabin, Fang Chang gazed through the glass window at the pleasant scenery of Fries Port, a sly smile curling at the corner of his lips.

“Not bad.”

This time, he could finally indulge in being the lord of a city.

But saying that, this port wasn’t solely under his command.

Small development projects were mostly subcontracted to various units or institutions, while major development plans and project approvals were decided jointly by the board of the “Baiyue Strait Development Co., Ltd.”

This joint-stock company, registered in Dawn City, was currently held by multiple player organizations interested in developing the Baiyue Strait. Shares were divided according to capital contributions, and development along the strait’s coast proceeded under the framework of alliance law.

As for the Ox-Horse Group, its main responsibilities were infrastructure construction and logistics transportation.

And that was what they did best.

Two airships, one after the other, hovered above Fries Port before slowly lowering their gondolas.

Watching Fang Chang step off the gondola, the construction project manager, Spare the Knife, walked over and glanced at the airship behind him.

“Good heavens, you bought another one?!”

“Bought another one? That’s the scientific expedition’s! From now on, salvaging and recovery work will be left to those professionals. We’re mainly hauling cargo.”

Fang Chang laughed and patted his friend on the shoulder, then led him to the gondola, pointing at the crates being unloaded.

“…These goodies are what I bought—ten sets of Beetle Engineering Armor and twenty-five Cross-Spider robots. They’re yours!”

Hearing this, Spare the Knife’s face lit up with surprise.

The Beetle Engineering Armor had performed brilliantly in the renovation projects of Camp 101 and the southern district of West City.

That thing was the ultimate personal construction assistance equipment, the crystallization of two hundred years of construction experience from Vault 100!

It was like an “SCV” that could navigate complex terrain with ease, not only switching tools based on the task but also providing visual digital guidance.

If the K-10 “Iron Wall” exoskeleton was the pinnacle of heavy combat exoskeletons, then the Beetle Engineering Armor was the K-10 “Iron Wall” designed specifically for construction workers.

Paired with Cross-Spider robots that could move materials straight up and down vertical walls, a ten-person engineering squad could achieve the efficiency of a hundred-person team—provided other construction units kept up. Even a seasoned professional like him, who had spent years in the civil engineering industry, was deeply impressed after visiting the site.

Because of its outstanding performance, the price remained high. Not only were players snapping it up, but NPCs were placing orders too, and even construction companies in Ideal City showed great interest.

He never expected this guy to bring a whole set of equipment!

Eagerly stepping forward, Spare the Knife quickly had a staff member open one of the two-meter-tall crates.

Staring at the crab-shaped engineering armor inside, he grinned from ear to ear. But his excitement didn’t last long before he realized a new problem.

“Wait, I remember this thing requires training to use, right?”

As if anticipating the question, Fang Chang smiled with a prepared look.

“Don’t worry, I’ve also hired trained workers. They’ll be down shortly. Make sure to keep them safe—according to the contract, they only work within the safe zone.”

“Of course! Would I let them work outside?” Spare the Knife chuckled. “Leave it to me!”

“With you in charge, I’m definitely at ease!” Fang Chang smiled.

Brother Knife, like him, was one of the earliest veteran players in the game, a longtime member of the Ox-Horse group.

But this guy’s playstyle was too hardcore—or niche—with his combat prowess mainly displayed on construction sites, so he rarely caught other players’ attention.

If it were anyone else, Fang Chang might not be so confident, but entrusting it to this guy was definitely reliable.

The two walked toward the center of the camp.

Along the way, Fang Chang suddenly noticed piles of fur bales stacked like tofu blocks on a cargo heap not far from the beach, tied with hemp ropes.

Some had fur, some didn’t; shapes and sizes varied, and the types were diverse, with all sorts of colors.

There had to be at least a thousand pieces in total!

“…Good heavens, you guys hunted that many in just a few days?”

Seeing Fang Chang’s surprised expression, Spare the Knife made a helpless face.

“It’s not that we went hunting—those prey came to us on their own.”

Came on their own, huh…

When did Brother Guang become so generous?

Fang Chang was astonished, but soon recalled rumors he’d heard from the scientific expedition. After a moment’s thought, he said,

“…This rainforest is a bit strange. I heard the mutants here are related to the mutant slime mold. There might be a hive not far from us. Be careful during construction—safety first.”

“Rest assured, I’ll be careful whether there’s a hive or not!” Spare the Knife patted his arm and laughed. “But speaking of which, if we actually dig up that hive, we’d hit the jackpot. Just locating it is worth a million silver coins—that reward is insane!”

“Indeed, even I’m tempted.”

Fang Chang smiled, looking at the pile of furs. Suddenly noticing the bloodstains and slime on them, he had an idea and asked,

“By the way… are these all untreated raw hides?”

Spare the Knife nodded.

“I think so. Processing these raw hides takes a lot of time. I heard from players in the fur trade that the salt in the camp is almost sold out, even though we’re by the sea.”

Fang Chang was taken aback.

“That exaggerated?”

“You bet,” Spare the Knife said helplessly. “I heard they recently opened two more salt pans, but manpower is still an issue. I heard those fur traders are considering sending the raw hides back to Dawn City for processing.”

Fries Port had only about three hundred players.

Although the Ox-Horse had brought over two hundred more eager brothers this time, many of them were respawned players who had died before. That number wasn’t even enough to split between the construction team and the scientific expedition.

Besides, hiring players to do fine work like leather processing was a bit of a waste of talent, and economically unfeasible.

“If we send them back for processing, they’ll probably rot on the way…” Fang Chang pondered for a moment, then suddenly had an idea. He looked at Spare the Knife and said, “Hey, doesn’t Tail and her group have people?”

Spare the Knife: “You mean… those Moon Tribe refugees?”

Fang Chang smiled faintly.

“These tasks aren’t labor-intensive. It should be fine to leave them to those people. And not just tanning leather—some prey-processing work too. If we can hand it over to NPCs, we’ll save costs and free up more skilled labor from those simple, repetitive tasks… You know what I mean.”

Spare the Knife stared at him with a strange expression.

Hearing this, he had an odd feeling—this guy’s way of thinking was starting to resemble a certain NPC he knew.

“Is there something on my face?” Fang Chang touched his face, finding nothing, as Spare the Knife kept staring silently.

Snapping out of it, Spare the Knife cleared his throat.

“Nothing, I just think… your idea is pretty good.”

It really was a good idea. Though Fries Port’s facilities were still crude, at least the walls had been built.

As long as they didn’t leave the camp, safety was guaranteed.

“I’ll ask for their opinions on the forum later… Oh, and there’s one more thing.” Mid-sentence, he suddenly remembered something else.

Fang Chang cast him a questioning glance.

"What is it?"

"About the rainforest clearing," he paused for a moment, scratched his head, and said in an uncertain tone, "According to reports from some construction teams, they discovered that this forest has a peculiar self-repairing ability while clearing it."

Fang Chang frowned slightly.

"Self-repairing ability?"

The man nodded and continued.

"I'm not sure if I'm phrasing this correctly, but the situation is that areas they had just cleared the day before were found, during the next day's inspection, to have regrown some shrubs, grass, and vines, as if they had spread from the nearby forest. At first, I thought the construction teams were slacking off, but similar occurrences happened in all work zones... That's very strange."

In conditions of abundant rain and sunlight, most forests naturally expand toward fertile soil; such a phenomenon itself is not unusual.

However, such processes usually take years to observe any noticeable change, requiring observation on a yearly scale.

But this tropical rainforest was different.

It was as if it were alive, healing its "wounds" at a visible speed...

Seeing Fang Chang lost in thought, the man suggested,

"I suggest you bring this up with the Alliance Institute of Biology next time you return, and see what they think."

Fang Chang nodded cautiously and turned his gaze toward another airship in the sky.

"No need to wait until I return; they came with the scientific expedition team."

"You can report the situation here to them directly later."

Just as the two airships arrived at Fries Port at the same time, a dry bulk carrier loaded with goods was slowly departing the turbulent Boro Sea, entering the tranquil Baiyue Strait from the west.

"...Watch it for a while."

Yawning as he stepped out of the wheelhouse, the old man in a brown jacket yielded the door behind him to a young man in a white shirt, then walked over to a recliner under the gangway, sat down, picked up a half-finished beer bottle from a plastic crate beside him, took a couple of gulps, and squinted as he enjoyed the sea breeze.

Normally, he would never allow anyone else to touch his ship, but entering the Baiyue Strait was an exception.

Compared to the open Boro Sea and the southern waters, this strait cutting through Baiyue Province could hardly be called a sea; it was more like a tranquil river.

Moreover, with landmarks on both banks to confirm the course, it was quite difficult to veer off and sail the ship back.

That was why he entrusted the steering to the young man under him and came down to relax for a while.

The old man's name was Song Haining, a resident of Ring Island, though he had lived in Silver Moon Bay far longer than on Ring Island.

Of course, the total time he had spent in both places combined was certainly less than the time he had spent drifting at sea.

Years of wind and sun had made his face look like a freshly dried dishrag—one that had wiped a sooty pot bottom, dark and grimy.

As far back as he could remember, he had worked on boats with his father, and it wasn't until he was thirty that he owned his own cargo ship.

Now, the "Northwest Wind" had been with him for a full twenty years.

Whenever he saw the mottled rust on the deck, he couldn't help but think that perhaps he should seriously start considering retirement.

On the wasteland, being over fifty was definitely considered old age...

"It's still so quiet here."

Walking up to Song Haining, the young man in a gray jacket rested his arm on the railing by the ship's side and smiled as he struck up a conversation.

His name was Mo Jiawei, a merchant from Silver Moon Bay in the Hump Kingdom, and also the owner of the five thousand tons of iron ore and coal on the cargo ship, as well as the employer of thirty mercenaries.

Recently, the Southern Islands Federation and Vault 70 had been locked in fierce conflict, with offshore mining stations closing one after another due to the war. Yet the factories on the islands couldn't stop production, and the prices of various resources were skyrocketing.

Although doing business in these waters carried considerable risk, there were still plenty of fearless souls willing to wade into this troubled water.

This man was one of them.

Song Haining didn't know his background, but the chances of a deal arranged through the port going wrong were low, especially on a route he was familiar with.

Even if the guy occasionally seemed a bit scatterbrained, he didn't mind, as long as the dinars were paid in full.

Hearing the voice beside him, the old captain, squinting at the scenery, smiled faintly and set the empty beer bottle aside.

"I really hope it stays this quiet forever."

"It certainly will!"

The man's face lit up with a confident smile as he continued, "Before setting sail, I specially hired someone to perform a divination! That fortune-teller told me that as long as I keep heading toward the direction where the sun rises, onward and onward... a land paved with gold awaits us there."

A land paved with gold...

Hearing this amusing notion, Song Haining couldn't help but chuckle. He raised an eyebrow at the thin sunlight, then turned his gaze back to the lush green shore in the distance.

He had spent most of his life bustling back and forth across these waters, and he had never heard of any island being paved with gold.

As for the land on both sides of the strait?

That went without saying.

What lay hidden in that dense rainforest could never be treasure—only death.

Ships passing through these waters, even if their supplies ran out, would never consider taking their chances ashore. That forest was like the open mouth of a monster, ready to swallow anyone who dared to venture deep inside.

"...You should have brought that fortune-teller on board, so we could ask him how much farther that gold-paved land is."

Song Haining replied lazily.

But just as his words faded, two incredulous exclamations came from above the gangway.

"Ahead! Look at the sky!"

"What is that?!"

The sky?

Hearing the voices from above, Song Haining and Mo Jiawei, both on deck, were taken aback.

The latter recovered first, exclaiming joyfully, "By the Silver Moon Goddess!" and hurriedly ran up the gangway.

Could the prophecy be coming true?

Watching the overjoyed man, Song Haining wore a puzzled expression.

Though he instinctively didn't believe in mysticism, he still rose from the recliner and followed the merchant from Silver Moon Bay up the ladder.

"What did you see? What's in the sky ahead—"

Reaching the railing of the lookout platform, Song Haining was about to ask the shouting sailor what he had discovered, but his words stopped mid-sentence.

Following the direction the sailor pointed, his gaze passed over rows of ore-filled containers, and soon two white spheres floating beneath the clouds came into view.

Due to the distance, they looked as small as balloons, but he knew they were no mere balloons.

Those were airships!

But why were airships here?

While Song Haining was stunned, Mo Jiawei beside him exclaimed in delight,

"Airships! They're airships!"

"I damn well know they're airships... I want to know why there are airships in this godforsaken place!"

Snapping out of his astonishment, Song Haining’s face showed not a trace of excitement, but instead gradually took on a hint of worry, or rather, apprehension.

The southern seas were far from peaceful now; the South Archipelago Federation and Shelter 70 had been fighting for over two months, both sides bloodthirsty and long since abandoning all restraint.

Before setting sail, he had heard people talking about it in a tavern near the Silver Moon Bay docks.

To cut off supplies to the islands of the South Archipelago Federation, Shelter 70’s submarines were indiscriminately attacking ships in the southern seas, and in the past month alone, many vessels had been lost.

If that airship was an observation craft launched by Shelter 70, they were probably already marked on the enemy’s charts by now.

Pushing open the door to the wheelhouse, he stepped out, and the young man who had been steering for him hurried over to ask,

“Captain, should we keep going forward?”

Before Song Haining could speak, Mo Jiawei, standing nearby, said excitedly,

“I think we should sail closer and take a look! Maybe there’s a surprise waiting for us.”

Glancing at this fellow who had yet to grasp the gravity of the situation, Song Haining pondered for a moment, then looked back at the young man.

“…Keep going forward.”

Even if they turned back now, it would be too late.

Besides, if they changed course at this point, they’d have to go around the southernmost tip of Baiyue Province, doubling the voyage—and they simply didn’t have enough supplies on board.

The young man nodded nervously, turned, and ran back into the wheelhouse.

Song Haining pulled out his binoculars and fixed his gaze on the two silver-white airships, trying to discern some clue from them.

But unfortunately, the airships bore no obvious markings.

The only thing that gave him a slight relief was that both airships had wide cargo holds, clearly freighters, not the observation craft he had feared.

And—

Their crude design didn’t seem to come from Shelter 70; perhaps they were something the South Archipelago Federation had cobbled together.

But then another question arose.

What was the South Archipelago Federation doing launching balloons in the Baiyue Strait?

Song Haining was utterly baffled.

As he stared intently at the two airships, the cargo ship *Northwest Wind* continued forward, steadily closing the distance between them.

When the horizontal gap was less than three nautical miles, a sight he had never seen before suddenly emerged on the coastline where yellow and green met.

He wasn’t the only one to notice the situation on the shore.

The sailors and mercenaries lounging by the railing, watching the spectacle, almost in unison let out cries of even greater astonishment than before.

“There are people over there!?”

“And quite a few!”

“By the Spirit of the Sand Sea… Are they out of their minds?!”

There were no boats on the shore.

Those people must have come down from the airships.

Staring dumbfounded at the camp set up on the land, Song Haining’s mouth fell open, and for a moment he was speechless.

Beside him, Mo Jiawei shouted excitedly,

“A port! It’s a port!”

Calling that thing a port was pure exaggeration; there wasn’t even a pier extending into deep water—the golden sandy beach was completely untouched.

But the rows of tents and sheet-metal huts, along with the earthen walls and watchtowers encircling them, certainly didn’t look like they had just been built.

Long ago, a rumor had circulated in the taverns of Silver Moon Bay that Baiyue Province was home to demons banished by the Spirit of the Sand Sea, and no one could stay on that land for a full cycle of sun and moon.

Song Haining didn’t believe in the Spirit of the Sand Sea, but he was utterly convinced of the latter half of that tale.

Long ago, the Hump Kingdom had tried to colonize this land, but every attempt had ended in failure without exception.

As for the survivor settlements in the southern seas, many of their ancestors had themselves fled from the Baiyue region to the islands.

And now someone was trying to set up camp along the Baiyue Strait…

Were these people out of their minds?!

Just as the crew was still reeling from the shock, two speedboats flying the flag of the South Archipelago Federation approached from the eastern waters.

Spotting the man at the bow of the speedboat from afar, Song Haining waved toward the wheelhouse, signaling a stop, then shouted to the sailors below the gangway.

“Drop anchor!”

The anchor was thrown from the stern, crashing heavily onto the seabed, and with the reverse thrust of the propeller, the cargo ship soon came to a halt.

The two speedboats split up—one hung back on watch, while the other drew close.

Leading two sailors onto the deck, Muda looked at the approaching captain and said curtly,

“Routine inspection. Cooperate.”

Song Haining smoothly pulled out a cigarette case, offered a cigarette, and gave a polite smile.

“Understood. Go ahead.”

Muda took the cigarette but didn’t light it; he merely tucked it into the pocket under his collar and led his two sailors toward the rows of cargo crates on the deck.

Seeing their slow movements, Mo Jiawei couldn’t help coming down the gangway.

“We’re delivering iron ore and coal—no way we’d trade with Shelter 70, and besides, they don’t even have a port to unload.”

Muda snorted through his nose and replied flatly,

“That’s not necessarily true. If you were planning to sell them something serious, this would be the perfect spot for the handoff. Even if you tossed a crate overboard, no one would notice, right? And the seabed here isn’t deep, with landmarks nearby—easy to retrieve.”

Mo Jiawei’s eyes went wide.

“Are you joking? A ship this big, doing petty deals like that?”

What the hell?

You could play it that way?

If he’d known, he would have brought some serious goods that Shelter 70 might be interested in!

Muda stopped and stared at him for a moment.

Feeling a chill from that look, Mo Jiawei gave an awkward smile, swallowed his words, and stepped aside obediently, making a gesture of invitation.

“You… go ahead.”

Muda ignored him and continued with his men, inspecting the crates stacked on the deck one by one.

What he didn’t say was that his mission these days wasn’t just to stop ships from trading with Shelter 70, but also to intercept refugees trying to head to the southern seas.

Recently, a cargo ship called the *Rourou* had been stuck in their port, refusing to leave because it couldn’t be repaired, and over a thousand people were eating and drinking their supplies, impossible to drive away.

Though that bunch was paying, these were special times, and Ring Island’s resources were far from abundant.

Partly out of fear of offending the Federation, and partly out of some unrealistic hopes about those people, the governor’s office of Ring Island hadn’t taken harsh measures to evict the stranded ship or cut off its supplies.

But they couldn’t just let those meddling do-gooders keep dumping refugees on their doorstep.

To avoid more refugees lingering in the port of Ring Island, the local governor's office had a brainstorm and submitted a request to the maritime patrol of the South Archipelago Federation.

If among passing ships, large numbers of survivors from the Province of Boro were found again, they would be forced to disembark near the Federation's French Fries Port.

Those guys like to meddle, don't they?

Then let them meddle!

But this ship seemed to be loaded only with ore; Muda looked around and found no one hidden, so he turned to the captain standing beside him and said.

"I want to take a look below deck."

"No problem."

Song Haining smiled, then suddenly thought of something and looked toward the northern shore, asking.

"By the way, do you know those people?"

"Those?"

Muda raised an eyebrow, instinctively following his gaze to the northern side of the strait; after glimpsing that shabby camp, he hastily looked away.

"They are from the Alliance."

"The Alliance?!"

A look of surprise appeared on Song Haining's face.

"You mean... the one from River Valley Province?"

Muda: "Yeah."

Song Haining stood dumbfounded for a long while, then finally squeezed out half a sentence.

"...What are those people doing here?"

This place is over two thousand kilometers from River Valley Province!

No wonder they came by airship...

Muda said impatiently.

"Then you'll have to ask them."

Following the patrol officer back to the gangway, Song Haining suddenly saw that restless merchant summoning his mercenaries to drag an inflatable boat onto the deck.

"What are you doing?"

Clapping his hands and straightening up, Morgavi smiled as he looked at the captain approaching him.

"I plan to get close to the shore and see what those guys are up to. Remember the divination I told you about? That land paved with gold! Don't you think that beach looks just like it? I have a feeling! The chance to get rich is right here!"

Song Haining stared at him blankly, listening to his nonsense.

"...Are you crazy?"

Morgavi said dismissively.

"Anyway, staying here is a waste of time. Might as well do something. Besides, I'm just going to take a look; I don't plan to spend the night on shore."

Song Haining looked at him and said.

"The inspection will be over soon. There's nothing to see below deck. It won't delay you long. We'll be on our way shortly."

Morgavi laughed heartily and said.

"Perfect then. I'll be down for at most half an hour. Just wait for me a bit."

As he spoke, he had already ordered his men to drop the inflatable boat, which was tied with black ironwood, and hastily put on a life jacket.

Watching this fearless fellow, Song Haining's brow twitched violently, but in the end, he held back his words.

"...Come back soon."

He swore.

For the sake of money, this was the last job he would ever do with this guy.

Morgavi, gripping the ladder with both hands, chuckled.

"You got it!"