ctnovel Chapter 129 Even if a pie falls from the sky, you still have to reach out and catch it.
Chapter 129 Even if a pie falls from the sky, you still have to reach out and catch it.
Chapter 129 Even if a pie falls from the sky, you still have to reach out and catch it (6000 words, two chapters combined)
A big order came in, and the leaders of the Stork Post Office were all smiles. They believed in the "God of Rifts and Flowing Light," who could accurately deliver letters and packages to the rightful recipients across space based on the aura on the pearl coins.
In the distant era of the War of the Gods, their race was once a fearsome assassin.
Later, the god they worshipped was incorporated into the Morning Star Watch, and they also changed careers and started a logistics business. Relying on the efficiency they had honed in their old profession, they quickly became the most renowned express delivery force in the maritime world.
Then, to my surprise, I discovered that I seemed to be making more money than when I was committing murder and arson!
On the Little Yellow Duck, Zhang Xinlan watched with great anxiety as the "Right-Wing Saints" stirred up trouble on the world channel and the fundraising progress stalled at 10 billion. Her heart was in her throat.
The chat channel in section 444 was also filled with a gloomy atmosphere: "The big boss kindly ran errands for us, but they're all just opportunists! They've got brains, but no ability to think for themselves!"
"I'd rather not get the communication card at all than let those freeloaders enjoy the benefits! I can't swallow this!"
"The fundraising portal is closed? I was thinking of adding more money."
"Sigh, we're back to the point where we can only get food from resource boxes again. It's so unpredictable. I might get seven or eight loaves of bread and five or six bottles of water a day, but by the end of the day, I've got nothing but supplies. When will this damned Sea of Fertility ever be over?"
"It'll be two or three months. We can't even eat the treasure fish anymore, we can't join any dungeon teams, and the treasure plants can only be found on the island. Our strength growth has completely stagnated during this time—it's really tough."
Pessimism is pervasive.
until----
A player named "Crazy Master" suddenly popped up in channel 444: "Wow! The paper from this other world is amazing! It's soft yet durable and wrinkle-resistant, and it's so hard you can use it as a kitchen knife! And wow! It even has a complete map!"
Below is a 10-second short video.
In the video, a hand holds a palm-sized piece of paper with a metallic sheen, first crumpling it into a ball and then unfolding it, leaving no wrinkles on the surface.
Then, after shaking it twice, he swung it at a wooden stake with a "swish, swish" motion, sending wood chips flying and making the cut as clean as if it had been slashed with a sharp blade!
Finally, the hand swept across the card again, and a holographic sea chart appeared in the air.
It's much more practical than the map provided by the game, which is almost entirely covered by fog!
"What? Is that a pass? Could you take a more detailed picture of the map? Give me a glimpse, will you?"
Immediately, someone followed up with questions.
Crazy Master's Student: "I'm not a liberal arts student, my language skills are really lacking! I can only tell you it's like a high-tech product from another world! Well, you'll know once you get your hands on it! By the way, the delivery guy, Bird Bro, seems to be quite resentful, so please be understanding."
His words only fueled the curiosity of the others.
Fortunately, people started reporting that they had also received their packages.
The process is largely the same: the space in front of you suddenly cracks open with a gentle rift, and a stork's head, carrying a strong odor, suddenly pops out. After confirming the recipient's presence, it slaps a piece of paper in its beak onto the recipient's face or hand. Before the recipient can react, the head instantly retracts, the rift closes, and the whole process is smooth and efficient, without a single second of delay.
The efficiency is outrageously high!
Similar buyer reviews to "Crazy Master" appeared in almost all the chat interfaces.
Putting aside the practical sea chart capabilities, the pass itself is a great self-defense weapon.
Those players who hesitated and gave up due to the incitement of the "right-wing saints" are now filled with regret.
Watching others flaunt their newly acquired "ocean current expressway pass," the frustration of missing out on the grand prize almost bursts out of my chest.
"Damn it! I should have donated! It's only one pearl coin! I already made an automated monster cage to spawn drowned zombies!"
"It's all that right-wing saint's fault! He spewed filth everywhere! Now it's all true, what the big boss said was true!"
"The left-wing saints are no better! They make empty promises and you have to wait a month, while others get their goods delivered immediately!"
Hoping to salvage the situation, they ignored the messages from "Left-Wing Saints" and "Right-Wing Saints" on the world chat, clinging to a last glimmer of hope, and clicked on the fundraising link that Yu Wang had previously posted.
This fundraising link is now closed, and the project has ended.
The pop-up system notification extinguished the last spark of hope in their hearts.
Especially those players who were tempted at the time, with their fingers hovering over the confirm payment button, but ultimately gave up because of the "right-wing saint's" remarks, now their regret has almost turned into real pain. They beat their chests and stamped their feet, wishing they could go back in time and strangle their hesitant selves, and even wishing they could devour the "right-wing saint" alive!
"Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents! This is even more ruthless than cutting off their source of income!!"
"I'll remember you! Holy Angel Cult! Bullshit! Give me back my pass!!"
-
"Ahhh! So close! How could I have believed that nonsense?!"
'
"What do I do now? Can it be fixed? Waaaaah, please, please open the link again! Please!"
"Surely some people donated a lot, right? Are there any extra passes? Let's distribute those too, or we can sell them if necessary!"
""
At this moment, Yu Wang had already returned to the Little Yellow Duck.
Having accomplished this major task, he was in a good mood and was planning to invite Zhang Xinlan to explore the bustling city of Luoke together, and to purchase some local specialties and urgently needed scarce resources.
From afar, he saw Zhang Xinlan standing blankly on the deck, holding a silver card in her hand, looking somewhat dazed, while a crack in front of her was slowly closing.
"It's... a success?" Zhang Xinlan murmured in disbelief. "I'd say it's half successful. At least everyone who responded to the fundraising and contributed Pearl Coins got one. It's fair, isn't it?"
Yu Wang's voice came from the side. He lightly leaped from the dock walkway onto the deck.
As soon as he finished speaking, a crack quietly appeared in front of him, and a silver-white card fell into his hand.
The pass feels slightly heavy in hand, with a unique texture that is neither gold nor paper.
The front features a simple yet elegant starburst relief that shimmers softly in the sunlight. The back, when flipped over, reveals a complex and exquisite miniature world ocean map.
Upon closer inspection, the pattern is entirely composed of tiny names, which are the names of the legendary guardians who participated in building the first high-speed ocean current channels, as a tribute.
The names of all subsequent ocean current channels also originated from this.
This is the exterior design. Inside, in this tiny space, there are magical rune circuits all over the place, which are bound to the wearer's aura. If lost, it can be replaced at any time at the document hall. There is also a magical black cat anti-counterfeiting label of "Witch Alliance" in the corner.
Clearly, the production was outsourced to the Witch Alliance.
Only the Witch Alliance has achieved industrialization, enabling them to mass-produce passes at low cost.
With a thought, Yu Wang activated the pass in his hand instantly!
Countless tiny points of light rose from the surface of the document, rapidly converging and extending in mid-air in front of him, forming a three-dimensional holographic projection of the sea chart!
It is the "Sea of Abundance" where he is currently located!
In the image, all the entrances and exits of the "ocean current highways" that have been opened are clearly marked, along with the length of the ocean current and the estimated travel time.
After so many years of development, the ocean currents are now widely distributed and highly developed.
Even though humans are limited by ancient sea routes and it's best not to go too far before nightfall, there are still many options available.
Yu Wang tried to input the name of a distant location into his mind: "Permafrost Icefield".
The nautical chart immediately and intelligently plans several optimal routes utilizing the ocean current network, and calculates the total time and key nodes along the route!
It's powerful, has an intuitive interface, and far exceeded my expectations!
Beside her, Zhang Xinlan was already playing with her pass with great enthusiasm, just like a child who had received a new toy.
The holographic map zoomed in and out in front of her, and she would look around to see which nearby islands were worth exploring, and then curiously plan routes to places with interesting names.
"Alright, alright," Yu Wang interrupted her, both amused and exasperated. "I've never seen you so interested in a ridiculous map. Hurry up and get ready, let's go ashore to do some shopping. It's almost noon, and we still have a lot of things to buy, plus some things to keep warm on the boat. We might not have the chance to visit such a big market again."
"Okay!"
When it came to shopping, Zhang Xinlan immediately woke up from her sleepiness.
"We're missing a lot of things. We still don't have decent tables and chairs, our clothes are almost worn out, and we don't have mattresses or cabinets—"
In short, the ship lacked all the soft furnishings that could enhance the quality of life.
Previously, the pressure to survive was immense; just being alive was a blessing, and there was no room for fuss. Now that they are temporarily safe and have arrived at a major port like Snail Shell City, they naturally want to improve their lives.
The two stepped onto the dock with great interest and followed the signs toward the city's most bustling trading district.
At first, he was careful, remembering the seal chief’s instructions. However, the further he went in, the more uneasy the atmosphere became.
The hustle and bustle is there, but something feels off about the atmosphere.
Looking around, whether they were selling fish and seafood, hand tools, fabrics and clothing, or rare treasures, most of the stall owners looked dejected, their expressions filled with an eagerness to sell their goods.
Therefore, they directly hung up signs on their stalls that read "Clearance Sale," "Flash Sale," and "Sell for any price."
"Top-quality dried silver-scaled fish! Ten catties for only three pearl coins! An absolute steal!"
"Fresh—uh, giant clam meat caught just two days ago! Bulk discounts available! Come and take a look!"
"Pick and choose from a variety of secondhand furniture and handicrafts! Take them all for just 10 pearl coins!"
Customers were in a hurry, selecting items and negotiating prices very quickly.
"What's going on?" Zhang Xinlan was confused. "Is this a custom from another world? Or are we too late and the market is about to close?"
Yu Wang frowned. He had visited the market a few times before, and this was definitely not the state of a normal commercial area.
His gaze swept quickly across the crowd, and suddenly locked onto a familiar black and white figure.
It was none other than Captain Penguin, whom I had met twice before!
At this moment, behind Captain Penguin and his crew, two wooden carts piled high with goods were being pushed.
Besides some local specialties, the vehicle was mostly loaded with bags of grains, dried meat strips, bundled cloths, and some basic pottery tools, which looked more like survival supplies stored for long voyages or migrations.
At this moment, they seemed to have finished their purchases and were pushing their carts, preparing to leave the trading area.
"Oh, it's you guys! How was your visit? Isn't our city beautiful? Have you tried the local snacks I recommended?"
""
Captain Penguin was the first to notice Yu Wang and Zhang Xinlan, stopped in his tracks, and greeted them warmly.
Yu Wang waved the bag in his hand: "Yellow-skinned stone cakes? I bought them a long time ago."
Then, he asked curiously, "Is the market usually like this? Everyone seems to be in a hurry to sell their things?"
"It's not usually like this. It's because everyone is in a hurry to move out, so they naturally want to sell the things they don't need cheaply. After a while, when everyone who's supposed to leave has left, the market will slowly return to its usual order."
"Leave? Why?" Zhang Xinlan couldn't help but interject, "Because the seawater turned green, and because of those fish that have turned into plants?"
"That's part of the reason, but not entirely," Captain Penguin patiently explained. "The main reason is that the deity we worship and the great being, the 'humic milk mother,' are not getting along. If we continue to force ourselves to stay, our bodies will slowly develop problems."
I originally planned to stay here a little longer and do some more business. But now that's not possible; I have to go back to my hometown, Bingchuanhai, to avoid the storm.
Moreover, in addition to religious conflicts, different sea areas are home to races that have lived there for a long time and have adapted to their unique environments.
But now, the "Primordial Sea" has been covered by the "Fertile Sea," causing a drastic environmental change. Races that could adapt to the environment of the Primordial Sea are unable to adapt to the Fertile Sea.
The captain said, patting the supplies on the cart behind him: "I have to leave too. This is for the long migration. Starting from here, taking the fastest northward ocean current, it will only take ten days to reach the Glacier Sea. This is enough."
Zhang Xinlan was somewhat stunned, and subconsciously asked, "Then...don't you find it sudden that such a big change has occurred in the sea?"
The captain and the penguin crew members next to him looked at each other with a helpless expression that said, "Outsiders are outsiders."
"Suddenly? Of course, there will be some chaos." The captain shook his head. "This is just a normal change in the territories of the gods. Some gods have a strong desire for expansion, and their territories will undergo great changes in a few years. Others prefer peace and quiet, so their territories are more stable."
Their will, their struggles or cooperation, will be directly projected onto the real sea, causing changes in various celestial phenomena, ecosystems, and even rules.
Sometimes, merciful deities will give advance notice so their retinues can prepare. But more often than not, they simply don't care what impact it will have on us "little things."
He chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Fortunately, transportation is convenient now. Being away from the ocean for at most a month is enough time to react."
That's it!
Yu Wang expressed his sincere gratitude and presented him with a bag of fruit candies, saying, "I wish you a safe and successful migration."
"You too, human friends." The penguin captain took the candy and casually handed it to the little penguins whose eyes were wide open.
"Judging from your appearance, you also want to buy some things, right? If you trust me, I recommend you go to the Six Fish General Store on the corner."
The proprietress is a friend of mine. The goods are genuine and the prices are fair, especially the local dried seafood and handicrafts, which are of very good quality. Just tell her it was my friend who recommended it, and she can give you a discount.
A day later, the dust settled.
All survivors who responded to the fundraising and contributed Pearl Coins have successively received their own "Ocean Current Express Pass".
.
There is no activity on the World Channel and the Regional Channels.
However, in the chat interfaces of each region, no one is arguing about the authenticity of the information that "upgrading ships can make one extraordinary" or the merits of the "Holy Angel Cult" anymore. The current mainstream topic is showing off one's pass and exchanging information about who the "courier" who delivered the message to them is.
"Finally got it! It's shiny silver and has a super high-quality feel! The little black cat anti-counterfeiting stamp on it is so cute! It even gave me a blessing just now!"
"The stork that delivered the letter to me was blind and looked quite fierce."
"What a coincidence! Me too! He's the one who gave us all the supplies, right? He's such a workaholic!"
"Turns out there's an ocean current highway entrance less than 20 nautical miles away! I almost missed it! Haha, this is so convenient!"
Meanwhile, in partition 444, an almost forgotten ID appeared.
It's almost lunchtime: "What's going on? Why don't I have a pass? Doesn't everyone else have one?"
There was a moment of silence on the channel.
Immediately, a flood of sarcastic and gloating replies appeared: "Hahaha! What other reason could there be? You didn't pay!"
"Exactly! You have to reach out and grab it even if it falls from the sky. Are you so used to getting things for free that you can't even part with a single pearl coin?"
"Hilarious! Do you really think this big shot is a philanthropist? Wanting the horse to run but not wanting it to eat grass?"
"I guess they think even one pearl coin is money, and they're saving it to buy a coffin lid, right?"
"Now you're dumbfounded, aren't you? From now on, everyone else will be speeding ahead on ocean currents to grab resources, while you'll be stuck navigating your little boat!"
"It's almost time for dinner again!" he muttered angrily, but he didn't have the eloquence of someone who was so morally corrupt that he couldn't seize the moral high ground by babbling on. He was quickly rendered speechless by the barrage of criticism.
Yu Wang naturally noticed this little incident as well, but he wasn't greatly disturbed. The rules were set, and they were fair and transparent. He had provided the opportunity and the channel; how each person chose was their own freedom.
He turned off the noisy channel interface and brought his attention back to reality.
Thanks to the status of Luo Ke Cheng as an important commercial port, the surrounding area has a high density of "Ocean Current Expressway" entrances.
He pulled up the holographic nautical chart from the pass, did some filtering, and locked onto an ocean current named "Jungle Ambush," which was flowing almost straight north.
This ocean current has a stable flow and several good resource points along its course where one can make a short stop, making it an excellent choice.
With the goal set, there was no more hesitation.
The two ships cast off their moorings and left the port.
After a day of shopping in Luoshe City, Zhang Xinlan was happily tidying up the newly added belongings in the cabin.
After mentioning Captain "Gaga" of the penguin ship, the proprietress of "Six Fish General Store" did not raise the price for them because they were outsiders. Instead, she gave them a friendly price that was far below the market price. Later, she even helped introduce them to a timber merchant. Yu Wang found that the price was 30% cheaper than he remembered, so he used 50,000 pearl coins to wholesale a lot of timber, bringing the somewhat tight timber storage to 200,000 units.
As for other types of materials, you can make a quick buck while selling junk—no, snacks.
The task of managing the ship was handed over to Zhang Xinlan. The ship sailed steadily toward the entrance of the ocean current. In the bridge, Yu Wang took out the "copy pass" and studied it.
The "Furry Island Dungeon Pass" has a long shelf life of 90 days, and you can enter at any time within five days after use.
However, based on the experience gained from the "Sea Bug" instance, Yu Wang knew that entering the instance earlier would be beneficial.
For example, the hostile creatures inside haven't had time to evolve into stronger forms.
Resources that could be collected had not yet been destroyed.
However, based on experience, it's safest to explore level 2 dungeons only when your average three-dimensional attributes reach 8 points or higher. My current average attributes are barely over 7 points, and the attributes of my potential teammates are probably not much higher either.
"Let's wait a bit longer," Yu Wang carefully put away the pass, making his decision. "The second group dungeon will open in about a week. After clearing the group dungeon, everyone's strength should have increased significantly, and then we can consider exploring the furry island," which would greatly increase our chances of success.
That evening, Yu Wang turned his gaze to the porthole.
The ship was approaching the selected ocean current entrance when a wide "band of water" appeared on the sea ahead, distinct from the surrounding currents and shimmering with a faint blue light, resembling a glowing highway laid out in the sea.
Near the entrance, several local ethnic boats of various shapes and sizes were already moored in an orderly manner.
The religious symbols on their sails remained conspicuous in the twilight, and the crew members waited quietly or talked to each other, clearly queuing up to enter the ocean current.
The queuing process was faster than expected.
The ships ahead entered the glowing waters one after another. The moment their hulls came into contact with the blue light, they seemed to be enveloped by a soft film of light. Then they suddenly accelerated, turning into streaks of light and speeding away along the direction set by the waters, quickly disappearing into the distance, leaving only a gradually calming water trail behind them.
However, not all who attempt to enter succeed. Not far away, a discordant scene unfolds.
A ship slightly larger than the Little Yellow Duck, with a black moon painted on its sails, tried to sneak into the ocean current by following closely behind a ship painted with a white sun totem.
But when its bow touched the blue light, the blue light did not envelop it. Instead, it fluctuated violently as if it had encountered a repellent, forming a resistance that gently "pushed" the black moon ship away, leaving it futilely spinning outside the entrance.
On the ship, an enraged crew member clung to the gunwale, shouting into the air, "Please! Why can the white sea otters walk, but we black-backed sea otters can't?! Our fur colors are different, but our diets are similar, we live close together, and there's no reproductive isolation!! Is this lousy passage discriminating against us black-backed sea otters?!"
On other boats queuing or waiting nearby, there were some familiar murmurs and good-natured laughter.
An experienced older crew member called out, "Save your energy, buddy! This old equipment has been running for years, it's just stubborn!"
"This is a good thing. It means you are considered a separate species. The golden pomfret and the silver pomfret are almost fighting each other to draw a line."
The captain of the black-backed sea otter seemed to understand this principle, but he couldn't save face. He tried a few more times, but finally turned his ship around in frustration. Not long after, the last ship in front of the Little Yellow Duck also disappeared in a streak of light.
The six days flew by during the tedious voyage.