My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 176 White Shuttle

Chen Mu, floating in the narrow crevice, was dumbfounded.

The entire view outside the slit was completely obscured by the pale white carapace.

He climbed up the mountainside, stood on the edge of the cliff and looked out, his expression suddenly changed.

A huge, pale tortoise shell, more than 500 meters long and 300 meters wide, suddenly came into view.

The rock-like carapace is adorned with coral and seaweed, with grooves resembling a twisted chessboard pattern and irregularly arranged spikes.

"The Heartless Bell... is it really that powerful?!"

He quickly reacted.

This isn't a giant turtle that came up by a random bell; it's a ship heading overseas.

"I thought it was a big ship, but it turned out to be a submarine!"

……

night.

Inside the mountainside camp.

Chen Mu sat by the campfire, gazing intently through the gaps in the forest at the enormous creature below the distant cliff.

Under the moonlight, faint fluorescent spots could be seen shimmering on the white tortoise shell.

"It's amazing."

Cultivating physical form, charisma, vengeful spirit, magical artifacts—Chen Mu always knew this world was not simple.

But seeing this giant tortoise shell still shocked him.

"How exactly was this thing made?"

The world overseas must be incredibly magical.

Thinking about it this way, those harsh requirements aren't so hard to accept.

A dark figure suddenly appeared beside the campfire.

Tu Shan said excitedly, "I've found out. We'll be setting off on the fifth day of the eleventh month."

"Boarding the ship tomorrow?"

Chen Mu resisted the urge to nod: "Let's wait and see."

"Is there a problem?" Tu Shan immediately narrowed his eyes warily.

Chen Mu shook his head: "The aristocratic families are so eager to get involved, it's unlikely to be a trap."

“That’s true.” Tu Shan said with a sneer, “Beauties from all over the country are being sent to Shouyang Palace in droves, all for the sake of a bloodline, tsk tsk…”

“The more bloodlines a family has, the stronger it is. It’s not surprising that families do this to consolidate their position,” Chen Mu said calmly.

"Let's wait for others to scout ahead before we go," Chen Mu said calmly.

"Then let's wait two days." Tu Shan nodded.

……

November 1st, 642nd year of the Great Liang Dynasty.

After tidying up the campsite on the mountainside and taking various supplies, Chen Mu arrived at Shouyang Palace on the mountaintop.

The entire hilltop was artificially leveled, and a large complex of buildings was placed on it.

Red walls and yellow tiles, artificial hills and water features, covered corridors and pavilions, flowers, trees and shrubs—every step reveals a new scene.

Inside a bright hall, a gaunt old man in his fifties sat behind a long desk, slowly sipping tea.

The desk was fully equipped with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and a thick book, about the size of a finger, was placed in front of the old man.

There is also a square wooden box on the right.

"Have you thought it through?" the gaunt old man asked calmly. "If you're going to sea, you'll have to work to cover the travel expenses."

"I've made up my mind," Chen Mu nodded.

"The Thousand Machine Token," the old man said, extending his hand.

Chen Mu immediately took out the Thousand Machine Token from his sleeve and handed it to the other party.

The gaunt old man took the Thousand Machine Token, and disappeared with a flick of his wrist. He then pushed the book in front of him to Chen Mu: "Pick a place."

Chen Mu opened it out of curiosity.

"Fifteen years of mining at Crocodile Cliff Mountain."

"Ten years of cultivating medicinal herbs on Motian Cliff."

"Raising clams in Qingjiang Lake for twenty-five years."

"..."

Chen Mu gave the gaunt old man a strange look.

Why does this remind me of a job fair from a past life?
He flipped through the books again and found that they were all about similar manual labor.

Moreover, it's just a simple description. It reveals absolutely nothing about the actual situation.

They're all going to work, and the requirements are similar. Mining, such a harsh job, takes fifteen years, while growing medicinal herbs only takes ten.

That medicine probably isn't any good either.

Blind selection is a gamble with your life and luck.

Chen Mu glanced at the old man without showing any emotion.

He reached out and pushed the booklet back to the old man: "Please give me your guidance, sir."

As he spoke, Chen Mu gritted his teeth and placed five white jade coins next to the book. The gaunt old man narrowed his eyes and naturally opened the book, which covered the white jade coins.

Do you have any special skills?

Chen Mu breathed a sigh of relief. The jade coin worked!
"I'm good at cooking!" Chen Mu said confidently.

The old man calmly looked at Chen Mu: "Change to another one."

What, you look down on my cooking skills?
"No one is hiring a cook," the old man said calmly.

Chen Mu said with a regretful look, "Writing and drawing are also quite good."

The old man looked at Chen Mu speechlessly: "They don't even hire an accountant."

"I can make all kinds of medicines," Chen Mu stammered for a while before finally saying.

The ten-year medicinal herb cultivation project he had just mentioned had made him a little worried.

The gaunt old man nodded in satisfaction: "Then let's go to Jilong Mountain to grow yellow sprout rice for twenty years."

Chen Mu: “…”

What is the connection between growing grains and my knowledge of pharmaceuticals?

Chen Mu looked at the old man with a calm expression.

I hope I haven't been scammed!

"Here, let me stamp your box." The old man opened the wooden box, inside which was a row of stamps.

He picked one out and gestured for Chen Mu to show his arm.

Chen Mu's eyes narrowed immediately. This was the mark Tu Shan had mentioned?

After covering it, will I be controlled to death?
"Got your mind?" The old man looked at Chen Mu calmly. He had seen this kind of thing many times before.

"Come on," Chen Mu said decisively, rolling up his sleeves.

The old man looked at Chen Mu with surprise: "Aren't you afraid of being controlled by others?"

Chen Mu calmly said, "I'm more afraid of dying an ordinary old age."

Getting your stamps might be restricted, but you'll get to see more of the scenery.

Not covering it might allow one to live a carefree life, but one might never escape the pond of Daliang again.

Given his cautious nature, he wouldn't entrust his life to someone else.

But he was even more unwilling to die of old age in Daliang.

Besides, compared to the gray wall of unknown origin, what are these little markings?
"Alright." The gaunt old man smiled and stamped the round seal on Chen Mu's left forearm.

A cool sensation came over me, and a circular pattern connected by black star-shaped threads appeared on my arm.

Chen Mu subconsciously wiped it, but the color didn't fade at all.

It's like it's grown on your skin.

"Don't be afraid, it's just a precaution. When the time limit expires, or when you break through your senses, this thing will naturally disappear," the old man shrugged.

Chen Mu nodded.

Didn't you have to sign a contract when you found a job in your past life?

Since it's already covered up, there's no need to worry about it.

The old man took out another token from his sleeve and handed it to Chen Mu: "Keep it safe, this is your proof."

"You can board the White Silk Shuttle now, or you can go back to say goodbye."

"But remember to leave four days from now in the morning, or you will not be able to wait."

Is the turtle-shell submarine called the White-shelled Spinosaurus?

This doesn't resemble a shuttle at all.

"I'm going to Bailongshuo." He had wanted to go up there for a long time.

……

Two days later.

The inside of the white silkworm's spindle is as bright as day.

Two rows of sixteen-story cabins extend to the end along the inner walls on both sides.

In the middle is an open area with rows of snow-white pillars connecting the roof and the ground.

The lowest level street is bustling with people, while the cabins on both sides have been transformed into various shops selling food, clothing, housing, and other necessities.

People set up stalls on both sides of the street, selling all sorts of strange items.

There was even a brothel where people listened to music, and two teahouses where people drank tea and told stories.

If these people hadn't made no attempt to disguise themselves, Chen Mu would have thought he'd stumbled upon some kind of ghost market.

"It doesn't seem as bad as I imagined."

He had expected a dark cabin with dozens of people crammed together in all sorts of harsh conditions.

But in reality, the White Rokusori is comparable to a luxury yacht from my previous life.

"This shows that our group is still quite valuable," Chen Mu said with a wry smile.

Twenty years of unpaid work, all spent on travel expenses, is indeed valuable.

At that moment, a burly figure suddenly came into view, and Chen Mu's scalp tightened immediately: "Bai Miaojin?!"

(End of this chapter)