Wasteland Development Diary.

Chapter 53 We Are Not Beggars
"I know that Shangu Town is having difficulties, but the price of our products is already lower than that of the merchants in Jitou Town, and we can't lower it any further."

The young man in front of him with a cane looked helpless.

Cao Dayuan scratched his ear, speechless.

The products of Wasteland Development Company are indeed of good quality and low price.

Nowadays, every resident of the Valley of the Dead owns a diamond stone, and the cave can be illuminated for a long time because the price has been lowered by the wasteland development company. As long as 10 Valley of the Dead are exchanged for one.

In the past, it was difficult to eat meat - at least the meat on the bone, but now you can get it with mushrooms. It's not the kind of dry and dirty broken bones, but the whole meat and bone marrow. Put it in the pot and stew it with mushrooms, sprinkle some salt, and it tastes so good.

But Changu Town is still too poor.

"Oh, I know."

Cao Dayuan still gritted his teeth and pleaded: "But this year's winter came too suddenly. It snowed last night and no one dared to go out for fear of encountering winter beasts."

"The rat problem is getting worse. Gerbils steal a lot of hay and branches and are hard to catch. Although the mushroom production has been good in the past two years, we can eat them, but the heating problem cannot be solved."

"According to the current situation, the firewood we have stored is not enough to burn."

"You bought a lot of wood and branches from the town before. Can you sell some back to us?"

"Those may be just for decoration and paving for you, but they can keep people in this town from freezing to death. We are willing to exchange them for more mushrooms. Please be kind and give us some."

Gong Zheng fell into deep thought.

Cao Dayuan waited anxiously for the other party's reply.

He and Gong Zheng are old acquaintances.

Gong Zheng knows a lot, can read and cure diseases, and also knows about monsters. He was highly respected in Changu Town in the past. Cao Dayuan has many years of experience in growing Dongku mushrooms, but he also knows that he doesn't know much, so he often goes to Gong Zheng for advice.

In the past, the two had their own strengths and the gap was not that big.

Now it is a world of difference.

Cao Dayuan was still wearing ragged clothes, which he had made by sewing together his grandfather's and father's clothes. They were thicker than most of the townspeople's clothes.

There was mud in the cracks between his fingernails, the hairy coarse cloth leggings on his feet were washed white by the sand, and he smelled of a sour mixture of mushrooms and feces.

The Gong Zheng in front of him was wearing a clean and smooth black coat, and a pair of exquisitely made shoes under his straight trousers.

He was holding a cane that looked like it was made of both metal and stone. There was no stain on his face, and his gestures were completely different from the past.

Although his tone was still gentle, Gong Zheng no longer had the cautiousness of a stranger, but instead had a more calm and controlled demeanor.

This made Cao Dayuan feel a little suspicious.

Are you wrong?
If I had not been so stubborn, and had joined the Wasteland Development Company with Ajin and worked under the chairman, I might have been able to change myself and become like Gong Zheng, no longer worried about food and heating.

The hesitation lasted only a moment.

Cao Dayuan regained his determination.

No.

To change the appearance of Shangu Town, it must rely on the people of Shangu Town themselves, otherwise this place will always be seen as a gathering place for refugees and disabled people in the eyes of others.

We are not beggars.

You have to stand up straight.

After a long silence, Gong Zheng told him: "I sympathize and understand your situation, but I can't make the decision on this matter. However, if the chairman nods, then everything can be adjusted. What I can do is take you to see the chairman, but the chairman is busy and has no time to deal with trivial matters. A reason is needed."

"reason……"

Cao Dayuan thought for a long time and finally came up with an idea: "I cultivate a kind of mushroom that can attract monsters. Does this count?"

"Oh? You should explain this in detail."

Gong Zheng smiled and said, "The chairman is always interested in new and interesting things."

……

Following Gong Zheng, Cao Dayuan walked through the oasis belt holding a diamond-shaped lamp.

From a distance, you can see a hill-like monster standing on the beach near the Dead Sea.

There are densely packed square holes in its body, and each hole emits dazzling light. It is said that there are complex passages inside, and each hole can be reached through intestines or bones.

Apart from those who joined the company, no one in Changu Town has actually entered it.

The two stopped in front of an iron gate in the middle of a low wall.

This wall is only one person high.

Cao Dayuan felt that even a child could easily climb over it, so he didn't know what the point of building it was. The big iron gate was really impressive. Jitou Town used wooden doors, but compared to this one, it looked heavy and dull.

Gong Zheng said to the gate: "The person next to you is Cao Dayuan from Changu Town, he is here to visit the chairman."

"Please open the door."

Soon.

The iron door slowly opened inward.

Cao Dayuan was stunned: "Does the door understand you?" "This is Emerald City. It is my colleague and also the office building of our company. The outside world generally calls it the Dead Sea Alien..."

Gong Zheng explained: "It can't understand what we say, but because of the chairman's order, the people brought by the company's employees will be considered legal visitors by Emerald City, and outsiders cannot enter."

Cao Dayuan hesitated a little and looked at the low wall again.

Isn't this just a matter of flipping it over?

As if knowing what he was thinking, Gong Zheng said seriously, "Don't even think about forcing your way in. This will directly trigger the access control system, and illegal visitors will be instantly blasted into pieces."

Cao Dayuan couldn't help but shudder.

Before entering the unit door, he saw two ships parked outside. He couldn't help but think that the Wasteland Development Company was actually developing the Dead Sea. No wonder there were such rich resources.

Continue walking inside and enter a narrow box.

The silver door closed on both sides.

The silver metal wall began to gleam.

Cao Dayuan felt as if his body was lifted up by something. He hurriedly held onto the wall with his hands, feeling an uncomfortable throbbing in his heart: "What, what is this?"

"The elevator can go from bottom to top and quickly reach the top floor where the chairman is."

Gong Zheng next to him smiled and said, "It's actually the intestines of Emerald City."

"We were... eaten?"

Cao Dayuan was confused.

"We're just moving quickly up and down through this intestine, don't worry about it."

Gong Zheng suddenly changed the subject: "Old Cao, what do you think is the way out for Changu Town?"

"I do not know."

Cao Dayuan said: "Let's get through the winter first and save the lives first."

There was a ding.

The door opens on both sides.

Finally leaving the alien's long and straight intestinal cavity, Cao Dayuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Behind a door on the top floor, he finally met the owner of this place, the chairman of the Wasteland Development Company, the man in the rumors.

"Please come in."

The other person was not arrogant, had black hair and white clothes, and looked clean. Judging from his appearance and living environment, he was indeed a pampered big shot.

Inside was a bright and warm cave, with a wide and flat structure and huge transparent crystals on the walls, as well as thick woolen fabrics on the floor, leather seats, various metal cans on wooden shelves, and exquisite and strange devices that could not be named...

These made Cao Dayuan feel a strong sense of oppression.

Compared with the luxurious palace inside the alien, the cave in Changu Town is like an insect's nest.

Cao Dayuan said to himself silently.

Stand up straight, we are not beggars.

Here's the deal.

"I heard that you have a kind of mushroom that can attract monsters? Can I take a look?" asked the black-haired young man.

Cao Dayuan took out a handful of thin clusters of mushrooms from his pocket.

"This is it."

"They grow from normal cave mushrooms. They are mutants and there are very few of them. I call them 'Monster Attracting Mushrooms'. If you are attacked by monsters, you can throw these out to attract the monsters and then take this opportunity to escape."

"It's just that their numbers are too small, and I haven't found a way to grow them artificially. I can give you all I find."

The young man took the strange mushroom and looked at it carefully.

Then he showed a very interested expression on his face: "What do you want to trade with our company with this?"

"We want more branches and wood to keep warm and get through the winter," Cao Dayuan said.

"no problem."

The other party said: "If it is not enough, I can find a way to find you some fuel for the winter."

Cao Dayuan was overjoyed: "Thank you, thank you!!"

"a piece of cake."

The other party held the mushroom in his hand and said: "This is more important. Now let's talk about this monster-attracting mushroom."

"Okay, okay."

The stone in Cao Dayuan's heart finally fell.

(End of this chapter)