Wasteland for All: I Can Infinitely Upgrade My Vault

"Prisoners?" Zhong Li looked at the people around Yue Qingnian, wondering if there was anything different about them that he should pay special attention to.

Huo Wu used her sword to remove the ropes binding Yue Qingnian. He quickly stood up, politely thanked Huo Wu, and then explained to Zhong Li, "These people are all Gypsies."

Seeing that Zhong Li hadn't heard of it, Yue Qingnian continued, "This is a famous nomadic tribe in the wasteland. They are romantic by nature and skilled in singing and dancing. Their girls are especially passionate and outgoing, and are good at the accordion and jazz. When they sing and dance around the campfire, they can even be described as having a passionate and crazy temperament, as if they want to dance until they forget all their troubles and dance until the end of time."

Zhongli glanced at the prisoners. Generally, ethnic groups that are good at singing and dancing have a history full of tragedy and hardships.

Faced with his scrutiny, some prisoners immediately met his gaze and said, "That's right, we Gypsies are romantic by nature. We wander the wasteland by day and light campfires at night, dancing and fighting to hunt down those invading Red Erosion monsters."

It was very romantic, but Zhongli didn't care about any of that; all he wanted was manpower to work for his shelter.

Zhong Li frowned and looked at Yue Qingnian, asking, "Why are you telling me all this?"

Yue Qingnian quickly explained, "Our shelter has already formed a friendship with them, which has brought many benefits. However, we haven't been able to activate the reputation system yet. I think you could give it a try."

Zhongli immediately understood Yue Qingnian's implication: forcibly confining a nomadic people to a territory would certainly go against their nature and instincts.

Given the loyalty of these people in the wasteland, it's questionable whether they even have 10 loyalty points after joining the Vault; some will definitely try to escape under cover of night.

Instead of forcing them to join the shelter, let them continue to wander and see if we can unlock the reputation system.

Zhong Li then asked, "Are those girls being forced outside yours, Gypsies?"

A middle-aged man with a large beard immediately said, "Yes, those despicable scavengers are utterly wicked; they attacked our camp. They didn't fight the Red Erosion, but instead ambushed the warriors who were fighting it. I wish I could kill them all."

Zhongli told Huowu to untie the ropes binding them, saying, "Then you don't need to do anything. I've already killed all the scavengers; you can leave now."

The bearded man seemed very surprised and asked, "You're willing to let us leave?"

Zhong Li said calmly, "What, you want to join my shelter?"

After being untied, the bearded man stretched his limbs and immediately thanked Zhongli solemnly, saying, "Thank you so much for your help. We will certainly spread your strength and virtue to everyone."

[Ding! You have unlocked the faction reputation; the Gypsies' favorability towards you has increased by 300.]

[Gypsies (Wind-blown Tribe): Friendly (300/10000)]

[Current faction reputation level effect: For each sanctuary the Gypsy Wind Chaser tribe encounters, Black Sand Refuge reputation increases by 1. For each city passed through, a wanderer spawns near Black Sand Refuge.]

Zhong Li's eyes lit up immediately. This effect was powerful. Just like the traveling merchants, they would help the Black Sand Refuge increase its income whenever they passed through a stronghold.

This is a steady stream of income. If they move fast enough, they might be able to earn two or three reputation points for the shelter every day.

The Vault's reputation level is currently Wasteland Dust.

[Sanctuary Reputation: Wasteland Dust - 10/100 (At this reputation tier, there is a very low chance of attracting 1-3 refugees to the sanctuary each day)]

Even if Zhongli does nothing, his reputation can quickly rise to the next level.

But that wasn't all. An elderly man with gray hair standing next to the bearded man took out several cards from his tattered clothes and said to Zhong Li, "Sir, besides singing and dancing, we Gypsies are also skilled in divination. Would you like a reading?"

Divination?

In a world with gods, divination may not be meaningless.

Zhong Li decided to give it a try, so he took out a card, handed it to the old man, and asked, "What is this?"

"It's a priestess, a symbol of wisdom, corresponding to the moon. However, after entering the wasteland, this card's fate changed drastically, becoming more like the Hanged Man. It's strange, how could it have this fate?"

Huo Wu spoke coldly, saying, "The Hanged Man also symbolizes unconditional love, so there's nothing wrong with that."

The old man, feeling the cold gaze of Huo Wu, dared not say more and weakly replied, "If you accept this result, then so be it."

[Ding! Thanks to your heroic rescue, the suffering of the Gypsies has come to an end. The fortune teller has bestowed a blessing upon you.]

[You have received the card blessing "Priestess of the Moon," lasting 72 hours.]

[Effect: Rare item drop rate increased by 5% at night, fatigue rate reduced by 50%, and damage calculation against eroded creatures increased by 10%.]

The blessing effect is quite good; Zhongli naturally hopes for as many of these universal blessings as possible.

After the bearded man led the others out of the tent, Zhong Li looked at Huo Wu and asked, "You also know divination?"

Huo Wu replied calmly, "Of course, nuns know a little about these things."

"What's the deal with the Hanged Man? I feel like he has something he didn't finish saying?"

Huo Wu was silent for a moment, then said, "Do you care that much?"

"I'm just curious."

Huo Wu explained, "The Hanged Man is the most arduous card in the deck, and it's also the one most closely related to physical training. He hangs from a tree with one leg, maintaining his weight and balance through sheer willpower—this is physical torment and pain; while his other leg hangs casually horizontally—this is a mental mockery and trial. Therefore, it's also understood as a pointless sacrifice."

Zhongli frowned, feeling annoyed by the topic, and said, "Let's not discuss this anymore. Let's go see how the loot clearing is going."

Seele was very capable; she had already cleared out the scavenger camp, packed five black military backpacks, placed them on the vehicle, and said to Zhongli, "Most of these are firearms and ammunition, not very valuable, you can dispose of them. The high-value items have all been taken by your maid."

Zhongli looked at her in surprise. How did she know about the maid joke?

Was it her weakness that told her? Or...?

Before Zhongli could figure it out, Hongluan came over and handed him the three spoils of war.

[Obtained 15 Beginner Wasteland Relics]

[Obtained 1 high-quality wafer crystal]

[Obtain 1 primary gene modulator (3.57% low concentration)]

Indeed, it's a valuable and precious item; its effects are quite powerful. Zhongli planned to study it carefully on the way, so he waved to everyone and said, "Get in the car, let's leave here first and continue to the Dark Merchant's stronghold."