Origin Paradise!

The three team members worked diligently. After Zhuang Ya gained the superpower of "lifting mountains," her petite figure carried heavy machinery and ran around, while Wu He cheered her on from the side.

Jiang He sent a message to Si Ning, the big investor.

[Mo Ke: Noble Rapier (Click for details)]

After a while.

[Lemon King: ?]

[Lemon King: Hey bro, where are you?]

[MoKe: Search Anping Island on the map, No. 12 Coral Road]

[Lemon King: I'm not far, please wait an hour or two]

After passing through Shanghai and heading south, the New Las Vegas ship has entered the South China Sea according to its planned voyage.

Jiang He changed into a black casual outfit, walked straight out of Yuwang Valley, and closed the passage between the two realms before leaving.

After descending the cliff, Jiang He returned to Coral Road by the sea. Things have been very turbulent lately, and the island's population is dwindling. According to Chu Fuqiang's previous revelations, border areas like Anping Island, which require long-distance maintenance but have a relatively sparse population, will gradually see people evacuated to the mainland within the next six months to a year.

In the event of an emergency, transportation between the islands and the mainland will become a major problem, and the presence of thousands of islands will further increase the manpower pressure on the Bureau of Order.

"Troubled times."

Chapter 270 The Sword of the Deal

Anping Island, Coral Road.

Of the dozens of courtyards around, only a few households remain after everyone has left.

Jiang He glanced at the giant in the ditch and could vaguely make out that it was of South Asian descent. He walked back to his own courtyard without stopping. He had seen similar things many times since he was a child.

Fishing boats can reach the Southern Yue Kingdom from Anping Island, and illegal immigrants flock to the island. The locals dislike these people and even harbor some malice towards them. After all, job opportunities are already relatively fixed, and with the influx of outsiders, wages naturally drop sharply.

Meanwhile, the island town also has an underground black market. Jiang He once found a handgun in broad daylight. He was young at the time and played with it on the mountain until he ran out of bullets before throwing it into the sea. However, it only lasted a few days. As a result, his shooting accuracy was less than 30 meters at the beginning.

The courtyard was unchanged from when I left. The man sitting quietly in the corner saluted and continued to act as a human camera.

Jiang He glanced around. Due to neglect, some weeds had grown in Lao Hei's vegetable garden. The pumpkins were ripe, but the cabbages, planted in September and ripening in November, still looked a bit green. He went inside and took out the calendar. Today was October 26, 2028.

"The cabbage is ready to eat... Today is the Double Ninth Festival."

In the afternoon, the autumn air was crisp and clear.

The world of embers was always shrouded in gloom. Jiang He looked up at the clear sky and realized that she hadn't seen the sun for a while.

While I was washing the cabbage, there was a knock on the door outside the yard.

No. 12 Coral Road.

The woman's voice was very cold, but Jiang He knew that she was just a fake cold and aloof beauty, a counterfeit.

"Go and open the door."

The human surveillance officer got up, opened the door, and then sat back down in his original position without moving.

Swish!

A figure knelt down and slid from the doorway to the stove window, a distance of about twenty meters.

"King Lemon has come seeking a sword."

Si Ning raised her head proudly, a sign of her dignity as a strong person. However, when faced with a perfect-grade main battle weapon, she could not accept anything other than selling her body. Kneeling before her own vice-captain was merely a "small favor".

"I can't just give it to you directly. At most, I'll keep it for you. Business is business, and I won't skimp on a single penny." Jiang He shook the water off her hands and quickly shredded the cabbage, intending to make a cold salad.

"Good brother, you're a true friend. Let's have a couple of drinks." Si Ning stood up and dusted herself off. As long as no one was bidding against her, there wouldn't be any major problems today. The scarcity of a perfect-grade item was immeasurable. Even a behemoth like the Bureau of Order couldn't take it lightly. They were currently searching for the missing piece of the jade seal, intending to completely restore its quality from perfect.

Half an hour later, the stone table in the courtyard was filled with dishes: cold shredded cabbage salad, pumpkin porridge stewed with embers, steamed eight-armed bear paw, Canglan iron sturgeon broth, braised firebird wings, and braised sea shrimp, totaling twelve main dishes of wild beasts.

"The guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely. This shredded cabbage dish was the perfect finishing touch." Si Ning smiled warmly and was full of compliments. She took out a bottle of white wine for beauty from her pouch. This wine came from another world and was of excellent quality.

Jiang He took out a noble rapier and placed it on the table. The other party's flowery eyes showed a very high demand for swords.

Si Ning coughed twice, switching into business mode, and said bluntly, "You are skilled with guns, so this sword is a bit of a gimmick. I need a main weapon, so our supply and demand relationship is quite stable. But it is broken after all, and repairing it will be a big expense."

Jiang He didn't say anything about leaving without buying. A stable sales channel requires the buyer to have sufficient financial resources. While a perfect-grade longsword is certainly valuable, in the long run, the noble staff sword is just one transaction. Unless one party dies during the growth process, the value of the channel also needs to be considered.

"This sword has a swordsmanship level of +3."

Si Ning feigned nonchalance: "Even if I become a sword master, it's only a 12% damage bonus."

"Suppose you are a level 8 sword master, wearing this sword will bring about a qualitative change."

"Newbie comment: L11 is still a master swordsman."

"Has there been a qualitative change?"

“…Yes.” Si Ning’s voice grew even softer, “A minor qualitative change.”

A woman's soft laughter, covering her mouth, echoed in the courtyard. Lilith, like a succubus, perched on someone's shoulder, but the outsider couldn't see her.

Si Ning ignored the laughter and said, "Rare items are worth 1000-3000 game coins, excellent items are worth 3000-10000 game coins, and perfect items have even greater fluctuations. There are currently no transactions on the market; they only circulate privately, usually through barter."

She took out a pair of leather boots, all in simple black, with a style similar to army boots.

[Name: Boots Reflecting Death]

[Category: Equipment]

[Quality: Perfect]

[Effect ①: Extremely Strong/Tough]

[Effect: Kick penetration damage increased by 60%, Leg Kinetic Enhancement increased by 60%]

[Note: Powerful because of its purity]

"Then what's the point of talking nonsense?"

Jiang He pushed the noble staff and sword over, and then snatched back the general's boots. He immediately put them on. A perfect item couldn't give the Long-Hate Dragon Spear a qualitative change, so he decided to use them for now.

Si Ning muttered, "Trading something bad for something new, you have no shame."

"You've gotten a good deal by trading your main weapon for a pair of shoes."

Jiang He reached out and picked up some food, his voracious appetite quickly digesting the eight-armed bear paw, leaving a fresh, smooth, and tender taste on his tongue.

Si Ning put away her staff and sword, and picked up her chopsticks to pick up some shredded cabbage.

Suddenly, a huge roar resounded from Anping Island.

Si Ning suddenly jumped back, her eyes as beautiful as flowers and as sharp as swords. Ten different kinds of long swords swirled around her, and a ten-meter-wide sword domain formed around her. There were two fine swords, and the silver energy surged endlessly. Projections that were exactly the same as her appeared, as if each of them had some combat power.

"I treated you like a brother, and you actually tried to kill me!"

Lilith placed her hands together on someone's head and smiled gently, "She has a very good foundation."

"During my first world mission, she was already a powerful figure feared by the entire kingdom." Jiang He said calmly. After several world missions, he was not surprised that she possessed the true strength of a Silver-ranked expert.

“I was referring to her figure,” Lilith said helplessly.

Jiang He had no interest in discussing a woman's figure with the possessive female demon, and then said frankly, "What happens outside is none of my business. The fact that there was no poison in the food is my greatest sincerity."

A drop of supreme-grade blood poison dripped from the fingertip, spreading a terrifyingly sweet and cloying aroma; the pungent sweetness of death was intoxicating.

"You are a peerless poisoner."

Si Ning sat back down seriously, her eyes narrowing. Just as she was about to speak, a notification sound rang in her ear.

Jiang He was the same.

[Note: Daily supplementary quests are now available]

[Task Name: Double Ninth Festival Special Event]

[Main Quest: Survive in Tapir Castle]

[Special Event Reward: 200 Game Coins and Experience Points for each natural week you survive]

[Mission Notes: There are four Tapir Fortresses within the current Great Xia territory, spawning in Anping Island (Southernmost Point), Moran River (Northernmost Point), Shigouzi (Westernmost Point), and Modu Mudflats (Easternmost Point). The event ends when one Tapir Fortress is destroyed.]

Chapter 271 Heaven descends

In the small courtyard.

Si Ning's face was furrowed; it seemed she could never go back.

However, the new Las Vegas can operate on its own and is unlikely to encounter any major problems in the short term.

The Tapir Castle mentioned in the mission description reminded her of a top giant from the era of god-making—the Dream Eater. This powerful being was overwhelmed and killed by the Guardians of Order, but now it seems to have found an opportunity to return, and it wasn't completely wiped out.

Si Ning looked at someone; at least survival wasn't a problem, as the landlord had surplus grain.

"Why are you looking at me? Pick up some food." Jiang He said, glancing at the mountains. The special event was indeed special. There was no clear time limit, and he could gain experience points and game currency just by staying there. The survival risks in the mission requirements might erupt over time, but he could retreat to the border and observe calmly.

Simply put, eat and drink as you please.

"How's the freshwater situation?" Si Ning asked.

"One hundred game coins a cup," Jiang He replied. He had a small well at home, and the groundwater flowed into the sea. Coral Road was right by the sea.

"Then I'll just stay thirsty." Si Ning rolled her eyes.

Two pairs of chopsticks kept picking up food, and the scene was one of swift and decisive eating.

Jiang He stood up and took out his newly acquired Evil Flintlock Pistol. The coastline was just a few hundred meters away from the door.

From top to bottom, a transparent dome resembling a large bowl enveloped Anping Island. An airplane flew in from a distance and crashed into the dome, exploding with a loud bang. Orange flames mixed with black smoke shot out in all directions, and fragments splashed on the unmoving dome. The crackling sound that should have been heard did not reach the island at all.

Jiang He saw the seaside corridor that was divided in two by the cliff. The break was smooth and neat. He walked closer and summoned the Long-Hate Dragon Spear. With a single thrust, the surroundings trembled.

The real damage created numerous cracks, but these cracks quickly spread outwards. The damage was absorbed by the entire barrier, making it difficult to break through in a short time.

Si Ning followed and tried it, with similar results. She turned her head and asked, "How many people are on the island?"

Jiang He shrugged. "A bunch leave today, a group leaves tomorrow. I've been staying at the border lately and haven't paid much attention to this. It's roughly more than a thousand but less than ten thousand."

“For ordinary people, the most dangerous thing is not the environment, but their own kind,” Si Ning judged. She found a cat mask and put it on to avoid unnecessary trouble. She was quite confident in her appearance, which had a base charm of 9 points.

"Jiang He!"

The shouts came from afar, and three teenagers passed by on the embankment, waving and saying, "Chairman Anping wants everyone to gather in town."

The three of them ran further and further away, as they still needed to call out to the others.

Si Ning asked curiously, "Jiang He?"

"It's just a name." Jiang He stepped forward. "Let's go take a look. If there's nothing important, let's get started."

The two set off from the edge of the island toward the center, a journey that normally takes less than half an hour on foot.

The shops in the former tourist town had their doors and windows tightly closed, and plastic bags and other garbage were flying in the wind in the corners. A stray cat jumped away from the trash can in fright, looking like it was skin and bones from hunger.

Due to population loss, the tourist town gradually became desolate.

But once you get to the town center, it becomes lively.

"Chairman, I can't get out even if I smash my head against the wall."

"The fishing boat shattered after hitting that cover. We need to discuss compensation; my family is counting on the New Year!"

"We can't get in touch with the outside world at all. All signals are gone. How can the town mayor bring people back from Dongguang?"

"Stop arguing, people are dead and you're still arguing."

The island's residents were abuzz with discussion. This protective barrier was temporarily identified as a special weapon from another country, and conspiracy theories were rampant. Due to the suddenness of the incident, three residents were "killed" by the barrier. A car in autopilot mode lost signal, rushed off the mountain road, and crashed into the barrier, resulting in the deaths of a family of four.

On the platform in the square, an elderly man in a jacket held up a megaphone and said loudly: "Everyone, please be quiet. The situation is still unclear. We need to count the number of people affected. The duration of the barrier is uncertain. The priority is to gather and distribute supplies in a reasonable manner while waiting for outside rescue. But before that, I hope everyone can take some time to hold funerals for the victims."

“The chairman is right!” shouted an employee of Far Eastern Group.

"A funeral...isn't that unnecessary?"

"Cold-blooded, the Lan family of four are your neighbors."

In an instant, the crowd erupted in noise, and more and more people agreed to hold the funeral.

"He's got some skills," Si Ning muttered to herself, standing in the corner.

The funeral itself is not important; what is truly meaningful is the habitual compliance fostered by the group activity, or rather, a simple and superficial test of obedience. As the organizer of this activity, the chairman will leave an imprint on the residents' subconscious—to put it bluntly, prestige—and also earn a good reputation.

Si Ning elbowed someone and whispered, "The leader of the good guys has come out. Let's play the bad guys."