Chapter 339: Harvest

Zhang Wenda walked up the stairs and out of the Youth Palace’s mouth. As the damp, misty air filled his lungs, he knew for certain that he had truly escaped the sunless, inescapable depths of the sea.

As all these strange phenomena connected with his recent experiences, Zhang Wenda’s pupils suddenly contracted. A new possibility had just occurred to him.

To test his theory, Zhang Wenda carved a large pit directly into the tiled floor. Then, experimentally, he used a ceramic vat to scoop up a large amount of water and poured it into the pit.

With a SPLASH, he jumped in. When he came back out, he found himself emerging from the very spot in the large pool where he had drawn the water.

“It’s the water! This water can teleport! It’s not just the three pools of water on that monster’s head—the water in this pool teleports, too! All the water in Region 2 can teleport!”

The old fable about marking the boat to find a lost sword might be a joke elsewhere, but in Region 2, it actually holds true. Zhang Wenda ran his hand through the surrounding pool. None of the water here flowed; it remained fixed, always in its designated position.

Even if the water is moved elsewhere, this property remains. By passing through it, one can teleport back to its original location.

The reason he’d suddenly been transported from the surface of the Shallow Water Area to the disorienting depths of the deep water area was because he’d been caught in the water from one of the monster’s discs.

The black discs on the monster’s head were actually filled with water from the deep water area. Falling into one of them would teleport you there!

The reason the monster carried three different discs was that they corresponded to pools in different areas, allowing it to use the water’s properties to teleport freely between three separate locations!

Zhang Wenda lowered his head and took a sip of the clear pool water. It was perfectly clean, with no abnormalities, and tasted exactly like ordinary water. He would have never imagined that this seemingly normal water possessed the ability to teleport.

Evidently, even the people who had been living here for over four months had no idea about this.

But that made sense. Water was everywhere, and no one was bored enough to just haul it around for fun. As for bathing, so long as the water wasn’t moved from its spot, it behaved exactly like normal water.

This was a monumental discovery. If utilized properly, it could drastically improve the living conditions in this region.

Having made this monumental discovery, Zhang Wenda turned to the Hippocampus at his side. “Record this, quickly.”

The Hippocampus nodded and began to write furiously.

“Region 2, the Pools. Danger Level: Medium. Method of Entry: Via the sun-dried quilt in Room 301, Region 1. Region 2 is an area composed of various interconnected pools. It is divided by the color of the water into the Shallow Water Area and a deep water area…”

As the Hippocampus rapidly took notes, everything Zhang Wenda had collected about Region 2 was recorded.

Just as it was about to finish, the Hippocampus paused its pen and looked up at Zhang Wenda. “Entity, what about the things on the seafloor?”

“The seafloor?” In his mind, Zhang Wenda pictured the small pools on the ocean bed. He didn’t understand Region 2 completely; much of it was still unknown.

However, he had no intention of exploring further. For now, all that could be postponed.

‘My mission is to establish the Third Line. Once that’s done, I can recruit all kinds of explorers for these regions.’

“It’s fine. Just continue recording. We don’t have to explore everything; it’s enough to leave a path for those who come later.”

Zhang Wenda looked at the vast pool before him and sensed the direction of the currents. He immediately turned to the giant, whale-like Youth Palace and said, “Let’s go. How about you travel with me from now on? Stick with me, and I’ll make sure you have all the red you can handle.”

‘The Youth Palace could be more than just a submarine. A mobile space this vast could easily serve as the mobile fortress for the New Third Line.’

‘It can burrow through the ground, fly through the sky, and travel underwater. It even produces byproducts. It’s absolutely perfect.’

Sensing the Youth Palace’s joy, Zhang Wenda grinned and leaped onto it. “Giddy-up! Let’s go home!”

Outside the Big Circle’s trading subway, new traders were gathered around the information board Zhang Wenda had freely shared, speculating on the background of the Small Circle’s new leader. Suddenly, the black water nearby began to ripple.

The ripples gradually swelled into surging waves. The disturbance grew terrifying, as if some colossal sea monster was about to emerge. Panicked, everyone scattered and fled in a chaotic rout.

Then, as everyone watched, an unnaturally bloated, fleshy monster floated out of the water. And there, standing brazenly atop the monster’s head, was the new leader of the Small Circle, looking down on them all.

Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the sight before them. For a moment, they all held their breath.

This new leader they called the Director was truly unfathomable. To think he could so easily control such a massive deep-sea behemoth—a creature that could effortlessly slaughter hundreds of people.

Normally, they wouldn’t dare even to think about such a creature, let alone look at one.

Zhang Wenda leaped down, patted the Youth Palace’s Rainbow Gate, and addressed his newly acquired subordinates, “We have a new base now. It’s much safer living in here than it is outside.”

“Live… live inside its stomach?” Wang Shaojie swallowed hard. The others wore the same horrified expression.

“What’s the matter? It’s very spacious inside. There are at least several hundred square meters of space.”

But seeing their expressions, Zhang Wenda quickly caught on. “Are you seeing a complex of buildings roughly in the shape of a whale?”

When they all shook their heads in unison, Zhang Wenda slapped his forehead in frustration. ‘I almost forgot. Of course, without Old Ding, these people can only see the Youth Palace in its most primal form.’

‘Looking at them now, I’m afraid they wouldn’t live in a house made of flesh and blood even if I forced them at gunpoint.’

‘It seems, then, that the Youth Palace can only serve as my mount until I find a way to alter their perception.’

‘But since Old Ding’s method worked, I just need to find someone who can make the same kind of manual. Shouldn’t be a huge problem.’

As everyone watched in terror, Zhang Wenda walked through the Youth Palace’s main entrance and began to inspect his new friend.

‘Even if people are too afraid to live in it, it can still serve as a warehouse. The addition of the Youth Palace is another step forward in establishing the New Third Line.’

Just then, Zhang Wenda’s foot suddenly slipped. SKRRRTCH! The sound of something scraping was piercingly loud.

Zhang Wenda froze. He looked down at his feet and saw a slightly rusty bronze key.

Zhang Wenda picked it up. The more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed, and he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Haha, isn’t this… isn’t this the key to that wretched cat’s collar? I tossed it in here on purpose when I was trying to get the collar on her. I never thought… I never thought I’d actually—”

His laughter gradually trailed off. In the end, Zhang Wenda said nothing more, simply tucking the key into his pocket.