Chapter 765.3: The Unexpected Is The Normal State Of Life

Since the War for Paradise was primarily fought on the front lines by shelter residents, while most of the war’s expenses were borne collectively by the members of the Mutant Slime Mold Research Committee, the New Alliance’s residents far behind the front had not felt much impact on their daily lives.

On the contrary, orders generated by the war caused the factories of Dawn City and Boulder Town to resume operating in three shifts, just as they had during the Battle of Sunset Province.

The difference was that the New Alliance’s productive capacity and abundance of materials were no longer what they had once been. To attract workers into their factories, the various manufacturers used every method available. Not only did they promise free housing and insurance, but each offered higher wages than the last.

For workers with technical skill and experience in particular, the factories practically wanted to cover even the education of their future children. Their benefits became increasingly elaborate and exaggerated.

Factories that still failed to attract workers despite exhausting every possible measure could only seek solutions in one of two directions. It was either improving productivity or importing foreign labor.

Old production lines requiring extensive human involvement were gradually being phased out and replaced with more highly electrified and automated systems.

Thanks to West Continent City’s controlled-fusion reactor, the New Alliance’s energy costs were low. Its automation efforts were also supported by experts from Camp 101 and the students they had trained.

Furthermore, the Poro Province served as a pond capable of absorbing outdated production lines, giving obsolete sewing machines, portable steam engines, and various other pieces of equipment somewhere to go.

Through their own diligence and wisdom, the New Alliance’s residents, especially those of Dawn City, had, within a certain area, already brought the wasteland surrounding them to an end.

Chu Guang did not expect much more from them. He merely hoped they would continue as they had, live their own lives well, and influence other wastelanders wherever their abilities allowed.

At the front line in Ocean Edge Province, the meat grinder continued as usual. The only difference was that the newbies who had grown accustomed to death were becoming increasingly skilled at grinding meat.

The changes in them were obvious.

Originally, a player could kill only a dozen or so Mutant Slime Mold before dying. Now, even without gaining many levels, they could easily achieve kill counts in the triple digits.

Attributes were only one factor affecting combat ability. They were not the sole determining factor.

That was probably one of the most realistic aspects of the game.

Aboard the Heart of Steel, Chu Guang received two reports from distant locations.

One came from Camp 101 and had been written by Xiaoyu. The report mainly described Baiyue Strait Development Company’s public listing and the opinions of Camp 101’s expert team, including existing market problems and loopholes that needed to be repaired.

Chu Guang was extremely satisfied with the report. It was not merely because even someone like him, whose knowledge was only half-baked, could understand it. More importantly, he could see Xiaoyu’s growth between its lines.

Thanks to Camp 101’s scholars, the young girl had not wasted her talent for numbers and had even discovered a career she was passionate about. Sending her to Camp 101 with Pai to continue her studies had truly been a wise decision. Had she remained by his side, she might, at most, have learned quadratic functions and a fragmented understanding of economics. For anything more difficult, even he had to seek the opinions of professionals.

Looking at the elegant handwriting displayed on the tablet, Chu Guang sighed emotionally. “Time passes so quickly. In the blink of an eye, Xiaoyu has already grown up.”

Sitting on his pen holder, Little Seven nodded gently and rested its chin in both hands. “Hmm, hmm... It feels as though you were teaching her arithmetic and literacy only yesterday.”

Chu Guang coughed softly. “... It hasn’t been quite that short.”

Although he occasionally felt as though an entire lifetime had passed, the little creature’s insensitivity to the passage of time was a little too exaggerated.

With a light swipe of his index finger, Chu Guang set the report aside for the moment and opened the second one.

The second report came from the Social Sciences Department of the Scientific Expedition Team. Its author was Han Mingyue, who was currently investigating the local customs and social conditions of Port Gallon.

He was not particularly familiar with the name. He only vaguely remembered that she was one of the little popsicles excavated by the Thorn Corps near Pioneer City and had once belonged to Shelter 288.

Conditions in the Great Desert differed from those in other regions. It had endured the Great Collapse of the entire space elevator and the Space Station, making it the most complex area in the wasteland.

Its shelters were similarly complicated.

For example, Shelter 288 had suffered the loss of its administrator’s log, the premature opening of its doors, and a series of other accidents. Furthermore, many of the circumstances surrounding Han Mingyue resembled those of Hyrja, and the report concerning her background alone filled five pages.

In short, certain events appeared to have occurred beyond Chu Guang’s knowledge. Influenced by Rama, commander of the Thorn Corps, Han Mingyue had developed an interest in the great migrations of survivors that had once occurred throughout the Poro Province. Her work involved not only investigating past events, but also observing the ongoing changes in Port Gallon.

Since the Scientific Expedition Team had found quite a few valuable items in Port Gallon’s former Governor’s Residence, it had always been supportive of her project. Chu Guang had likewise continued paying attention to the reports she submitted.

The Poro Province contained no shelters, yet it possessed an enormous survivor population.

In a sense, her research was helping them replace the administrator’s log that had gone missing.

[... Under the influence of Baiyue Strait Development Company, the Port Gallon authorities used the Xilande Emperor’s foreign exchange reserves to construct numerous schools and adult night schools throughout the settlement. They also promoted a compulsory-education act similar to Dawn City’s, raising the local literacy rate to a certain extent.]

[Influenced by rising literacy and citizens of the South Sea New Alliance who traveled to the region to teach, several novel works of music, painting, literature, and other arts have begun appearing in Port Gallon.]

[The local residents are not only actively pursuing better lives, but are also exploring new theories beyond the land ruled by a thousand races and a thousand gods. They are attempting to criticize and deconstruct certain outdated feudal customs and ideas. The belief that gods do not exist has already become popular among some progressives, and this is what surprised me most.]

[According to conventional reasoning, the local conservative forces should be more deeply rooted than those in the Lion Kingdom and Camel Kingdom. However, what I observed was precisely the opposite. During the New Culture Movement, changing their perspective quickly became a consensus shared by both the upper and lower classes, just as they had previously looked up towards the Army.]

[The conservative forces that should have opposed the progressive movement played no role whatsoever. Instead, they displayed an unexpected degree of compliance. Once they determined that resistance was impossible, the conservatives immediately surrendered.]

[I do not believe this resulted from defeatism or foreign worship, nor do I believe it was a genuine surrender. It more closely resembles the forbearance embedded within the civilizational character of the local survivors.]

[The endurance of the local population exceeds anything I have observed in other settlements. Even the farm owners of the Brocade River Province would not dare treat their slaves in such a manner, yet the people here have grown accustomed to it.]

[Furthermore, their endurance is as deeply rooted as the rarely expressed stubbornness within their personalities. These survivors can never change themselves easily. Nevertheless, they do not resist lowering their heads and presenting the appearance that they have already changed.]

[Consider the former nobles learning to dress and eat like members of the New Alliance. They immediately drew a clear boundary between themselves and the Emperor and Governor they had previously served, cooperated fully with your subordinates, and attempted to present themselves as even more progressive, diligent, and eager to learn than those who had always supported the New Alliance.]

[You might consider this a good thing, while your subordinates might believe it inconsequential. Nevertheless, I must express a different opinion.]

[That concealed force resembles pus disguised as blood and hidden inside the veins. They are waiting for an opportunity. Once such an opportunity appears, they will immediately transform themselves and seal the leaking window that previously allowed the wind inside, making it even harder for fresh air to enter.]

[Of course, there are two sides to everything. Despite this series of hidden concerns, the innovative measures introduced by your subordinates in the region deserve recognition. The results they have achieved are obvious to everyone.]

[My research remains ongoing, and there may still be omissions. I hope I am merely worrying too much.]

Chu Guang read the report to the end and rubbed his chin. He initially wanted to reply with “Sociology +3,” but remembering that the report had been written by an NPC, he ultimately responded only with a classic “Noted.”

His perspective differed from Ample Time’s, and naturally differed from that of the New Alliance’s scholars as well.

The problem she described certainly existed, and he could see it. However, as she herself had mentioned in the report, the local survivors were voluntarily seeking progress under the influence of Shelter 404’s residents.

Perhaps the form of progress they were exploring would eventually change the hidden dangers buried deep within their civilizational character.

It was not that he could speak easily because he did not share their suffering. It was simply a difficulty the local survivors were destined to overcome by themselves. Even if Han Mingyue pointed out the problem, it would be difficult for him to do anything about it.

His players had already done a great deal. Any further step would be excessive and counterproductive. He believed Ample Time had probably noticed something as well.

Sitting on his pen holder, Little Seven looked at him and teased playfully, “Master, you once said you weren’t particularly optimistic about what those players were doing, but it seems they’ve done rather well.”

Chu Guang made a helpless expression and extended an index finger to close the report before speaking. “You’ve followed me for so long. You should know that my judgments aren’t always correct.”

The unexpected was the normal state of life. Only immortals were omniscient and omnipotent. If he were truly that divine, why would he need so many experts and scholars? He could simply complete every task by himself.

Besides, it was still far too early to reach a conclusion.

However, to his surprise, those thoughtless words somehow caused Little Seven to freeze. Even its gently swinging legs stopped moving. A trace of hope appeared in its pupils, though it almost seemed like an illusion.

Seeing Little Seven staring blankly at him, Chu Guang frowned slightly and tapped its head with his index finger.

“What’s wrong? Did you freeze?”

“No...” Little Seven seemed to regain its senses and turned toward him. Then a bright smile spread across its face. “It’s nothing... As expected of Master! You made Little Seven’s human module beat wildly. It almost burned out.”

As it spoke, it began swinging its legs again and gazed at him with sparkling eyes.

Chu Guang revealed a helpless expression.

Burned out, huh?

He had the distinct feeling that the fellow was learning a little too much rubbish from all the stuff it it had connected itself to.