Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Good day, Leader Su!”
“Thank you for your hard work! Isn’t it cold, standing here?”
“Not at all, sir. We serve the community and stand guard for the village—we won’t ever feel cold doing that!”
Su Mo nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the two militiamen standing at attention in front of him. He then clapped them both on their shoulders.
One could easily tell if a village was doing well merely by looking at the sentries.
At the very beginning, the militiamen guarding the village were as scrawny as monkeys. Circumstances in the village had progressed to where the two sentries were now beefy and barrel-chested. Based on this alone, one could tell how well Hope Village’s development was going.
In fact, the villagers had already allocated funds to pave the entirety of Iron Rock Mountain, including all the roads, with cement.
Several massive drainage pipes traveled down the mountain’s contours like massive dragons grasping at stone pillars. It was quite a spectacular sight.
The extra metal plates remaining from Hope One’s construction had been used to fortify the exterior of the mountain. They looked like armor plates and were very impressive.
With defensive measures like this, as long as another layer of absorbent gum could be applied, Su Mo believed that this time, the torrential storm…
Would not affect Hope Village in the least!
Su Mo stood at the foot of Iron Rock Mountain and scrutinized it in its entirety, feeling somewhat moved. Before he went up, he asked his usual question.
“Did anything happen today?”
Although Su Mo asked this every day whenever he went up the mountain, he did not expect that the two militiamen would answer him. To his surprise, the militiaman on the left replied, smiling.
“Leader Su, just take a sniff of that aroma, and you’ll know!”
Su Mo, “???”
Aroma?
Following the militiaman’s words, Su Mo sniffed the air.
Su Mo was different from the other villagers. With the boost from the psychic energy water and the Mountain and Sea Painting Scroll, his sense of smell was now far more acute than that of an ordinary person.
How this manifested in reality was that, within the same parameters, Su Mo would be able to smell even more subtle layers of aroma and scent.
Inhale…
Analyze…
After his brain processed the information, Su Mo came up with the following conclusion.
The strongest scents were the earthy smell of soil, the stink of the militiamen’s feet, and the reek of sweat. Next was the smell of rice from the top of the mountain as well as the faint scorched smell from the chemical reactions during the process of making absorbent gum.
Wait…
After analyzing all these different scents, an odd smell suddenly wafted to Su Mo’s nostrils.
The smell was very faint to the point of being barely perceptible. It practically blended in with the freshness in the air.
However, as far as Su Mo was concerned, after he took another sniff, his brain came up with another match…
The scent of blessing???
When Su Mo subjectively differentiated what he was smelling again, he caught the trace of a scent similar to that of when he had obtained the Lion God’s Sculpture and the Rat God’s Feather.
Even though Su Mo had experienced many difficulties by now, he could not help becoming excited.
‘This young rascal, Chen Shen, has brought me a big surprise!’
Even with the system upgrade, this might just be a normal blessing to ordinary people. However, in Su Mo’s hands, he could use reversion to turn it into a formidable weapon.
One of the tasks Su Mo had set for when he was at sea was to collect as many blessings as possible.
However, he had not expected that he would be able to obtain a blessing first, even before he had set sail. This was certainly a pleasant surprise!
“Not bad—not bad at all. I’m very satisfied. How considerate!”
Su Mo nodded happily when he thought about how Chen Shen had concealed this from him, intending to use this method to surprise him. He went up the mountain immediately.
His pace was noticeably quicker than when he had first shown up.
“You’ve got to be kidding me, man. What was that all about?”
Chen Kai saw the knowing smile on Su Yuan’s face and glanced at Su Mo’s silhouette. A small hint of comprehension dawned.
Suddenly, it was as if he understood…
Why his cousin Chen Shen always said that those who were able to join Hope Village were extremely lucky people!
…
Su Mo was unaware of what the militiamen behind him were thinking at that point. With quick steps, he covered Iron Rock Mountain’s 40-plus meters all the way up to its peak.
The awning that had been used as protection against the storm had been taken down after the rain stopped.
With Iron Rock Mountain’s efficient drainage system, not much stagnant water remained on the highest part of the mountain.
Aside from some villagers on shift who were now resting, there were almost a hundred villagers busily working on the platforms on the peak and the lower part of the mountain.
When they saw Su Mo coming, the villagers gave him a respectful glance, then went on with their work.
Su Mo was extremely satisfied even with this small bit of “progress”.
Pei Shao’s exploration had netted the coordinates of the gathering place for all the foreign races, which took care of the last important matter before they set sail.
Su Mo had also discovered that the young rascal, Chen Shen, had prepared a foreign race blessing to surprise him.
He mused for a moment and then stood on the platform. He did not bother to contain the joy he felt and immediately shouted, “Excellent—everyone’s efficiency is fantastic. Today’s meal is my treat—tonight we’ll have a continuous flow of dishes, and everyone will be able to eat meat to their heart’s content!
“Keep up the good work. We will definitely have supplies; we’ll also certainly have land. Whatever others have, we will have as well. We’ll also have what others don’t have!”
This was merely a simple, encouraging speech!
However, the response to it was quite extraordinary!
After the three bombshells had dropped—Su Mo’s guarantee, a continuous flow of dishes, and all the meat they could eat—everyone went wild with delight, and their work efficiency also went up another notch.
Su Mo nodded. With an indulgent smile on his face, he walked toward the back of the mountain, which was also where the village’s meeting room was located.
On his way there, Su Mo passed two warehouses that housed the absorbent gum and took a look inside.
As expected, there was not much stock left. All the gum was immediately packaged after production and put up for sale.
With the approaching disaster, Hope Village had no trouble at all obtaining a market for their product.
“From the looks of things, the lone wolves are going to suffer even more in the future!
“In the wasteland, groups are the only way to increase an individual’s advantage in information. For example, if I were still on my own today and my information was poor, I might not be able to gain a lot of supplies!”
Su Mo glanced at the meeting room at the very end of his line of sight. The whole management team was bent over the table, managing accounts, counting stock, and putting products up for sale.
After noticing that even Zhong Qingshu was a part of this, Su Mo nodded and did not disturb them.
As the biggest shareholder of the entire absorbent gum operation, Su Mo could take half the profits no matter how much the village made in revenue.
Even though these supplies did not seem useful before everyone set sail, they could immediately be converted into capital for infrastructure as soon as they reached the New World!
If the time came when everyone in the New World was experiencing a food shortage, having food in hand was equivalent to…
Everyone in the world working for him!
After experiencing so many setbacks, Su Mo knew very well how much profit he would make this time around.
He thought about it as he walked.
After following his original path back to the top of the mountain, Su Mo seated himself in the adequately lighted cave. Taking advantage of everyone being busy, he began a round of organizing information.
At present, all the necessary preparations that had to be made before he embarked on his voyage were essentially complete!
Today was the 19th, and more than half the day was already gone. Tomorrow—the 20th—would be one day, and the day after tomorrow, the 21st, would be another day. In the early hours of the morning on the 21st, the ocean disaster would strike as foretold!
Su Mo had arranged a very clear schedule for the remaining two and a half days.
19th.
[First Task: Contact Shen Ke]
Since I chose to lie low, I repeatedly turned down Shen Ke’s hints at joining forces. Now that I have made my intentions clear, there is no need for any further concealment. Ideally, we can discuss plans to meet at sea as soon as possible.
As for assistance to Tundra Shelter, we must give them some of the absorbent gum. If not, it would be disastrous if their ship sank.
Time spent: 1 hour
20th.
[First Task: Prepare the ship]
Select some of the villagers to load the remaining resources onto Hope One and seal the warehouse inside at the same time.
Time spent: 8-12 hours
[Second Task: Hope Village’s second general meeting (voyage meeting)]
For the sake of complete secrecy and mobility before setting out to sea, all the villagers must wait on Iron Rock Mountain for the time being, so it is essential to stir up a wave of morale. This is to ensure that the villagers ensconced on Iron Rock Mountain will be emboldened so that when we return for them, there will not be too many setbacks.
In this meeting, we must decide on what weapons to leave behind. We can also officially hand over management authority with all the villagers as witnesses, and treat it as a trump card for the villagers in this disaster.
The lifeboat blueprints obtained previously have not been used yet, so we can actually make some of them when we get back. When the time comes, we can load some of the lifeboats onto Hope One and leave a few for the villagers to use.
Time spent: 2 hours
21st.
[First Task: Inspection]
A final inspection of every single one of Hope One’s functions to ensure that there will not be problems when the ship goes into the sea, and during the voyage.
Time spent: 4 hours
[Second Task: Shifting supplies from the shelter]
Apart from the psychic energy water well that cannot be taken away, the furnace, workstation, production machines, and the motor-pumped oil well, everything else must be packed and loaded onto the ship. This is so we can be prepared for any dangerous situations that might occur, and also to drastically reduce any losses that might be incurred if anything happens to the shelter.
Time spent: 2 hours
[Third Task: Final inspection and upgrade for the Underground Shelter before setting sail]
At present, the stone-constructed shelter is still sturdy. However, excellent-quality pickaxes are gradually becoming the trend, and stone walls with materials that are below 5 cannot guarantee safety. It would be very easy for a “thieving cur” with a pickaxe to use special attributes to bore through the wall and damage the remaining structures, so this must be prevented.
An upgrade is absolutely necessary. As for the direction of the upgrade, we can choose to use reinforced concrete. We can also opt to encase the exterior of the shelter in a layer of steel plates.
Time spent: 1 hour
[Fourth Task: Inspection and upgrade of all items needed for the voyage]
Make a final inventory of all items brought along for the journey and upgrade the ones that will be used. However, at least ten thousand points must be set aside for emergency use in the future.
Time spent: 1 hour
As Su Mo figured things out, he slowly fleshed out his plans to completion, setting them down eloquently on paper.
Su Mo recorded every single thing task on paper to the best of his ability so that he would not forget any important matters.
However, after writing everything out, there was some space left on the bottom of the paper. Su Mo then wrote down…
[Voyage Task: Pick Su Chan up]
Time spent…
Ten days!
On the pre-disaster wasteland, time passed very slowly. Every day, every hour, and every second, Su Mo wanted to rip every single moment in half so he could spend the extra time.
However, once the ocean disaster came and Hope One set sail, time would truly start to fly by!
Each day, Hope One could travel a thousand kilometers or so if it maintained normal cruising speed.
It would only be ten days at most before brother and sister could both be…
Reunited in the wasteland!
When Su Mo thought about bringing his younger sister onto Hope One, nothing in the wasteland had the power to hold him back! He then put away all the papers on which he had recorded his plans.
Su Mo looked at the darkening skies outside. After extinguishing the lights, he strode out with a sense of excitement.
“Hey, Big Brother Su, you’ve finished with your work?”
Chen Shen noticed Su Mo coming out and hurried over to greet him, practically grinning from ear to ear.
“Oh my, it looks as if the sales profits weren’t bad at all, my intrepid villager leader!”
Chen Shen could not figure out the hidden message in Su Mo’s playful words.
However, when he noticed the smile on Su Mo’s face, he found it hard to control his own expression. Grinning, he continued.
“Big Brother Su, this round we’ve really struck it rich. As of now, we’ve used 69% of our raw materials, but we have no more stock left. Every time we put products up for sale, everything was snapped up by these buyers in just a matter of seconds. Although now there are people who have discovered this business we’re running, the profits we’ve raked in are more than enough!
“This time! Everyone in the village… is truly going to be rich!”
In front of everyone else, Chen Shen still had to maintain his image as a stern village leader, but with Su Mo, he was just as innocent as a university student.
Chen Shen took out a notebook and calculated the numbers, explaining as they walked along.
He calculated the cost of the most basic raw materials, then detailed the initial sales of the product right up until it had become a best-selling item, and the graph curve after the item had gone out of stock.
After Chen Shen’s calculations, a number appeared on the notebook that would drive any businessman wild.
897%
This was merely the profit that Hope Village had gathered from this operation in the span of just three days.
If they excluded the 10% of raw materials that they needed to retain for themselves, and if they could convert the remaining 21% of raw materials into absorbent gum and sell it, then their profits would reach a number that had never been achieved before…
989%!
“Tenfold—this is a full tenfold profit, and that’s even after the game collected 50% of the delivery fees. If we can avoid the taxes, we might even profit 20 or 25 times over!
“Besides, even if others are already starting to replicate our absorbent gum, we were the first ones to stock up all the raw materials on the market. The only thing they can do is to buy when the opportunity presents itself, and that amount is entirely insufficient to threaten our position.”
Chen Shen’s expression was wildly enthusiastic as he went on and on, keeping his head low. From what he said, anyone would be able to tell what a frightening amount of profit Hope Village had made this round.
“Oh? Is there anything else besides this?”
Chen Shen was stunned when he heard Su Mo’s question and saw the playful expression on his Shelter Leader’s face. After he realized what was going on, he made a wry, resigned face and replied, “Big Brother Su, it seems I can’t hide this from you after all!
“Everyone wanted to wait until the last day to give it to you as a gift for your voyage.. I never expected you to pick up on it, though!”
