For the remaining part of the day, the soldiers spent it moving around the floating platforms in order to familiarise themselves for the upcoming defence raid.
They quickly came to the conclusion that the dungeon instance that they were in was way too detailed and intricate for just a ‘normal defence raid’. It looked as if it was a real living city broken into many parts for the monsters to work at.
Some soldiers started to get the feeling that they would not be participating in an exercise but actually be defending a real city. Even the commanding officers who were being escorted by Jin and toured around the area found it overly suspicious.
Confronted with all the questioning gazes Jin came up with the excuse of telling them that he was creating a living breathing city and this was the prototype for it.
“If I can create a defence raid and accommodate massive numbers without the server breaking down, it will mean that we’ll be one step closer in creating an alternate reality fantasy world for people to experience real-life rather than just a virtual reality.”
“For example, we could use it to let city people experience a little bit of the rural lifestyle. It could be used to teach them about farming and get them to appreciate how tranquil it could be. With a bit of magic on hand, it should easily serve as an interactive agricultural simulation for them to enjoy.” Jin mixed some half-truths in his lies when they passed through the first Agriculture Sector.
“This is insane. From what I know about dungeon instances, this should not be possible right now. Your technology has already toppled the charts in many different ways. To be able to stay, live and breathe- heck! Eat and enjoy this area as if we were at a tropical resort. That’s more than enough evidence to show that your dungeon technology is more than just cutting edge..” Chen Lai praised when he saw how vast the agriculture fields were.
“Can you believe it? When we passed the industrial sector, it was filled with those orcs and goblins who seemed to be working. If Jin ever reaches a level where he could ensure that the products produced here could be used for the outside world… just imagine how much the defence minister would love to locate all-out black sites with Boss Jin.” Kan Jian pointed out as he was able to perceive the capability of Jin’s ‘alternate reality’ dungeon instance. (Although Jin had already been doing that.)
“He would have endless orders just by the simple fact on how secure it should be. There would be no need to worry about foreign eyes peeking at our projects! This would be a fantastic boon! You should inform us as soon as you can maintain them for a long period of time!”
“I’d not agree to that,” Jin uttered without thinking too much. As the commanding officers surrounding him stopped, he looked around and decided to explain his reasoning.
“Look, I don’t want to be accountable for the government. One small screw up be it on my end or yours, and I will be held responsible. Besides, do you really think I’d look forward to having my employees be at risk against possible foreign kidnappings, interrogations or assassinations?!” Jin said as he recalled how the Triads had tried to capture Lynn.
“Ah… you’re correct. You’re a good boss for caring so much about your employees.” Boon Tiong nodded his head almost immediately, and Jin started to wonder how much this Major knew about him. Had Hou Fei allowed him to collect data on him that easily?
Even though it should not be much of a surprise that he might possess the dungeon supplier’s data, but it was still rather disturbing to reveal something like that so openly.
Aside from some minor chats, the commanding officers had a thorough look at Jin’s battleground and upon Hou Fei’s eventual instruction, they decided not to pry too much into Jin’s current dungeon. Instead, they accepted it as is and prepared for the attack.
Soon after, Jin left the commanding officers to their devices and spoke with General Hou Fei privately. “Do you think it’s a mistake to show them all these or to even recruit your soldiers for the battle?” Jin asked with some pressing concerns on his mind.
“You planned to eventually open it for the cultivators and customers alike, so I don’t see why this should be a problem. As much as they want to speculate, the fact is they are in this already. So, just relax and enjoy the remaining part of the day.” Hou Fei consoled Jin and left, stating that he needed to find Qiu Yue for a few matters.
“Relax for the remaining part of the day?” Jin laughed at that possibility. He couldn’t even remember the last time he sat down and relaxed properly. Perhaps it was karma for all the times he had slacked during his school days.
However, the advice that Hou Fei had given him was not bad per se. Jin decided to combine work with relaxation and chose to take a look around the new hotels that Qiu Yue had created and their amenities. After which, he teleported out of the Dungeon City Fortress and took a short stroll in the Tree Mall.
He had yet to thank the hawkers for that grand food order they accomplished for New Year’s Eve. Jin even had the cheek to think about scaring them again by informing them about the soldiers’ presence once more.
“AH BOSS JIN!” Sam Su, the owner for the mixed rice stall, recognised Jin checking out his stall despite the large crowd. His shout alone caught the attention of the rest of hawkers who came over to loudly greet their landlord.
“Thanks for the great work you all did that day. I’m truly sorry about it being so sudden of a request.” Jin bowed gratefully before his tenants.
“Small issue! The money we earned from you is more than sufficient gratitude. More importantly, what brings you here today? Want a plate of rice? Free of charge!” Sam Su offered, and the others chipped in.
“Eh, you stupid rice hawker! Stop taking Boss Jin for yourself! Boss! Come over to my shop, coffee’s on me!” The drinks stall owner shouted from the pyramid base despite the crowd they were having.
“Boss Jin! Don’t listen to these amateur chefs! Have a plate of my dumplings! My treat!” The noodles stall owner called jokingly, and everyone started trying to outdo the others in showing off how grateful they were for Jin’s order.
“Fine! If all of you insist! I shall be shameless and take one of your signature dish each!” Jin agreed with a smile on his face, and all of the hawkers cheered on. The customers hadn’t expected such camaraderie between the hawkers and their landlord and it did bring a little smile on their faces too. Some decided to purchase a bit extra from these hawkers and to share it with their colleagues and such.
It was a small gesture but nevertheless a positive one.
“So, I heard that there is some event coming around?” Sam Su had decided to serve some steamed fish for Jin to eat as the dungeon supplier thanked him for the food.
“Yup. If I remembered correctly, about a thousand have already signed up.” Jin informed him, and at this point, Sam Su was no longer surprised by the numbers. Most importantly, the System only counted those who had purchased the game tickets in advance, and the numbers were still increasing as Jin was eating.
“Then I guess I will get the other hawkers to prepare more food for tomorrow’s event.” That was all Sam Su needed to know, and he allowed Jin to enjoy his food in peace. To Jin’s surprise, the hawkers purposely brought a mini bowl from their stores instead of a large portion since they knew that Jin would sincerely be tasting each and everyone’s gratitude.
The more he sampled from the hawkers, the more he realised that they had improved leaps and bounds. “I guess it worked. Inserting the penguins as semi trainers did prompt them to improve their culinary skills after all. Lynn is truly a genius.”
Jin smiled as he thought back to the stuff Kraft had randomly spouted about the Pyramid Food Guild. Should he perhaps help and set it up to become a reality?
