Chapter 1151
Chapter 1151 - 1137: New World
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7 min read
Cabbage-color, White Jade, and Light Cloud.
When the new world came into view, what greeted them was a faint fragrance.
It was a scent mixed like lilies and herbs, completely unlike the expected salty and fishy odors of the ocean. The entire world seemed like a bubble in a dream, beautiful and exquisite, and even a bit fragile.
Soft white light greeted them; this world was bathed in plenty of sunlight, yet it wasn’t enough to cause harm.
"It’s even more beautiful than in the preliminaries..."
This was the first impression of most newcomers upon encountering Mercury 42.
To the natives, it also had a more beautiful name, "Lanjierda," meaning "brilliant and abyssal blue pearl."
"If it could be developed into a tourist destination, it would surely be a big hit."
Some would say.
"Many say that at first sight, but if you actually stay here for three months, ha, the Abyss, sea monsters, and all sorts of chaos quickly make everyone run faster than the next."
As soon as Lu Ping’an’s group appeared outside the teleportation gate at the dock area, a man had already been waiting there.
"Who are you?"
"Liu Wen Ke, employee of the Earth Dragon Guard Company. We have a tour guide and agency service here. It looks like you don’t have a pick-up arranged; you must be an independent team. Are you interested in learning about our services?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Ping’an’s team relaxed a bit, since the environment seemed relatively safe for now.
"Of course, we are in need of..."
Mercury 42 was immensely vast, with the majority covered by oceans, meaning the sparse land was subjected to Purgatory-level encounters and battles for territory.
Naturally, Lu Ping’an’s group didn’t choose such an area. The city they arrived in...
"Floating City, as you’ve seen, is a floating city on the water. In fact, most oceanic cities in this world are like this. Newcomers might find it hard to understand, but the ’Floating Bamboo’ used in construction here is actually a great material, flexible enough to support steel platforms..."
Floating City, a second or even third-tier city in this world, was quite famous as a commercial and logistics hub.
Lu Ping’an had not come here just to have a casual look around. At this point in his career, since he had arrived, he naturally sought long-term benefits.
For example, Green Planet was able to generate massive steady profits. If Lu Ping’an back then had had the same strength and confidence that he did now, he might have received an even larger share.
However, loose powers like the "Church" and the official style of the Eastern Country were not the same thing.
They are unlikely to have a stable coordinating relationship. It’s true that you are a war hero who has made contributions, and you have sacrificed for the overall good... but who is that ’overall’? For those who are not nations, there is no need to record your achievements.
Hence, even if you want to gain long-term benefits in other Star-zones, waiting for your hard-won victories to pay off isn’t feasible, because there simply isn’t a ’Big Boss’ with the authority to divide up the money. It’s only by setting up your own forces and branches that you can steadily reap benefits.
This was one of the reasons why Lu Ping’an needed to expand further. At his level, being ’able to fight’ was no longer very meaningful.
High-order Professionals who can fight are both in shortest and least short supply. As long as the bounty is good, there will always be capable mercenaries who will travel long distances to take up the challenge.
To establish a force... War Teams would choose the frontline war zones, where resources are plentiful and easy to Harvest, and there is a never-ending supply of battle missions. Lu Ping’an, on the other hand, would choose the commercial cities in the rear.
"Do you need hotel services..."
And this tour guide in front of them likely still thought that Lu Ping’an was just a team leader trying his luck in second and third-tier cities.
"I need local business, industrial, and ethnic group information, and I’m willing to pay. Oh, and I need some local everyday knowledge as well."
Lu Ping’an didn’t beat around the bush, knowing that being overly familiar too soon was taboo. He had no intention of revealing his plan to "set up a factory locally."
It was important to first understand the local situation before determining the next strategy...
"The great Forest Lady watches over us, but, being still on her home turf, she is too far from us here in the Eastern Country’s camp. It’s the Tri-god Association that organizes this place..."
The struggle for Mercury 42 had long ceased to be something a single organization or individual could handle; given that it’s the "main battlefield," naturally the top combat powers were involved.
Within the Foreign Domain star-space of this world, apart from the passing Starcraft, there are four deities belonging to Human Forces moored.
Three of these Big Bosses, either directly or indirectly, led the war, at least their presence ensuring that the Mortals on the planet’s surface weren’t completely massacred by the opposition.
"War God ’Biao’, Ocean God ’Luna. Wins’, and the Life God ’The First Chosen’..."
These three deities are effectively the "King" of this planet.
They may once have been part of the earth Gods, but it appears they’ve already linked with this world; by becoming "local gods," they’ve also obtained more "world privileges" and power.
And the reason why newcomers are informed about these divinities is that in this world, fighting or even merely surviving cannot be done without these gods’ assistance.
"Some food, some clean drinking water, and devout prayers..."
Right in front of the newcomer, a local guide found a temporary altar and conducted a simple prayer ritual.
The stack of crackers quickly turned to ash, signifying the deity had accepted the Sacrifice, and then the "Divine Grace" arrived as expected.
A faint white light enveloped the guide, who showed an expression of comfort.
"This is the Divine Grace for environmental adaptation, allowing us to better acclimate to the local atmosphere and water sources; otherwise, you might be bedridden with soil and water maladjustment within a week..."
[False God’s Grace. Environmental Purification (Lower Black Iron): A pseudo-divine grace only effective on Mercury 42, helping you filter out toxins from the local environment’s ’air’ and ’water sources’. Valid for: 72 hours.]
[Note: If you receive ’The First Chosen’s’ favor, this Divine Grace can be upgraded to a quasi-permanent version, and be directly replaced by a higher-level one.]
Even those professionals who were no longer human could not adapt to every Exotic Realm’s environment, and this massive planet was likely to cause high-level professionals to suffer soil and water maladjustment.
Experience from pioneers became a benefit for the newcomers. By regularly using this simple prayer ritual, even low-level professionals wouldn’t lose members due to environmental issues.
Through Life Bank, Lu Ping’an acquired information about "False God’s Grace" and, after ensuring there were no problems, he also directly recorded the ritual procedure.
It seemed all his team would have to undergo this rite to achieve "coating."
And this was just the most basic of the local survival three-piece set.
[False God’s Grace. Underwater Breathing (Lower Black Iron): Grants you the ability to breathe freely underwater...]
[False God’s Grace. Alien Perception (Lower Black Iron): Allows you to sense the presence of the closest Exotic Races...]
The Three Gods, each with their connection to the world, have granted humans a privilege exclusive to "Humanity," and with this privilege, they have a foundation to survive in this world.
And it was from these alone that Lu Ping’an faintly sensed that the situation here might be quite special, with a degree of divine intervention far beyond Earth.
And indeed, they provided much more than the earth Gods did...
"As long as you contribute enough, even genuine high-level Divine Graces can be bought directly?"
— End of Chapter 1151 —