Chapter 609
Chapter 609 - 589: New Friend
1,530 words
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8 min read
"... Single-handedly dealt with the beast swarm? That’s really unbelievable."
Reinforcements, always less timely than needed.
When they arrived, everything had already calmed down.
The destruction of the Gray Axe Tribe who initiated the beast swarm, and the hunting down of their core, the Mother of Stone-dragon, signified the end of it all.
"Lu Ping’an, a senior at the Ancient City University?"
"No, I think he’s a freshman, just graduated from high school last year... Truly, youth is to be admired."
"Have you heard? He has a cursed Rule-Level item...."
"Don’t be stupid, he has a background in the Special Service Team, and besides, high-level Taboo items are not so rare now, I heard that a lot were obtained from the Foreign Domain this time, maybe we should try...."
Rumors, or gossip, accompanied the news of victory, circulating across several levels.
In a way, Lu Ping’an became the focus of this battle, or rather, the "hero"....
"At the celebration feast, can’t you be a little happier? Consider it a celebration of surviving."
The damaged levels made departure somewhat difficult, but surprisingly easier when stronger reinforcements forcefully descended.
Now that the fight was over and the beast swarm dispersed, while bandaging their wounds, naturally, a small bonfire barbecue party was held... Of course, calling it a celebration couldn’t be more accurate.
It wasn’t convenient for Lu Ping’an to leave, so he joined in eating and drinking.
"Hello, my name is Liu Ke, a local...."
Around the scattered bonfires, some people occasionally greeted Lu Ping’an.
As the most prominent figure in this war, many local adventurers wanted to establish good relationships with him, at least seizing the opportunity to form a good karma.
Lu Ping’an didn’t refuse and in chatting, the talk naturally led to his previous experiences in the Silent Mountain Range.
After all, this was the point of interest for many people, especially after the young Lu Ping’an demonstrated his amazing strength... Naturally, many people attributed his strength to his journey in the Exotic Realm.
Perhaps, a lucky trip to the Foreign Domain could shape a strong newcomer.
Don’t mention Rule-level Taboo items, just a good Decree-level item could be enough for many professionals to build their career around it.
"... indeed, as long as you don’t die, the harvest is guaranteed."
"The most dangerous? Uh, there were several times. Once, we were blocked by a Rule-level Divine-made puppet, almost finished. But the closest to death was a God Corpse, it was unnaturally powerful. I remember at that time several Rule-level teams were burst-killed by it...."
"... It followed us as well, luckily the teleport points were still working. We successfully escaped before it destroyed the city, but the native residents there were not as fortunate..."
"Pretty tragic... Doomsday World... I made a timely exit, the subsequent battlefield was not something I could intervene in, if I had run slow, I would have been done for...."
Lu Ping’an casually said a few words, effectively proving his qualifications.
Although he looks young, at this time, no one considers him a rookie anymore... especially when he freely spends his credit-coins.
"So rich, is this what an explorer is?!"
And Lu Ping’an, who had just bought quite a lot of materials from these people, naturally couldn’t be too indifferent.
With his background with Special Service Team and Ancient City University, most people were friendly and rational. Now was a time for socializing after the war, who didn’t want to make more friends, especially reliable "comrades" during crucial times.
Lu Ping’an’s Otherworldly journey experience attracted quite a few listeners, especially when he shared some of his personal experiences.
"Language barriers are actually quite significant. If you can’t even speak clearly, you can at most be a robber in there, and the kind that is likely to be killed by Law-enforcement at any time."
"I personally feel that the most important thing is probably knowing when and how to quit... You’re facing a whole world and you’re not the only protagonist. Perhaps it would be easier to understand from a different perspective. Imagine yourself as an ’alien from a foreign domain’ on earth, and consider how we deal with such aliens..."
"Know when to stop, being a contractor means I can’t lie. I really wanted the symbiotic Demon Plant from the God Corpse at that time, but I knew it was practically a death sentence. In fact, 99% of those who confronted it head-on died, and if I were foolish enough to try and retrieve it by myself, I would certainly have shared the same fate. Knowing when to advance and when to retreat is quite crucial. There will always be opponents you can’t handle."
"No, it’s not enough to just not be greedy... they will target you. As a foreigner, you are essentially a wealth in and of itself. If you cannot demonstrate the ability to protect yourself, you’re bound to encounter trouble in chaotic social settings."
Throughout the process of recounting his experiences, Lu Ping’an naturally built up a reputation.
Wealthy, powerful, intelligent, fearless; these words all contributed to Lu Ping’an’s impressive image, especially the fact that he was...
"...so very young."
The most striking thing about him was, naturally, his youth.
Youth meant that he was still growing rapidly, that he hadn’t depleted all his potential yet, that he hadn’t been cornered by his own Talent Abilities, and that he could still reach greater heights.
"...there’s hope that he may reach Rule-level..."
At this point, Lu Ping’an had naturally gained some repute among the professionals in the Ancient City.
Lu Ping’an also had a chat with two Decree-level strongmen who had come in as reinforcements... The quality and quantity of the strongmen here clearly surpassed those in the city.
"Local law enforcement naturally involves the police, we belong to the military. I hold the rank of Colonel, he’s a mercenary, the kind who can receive regular military pay."
A military colonel named Liu Ke was quite friendly, even jokingly inviting Lu Ping’an to do an internship in the military, with a nominal honor rank and excellent benefits.
"... I’ll take a two months’ rest and then probably head out to another foreign domain, there are plenty of opportunities out there."
Lu Ping’an had a good reason. A few months ago, an internship with the military would have been an excellent choice for many Ancient City University students – it could boost their experience and improve them overall.
But now, going to a foreign domain seemed more fitting for young people.
"Oh..." The colonel laughed and didn’t bring up the invitation again.
However, as he was leaving, he casually mentioned...
"...I heard there’s been quite a commotion over at the ’Green Planet’"
This was quite a friendly gesture... The military’s intelligence channels are not on the same level as civilians’.
Just like the "Red Sand Thieves" (with Huaqi Army background) that Lu Ping’an encountered earlier, in the Silent Mountain Range World, there were also many Eastern Country military bases and prearranged groups.
They were obviously more organized and planned. Although it is unknown how much they gained in the end, their performance was certainly not worse than those of random civilian forces.
"Thank you, I am ’currently’ quite interested in that world."
"Ha, that’s just perfect, maybe we’ll run into each other over there," he said.
The benefits of the explorer’s qualification certificate include "the right to request support from the Eastern Country’s foreign domain bases", which is actually quite useful... Being alone in a foreign domain invites exploitation. If you have a military presence in someone else’s territory, and can call for a cohort of troops with just one phone call, the situation changes completely.
Especially before the implementation of the explorer system, all foreign domain explorations were basically limited to those "elite travel dogs" and official forces. The intelligence and news they hold in their hands are very valuable.
One must establish a good relationship with them to gain a foothold in the foreign domain. At crucial moments, intelligence support and military force can save lives.
Perhaps one of the greatest achievements of this trip is that Lu Ping’an entered the field of vision of the local military station in the Ancient City and established a relationship.
"We are all here serving the Eastern Country and its people, there’s no need to distinguish between us... "
That being said, everyone knew that the Special Service Team and the military were not the same system, and there were many disputes between them.
But now, Lu Ping’an was interested in the "Green Planet" they mentioned. Having truly experienced travelling to a foreign domain, he had no intention of being a lone traveler in a foreign land.
"If I’m going to a foreign domain, I’d naturally go where our numbers are greater... the Green Planet, huh? I’ll have to look it up when I get back."
— End of Chapter 609 —