Chapter 23: The Daily Necessities of a Mobile City

Back at the Tomorrow, Li Ye still found himself unable to shake off the lingering thoughts of the recent expedition.

"Stop daydreaming, Lord. It’s time to get back to work," Lin Wu teased.

"Sigh, I know," Li Ye replied with a sigh. "I finally managed to get lost in the atmosphere, and you just had to interrupt. That was a rare moment..."

He began to take a quick inventory of the loot he had scavenged from the Land of Decay:
Level 1 Artillery: Frost Cannon.
Level 1 City Component Blueprint: Spore Armor.
Level 1 Fruit Tree Seeds: Sunny Apple.
Level 1 Rocket Launcher Blueprint.

The Level 1 Light Armor project available in the production workshop was a basic model with low defense. In contrast, the Spore Armor required 600 units of iron ore—double that of the light armor—but offered significantly superior defensive capabilities.

Based on the blueprint’s visualization, the Spore Armor resembled the top of a mushroom and was pale yellow in color. Its special effect, "Absorbs 15% of bullet and shell impact," promised to significantly reduce the likelihood of armor damage.

The Level 1 fruit tree seeds were far superior to ordinary apple trees. While a common apple tree takes three to six years to bear fruit, the Sunny Apple tree required only one month, after which it could be harvested every two weeks. Li Ye had acquired a bag containing thirty seeds. He planned to plant them in the upper-level garden, where the sunlight was most abundant, though he would need to assign staff to tend to them.

Finally, there was the item that surprised him the most:
【Item Name: Infantry Rocket Launcher "Gale"】
【Item Level: 1】
【Bonus Effects: 1. +10% damage to buildings and vehicles; 2. +100 meters range】
【Manufacturing Cost: 80 units of iron ore (Level 1)】

The Level 1 rocket launcher had firepower second only to the Level 1 cannon, making it a powerful heavy weapon for a mobile city. Its bonus effects were excellent, serving both for siege operations and for engaging other mobile cities, with the 100-meter range increase being a welcome addition.

The only drawback was the cost: manufacturing one "Gale" rocket launcher required 80 units of iron ore, making it far more expensive than the Falcon assault rifle. Furthermore, each rocket shell required 10 units of iron ore and 2 units of gunpowder.

Li Ye felt a headache coming on. The launcher was impressive, but how could the average person afford it? Just crafting a few units and a supply of shells would burn through hundreds of units of iron ore in an instant.

"Looks like I’ll need to find a way to secure more iron ore," he muttered to himself.

Thirdly, there were the spoils of war collected from the Ant-Men over the past three days: over 6,300 crystal coins, 235 units of iron ore, 158 units of coal, and 432 units of cloth. There were also 35 common-tier weapons—daggers, machetes, and crossbows—along with 5 common blueprints. One elite Ant-Man had even dropped a pack of Level 1 crop seeds:
【Item Name: Cloud Dream Cotton Seeds】
【Item Level: 1】
【Bonus Effects: 1. Matures in two weeks; 2. +3% yield】

Li Ye could hardly believe his luck when he picked up the seeds. "This is a real treasure!"

Cotton was incredibly versatile. As a natural fiber, it could be processed into veils, clothing, towels, bedsheets, and other daily necessities, or turned into canvas, rope, and medical gauze—provided one could find the corresponding blueprints. More importantly, cotton seeds could be pressed for oil, and the remaining meal could be used as livestock feed or fertilizer. While inferior to lard or vegetable oil, it was far better than nothing.

Considering that cotton required ample sunlight and water, Li Ye decided to plant the seeds in the upper-level area alongside the apple trees. Aside from the cotton, the most valuable item among the loot was likely the blueprint for common cola.

With the inventory sorted, Li Ye began his deployment. First, he had to repair the Tomorrow. This work was naturally delegated to the mechanic, Lin Wu. During the recent battles, the Tomorrow had become battered; its hull and armored tracks were riddled with arrows and bullet holes from the Ant-Men—some of whom were armed with firearms. The Tomorrow had even taken direct hits from their artillery.

Lin Wu laid out his requirements: he needed ten workers and 2,000 crystal coins to purchase repair parts at the market. Li Ye agreed without hesitation.

"How long will the repairs take?"

"Cleaning the tracks, replacing damaged hull plates, and the usual troubleshooting..." Lin Wu pondered for a moment. "Probably about a week."

Li Ye shook his head. "No, that’s far too long. Try to finish within three days; we need to get moving as soon as possible."

Li Ye wasn't being impatient without cause. The epic-tier intelligence he had gathered indicated that the Wasteland Zone would be destroyed in three months. Under such circumstances, spending a full week on repairs was a luxury they couldn't afford.

Li Ye began assigning personnel. The past few days of combat had been high-intensity; the crew of the Tomorrow had been working in three shifts, hunting for Ant-Men and attacking their strongholds. Everyone was exhausted, half of them were injured, and three were in critical condition. Upon returning to Roland Fortress, Li Ye’s first priority was rushing to the market to buy emergency medical supplies and bandages. In the wasteland, medicine was far more expensive than one might imagine, and he ended up spending over 1,500 crystal coins.

Li Ye left one person to tend to the wounded and handed the rest of his crew over to Lin Wu, including the helmsman, Tang Fang, and the combat squad leader, Lao Zhou.

While the Tomorrow buzzed with activity, Li Ye walked toward the market, intending to set up shop and earn some money. He had started with over 6,000 crystal coins, but after spending 1,500 on medicine and committing 2,000 to Lin Wu for repairs, half his funds were already gone. Relying solely on what remained would not be enough to procure supplies.

Passing by the market’s bulletin board, he noticed that prices had risen. Fresh water had gone from 3 to 5 crystal coins, and iron ore had jumped from 5 to 8. Other resources like coal and fuel had also seen price hikes.

He quickly deduced the reason. Intelligence had suggested that the mines operated by Roland Fortress were nearing depletion, and the nearby freshwater lake was also drying up. Looking around the fortress, he shook his head. No one expected that this bastion of the wasteland was not a monolith, but a place rife with internal strife.

Li Ye had originally intended to sell some of the freshwater he had stored on the Tomorrow—he had over 2,300 units. However, after scouting around, he realized that private individuals were prohibited from selling water; it was a state-controlled commodity. He learned that the ownership of the freshwater lake belonged solely to Roland Fortress.

Li Ye wasn't surprised. Maintaining a fortress of 2,000 people was expensive. Feeding the guards, hiring staff for operations, supporting the elderly and children without kin, and manufacturing artillery and ammunition—it all cost money. The monopoly on water was a vital revenue stream. The residents of Roland Fortress had no complaints, and many even took it upon themselves to protect the resource, as the fortress provided them with a safe environment, vegetables, and grain—a rare luxury in the wasteland.

Though he couldn't sell water, Li Ye could sell his cola. He could also offer the Blue Heart potato seeds, Falcon assault rifles, "Gale" rocket launchers, and Level 1 off-road vehicles. In the Roland Fortress market, small-scale vendors like bounty hunters or lone wolves weren't subject to strict rules, but anyone intending to sell large quantities had to apply for a shop. Furthermore, everyone—vendors and individuals alike—had to pay a 10% tax. This was reasonable, as the fortress provided a secure environment for trade.

Setting up a shop required a 2,000 crystal coin security deposit, with a minimum three-month lease at 500 crystal coins per month. Just as Li Ye was hesitating, Lin Xia, who led the market patrol, happened to pass by. After hearing his predicament, she arranged for him to have one of the best locations in the market and waived the security deposit and rent.

"Thank you, you’ve been a huge help," Li Ye said sincerely.

Lin Xia waved her hand lightly with a smile. "It’s nothing."

With the shop prepared, Li Ye returned to the Tomorrow and used the production workshop to craft 100 bottles of cola. He drove them to the shop and officially launched his inventory:
Cola: 8 crystal coins per bottle.
Falcon Assault Rifle: 500 crystal coins, or custom-built for 60 units of iron ore.
"Gale" Rocket Launcher: 700 crystal coins, or custom-built for 100 units of iron ore.
Blue Heart Potato Seeds: 500 crystal coins per pack.
Level 1 Off-road Vehicle: 2,000 crystal coins.

After finishing the preparations, he looked toward the Tomorrow in the distance and saw everyone working hard on the repairs. An idea suddenly struck him.

"Maybe I should let Lao Zhou watch the shop, and I’ll go help with the repairs?"