Chapter 7: Procuring Supplies and Recruiting Soldiers

Page 1/3

What left Li Ye even more helpless was that he had less than 100 crystal coins on hand. Crystal coins were the common currency used across the wasteland, appearing as translucent, pale blue hard coins. One crystal coin could buy a small bag of rough food. Three coins could purchase an old chair. Ten coins could be exchanged for a liter of gasoline or a small bag of vegetables and fruits. With the few coins Li Ye had, he could hardly procure many supplies.

Glancing back inadvertently at the water tower atop the Tomorrow ship, a sudden idea struck him. "Do you need fresh water? Although I don’t have many crystal coins, I can trade fresh water with you for supplies."

To his delight, Wildfield Town was precisely facing a shortage of fresh water. In recent days, several people had been injured or even died while searching for water outside. The arrival of the Tomorrow ship was a timely relief for Wildfield Town’s urgent needs.

Before long, a crowd gathered around Li Ye. After some bargaining, Li Ye exchanged 1,000 units of fresh water for supplies that piled up before him like a small mountain: 82 units of fuel, 126 units of coal. This was the best haul after scouring the entire market.

As fuel and coal were loaded one after another, the energy level of the Tomorrow ship rose from 11% to 27%. Though it hadn’t reached the safe threshold of 60%, this was still a respectable amount. Additionally, Li Ye acquired over three hundred steamed buns, two sacks of potatoes and corn, a bag of flour, and a dozen packs of homemade cookies. As for candles, he managed to buy two boxes.

The only regret was that he couldn’t find any saltpeter, making it impossible to craft artillery shells.

After instructing Old Zhou and his team to bring the supplies aboard the Tomorrow ship, Li Ye rubbed his hands and began his plan to recruit personnel. As he expected, Wildfield Town lacked specialists like gunners or mechanics.

However, three individuals responded to the call for ordinary residents. For survivors, being part of a moving city with some protection was far safer than living defenselessly in a town.

“Just this few people? It’s not nearly enough,” Li Ye sighed. He patiently explained the daily work involved and the daily allotment of supplies for each recruit.

During the conversation, one person curiously asked, “Does the Tomorrow ship need slaves badly?”

Li Ye frowned slightly at the word. Having once endured slavery himself and fought alongside his brothers to rebel against their rulers, the term struck a nerve.

“No, I’m not asking you to be slaves,” he said solemnly. “I assure you, you will be members of the Tomorrow ship and will not be subjected to any inhuman servitude or treatment.”

The crowd stirred at his words, and a few more stepped forward. After some exchange, Li Ye recruited six more people.

As he was about to lead the nine new recruits back to the Tomorrow ship, a calm voice suddenly spoke from the crowd.

“I believe I can serve as the mechanic on the Tomorrow ship.”

Li Ye turned in surprise to see the speaker: a young man with black hair and glasses, sitting in a wheelchair. He looked ordinary but bore an unhealthy pallor. It seemed that beyond his leg disability, he was plagued by illness. A timid-looking little girl, about eight or nine years old, pushed his wheelchair; she appeared to be his sister.

“You’re a mechanic?” Li Ye asked in astonishment.

The young man shook his head gently. “No, I’ve never worked on a moving city before. But I have read many books about mechanics and believe the practical work won’t be too difficult.”

Page 2/3

“By the way, compared to ordinary residents, mechanics should receive better treatment, right? I hope to bring this little girl with me. She must receive a daily ration and not be required to work on the moving city. Also, I need you to assign me an assistant to help with daily maintenance…”

Before he could finish, Li Ye slowly shook his head.

“Sorry, I can’t agree to that.”

In truth, even though the young man wasn’t a certified mechanic, Li Ye was willing to give him a chance. After all, skilled mechanics were hard to find in the wasteland, and the Tomorrow ship was just getting started with limited resources. Hiring even an apprentice was fortunate.

But with the man’s disability and illness, plus the need to care for a child and an assistant, that meant Li Ye would have to allocate rations and water for two people and lose a laborer.

The young man pondered briefly, then added, “I can also serve as a helmsman.”

Li Ye was momentarily stunned, then looked at him with hopeful eyes. If this young man could indeed serve as both mechanic and helmsman, offering him this treatment would be worthwhile.

Sensing Li Ye’s thoughts, the young man added, “I’ve never been a helmsman before, but I’ve read many books about piloting moving cities and believe practical operation won’t be too difficult either.”

After a long hesitation, Li Ye nodded. The Tomorrow ship was in urgent need of all kinds of talent, and given its modest compensation, experienced mechanics and helmsmen might not be interested. Having someone to fill those roles was already quite good.

“Alright,” he sighed. “By the way, what’s your name?”

The young man adjusted his glasses. “Lin Wu.”

After scrutinizing Li Ye for a moment, he spoke softly. “Mr. Li, if I’m not mistaken, were you once a slave?”

Li Ye was taken aback. “Why do you say that?”

“Because of your reaction to the word ‘slave’—you seem very averse to it—and your earlier promises. But those alone aren’t enough proof. The main reason is that just now, when you walked, you kept reaching back to tug at the clothing on your back. This is likely because, when you were a slave, your back was often whipped by lords and enforcers, leaving many scars. Although you’re wearing new clothes now and the marks aren’t visible, the wounds probably haven’t fully healed, so touching the fabric itches and hurts.”

Li Ye nodded slowly. He hadn’t expected Lin Wu’s powers of observation to be so keen.

“Alright, pack your things and come with me,” he said, waving his hand.

Lin Wu nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Li…”

Li Ye cut him off with a wave. “Call me Lord. You’re now one of the Tomorrow ship’s people.”

...

After ascending via the lift into the Tomorrow ship, Lin Wu exhaled softly, feeling somewhat relieved. With his leg disability, chronic illness, and a child in tow, life was especially difficult. Even worse, living in Wildfield Town offered no real sense of security. The wasteland teemed with monsters; Wildfield Town lacked heavy machine guns and artillery, and its defenses were weak. If a zombie horde attacked, the town was sure to fall.

When Li Ye recruited, Lin Wu had come with a tentative hope, never expecting to be accepted. This explained why many survivors in the wasteland preferred to become slaves in moving cities rather than live in towns—they were far safer and usually equipped with artillery and machine guns.

Page 3/3

Though slaves, some moving cities still had promotion pathways.

“I’ll meet all your conditions, but if I can’t do my job, you can truly throw us siblings off the Tomorrow ship,” Li Ye said lightly from behind.

Lin Wu nodded. “Don’t worry. I will prove my worth.” He gently patted the little girl pushing his wheelchair. “Also, we’re not siblings.”

“What?”

“She’s Xiao Yao, the younger sister of a close friend.” Lin Wu spoke quietly as a breeze tousled his bangs, obscuring his downcast eyes.

“My friend took care of me and died trying to save me. Before he died, he entrusted his sister to me and asked me to look after her.”

...

Lin Wu and the other newcomers were assigned their own rooms aboard the Tomorrow ship and received their allotted water and food. Upon seeing their rooms, joy lit up their faces. They initially thought they would be slaves and braced themselves for hardship. After all, being a slave on a moving city was still safer than living unprotected in a town.

But Li Ye’s treatment far exceeded their expectations: each had a private room, daily meals and drinks, and reasonable workloads.

At this moment, Li Ye frowned in the control room.

“There still aren’t enough people.”

He had recruited only eleven newcomers. They were needed to manage the fields, gather resources outside, and maintain the ship’s daily cleanliness. Among them, Lin Wu was responsible only for maintenance, and the little girl did not work, effectively reducing the workforce by two.

Moreover, Li Ye had spoken truthfully when recruiting in Wildfield Town. In this world, slaves on moving cities were common, and many newcomers expected to become slaves upon joining.

But Li Ye sought residents, not slaves. Slaves worked mindlessly, while residents felt a sense of belonging and were willing to labor for their moving city. A moving city was like a lone vessel traveling over land; only with everyone’s cooperation could it go far.

He then accessed the system, looking eagerly at the information panel. The system cooldown had completed.

[Next information refresh in 2 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds]

[Information entries: 6]

This refresh cycle was much longer than the last, taking a full three days. Correspondingly, there was one more piece of information this time, likely increasing its value significantly, perhaps even including an epic-level entry as before.

Suppressing his excitement, Li Ye stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Can’t just sit idle these days—I still have to find ways to gather resources.”

As the Tomorrow ship’s population grew, daily food and water consumption rose considerably, along with energy use. Without gains each day, it would all be wasted.

Just then, Old Zhou’s voice came from outside.

“Ah Li, come out, there’s a situation!”

Li Ye’s heart skipped a beat as he hurried out of the production workshop.

“What’s going on? Is it an enemy attack?”

Old Zhou shook his head and quickly briefed him.

A lookout had discovered a mine about 800 meters northwest of the Tomorrow ship.

Li Ye waved his hand.

“Let’s head up to the watchtower and take a look.”