Chapter 758.2: THE CHANGE
Chapter 758.2: THE CHANGE
At first, Night Ten had intended to tell the tale casually, simply explaining how the flame of order first rose upon the wasteland. But as he continued speaking, even he found himself moved by the story.
It wasn't because he was praising himself. Back then, things were unbelievably hard. Here he was, a top-tier player, personally mixing and pouring concrete, and the best weapon on the entire server was nothing more than an iron pipe rifle!
Forget the people listening to the story, even he, the one telling it, was about to cry!
The three people walking beside him were equally moved. Without realizing it, a faint spark had quietly ignited within their hearts...
While Night Ten was recounting how Chu Guang overthrew the old mayor of Baker Street and how the first spark had been lit outside Boulder Town, thousands, even tens of thousands, of kilometers away, an unremarkable cargo ship was slowly approaching the largest trading port on the west coast of the Poro Province.
Standing on the bow, Nihark stared at the distant harbor in astonishment, his eyes filled with indescribable surprise. The glow of the setting sun bathed the bustling concrete docks, while orderly rows of red-brick Western-style houses lined both sides of broad brick-paved streets four to five meters wide. The prosperity there seemed no less impressive than the transformed Port Gallon.
In fact, it was even grander and busier!
The Wislanders' artistic sense was in no way inferior to that of the architects of the New Alliance, the Enterprise, or the Academy.
Especially when it came to large, magnificent buildings, they possessed an aesthetic as bold and distinctive as the caliber of their massive artillery.
Apparently, a number of Wislanders had settled here. They had not only brought their wives, houses, and Dinars from Triumphant City, but also transplanted their elegant way of life.
Governor Nihark saw a sharp-featured overseer cracking a whip as he urged bare-chested laborers to carry enormous crates large enough to fit a person inside, hurrying back and forth across the sun-scorched concrete docks.
That familiar feeling!
Looking at the scene before him, Nihark took a deep breath, his eyes immediately welled with tears.
He had returned! Everything was back to normal!
Not far behind him, the fluffy white bear looked at his back with unconcealed disgust and muttered, "Can I throw him overboard?"
"Nope, Roro. He's a quest item! Our client paid quite a hefty travel fee." Standing beside her, Tail balanced one foot on the railing while excitedly gazing at the legendary West Sail Harbor.
What a huge harbor!
Their settlement was probably no smaller than Port Gallon. It might even have a population exceeding a million!
Besides the locals from the Poro Province, there were also quite a few Wislanders living in the harbor district.
From the looks of it, they wouldn't have any trouble selling the cargo they had brought.
Before long, the cargo ship docked, and a Wislander officer stepped on board. Emerging from the captain's cabin, Sisi handed over the cargo manifest while presenting her VM, displaying both the electronic permit and its identification barcode. "This is an electronic travel permit issued by the Mutant Slime Mold Research Committee. We would like to request permission to disembark."
"Be my guest." The Wislander officer glanced at the permit before chuckling. "We'll guarantee your legal rights, but I'd advise you to stay within the harbor district. Those rats have terrible habits. Ladies like you would do well to avoid walking alone at night or wandering into back alleys. Our guards may not always notice what happens to you."
Sensing the hostility in his gaze, Sisi remained unfazed and replied simply, "Then we won't trouble you. Just make sure you don't try anything stupid."
As though he heard an amusing joke, the Wislander laughed heartily. Once he finished, he curled his lips into a grin. "We don't bother with little tricks. If there's something we want, we take it on the battlefield."
Only a Wislander could say something like that with such confidence.
Sisi shrugged and mocked, "Save that speech for your people. There's no need to tell us. Everyone who's done business with us has made a fortune. But if anyone thinks they can steal even a single copper coin from us, they better be prepared to lose a couple of teeth."
The officer caught the barb hidden beneath her words but merely smiled indifferently before making an exaggerated welcoming gesture. "I'm Dekolo, Director of the West Sail Harbor Authority Office. Welcome to West Sail Harbor, and I hope you enjoy your stay!"
With that, he handed the cargo manifest to his deputy and disembarked.
Besides carrying more than twenty passengers, the Roro Boat was transporting 500 tons of canned herring and 150 tons of potato vodka. Those were specialties of Port Gallon and also the two products most sought after by Wislanders.
There wasn't much room for haggling over the price, but there was absolutely no worry about finding buyers.
At least 5,000 to 6,000 Wislanders had settled in West Sail Port. Including the transient population, there were probably well over 10,000 of them! Their daily consumption of herring and spirits was measured in tons.
Furthermore, just a few hundred nautical miles to the northwest lay a port for the Southern Archipelago New Alliance. Even if the local market couldn't absorb everything, the remainder could easily be sold there.
Besides canned herring and spirits, the cargo also included all sorts of miscellaneous goods.
Refrigerators, wristwatches, furniture, electrical appliances. Even secondhand books and handicrafts from Silvermoon Bay.
After disembarking, Sisi rented a covered market stall through the Port Authority and directed the crew to carry several crates of assorted goods there as samples, attaching price tags for display.
The four of them agreed to work in pairs, taking turns manning the stall, with the pairings determined by drawing lots.
The first shift consisted of Sisi and Sesame Paste. To pass the time while waiting for customers, Sisi bought a locally popular novel from the market and began reading it.
At first, Sesame Paste curiously watched the crowds passing by. However, after realizing that nearly everyone walking through the area was a Wislander, she quickly grew bored. She picked up a book from the crate of used books and started reading alongside Sisi.
By sheer coincidence, the one she chose was the very novel Tail had been longing to read, Bore the Awakener.
Initially, she had only intended to skim through a couple of chapters. Before long, however, the twists and turns of the story completely captivated her. Without realizing it, she became utterly engrossed.
Time slipped by.
Before long, Sisi had already completed two sales. She sold 100 tons of canned herring at 6,300 Silver per ton and 80 tons of potato vodka at 11,221 Silver per ton.
At West Sail Harbor, retail prices were generally about twice the wholesale price. For example, canned herring that wholesale at 6.3 Silver per kilogram would ultimately retail for around 12 to 15 Dinars per 200 gram can.
Doing the math, a 200 gram can priced at the minimum retail price of 12 Dinars meant a wholesale value of roughly 6 Dinars, or 30 Dinars per kilogram.
Compared to the actual wholesale price of 6.3 Silver per kilogram, the ratio worked out to almost exactly 5:1. Coincidentally, the exchange rate between Silver and Dinars generally peaked around 1:5.
With spirits, however, the implied exchange ratio often exceeded that figure.
Finding the phenomenon rather interesting, Sisi casually jotted it down in her notebook, planning to include it in a travel journal post after logging off later.
Watching Sisi diligently handle the business, Sesame Paste, who had been slacking off reading novels for over an hour, began feeling a little guilty. She quietly closed the novel resting on her lap.
She couldn't leave everything to Sisi forever. At the very least, she wanted to sell one order before sunset!
Just as that thought crossed her mind, a customer happened to wander over. The man was thin, plainly dressed, neither Wislander nor local. He looked more like a priest of the Silvermoon Church from Silvermoon Bay.
Sesame Paste knew that sort of person all too well. In fact, she could recognize them at a glance. After all, whenever she forgot to hide her cat ears beneath a hat, those people would rush over with fanatical expressions to worship her.
The man glanced at the book resting on her knees before looking toward the basket of old books. Stroking his chin, he asked curiously, "Are these books for sale?"
Hearing someone interested in the books, Sesame Paste immediately put on a bright smile. "Of course! Are you interested, sir?"
The man nodded honestly. "How much?"
Sesame Paste replied enthusiastically, "We sell them by the ton. A ton contains roughly two to three thousand books. Only 2,000 Silver!"
To her surprise, however, the man shook his head and muttered in disapproval, "Far too cheap. Something as precious as books shouldn't cost less than canned herring."
But... these are used books...
Looking at the customer shaking his head, Sesame Paste smiled helplessly. "Then... 2,500?"
Before she could finish, the customer had already pulled out a stack of bills from beneath his plain robes. "Let's keep it at 2,000 silver. No need to bargain. I'll take a ton."
Although they normally only accepted orders of five tons or more, Sesame Paste made an exception for her very first customer. She accepted the payment and issued him a collection voucher. "Just take this voucher to the Roro Boat to collect your books... Um, may I ask what you plan to do with them?"
The man didn't try to hide it. With a devout expression, he replied, "I am a servant of the Silvermoon Goddess. I came to this barren land to spread Her divine teachings. Unfortunately, the local survivors are far too ignorant and uneducated. I plan to begin by teaching them how to read."
Sesame Paste looked at him in surprise, unconsciously tugging her hat down over her cat ears.
Wait... the Moonfolk were just purged by the Xilande Empire. Is it really okay for the Silvermoon Church to be preaching here?
It was hard to say whether the two were connected. After all, Silvermoon Bay and the Poro Province were so close that many things remained unclear.
Then she remembered, the place was ruled by the Wislanders. The Emperor probably had no authority here.
"Well... good luck! Oh, right." She suddenly remembered something and kindly added, "Besides old books, publishing newspapers is actually a great way to improve literacy."
"... Newspapers?" The man repeated thoughtfully, his eyes gradually brightening. "That's... actually an excellent idea. It's certainly worth trying. But what should a newspaper publish?"
"Serialized stories would probably work well. For example..."
She handed him the copy of The Awakened Bor she had been reading.
"... this?"
"I remember the Survivor Daily in Boulder Town only became popular because of the serialized novels in its supplement! Once people share a common language and common topics, you won't even have to urge them to learn. They'll study on their own, and some will even start writing stories themselves."
She still remembered how the earliest newspaper serials had mostly been player-modified versions of real-world novels. Later on, however, the most popular stories were all original works written by Boulder Town’s residents.
Holding the novel she had placed into his hands, the priest looked completely overwhelmed. "Oh... I couldn't possibly. Is it really alright to give this to me? I should pay for it. How much is it?"
As he spoke, he hurriedly tucked the book beneath his arm and reached into his pockets for money.
Watching him scramble for his wallet, Sesame Paste couldn't help smiling. "No, no. Just consider it a bonus with your purchase of used books. If your newspaper ends up making a lot of money, though, please send some royalties to Mr. Spielberg in Boulder Town. His writing may be a little rough around the edges, but he genuinely put his heart into it."
"You have my word! Ah, right. My name is... Melgio. May I ask yours?"
"Just call me Sesame Paste."
It had originally been the name of her pet cat. Later, it simply became her online username.
At that moment, Melgio suddenly noticed the cat ear peeking out from beneath the edge of her hat.
At first, he thought he was imagining it. But after hearing the name, he vaguely recalled the stories he heard back in Silvermoon Bay. The surprise on his face gradually transformed into fervent devotion.
Realizing what was happening, Sesame Paste cursed her luck and hurriedly pulled her hat down to hide the exposed ear. Unfortunately, she was already too late.
With utmost reverence, Melgio bowed deeply, paying no attention whatsoever to those around him.
"Most honored... Forgive me. Please rest assured, I shall never betray your expectations! I will spread Silvermoon's radiance across this barren land!"
Looking at his excessive display of devotion, and at the dumbfounded Sisi standing nearby, Sesame Paste laughed helplessly. "Please don't do this. And you've misunderstood. I'm really not some incarnation of the Silvermoon Goddess... I'm just an ordinary pla... Ah, what do I have to say to make you people believe me?"
"You're absolutely right. Whatever you say, that's exactly what you are." Melgio wore a look of complete sincerity, even making a gesture indicating he'd keep her secret.
Just like back in Silvermoon Bay, these self-proclaimed cat lovers never listened to a single word she said.
At first, it had been rather amusing. But after a while, anyone would develop a headache from it.
Sesame Paste rubbed her forehead with a sigh before finally giving up trying to explain. Hugging her knees, she muttered quietly, "Ah... anyway... good luck."
Her voice was full of weary resignation, yet in Melgio's ears, it carried an entirely different meaning.
As though he had personally received the Goddess's blessing, Melgio gazed reverently at Sesame Paste sitting behind the stall and solemnly swore, "I have received your command!"