Governor's Palace on the crater.

Channing walked into the office as usual, threw the newspaper he bought on his desk, and prepared to start the new day drinking tea and reading the newspaper.

However, as soon as he sat down in his chair, a pungent fishy smell made him frown.

"What does it smell like?"

Why does it stink so much!

Getting up and walking to the window, Channing was about to open the window to let in some air, but he had just opened the window when a foul stench blew into the room with the sea breeze.

Squinted by the smell, this time he finally figured out where the smell came from.

As soon as he closed the window, he pinched his nose and walked to the door of the office, beckoning to call the secretary in the next room.

"...... What's going on over there? Why does it smell so big?"

The secretary was obviously choked with enough smoke, and said helplessly in the face of the governor's questioning.

「…… The Mistral cargo ship that had just docked had brought in more than a thousand furs."

"Fur?!" Channing looked at him stunned, and subconsciously said, "How can fur stink so much?!"

The secretary said with a bitter face.

"It's the kind that has just been peeled off the xenomorph's body, not only has the blood and oil not been cleaned, but it looks like it has been fermented for a while."

"Freshly skinned from the xeno?" Channing narrowed his eyes in surprise, "Where did they get them?"

Thousands of freshly peeled furs......

That's not a small amount!

Although the inhabitants of the thirteen islands in the southern seas occasionally sail to the beaches south of Baiyue Province to hunt, even experienced hunters often dare not stay too long, and it is remarkable that they can get a game or two at most.

The islands' food sources consisted mainly of fish from the sea and farmed algae extracts, as well as the occasional grain and livestock sold here from Silvermoon Bay.

He hadn't heard of any port that could produce so many furs—

Wait a minute.

Channing suddenly thought of the Coalition's station on the northern shore of the Baiyue Strait, and those people had previously sent congratulatory messages of greeting to the federal authorities of the Southern Islands through the radio station on the crater in the name of "Port of French Fries".

He originally just took those people as a joke, thinking that they wouldn't last long before they would retreat, but he didn't expect those people to carry it down?

As if to confirm his suspicions, the secretary swallowed and said.

"I've heard from the patrol that the Mistral is in that settlement at the eastern exit of the Baiyue Strait...... It was imported from that fries port."

Channing was silent for a while, then took a deep breath and said.

"I see."

Looking at the Governor, whose face was heavy and he didn't know what to think, the secretary nodded cautiously, turned around and prepared to go back to his office next door.

But just as he put his hand on the grip of the door, the door slammed open from the outside, almost touching his nose.

Before he could see who had entered, an aggressive voice blew in with the wind from the door panel.

"Mr. Governor! We've got to take care of that ship!"

Looking at the man who strode into the office, Channing, who was standing next to the desk, pressed his eyebrows and glanced at the secretary standing at the door.

"Go pour a cup of tea for Director Stilwell."

"Okay...... Sir."

The secretary nodded, glanced at the impudent fellow, turned and walked out the door, and closed the office door.

Watching the door close, Channing then looked at the angry director of the port office and said in a soothing tone.

"You sit first—"

"Don't waste your time," the director named Stilwell waved his hand, unceremoniously interrupting him, and continued aggressively, "I don't understand why you're so lenient with those guys! We are a colony of the Federation of the Southern Islands, not a colony of the Union! They can do it today

Rub those furs on our harbor and sell them tomorrow under our noses!"

Channing coughed.

"That shouldn't be ...... So far, they've been pretty well-behaved."

"What do you call this obedience?" Stilwell walked over to the window, pointed to the two ships outside the window, and said angrily, "The whole harbor stench rot now!" I didn't know that I thought it was a biological weapon sent to us by Vault 70!"

"But there's really no rule that says that ships docked in the harbor can't wash their clothes on their decks......" Seeing Director Stilwell glaring at him, Channing also felt that his statement was a bit far-fetched, so he coughed dryly and said, "Okay, a week...... If the ship is still with us in a week's time, I'll give it an ultimatum."

"That's what you said last week!" Director Stilwell said unceremoniously, "Give them a week! You'll have it until next month!"

was ruthlessly exposed in person, Channing's expression was also embarrassed, and he was even more annoyed but helpless.

"Okay, I'll admit it, I just don't dare to bomb those guys if I'm afraid of the Alliance, but what's wrong with that? We're at war with Vault 70, and the situation is getting worse and worse for us, the old tortoises are all right when they close the door, and we're responsible for the food, drink, and Lazar of millions of people! We also have to supply the Federal Navy! Do you know what it means to offend those people now?"

Stilwell said with a sneer.

"More than 2,000 kilometers away, can they still call directly?"

Seeing this guy's indifferent expression, Channing also laughed.

"I'm not kidding, they do have the ability to do this, I've heard that our guys from the north are at the hands of those guys."

Looking at Director Stilwell, whose expression was beginning to be unnatural, Channing grabbed the teacup on the desk and took a sip, moistened his throat and continued.

"If I were them, there would be no need to be so troublesome, just say hello to the Hump Kingdom and cut off the route from Silvermoon Bay to us, guess how many people on this island have to drink the northwest wind?" Are you sure you want me to take this risk and do a thankless job?"

The corners of Stilwell's mouth twitched.

"Are we just going to endure it all the time?"

"There's no harm in being generous," Channing shrugged his shoulders and took a sip from his teacup, "Since they are paying late fees according to the rules, we will let them keep them according to the rules, and they can't stay forever anyway...... Or do you have a better way?"

There was no sound in the office for a long time.

The director of the port office obviously couldn't think of a better way, and his lips moved for a long time without saying a word.

At this time, the door of the office was pushed open, and the secretary who had gone out to make tea walked in from outside with a tray.

"Mr. Stilwell, your tea."

Stilwell glanced at the teacup on the tray and then at the incompetent governor, finally holding back the words and walking out of the office through the open door without saying a word.

He still felt that the attitude of the Governor's Office of the Crater was too soft towards the Alliance.

However, he also admits that, as the guy said, there really is no better way for them to face the behemoth of the Alliance than to exercise restraint......

……

Minutes and seconds passed.

The sun quickly turned from east to west, and then sank into the sea, leaving layers of sparkling gold on the blue waves in the distance.

The stevedores squatting on the dock were sipping beer while blowing the sea breeze, leisurely looking at the cargo ship not far away with blood and grease foam, and the busy girls on the deck of the cargo ship.

Since about four o'clock in the afternoon, there has been no smell on the pier.

Some of the women brushed with mops, some rubbed with their hands, and some scraped with knives to clean their furs.

Then they followed another bucket

Buckets of water were scooped up from the sea and splashed on the surface of the fur.

Washed by barrels of seawater, the stinking minced meat and fat have been washed into the sea and become bait for the fish.

After rinsing the furs, the girls hung them on wooden brackets and arranged them neatly on the deck like a row of sails.

Those "sails" became natural roadblocks.

A short-haired girl and a big white bear were running around the fur holders, playing hide and seek with a bunch of giggling children.

Of course, they're not all adding to the difficulty for those who are busy drying their furs.

When it was necessary to repeatedly beat the surface of the fur with a wooden stick, the two living treasures exerted a lot of strength.

Looking at the one man and one bear playing hide and seek with the children, many children's mothers showed knowing smiles on their faces.

I always feel like I haven't seen this picture for a long time......

On the other side of the deck.

Twenty or so girls, about fifteen or sixteen years old, under the guidance of an old woman, rubbed buckets of marine oil on the inside of their furs.

These marine xenophytes are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which oxidize slowly in hot and humid environments, and the resulting polymers naturally envelop the collagen fibers in the inner layer of the fur, giving them a soft texture and excellent hydrophobicity, while the resulting aldehydes are cross-linked with other oxides and skin collagen fibers to produce tanning effects.

The process of tanning fur is much more than that, and also includes a series of processes such as alkaline water immersion, rinsing, etc.

However, after this work was completed, the decay of the furs was basically stopped, and the value of the goods, which had only added up to a few hundred thousand silver coins, more than doubled.

If all of them are dragged to Silver Moon Bay, a piece of goods can be sold for a thousand silver coins! A thousand pieces is a million!

And that's not even counting the high-quality items such as the mink that are included in it.

The royal family of the entire desert will go crazy for it!

However, although these furs are priceless, they are obviously not as attractive to the big men sitting on the docks as the exotic girls.

Especially this kind of water-intensive work will inevitably get your clothes wet.

Many young men with strong blood and strength looked at them with dry mouths and straight eyes, and could only pour beer bottle after bottle.

Thanks to this, business at the taverns along the docks has improved a lot.

"They're the Luna Clan?"

"Yes."

"It seems to be no different from other people who have come here from Borneo."

"Anyway, this ship has been parked here for over a week, and it's the first time I've seen them all on deck."

"I'm more curious about how so many people got onto the boat."

A young man with slightly curly hair scratched the back of his head and looked at his partner next to him and asked.

"I still don't understand, that Xilan Empire...... Why drive away this diligent girl? Can't you just give them the work?"

He had never seen such a person who could endure hardship.

They can work from noon to evening in the scorching sun, whether they are eleven or twelve-year-old girls or old people.

This is incomprehensible to the islanders of the Rimers, whose living conditions are quite good.

The slightly older man on the side narrowed his eyes, picked up the beer bottle and took a sip, and said casually.

"Who knows, the outside of the sea is all wasteland, Haiya Province is, Baiyue Province is, Luoxia Province is also, not to mention Borneo Province...... Hell knows what those guys in the wasteland are thinking."

When he was younger, he used to go to the wasteland and escort the blue coat from Vault 70 to a place called Qingquan City to the north to retrieve some data.

Since that time, he has lost interest in the world on land, and he has thoroughly understood why their ancestors had moved to this isolated island in the first place.

That wasteland is hell.

Whatever happens, no

Worth wondering......

While the workers on the dock took advantage of the last bit of dusk to enjoy the beautiful scenery on the deck, Mogarvi, who was standing on the deck of the Mistral, also looked at it with straight eyes, his heart beat faster, and he involuntarily breathed rapidly.

But it wasn't the exotic girl who stole his eye, but the new furs!

The supple and beautiful hair swayed gently in the setting sun, shining with a dazzling light, and in his eyes it was like a glittering gold coin!

Of course.

This is an exaggeration, as most of the furs have only been washed and will have to wait some time before they are tanned into the final product.

But even so, the scrubbed fur is much better than the bloody, greasy original appearance before!

"It's just amazing! Thank you! I don't know how to thank you enough!"

Handing the bag containing 110,000 silver bills to Siss's hand, Mogarvi's face was full of excitement and incoherent excitement.

It's no exaggeration to say that this is the best value for money of all the deals he's done this month!

It seems that the league is not all unreliable guys.

Taking the reward from the NPC's hand, Sisi opened the bag and counted it carefully, and pulled out a few to check the authenticity.

After confirming that there was no problem, a smile appeared on her face, and she replied in a teasing tone.

"That's not easy, just pay us tens of thousands of more silver coins."

Hearing this, Mo Jiawei almost didn't choke on his own spit, and coughed dryly twice.

"Ahem...... It sounds like a good idea, but I don't really have a single bill left in my pocket right now."

didn't believe his nonsense, Sisi just smiled faintly, and then handed the money bag in his hand to the sesame paste on the side, and whispered.

"Go and pass on the payment to those people, and I won't show up."

"Hmm! Leave it to me!" Sesame Paste nodded with a smile and happily trotted towards the other side of the deck.

Mogawi's eyes were fixed on the bulging purse until it disappeared into a corner of the deck with its excited back

Retracting his gaze from a distance, he looked back at Sisi and smiled sheepishly.

"That's right...... Well, please take care of the boat washing, don't forget."

Sisi said with a faint smile.

"Don't worry, my memory isn't that bad."

With that, she turned and walked in the direction of the cabin.

Looking at the back of the man who was about to disappear at the door of the cabin, Mogarwi didn't know what to think, and suddenly shouted in a ghostly voice.

"Hey, are you free in a moment?"

Looking at the man who stopped, he stubbornly squeezed out a sunny smile from his face that did not match his temperament.

"If you have time...... How about a meal together? I'm in for a treat."

Looking at the NPC's funny expression and the movement of raising his hands, Si Si couldn't help but smile.

However, she didn't want to waste time on the side quests that had already been completed, and the NPC's appearance was not to her liking, so she politely declined the invitation.

"Thank you for your kindness, but I've already eaten it."

"Okay......

Sensing the tactful refusal, Mogarwi embarrassedly withdrew his raised hand and scratched the back of his head, "That's a pity...... I remember there was a nice restaurant here."

Although the feeling of rejection was frustrating, this level of frustration was only the size of a sesame seed for a businessman like him.

Especially when he thought of the value of the furs, he immediately put this insignificant regret behind his head, and regained that confident smile on his face.

He had no doubt that his name would become when he transported this precious cargo back to Silvermoon Bay

A new legend in Silvermoon City!

The ladies and ladies of the nobles of the whole city will be crazy about the rare goods he has brought back from the East!

In that bustling port, what is there that money can't buy?

If there is -

That only shows that there is not enough!

……

At the same time, on the other side of the deck.

After searching for sesame paste on the deck for a while, he crossed the rows of fur stands and finally found Granny Sangru, who was teaching the young people of the clan how to tann furs, and handed her the money bag containing 110,000 silver coins.

However, to Sesame's surprise, when she happily told the old man that the silver coins were paid to them, the old woman looked at her in shock, and then pushed the bag back into her hand without saying a word.

"Take it away, how can this be done! These things we can do are what we should do, we are already grateful for your willingness to take in the homeless, how can we be embarrassed to take your money again?"

Looking at Granny Sangru, who had obviously misunderstood something, Sesame Paste explained with a smile.

"No, you're mistaken, it's not what we're paying you...... The cargo ship on the other side paid you. You've helped them with the furs, and it's the fruits of your labor—"

"That's not going to work!"

The old man stubbornly stuffed the money bag back into her hand, and his thin hand held her hand tightly, as if he was afraid that she would let go, and said in a sincere tone, "Even if you give us money, we don't have a place to use it, so it's better to put it there with you." If you need to buy anything in the future, you can use the money first! We can trust you!"

It's not just Granny Sangru.

The other Moon Clan girls in the vicinity were the same, all begging her to take the money back, saying that they would not ask for the payment.

"Yes, you can keep it for us!"

"We just wanted to do something for you, and we didn't think about getting anything in return."

I've never dealt with this situation, and Sesame Paste couldn't cry or laugh for a while, looking at the stubborn guys who didn't know how to persuade them.

Just when Sesame Paste was in a dilemma, a very energetic voice suddenly interjected from the side and relieved her.

"Oh! Don't worry, old man, this huge amount of money will soon come in handy!"

Hearing the loud voice, everyone looked in the direction from which the sound came, and saw the tail with his hands crossed on his waist standing there, followed by a flesh.

"Ah O?" Looking at the tail that suddenly appeared, Sesame Paste had a surprised expression on his face.

Giving her a look of "rest assured to me", Tail looked at the crowd gathered here, cleared his throat and continued.

"Just now, I discussed with my companions that it's really not good to stay in someone's port all the time. And there's a war going on here, so maybe one day we'll be caught up in it."

"It just so happens that our companions have established a new settlement on the northern shore of the Baiyue Strait, a vast expanse of borderland, where anyone can settle as long as they obey the laws of the Alliance!"

Hearing this, there was a whispering commotion among the surrounding crowd, exchanging surprises and blankness in their eyes.

A vast borderland?

But......

They had heard that it was a different world.

And will the people who have settled there really accept them?

Seeing the concern in everyone's eyes, Tail continued energetically.

"Don't worry, although there are a lot of xenomorphs there, we are an alliance that even the brood of Qingquan City has defeated! It's not a matter of a few xenos, and the fur is stripped from those xenos!"

Facts that can be seen with the naked eye are more convincing than all rumors.

The survivors of the Southern Islands Federation had been evacuated from Baiyue Province, and the kingdom of Oasis 4 had planted a major position there. Those losers who have touched the ashes of the nose naturally leave no stone unturned

It depicts the horrors of Baiyue Province and the unconquerability of that forest.

Now, however, the players of Fil Harbor have not only established themselves in that unconquerable land, but have proven that the savage and bloodthirsty xenos are not invincible.

While most of the survivors here didn't know what was going on with the Tail Nest, they all furrowed their brows as they looked at the rows of fur that had been stripped from the xenomorphs.

At this moment, there is only one concern left in everyone's hearts-

"They...... Will you accept us?" Glancing hesitantly at the harbor not far away, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl stepped out of the crowd and asked quietly as she looked at her tail.

"Oh! Of course!" Tail gave her a thumbs up, gave her an affirmative look, and continued with a confident smile, "In fact, it was the survivors of Port Fries who invited us to settle in the past, promising to keep the settlement safe."

"There are a lot of powerful bosses out there, and it's okay to deal with a few monsters, bosses, or whatever, but some basic work is still very short of manpower. Not only the tanning of furs, but also the salt pans near the port, and the orchards that I plan to build in the future...... In short, there are a lot of places that lack people! As long as you are willing to work, you will be paid as much as you do today, and you can buy a lot of things!"

Looking at the pair of eyes that were gradually brightening with longing and longing, the corners of the tail's mouth couldn't help but turn up a smile.

"Of course, everything there has just begun, and the conditions are still very simple, and they must be far worse than the ideal city...... But Tail can assure you that everything will slowly get better! How is it? Would you like to go there with Tail?"

There were more and more people around, and the louder and louder chattering spread along the crowd in all directions.

Some people have anticipation in their eyes, but there are also some people who have apprehension and anxiety about changing the status quo.

Just when everyone couldn't make up their minds, a firm voice suddenly came from the side.

"I'm willing...... I'm with you!"

The voice sounded familiar.

Sesame Paste subconsciously looked back, only to see Misa with a ponytail looking at this side with a serious face, squeezing out of the crowd and walking towards this side.

A look of surprise crossed her face.

It was the first time she had seen such a brave expression on the face of such a shy girl.

Hearing the voice pick up his own words, Tail suddenly looked at the brave girl with a serious expression as if he had discovered a new continent.

"Oh! Girl, you have to think clearly, once you get on our thief ship—bah, and on our port, you won't be able to go to the Ideal City."

"Ideal City...... It's someone else's home. No matter how good it is, there is no place for us."

Turning his gaze to the nearby port, and the lively faces on the port, a smile of relief appeared on Misa's face.

"I still want to have my own home than I have been living under the fence since then. Even if it's still very broken for the time being, it's okay, I'm willing to accompany it to get better slowly."

With that, she turned to look at her compatriots around her, plucking up the courage to raise her voice.

"Everyone...... How long has it been since we've lived in the sun like we have today!"

From the moment they moved into the concentration camp at the port of Golden Gallen, they were like cattle for buyers to choose.

From the moment when the Xilan Empire deprived them of all their property and freedom for inexplicable reasons.

The voice that was not sensational resonated with countless people, including the respected Granny Sangru, whose wrinkled face also showed a moving expression.

The old man took two trembling steps forward, stretched out his thin hand and took the child's hand, a warm smile on his face.

"Misa...... You said something that all of us didn't know how to say, and I felt like it had been hidden in my heart for a long, long time."

As she spoke, she looked at the sesame paste, then at the tail, the aging pupils

with gratitude and sincerity.

"I'm willing to follow you to that settlement, and if there's anything we can do to help, please let us know!"

Just as her words fell, more and more powerful voices came from all directions.

"Me too!"

"Please take us with you!"

Looking at the energetic guys, the eyes of sesame paste and meat lit up with emotion, and the tail shouted excitedly.

"Oh! Then it was so happily decided that the next stop is the port of fries! Meat, set sail for the boiler!"

"Who's the captain?"

"Don't worry about the details! Hurry up, hurry up!"

Looking at the two living treasures that suddenly made a fuss, Sesame Paste said with a smile.

"Wait, that...... Do we have to help people wash the boat before we leave, they have already paid for it?"

The tail that was pushing the flesh behind suddenly stopped.

「giao！ I almost forgot."

"Hahaha!"

The sound of laughter blows with the sea breeze to the endless sea, blending into the deepening night and the ups and downs.

Sisi, who was watching everyone from afar and holding a notebook in his arms, couldn't help but show a soft smile on his face.

Although this is undoubtedly a wasteland.

But with these adorable friends by her side, she always forgets about it from time to time......

Turned back to the cabin.

Sis spread out his notes on the table, took out the newspaper he had bought from the port in the morning, spread it out beside him, and selected the news worth paying attention to and cut it out.

The side quests of this game are very well hidden, and players need to actively collect relevant clues in the game and analyze them.

Probably thanks to Vault 70, the media industry in the settlements of the Confederacy of the Southern Islands is quite developed, and it is much easier to obtain information than it was in Silvermoon Bay.

It's not just about gathering intel on side quests.

She also needs to use the clues revealed in the news to determine the progress of the battle in the southern seas and seize the time to enter Vault 70.

The area is now under a naval blockade by the Federation of the Southern Islands, with warships patrolling the nearby waters and submarines conducting search and minelaying missions underwater.

That's not the place to fit in with a casual wetsuit.

After all, the Federation of the Southern Islands is a force fostered by Vault 70, and based on what she's observed over the years, these people are largely similar to "leagues without players".

They have somewhat ended the wasteland beneath their feet and established a different order than most of the original survivor settlements in the wasteland. However, due to various reasons, the members of Vault 70 have been separated from the local survivors, and their status has changed from "pioneers" to a special class on the high, so they have taken a completely different ending from Camp 101.

But what puzzled her was that the fuse that lit the war was too sloppy and full of puzzling doubts.

It's not even just the fuse that ignites the war-

Also included are some strange details from the battle report.

"'The Gold Coast, the research ship sank...... Good fellows, they have a lot of boats."

Whispering the text from the picture, Sis cut it out of the front page of the newspaper and pasted it in his notebook, lining it up with three other pictures cut out of other newspapers.

Getting up and walking over to the chart, she drew a red circle in the sea on the northern side of the southern archipelago, according to the approximate location provided in the newspaper.

With the addition of the previous three, the four red circles are concentrated in the north.

A pensive expression appeared on Siss's face.

"It's already the fourth, and it's outside the trade lanes like before......

Will there really be a submarine ambushing in that kind of place?

Although there is no evidence,

But she always felt that she was very close to the truth......