Chapter 21: We Have Cola to Drink at Last!
For everyone aboard the Tomorrow, seeing a group of Antmen was like finding money on the ground—they would almost all surge forward eagerly. At this moment, the Tomorrow had gradually ventured deeper into the Rotting Lands.
Outposts of Antmen were becoming increasingly numerous—watchtowers, fortresses, small strongholds—and most of them were elite-level. These elite Antmen were far tougher than the ordinary ones: agile, ruthless, and fierce, some even armed with level-one weapons such as muskets and repeating crossbows.
Some Antmen outposts were even equipped with cannons.
Contribution points began to rise markedly, but so did the dangers encountered.
As evening fell, Li Ye glanced at the contribution points he had accumulated. In just one day, he had earned another 2,800 points.
After a moment of thought, he ordered the Tomorrow to set course back for Spore Town.
Because the distance was considerable, the Tomorrow only arrived late into the night. At that time, the entire Spore Town was bathed in a soft blue bioluminescence, creating a tranquil and picturesque scene.
Yet, Li Ye and his crew had no intention of admiring the view; they hurried toward the town center.
The exchange list of items had barely changed, clearly indicating that those two unfamiliar mobile cities were both hoarding 8,000 contribution points to trade for a level-two item.
Everyone had tacitly agreed that Antmen and resource outposts were first-come, first-served.
Li Ye calmly exchanged his points for Spore Armor and a Sunshine Apple Tree seed, and with the remaining points, redeemed Frost Ore.
There was still one day left tomorrow; with a bit more effort, he could redeem all the Frost Ore.
Having slaughtered many Antmen over the past two days, he had unexpectedly accumulated several thousand crystal coins. The Antmen corpses also dropped iron ore, coal, common items, and even some blueprint designs.
Among these, the most surprising find was a blueprint for cola.
[Item Name: Cola]
[Item Grade: Common]
[Special Effects: None]
[Crafting Requirements: 1 unit of fresh water]
“Cola, huh?” His eyes lit up involuntarily.
Li Ye immediately uploaded the cola blueprint to the production workshop and manufactured a batch, handing each crew member a bottle.
After cracking open a bottle and taking a hearty swig, he nodded appreciatively.
He had to admit, having a carbonated drink in the wasteland felt pretty good.
It would be even better if chilled.
---
“Such a drink should be very popular in the wasteland,” he mused. “Maybe we could even profit from it.”
By the end of the third day, Li Ye had successfully gathered enough contribution points to redeem all the remaining Frost Ore in one go.
He then proceeded to craft a Frost Cannon and its ammunition through the production workshop.
The Frost Cannon gleamed with a crystalline translucence, exuding a faint chill.
Ning Wen, the gunner, was utterly captivated, stroking the barrel repeatedly.
Li Ye let out a relaxed breath.
After much effort, he had finally crafted a level-one cannon. The Tomorrow now had significantly enhanced security in the wild.
“We finally have a level-one cannon,” Old Zhou said, his eyes full of satisfaction as he touched the Frost Cannon. “By the way, Ali, I guess it’s about time we moved on.”
Li Ye nodded.
Considering the Tomorrow’s resources were nearly depleted and the crew was mentally and physically exhausted from days of intense combat, he ordered the ship to set course for Roland Fortress for repairs, resupply, and personnel replenishment.
As the Tomorrow slowly departed Spore Town, a faint smile curved Li Ye’s lips.
He didn’t care which level-one city had acquired the level-two mechanical arm; what mattered was that everything the Tomorrow was due had been secured.
At the same time, he glanced at the system panel.
More than two days remained before the next intelligence update.
This time, the interval was unexpectedly long, and the update would include as many as seven reports.
“There’s bound to be epic-level intelligence, maybe even legendary,” he thought.
By the time the Tomorrow returned to Roland Fortress for rest, the intelligence would be refreshed, allowing them to plan their next course of action accordingly.
---
As dusk settled, the Tomorrow arrived at Roland Fortress.
The moment they entered, Li Ye breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the gains had been substantial, the ship’s ordinary bullet ammo, iron ore, and fuel were almost exhausted, and the crew’s energy drained. Many had been injured during the three days of battle, and the ship itself sustained multiple damages.
Li Ye planned to rest at Roland Fortress for several days, giving everyone a chance to recuperate, preparing supplies for the next expedition, and recruiting more hands.
“Good thing we have Roland Fortress as a safe harbor,” he thought.
After all, resting and recovering in the wild was a perilous endeavor.
To his surprise, the Conqueror and Azure were also back.
---
The three lords met and exchanged brief accounts of their recent experiences.
Not only the Tomorrow, but both the Conqueror and Azure had reaped rewards.
After several days of assault, the Conqueror had successfully captured a monster town, gaining abundant resources and a city component blueprint.
Azure was also lucky; during an attack on a mining site, an elite monster dropped a level-one heavy machine gun blueprint.
“A monster town?” Li Ye’s heart skipped a beat. “Was it a Boarman town?”
Seeing Lei Jian nod in surprise, he sighed inwardly.
He had planned to attack it after the Tomorrow’s rest but was beaten to it by the Conqueror.
Well, that was only natural; not all good fortune could fall to him.
More surprising was Azure’s luck in obtaining the level-one heavy machine gun blueprint.
That was the deadliest weapon besides the level-one cannon, even more effective against the undead hordes.
Hearing Li Ye’s tale, Li Jin and Lei Jian were stunned.
“You actually have a level-one cannon too?” Lei Jian exclaimed.
“I never expected neutral monster towns to exist in the Rotting Lands. They not only have Frost Ore and crystals, but even a level-two item...” Li Jin murmured. “Why can’t I get that lucky?”
They both looked at Li Ye with a complex mix of envy and admiration.
The Tomorrow now boasted city camouflage, a Frost Cannon, rare level-one crops, and two excellent blueprints.
The development of this level-one city was astonishingly rapid—like riding a rocket!
The two men couldn’t help but marvel.
Li Ye just smiled and waved off their praise.
After bidding them farewell, he returned to the Tomorrow to resume his duties.
Just then, a sudden commotion erupted outside.
“What’s going on now?” he wondered. “Could it be an enemy attack? No way, this is a fortress.”
Filled with suspicion, Li Ye stepped outside and was shocked by what he saw.
In the distant sky loomed a colossal figure.
A steampunk-style mobile city resembling a gigantic hot air balloon!