New Bug! Twenty-Three Thousand Four Hundred!

The taste of blessings is strange.

For those who haven't been in contact with it for a long time, they can't detect any of its smell.

But for Su Mo, who had received the blessing long ago, the aroma atop Iron Stone Mountain was so rich it rivaled the fragrance of beef buns.

And it scatters continuously, making it impossible to ignore.

"A gift before setting sail?"

"You've really put your heart into this, but I remember that this kind of thing can't be traded in the market, right?"

The two continued walking, and Su Mo asked curiously as he went.

In the past, people had very few good goods, and they couldn't determine the limits of the Trading Market.

However, since the last secret realm trade began, Su Mo has known that no blueprint of rare rarity or higher can be traded on the market.

Moreover, aside from raw materials, the same applies to any equipment of rare rarity or higher that possesses attribute modifiers.

Of course, the equipment used to describe this is a very broad term.

Whether it's a lighter, a hoe, a shovel, or even shoes, pants, or goggles, once your item reaches the rare tier, it can no longer be listed for sale on the Trading Market. You can only trade in person or in a secret realm.

Mysterious blessed items are also included, and these items have even stricter restrictions. Not to mention any grade, from the moment you obtain them, there will be a clause in the item description: untradeable!

This attribute directly restricts the path any blessed item can take to circulate in the market.

Chen Shen had clearly anticipated Su Mo's question and had already organized his thoughts and reasoning.

He slowed his pace and scratched his head. "Big Brother Su, I knew you'd ask this question. Although this thing used to be rare, now, with the gradual integration between us and the alien races, a few poorer alien races are willing to sell their blessings to us. Although the price is high, for something with a price, it's not a problem at all for a market of billions like ours."

Upon hearing this, Su Mo stopped in his tracks and exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? I've never seen this in the market before! I make time to stroll around every day!"

Su Mo was not exaggerating when he said this.

Every day while eating, Su Mo would indeed browse the market, just like how people in civilized times would use their phones to scroll through Douyin or Weibo while eating, treating it as a substitute for meals.

With such abundant supplies, Su Mo knew that even if the rice were stored in the granary for six months or a year, it would not generate any interest.

Only by quickly converting these foods into resources and strength can we earn five or ten times more in the future! Just like this time, all the villagers of Hope Village are putting in the effort to make a fortune. Only those things that can circulate in the market are called commodities and have value.

So every day, Su Mo went in hoping to find a bargain or snag a deal, only to leave disappointed after his meal.

On the eve of the relocation, unlike at the beginning when they didn't recognize the value of things, now even if humans are short of food and weapons, they will not trade rare materials and items.

Even though Su Mo could receive valuable items like large plant Culture Medium right at the beginning of the wasteland, two months have passed and he still hasn't received a single item of the same quality.

Upon hearing that Chen Shen was actually receiving blessings in the market, Su Mo suddenly became interested.

"No, Big Brother Su, this item still can't be listed for trading on the market. Once an item gains the Blessed attribute, it will be locked up immediately."

"But there is an exception: we first list our items for sale on the market, then use the market's inspection function to let the other party get the item first, and then we have the alien race quickly step in to enchant these items."

"Then, within the half-hour inspection period, as long as the alien race can complete the enchantment and the other party cancels the transaction, the item will return to the market. At this point, we can choose to remove it from the listing, and a blessed item will be back in our hands."

"Huh? You can play it like that?"

Startled, Su Mo stared blankly at Chen Shen's genuine expression.

"However, this trading method also has a drawback. First, the blessing time of the alien race is only half an hour, and the alien races we are trading with are some very weak ones. So it is very difficult for them to complete the blessing of this item within this time. Nine times out of ten, they will fail. And the worst part is that they will not refund the money if they fail. This means that people who can afford it will not gamble on this luck, and people who cannot afford it do not know this way."

"Furthermore, even if the blessing is successfully granted, the blessing carried by this item will be extremely weak, basically the kind that's good to look at but not usable. Even if it's attached to a shelter, it's better than nothing. In short..."

"In short, this thing is a symbol of power, similar to collecting antiques. The more types of blessings you collect, the more it represents your status and position! And when everyone went to buy it, they thought that if it didn't work within three tries, they would try another one, but unexpectedly, it worked on the second try!"

It seems that Su Mo was afraid that everyone would be angry because they had spent a lot of money to buy a piece of art that was only for looking at and had no practical use.

Chen Shen the last sentence at breakneck speed, as if afraid that if he spoke too slowly he would be severely criticized by Su Mo.

Surprisingly, just as Chen Shen shrank back, bracing himself for a scolding, he saw a hint of joy on Su Mo's face as he walked behind him.

Huh? Big Brother Su isn't angry?

Holy crap, Big Brother Su seems really happy!

Recalling the village meeting a few days ago to discuss what item to buy as a gift for the director's voyage.

Chen Shen mentally gave himself a thumbs up for his decisiveness in choosing this auspicious ornament despite all the objections!

"Yes, I really like this item. Bring it to me tonight."

"By the way, if the results are satisfactory, we should continue to make purchases, and the money for these purchases will come from my supplies!"

The thought that there were equally clever humans who could exploit this bug made Su Mo immediately laugh.

Good grief, so everyone hates bugs, but when there's a chance to exploit them, they never let it slip by, right? The product inspection function has been around since the beginning.

But after trying it once, Su Mo stopped paying attention to it.

Each inspection can only last for half an hour, and you can only look, not touch. If you touch it, your transaction amount will be deducted immediately.

For a pragmatist like Su Mo, this function is practically useless.

But unexpectedly, others discovered this vulnerability.

"Oh, right, if Connie's free at sea, we could have him sell more blessings to supplement the family income."

"This will not only hone Connie's blessing abilities, but also boost the Golden Haired Lion King's popularity!"

As Su Mo followed Chen Shen toward the banquet, he pondered to himself.

Compared to these Muggle aliens, Connie's strength hasn't yet materialized, but given her status God's Priest, her price shouldn't be cheap.

Moreover, this path can be continued in the future, which is like a continuous treasure trove!

Unable to decipher the occasional wicked smile that appeared on Su Mo's face, the two arrived at the banquet located halfway up the mountain after Connie, who was still engrossed in her studies in the Underground Shelter, sneezed loudly.

With Su Mo's promise and today's bountiful harvest, this feast will continue from 6 p. m. to midnight.

During this period, you can come and eat whenever you are hungry! Except for the fact that you can't take it away, there are plenty of beef buns and meat soup to eat! However, at this time, everyone's work has not been completed yet.

So the only people sitting here eating were a few militiamen who had just finished their shifts and an intelligence team returning from outside.

After making some arrangements, Chen Shen grabbed two steamed buns and went back to get the blessing items while eating them. Pei Shao also eagerly brought over two braised pork knuckles and sat down.

"Chief, how's the situation?"

When he said this, Pei Shao still hadn't wiped the grease off his face from when he was gnawing on the bone, but his fanatical expression was still clearly visible.

"This intelligence gathering operation was a great success. Thank you for your hard work!"

"It's still the same things I told you before, so you shouldn't need to go out and do anything for a while!"

Su Mo took the pork knuckle without ceremony and started gnawing on it as he spoke.

Pei Shao's abilities are indeed impressive; there were absolutely no problems in the 12 directions centered on the depression.

Furthermore, according to Pei Shao's investigation, a total of 23,400 alien races had already ambushed the area around the depression before the disaster struck.

To avoid encountering the possible route taken by the "human Su God," these alien races were divided into three large forces, distributed in the 8-12 o'clock direction of the depression.

This direction leads directly to the Carp Pond. Following this line will take you neither to the New Continent nor to the center of the battlefield, making it arguably the safest Gathering Place in the eyes of the alien races.

Within this fan-shaped Gathering Place, the three units were distributed in a very regular pattern.

The first unit, mainly composed of strength-type aliens, totaled 14,200 people. They were well-equipped and well-logized, and were considered the main force in this raid.

The second unit consists of 3,680 insects with various special abilities.

Although Pei Shao was unable to determine the exact capabilities of this unit after several attempts to investigate the Timeline, he could tell that these insects were likely "special forces" in the raids, tasked with dealing with certain special situations.

The third force was a hodgepodge, consisting of all races and categories, even birds that fly in the sky, with a number of people ranging from five thousand to six thousand.

The closest unit, the First Unit, was only 330 kilometers from the depression before the disaster.

The furthest is the mixed stew, a full 690 kilometers.

As for the insects, they were suspended 100 kilometers behind the first unit.

This information was crucial, gathered by the intelligence team while navigating the life-or-death front lines.

In these future Timeline, Su Mo would repeatedly praise Pei Shao and others for their contributions on the Radio Station, and make a heavy promise that you would never betray me and that I would take care of you for the rest of my life.

But in the wasteland, seeing Pei Shao handing over the oil dish with a nervous look on his face, Su Mo laughed.

"Don't rush. This task isn't as simple as it seems. Have some confidence in your work. I'm very satisfied with what you've done. Don't underestimate yourself. Keep up the good work, and you'll still be doing this job when the village expands!"

After dipping a large piece of meat in his sauce, Su Mo gave a thumbs up.

Now that he had received such praise from Su Mo, Pei Shao was finally relieved.

His hands stopped trembling.

The wrinkles on my face are gone!

"I know, Director. You did the right thing with this mission. Intelligence work is all about secrecy."

Sometimes, we achieve the best results from what we don't know.

Su Mo:??? Seeing Pei Shao's fanatical expression, Su Mo didn't explain further and focused on dealing with the elbow in front of him.

This braised pork hock, which in civilized times might be considered one of the "gout set meals," was cooked to an extremely tender tenderness by the village cook.

One bite reveals a lean yet tender texture, a fatty yet not greasy flavor, and a rich, savory sauce.

Served with dipping sauce and scallions, every bite is bursting with meaty aroma and a satisfying chewy texture, making your mouth water.

Seeing Chen Shen return with the blessing items, she waved her hand and put them into her Storage Space.

He pulled Chen Shen, Pei Shao, and Zhong Qingshu, who had slipped over.

Four people at a table, a little wine and some meat, it was simply wonderful! This meal lasted from a little after six o'clock until eight o'clock.

Midway through, Su Mo's appetite also whetted the appetites of some villagers who had just finished work.

No tables? No problem. Dozens of people just squatted on the ground with their braised pork knuckles, eating with their mouths full of oil.

With everyone getting a bottle of beer, the scene really resembled an open-air food stall.

"Alright, alright, I really won't drink today. We'll talk about it again after the meeting tomorrow."

"Oreo and the others haven't eaten yet. They've been starving all day. I need to hurry back!"

Thinking of the "left-behind children" in the shelter who were starving, he waved his hand and declined the invitation from several managers to open another box.

Picking up the packaged meat, Su Mo patted his belly and strolled down the Mountain Road path.

As the cool night breeze blew and I shook myself, the effects of the alcohol, which had already made me feel quite tipsy, quickly subsided.

With three minutes remaining, Su Mo stopped, swaying slowly, enjoying this hard-won peace.

Where there are people, there is hope in the wasteland.

With resources, there is a future.

Although Hope Village has only a little over a hundred people, after standing at the foot of the mountain and gazing at the brightly lit mountaintop for a while, Su Mo was filled with endless reverie.

"From now on, this low-lying area will become my independent kingdom in the wasteland, and no one will be allowed to interfere!"

"Hope Village, Hope Town, Hope City"

"Human civilization will eventually take root and flourish on this land!"

Hey guys, you know what I mean, let's come back at 3:30. Go to bed early, and don't stay up late on the weekend! Love you all!