Beer, soft drinks, mineral water, peanuts, melon seeds, and eight-treasure porridge.
"Those in front, tuck your legs in a bit."
"..."
On the train heading to the Northern Territory, Qin Ze sat by the window, looking at the snow scene outside.
As a native of the South, this was the first time he had ever seen such a scene of heavy snow and a world covered in silver.
"Our family has money now, why only buy one ticket?"
On the Local Area Network, the Dharma King expressed his dissatisfaction with his dependence on Qin Ze.
"Save money where it's due, Huahua where it's due."
"Why waste money when one ticket would suffice?"
Qin Ze gave his reasons.
From the Sea Capital to the Northern Territory.
The entire trip lasts two days and one night.
A one-way ticket costs nearly two thousand.
He wouldn't have bought a ticket if he hadn't found it too cold to sit on the roof.
Captain Hook grumbled on the Local Area Network, "If he were willing to pay for your tickets, I wouldn't be sailing a ship full of patches now."
Qin Ze rolled his eyes. "Giving you an aircraft carrier is pointless."
"We've arrived at the final stop, Snow City Station."
Passengers, please take your belongings and disembark in an orderly manner.
As the announcement in the carriage came on, the train pulled into the station.
There were only about ten people in Qin Ze's carriage.
Snow City is not a tourist city.
Aside from people like Qin Ze who have special purposes, ordinary people rarely come here.
The people in the carriage all had fluctuations in their qi and blood.
Except for one person in the Military Department uniform, everyone else was either wearing a hat or had their faces hidden in their upturned collars.
Qin Ze shook his head.
There isn't a single normal person among them.
A sunny and cheerful young man like him is simply a rare gem.
After getting off the bus, a gust of cold wind hit his face, and Qin Ze couldn't help but shiver.
"It's so cold!"
The Northern Territory is the northernmost part of the Pan-Continent, covered in ice and snow year-round, with an average annual temperature of minus 29 degrees Celsius.
At its coldest, temperatures plummet to nearly minus fifty degrees Celsius, turning the area into a completely barren wasteland.
Snow City is a very special city.
There were no city walls, no City Defense Bureau, no administrative office, and not even a regular police department or Law Enforcement.
Before the entrance to the Abyss appeared, this place was rarely visited by humans.
After the entrance to the Abyss was discovered, a large number of troops and warriors were stationed there, which also attracted a large number of mercenaries.
Where there are people, there will naturally be a consumption of resources.
The Chamber of Commerce, with its keen sense of opportunity, set its sights on this untapped market.
Several freight routes were established.
Humans are social animals.
Merchants, mercenaries, warriors...
Many people bring their families with them.
Gradually, a settlement formed around the entrance to the Abyss.
It has developed into a Snow City with a population of nearly 500,000.
As more and more people settle here, Snow City continues to expand.
For this reason, Snow City became the only city in the Pan-Continent without city walls.
Although there are no outer walls, there is a thick wall around the center of Snow City.
Inside is the entrance to the Abyss.
As for why the settlement is located around the entrance to the Abyss.
The answer is simple.
If one day the beast tide truly breaks through the Abyss.
The 500,000 people surrounding the entrance could buy other cities a lot of time.
Braving the biting cold wind, Qin Ze left the train station and headed towards the city center.
Most buildings in Snow City are not tall; the tallest building is only five stories high.
There were few pedestrians on the street, and hardly any shops to be seen.
Walking down the street, Qin Ze suddenly felt as if he had traveled back to the last century.
Everything was so ancient and rustic.
As usual, Qin Ze found a secluded corner and released the Five Heavenly Kings and their clones.
Everyone was eager to explore the New Land and immediately began to do so.
Qin Ze went into an open tavern to warm up.
Perhaps because it wasn't evening yet, there were only a few cats and kittens inside.
What would you like to drink?
The bartender sized up Qin Ze and asked him a few questions.
Qin Ze sat down and said, "A glass of sweet water."
Upon hearing this, the bartender smirked, and after a moment, brought over a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.
"Fifty."
Qin Ze frowned. "Are your oranges made of gold?"
The bartender shrugged. "That's the price of fresh fruit in Snow City."
"Besides, I used four oranges to make this glass of orange juice."
"It's already very cheap."
Qin Ze reluctantly handed over a fifty-yuan bill.
No wonder so many people come to the Northern Territory to trade.
You could get rich just by selling oranges.
"Brother, is this your first time here?"
A scruffy-bearded man in his thirties sat down next to Qin Ze.
Qin Ze nodded; there was nothing to hide anyway.
His trip to the Northern Territory this time, under the alias " Qin Ze," was all about being open and aboveboard.
The man clicked his tongue twice. " Snow City is full of twists and turns; someone new here like you can easily fall into a trap."
Qin Ze snapped his fingers, "Give him a beer."
The bartender took a pitcher of beer and placed it on the table. "Eight dollars."
Qin Ze looked utterly incredulous. "Are you kidding me?"
A glass of orange juice costs more than six times the price of a glass of beer.
The bartender then wiped the glasses, saying casually, "Alcohol, water, flavoring, coloring, and a little bit of foaming agent."
"Of course, it's cheaper than all-natural ones."
Qin Ze was dumbfounded.
Speaking the absolute truth in front of customers—does your boss know you're doing business this way?
The bartender grinned. "We sell authenticity."
The man didn't take it seriously and downed half a glass in one gulp.
After wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he slowly said, "They won't investigate your past here, as long as you don't do anything too outrageous and attract the attention of those gray-coated men."
"If you want to find something to do, you can go to the wall to pick up missions. There are plenty of jobs in Penglai City that need cannon fodder."
"Another crucial point: don't flaunt your wealth."
"Drinking orange juice here is quite a luxury."
After saying that, the man finished the rest of his wine in one gulp, put on his hat, and walked out into the wind and snow.
Qin Ze noticed that the other people in the room were glancing at him from time to time, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.
"You think I'm easy prey?"
interesting.
He was starting to look forward to being robbed.
Qin Ze ignored him and savored the orange juice he had bought for fifty yuan.
"I've found a place to live."
Qin Ze had just finished drinking the orange juice when Brother Devour's voice came through the Local Area Network.
Instead of exploring the map like the others, Brother Devour found a base for the Circus in the city.
As the "boss," Qin Ze naturally had to delegate these rough tasks to his subordinates.
After all, no business owner would run around in the wind and snow looking for a house.
Qin Ze stretched and left the tavern amidst the bartender's "Welcome back next time."
"The smell of blood."
Qin Ze frowned as he stepped outside.
In the frigid air, he caught a pungent smell of blood.
Following the scent, Qin Ze walked to the entrance of an alley and saw a man lying in a pool of blood. It was the guy who had drunk a beer from him not long ago.
The man lay on his back, a dark shadow covering his chest.
Upon sensing Qin Ze's appearance, the shadow vanished instantly, leaving only a corpse with its upper torso hollowed out.
"Don't move! Hands above your head!"
Before he could examine the body, a loud shout came from behind him, and he caught a glimpse of a gray overcoat out of the corner of his eye.
He had a vague feeling that he was in trouble.
(There's still time until midnight, so those who are in school can go to sleep now.)