118: Local customs

"I forgot to tell you earlier, I'm in charge of the squad's resource planning, like purchasing consumables for the squad during normal times...

Martial Realm: Divine Power Realm; also skilled in frontal assaults..." Li Mengru muttered grumpily as she turned off the Energy Gathering Array, speaking to Chu Yuan.

Actually, it didn't cost much in resources, but she just felt it was a waste...

"Chu Yuan, what is the approximate intensity of your mental attacks?"

"A normal Fifth Realm practitioner definitely couldn't block it."

"Is that so..." Yuan Yang nodded, not showing any doubt; true or false, it would be clear once they encountered an enemy.

Actually, what Zhang Yue said wasn't accurate. He mentioned 'danger' and 'there is a squad willing to accept you,' giving Chu Yuan the feeling that he had become a hot potato... but that wasn't actually the case.

There were quite a few squads that expressed a willingness to accept Chu Yuan!

There are no fools among those who survive on the Outer Heaven Battlefield; fools would have been eliminated long ago!

Everyone understands what a Fifth Realm practitioner who just graduated from high school implies; it means that as long as he doesn't fall, he will definitely become a powerhouse in the future!

In the absence of conflicts of interest, building a good relationship with a future powerhouse in advance is a sure-win investment...

"Chu Yuan, logically speaking, since you just joined the squad, we should give you a few days to familiarize yourself with the environment; but there is a very urgent mission right now."

Yuan Yang didn't hide anything and said frankly, "Originally, our squad had already received this mission a few days ago; but since I happened to know you were coming for the trial... I dragged it out until now."

"Why?"

"The higher-ups have a regulation: if there are 'seeds' like you in the team... all military merit earned during that period is quintupled!" Yuan Yang explained. "You might not know what this means;

it sounds like you just need to work a few months harder to earn the same amount of military merit... but it's not calculated like that at all!

This means that resources that originally required risking your life five times to obtain can now be acquired by risking your life just once!

Fighting a war isn't like working a job on Earth Star; people always die. No one can keep taking risks... So I risked being punished just to wait!"

Chu Yuan instantly understood what he meant—he had waited for his arrival before carrying out the mission; this way, the profits could be maximized!

He didn't have any objections, but he finally understood why those squads accepting students had such complicated expressions...

"It's fine, I came to the Outer Heaven Battlefield to take risks anyway."

Hearing his answer, Yuan Yang breathed a sigh of relief and said solemnly, "Don't worry, regarding the distribution of military merit, we will definitely make you satisfied!"

"So, what exactly is the mission?"

"It's a Secret Realm on the border between Great Qin and the Crystal Fire Clan. I'll tell you more details tonight..."

...

In reality, the Outer Heaven Battlefield does not have the concept of 'night'; the huge sun in the sky hangs there constantly, seemingly not moving an inch. People just habitually call the time after 20:00 'night' for the convenience of keeping time.

By convention, when a new member joins, the whole squad goes out for a big feast, which serves as a welcome ceremony; even if Chu Yuan is a temporary member, it is no exception...

Chu Yuan originally thought the teleportation array where the Ninth Legion was stationed would be heavily guarded, including the situation he saw when heading to the Bell Tower Squad; but after walking out with the others, he realized that wasn't the case at all...

"The stationing area for our squads is actually a 'barracks'; the teleportation array is at the very center, and the surroundings are just like this..." Wang Ying explained to Chu Yuan, pointing at the bustling street.

It was indeed very lively. There were shops on both sides of the wide street, selling all kinds of things, full of the atmosphere of daily life. Although the buildings were not very tall and there were no skyscrapers, they didn't look old.

"How is it? Is the gap between this and what you expected very large?"

Chu Yuan nodded and clicked his tongue, "It is a bit large..."

He had originally thought the Outer Heaven Battlefield was a place full of blood and fire, where everyone was shrouded in the shadow of war and death... but now it seemed, what was the difference between this and a commercial street on Earth Star?

"Why are there so many ordinary people here?" Chu Yuan asked curiously. As far as his eyes could see, there were not only a large number of Qi and Blood Realm Martial Artists, but even more ordinary people!?

The looks those people gave him were filled with unconcealed envy, mixed with a hint of awe. What could ordinary people do on the Outer Heaven Battlefield? They probably couldn't even withstand the aftermath of any random battle, right?

Furthermore, he had never heard of any policy on Earth Star for immigration to the Outer Heaven Battlefield...

"They are basically descendants of Martial Artists, born on the Outer Heaven Battlefield, having never been to Earth Star; generation after generation, they multiplied and gradually developed into their current scale. Among them, those with better martial talent are absorbed by the Legion, and the rest... are left to develop on their own."

"It is also a result of the higher-ups doing it intentionally; there are quite a few Secret Realms under the absolute control of Great Qin that also have many members of the Human Race living in them."

Chu Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

Yuan Yang smiled, "How could I guess the considerations of those big shots up there? Perhaps they are worried that if Earth Star falls one day, the Human Race won't be completely exterminated..."

"Chu Yuan, don't think about these things; they are too far away for us... Do you like eating barbecue?" Li Mengru asked while scrolling through her terminal.

The topic jumped so quickly... Chu Yuan blinked and said, "I'm fine with anything."

"Then let's go to Tianxiang Tower. It seems they recently acquired a Seventh Realm exotic beast..."

Wang Ying introduced, "Tianxiang Tower is supported by powerful experts, so they always have channels to acquire some top-tier ingredients. Their cooking techniques even seem to incorporate Alchemy skills, which are more beneficial to Martial Artists than ordinary medicinal meals!"

"Since the ingredients are so precious, what currency do you use to pay?" Chu Yuan asked. The result was just as he thought; Wang Ying smiled and said, "military merit, of course."

"What about these ordinary people? They don't have a way to get military merit, right?"

"They still use the Earth Star currency system. Of course, the purchasing power might be different; after all, whether directly or indirectly... at the end of the day, they are all serving the Ninth Legion."

Li Qi suddenly smiled meaningfully, "When you go out usually, you might encounter a lot of romantic luck... Those girls are enthusiastic and proactive, all of them beautiful and moving; but don't you ever think it's because of how charming you are; they might not necessarily be coming for you as a person."

Wang Ying rolled her eyes, "...Disgusting."

Li Mengru nodded, "Indeed, for the ordinary people here, if they can become partners with a Martial Artist in the Legion, it counts as crossing a social class. Even if there's no name or status, at the very least, it's finding a backer for themselves and their families."

"Mengru is talking about the good outcomes. If you run into the greedy kind... you'll have a hard time. On Earth Star, after you sleep with someone, you might just break up, and at most, you'll be condemned morally. Here, though, you might just get slapped with a label of 'using your Legion status to act like a tyrant and bully the weak'..."

Chu Yuan laughed, "It seems Brother Li has suffered losses in this regard?"

Li Qi: "..."