211: Chapter 207 Explanation and Complex Feelings

"Blue Sea Chamber of Commerce offers 0.6% on demand deposits? That's 0.1% higher than the main branch? And fixed deposits are 0.2% higher too, I'm depositing with them!"

"Don't be in such a rush to deposit. Did you read that clearly? The Blue Sea Chamber of Commerce wrote, 'High interest rates imply high liquidity requirements.' What does that mean? It means they're using your money for trade turnover, and if they can't turn it around, you might have to wait to make a withdrawal."

"Is that VIP list from the God-Seeing Society for real? Passing a message to Fate Master??? I'm depositing! I'm depositing right now!"

"The Tide Hunting Fund's floating interest rate can reach up to 1.8%? That's way too exciting. But what if the hunters are completely wiped out—will my money be gone too?"

[Deep Sea Hunter Alliance · Lin Zhaoyang (Yanhuang Civilization): @Storm Eye, the Alliance guarantees a minimum of 0.5%, so you won't be the one losing out. If there's a loss, it's on us.]

"Rational analysis—for stability, deposit with the Revival Society or Blue Sea Chamber of Commerce. For survival, deposit with the Little Life Society. For excitement, deposit with the Tide Hunting Fund. For forging services, deposit with the Iron Anchor Credit Union. For those wanting to see Fate Master... deposit with God's Grace Savings."

"The Revival Red United Reserve Bank is not only stable but also has good benefits, and it's backed by the Revival Society; it's worth considering."

"I'm rooting for the Life Bank. The emergency medical fund pool design is so conscientious. If one day I get my leg bitten off by a sea beast and don't have enough karma points to buy a fountain, I can still apply to the fund pool. This is literally life-saving."

"God's Grace Bank... the God-Seeing Society really dares to write anything. A Level 5 branch with a weekly turnover of ten billion. How do they do it? Running on love?"

[God-Seeing Society · President Lu Xingye (Yanhuang Civilization): By faith.]

Tens of thousands of "hahahahaha" immediately flooded the replies beneath this comment.

There were plenty of skeptical voices as well.

[Fish at 3 AM (Yanhuang Civilization): I want to ask a serious question. Suppose these large organizational branches absorb tens or hundreds of billions of karma points and then use them for big projects like shipyard expansions or defense networks, which have a project cycle of at least a week or two. If a large number of depositors want to withdraw money during this period, what will these branches use to pay them back, and what if they lose money?]

This post received 120,000 likes.

The Revival Society's official account replied ten minutes later.

[Revival Red Federation · Official (Yanhuang Civilization): Thank you to this Survivor for the question. The Revival Reserve Bank's fund utilization follows the "3-3-3-1" principle—30% for current reserve funds to ensure payment on demand; 30% invested in short-term projects (recoverable within three days); 30% invested in medium-to-long-term construction; and the remaining 10% as a risk reserve. The detailed risk control plan has been submitted to the Fate Platform's impartial audit System.]

Various organizations were also responding intensively to Survivors' questions in the comment sections of their respective posts and on temporarily opened live streaming channels.

In the Blue Sea Chamber of Commerce's live stream, the president personally took the stage to explain the Blue Sea Commercial Bank's future plans for cross-regional material futures trading. Speaking rapidly and reciting data off the cuff, the president left the gathered Survivors completely dumbfounded.

In the Little Life Society's live stream, Vice President Li Ming answered depositors' concerns one by one in a gentle tone, while Wang Fang added details about logistical support, making the atmosphere in the comment section much more harmonious than in other live streams.

The Iron Anchor Workshop's live stream was the simplest—Master Blacksmith Meng Haoran forged a Silver Grade dagger directly in front of the camera. As the hammer rang out with a clanging sound, he said, "Deposit with the Iron Anchor Bank, and you'll get 5% off these daggers in the future." The comment section was filled with people spamming, "Hammer! Keep hammering!"

In the Deep Sea Hunter Alliance's live stream, Lin Zhaoyang appeared on camera to explain the hunting dividend model, holding an energy core just extracted from the head of a high-level sea beast; it was bloody and visually striking.

The God-Seeing Society's live stream had the most bizarre style—President Lu Xingye was wearing her brownish-green combat outfit, holding a handwritten sign that said, "Deposit with God's Grace, See Fate Master," with her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. Below her, Zhao Kang was answering various detailed questions with a pained expression, while Zhang Chengming silently organized data on the side, occasionally looking up to say, "President, can you please stop holding that sign?"

For a time, the major organizational teams were showing off their unique abilities on the Fate Platform.

Countless Survivors listened, their blood pumping with excitement.

The emotions of the Survivors from external civilizations, however, were much more complex.

[Alan MacDonald (Fog City): To be honest, watching these Yanhuang Civilization organizations discuss banks, discuss the economy, and discuss industrial chains... while we are still worrying about the two karma points per day for the Fate Platform usage fee. This gap is truly not just about merit points.]

[Victoria (Fog City): I'll ask again—are visitors from external civilizations eligible to apply for a branch?]

This post still received no response from the official Fate Platform.

But below the comment section, countless Survivors from external civilizations had already silently liked it.

The entire morning slipped away amidst such discussions.

It wasn't until twelve o'clock at noon that the sunken sea treasure chest fishing spots were refreshed.

Everyone's enthusiasm gradually returned to their daily rhythm. Those who needed to fish went fishing, those who needed to hunt went hunting, those who needed to open treasure chests opened them, and those who needed to fight Sequence Battles fought them.

There was also a group of people—they quietly clicked on the inconspicuous hidden entrance on the Fate Platform and slipped into the Farm Realm.

This group of beta-testing farmers shared a tacit sense of secret delight.

They didn't know why Fate Master kept the Farm Realm hidden, but everyone knew—this thing would be made public sooner or later.

In their own Level 2 farms, rows of cabbages grew, chickens and ducks flocked together, and a small stream trickled by.

While others were still exposed to the wind and sun at sea, they were already watering, fertilizing, and stealing vegetables in their virtual gardens.

A farmer with a Level 1 farm squatted in their vegetable patch, looking at the mature crops of other Level 2 farms on other maps, their fingers itching with anticipation.

When the Farm Realm officially opened, when the newcomers flooded in and saw—good heavens, a Level 3 manor standing next to their own Level 1 wasteland—just thinking about that expression made them feel great.

Then, time slid toward 1:30 PM.

Every Survivor's Fate Platform and life ring vibrated simultaneously.

Golden border.

Highest priority.

Fate Platform announcement.

The screen-spamming in the Symphony Realm came to an abrupt halt again.

Everyone's fingers froze on their screens.

Again today?

A Causality Bank just appeared last night, and now—

[Cause and Effect Fate Platform System Update Announcement: A new function has been added, and some unknown risks have been fixed!]

[1. Brand new function officially launched—Farm Realm.]

The three characters imprinted themselves on everyone's retinas.

The Symphony Realm went silent for a full three seconds.

Then—

"Wait, what is this?"

"Farm Realm???"

"Is this... a farming function?"

——

Zhou Liang squatted in his grassy farm's purple cabbage patch, his hands covered in mud.

It had been three days.

Ever since he stumbled into that hidden entrance on the evening of the 25th day of the Magic Sea Calendar, he felt like he had fallen into another world.

This world had soil, sunlight, and a breeze.

It wasn't the sea.

It wasn't the damn sea, the endless sea where sea beasts could pop out at any moment.

His grassy farm wasn't very large, but he kept it in perfect order. To the east, three rows of purple cabbage were growing vigorously, their leaves plump and shiny. To the south were two rows of cherry tomato trellises, with green and red fruits hanging all over the vines. To the west, he had planted half a mu of sweet corn, and the tallest stalks had already tasseled. To the north was a small potato field, with green leaves spread out densely.

The chicken coop was built next to the farm's small wooden cabin; three barred Plymouth Rock hens were clucking, having just laid two eggs.

Zhou Liang was reinforcing the fence for the chicken coop—he was still holding a grudge because a guy named "Old Chen by the Creek" had snuck in last time and stolen four ears of corn—when his life ring suddenly vibrated.

Golden border.

Highest priority.

Fate Platform announcement.

Zhou Liang's movements stopped.

He stood up, patted the mud off his hands, and unfolded his life ring projection.

[Cause and Effect Fate Platform System Update Announcement: A new function has been added, and some unknown risks have been fixed!]

[1. Brand new function officially launched—Farm Realm.]

He froze for a moment.

His gaze swept over the four characters "officially launched," and his heart skipped a beat.

It was here.

He knew this day would come sooner or later. The Farm Realm couldn't stay hidden forever, and Fate Master couldn't just keep the back door open for a few hundred people. But when he actually saw this line of text, a complex feeling surged in his heart that he couldn't quite describe.

There was joy.

It's better to share the joy than to enjoy it alone; over these three days, he had met a dozen other beta-testing farmers who had stumbled in just like him. They had formed several small groups, exchanging planting tips and sharing the results of their "vegetable stealing" every day, which was much more interesting than the cutthroat discussions on the Symphony Realm. In the future, with more people, there would be more vegetables to steal and a richer variety of crops to exchange.

But at the same time—

A feeling similar to "I discovered a secret garden, and now the garden's gates have been opened, and everyone is flooding in" clogged his chest.

His farm was only Level 2.

It was still a bit away from Level 3. He had originally wanted to take advantage of the beta period when there was no competition to quietly grind his level up. Now that 1.3 billion people were flooding in, how long could his slight head start last?

Zhou Liang sighed and continued reading.

The rules section was exactly the same as what he knew; there was nothing new.

His next glance caught the clause he was interested in—Article 3: Retention of Beta-Testing Farmer Rights.

Seeing this line, he straightened his back. A pioneer. A pioneer officially recognized by the Fate Platform. Although once people in his organization found out about this status, he would inevitably be scolded with "You kid, hoarding the good stuff," but at least it was an honor, wasn't it?