86: Chapter 86 Relics

A squad of armed personnel, clearly dressed as mercenaries, was the first to step out.

Compared to the arrogant but poorly equipped Governor's Palace Defense Force from earlier, these mercenaries' gear was noticeably a level higher.

They wore full sets of Master-crafted Carapace Armor and carried brand-new Lascarbines, efficiently setting up a security perimeter around the shuttle.

Once they confirmed the area was secure...

A woman wearing a pure white sister's habit, with the Imperial Aquila Emblem hanging on her chest, stepped down the ramp in tall military boots at a leisurely pace.

Lin Li recognized her at a glance.

She was the sister who had come to the camp with Neil and the others last time.

Because of her exquisite features and the way her habit was filled out by her exaggerated figure, Lin Li had a very deep impression of her.

Following closely behind the sister was a young man with short blond hair, wearing a clean long jacket.

The man walked straight up to Lin Li, a professional smile on his lips, and extended his right hand.

"Hello, my name is Pike. I'm a merchant from the Gold Coin Brotherhood in Coastal City. I owe that old fellow Neil a favor, and I've come specifically to repay it today."

Lin Li was somewhat surprised.

When he had seen Neil off last time, the old man had indeed solemnly promised to use his business connections to get a caravan to come here for trade.

Lin Li had dismissed it as polite talk at the time, but he hadn't expected the man to actually summon someone.

Moreover, this merchant named Pike spoke so bluntly, clearly feeling that this godforsaken wilderness camp couldn't possibly have anything worth the trip; he was just going through the motions to repay a favor.

Even though the other party's attitude was a bit dismissive, there was no reason to turn away business that had come knocking.

"Welcome."

Lin Li smiled and shook Pike's hand, making a gesture of invitation with neither servility nor arrogance.

"The wind and sand are heavy outside, let's talk inside."

Seeing that this lord was not only un-fawning but also quite composed when facing a merchant from a big city like himself, a flash of surprise crossed Pike's eyes.

He nodded and followed Lin Li through the camp gates along with the sister and several close bodyguards.

As soon as they entered the camp, Pike began to discreetly size up his surroundings.

The scale of this settlement didn't look very large.

The outermost ring consisted of neatly arranged brick-and-concrete houses, and the ground was even luxuriously paved with a layer of smooth cement.

Behind the buildings was a thick, tall concrete wall with several fully armed guards standing watch.

They passed through the wall and entered the inner city.

Pike's brow gradually began to furrow.

The architectural style here was very chaotic, or rather... full of a crude sense of wildness.

What made him even more uncomfortable were the people walking around the camp.

These people wore a hodgepodge of clothing, and some even had metal buckets on their heads.

Seeing this group of brightly dressed outsiders, they showed no awe; instead, they pointed and whispered as if they were watching monkeys in a zoo.

Worst of all, these people were muttering something in a strange tone.

"Holy crap, more NPCs spawned?"

"This blond guy is dressed so flashy, he must be a merchant selling high-level gear! Quick, see if he's got any glowing purple gear on him!"

Pike couldn't understand these words, but he could feel a sense of playfulness from their gazes.

Too bizarre!

It was so bizarre that Pike even began to wonder if this camp had been tainted by the chaotic energy of the Warp and if these people were all corrupted cultists!

He instinctively reached for the Laspistol at his waist while nervously glancing at the sister beside him.

However, he found that the sister remained calm, sensing no presence of Warp entities.

Pike finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Lin Li brought Pike and the sister to the watchtower at the center of the camp.

The interior had been repainted and renovated by the players, making it look clean and tidy.

In the center of the room stood a rugged solid wood table and several chairs; on the table were several ceramic cups and a strangely shaped kettle.

Seeing those cups, Pike's eyes suddenly lit up.

In the noble circles of Coastal City, using such exquisite, hand-fired pottery to drink water was a luxurious status symbol.

"Please, sit."

Lin Li sat in the main seat, picked up the kettle, and began to pour water into the cups to brew tea.

This so-called tea was, of course, not tea leaves from Earth.

Instead, it was a slightly addictive, mildly poisonous plant found in the wild by lifestyle players.

After being roasted, the toxicity and addictiveness were completely destroyed, and when steeped in water, it emitted a unique, exotic fragrance and had a strong refreshing effect.

Some players had even had the sudden inspiration to mix this tea with mutant beast milk, creating a milk tea with a rather explosive flavor profile.

Lin Li performed a series of fancy tea-brewing movements that even Pike couldn't follow.

This was something he had learned on Earth. Although it was a bit out of place here, it was definitely a great tool for bluffing people.

A cup of tea emitting a rich, exotic fragrance was gently pushed in front of Pike.

Pike swallowed hard and glanced at the sister beside him. Seeing that she had no intention of stopping him, he carefully picked up the teacup and took a small sip.

"This taste..."

Pike's eyes instantly widened, and a light of pleasant surprise exploded in his pupils!

After the bitterness came a long-lasting sweetness, leaving a fragrance in his mouth; his brain felt as clear as if it had been washed by a spring in an instant.

Moreover, recalling Lin Li's elegant and composed tea-brewing movements, he felt for some reason that this drink and this ritual naturally belonged at a luxurious noble banquet!

This was definitely a luxury item that could sell for a sky-high price!

While Pike was still in shock, Lin Li pushed over an exquisitely crafted wooden box with a smile.

Opening the box revealed over a dozen small brown squares neatly arranged inside.

Pike picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.

"This is... meat?!"

Pike stood up abruptly.

This rich spice flavor, this tough and chewy texture—this was definitely top-quality jerky cured through a complex process!

On a wasteland where people couldn't even get enough synthetic starch paste, they could actually produce jerky of this quality?!

"What do you think, Mr. Pike?"

Lin Li leaned back in his chair.

"These are all specialties of our camp. I believe you and your noble friends in Coastal City will like them very much."

Pike's merchant instincts were fully activated.

He instantly dropped his previous perfunctory and dismissive attitude.

"Lord Dawn!"

Pike spoke extremely bluntly.

"Let's not beat around the bush. How much stock do you have of this tea and jerky? What price are you looking for?"

Lin Li was momentarily thrown off by this guy's bluntness.

Shouldn't big business deals involve a back-and-forth, a gradual process of bargaining?

Who just shows their hand right from the start?

But the market was like a battlefield; whoever named a price first was likely to fall into a passive position.

Lin Li smoothly kicked the ball back:

"Stock is not an issue. That depends on what you can offer me to make it worth my while, Mr. Pike."

Pike frowned.

He had originally thought this trip would be for nothing, so he hadn't brought many good things.

But this tea and jerky clearly had strong luxury attributes. Once promoted among the upper echelons of the sector, the profits would definitely be astronomical.

He had to secure this source of goods.

Pike straightened his back and threw down his trump card:

"To be honest, I have a batch of weapons, armor, and ammunition. But I have one condition: I must have the exclusive supply rights for these specialties, including this pottery used for drinking!"

Lin Li rubbed his chin.

This guy had quite an appetite.

For this kind of exclusive monopoly business, if the Shelter had its own caravan, the profits from selling it in Coastal City themselves would definitely be higher.

But currently, the players hadn't even mapped out the road to Coastal City, let alone established sales channels.

"No problem. The exclusive supply rights are yours," Lin Li agreed decisively.

The two immediately began discussing the specific trade manifest.

Half an hour later, they shook hands in satisfaction and signed their names on the paper.

Lin Li walked out of the command post and issued a faction procurement quest.

The players immediately acted like industrious worker ants, carrying their accumulated tea, jerky, and fired pottery onto the chamber's shuttle in exchange for Core Points.

Meanwhile, Pike directed the mercenaries to unload crates of equipment from the ship and transport them to the camp warehouse.

This batch of equipment was essentially high-end goods that Pike had smuggled out of the Coastal City Defense Force's armory through internal channels.

It included brand-new Chainswords, Power Hammers capable of easily smashing rocks, and over a dozen sets of Flak Armor capable of defending against small arms fire.

Lin Li was overjoyed as he looked at this equipment.

"Once these NPCs leave, I'll just list this gear in the player mall at ten times the price! I'll drain those whales who just earned a ton of points in the north dry!"

The trade concluded successfully.

Pike, his face flushed with excitement, pulled Lin Li into a corner of the watchtower while his men were moving the cargo.

"Friend, since our cooperation today was so pleasant, I'll give you an important piece of intelligence for free."

Pike lowered his voice, his expression becoming somewhat grave.

"Coastal City hasn't been peaceful lately. The activity of those Greenskins to the north is becoming more frequent, and the Governor's Palace is under great pressure. To raise war funds and fodder, the Governor has ordered not only to increase taxes on surrounding settlements but also to conscript a large amount of labor for the front lines!"

Lin Li raised an eyebrow.

"Conscript labor? The tax collector from the Governor's Palace was just here; I just handed over the ore."

Pike shook his head and interrupted him.

"Friend, you're still too naive. Tax collectors fall under the Departmento Munitorum, while the conscription teams... fall under the Defense Force. They are two completely different departments!"

Lin Li understood instantly.

"They're planning to squeeze two layers of oil out of us refugees!" Lin Li cursed inwardly.

"Thanks for the heads-up, Brother Pike. I'll remember this favor." Lin Li nodded very seriously.

Just as the two were talking...

The white-robed sister, who had been sitting in the chair without saying a word or taking a single sip of tea, suddenly stood up.

She walked with steady steps straight up to Lin Li.

Looking at this woman whose habit was filled out to an extremely unscientific degree, Lin Li instinctively averted his gaze, not daring to look too much.

In the Warhammer universe, these sisters belonging to the Ecclesiarchy were all fanatical and unreasonable beings.

However, the sister did not speak.

She simply took out a pendant emitting a faint white light from her robes.

"Dawn."

The sister's voice was cold. "The Emperor guides me to bestow this holy relic upon you."

???

Lin Li's scalp instantly went numb, and his heart was in turmoil.

"Holy crap! When did the old man on the throne set his sights on me?!" Lin Li was so scared he didn't dare move.

He could only stand there stiffly, watching as the sister stood slightly on her tiptoes to carefully tie the pendant around his neck.

To accommodate the sister's movements, Lin Li had to lower his head slightly.

A faint scent of a young girl's body fragrance drifted into Lin Li's nose.

"Hmm... it actually smells like milk?"

In his nervous state, an absurd thought suddenly popped into Lin Li's head.

In the square not far away, a group of players who were moving bricks noticed this scene, stopped their work, and began to cheer and jeer.

[Luluchiu]: "Holy crap! Look! Has our faction leader been picked by the sister NPC? This ship is too cursed!"

[This Dumpling Is Also Delicious]: "Big news! Big news! Spread the word, the boss has been picked by the sister!"

[Dog Bro]: "Spread the word, the boss was taken by the sister!"

Hearing these wild words, Lin Li gritted his teeth in anger, silently vowing to find an excuse to dock all the points from these bastards later.

After putting the necklace on Lin Li, the sister took a step back and gazed at him with a calm expression.

"Remember. During this time, no matter what happens, absolutely do not take it off."

Leaving this cryptic remark, the sister turned and walked toward the shuttle.

"The God-Emperor is with you. Loyalty!"

Lin Li quickly and skillfully replied with a standard Imperial hymn.

After seeing off Pike and the sister's merchant ship...

Lin Li immediately took off the pendant as if it were electrified.

It was a soft, white spherical object that emitted a faint warmth.

Thinking of the twisted traditions of the Ecclesiarchy, where many so-called holy relics were actually the dried-up body tissues, bones, or even internal organs of martyred saints or high-ranking clergy...

Lin Li couldn't help but shiver.

"There's no way I'm wearing this, not in this lifetime."

Lin Li originally wanted to throw it directly into the fourth basement level, but after thinking about the sister's intense gaze before she left, he reluctantly stuffed it into his pocket.

Just as Lin Li turned to return to the underground main control room...

From the eastern sky, the ear-piercing sound of shuttles breaking the air came again!

Several troop transport shuttles with crude liveries but mounted with heavy weapons flew over aggressively.

The hulls were also emblazoned with the double-headed eagle emblem representing Imperial orthodoxy.

"Speak of the devil," Lin Li cursed inwardly. "I'm going to have to spend more money to grease some palms."

The shuttles landed roughly on the outskirts of the camp, directly crushing several small wooden houses the players had just built.

The hatches opened, and a squad of fully armed soldiers rushed down aggressively, their muzzles aimed directly at the camp gate.

"Tell whoever's in charge to get out here!" the lead officer roared.

Lin Li walked over with a dark face. "That would be me."

The officer expressionlessly pulled out a scroll with a red seal.

"Defense Force Conscription Order! Immediately hand over five hundred of your most robust adult population from your camp for military service!"

"Officer," Lin Li said patiently, "could I see your supreme Commander? I have some questions I'd like to ask."

"Enough talk!"

The officer interrupted him, his tone forceful.

"You have one hour to gather the people and board the ships! Otherwise, you'll be executed on the spot for armed rebellion!"

Lin Li's heart sank. Such a forceful attitude? Not even a bit of room for negotiation?

He tentatively pulled a fifty-credit League Credit note from his pocket.

The officer narrowed his eyes and not only didn't take it but turned his head away in disdain.

Lin Li bit his teeth, took a step forward, and discreetly stuffed the money into the officer's pocket.

The officer looked down, then snorted coldly. "Four hundred."

"Such a big appetite? Not enough?" Lin Li pulled out another one and stuffed it in.

The officer took a step back, his hand on his holster, and said coldly, "This is a dead order from above; not one person less. One hour. If you don't hand them over, expect the cannons!"

Lin Li's face darkened completely.

He wouldn't take the carrot or the stick.

It seemed Coastal City was truly being pushed to the limit by the Greenskins and had started snatching up able-bodied men to fill the front lines.

"Four hundred able-bodied men? How many original residents do I even have in my Shelter? If I give them to you, how am I supposed to continue construction?" Lin Li sneered inwardly.

You want people? Fine! I'll give you a batch of absolutely robust lunatics who love fighting!

But time was tight.

Currently, the three veteran legions in the Shelter with combat power had all excitedly run off to their respective field bases for infrastructure construction.

The only ones left at the main base, besides the [Baby Bus] legion where the lifestyle players gathered, was the [Hand of God] legion, which was mostly composed of newly logged-in rookies who hadn't even been assigned a base yet.

Lin Li didn't hesitate and immediately opened his PV panel, sending a special targeted mission directly to the legion leader of [Hand of God]!