After waiting for a dedicated shuttle at the base, Chen Xu left the Mohai Base and entered Mohai City for the second time.
This time, Chen Xu was prepared. While wandering around the base waiting for the shuttle, he found an official material recycling center and exchanged his goblin materials and goblin scrolls for military academy credits. Then, he bought a multi-functional transparent mask.
Chen Xu decided that unless he was leaving Mohai City, he would not take this mask off.
On the city streets, pedestrians were still hurrying about as if everyone had a clear destination, except for Chen Xu.
Walking slowly down the street, he would occasionally stop at an intersection and flip a coin to decide which way to go.
After walking for a while, Chen Xu began to feel bored.
Compared to other cities, Mohai seemed very monotonous. Many of the shops along the road were closed. The few that were open were large restaurants, hotels, or mail and storage centers. There was no sense of everyday life at all.
Recalling what Teacher Xia had said about most people here living in conquered dungeons, Chen Xu planned to head straight to the Dungeon Hall to merge the Green Calamity Dungeon Core.
While at the Mohai Base, Chen Xu had thought about letting the base personnel handle the Dungeon Core. To his surprise, the base replied that according to Daxia regulations, officials are not allowed to intervene in the distribution of Dungeon Cores. Professionals holding a core can choose a city themselves to merge it into a Dungeon Hall.
Chen Xu had initially wondered if he should take his first core back to Linghai City as a contribution to his hometown. However, after contacting City Lord Mo through the Fuxi sub-unit, he was politely declined. The City Lord explained that most of Linghai's manpower was currently focused on defending against the Sea Clan, and there were no spare personnel to develop a resource-type dungeon.
With no other choice, Chen Xu decided to settle it nearby and chose the Dungeon Hall in Mohai City.
Following the navigation route, Chen Xu quickly found the Dungeon Hall.
Unlike other cities, where the Dungeon Hall was more like an industrial zone or a CBD, Mohai's was different. In general cities, people who didn't obtain combat classes or had support classes would work in conquered dungeons and live in the city.
In the Mohai City Dungeon Hall, besides the workers entering and exiting dungeons, there was also a large market. Official stores, farmers' stalls, and crowds of people filled the area, making it quite lively.
Chen Xu decided that after submitting the Dungeon Core, he would take a look around to experience the local customs.
Following the signs, he found the dungeon office, where a young female clerk was sitting.
"Hello, I'm here to submit a Dungeon Core. What is the process?"
"Huh?"
Seeing the clerk's stunned expression, Chen Xu directly took out the Dungeon Core.
"Oh, uh, do you have the relevant identification? This is a major matter, so I can only report it to my superiors." Seeing the Dungeon Core, the clerk snapped out of it and replied immediately.
"Identification?" Chen Xu thought for a moment and pulled out his military academy student ID. "Is this okay?"
"Yes, I'll submit the application for you right away." Taking the ID, the clerk immediately operated the system. In just a dozen seconds, she finished and handed the ID back to Chen Xu.
"Please wait a moment. The director will be here shortly." As she spoke, she pulled out a grapefruit-like fruit and a straw from behind the counter and gave them to Chen Xu. "Judging by your ID, you probably aren't a Mohai local. This is a Mohai specialty, the Honey Water Pomelo. Just break off the stem and insert the straw to drink."
"Thank you then." Chen Xu wasn't formal. He had a great interest in things he hadn't seen before, especially food.
Following the method the clerk taught him, he broke off the stem at the top and then pushed the straw into the center. To his surprise, a few drops of juice actually overflowed.
Startled, Chen Xu quickly leaned in to catch the straw with his mouth.
As soon as the juice entered his mouth, there was a faint fragrance of pomelo, followed by the sweetness of the fruit and a hint of sourness. It was a very refreshing taste.
While Chen Xu was immersed in savoring the Honey Water Pomelo, a voice sounded beside him.
"You must be Student Chen Xu." A middle-aged man in a black suit greeted him. "I am the dungeon business supervisor here. Are you here to submit a Dungeon Core? Would you like to go to my office to discuss it in detail?"
"I am here to submit the core, but a detailed discussion isn't necessary. Can I just give the core directly to you?" At this moment, Chen Xu's attention was completely captured by Mohai's specialties. First the Lightning Sheep, then the Honey Water Pomelo. The environment here wasn't great, but the food was more interesting than the last.
Moreover, having just finished a meeting at the base, Chen Xu was in no mood for more talk.
"You still need to personally place the Dungeon Core into the Dungeon Hall's main core. I also need a preliminary understanding of the dungeon type."
"It should be considered a resource-type dungeon. There are large plains, rivers, and there used to be a forest."
"Are there any special species or minerals?"
"I'm not sure about that. There was an issue with the exploration team's information. You can figure it out during subsequent development." Chen Xu originally wanted to reply that there were no special species, but then he remembered that two legendary creatures had appeared in this dungeon. It was possible there really was something valuable.
"In that case, I can only make a note of it for now. If any special value is discovered later, the proceeds will be given to you according to the official profit-sharing ratio." After speaking, the supervisor used his intelligent terminal. After a soul scan, he summoned the Dungeon Hall's main core.
Chen Xu picked up the Green Calamity Dungeon Core and pressed it directly onto it.
As soon as it got close, the Green Calamity Dungeon Core was sucked right in. Simultaneously, the small pool on the outskirts of Mohai disappeared without a trace.
"Is that it?"
"It's done. To thank you for your support of Mohai City, we have five 1,000-Daxia currency vouchers here. You can use them for any purchase in Mohai City." The supervisor took five vouchers from his pocket and handed them to Chen Xu.
"Then thank you, Supervisor. I'll be going now." Taking the vouchers, Chen Xu happened to want to do some shopping at the nearby stores.
"Take care."
Holding the vouchers, Chen Xu headed straight for the mall. After wandering around, he found that the mall mostly sold daily necessities. Local specialties were mostly sold by street vendors next to the mall.
After wandering around, evening soon arrived.
Chen Xu opened his navigation and checked. If he walked over now, the timing would be just right.
When he stepped out of the Dungeon Hall, it was already pitch black outside.
"Is it really this dark here at night?" Not a single star could be seen in the sky. Back in Linghai, the starry sky was brilliant.
"You must be from out of town, young man." A middle-aged man wearing work clothes, with a nameplate that read Daxia Third Mining, answered Chen Xu's question. "That desert outside the city is even more perilous at night. Although Daxia has set up arrays in the city to resist the erosion, they only protect the interior. They can't stop the expansion of the desert."
As he spoke, he extended both hands, making a fist with one and covering it with the other palm. "This fist is like Mohai City, and this palm is the desert outside. The inside of the fist is fine, but where this palm goes is not something we can control."
"I see. Thank you for the explanation, brother."
The man waved his hand and walked into the Dungeon Hall.
...
Taiping Hotel, Heavenly Crafts Suite.
When Chen Xu arrived at the hotel, Tang Hezhou was already waiting in the suite.
"Junior, come, take a seat."
"Senior, is it just the two of us? Why waste money on a private suite? We could have just eaten in the main hall."
Seeing only Tang Hezhou in the suite was beyond Chen Xu's expectations.
"I was considering our special identities. I was afraid we might accidentally say something wrong in the hall. Besides, it's not just the two of us. A few others will be here shortly."
"Oh? Who else?"
"Teacher Xia and your future classmates."
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