Why is my territory in a 2D anime art style?

Chapter 157 The Rift That Never Arrived

Therefore, this building was still very useful to Wang Ping.

Wang Ping laughed and said, "It's alright, I've actually learned quite a few basic recipes over the years, it should be enough!"

"That's fine. You can try it out first. As for the daily meals, you can arrange them as you see fit. Once you unlock some useful recipes, you can post a menu and see if anyone is willing to pay extra. As for the revenue, we'll study that later. Just give Wang Zhen a list of the materials you need."

Sui An explained his plans in one breath. Although he had dealt with many professional chefs, he knew very little about the effects of those foods. The reason was simple: he was poor and dared not spend money in the past.

The arrival of a professional chef didn't significantly improve Sui An's territory before, but now that so many people have come all at once, the difference is huge.

After the invasion of the Source Realm, people ate about five different types of food.

The first tier consists of food made by professional chefs using unlocked source energy recipes. By combining various source energy ingredients, the characteristics of the ingredients are greatly enhanced, resulting in food that is rich in nutrients and even has special effects that the ingredients themselves cannot achieve.

The second tier consists of food made by professional chefs who haven't unlocked the corresponding source energy recipes but have learned how to make them. Compared to the original food, the special effects are not obvious, but the food can enhance the basic nutrients of the ingredients.

The third tier consists of source energy plants and fruits, some of which can be eaten raw without cooking to preserve their nutrients. Professionals possess strong physiques and excellent digestive abilities; if they don't have dietary restrictions, they can even eat source beast meat raw, ensuring their basic needs are met.

Nutritional absorption is affected, since sashimi is also something that can be eaten.

The fourth tier consists of professional chefs or ordinary people using specialized cooking utensils who can cook ingredients like source beast meat using conventional cooking methods. As long as it's edible, that's fine, but the nutrients have already begun to be lost.

The fifth category is meals made with ordinary food ingredients, which lack sufficient nutrition for professionals.

Fang's parents belonged to the fourth tier in the territory. They had some cooking skills and could cook the source beast meat using the stove and kitchen. However, the utilization of the source beast meat was still very low, and the nutrients were seriously lost.

Combat professionals like Erhu, Fang Si, and Wang Hu have a high daily food requirement.

Even though the girls' stage can restore their energy and physical strength, they still need food to replenish their blood and energy, especially their spirit. As the saying goes, when the spirit is full, the energy alone cannot restore the spirit.

So previously, quantity was used to replace quality, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing when there were few people.

But now that so many people have come all at once, even if Fang's parents worked themselves to death, they might not be able to cook enough food for so many people in a day.

At this point, you either need to find a professional chef like Wang Ping, or you need to prepare a kitchen team.

"Don't worry, even though I'm just a steamed bun seller, I'm more than capable of being a restaurant chef. Don't you have any confidence in my cooking skills?"

Wang Ping patted his belly. He wasn't actually that big, but now he had a beer belly, probably because he was a chef.

This is a common problem.

Sui An subconsciously licked his lips, feeling somewhat nostalgic for the days he spent in Jiangcheng.

"Okay, I haven't had Uncle Wang's cooking in a long time. I'll have to try it tonight."

Night fell and the blood moon appeared, but no cracks appeared in the territory for a long time.

"Is a level four territory really that resilient? So many level three and four professionals, and even a level five professional, can't trigger the rift?"

Sui An was somewhat disappointed. Although it wasn't exactly a waste of a blood moon, it still felt like a delay for him.

Ye Tengyang sat in the courtyard, looked up at the blood-red sky, and seemed to have thought of something before speaking.

"I once participated in a Blood Moon Rift in a level 4 territory. Although his territory did not have any level 5 professionals, there were 8 level 4 professionals and about 20 or 30 low-level professionals in the territory at that time, most of whom were level 2 or 3."

Sui An glanced at the courtyard. Leaving aside low-level professionals, their influence in mid-level territories would decrease significantly.

However, there are only four level-four professionals in his territory, including himself, and only one level-five professional.

"So, does that mean I need to recruit a few more Level 4 professionals?"

"Is it possible that a level 5 professional can't even hold their own against four level 4 professionals?"

Fang Si, who was sitting to the side, suddenly turned her head and said softly, "I told you before, a level 5 professional can only fight against three level 4 professionals in terms of source energy strength. What you said is pretty much correct."

"Unless it's a major, one-level gap, it's difficult to increase that gap to four or five times or more."

"Have you thought about what to do next?" Erhu suddenly pulled out a handful of dried fruit from his pocket and handed it to Sui An.

"I've already called on all the professionals I think I have some connections with. I can't call on many more people now, so you'll have to go to Jiangcheng to post job openings."

"Or you can wait and see the full moon; maybe the full moon will be enough for us."

"If only a full moon can trigger it, it won't work for me."

Sui An shook his head. He took the dried fruit that Erhu handed him, frowned, and threw one into his mouth.

Putting aside the fact that he was hoping to fill all the rifts so he could draw from the purple pool, even without the existence of the limited-time blueprint library, he was unwilling to only have such progress triggered once by the full moon.

After all, for someone who is used to high-speed rail, taking a slow, old-fashioned train would only make him extremely uncomfortable.

"Looks like I'll have to talk to Brother Zhen tomorrow and see if he has any surprises in store."

"You want to use the workshop building to hire a mid-level alchemist to reach the required number of level 4 professionals?"

Erhu immediately understood Sui An's thoughts, after all, the person he asked Wang Zhen to find was an alchemist.

Fang Si glanced over casually. His sister's current employment environment was excellent, with an inexhaustible supply of materials, specialized professional buildings, and buildings that could be restored to their source energy at any time.

But he knew that Sui'an territory couldn't possibly support an alchemist forever. Based on the situation in the previous months, with four normal rifts a month, the minimum amount of source beast meat harvested was four or five hundred tons. Even if he gave it all to his sister, she couldn't digest it all.

Even though his sister has advanced to level 2, she can only process about 2 tons of level 2 source beast meat with full source energy. Even if she can recover source energy through the Girl Stage twice a day, she can only process about 6 tons a day, and 180 tons a month.

This is only level one source beast meat. If it were level two, she would barely get a ton. As for level three source beast meat, that would be even more difficult.

After all, the energy bars and basic source materials that can be extracted from 1800 jin of first-level source beast meat are roughly equivalent to the resources that can be extracted from less than 900 jin of second-level source beast meat.

This is why the regular price of level 2 source beast meat is twice that of level 1, or even slightly higher.

Not to mention level 3 source beast meat, which is about 4 times more.

The significance of 180 tons of Level 1 Source Beast meat and 180 tons of Level 3 Source Beast meat is completely different.

In the end, the vast majority of them were sold to Ping An Commercial Bank's transportation team. Considering the transportation team's 30% commission, this loss was still quite significant.

Given Sui An's current situation, he alone could support three or four alchemists of the same level.

Sui An nodded, spat out the fruit shell from his mouth, and said with a smile.

"I do have that idea, but it doesn't necessarily have to be a recruitment. I can rent out this building, but our territory is relatively remote. If an alchemist rents it, he can only buy meat from me to hone his skills. If he wants to refine other materials and make money from rare synthetic materials, he can only rely on the transport team to deliver them, which means he'll be ripped off again."

"So, given my circumstances, I might only be able to find alchemists with relatively weak backgrounds. I wonder if Wang Zhen could help me find one."

"If intermediate-level alchemists aren't up to par, a few level-three alchemists would be a good alternative."

"That's a good idea. Actually, there are quite a few ordinary alchemists. Many of them just have the level but not the skills. They know a little about the mainstream white and green crafting recipes, so they're not very competitive."

Ye Tengyang spoke again, "But what they are worried about is not resources, but security. After all, entering someone else's territory is no less than entering a tiger's den for someone who is not good at fighting."

"Yes, although these things have happened less often in recent years, they have still happened. In this relatively underdeveloped information environment, the reputation and background of a territory are still very important."

Zhao Feng rarely spoke up either. She and Wang Ping had been sitting quietly in the courtyard, whispering to each other, and hadn't really participated in the discussion.

"Putting everything else aside, even if the He family's territory is only at level three, their influence is still stronger than yours right now. After all, their parents live in the city and have a certain degree of fame."

"Take the ten people Erhu called for you, were they all there because your territory is special?"

Upon hearing Zhao Feng's words, Sui An fell silent. He seemed to have grasped something, and suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"Aunt Zhao, do you mean I need someone with strong credibility to help me promote my business?"

Zhao Feng's lips curled slightly: "That's right, Wang Zhen's status is far from sufficient!"

Sui An's surprise vanished instantly: "But besides Wang Zhen, who else can I turn to?"

"Yes, Zheng Xifeng!" Erhu added with a smile.

"You might not know this, but Zheng Xifeng is not only strong on his own. He also has an uncle who is a high-level professional. Rumor has it that he may be an 8th-level combat professional. He is a big shot in Jiangcheng."

"His uncle was raised by Captain Zheng's father, who was the eldest brother, when he was a child, so the two of them had a very good relationship."

"In the last attack plan, there was no intention to attack Zheng Xifeng himself. The goal was to cause serious losses to his team, thereby making him guilty and losing his competitiveness."

"Captain Zheng————"

Sui An muttered to himself, he understood what Erhu meant. Zheng Xifeng's attitude towards him had been noticeably different recently, and there were complicated reasons behind it.

But one of the reasons must be that his territory has been producing a lot of source beast meat. Although there are still quite a few territories on Line 7, it is impossible for him to meet his quota by himself alone, but it has definitely saved him a lot.

But if he were to find an alchemist through his endorsement, he would have to consume more of his own source beast meat, and the chances of selling it to him would be even lower. Would he agree to that?

"Unless I reach an agreement with him to at least guarantee a certain amount of source beast meat."

"You want me to help you find an alchemist?"

Zheng Xifeng strolled around Sui An's territory, looking around, but did not see anything special.

Sui An was also by his side, but he was no longer as cautious as before.

Perhaps this is the confidence that comes with increased strength.

Zheng Xifeng is no longer an invincible force in his eyes. With the spirit summoned by his level four golden building, he should be able to defeat him.

Well, if Captain Zheng doesn't call his uncle over.

He explained with a smile.

"That's right. I've recruited some people in my territory, but after trying it during yesterday's Blood Moon, the rifts didn't even trigger. I guess we still don't have enough level four professionals."

Zheng Xifeng stopped and turned around, vaguely sensing a change in Sui An's attitude towards him.

He didn't really care. After all, this was a world where strength mattered. They were both intermediate professionals now, so in a sense, the gap wasn't that big anymore. Not to mention that Sui An was a lord, and was currently in his territory.

If a lord lacks confidence among professionals of the same skill level within his own territory, then he is truly in a bad position.

"How many people have you recruited in your territory so far?"

「1位5级、3位4级、14位低级职业者。」

"Then it should be about the same."

Zheng Xifeng's expression remained unchanged; he simply nodded slightly.

"As far as I know, with this level of strength, the Crescent Moon Rift should be able to open soon. Why don't you wait and see?"

Sui An still had a big smile on his face: "I still want to do what I did when I was at level three, while I still have the strength, to ensure three or four rifts every month, so that I can develop faster."

Zheng Xifeng's lips twitched: "Brother Sui, you're that confident?"

He subconsciously dropped the word "small," pointed to the raven statue peeking out from the city wall, and spoke with a hint of inquiry in his tone.

"The strength of a mid-level fissure is far superior to that of a low-level one, which will greatly reduce the power of your level 3 blue buildings. Have you already prepared the blue buildings needed for level 4?"

"More or less."

Sui An thought for a moment and suddenly felt that he still needed to reveal some of his strength. Otherwise, why would Zheng Xifeng think that he could survive in the intermediate rift? If he was destroyed by the rift, wouldn't that damage Zheng Xifeng's reputation?

"Captain Zheng must have heard about the high-level attack structures in my territory, right?"

"Of course I've heard of it!"

Zheng Xifeng was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized: "You've already collected all the purple materials needed to upgrade to level 4?"

"Yes!"

Sui An's smile slowly faded, and he straightened his posture, no longer joking.

"Since you want to find someone through Captain Zheng, I naturally have to take responsibility for the personal safety of the person you introduce."

"So let me give you a heads-up: I now have six level 4 purple buildings in my territory, all upgraded from level 1 to level 4. Add to that these 14 level 3 blue-quality elemental statues and this level 4 blue city wall, and I'm confident I can handle the first four rifts."

Zheng Xifeng's pupils narrowed slightly. He had already made some assessment of Sui An's strength, especially after seeing the city wall, he felt that Sui An had a powerful background.

To possess a level 4 blue-quality city wall blueprint right after promotion is either due to incredible luck or a wealthy family background.

But if you manage to do it, then you must be very wealthy.

However, considering Sui An's terrifying income during this period, if his defense costs are not too high, then his actual income can at least support this level 4 blue city wall.

Now you're telling me you still have 6 level 4 purple buildings?

As far as he knew, his trade routes were all managed by his own subordinates. Wang Zhen definitely did not help him purchase so many purple materials, which meant that these could only be his own background and resources.

Surely he couldn't have picked up all the materials himself, could he?

He'd believe you if you found one or two, but you said six?

Why would I believe that?!

Zheng Xifeng's lips twitched even more, but he soon let out a slow sigh of relief.

"This level of strength is indeed enough to easily handle an ordinary intermediate-level rift, but why must it be an alchemist?"

"For example, could we recruit a few more level 4 combat professionals, or plant growers?"

"I see that the energy concentration in your territory is not low, and the open space is so large that it would be a waste not to use it. Wouldn't it be better to hire a few planters to grow some energy plants for you?"

As if he had expected it, Sui An pointed to the two detached blue houses to the side.

"This is because I have two level 3 blue-quality alchemy workshops. Their effect is to save energy and reduce consumption, and they can also slightly help alchemists gain more skill insights. They should also be somewhat attractive to level 4 alchemists."

"Of course, I'm also willing to recruit other Level 4 professionals if there are suitable ones. But for combat professionals who are more inclined towards physical strength, the background requirements are definitely higher at this stage. After all, their destructive capabilities are very strong, and if they are not careful, they can easily cause destruction in the territory. Safety first."

"Can it help alchemists gain more skill insights?"

Zheng Xifeng was startled. His eyes lit up, and he seemed a little too excited: "You're not lying to me, are you?"

"There's nothing to lie about. I can show you the blueprints and instructions."

Seeing Zheng Xifeng's agitated state, Sui An realized that he had hit a nerve. Could it be that Zheng Xifeng had a relative or friend who was an alchemist?

"Then I'll have to trouble you!" Zheng Xifeng didn't back down, and surprisingly wanted to take a look at the blueprints.

Sui An didn't waste any time and pulled up the blueprint information right in front of him.

This scene secretly alarmed Zheng Xifeng. As far as he knew, any building that could display all the functions of the territory's core outside of the core must have special functions.

If it were someone else, they might not be able to tell.

Unfortunately, he had seen a similar building before.

"Brother Sui, you're in luck! Although your building is of a low grade, it's very effective. There aren't many like it even in Jiangcheng. Even people with some connections have to queue up to use it."

Zheng Xifeng looked at the projected blueprints in front of him and made a double entendre.

He held Sui An in even higher regard; it was a territory with a relatively complete foundation, and its future development was absolutely limitless.

"Is this alchemy workshop now completely empty?"

Sui An nodded: "One was given to the younger sister of a territory member, a young girl who has just awakened. If needed, I can still make a few more."

"The younger sister of a territory member, very good~" Zheng Xifeng said with a smile. "Then I'll recommend a level 4 alchemist as well. I'm sure you can trust him."

"Oh? Captain Zheng has already found a candidate so quickly?"

"Yes, my sister!"

In a luxuriously decorated courtyard in the western part of Jiangcheng, several people were sitting in the center, chatting.

After saying his last sentence, Zheng Xifeng picked up his teacup and took a big gulp.

Sitting above the stone table was a middle-aged man who looked somewhat similar to Zheng Xifeng. Although he was not as burly as Zheng Xifeng, he was still quite tall, but his appearance was somewhat aged.

He glanced at Zheng Xifeng, who was gulping down tea, and said softly.

"According to what you said, this lord should not have any great background, but he should be considered to have great luck. If he really had a background, he shouldn't be in such a difficult situation with others, and he should have to rely on you to find people. After all, shouldn't the person behind him be closer? So it is indeed better to include these achievements in his own luck."

"Dad, do you think so too?"

Beside him sat a girl in a long coat. Although the coat was loose, you could still tell that she was tall and voluptuous, about twenty years old. She had bright and clear peach blossom eyes, but at this moment, the corners of her mouth were turned up in a smile.

"Even if he is a lord with great fortune, and he insists that I go there to do something, it's just a level 3 blue quality alchemy workshop. For a level 4 alchemist like me, the effect will definitely be mediocre."

"Besides, that place is remote, surrounded by wilderness, there's nothing fun to do there, it must be incredibly boring."

Zheng Xifeng slammed his teacup down on the table, glanced at his younger sister, and said loudly.

"If you ask me, you've just been living too comfortably in Jiangcheng. You've forgotten what era we live in now. Do you think you're some noble lady from the old world, able to do whatever you want?"

"You've been at level 4 for so many years, and there's still no sign of level 5. I'll have to send you to the wilderness to train."

The woman curled her lip, completely ignoring her older brother's words.

She simply turned to her father and said, "Dad, I don't want to go to that desolate wilderness. Besides, you don't know if the people in that territory are good or bad. Aren't you afraid something will happen to me, a girl, going there alone?"

But before her father, Zheng Wen, could speak, a middle-aged man standing nearby suddenly spoke up with a smile.

"Qiuyu is right. That territory does have potential, but it is indeed somewhat dangerous for a girl like her to go there alone."

Seeing that someone had spoken up for her again, Zheng Qiuyu's eyes crinkled into a smile, and she quickly replied, "Uncle, I knew you were the best!"

"Uncle!" Zheng Xifeng called out quickly, trying to stop him.

How come you've spoiled her too? She only became a Level 4 alchemist because you forced her to achieve it day by day back then. In recent years, she's been working hard only three days a week and not working hard at all, without any sign of advancement.

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