There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

"If there are no oranges, we'll eat peaches instead. Eating peaches is also very good for your health."

Inside the tavern, I was patiently persuading Burnett, and the bald man was listening attentively; the scene was quite harmonious.

Does this scenario appear abruptly? Is it lacking in context? Not at all.

I've omitted a small part about the beating he received upon entering the house for the sake of the writing. After I gave him some physical counseling, the emotionally unstable Burnett said he was perfectly healthy and had no emotional fluctuations whatsoever; he wouldn't even feel sorry for his father if he were shot in front of him.

I'm sure many of you have seen someone go out and then come back in wearing a suspicious war mask and carrying a blood-stained dagger, start beating themselves without saying a word, or wait quietly until I finish expressing my emotions with my body before asking me what's wrong, bruised and battered.

Burnett must have had the illusion that if he had dared to run away or resist, the tetanus sword would have undoubtedly plunged into his stomach.

Burnett's face was swollen again, and his nose was bleeding profusely. He was tilting his head back and carefully trying to stop the bleeding when he asked, "Boss... I feel much better now... What did you want to see me about?"

I looked him over and made sure he had fully recovered under the physical therapy—it's so easy to talk to smart people, sometimes they can understand you without you even having to say a word!

"This time I'm going to Sabre Bay instead. How long does it take to get there? What's the situation there? Please tell me about it."

Burnett scratched his head and said, “Saber Bay? Are you sure you want to go there? That’s the Godslayer Pirate Gang’s port and base on the edge of the desert. Although the permanent population is not as large as the Loader’s Territory, they are all bloodthirsty and cunning pirates. They gather to trade supplies in the surrounding area occasionally, but most of the time they are planning raids and attacks around the shipping route.”

"So arrogant? Are you plotting something in person?"

"Of course. The Godslayer Pirate Gang is one of the most stubborn cancers on this planet. Even though multiple forces have joined forces to fight against them, they have all fallen apart under their long-term blockade of sea and land routes."

Burnett took a breath after speaking at length, and then slowed his pace to say, "Even the Loader's Headquarters was a base specifically set up by the faction to hold off their attacks. So far, while it has been effective, it is far less so than expected."

If my sabotage is taken into account, then not only was it ineffective, it may even have shaken the very foundation of our alliance, and we could very well perish in the next wave of attacks from Sabre Bay.

"I don't want to see one side dominating, it seems I have to go there to do some balancing work... Tell me more about what Sabre Bay is like?"

"It's a huge port, where a lot of looted goods transit before being transported to the pirates' stronghold. If you see a row of white houses along the beach, that's your destination. But boss..."

Burnett whispered, "You really don't need to help me anymore..."

"This has nothing to do with you. I'm just working for that person..." I pointed mysteriously to the sky and said, "This region was ordered to be taken over by that person. But you will also benefit from this, so I have a task for you!"

"What mission?" Burnett asked, puzzled.

I removed my stone war mask, unsheathed my short sword, slammed it heavily on the bar table, and declared decisively, "Put on the mask, pick up the sword, and play me while I'm gone!"

Burnett was so startled he nearly fell off his chair, his voice trembling as he said, "Are you...are you kidding me?! How could I possibly do that!"

I snapped at him, annoyed by his lack of self-confidence, "What are you afraid of! Stand up!"

I threw the stone war mask at him and said confidently, "The loader's leader has been terrified of me. He probably doesn't even have enough troops to send out now, so he definitely won't attack here. But for security reasons, I will entrust the personal guards outside to you to maintain order in this area. Let them handle anything that comes up."

"But boss..."

"Shut up, let me finish."

I didn't give him a chance to refute, and continued, "I've already spread the word in the Loaders' Territory and accumulated enough reputation. There will definitely be artisan guilds and faction merchants coming here to see what this free trade zone I'm talking about is like."

"Therefore, I need you to use your business acumen to develop an attractive commercial district in this godforsaken place, increasing the commercial value of this land. If you are capable, even lure the Cedar Clan here to establish a fixed trading center around the tavern. In short, do everything possible to develop this place and make a name for yourself!"

Burnett was completely confused, but finally found an opportunity to ask, "Boss, what about the goals and plans? And what are the standards?"

I waved my hand and said without hesitation, "None of that! I won't give you any funds or manpower. The only thing I'll give you is this land and the policy of letting you do whatever you want! If the special economic zone... ptooey, ptooey, the free trade zone hasn't been established yet when I come back, I'll bury you alive upside down."

"Seriously, boss! I don't think he deserves this!"

"Hmph, you yourselves haven't even realized the power this land has nurtured. You think there's nothing here, but little do you know... Never mind, I can't explain this to you. Just do as I say."

I waved him off, too lazy to talk to him anymore, and after kicking him out of the tavern, I started on other preparations.

.........

The simple-looking but incredibly powerful Eternal Forge was emitting a ghostly blue light in the dark room, and the scorching air was blowing in waves of heat, but I felt nothing as it mechanically and rapidly smelted and forged, producing one different piece of equipment after another on the forging table.

These steel equipment included a series of war gear such as steel spears, steel warhammers, steel bracers, steel armored boots, steel shoulder pads, and steel light armor.

This forging effort depleted my steel inventory, but the results were remarkable. The quality and comprehensiveness of these equipment pieces almost surpassed my previous Steel War sets.

The only drawback was that these steel equipment were far too heavy. A full suit of armor weighed up to thirty kilograms, and if weapons were added, it would crush a soldier. Under such weight, even normal marching was impossible, let alone fierce fighting.

So I replaced my steel plate armor with the lightweight armor produced by the system, which mitigated some of my disadvantages.

My planned military equipment upgrade is finally about to begin!

Chapter 387 A Daydream

"Three captains, put on all your gear! I'll be inspecting you when I get back. If you can't run a 10-kilometer cross-country race fully equipped or engage in 30 minutes of high-intensity combat, you can expect to be buried alive upside down!"

The familiar threat has now descended upon Unit 460.

The three unlucky guys in the front row, who had already put on their gear with the help of their teammates, were now sitting on the ground, unable to move, like three robots paralyzed by a network outage. They struggled to raise their arms and ask.

"But... sir, in this way... we can't move at all!"

I glanced at him and identified him by his build.

"It's a lion! That's a very good question!"

After changing his name, he became much easier to remember. If he were to switch to a vegetarian diet, I think he could easily gain at least two million fans.

"The reason I'm having you put on this armor is simply to let you experience the difficulty of being fully armed. You can gradually increase the weight according to the equipment parts, increasing your load-bearing capacity until you achieve the goal of being fully armed!"

I surveyed the entire area and continued explaining my plan, "Zero Lion, Four-Legged Chicken, Six-Wheel Face! The three of you will take responsibility for training. When I test you, the team with the most qualified members will receive the same steel plate armor. The level of armament will ensure that you enter and leave the battlefield unscathed!"

The twenty-odd soldiers immediately beamed with joy. They were practically drooling over my previously impenetrable armor. Even the sharpest weapon is only good for a short time; my ridiculously sturdy armor is the ultimate weapon for survival on the battlefield.

Imagine stepping onto the battlefield in this armor; as long as they weren't foolish enough to get trapped, they would be invincible on the battlefield. The image of me shielding myself from rifle fire while wearing the armor is still vivid in my mind; I believe they fully understand the importance of this armor.

For example, during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, when Li Shimin was fighting Dou Jiande, he sent more than 3,000 cavalrymen to launch a surprise attack on an enemy camp with an army of 120,000. These cavalrymen were all wearing well-made armor, and even when the enemy's arrows were raining down, they still shouted and charged forward. Some soldiers had already been hit by several arrows but still insisted on fighting, showing no sign of falling.

Faced with such a powerful and resilient opponent, the enemy was overwhelmed and soon suffered a defeat, with Dou Jiande taken prisoner. It's fair to say that if these soldiers hadn't been wearing heavy armor, they would likely have been torn to shreds by an army of hundreds of thousands.

Besides Li Shimin, Zheng Chenggong also formed a powerful and invincible "Iron Man Army". The soldiers in this army wore heavy armor, which could not only block arrows, but also resist the enemy's matchlock guns.

"but!"

My turning point came naturally.

"If you rank second in terms of qualified applicants, then unfortunately, I will only provide you with a steel combat vest, which can only protect the body's defenses. I can't help you with attacks on other parts of your body."

I took out a minimalist, lightweight combat vest, showed it to them, and then said...

"But if you're the last squad in line, then I can only express my regret. These incredibly sturdy armors will have to say goodbye to you. You'll have to rely on your strong will and flexible thinking to fight for a way to survive in this war where swords have no eyes."

I finished explaining the arrangements and announcing the rules to everyone with a blank expression. Looking at their bewildered expressions, I said, "If you have time to stand here daydreaming, you'd be better off starting training. Time starts counting from this moment, and there's not enough time for you to waste..."

These words struck everyone like a thunderbolt. The members of Squad 4, led by Four-Legged Chicken, were the quickest to act. They used both hands and feet to lift their captain, who was trapped in his armor and unable to move, and ran towards the shady spot by the sea.

Excellent! You have a quick mind and a fast reaction time. If you can maintain perseverance, you should be able to reach the expected level.

"Six-wheeled face, why aren't you leaving?"

The Lion's squad followed suit, immediately lifting their captain up on their backs, demonstrating the high level of cohesion within Squad Zero. Under their captain's command, they quickly began training.

But only the members of Squad Six were staring at their captain on the ground, seemingly unsure of what to do.

A teammate from Squad Six said, "Sir, we also want to carry the captain away. But he said... he said... wait a minute?"

"...Why did you say 'wait a minute'? Should we order takeout first?"

I asked the six-wheeled face sitting on the ground.

To my surprise, this seemingly simple-minded person said, "It's not like that, sir... I was thinking that everyone's physical strength is limited each day, and blind training might cause continuous damage over several days. I wanted to see how their training went first, and then train alongside them. Although it's slower that way, it'll save us from some detours..."

"You're right..."

I pondered for a moment, then countered, "While what you said makes sense, how can I tell if you're trying to slack off or genuinely studying? Are you sure your method is effective?"

After discussing with his teammates, Liu Lunmian honestly said, "My teammates are all the ones who were left over from the team. Their physical fitness is inferior. We all feel that we still need to make a counterattack to have a chance of winning."

This is indeed a hardworking and intelligent person. For those with sufficient talent, opportunities can be seized, and even if no opportunities exist, they can proactively create them to achieve a leap forward. However, for most people of average ability, the most important thing to achieve a leap forward is to place themselves in the right place at the right time and rely on hard work to take off.

"Fine, you can decide for yourselves. You have to walk the path you want, even if you have to crawl on your knees."

I waved my hand, indicating that they could decide on their own methods, as long as they didn't regret it.

Three teams, three different styles. I'm also very curious about who will win, but right now, my most important thing is to be good to myself.

I agree with one point he made earlier: it's important to understand your own situation before planning for the future. I'm likely facing a series of tough battles ahead, so it's crucial to recover the energy I've been severely depleted over the past two days.

Let me emphasize again, I'm not slacking off.

"Burnet, keep watch at the door for me, and while you're at it, take this big cat out so it doesn't disturb my sleep."

I grabbed the cheetah by the scruff of its neck and shoved it next to Burnett. But the proud cheetah looked down on the bald man, struggled for a moment, landed steadily, and ran off to the doorway to frolic.

"Boss, don't worry. I won't let anyone in, I guarantee it with the weapons I have!"

Burnett hesitated for only a moment before confidently making his promise.

"I'll be relieved as long as you don't cut yourself."

I expressed my doubts about what he said, but I still closed the door, pulled the horsehide blanket over myself, and listened to the continuous roar of the wind turbine and the training chants at the door. I then drifted off to sleep, the only time I had slept peacefully in the past few days.

Chapter 388 Bizarre Dream

I had a very strange dream.

I dreamt that I transformed into a tiny speck of dust in the universe, floating in a pitch-black environment, without sound, without temperature, without up or down.

Without gravity, the body is as if immersed in the ocean floor under immense pressure, making even moving a finger a luxury.

I tried to open my eyes, but I felt my thin eyelids disappear as well. My fragile eyeballs were exposed to all kinds of high-energy rays from the universe. After a slight pain, there was only endless void, and I had no chance to move anymore.

With all my senses gone and useless, I began to shrink my remaining will into my body like a snail, using this now useless body to build the last line of defense.

This fragile fortification is the only thing I can rely on.

The weakening of my bodily functions triggered my survival instincts. Unable to breathe through my nose, my chest began to heave violently, trying to squeeze out the remaining oxygen from my lungs and blood.

This futile effort gradually transformed into an internal and external struggle, trying to lengthen inhalations and shorten exhalations, attempting to trap air within the body's circulation. But the feeling of suffocation grew stronger and more painful. I struggled endlessly in the darkness, nearly reaching the breaking point several times, thinking I should just give up. But then, the images of my neighbors from Mineral Town would appear clearly before my eyes, giving me a reason to persevere…

"I don't want to die..."

This was my only thought, like a faint but persistent radio wave emitted from deep space, proving my existence.

After what seemed like an eternity, when I was unsure whether I was dead or alive, it suddenly felt like a small hole had appeared in my lungs, and a faint but pure stream of oxygen burst out, giving me the feeling that I was breathing freely.

The feeling came so suddenly that I couldn't be sure if there really was a hole in my chest, and my whole body had become a tube running through me.

But as I continued to breathe, I felt the cool air like a mint, which, wherever it went, greatly relieved the pain in a certain part of my body.