Chapter 248 - 223: The Value of the Expansion Card is Still Increasing
Early the next morning.
The sky had just begun to lighten.
Zhang Bo arrived at the door with something in hand.
Standing outside the door, Zhang Bo paced back and forth, glancing behind him from time to time.
’I came so early, surely no one is watching me now.’
The door opened.
When Zhang Bo saw Jia Liangcai behind the door, a smile unconsciously spread across his face. He handed over the salt bag in his hand. "Mr. Jia."
Jia Liangcai chuckled, took it smoothly, and placed it on the wooden entryway cabinet. "You’re here too."
With that, he stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter.
Zhang Bo was puzzled. ’What does he mean, I’m here *too*?’
Then he looked inside and immediately spotted Huang Tao sitting on the sofa, smiling at him.
Their eyes met. Huang Tao raised a hand and gave him a little wave.
"Fuck." An expression like he’d just eaten a pile of shit crossed Zhang Bo’s face. Swallowing his discomfort, he sat down next to Huang Tao.
Huang Tao chuckled and turned to Zhang Bo. "You’re just in time. I was listening to Chairman Qin talk about his plan to lease out Cards."
Zhang Bo answered distractedly. He hadn’t expected Huang Tao to be here so early in the morning. ’This guy is a little too diligent.’
His train of thought was immediately derailed. ’Leasing Cards?’
’What kind of strategy is that?’
He was confused, but he didn’t let it show, instead tilting his head to listen intently.
Soon, after listening to Qin Ziwen and Huang Tao’s discussion, Zhang Bo had a flash of understanding.
So the idea was to lend Cards to people within the Qin Alliance who hadn’t obtained one yet, letting them activate their own Homes. Then, after the map settlement, he could reap the rewards. Although the rewards might not be substantial and wouldn’t be much of a private gain, it would actually strengthen the foundation of the entire Alliance.
Zhang Bo felt a pang of envy listening to this. These people were just too lucky.
They could get a Card for free, just like that.
However, a question occurred to Zhang Bo. He asked cautiously, "Chairman Qin, aren’t you afraid that some people might borrow a Card and not return it?"
"Not return it?" Qin Ziwen first mulled it over, then let out a soft chuckle as if he’d thought of something amusing.
Huang Tao immediately followed with a laugh of his own.
Zhang Bo frowned in thought, then shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh. He had really asked a foolish question.
’That’s right. If Chairman Qin was going to lend something out, he would definitely do his research beforehand.’
’He wouldn’t just lend it to some untethered loner with no ties.’
’Besides, would anyone really dare to borrow something and not return it?’
Huang Tao took a cloth-wrapped object from his pocket. "Mr. Qin, I heard about your promotion to the Extraordinary realm. I was overjoyed and have prepared a small gift."
Huang Tao unwrapped the cloth, revealing the object inside.
Under the sunlight, the gray Card had an exquisite matte finish.
[Building Card] Level 1 Blacksmith Shop.
"I heard that you have a Blacksmith Shop building, Mr. Qin. This Card can only reach its full potential with you." Huang Tao presented the Card with both hands, placing it on the table.
Qin Ziwen’s expression was subtle. ’A Blacksmith Shop?’
’That’s old news.’
’It’s already been upgraded to the Yanwu Military Equipment Supervisor.’
Zhang Bo was inwardly furious. ’Suck-up! Huang Tao, you bastard!’
’You always seem so honest, yet you’re willing to go this far. Don’t tell me you want to join the Qin Alliance too?’
Zhang Bo quietly slipped a hand into his own pocket, suddenly feeling that his gift was too shabby to present.
Qin Ziwen glanced at Zhang Bo. Heaven knows, it was just a casual, random glance.
But Zhang Bo reacted as if startled, quickly pulling something out of his pocket.
"Chairman Qin, I’ve used up all the Cards I’ve gotten recently. I don’t have a Card for you, but this is a new product I’ve developed."
Zhang Bo carefully took out a small jar.
He unscrewed the cap, revealing a fine, brown powder inside.
It looked very familiar.
Huang Tao was a little surprised. "Cumin powder? When did you get your hands on that?"
The corners of Zhang Bo’s mouth turned up. "I heard someone was selling cumin plants, so I bought out his entire stock. Then I spent some time specifically gathering more in the Gobi Desert and put together a lot of cumin seedlings. I figured that as the living conditions in the Gated Community improve, the residents’ demand for seasonings will definitely increase, so I started looking for plants that could produce spices ahead of time.
"Chairman, cumin powder is made by grinding and processing the seeds of the cumin plant. Because I’m trying to scale up production right now, I don’t have a large quantity of cumin. But if you ever want some, just say the word, and I’ll have it delivered to you anytime."
Qin Ziwen was quite pleased with the cumin powder. He accepted it. "Alright, I’ll give it a taste later."
Lately, the only seasonings in his food had been salt, chili peppers, and various onions. Having another option was nice. Cumin was a good thing.
After a bit more small talk, they saw Qin Ziwen glance at the time on his phone and tactfully took their leave.
After they left, Qin Ziwen casually picked up the Blacksmith Shop Card from the table and tossed it to Jia Liangcai. "Go add this to the card pool. Let the newbies use it to activate their Homes."
"Yes, my lord."
...
Then, Qin Ziwen stood up and took out three Function Cards.
First, he took out and used the [Function Card] Insight.
[Function Activated: Level 5 Insight]
[Authority Level Increased. Current Authority: Level 3 Authority (4/8)]
[Level 5 Insight: Can be used on any target to understand its fundamental rules and perceive its higher-level attributes.]
Qin Ziwen scanned the description. ’Sounds pretty cryptic.’
He got up and walked from his bedroom to the large sandy area to the north.
He scanned the newly constructed Blood Sand Beast Fighting Arena in the distance.
[Level 1 Blood Sand Beast Fighting Arena: Level 1 Blood Valor, Level 1 Inspiration, Level 2 Stamina Recovery] (Beast Fighting: Omitted) → [Level 2 Blood Sand Beast Fighting Arena: Level 1 Blood Valor, Level 2 Inspiration, Level 3 Stamina Recovery] (Beast Fighting: Omitted) (Area: 80x80m → 120x120m)
’So that’s how it is. I can see the next-level attributes of a building in advance.’
Still, increasing the Beast Fighting Arena’s area was a good thing.
Although the Level 1 Blood Sand Beast Fighting Arena was already quite large—even bigger than the performance area of Ancient Rome’s most famous amphitheater, the Flavian Amphitheater—the Ancient Romans probably never imagined that one day dinosaurs would be fighting inside one.
It wasn’t that the Blood Sand Beast Fighting Arena was small, but that the dinosaurs were too big.
But this brought up another problem. The total area of the Home was limited. If the Beast Fighting Arena continued to expand, and there wasn’t enough space in the Home to build, he wouldn’t even be able to complete the upgrade.
Qin Ziwen then turned his gaze to the Giant Beast Breeding Center next to it.
[Level 1 Giant Beast Breeding Center: Level 2 Incubation Speed, Level 2 Growth Speed, Level 1 Hearty Appetite] (Special Effects: Omitted) → [Level 2 Giant Beast Breeding Center: Level 3 Incubation Speed, Level 3 Growth Speed, Level 1 Hearty Appetite] (Special Effects: Omitted) (Area: 50x50m → 60x60m)
He noticed a pattern, one that his previous upgrade of the Martial Arts Arena had already suggested: these Advanced Buildings increased their footprint with every single upgrade.
He then used Insight on the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery and the Yanwu Military Equipment Supervisor, confirming this was true for them as well. Looked at this way, the value of Expansion Cards was only going to increase.
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