In the distance, beneath the murky water’s surface, a blurry dark shadow passed over the buildings.
Its massive body, like a small mountain, swam slowly forward.
Lan He stood atop a building, gazing at the approaching Great Rock Crab.
The Great Rock Crab stopped above the Fishman swarm. From a crevice in its shell, a ghastly white figure emerged and swam toward another building in the distance.
Watching Hei Qi’s retreating figure, Lan He shook his head slightly.
A Fishman behind Lan He snorted. "We’re all the same race, but that Hei Qi is far too cautious. If we hadn’t brought out the Great Rock Crab, he probably would have died back there. He didn’t even come over to thank us."
"He’s injured. It’s understandable that he’s being careful." Lan He withdrew his gaze, his eyes falling upon the Great Rock Crab floating above his people.
"Go get the food. Give it a larger portion this time. The Great Rock Crab made this trip quickly," Lan He ordered.
The Great Rock Crab floated overhead. Seeing the food held up by the approaching Fishmen, it contentedly extended its pincers, grabbed the food, and hugged it to its chest.
Then, it slowly swam off into the distance and submerged itself in a dark crevice.
...
"THUD!" A whole string of bound Dark Tide Fishmen crashed onto the ground. They were all tied up securely.
They rolled several times on the ground, a tangled, groaning mass of bodies squirming against one another.
"Thank you, Lord Mogu!" Yan Da said, clasping his fists.
Mogu gave a slight nod, acknowledging him, then turned and left.
After watching Mogu depart, Yan Da looked down at the Dark Tide Fishmen on the ground, took out the Fishman’s Cry, and said, "Please, all of you, help me break through to the Extraordinary realm!"
Corpses now lay strewn across the ground.
Yan Da’s eyes were shut tight, his body trembling slightly. Wisps of water began to gather around him, and a malevolent aura started to coalesce.
Qin Ziwen, who had appeared by Yan Da’s side at some point, took out a Reward Card and crushed it.
The Reward Card dissolved into a beam of light that flowed into Yan Da. His already formidable aura instantly surged, growing much stronger!
The currents of water swirling around Yan Da gradually grew gentle. This was a conquest on a higher level, as if he were a monarch of the water.
’It’s a shame I didn’t have a Reward Card when Du Yu broke through,’ Qin Ziwen thought with a twinge of regret. ’If I had, Du Yu’s strength might be a whole tier higher than it is now.’
’I’ll have to see if I can get any Cards in the future that can enhance an Extraordinary class or grant a second class change.’
After a long moment, Yan Da, his eyes previously shut, opened them. He let out a long breath, then turned to Qin Ziwen and without hesitation, knelt on one knee, clasping his fists. "Yan Da thanks you for your aid, my lord!"
"Mm. Our enemies on this map are the underwater Fishmen. I gave you the Reward Card in the hope that you will perform well from now on," Qin Ziwen said with a nod.
"I will not disappoint you, my lord!" Yan Da said gratefully.
Qin Ziwen used Insight on Yan Da.
[Extraordinary · Water Monarch · Human (Yan Da): ☆☆☆☆★] Level 2 Soul-Trapping Aquatic Prison, Level 2 Water Monarch’s Body, Level 2 Underwater Tyrant
"What are your abilities?"
"My lord, I’ve gained three abilities. The first is Soul-Trapping Aquatic Prison. Enemies I kill in the water will become trapped souls that I can command. Water Monarch’s Body allows me to be more attuned to water, move more flexibly underwater, and breathe underwater. Finally, Underwater Tyrant lets me intimidate beasts in the water," Yan Da reported truthfully.
"Good." Qin Ziwen nodded, quite satisfied with Yan Da’s new abilities.
"Is there a time limit or an area restriction on the souls you imprison?"
Yan Da said, "There’s no time limit, but the souls can only manifest when I use the ability, and they can’t stray too far from me."
’The range should increase as the ability’s level goes up, but this is already quite good,’ Qin Ziwen thought, very pleased with Yan Da’s abilities.
Yan Da was about to speak but snapped his mouth shut when he heard footsteps.
Qin Ziwen turned his head. Not far behind him, Qiu Gao, the vice-director of the hospital, was approaching timidly, holding a manuscript. "Chairman Qin, these are some recent thoughts of mine. I was hoping for your guidance."
After speaking, Qiu Gao presented the manuscript with both hands.
"Let me see." Qin Ziwen took the manuscript and looked down at it.
Seeing Qin Ziwen accept the manuscript, Qiu Gao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He then glanced impassively at Yan Da and the still-wet corpses of the Fishmen on the ground, a trace of awe flashing in his eyes.
"Are these your ideas?"
Hearing Qin Ziwen’s voice, Qiu Gao quickly turned back. "Yes, I came up with them myself."
"Why the sudden interest in starting a newspaper?"
Qiu Gao hurriedly explained, "Chairman, your prestige in the Gated Community is certainly very high, and with the Qin Alliance, many people here depend on you for their survival. You are the pillar of our community. But this is all on the material side. I think we can also take hold of the spiritual aspect. Tackling both at once will make our foundation more stable."
"I’ve read your proposal. The idea is good, but there are a few issues. First is the material for the newspaper."
Qiu Gao said, "Chairman, I’ve found a partner. A household in the Gated Community has activated a Printing Workshop building. Although it’s just basic movable type printing, it can still print a few hundred copies of a newspaper a day without any problem."
Hearing about the printing workshop, Qin Ziwen understood.
Since that kind of building existed, there was no need to worry about the materials and tools for making a newspaper.
With thousands of people in the Gated Community, he didn’t have the energy to know what every single person was up to.
Qin Ziwen then asked, "Next is the content. A newspaper is a mouthpiece. Who will be this ’mouth’?"
Qiu Gao eagerly volunteered himself. "Chairman, I’m willing! At the hospital, I was in charge of publicity. I have experience writing newsletters, hospital journals, and creating informational display boards. Chairman, as the Gated Community becomes more materially prosperous, the need for spiritual and mental fulfillment will surely arise.
"Public opinion is like a battlefield. If we don’t occupy it, someone else will. It’s better to establish our voice now than to be reactive later."
Qin Ziwen didn’t respond, merely gesturing for him to continue.
Qiu Gao cleared his throat. "I’ve divided the newspaper into four sections."
"The first is Major News, which will primarily serve as the official voice of the Gated Community—that is, the Qin Alliance. This section will publish our community’s current strategic direction and major events.
"The second section is the News section, which will report on the daily changes in the Gated Community, giving everyone more confidence and serving as a bellwether for the community.
"The third is the Entertainment section. We can publish serialized short stories, or interesting essays and gossip."
"The fourth..." Qiu Gao glanced at Qin Ziwen. "I was thinking we could have a recruitment section."
"With the Gated Community’s development and those miraculous Building Cards, the number of small workshops is actually increasing. There will definitely be a need for trade and recruitment. We can charge a fee for advertisements in the newspaper, for people to pay to publish relevant content."
Qin Ziwen didn’t object. It was just as Qiu Gao said: as people’s material lives became more satisfied, their spiritual needs would also grow.
"Make a sample issue for me first. I want to see how it turns out."
"Yes, sir." Hearing the Chairman agree, Qiu Gao was as elated as if he had just won a great battle, his whole being energized.
...
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