24: Nanshan Town

On the vast sea, Wei He watched the battle from within the armored personnel carrier, feeling both relieved and a bit regretful.

"What a great skill. It's a pity I can't send Yuri out right now; otherwise, if we controlled them, our strength would grow even more!" Wei He said while wiping his sweat.

"Lord Commander, I am very familiar with the situation in Nankang Golden Valley. Once I've recovered from my injuries, we'll fight our way back!" Huang Yichen was now incomparably loyal to Wei He.

"No rush. Just tell me about their situation once we get back!" A cunning smile appeared at the corners of Wei He's mouth as he began to plot secretly in his heart.

Inside the Red Alert Base on the Danga Archipelago, Wei He was watching Du Yu's miraculous power. With just a light touch, several stones immediately turned golden-yellow. If only this skill could be used on Blue Star.

He could have become a wealthy man himself. Now, he was stuck guarding this island, being chased around by people from two different countries.

Seeing that the gold Du Yu produced could actually increase his gold coin count, Wei He hugged Du Yu in excitement.

With Du Yu, he would eventually be able to conquer this world and return to his original one.

Amidst his excitement, Wei He noticed Huang Yichen nearby. Since his injuries hadn't healed yet, he decided he had to find a doctor for him. It would also be a good chance for him to go out and have some fun; he hadn't truly relaxed since coming to this world.

Nanshan Town is located at the border of the Magic Empire and the Lingshu Kingdom, and its coast is the closest to the Danga Archipelago.

Wei He walked up to the city gate. The wall wasn't particularly high, about four meters tall, yet the blue-gray stone bricks it was built from bore no marks of time, looking brand new.

Standing by the city gate was a squad of twelve armed soldiers in deep black armor, their faces full of arrogance, while the civilians entering and leaving all wore expressions of deep respect.

The leader, however, was a middle-aged man dressed in a dark green casual robe, sitting atop the city wall in a commanding position. With his eyelids half-closed, he looked down upon everyone with a condescending expression.

This time, Wei He had learned his lesson from being attacked previously. He brought not only Huang Yichen but also two Bozi Youning, one Yuri, one Radiation Engineer, and one Crazy Ivan.

After all, he was out for leisure; bringing too many people would make them easily noticed, and he wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Just a gatekeeper, yet so arrogant!" Wei He couldn't help but curl his lip.

"This person appears to be an entry-level Ability User. I can't tell what his ability is yet, but in this remote town, he is indeed quite powerful!" Huang Yichen quickly explained. Wei He nodded and walked toward the gate.

"Why are you stopping me?" Wei He asked with a frown, puzzled, just as he was about to enter the gate and was blocked by two guards.

"You're not a local? Don't you know the rules? Or are you just a fool?" One of them looked at Wei He with contempt, his words dripping with arrogance, which made Wei He feel a surge of irritation.

Although the current Wei He couldn't compare to high-ranking officials like Carlos and Lin Zhian, he could still wipe out a place like Nanshan Town with a single order.

Being mocked by someone even inferior to a Neck Twister made him angry, but he endured it. After all, he hadn't come here to cause trouble; taking care of business was the priority.

"I'm out traveling and came here for supplies!" Wei He forced a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"Hand over your entry fee. For outsiders, this is the rule!" another round-faced guard said, extending his hand with disdain.

"How much?" Wei He asked, thinking it better to avoid trouble.

"Twenty gold coins!" the first guard said in an unfriendly tone, as if he simply disliked the look of Wei He.

Wei He frowned. This man was clearly extorting him; ordinary people might not even spend a single gold coin in an entire year.

Wei He stared coldly at the guard's face for a full minute. The man's face grew increasingly pale with anger. The surrounding guards noticed the situation and gathered around, ready to teach Wei He a lesson at the slightest provocation.

"Here you go!" Wei He smiled faintly, pulled twenty gold coins from the pouch at his waist, and handed them over.

The others Wei He had brought mingled with the crowd and entered the gate for just one silver coin, which only added fuel to the fire of Wei He's anger.

"Lu Sheng, you really outdid yourself, hahaha! That fool paid twenty gold coins for a one-silver entry fee!" several guards nearby laughed.

"I've never even seen that many gold coins! Hahahaha, everyone's got drinking money for tonight, hahahaha!" the round-faced guard said with a grin, draping an arm over Lu Sheng's shoulder.

After entering the city, Wei He's group first found a clinic to treat Huang Yichen's injuries, and then they began to wander around the area.

They arrived at a restaurant, went inside, and ordered a large amount of food and wine. Wei He took out some gold coins and placed them on the table. The waiter quickly served over a dozen dishes.

Lately, he had first been hunted by mages and then worked as a miner; his palate had become so bland it was driving him crazy.

Fortunately, while the food and wine here couldn't compare to the various cuisines of Blue Star, it was considered a delicacy compared to the miners' rations.

Wei He began to eat ravenously, completely disregarding his image. Just as he was enjoying himself, several men dressed as guards suddenly entered and walked toward the restaurant owner.

Wei He thought they were there for him, but it seemed these guards weren't the ones from the city gate.

The owner respectfully handed the guards two silver coins, and they turned and left.

"What was that for?" Wei He asked the owner, puzzled.

"That's today's tax. It used to be two silver coins a month, but ever since Captain Kurt arrived, it's become two silver coins a day. Life is becoming unbearable!" the owner complained, his beard trembling.

"Does everyone have to pay?" Wei He continued to ask.

"Nearby businesses pay two silver coins per household per day, and street vendors pay three copper coins a day!" The owner pointed at the gold coins on the table and said, "Guest, since it's your first time in Nanshan Town, hurry and put your money away. Don't let them see it, or who knows what crime they'll charge you with!"

"That really adds up! This Captain Kurt must be very rich!" Wei He remarked.

The owner also shook his head and went back to his work.

By nightfall, the group had finished their fun and returned to the city gate.

The city gate was already closed, and the man in the dark green casual robe walked down from the gate tower. This time, Wei He didn't waste any words and directly ordered Yuri to control him.

"Ah!!! Ah!!! Ah!!! No, ah, it hurts so much, no, ah...!" As the man walked, he suddenly clutched his head and began to scream.

Before long, he stopped screaming. Wei He knew that he was now his puppet; Yuri could easily control an entry-level Ability User.

"Captain Kurt, what's wrong?" Hearing his cries, the other guards rushed to him, and Lu Sheng asked with a fawning expression.

Wei He was surprised; so this was Kurt. Talk about finding something without even looking for it.

"It's nothing. You guys have been doing well lately! Come on, follow me!" Under Wei He's signal, Captain Kurt led the guards away from the city gate.

Crazy Ivan walked toward the unguarded city gate, attached TNT explosives to it, and quickly retreated.

With a loud "Boom!", the entire gate was blown to pieces. The stone walls around the gate were also cracked, and the gate tower looked as if it were on the verge of collapsing.