Wasteland: My items are infinitely upgraded.

Chapter 279 Self-worth, Overview of Storm Holy City

After listening to Rong Yan's self-promotion, Lin Feng had to admit that no one who could climb up from the bottom, no matter what kind of environment they were born into, was simple.

Breaking out of the upper-class residential area is actually more difficult than for the lowest-class residents.

After all, the main competition among the wilderness dwellers is with their own kind. There isn't much pressure from above. On the contrary, both the Wilderness Hunter Guild and the Oasis Church are happy to see the grassroots wilderness dwellers grow up and form a check and balance with the local families.

But the Upper People are different. Although they have the best living conditions in Oasis Town, they have no survival pressure from birth. They can live carefree in the comfortable Upper People area, including their three meals a day and daily activities.

In such a privileged environment, people rarely have the motivation to work hard.

If it weren't for the fact that a hundred years later, they would have to participate in the Moonlit Ritual and have a certain chance of becoming the object of sacrifice, it is estimated that this group of people would have had a hard time even forming their only driving force for evolution.

After all, such a life is enough to spoil a person, turning them into a good-for-nothing who just eats and waits to die.

However, the environment is secondary. After all, as long as some people are willing to lie down and wait to die, there are certainly strong individuals who can strive to escape their fate of death.

However, the path to advancement for ordinary citizens is fraught with difficulties.

It's even harder than for a formerly impoverished villager to become a permanent resident with a car in the fifth village through hard work.

Of the more than two thousand people, less than one percent were able to advance to the late stage of the first rank and escape the fate of sacrifice.

Most of the management on the Oasis warship came from the Oasis Church and the high-ranking officials of the three major villages.

Of these, fewer than ten escaped the fate of sacrifice and lived peacefully to the end of their lifespan, which is the limit of five hundred years.

Only one person is born roughly every hundred years, successfully breaking free from the sacrifice system in the late-stage first-tier upper class.

Statistically speaking, it's only one in two thousand.

Of the fifty to sixty thousand barbarians, more than five thousand reached the late stage of enhancement and became permanent residents.

The sample size accounts for one-tenth of the total.

The success rate far exceeds that of ordinary people.

Even comparing with evolved beings, out of fifty to sixty thousand barbarians, about two hundred could transform into evolved beings, a probability close to five per thousand.

Therefore, for the vast majority of the upper class, although they have the best living conditions, they are still subject to the restrictions of the church, and there is only one insurmountable gap between them and the upper class.

It was precisely because of this hopeless situation that most of the upper class chose to accept their fate.

Instead of pursuing illusory opportunities for advancement, it's better to enjoy life to the fullest, develop your hobbies, or reproduce a hundred years in advance.

Therefore, anyone who can carve out a path to survival in such a desperate situation must possess extraordinary abilities.

Moreover, the woman before them possessed the highest level of evolution, the nineteenth level, which was far more powerful than other evolved beings who had just entered the late stage.

Moreover, being able to snatch this lucrative job as the canteen in Shangmin District from so many competitors must mean that they have the upper hand.

Judging from her appearance, Rong Yan is not a person who is good at fighting. So, she must be able to satisfy her superiors in other aspects to have been the boss's wife for so long.

Lin Feng had considered this point before coming, which is why he decided to cooperate with Rong Yan.

At this moment, the other party grasped the real key point of the conversation, making Lin Feng even more satisfied with them.

After Rong Yan finished speaking, Lin Feng nodded, affirming her line of thinking:

“You’re right. One of the conditions the church agreed to was that I could select a group of people from the oasis to serve as the driving force of its caravan.”

"To ensure safety during long journeys and to maintain order and stability in the management of future settlements, I need to recruit a group of people with special skills."

"The main force consists of technicians from the three major villages. After all, they have established a mature industrial chain that can stably produce photovoltaic panels and electric vehicles. This not only ensures the safe movement of the settlements and solves the mobility problem, but also allows them to sell the surplus output as commodities in exchange for other necessities."

"And the core of this is the rock hornbear breeding industry controlled by the Li family."

"Therefore, in dealing with the Li family, I and the church share common interests and can naturally work together to achieve the goal of dismantling the Li family, separating the farm village from the Li family's top management, and making it the pillar industry of the oasis."

"But what other jobs do the people of the oasis have besides being sold as slaves in the holy city?"

"First, you cannot participate in the battle and are confined to the civilian areas of the oasis. You are completely unable to adapt to the cruel wasteland world where the strong prey on the weak. Second, you cannot provide technical support and do not have any skills to create value and support yourselves."

As he spoke, Lin Feng looked at the mother and daughter beside him:
"I estimate that more than 90% of the people in the Upper District are good-for-nothings who just loaf around all day. Even if I could take them away, it would be a one-time sale at most, and I could only sell them for tens of thousands of points in the Holy City."

"This is not a good investment. After all, the people are completely defenseless once they leave the Oasis warship. In order to escort them, we will have to disperse the guard force and increase the risk of being attacked and damaged."

"I need to consider the return on investment and the level of risk before deciding whether to adopt the plan."

"As for now, tell me, how can saving your daughter bring more benefits to me and my team, thereby reducing the costs and risks of accepting you all?"

After listening to Lin Feng's question, Rong Yan took a deep breath and suppressed her nervousness.

After all, her ability to persuade others and her excellent oratory skills are just one of the most basic qualities that have enabled her to climb to her current position.

During Lin Feng's questioning, after a dozen seconds of mental processing, Rong Yan calmly replied:
“If you intend to stay in Oasis Town, then we are indeed unable to provide you with any valuable services. However, if you are in Holy City, I can help you handle all the issues related to the entire team, including logistics, procurement, and expenditures.”

"After I advanced to the late stage of the first rank and left the Upper Citizens, I have been in charge of the food procurement for the Upper Citizens District. I need to join the pilgrimage caravan to go to the Holy City to purchase the monthly shortage."

"I've been doing this for over forty years. My understanding of the Holy City is probably deeper than that of most Oasis Town residents, especially regarding the lower-level gangs and peripheral dependent forces there. Even if you asked Father Su An, he might not be as familiar with them as I am."

"And this point is particularly important for you to establish your own local power base in the future."

"Storm City is not a fixed building, but a regional concept composed of many parts."

"Although they are closely connected, they are also independent of each other and exercise autonomy within their respective regions."

Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected Rong Yan to have such rich experience. Especially regarding the Holy City ahead, he really needed a trustworthy guide to help him get familiar with it first.

Otherwise, once you arrive at the destination, you'll be completely clueless and easily fall into traps. Seeing Lin Feng hesitate, Rong Yan pressed on, continuing:

"Over the past forty years, I have not only established stable shipping and supply channels in the Holy City, but also saved a lot of resources for Oasis Town."

"It is precisely because I can make one point have the effect of two points, and use limited resources to meet the interests and demands of all parties in the Oasis, so that they can all be satisfied, that I have been able to rise to level nineteen in just over ten years. At the same time, I have gained the trust of the Oasis Supreme Council and the various governors, and have been appointed to the extremely important position of canteen manager."

Seeing that Lin Feng was still frowning and hesitating, Rong Yan decided to reveal some inside information:
"Moreover, over the years, through my many trips between the Holy City and the Oasis, I have discovered several ways to make money based on my observations and experiences in the Holy City."

"But I can't take action because of my status in the Oasis and my concern for my two children."

"After this incident subsided, I originally planned to take my two children to the Holy City to develop. Now, if Chief Lin can take the lead, with your status as a second-tier expert, you will surely succeed immediately."

"At that time, as long as there are a few stable money-making lines, we can recruit more people, achieve rapid expansion, and establish our own ruling settlements."

This time, Lin Feng nodded directly, fully agreeing with what Rong Yan said.

To establish a settlement, the first thing to solve is the basic survival problem, namely food and water. Oasis Town has taken advantage of these conditions to establish the rock breeding industry.

It has a cost advantage over the Holy City.

In the future, once Lin Feng travels to the Holy City, the profits from breeding Rockhorns will definitely decrease as costs rise, and will only be able to meet the needs of the caravan.

As for other expenses, such as training new people and recruiting new members, each of these is a very expensive activity. A stable source of income is necessary to get the fleet or settlement on the right track for development.

Relying solely on Lin Feng and his group to resume their role as guild hunters, completing quests and collecting bounties, is not a stable solution. It can only serve as an additional way to earn money, prioritizing their personal development.

Instead of having a few people do the tasks and support the people below them.

Therefore, the approach Rongyan mentioned is particularly important in the early stages.

Lin Feng then spoke up and asked about another matter:

"Since Madam Rong knows so much about the Holy City, why don't you give me a brief introduction first? If it is of great help, it is not impossible to save Rong Zhiyun."

Seeing that Lin Feng had finally relented, Rong Yan immediately began her introduction:

"The location of Storm City is about 5,000 kilometers ahead. Unlike Oasis Town, which stops every half month, whether Storm City embarks on the migration journey is decided by the Holy Council of Storm City in the diocese, through unanimous discussion among the seven archbishops and the three kings on the periphery."

"Currently, the Holy City is conducting extraction operations in the oil and gas zone in the center of the continent. It is expected to stay for up to six months, and it has already stayed for more than four months. It will set off again in one month."

"Currently, the distance between the oasis and the holy city has been shortened to less than 4,000 kilometers, and it is estimated to be only 3,000 kilometers by next month."

"This is also an excellent opportunity for us to travel to the Holy City."

"Secondly, there is the layout of the Holy City, which is shaped like a disc from the inside out. The main city in the center is a mobile fortress with seven cathedrals at its core, three of which are larger than the Oasis warship, and the other four are of similar size."

“The main urban area covers a length of five kilometers and a total area of ​​about eighty square kilometers. There are also many medium-sized settlements around it, similar to the villages near Oasis Town, but more prosperous and advanced.”

"It's equivalent to the entrance area of ​​the main urban area."

"Secondly, there are the surrounding dependent forces, which encompass a radius of fifty kilometers, equivalent to a large settlement with a diameter of one hundred kilometers."

"It is divided into three areas from the inside out. The one closest to the main city is the large settlement area, which includes the headquarters of some large forces, such as the Wilderness Hunter Guild, the Life Farm, etc. Three third-tier kings are stationed here."

"There are also about a dozen small towns with a population of 100,000 or so nearby, each with its own specialized industry. For example, the oil town is about mining and refining underground resources."

"There are also steel towns, chemical towns, and so on. Sometimes they are in large industrial clusters, and sometimes they go to mining sites, leaving briefly for months or even one or two years."

"The large gathering area is roughly five to fifteen kilometers outside the core main urban area, covering an area of ​​600 square kilometers, enough to accommodate more than a dozen large forces."

"Secondly, the middle area is more mixed, consisting of small and medium-sized settlements, the largest of which has only about ten thousand people, and most of them are led by second-tier evolved beings."

"But there are also a few large gangs among them, with several second-tier evolvers in the gangs, and the leaders even have the strength of the late second-tier. The overall size is comparable to that of Oasis Town, except that they do not have this super battleship."

"The coverage area is also quite large, ranging from 15 to 30 kilometers, covering an area of ​​2,000 square kilometers. The settlements are divided according to gang territory, clustered around the headquarters of several large gangs."

"Therefore, this area is also known as the gang district."

"Based on my observation and understanding, the major gangs are all backed by large forces, and are considered their subordinate and dependent forces."

"As for the outermost area, it is 30 to 50 kilometers away. It is the largest area, with a vast land and sparse population, but there are many small settlements with a few hundred people, or convoys with fewer than a hundred people closely following behind."

"Most of the personnel are composed of low-level evolved beings or ordinary barbarians in the enhancement stage. They live a life of eking out a living at the bottom of the Holy City, carefully avoiding all dangers."

"This area is a no-man's land, also known as the underworld, where various violent incidents frequently occur. It is a wasteland where the law of the jungle prevails. Sometimes, gangs from the central region will come here periodically to harvest resources or recruit new members."

"These are roughly the main areas of the holy city. The pilgrimage convoy from Oasis Town mainly stays between the main urban area and the large gathering areas. The Oasis Church coordinates with the high-ranking officials of the bishopric to fill the heavy transport vehicles with fresh water."

"The Li family and we, on the other hand, conduct commodity trading, sell photovoltaic panels, and purchase various resources needed in the large cluster area."

"Large gathering areas have security guarantees, and large forces will maintain order, making them the second safest areas after the main urban area."

"As for the gang district in the central region, the rules set by the leader are only followed within the gathering area. Internal strife often breaks out between the gangs, making it unstable."

"The outermost bottom area, needless to say, is the same as the wasteland population behind Oasis Town."

"When Chief Lin arrives at the outskirts of the Holy City, he will first establish his own sphere of influence in the lower district, then build a small settlement, and finally occupy a place in the gang district."

"In this way, we can make contact with major internal forces and have the qualifications for long-term, stable trade relations."

That's roughly the situation...

"I wonder if Chief Lin is satisfied?"

(End of this chapter)