Ita Era

Chapter 134 The Gathering of the Spark
After finishing his meal at Ding Shi, he went to take a shower. The house was now fully equipped with all sorts of appliances; he could simply toss his dirty clothes into the washing machine, and it would automatically spit out neatly folded clothes when the time was up.

Ding Youqian spent 100 dollars to buy a stylish black trench coat, then selected the teleportation array and headed to Fireseed City.

Fire Seed City is located in an area of ​​five square kilometers, with a total building area of ​​40 square meters. The main building is a thatched hut with an area of ​​8 square meters, containing a table and a chair, which serves as the city lord's office.

Auxiliary Building 1: Tribe Teleportation Array.

Second auxiliary building: Auction house.

There is a notice board in front of the city lord's mansion. The background is a white shirt with a notice written on it in marker.

On February 3rd, 00, at 2 PM, all members of the Fire Seed group gathered here. Those with money, buy some meat; those without, chop some wood. We're having a barbecue meeting. Signed: Yu Yuan Chu Yu.

Chu Yu is now a full member of the Fireseed Tribe, the lord of Fireseed City, and the wife of the Fireseed Tribe chief. Yu Yuan is the chief of the Fireseed Tribe and the husband of the lord of Fireseed City.

The members of the Fire Seed Tribe are as follows: Yu Yuan, Chu Yu, Wang Meng, Ding Shi, Hua Shan, Su Su, and Hong Yi. Deceased: Xiao Long and Xiao Feng. Prospective member: Tie Zhenzhen.

Ding Shi wanted to find someone to chat with, but looking around, there wasn't a soul in sight. Come to think of it, there wasn't even a chair around; what could be fun to do?

After returning home, Ding Shi went to Sixiang City to experience the atmosphere and do some shopping. He went to Sixiang City No. 05 today, and as soon as he arrived, he found several groups of people giving speeches in the central square.

After listening for a while, I learned that they were promoting their ideas and forming their own team. There was an organization called Shennong, and they planned to leave Sixiang City to explore new horizons in the suburbs and establish their own small society. For the time being, they would continue to trade with Sixiang City and purchase its resources.

There is also an organization called Apocalypse, which calls on everyone to take up arms, take over the city hall, and take over the suburban power plants, water plants and other facilities to realize the ideal of human self-governance.

The other faction is the moderates, who hope to hold talks with the higher-dimensional rulers of the Ita world to secure more benefits for humanity. This could include expanding the Four Symbols City so everyone can live in villas, increasing the scale of animal husbandry and agriculture, and so on.

Sure enough, after people have eaten their fill, all sorts of thoughts come out, which is why Shang Yang is considered a talented person.

Ding Shi strolled around his street and noticed that many players had already bought shops. He ate some noodles and wontons there; a bowl of noodles and a bowl of wontons cost only $0.8, which was very cheap. In addition, fried chicken shops and bubble tea shops had also opened. He learned that most of the shop owners had purchased their shops with bank loans.

To secure bank investment, you first need a business plan. For example, if you're opening a noodle shop, the bank manager will require you to prepare a bowl of noodles on-site, with specific requirements for taste and other aspects. Secondly, as an investor, the bank will monitor the shop's hygiene and work discipline. Shops with third-party bank supervision display a special sign, which ironically becomes a basis for distinguishing between good and bad shops.

Overall, most people are living quite well. A normal adult male can support a family of three and maintain a certain quality of life.

Job advertisements are everywhere, and various factories use robots, creating a huge labor market.

What surprised Ding Shi the most was that a spaceship port was being built in Sixiang City. In the future, a Sixiang City could be regarded as a residential area, and the spaceship port would be a bus station, through which people could travel to other Sixiang Cities.

However, the people of Four Symbols City were unaware that they were about to face the challenges of the Ice Age.

One way to understand it is that the people of Four Symbols City are playing a massively multiplayer online survival game. The game gives them time to settle down, time to recover, and time to earn money. The biggest impact of the Ice Age is on robots. As the Ice Age approaches, the efficiency of robots begins to decline, and humans must replace robots in production in order to possibly unite and survive the Ice Age.

……

At 8 PM, Ding Shi dragged a five-kilogram piece of pork belly to the bonfire party, where he was greeted with applause upon his arrival. Yes, they were welcoming the pork belly.

Ding Shi pulled out a case of Corona, a case of Pepsi, a case of Martell Cordon Bleu, and a case of mineral water from his inventory. Instantly, Ding Shi became the center of attention. The flamboyant man in red embraced Ding Shi, snatched two bottles of beer, and pried them apart, the bottle caps flying several meters high with a bang.

Some people whistled, others helped prepare the ingredients, and Yu Yuan took out an antique three-in-one machine that he had acquired from who-knows-where, started playing music, and the first annual bonfire party of Huozhong officially began.

Compared to the boisterous crowd singing, dancing, and shouting, Wang Meng sat alone on a piece of wood. Ding Shi took two beers, sat down next to him, gave him one, and asked, "Your ancestral graves were dug up?"

Wang Meng turned to look at Ding Shi: "I never thought you had such a sharp tongue before."

Ding Shi said, "You used to shoot me with a gun."

Here we go again! Wang Meng cleverly changed the subject: "I participated in the revival round."

Ding Shi said, "I guessed it."

Wang Meng: "I have nothing to say." If you already know that, how can we still have a conversation?
Ding Shi asked, "Do you feel like you don't fit in?"

Wang Meng: "It's alright."

After a long silence, Wang Meng finally said, "I met Sister Zhen in the revival round."

Sister Zhen is three years younger than Wang Meng. While Wang Meng was still working at the auto repair shop, Sister Zhen had already gone straight and opened dozens of real estate agencies of different brands in City A. Sister Zhen's father was very powerful, and her brother had connections in both the legal and illegal worlds, even to the point of being involved in gun violence. After taking over the shady, semi-legal business empire, Sister Zhen ruthlessly cut her losses and managed to save herself and her family.

Wang Meng, the eldest brother, and Sister Zhen had a past relationship. After the eldest brother's death, Wang Meng asked Sister Zhen for help, and she provided him with timely assistance. For the next few years, Wang Meng would visit Sister Zhen during holidays, treating her like an elder. Several years later, someone sought revenge against Sister Zhen's family, leading to many events.

Ding Shi knew of Zhen Jie, but had never interacted with her until one day Wang Meng brought Zhen Jie to Feng Huo Tang and asked Ding Shi to protect her, as he had something to do.

Later, Ding Shi learned that Wang Meng, following the rules of the martial arts world, had resolved their feud by inflicting three cuts and six wounds on himself as Zhen Jie's man, thus wiping the slate clean of any grudges between Zhen Jie and the other party. What followed was quite cliché: Zhen Jie saw the half-dead Wang Meng and wept, staying by his side for days and nights. Wang Meng awoke at his most heartbroken and helpless moment, and the hospital room was filled with blooming peach blossoms…

In Ding Shi's opinion, Wang Meng was sometimes a complete idiot. While the people seeking revenge had a valid point—claiming that Sister Zhen's family owed him a life—the underworld valued might over might. If it were Ding Shi, he'd fight if he could, call in reinforcements if he couldn't, and if the underworld wasn't enough, he'd call in the legitimate forces. Why would he stab himself?

Six months after the peach blossoms bloomed in the hospital ward, Sister Zhen left a note: I'm leaving. Then Wang Meng went mad. While Wang Meng was lost in a melodramatic love affair, Ding Shi seized the opportunity to kill two of Wang Meng's loyal old brothers, completely taking control of Yi Xia Company. This was a turning point for the Dragon Gang. Before this incident, Ding Shi was Wang Meng's weapon; after this incident, the Dragon Gang became Ding Shi's weapon.

Wang Meng: "She didn't want her child to know that her father was a triad member."

Ding Shi: "So you're running away with the ball?"

Wang Meng: "She said that she was very hesitant at first, but her best friend Mimi kept encouraging her. Mimi asked her if she had thought about the child's future, and what topics such as the child needing a healthy environment to grow up in. In the end, Mimi also thoughtfully helped her prepare her identity card and passport."

Ding's eyes darted around.

Wang Meng: "I remember that person named Mimi, you were the one who introduced her to me."

Ding Shi denied it three times: "Nonsense, nonsense, it's not true."

Wang Meng: "You once asked me if I wanted to know the truth about Sister Zhen's disappearance."

Ding Shi: "The truth is I don't know, it has nothing to do with me."

Wang Meng glared at Ding Shi: "You still have the nerve to say you haven't harmed me?" Ding Shi: "Don't say I didn't know. Even if I did it, I was thinking of your child. An enemy came for revenge, and the baby died in the womb. The baby was a month old, and the enemy came for revenge. The baby turned one year old, and the enemy came for revenge. The baby went to school, and the enemy's child came for revenge. Okay, the child grew up, learned to kill people like you, and got killed. I raised him for 16 years for nothing."

Ding Shi: "Why 16 years? Because your child only deserves to go to a vocational school, or do you think you have time to be a good father? If you can't raise your child well, your child won't even graduate from high school. If you raise your child well, would your child use every penny that's filled with sin?"

Ding Shi drank beer and said, "No need to thank me, who told us to be brothers?" Brotherly love always involves far-reaching plans.

Then they started fighting.

You won't know how truly despicable a traitor is until you've been stabbed yourself.

This place isn't a dungeon or an island; it locks force and skills but not items. This puts Ding Shi at a disadvantage, as all four of his items are filled with beer and other things, leaving him without even a stick. However, Ding Shi's body has been optimized, and with the aid of underhanded tactics, he's no weaker than Wang Meng to begin with, so the two fought fairly evenly.

Originally, everyone was watching the commotion, but when they realized something was wrong, they rushed over to pull people apart and break up the fight. Yu Yuan decided to end the entertainment segment early and forcefully transition to a serious topic: "Everyone, raise your glasses to the deceased."

The stone tablet on the right side of the City Lord's Mansion is inscribed with the list of the tribe's deceased. Currently, it lists two people: Xiao Long and Xiao Feng. Yu Yuan reads a eulogy: "Today we gather here… hoping they can find happiness and joy in Four Symbols City."

Next was the tribal meeting.

The first thing: basic tribal rules.

First point: Does anyone have any objections to Yu Yuan serving as chief? If so, please feel free to raise them. Until there are no objections, Yu Yuan will continue to lead the tribe as chief.

Secondly, all members have the right to recommend new members for the tribe, and a candidate who receives more than half of the votes can join the tribe.

Thirdly: Chuyu will be in charge of the clan's accounts. In clan dungeons, players can obtain two types of income: clan performance income and personal income. Everyone must hand over their clan performance income (Ita Coins) to the clan free of charge.

Fourth point: We do not require everyone to participate in every clan instance, but please participate in every clan instance as much as possible.

Fifth point: Clan raids must be based on the interests of the clan.

and many more.

The second matter: the vote regarding Tie Zhenzhen's application to join the Fireseed Tribe. First, those who know Tie Zhenzhen should speak. The core question is: what help can Tie Zhenzhen provide to the tribe?
Ding Shi commented, "She's lucky." Although she doesn't have outstanding abilities, she always manages to escape danger.

Since there were no dissenting votes, the motion passed by a show of hands. Because Tie Zhenzhen was in another instance, Yu Yuan was responsible for communication.

The third matter: Yu Yuan proposed opening a Feudal Era or Feudal Miniature Era instance at 8:00 AM tomorrow. There are two issues: the opening time and the instance type.

Yu Yuan added, "The 'Tiny Era' instance is only for us. There's a 72-hour window before the instance opens, during which all tribal chiefs can apply to join. If the number of participants exceeds the limit, the system will split it into multiple 'Tiny Era' instances."

Five out of the seven official members support Tiny Times, and two support The Times. All members support starting the instance at 8 AM tomorrow.

The fourth thing: Rewards.

Yu Yuan said, "The Feudal Card, the Era Card, and the Tiny Era Card were all provided by Ding Shi. The land on which we built the City Lord's Mansion is privately owned by Ding Shi. Ding Shi also purchased a large amount of modern supplies for us. His contribution is unique among us."

Everyone applauded, and Ding Shi raised his left hand, smiling as he accepted the applause, which drew a chorus of boos.

Yu Yuan looked at Chu Yu, indicating that it was her turn to speak.

Chu Yu said, "The City Lord's Mansion has rules for calculating the contribution points of tribe members. According to the rules, Ding Shi's contribution points are four thousand. Only when the City Lord's Mansion is upgraded to the second level can the first level of the tribe points shop be unlocked. I will send the upgrade conditions to the group."

Condition 1: The tribe account has 5,000 Ita coins.

Condition 2: Have at least six tribe members.

Condition 3: Clear the Tiny Era dungeon at least twice.

Condition 4: The tribe must have at least 3 types of members.

Apart from condition 1, the Lord's Mansion already meets the upgrade requirements, and the tribe's account currently has only two hundred dollars in balance.

Five thousand dollars is a large sum, but it's manageable for Ding Youqian. However, he won't use his personal wealth to subsidize collective assets, especially since the tribe already has ways to make money.

After the meeting, everyone continued dancing and drinking. Ding Shi checked the time, raised his bottle, and took his leave. Yu Yuan reminded Ding Shi not to forget the time tomorrow; the Tiny Times instance would only be open for half an hour, from 7:30 to 8:00. It would be best to enter the instance preparation room promptly at 7:30.

……

At 11 PM, the Ghost Market teleportation array was activated for 5 minutes. Many people knew about this teleportation array, but most could not activate it because they lacked good karma.

Before Ding Shi even entered, a person emerged from the teleportation array—it was Su Su.

Ding Shi was startled: "In the middle of the night, people are scaring each other, it's terrifying!"

Su Su smiled, showing her satisfaction at having scared Ding Shi, though she herself was also startled.

Ding asked, "What are you doing at my house in the middle of the night?" He's an incredibly straight man; his mind is completely devoid of any lewd thoughts, and his imagination is extremely limited.

Su Su took out a skill book: "Pure Force Skill Book: Air Cleave Palm, 200 Strikes".

Ding Shi said, "I haven't read many books, but I've read a lot of martial arts novels. The Splitting Palm is definitely a martial arts move."

Ding Shi took the skill book and read the description: "Aha, aha, aha, it's really a pure Force skill book, but it's not easy to learn." He swiped 200 knives and gave them to Su Su.

First, it must be acknowledged that the "Splitting Palm" skill is quite good, and it doesn't occupy a skill slot. Simply put, it involves gathering primal force and striking out with a single palm strike; the power and range depend on the amount of force applied.

Ding Shi, relying on some ideas, can flexibly use the Force, but these are not system-generated techniques. Just like Su Su knows the Arhat Staff Technique, it's a set of staff techniques given to her by her profession, which she can modify through her own ideas. The Dugu Nine Swords, on the other hand, is like the Empty Palm, a skill granted by the system and cannot be acquired through personal understanding.

For example, Ding Shi knew that the principle of the Splitting Palm was to condense primal force and slash out, but before mastering the skill, even if he could slash out with this palm, it wouldn't be considered powerful.

(End of this chapter)