A moment of silence followed, then the sound of a "ding-dong" echoed as the light they were anticipating at the direction flickered on.
"It's Xinci," Yang Xinjie's statement ignited everyone's hopes, and they all converged with their Dragon Ascend teammates.
"Xinci," Xiao Ai herself felt a touch of affectation in her voice.
Fu Xinci, however, didn't feel that way. The light from across was as bright as daylight, and she could see everyone's expressions clearly, not a single person missing. It was wonderful to see her friends.
Her friends were all smiling at her, and for the first time, she smiled freely in front of everyone.
All eyes were fixed on Fu Xinci's face. Seeing her radiant complexion and the watery sheen in her eyes, they knew good news was coming.
As expected, she didn't disappoint. After greeting her friends, Fu Xinci informed them about the teleportation system.
"But I haven't tested it yet." She dismissed the time she teleported herself out.
In the vast trading hall, it was even quieter than before. Had they heard Fu Xiaoniu correctly?
A teleportation system meant they could be transported. This was a truth every adult present understood.
Previously, everyone had held onto this hope, some to the point of obsession.
But when they truly heard the news, they thought they were hallucinating. Some began to repeatedly confirm with those beside them.
The Captain was the quickest to react, his words carrying their usual weight. "Xinci, where do you want to transport us?"
Fu Xinci had also considered this, and as the Captain happened to ask, she voiced her thoughts.
"A few days ago, I discovered a nice valley with mountains and water. I feel the environment around it is quite good. Not only is there a water source, but there are also signs of cleared land. It could accommodate a hundred or so people without issue."
Fu Xinci said this to encourage some to learn self-reliance.
She didn't know the current population of Dragon City, so her words were meant to give everyone something to consider.
Having lived in the Ming Dynasty for five or six years, Fu Xinci was aware that everyone needed identification when traveling, such as household registration and travel permits.
Everyone present was intelligent, and even if they weren't, they had intelligent companions.
Once they arrived, they would be undocumented, essentially black households, and if caught by the authorities, they would be treated as spies.
Therefore, Fu Xinci first mentioned the valley she discovered. She didn't offer to arrange for them to become documented individuals, even though her grandfather was a town chief.
She had no intention of doing such a foolish thing. Human hearts were unpredictable. Her grandfather's position was already sensitive. If someone with ill intentions reported them, her entire family would be in trouble.
She knew she might be overthinking things, but she had to. This way, at least, it would be safer.
As for the valley, everyone present knew about it. They remembered Fu Xinci telling them that night about Qi He killing two Tatar spies.
The Captain was very satisfied with Fu Xinci's answer. Yang Xinjie then asked, "Can Xinci transport items? Like furniture, pots, and pans?"
"I can't answer that yet. I'll only know after testing it tomorrow."
The crowd: They had to worry for another night.
"I came up here just to notify everyone. I'll be conducting experiments tomorrow morning. Whether it works or not, everyone will have an idea. I'll head down now to do some more research."
After speaking, Fu Xinci waved goodbye to her friends and switched off the power.
The trading hall fell silent for a moment, then conversations erupted.
The Captain, however, ignored the people crowding him and led his teammates out.
"Dragon Ascend, wait for us." The Base Chief, holding his wife and child, chased after them.
"Base Chief, I was just looking for you."
The Base Chief gave a knowing look, as if to say, "I knew you'd be here waiting for me."
Captain: You gonna bite me?
The Base Chief was a bit bewildered. He noticed Dragon Ascend was becoming more and more unrestrained lately.
But there was nothing he could do, as Fu Xiaoniu only recognized people from Dragon Ascend. Resigned, he handed over a spatial ring.
The Captain took the plain men's ring. After dripping his blood and examining the supplies within, he looked at the Base Chief with an expression that clearly said, "You old fox."
"Likewise, likewise."
After the Base Chief's polite reply, he got to the main point. "What are your plans?"
"Of course, we'll go with Xinci."
"Haven't you considered the dangers?"
"Of course, we have. But look at our current environment. We thought we could survive by defeating those monsters. No matter how many monsters there are, I believe we can handle it."
The Captain finished speaking and then remembered the two rainfalls recently, his face showing unconcealed worry. "We can fight the monsters, but we are powerless against this accursed sky."
The Captain's tone was filled with helpless despair. Those who heard him fell silent. Dragon Ascend was right.
"Dragon Ascend, what should we prepare to take with us?" The City Lord of Qilin City, who had been following at a distance, humbly asked.
"Prepare more farming tools. We'll have to learn to farm ourselves when we get there. Living a farming life might not be bad."
"Yes, we should definitely prepare more farming tools." The City Lord of Qilin City strongly agreed with Captain Dragon Ascend's suggestion.
"What if I don't know how to farm?" someone wailed from behind.
"If you don't know, you learn! No one knows how to do anything from birth."
"That's right. You can also be rich. If you're rich, you're the boss. You don't have to do anything, and you'll have servants."
"That statement is absolutely true. Being rich makes you the boss. However, compared to ordinary people, our bodies still have advantages. Whether it's working for others or farming ourselves, it will be much easier than for ordinary people. For example, I have water-element abilities, so I don't have to worry about drought when farming."
"Indeed. But practically speaking, I also want to find a place by the mountains and near the water to live honestly and farm."
"I want to farm too, but I've never done it before. It seems I'll have to learn from you all in the future."
As they were talking animatedly, some who overheard and had quick minds understood what was happening and secretly began to prepare.
Seeing that he had reminded them of everything important over the past two days, the Captain led his teammates to check for any oversights. Just then, the female City Lord of Phoenix City approached with a reluctant expression.
Xiao Ai, unaccustomed to her temper, exchanged glances with Yang Xinjie and Xu Ruyi. The three, understanding each other, grabbed the Captain and ran.
Upon seeing this, Xu Jiacan and Pang Dunder quickly followed. Xu Jiacan gave Pang Dunder a knowing look and ran ahead.
Pang Dunder: His physique had always meant he was the rear guard.