Ren Yuanyang’s controllable Mental Energy radius had now reached 178 meters. As long as he stood in the middle of the aircraft carrier, he could cover the entire vessel!
Ren Yuanyang happily went down to the first floor, where Qin Haonan was already at the dining table eating breakfast.
Seeing Ren Yuanyang, Qin Haonan immediately greeted him. "Chief, good morning!"
Ren Yuanyang nodded and replied, "You’re up a bit early today, aren’t you!"
"The market opens for the first time today. I’m going to go check out the excitement!" Qin Haonan explained with a smile.
Ren Yuanyang was a little speechless. "If only you could put that enthusiasm toward your Cultivation!"
"Speaking of Cultivation, I actually do have something to discuss with you!" Qin Haonan immediately shot back.
Ren Yuanyang poured himself a glass of soy milk, grabbed a few steamed buns, and walked over to the table to sit down.
"What is it?" Ren Yuanyang asked curiously.
"After yesterday’s battle to tame the Great White Shark, my Mental Energy increased by a full six meters!" Qin Haonan said excitedly. "I’ve discovered that I improve much faster in battle than with normal Cultivation!"
Ren Yuanyang nodded, motioning for him to continue.
Qin Haonan looked at Ren Yuanyang’s impassive face and couldn’t help but ask, "Chief, I improved by six meters all at once. Aren’t you going to praise me a little?"
Ren Yuanyang paused for a moment, then immediately clapped his hands. "Wow, that’s great!"
"Forget it, that praise is way too fake!" Qin Haonan rolled his eyes and continued, "I was talking with Sister Mei and the others last night, and it turns out everyone improves faster in battle than with normal Cultivation! So, I was thinking, maybe we could organize one-on-one matches to hone our Mental Energy and techniques for using our Superpowers."
Ren Yuanyang gave him a thumbs-up. "That’s an excellent idea!"
"But there’s one problem. Everyone’s at a similar strength level. If we really push each other to the limit, we might not be able to pull our punches and could end up hurting one another. Getting injured is no big deal, but I’m worried about it becoming life-threatening," Qin Haonan continued.
Ren Yuanyang instantly understood what he was getting at. "You want me to act as a referee?"
"Exactly! We won’t be sparring every day. We’d just need you to keep an eye on things during the breaks in your Cultivation!" Qin Haonan nodded.
"No problem. You all go ahead and work out a sparring schedule. Once you have a set time, just come and find me," Ren Yuanyang readily agreed.
He knew that being a referee would be a form of Cultivation for him as well. Plus, it would help his companions rapidly increase their Mental Energy, so he naturally wouldn’t refuse.
"That’s great! I knew you wouldn’t say no, Chief!" Qin Haonan cheered.
"What’s all the excitement?" Lu Jiamei walked in from outside. Before Qin Haonan could answer, she turned to Ren Yuanyang and said, "Captain Ji is asking if you’ll be making an appearance at the market’s grand opening."
Ren Yuanyang waved his hand. "No, I’ll sit these things out. I’d rather spend the time on my Cultivation."
"Alright, I’ll relay your refusal," Lu Jiamei nodded.
Only then did Qin Haonan say, "The Chief agreed to be our referee!"
Lu Jiamei nodded slightly. "Chief, won’t this interfere with your Cultivation?"
"It won’t. Acting as a referee is a form of Cultivation in itself. I’ll have to constantly monitor both sides’ Superpower attacks, which will also be a way to train my Mental Energy," Ren Yuanyang said, shaking his head.
After breakfast, Ren Yuanyang headed to the nearby seed warehouse.
He now had a daily routine of enhancing crop seeds for the Dragon Base, along with the young of chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cattle, and sheep.
This ensured that the Dragon Base would have a continuous supply of various crops, poultry, and livestock.
After finishing the enhancements, Ren Yuanyang went to the Tefu-class Aircraft Carrier. This vessel now belonged to the Peach Blossom Base. Previously, he had only enhanced its nuclear power plant. Now that his Mental Energy was sufficient to cover the entire ship, he decided he would first enhance its overall structural integrity.
His current reserves of Mental Energy could only support enhancing one aspect at a time.
Ren Yuanyang wasn’t in a rush. By enhancing one aspect per day, he would soon be able to go through them all.
After he finished enhancing the carrier’s hull strength, Ren Yuanyang’s Mental Energy was completely depleted. He didn’t even leave the aircraft carrier, simply beginning his Cultivation right there on the deck.
「At that moment」, the four markets of the Dragon Base had opened for business, and the fleets on the periphery were now permitted to come ashore on the Duckweed Continent.
For many, it was their first time stepping onto the Duckweed. Feeling the solid ground beneath their feet, they couldn’t help but marvel once more.
"I’d only seen videos of people walking on it before, so I figured it wouldn’t be very stable. Now that I’m finally standing on it myself, it feels exactly like solid land!"
"No wonder the Iron Wing Fleet was so dead set on leasing a plot on the Duckweed Continent. I’m tempted myself!"
"When I get back today, I’m going to ask my captain about leasing a plot on the Duckweed Continent too!"
"Are you guys still standing around talking about the Duckweed? They’re almost sold out of meat over there!"
"What?! Why didn’t you say so sooner!"
The crowd hurried over to the butcher shop.
A large electronic sign at the entrance to the butcher shop scrolled through the rules for purchasing meat.
"For ease of transaction, this shop accepts only Peach Blossom Coins. Purchase limit of ten jin per person. All prices are final, no haggling!"
The people who had rushed over stared at the sign, a bit stunned.
"Peach Blossom Coins? We don’t have any on hand!"
"Then hurry up and exchange for some at the bank! You must have supplies, right? You can take them there to exchange for Peach Blossom Coins. It’s super convenient!"
"That’s right. If you think it’s sketchy, just exchange what you need for now. I think the exchange rates are pretty fair!"
The newcomers flocked to the bank, exchanging the supplies they’d brought for Peach Blossom Coins. The coins weren’t physical currency, but were issued through a mobile app.
"This really is convenient! I heard the Dragon Country was promoting mobile payments before the great flood. I’ve always wanted to try it but never got the chance. I can’t believe I’m finally experiencing it now, after the flood!"
"Given the Dragon Base’s current strength, it seems like it’s here to stay. I don’t see any problem with converting resources into Peach Blossom Coins!"
"Yeah, I just took a close look at the bank’s terms. We can use Peach Blossom Coins to trade back for our original supplies, or even other goods. They charge a small transaction fee, but it’s totally reasonable!"
"Really? Some of the ships in my fleet need their engines replaced. I wonder if the Dragon Base has any!"
"Maybe not right now, but they definitely will in the future! Once the Duckweed Continent is stable, the Dragon Country’s infrastructure-building mania Attribute can be unleashed again. All kinds of factories will pop up like mushrooms after a rain. I’m sure everyone will soon experience the terror of being dominated by Dragon Country manufacturing!"
Everyone nodded in agreement. Before the flood, whenever the Dragon Country entered an industry, prices would plummet. They were known as an industry killer!
Thanks to the purchase limit on meat, every fleet was able to buy some, which would at least be an improvement to their meals.
There were also mobile food stalls at the market selling all kinds of Dragon Country snacks, giving the other fleets a chance to feast.
The market was a scene of bustling activity, but outside, the blood rain had not stopped.
An inspector responsible for monitoring the blood content in the rain hurried into Zhao Jun’s office.
"Zhao Institute, according to our tests, the blood content in the rain is still increasing!"
Zhao Jun frowned slightly. "Alright, I understand. Continue monitoring."
"Yes, sir!"
Zhao Jun immediately reported the news to Wang Jun. Wang Jun’s brow furrowed. "It’s been two days straight. Is this going to continue?"
Although the blood rain was harmless to them and even had a beneficial effect on the Banyan Forest, Wang Jun had a faint sense of unease.
Zhao Jun shook his head, unsure how to respond.
Just then, Zhao Jun received a message from the inspector.
"We’ve detected a new substance in the blood, very similar to a hemostatic agent. The blood in the rain is beginning to coagulate!"
Seeing this, Zhao Jun immediately forwarded the message to Wang Jun.
"Captain, this just came in from the lab," Zhao Jun said, a little uncertainly. "Is... someone helping it to stop bleeding?"
After reading the forwarded message, Wang Jun was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. "This is too bizarre. Continue monitoring. I’m going to share this with the others and see what they think."
"Yes, Captain!" Zhao Jun acknowledged, then turned and left.
Wang Jun immediately sent the message to the four-person group chat he shared with the other two captains and Ren Yuanyang.
"The heavens are being too weird! It makes itself bleed and then stops the bleeding itself?" Long Zhan was the first to reply.
Ji Yizhi didn’t say anything, his brow tightly furrowed in thought.
"Old Ji, what do you make of it?" Wang Jun asked.

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