My Community Transmigrated Again

The thought made Qin Ziwen agitated.

For all the Home's development, they still didn't have a single effective way to deal with Ghosts.

Qin Ziwen asked, "Are there no other options?"

The Ghost Boatmen before him all shook their heads.

Perhaps because they couldn't solve the problem for their lord, the Ghost Boatmen looked quite dejected.

Qin Ziwen pondered for a moment before asking, "If I can gather the required soul-type Marvels, how long would it take you to upgrade the Ghost Ship into an ancient Ghost Ship?"

Asked about their field of expertise, the Ghost Boatmen shot their heads up and replied in a confident chorus, "Half a day!"

"Alright, you're dismissed for now."

Qin Ziwen turned and started back. As they walked, Qin Ziwu, who was behind him, couldn't help but say, "Brother, why don't we find a few people to scout the path? If you don't want to send our own, we can send some from Cyan Stone Castle. It's not like they're one of us."

Qin Ziwen stopped in his tracks and looked at his younger brother.

Qin Ziwu's expression was unchanged. "A soft heart can't lead an army, and a soft hand can't hold a fortune. Someone has to make a sacrifice, so why can't it be someone else? Besides, it's not even a sure thing that it's dangerous. The subterranean races all said the curse only targets those who participated in the siege on the Gray Race. The Human Race wasn't one of them."

Qin Ziwen remained noncommittal.

Qin Ziwu noticed his brother's expression, and his eyes narrowed as an idea formed in his mind.

He paused, turned a corner, and vanished into the darkness.

Back in the bedroom, Mogu, who had been following him the whole time, said, "My Lord, how about you let me go and try?"

Qin Ziwen shook his head. "Don't go. You're a Fishman too. We still don't know the upper limits of this curse's power. It's not worth risking your life to test it."

Mogu nodded silently. "Understood."

Meanwhile, after turning the corner, Qin Ziwu left the Gated Community and went straight to the hospital building.

"Brother Wu!" Jiang Shan, who was stationed at the hospital, hurried over when he heard Qin Ziwu had arrived.

Qin Ziwu asked, "Where are our guests from Cyan Stone Castle staying?"

Jiang Shan replied, "Room 301, on the third floor."

"Lead the way. This is a private matter."

Jiang Shan took the hint. He dismissed the others in his squad, calling over just two of his most tight-lipped and trusted men to follow.

In Room 301, Bai Che was resting on his sickbed when he heard a commotion outside. He opened his eyes and was somewhat surprised to see Qin Ziwu walk in.

He knew who Qin Ziwu was. After several days here, he was naturally clear on who was the leader and who was second-in-command.

Bai Che pushed himself up into a sitting position on the bed and cupped his fists. "Lord Wu."

Qin Ziwu chuckled. "We're about the same age. You can just call me Brother Qin. 'Lord Wu' is a bit too formal, it sounds strange coming from you."

The corner of Jiang Shan's mouth twitched. 'Everyone knows Brother Wu just turned eighteen this year.' 'And this Bai Che looks like he's in his late twenties.'

Bai Che readily went along with it, laughing heartily. "Brother Qin."

Qin Ziwu said, "There's a private matter I'd like to discuss with you."

Bai Che was taken aback. His gaze swept over Jiang Shan and his men before turning to his own attendants. He gave a slight, suppressive gesture with his hand, his voice crisp and leaving no room for argument. "All of you, wait outside in the hall. Don't come in without my permission."

The men from both sides exchanged a look and, with a silent understanding, withdrew. The door to the room closed softly behind them.

Once everyone else was gone, Qin Ziwu stated his needs simply.

"We need to explore a certain area, and I need to borrow a few of your people. It won't be for free, of course. You can name the price."

Bai Che's eyes lit with understanding. Now he knew why Qin Ziwu had come to see him.

Having been here for a few days, and being a shrewd man, he had already gained a general understanding of the situation.

The culture in this Gated Community was different from that of his native Great Yong. Here, they sometimes spoke of "human rights."

'Though from my perspective, there isn't much of a difference,'

he still made a show of respecting the local customs.

In Great Yong, buying a few servants was perfectly normal, especially in a border region like Youzhou where human lives were worth next to nothing.

It was perfectly normal for a few people to die in the countryside.

Thus, Bai Che felt no particular resistance to the idea.

After a moment of contemplation, he looked up, a smirk playing on his lips. "Do you want clever ones, or well-behaved ones?"

"The obedient ones."

Bai Che said, "Understood. However, the men I have with me are all my trusted retainers. If you need people, I'll have to write a letter to my father and have him send over a few well-behaved servants from Cyan Stone Castle."

"I'd appreciate that."

Bai Che replied with practiced familiarity, "We're friends. It's only right that we help each other."

"How should we settle the price?"

"Why talk about price? That's too formal. Since we're friends, just consider them a gift from me."

Qin Ziwu shook his head, his tone firm. "Business is business. It's better to buy them outright."

'These 'borrowed' people can never be allowed to leave the Gated Community and return to Cyan Stone Castle, regardless of whether they survive. It's best to settle this as a clean purchase from the start.'

Bai Che grew thoughtful for a moment, then gave a faint smile. "Fine. Since Brother Qin insists, I'll give you a fair price. In our territory, the indenture contract for a healthy young man costs about ten to twenty taels of silver. Just give me the equivalent in supplies at the market rate of fifteen taels."

"Good. What's the soonest they can be delivered?"

Bai Che thought for a moment, then gave his answer. "One day at most."

...

「One day later.」

Qin Ziwen set out with his team once more.

This time, there were three unfamiliar faces in the group.

A family of three: an adult man and woman, and a young girl who looked to be a little over fourteen.

The adult man had a plain face and a slightly stooped back, giving him a simple and honest appearance.

The woman beside him was his wife, a dark-skinned peasant.

The young girl was their only daughter.

They originally had a son, but he had been killed by a wolf a few months prior.

Arriving at the edge of the cliff and looking down, the simple, honest man's body trembled. The height was so great that a single glance made him dizzy.

But when he remembered what the lord behind him had instructed him to do on the way here, the man closed his eyes and swallowed hard.

'The lord promised me,' he thought. 'As long as I'm willing to scout the path, my wife and daughter will be able to live on, whether I make it back or not.'

Qin Ziwen threw out a rope. "Tie this around your waist. In a moment, you and these two Ant-men will climb down."

The man tied the rope around his waist, checking the knot several times to make sure it was tight, then rubbed his hands together.

He cautiously began to climb down the cliff face. The other two Ant-men stayed close beside him, gripping his shoulders to act as cover.

After nearly half an hour, the man finally reached the bottom of the cliff.

"My Lord!"

...

...

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