Players, Please Board the Train

Through their conversation, Xu Huo learned that the Sayir Coast area was rich in mineral resources, especially in places normally inaccessible and only open to players.

The Bolun Family controlled the coast. To ensure they could purchase enough ore, they had to transport a large number of players to the coast every year.

Therefore, they began ensuring players could smoothly reach the Sayir Coast right from the train, implementing identity verification for boarding players—this verification seemed linked to player characteristics. If the Bolun Family’s people on the train decided not to offer hospitality services to a particular player, then even if that player changed their appearance after disembarking, they couldn’t escape the ”service denied” tag.

Once ”service denied,” players couldn’t board ships operated by the Bolun Family to reach dungeon locations, unless the players had their own ships and knew the routes.

There might be such players, but they were definitely in the minority.

Moreover, players arriving at the Sayir Coast could register the dungeon they intended to enter at any store under the Bolun Family’s name. The Bolun Family could then arrange group transportation, and during the waiting period, players could enjoy accommodation and food at extremely low prices.

Of course, this came with conditions: players had to sell at least one-third of any precious ore they brought out of the dungeon to the Bolun Family.

In reality, many players returning for a second visit did so specifically to earn money by selling ore. The prices offered by the Bolun Family were tempting, and many players sold them the vast majority of their ore, as it was less difficult and risky than making money in other dungeons.

”To be honest, I think the Bolun Family is foolish. They could just hire people to mine the ore themselves,” Chu Yuan pontificated. ”They have ships and people, are they afraid no one would go?”

”How do you know they haven’t?” retorted the Girl with the Tongue Piercing. ”Once you’re on the islands, plenty of people will want to buy your train ticket. With such a good opportunity, why let others have it?””The Bolun Family, no matter how powerful, can’t possibly hold all the train tickets in their hands,” said the purple-haired woman sitting next to the Girl with the Tongue Piercing. ”Besides, most players sell their ore to them anyway. They just need to provide transportation; how convenient is that?”

”Didn’t they say the Sayir Sea was polluted? Could that ore be radioactive?” Xu Huo asked.

”The islands sell some protective gear that can neutralize some radioactive contamination,” the Girl with the Tongue Piercing said, stroking her chin. ”Besides, we’re evolved players, what are we afraid of? At worst, we can just drink more potions when we get back.”

The others also chuckled and chimed in agreement. A few newly acquainted players exchanged destinations and, finding they were headed to the same place, simply agreed to team up.

”Mining and prospecting is skilled work,” the Burly Player said with a laugh. ”I’ve seen plenty of idiots walk right past rare ore without even knowing it was valuable, their eyes might as well have been light bulbs for all the good they did.”

”More than that, I’ve seen people fight to the death over a pile of rocks, only to bring back something worth half a penny.”

”Just memorize which ones are rare ores in advance, problem solved,” Chu Yuan said.

”Look everyone, here’s an idiot right here,” the Girl with the Tongue Piercing said gleefully, pointing at him, and the people beside her laughed along.

”Am I wrong?” Chu Yuan’s face flushed red.

”Ore doesn’t just lie there, cleaned and cut, waiting for someone to pick it up,” Xu Huo commented from the side. Rock wrapped in rock, who knows what’s inside.

”What he said isn’t entirely wrong either,” the Burly Player said, walking over to Chu Yuan and patting his shoulder. ”With good luck, you might even find some matching pictures online. Picking up a few pieces could earn you some drinking money.”

Chu Yuan shrugged off his hand. ”With so many people looking for ore, the mountains must be hollowed out by now.”

”Not necessarily. I’ve heard a rumor that the ocean currents near the Sayir Coast actually span multiple spaces, so all sorts of bizarre and strange things often wash up on the islands. There’s even an entire island made of ore. But that place isn’t a dungeon site, and it drifts with the currents. Finding it depends entirely on luck,” a well-dressed player said mysteriously. ”Stumble upon that, and you’ll strike it rich.”

”The sea here doesn’t flow with water, it flows with gold!” someone exclaimed, their face flushed with excitement.

”That’s why the Sayir Coast has the nickname ’Gold Coast’,” the purple-haired woman said. ”Players who come here can at least make a small fortune, even if they don’t hit the jackpot.”

And so, the first-time riders on this train were captivated by the ”popular science” from veteran players, eagerly asking what they needed to prepare before entering the dungeon.

Players who had been to the Sayir Coast were quite generous, sharing some common-sense knowledge in advance. This included where to buy protective items, essential survival gear for the sea, food, drinking water infused with special potions, and if conditions allowed, preparing a small boat in advance, as the Bolun Family’s ships wouldn’t stay anchored outside the dungeon site; they usually only came when the dungeon was about to end.

During the two-day journey, even before arriving at the Sayir Coast, Xu Huo had already learned everything from which bar on the coast had the most beautiful girls to which place sold the best value-for-money recreational potions.

The station was built on the sea. For the convenience of players, a coastal road was constructed connecting the station to the coast.

Calling it a road was a stretch; it was closer to a street-town. Both sides of the path were lined with bars and shops, mostly bars, with advertisement screens overhead, continuously playing short ads welcoming players to the Sayir Coast.

Xu Huo paused beneath one of the advertisement screens.

”This woman has a great figure. The Bolun Family really lives up to their business origins,” Chu Yuan said with relish, watching the women flashing across the ad.

”If you love strong liquor and beautiful women, if you love high-stakes gambling, then welcome to the Sayir Coast!”

”The most beautiful Gold Coast, where anyone can earn a bucket of gold!”

”You who come to the Sayir Coast are not guests, not strangers, but our friends, our partners! You can find what you need here, and we will provide you with everything you require!”

”Tempted? If you are, hurry and find a place to register! To welcome new guests, players disembarking for the first time will receive three days of free food and lodging! Any store will provide a free island guide! You don’t need to worry about anything else, just focus on turning ore into White Bills for your pocket!”

...

Along the path leading to the Sayir Coast, there were actually more than twenty such advertisement screens.

And most of the players who disembarked with Xu Huo hadn’t even finished walking this path before finding a store to register their names and destinations.

”Where are you going?” Chu Yuan, who had long been unable to contain himself, urged and asked Xu Huo.

”Deep Blue Laboratory,” Xu Huo said. After getting off the train, he hadn’t received a dungeon prompt, so Deep Blue Laboratory was likely just a place name.

”What a coincidence, me too,” Chu Yuan responded, then squeezed to the front to tell the shopkeeper his destination.