Chapter 59: Resource Exchange, Full Mobilization!

The first to come into view was the Bronze Wanderer. This Mobile City bore a bronze-colored city camouflage, equipped with thick City Armor, and its treads and tires were exceptionally massive. It appeared to be a defense-type Mobile City. Next were the Moonshadow and the Roaming. T hese two Mobile Cities were equipped with numerous Regular Cannons and Heavy Machine Guns, and had their own convoys. Each possessed one Level 1 Firearm, and they both seemed to be assault-type Mobile Cities. In fact, the Tomorrow also counted as an assault-type Mobile City. Incidentally, assault-types were the most common among all Mobile Cities. Following that was the Echo. The most notable feature of this Mobile City was its 20 Regular Cannons and 4 Level 1 Firearms. Clearly, like the Tarot member “The Magician,” it was a fire-support-type Mobile City. Next came the Industry. This Mobile City featured an ash-gray city camouflage and was outfitted with a vast number of cranes, Mechanical Arms, Universal Work Claws, and other City Accessories. According to its Lord, the Industry also possessed the ability to construct Level 1 Fortresses, Level 1 Traps, and Level 1 City Bunkers. Lastly was the alliance leader, the Vanguard. This Mobile City had a pale gold city camouflage, 8 Regular Cannons, 16 Heavy Machine Guns, 4 convoys, and 3 Level 1 Firearms, in addition to a range of Level 1 items. After some discussion, everyone agreed to first head to the Twisted Garden mentioned by the Moonshadow and to continue communicating via the City Radio. The focus of the conversation was resource exchange, each getting what they needed. First up was the Industry. Its assigned task was to construct a series of combat structures like fortresses and traps in the Twisted Garden. These constructions required iron ore, with consumption ranging between 100 to 300 units. The Industry stated it needed 4000 units of Iron Ore. This was an astronomical figure, but when distributed among the Mobile Cities, it came to roughly 660 units per city. Next was the Vanguard. It expressed its need — all of its Level 1 Firearms were Light Cannons. The more Light Cannons it had, the greater their collective firepower during a volley. That’s why it had requested help on the Channel to find Light Crystals and Light Ore. Each member had brought some Light Ore, totaling 623 units. Meanwhile, the Roaming spent 3500 Crystal Coins to purchase one Light Crystal. The Vanguard expressed its gratitude and reimbursed the expense. It then forged another Light Cannon and used the remaining ore to manufacture shells. Then came the Bronze Wanderer. As a defense-type Mobile City, its energy consumption was immense, and accordingly, its fuel usage was also high. Therefore, it requested additional fuel and coal from the group. Everyone generously contributed. After all, a defense-type Mobile City served as a tank during battle — it had to charge at the front, draw enemy fire, attack, and break enemy formations. Finally, it was Li Ye’s turn. At present, his resources were still sufficient. What he wanted most were Frost and Lava-type ores and crystals. To his surprise, the other six Mobile Cities pooled together a total of 472 units of Frost Ore and one Frost Crystal. This was enough for him to forge a Frost Cannon and a dozen Frost Shells. Amid his surprise, Li Ye couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. These resources were worth nearly ten thousand Crystal Coins, but he had just spent all of his. If he were to offer Iron Ore, coal, fuel, or copper, silver, and gold ores in exchange, he felt reluctant. Fortunately, everyone had needs of their own. The Tomorrow owned a Level 1 Heavy Machine Gun, a Level 1 Rocket Launcher, and Smoke Shells — all things the others lacked. So, Li Ye processed these Level 1 weapons for the members and additionally gifted them a pack of Morning Wheat Seeds and Blueheart Potato Seeds as repayment. During this time, everyone also shared the Level 1 items they owned. The Roaming had the Level 1 Sniper Rifle Blueprint. The Moonshadow had the Level 1 Shell – Armor-Piercing Shell. The Vanguard had Level 1 Crop “Black Corn” Seeds. The Bronze Wanderer had a Level 1 Weapon – Goblin Engineer Grenade. The Industry had Level 1 City Landmines. “These are all great things,” Li Ye couldn’t help but sigh. He received a free packet of seeds from the Vanguard and, through processing, obtained 20 Armor-Piercing Shells, 40 Goblin Engineer Grenades, and 2 Level 1 Sniper Rifles. As for the City Landmines, he didn’t take them. Additionally, everyone showed particular interest in the Tomorrow’s Instant Noodle Cups, Sachima, Cola, and Iced Black Tea, and they offered flour and fresh water in exchange for processed goods. Upon reaching the entrance of the Twisted Garden, the members temporarily parked and began trading the various supplies they had prepared. Li Ye picked up his Binoculars and looked toward the Twisted Garden. As the former home of the Giant Treants, the Twisted Garden towered at a height of two to three hundred meters. The first thing to meet the eye was an irregular gravel path, flanked by bizarre flora that reached dozens to even over a hundred meters tall. Some of the vegetation displayed a twisted double-helix structure, some had serrated leaf edges, while others had flower cores resembling the eyes of massive creatures, which even seemed to squirm. The Twisted Garden stretched over several hundred square kilometers and appeared to have been abandoned for a long time. Most of the plants within the garden had already withered. At the center of the garden was an oval-shaped small lake. Though it had not dried up, the water had clearly been stagnant for a long time. Various aquatic plants thrived within, and the murky water emitted a foul stench. If one looked carefully, they could even spot numerous corpses of Giant Treants. They stood over a hundred meters tall, with aged facial features and emaciated bodies covered in peeling bark. One by one, the Mobile Cities entered the Twisted Garden, began surveying the terrain, and discussed intelligence and tactics. Soon, they discovered that the terrain of the Twisted Garden was the kind that was easy to defend but difficult to attack. Next, they exchanged intelligence on the Tarot Alliance. After a series of information exchanges and compilations, the following was learned: Within the Tarot Alliance, the division of roles among members was roughly as follows: The Chariot and The Tower were defense-type. The Hermit was an engineer-type. The Hanged Man, Death, The Devil, and The Lovers were assault-type. Among them, the Hanged Man had already been eliminated. The Magician was fire-support-type. As for the remaining The Emperor, The World, Judgement, and The Sun — they had not yet appeared, and their strength remained entirely unknown. Li Ye focused intently on these Tarot members, pondering which ones might possess Level 2 items. The one that caught his attention most was none other than the Aerospace Light Combat Drone Platform. A Mobile City equipped with this Level 2 item essentially became a land-based mobile aircraft carrier, capable of launching combat drones for bombing missions at any time. In fact, the Vanguard Alliance had also been consistently gathering intelligence on the Tarot Alliance, attempting by all means to collect information on any Level 2 items they possessed. But in the end, it was all just fragmented scraps. Through Li Ye’s “subtle and not-so-subtle” prompting, the group came to learn of the Tarot Alliance’s Level 2 items. Immediately afterward, the Vanguard spoke. What he disclosed was the list of Level 2 items currently owned by the Vanguard Alliance.