Chapter 89: Public Canteen on the Tomorrow

As a Level 1 Zone, the Basin Region was about the same size as the Wasteland Zone, with decent resources. There were quite a few caravans, Survivor Towns, and Mobile Cities. The Basin Region also housed a Monstrous Civilization—a species of creature known as Bearmen. In addition, there was a Level 2 Mobile City in the Basin Region. However, it was not a Predatory City. This Level 2 City was powerful, yet surprisingly friendly. It often extended aid to struggling caravans and Mobile Cities, providing them with resources and blueprints to support their development. "That really is a rare thing." Li Ye couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. On the wasteland, there existed both predation and mutual aid. After a brief exchange, the Survivor Caravan took its leave. "Say, A-Li, that caravan had a decent setup, and their members seemed fairly experienced in combat. Why didn’t you invite them to join the Tomorrow?"Old Zhou asked. Li Ye simply shook his head gently. "Each person has their own path." Not everyone was accustomed to life aboard a Mobile City. Some preferred to be lone wolves, others chose to live in communities within urban ruins, while some traveled with family and friends in caravans. Next, Li Ye went to the Production Workshop and input the Level 2 Upgrade Blueprint, focusing his attention on the screen. 【You may currently designate one cannon for upgrade】 【Frost Cannon Level 1 → Level 2: Requires 150 units of Level 2 Frost Ore. Added Effects: Range +50%, Freeze Intensity +20%】 【Molten Cannon Level 1 → Level 2: Requires 150 units of Level 2 Lava Ore. Added Effects: Power +50%, inflicts Burning Effect on target.】 "Both are excellent!"Li Ye nodded repeatedly. Typically, crafting a Level 2 Cannon required not only the proper blueprint but also 300 units of the corresponding Level 2 rare ore and 1 Level 2 Crystal. However, upgrading merely required consuming resources to upgrade an existing Level 1 Cannon. This not only reduced the amount of ore needed but also eliminated the need for crystals. Most importantly, after the upgrade was completed in the Production Workshop, the Level 2 production project for that item would be unlocked as well. Therefore, Upgrade Blueprints were often significantly more valuable than regular blueprints. With this in mind, the Level 2 Hunter Cannon production project Li Ye had seized suddenly didn’t seem all that desirable. Li Ye planned to prioritize upgrading the Molten Cannon. Given its already impressive firepower, it would become even more formidable after the upgrade. At that moment, the Tomorrow was still advancing in darkness. To conceal itself, Li Ye had ordered the majority of lights aboard the Tomorrow to be shut off, leaving only essential passageways illuminated. Even the two searchlights on the Tomorrow had their brightness reduced. In fact, searchlights were the easiest way for a Mobile City to give away its location. A Mobile City, being a Massive Creature, naturally used extra-large searchlights. Each had a diameter of over two meters, with a power output of 50 kilowatts and an illumination range of 5 to 10 kilometers. In darkness, they were essentially beacons guiding enemies directly to them. Though this was well understood, Mobile Cities couldn’t afford to turn off their searchlights completely. Without them to illuminate the terrain ahead, a Mobile City could easily crash into small hills or swamps, stalling progress. "If only we had a City Radar System."Li Ye thought. Radar could scan the terrain within a certain radius and relay the data to the helmsmen. That way, the Tomorrow could shut off all lights and stay completely hidden in the dark. After assigning personnel to their shifts, Li Ye began his next plan. As the Tomorrow had expanded significantly, the middle deck had become much roomier. Li Ye specifically selected an area on the middle deck to begin constructing a public canteen. Building a public canteen aboard a Mobile City was far simpler than one might imagine. After confirming the construction project in the Production Workshop, the mechanical arms and Universal Work Claws aboard the Tomorrow activated. By consuming Level 1 Iron Ore and wood, the Production Workshop created a series of rivets, steel plates, cast-iron stakes, wall panels, and long tables with benches. These were then transported to the middle deck via conveyor belts. Accompanied by slight tremors, the operating mechanical arms emitted white steam as they drove the cast-iron stakes into the steel rail base of the middle deck. The Universal Work Claws grabbed a large number of wall panels and placed them nearby. Under the leadership of Lin Wu, the Ordinary Residents stepped forward one by one to fix the wall panels in place and fasten them with rivets. As the Public Canteen began to take shape, the Universal Work Claws picked up the long tables and benches from the conveyor belt and placed them inside the canteen, where the residents arranged them properly. Next, the mechanical arms started operating at the top of the Public Canteen, locking and joining the iron tiles delivered via the conveyor, then securing them with steam rivet guns. After several hours of busy work, the Public Canteen was successfully completed. It had two floors and could accommodate over 150 people at once. Its construction consumed a total of 80 units of Level 1 Iron Ore and 150 units of Level 1 wood. By the way, the Public Canteen did not currently provide food. Li Ye built it simply to offer everyone a place where they could sit down, eat, and chat. After all, the rooms for Ordinary Residents on the Tomorrow were only nine square meters in size. Once the new batch of Level 1 Crops matured, Li Ye would be able to launch territory services in the Public Canteen. That would only take a week or two. According to his plan, the Public Canteen would recruit a few chefs and several staff members to operate, and the meals sold inside would be measured by Contribution Points. As for the recruitment of staff, Li Ye naturally left the task to Lin Wu. Considering that Lin Wu was already serving as the deputy and had many territory affairs to handle daily, Li Ye decided to have him train another Mechanic, so that he could fully focus on his duties as a deputy. Lin Wu had already decided on a candidate for this. It was the person Li Ye had previously assigned to him. After wrapping up these matters, Li Ye returned to the Lord’s room on the upper deck. Now, the upper deck was much livelier. Lin Wu, Lin Xia, Ning Wen, and others had moved to the upper deck, while Old Zhou and Tang Fang had been there from the beginning. Li Ye lay on the bed and thought for a while, then closed his eyes for a brief nap. When he woke again, he instinctively glanced at the time. It was 3:25 in the afternoon. Normally, the sunlight would be intense at this hour, yet the outside remained completely dark. The Tomorrow continued traveling as usual. It appeared nothing had occurred in the past few hours. Per Li Ye’s instructions, the brightness of the two searchlights had been significantly reduced. One of them still shone forward, while the other was operated by Lin Xia to scan the distance and scout the situation. Li Ye began to address his meal. Today’s lunch included one serving of Instant Noodle Cups, several boiled Blueheart Potatoes, a serving of Whole Wheat Biscuits, one egg, and a bottle of Cola. Naturally, the place he chose to eat was the Public Canteen. According to Old Zhou, the canteen had opened right after it was built, and many residents had flocked there to eat, making the atmosphere especially lively. Li Ye listened and nodded. Once the Tomorrow's conditions improved in the future, he planned to construct a series of public facilities on board. However, he had just gotten halfway through his meal when the sound of an explosion came from nearby. Li Ye immediately set down his food and rushed onto the armor plating. Through the binoculars, he barely managed to discern the scene in the distance. There seemed to be two Mobile Cities engaged in battle. His vision was impaired by the darkness, so he couldn’t make out how many cannons and combat personnel were on the armor plating of the two cities. He could only judge from their size that both were Level 1 Cities. "Lin Xia, turn the searchlights to full power!"he immediately ordered.