Roughly half an hour later, all resources aboard the *Roaring Fury* had been emptied.
Aside from scattered daily necessities, food, and water, the haul included:
– Coal: 1,450 units
– Crude Oil: 220 units
– Iron Ore: 2,910 units
– Gunpowder: 420 units
– 43 standard rifles with assorted ammunition.
– Several hundred units each of electronic components, high-polymer materials, precision parts, and biological gel.
And most crucially, a finished Tier-1 artillery piece—the Thunder Cannon—along with two matching Thunder Shells!
“We hit the jackpot!”
Jiang Zhixu beamed at the inventory list. There were even 270 units of Thunder Ore left, enough to craft two more Thunder Shells.
“I originally thought they only had one shell left. I never expected two! And now they’re all mine!”
The enemy had held onto those two Thunder Shells as their trump card, planning a last-ditch reversal. But they never anticipated Lu Yan’s god-tier shot hitting their power furnace, causing a catastrophic explosion that completely scrapped their entire city.
To be fair, their strategy wasn’t wrong. It had indeed deterred Jiang Zhixu. One direct hit would have certainly obliterated the fragile *Deep Blue*. If he hadn’t suspected they had more shells in reserve, he would have ordered the helmsman to be far more aggressive.
“Were there no Tier-1 modified components on their city?” Jiang Zhixu asked Qi Honglang, who had just returned.
“None,” Qi Honglang shook his head. Graded modified components were inherently the most expensive and rarest items. Otherwise, the previous City Lord wouldn’t have only bought one-eighth of a component.
He changed the subject. “Brother Jiang, the convoy brought back a few people. How should we handle them?”
Jiang Zhixu frowned. “Didn’t I say we’re not taking in survivors for now?”
Considering that convoy captain Wang Haoran wasn’t one to act on his own, these people likely had something special about them. He asked, “Who are they?”
Qi Honglang replied, “A seemingly decent surgeon, with two burdens—his grandson and granddaughter.”
“A surgeon?” Jiang Zhixu raised an eyebrow. “Where are they now?”
“Waiting on the lower deck.”
“Let’s go see. Also, tell the helmsman to prepare for departure.”
If it was a doctor, they might be worth considering under the circumstances.
The *Deep Blue*’s current medical station was rudimentary, staffed only by a trainee doctor whose skills were limited to treating minor ailments like colds or diarrhea.
…
The doctor was an elderly man in his sixties, hair completely white, his eyes weary and desolate. Faint rust-red stains marked his gray sleeves. Behind him stood a young man and woman, both around twenty, seemingly well-protected with clean, neat clothes. Though they tried to hide it, a flicker of unease crossed their faces when Jiang Zhixu appeared.
The old doctor started to kneel as he had on the *Roaring Fury* to introduce himself, but Qi Honglang stopped him.
Jiang Zhixu said, “Our *Deep Blue* isn’t exactly stable. We weren’t planning to recruit survivors from the *Roaring Fury*. But I heard you’re a doctor?”
The old doctor kept his head bowed, speaking humbly, “Yes, City Lord. Ten years ago, I was the head of surgery at the Municipal People’s Hospital. Now, I’m a system-certified Masterful Physician. I’ve currently awakened two skills—one low-tier, one mid-tier.”
Eager to secure a new home for himself and his grandchildren, he was desperate to prove his worth. Without hesitation, he shared his character panel with Jiang Zhixu.
——————
Name: Xia Siyuan
Age: 63
Profession: Physician (Masterful)
——————
[Unlicensed Practice]
Grade: Low-tier
Passive Effect: Lacking official credentials reduces patients’ initial trust in you by 50%. However, once your treatment shows preliminary results, their guilt accelerates healing speed for moderate or lesser injuries by 30%.
Description: *”Don’t worry, my skills are family-taught. No license needed.”*
[Healing by Drawing]
Grade: Mid-tier
Passive Effect: Harsh, medicine-scarce environments have honed your extraordinary drawing skill. Completing a detailed drawing of a corresponding medicine’s packaging in front of a patient has a chance to grant them the actual therapeutic effect of that medicine. The downside? You might be mistaken for a lunatic. (Limited to common-grade medicines)
Trigger Probability: 10%
Description: *”Healing is about sincerity. See? You’re cured.”*
——————
The moment Jiang Zhixu saw “Masterful Physician,” he had already decided to take him in. He hadn’t expected the doctor’s two random skills to be so useful as well!
Though the skills seemed peculiar, their practicality was high. The first accelerated wound healing; the second could conjure medicine from thin air. Combined with Xia Siyuan’s inherent medical expertise, it was far more than a simple sum of parts.
Jiang Zhixu believed no City Lord could refuse such a physician—even with two dependents in tow.
A satisfied expression appeared on his face. “Good. You can stay. Honglang, take him to the medical station to start immediately.” They had wounded from the battle who could use treatment.
“Understood.” Qi Honglang nodded, gesturing for Xia Siyuan to follow.
“Wait.”
Xia Siyuan bowed deeply to Jiang Zhixu. Straightening up, he said, “I have one more request, City Lord. I hope you can grant it.”
Jiang Zhixu remained noncommittal. “Speak.”
Xia Siyuan said, “My grandchildren aren’t suited for heavy labor. They can’t start as slaves. I beg for your mercy, allowing them to assist me as apprentices. They are currently trainee doctors, but I will do my utmost to train them, to help them become Proficient Physicians as soon as possible.”
Hearing this, Jiang Zhixu exchanged a glance with Qi Honglang.
The latter immediately explained on his behalf, “The *Deep Blue* has no slaves. Only residents.” So, even if you wanted to be a slave, you couldn’t.
A flicker of astonishment crossed Xia Siyuan’s face.
Since arriving in this world, he had been in raider cities, dealing mostly with raiders. He had never encountered a city without slaves. Even in non-raider cities, newcomers often started as slaves, only becoming residents after contributing. But… wasn’t this how it should be normally?
For a fleeting moment, memories from a decade ago surged. Xia Siyuan closed his eyes, struggling to suppress the surge of bitter emotion. Lifting his head, he uttered four solemn words: “The City Lord’s virtue is great.”
…Merely the absence of slavery was considered great virtue?
Jiang Zhixu shook his head slightly. “Since your grandchildren are trainee doctors, let them learn by your side.”
With that, he walked past Xia Siyuan and left.
.
Having gained two valuable talents today, Jiang Zhixu was in good spirits.
As he and Qi Honglang ascended the gangway ladder toward the control hub, he asked casually, “Honglang, do you know how to upgrade to a Tier-2 Mobile City?”
Human ambition grows exponentially with rising status. Though he had just taken over a Tier-1 city, his sights were already set on Tier-2.
The gap between Tier-1 and Tier-2 was vast.
In terms of city form, Tier-1 cities were uniformly blocky, at most with added external steel plates for defense. But upon reaching Tier-2, you could begin designing custom forms!
In firepower, Tier-1 cities only had eight gun ports, with a modification component cap at Tier-2… Of course, the *Deep Blue* currently had zero Tier-2 components. But Jiang Zhixu was confident he would acquire them ahead of time.
Because he was the protagonist.
He had crossed worlds and awakened a god-tier talent. If he wasn’t the protagonist, who was?
Finally, the most crucial difference between Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities lay in population. The former capped at 1,000; the latter at 10,000—a tenfold difference, with a similarly multiplied probability of nurturing talents.
*I must reach Tier-2 as soon as possible.*