Chapter 335: A People-Friendly Thing

Chapter 335: A People-Friendly Thing

In less than a week, all kinds of new vehicles had flooded into major cities, especially those with large populations and high mobility. The appearance of vehicles had directly brought sufficient recovery profits to the guilds. It was human nature to watch the excitement, and even the people of the Otherworld could not avoid this. Therefore, as soon as Buses appeared, those unsuspecting Otherworld residents felt an immense curiosity.

When they learned they only needed to spend a small amount of currency to experience this thing, they did not hesitate and took a ride immediately. Moreover, special signposts had been set up in those major cities. These signposts served as stations, with detailed information on which Bus would go to which stops and approximately when it would pass by. In short, with the Traffic Rules Zheng Yichen had introduced to the Otherworld, these systems were perfected very quickly.

Zheng Yichen did not even have to put in much effort; the people in various Empires had refined them to perfection.

The efficiency was remarkable, as everything was fully implemented within a week. After the bus passage policy was fully implemented, over the next three days, citizens in major cities happily tried this new novelty. As for the issue of vehicle refueling, it was not a real problem. Some Spells or Warriors who were not yet Ranked Practitioners were capable of this work.

Moreover, this refueling was not free. When they expended their own Mana, they could also receive an additional income as a refueling fee.

Although it might not be much, earning this money did not feel like a waste of time to them. Refueling stations… well, the Otherworld versions were mostly set up near Academies…

Outstanding students might not do this kind of work, but ordinary students or those from poor families would definitely not miss this income. Overall, the passage of the vehicle policy provided many people with a new source of income.

As for those driving Sports Cars, sedans, or even Off-road Vehicles—people who could afford these vehicles naturally would not lack “refueling” assistance. However, due to traffic fines, many still broke the Traffic Rules directly, because the newly appointed “traffic officers” were eagerly watching for those who violated the rules.

When Zheng Yichen had established the Traffic Rules, he had considered some issues. For example, the roads did not need to have many special features; ordinary roads were sufficient. Therefore, the Traffic Rules were not complicated. With a bit of attention, one could memorize them all in about ten minutes. Of course, these rules also included special markings, such as “No Parking” or speed limits.

Zheng Yichen did not dwell on these matters; he left it to the various nations to decide their placement.

“Come to think of it, I’m the one who made the Traffic Rules, yet I get no benefit from them. It feels a bit unfair when I think about it…” Zheng Yichen, who was secretly observing the Magic Weapon Forum at all times, muttered with some dissatisfaction. But upon reflection, since this was only meant to bring a greater impact to this world, he could accept having no personal gain. He could endure it, though he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

At any rate, the influence of vehicles had already spread. Now, the more Zheng Yichen thought about it, the more he felt that the beginning of the Magic Weapon Summoning Book had been a strategically brilliant decision. Well, he might not have realized this at first, but now that many things had developed… weren’t many things built on coincidences?

Without the Magic Weapon Summoning Book, even if Zheng Yichen wanted to leave traces from Earth in the Otherworld, it would not have been this smooth. For instance, with the sale of vehicles now, thanks to the vast network accumulated by the Magic Weapon Summoning Book, indelible marks were left on the Otherworld within just a week. Using a conventional promotion method, could such comprehensive development have been seen without several months?

What a joke. The process of various nations arguing, pulling strings, and fighting over benefits alone would have taken a long time. Unlike now, when he introduced something that benefited them, a crowd would eagerly come to support it immediately. Looking at it this way, he was quite a well-known and respected figure in the Otherworld… The only regret was that he could not step into the light.

Anyway, the seeds of vehicles had been planted. After a few months, when people became fully accustomed to the convenience vehicles brought, it would be hard for them to give up such convenient transportation. Zheng Yichen imagined if other Transmigrators came to this world in the future and encountered the rapidly developing Otherworld style, what expressions would they wear? That was amusing to think about.

Just as vehicle-related business was developing rapidly, the matter concerning the Forest had also reached a conclusion. Several days ago, some people, unable to withstand the environmental influence of the Forest, had developed severe mental issues. This caused many Mercenary Squads to suffer losses in the Forest. At that time, some warnings from the Academy were brought up again, making the Mercenaries who still intended to enter much more cautious.

Moreover, after a week, many of the unknown beasts there had been captured, and the popularity of the area had decreased again. Not to mention that afterward, the Sanctuary Church released some news, ordering a cleanup…

The specific details were not explicitly stated, but from the little information that was revealed, the changes in the Forest were related to a Witch. This alone made many people consider retreating. Even though many Quests to capture unknown beasts remained, the number of people going into the Forest decreased. As a result, those who posted the Quests increased the rewards… which stirred new adventurous impulses in some.

As for the Quest posters solving it themselves? What a joke. If they wanted to handle it themselves, why would they post Quests in the first place?

However, the development of these events was centered around the Sanctuary Church’s recent movements. When it was revealed that the matter in the Forest was related to a Witch, the Sanctuary Church had already begun preparing to take full control. Those unknown special beasts were also highly likely to have been created by a Witch. As for why they seemed particularly effective against Demon Sword Cultists, that was probably a coincidence. After all, the effectiveness only countered blood-based abilities; the combat strength of those unknown beasts was only slightly stronger than that of normal beasts, with no other special traits…

At least that was how it seemed for now!

“Hmm… which matter should I handle first?” Zheng Yichen looked at several bodies of the unknown beasts placed in the Pick-up Zone. Once these beasts died, if they were not processed quickly, they would turn to ashes. Initially, many Mercenaries suffered significant losses because of this. Later, they became smarter and could preserve the beast bodies properly. Zheng Yichen had some of these processed bodies here.

The processed beast bodies would not deteriorate even if stored for a while; they would remain in good condition for at least half a month. Lately, Zheng Yichen had been thinking of capitalizing on the vehicle-related popularity to introduce another item… Bicycles!

The production difficulty for these was very low. As long as they had the materials, Engineering apprentices could make them. The only tricky part was the precision involved. Overall, they did not require a Mana Source for propulsion; they could be powered by human effort alone. The cost could be high or low—low using ordinary materials, and high if crafted into Magical Artifact-like transportation tools.

Magic Cycles could already be copied; replicating Bicycles would be even easier. It was not about underestimating or overestimating the Engineering Secondary Profession Practitioners in this world. If Zheng Yichen released Bicycles, imitations would appear by the afternoon of the same day!

Nevertheless, Zheng Yichen was not worried. Other Engineering Auxiliary Profession Practitioners might produce imitations, but not in large quantities. On his side, he had assembly line production workshops and a large number of Alchemical Puppets as workers, toiling day and night without rest. The production capacity was explosive, and Zheng Yichen was not at all concerned about the output of other imitators.

As for reputation? Currently, all vehicles on the market were sold through Tianwang’s Online Store. In terms of reputation in this industry, could anyone else compete? Obviously not!

“Hmm… In that case, I’ll release them. Although wealthy people’s money is easy to earn, the grassroots should not be missed either. After all, the largest group is the common people.” Thus, just as the vehicle craze had not yet subsided, the even more people-friendly Bicycle also appeared in Tianwang’s Online Store. This time, many people had become smarter. Seeing this new vehicle appear, they did not hesitate and bought a batch immediately.

Moreover, the structure of this vehicle looked simple, and the price was cheap. The simple design also seemed to have few confidential parts, meaning this type of vehicle could be researched. Many had long wanted to study the vehicles made by Tianwang, but the internal confidential components were too unique. No matter how they tried to take them apart, they only ended up with a pile of scrap metal.

Gradually, many had given up. But now, here was something simple and easy to research… Their minds naturally became active again.

In the high-level meeting of the Purple Vine Guild, this very topic was being discussed. In the past, holding such a meeting was troublesome, requiring advanced notice several days ahead and finding a suitable time for everyone. Now? They just needed to open a thread—no trouble at all. Regarding Bicycles, the Purple Vine Guild’s Boss simply said at the meeting: “Concerning how to handle this type of vehicle, each of you can go about your own tasks.”

Bicycles were not like Magic Cycles or cars, which were temporarily difficult to replicate on a large scale. Bicycles were very easy to copy. If certain guilds wanted, they could also mass-produce them. Therefore, not much planning was needed for this item; just treat it as a regular product to sell.

As for competition? Zheng Yichen could use cost advantages to crush other competitors.