Chapter 490: The Ban

Chapter 490: The Ban

At noon, news was made public that a large area near the Stone Forest was completely sealed off, allowing no one in or out. The Magic Weapon Forum immediately became lively, with most posts coming from Magic Weapon Summoners trapped in the area. Fortunately, while people could not leave, the internet connection remained intact.

The matter dominating the entire forum made those who had planned to come to the Stone Forest later adopt a wait-and-see attitude. They were also worried about the possibility of being unable to leave after arriving. Given the situation, it was better to observe further. Those already trapped were bound to grow restless and share more information.

Not to mention, among those trapped were ‘reporters’!

Later, as events there escalated, the Portable Houses that had caught most people’s attention became a focus. Besides negative posts flooding the Magic Weapon Forum, there were also everyday updates. Someone from the Temporary Camp where Zheng Yichen was staying posted pictures of the Portable Houses, immediately attracting many people’s interest.

Some Magic Weapon Summoners who had been following Zheng Yichen’s Online Store had noticed the Portable Houses earlier. These unconventional tents were not selling well elsewhere because they were too expensive, and regular tents could generally serve as substitutes. Even if a tent lasted a month, three gold coins could buy hundreds of ordinary tents.

Given that, why buy such an ordinary thing?

However, after news spread that people could not leave, some ‘insiders’ leaked additional tidbits, saying the lockdown would last at least over a month, and this was a serious issue. Imagine sleeping in a tent for over a month—that was just awful!

Faced with this, some people couldn’t resist buying the Portable Houses. Zheng Yichen then demonstrated his commitment to his word: the lowest-priced tent was three gold coins plus dozens of copper coins, exactly the price before the morning’s discount. Observers familiar with the situation fell silent. Well, that shut down all criticism—no room for nitpicking.

Still, the group-buy discount seemed quite good. It wasn’t a 2% discount but a double-digit one, increasing the discount by several times!

However, the minimum group-buy requirement of one hundred items put pressure on many. It was unaffordable for individual buyers unless people teamed up… And, indeed, some Temporary Camps had merchants who stepped up, making connections to organize group buys. Considering the number of people in each Temporary Camp, they basically formed groups of about a hundred. Even so, they received a significant discount—a 1% off, saving roughly one silver coin per gold coin on average…

Even if the merchants facilitating the connections took a cut, on average, an ordinary tent could save the buyer about two silver coins. While not much compared to three gold coins, it was still a considerable saving. With the leftover money, one could order takeout for several decent meals.

Moreover, although the Portable House was a single room, sleep-wise, two people could squeeze in—three if they were slim—since it was much larger than a tent!

After detailed and repeated checks by buyers, under normal use, this Portable House could last about five years. That was even with the careless usage of leaving it out exposed to wind and sun. If only deployed when needed, its lifespan could be extended further.

This meant that as long as the Portable House wasn’t intentionally damaged, it could be used for a long time. Many Adventurers knew this was unlikely, though. People like them could be attacked while sleeping outdoors. Tents, on average, were replaced every half month.

One reason was natural wear and tear; another was unexpected situations forcing them to abandon tents without packing them up; and sometimes, they were torn by beasts or aggressive small animals.

Such minor issues were negligible for the Portable House. The enhanced version would be even better. Unfortunately, by evening, most orders Zheng Yichen saw were for the standard version. There wasn’t a single group-buy order for the enhanced version yet, which disappointed Zheng Yichen a little. Perhaps it was still too early.

“Brother Connor, want to team up for an adventure?” Zheng Yichen looked at the green-haired man before him and glanced around the Temporary Camp. In just one day, tents had become rare in the entire Temporary Camp, mostly replaced by Portable Houses. The Sanctuary Church had the most, with their emblem temporarily pasted on some.

“Has the ban been lifted?”

“Uh, I meant we could form a team first…” Green said. The ban was imposed by the Sanctuary Church. The Flesh Seeds had become problematic, and each camp was now isolated, restricting entry and exit. Leaving was allowed, but once out, returning was impossible—no one could guarantee you weren’t carrying something related to the Flesh Seeds… The reason was a major incident at noon. While most attention was on the Temporary Camps, another Temporary Camp had unknowingly experienced a large-scale Flesh Seed outbreak. Many Mercenaries and Adventurers were gutted without realizing it, with hands seen digging out from their bodies. The entire camp fell into chaos. Even though the assigned Sanctuary Church members there tried to maintain order, it was ineffective, as some Church members were also affected.

The outbreak there happened because of a small river. After Flesh Seeds were discovered, the river was abandoned, and people in the camp stopped fetching water from it. But it was too late; the issues emerged before they got the news.

Survivors from that camp were now isolated and under observation, including the Church members there.

Following this incident, other Temporary Camps imposed bans, prohibiting exiting and entering, with protective Magic set up at the edges and inside the camps. Those spells were powerful binding Magic, ready to suppress any crisis immediately.

Simultaneously, a serious issue emerged: what Zheng Yichen had said proved true. Moreover, Moser’s method of using Mana or Battle Qi to eliminate the parasitic threat inside the body didn’t work, at least not for most people. Once formed, the Flesh Seeds integrated with the host, like quietly adding a few pounds of flesh to one’s body. No one would notice a few extra pounds…

Ahem, well, some might care, but Mercenaries and Adventurers who spent years outdoors obviously wouldn’t. Besides, this parasitism wasn’t just about gaining weight—it was replacement… As the Flesh Seeds grew, the host wouldn’t notice any weight change because their own weight remained unchanged!

By the time problems arose, it was too late.

With everyone fearing for their safety, sales of the well-sealed Portable Houses increased again! What was wrong with spending money for a sense of security?

After the ban was imposed, the Sanctuary Church began researching preventive measures. In light of this, after agreeing to Green’s request, Zheng Yichen went directly to where the Church members gathered in this Temporary Camp and placed a sample before the person in charge.

The latter glanced at the strange mask and combat suit, his eyelid twitching slightly. These were Zheng Yichen’s magically modified gas masks and Special Combat Suits… Some had an Earth style, others an Otherworld style. “Since you haven’t found a suitable method, what do you think of these items?”

The person in charge wasn’t blind; he could see the value of these items… Well, leaving aside the clothing—the design was somewhat odd—the mask resembling certain animal skulls clearly served as isolation from the outside. Compared to masks that were Magic Artifacts, these seemed similarly effective.

He inspected the sample; it wasn’t a Magic Artifact but made from extremely sturdy materials.

“These things…”

“Compared to Magic Artifacts, the cost is over ten times lower!” Zheng Yichen said. With that, the person in charge picked up the sample for a trial. Wearing the mask felt a bit strange, but it closely matched human visual range. After adjusting, it didn’t hinder sensation. Breathing was acceptable, without causing stuffiness from being sealed, though it tended to get warm—but that was bearable. As for the Special Combat Suit…

Well, leaving aside its protective qualities—its slightly greater thickness likely ensured good protection—the practicality of its carrying compartments was immediately obvious to the person in charge! It seemed even more convenient than the usual clothing Adventurers wore.

Adventurers’ clothing, through long development, had become quite suitable for wilderness combat, but this looked more fitting and efficient.

“My Online Store sells them specifically.”

“I see.” The person in charge nodded. The ban was to prevent people moving outside from unknowingly contracting Flesh Seeds and bringing them back to camp. But such a ban couldn’t last forever, nor could everyone use full-body protective Magic Artifacts… Since a river had infected a large group, even breathing could pose risks, so precautions were necessary.

They had considered creating such isolation gear but didn’t expect Zheng Yichen to have already developed it in advance, even better than what some tailors in their Church had produced, and seemingly easier to manufacture. More importantly, Zheng Yichen had already listed these items on his Online Store, and sales were increasing!

The person in charge watched the rising sales of the gas masks and Special Combat Suits in Zheng Yichen’s Online Store, his mouth twitching slightly. This guy wasn’t playing fair—coming here with a simple sentence successfully promoted his products. Moreover, involving them was a risk-free strategy.

With their endorsement, wouldn’t others buy more eagerly? Yet they had to buy, as any delay here could lead to further spread of Flesh Seeds by carriers. Eradication efforts couldn’t easily avoid the risk of ‘infection.’

To so casually have the Sanctuary Church help with advertising… As a dragon, he was already unmatched by others. Considering Zheng Yichen’s achievements compared to those of the other three dragons, the gap… In their eyes, Zheng Yichen was that exceptional dragon from another family!

Speaking of which, that previously emerged Derivative Witch was still at large. Her Soul Perception ability included soul reading, allowing her to glean information during combat. Unless approached by inanimate objects, anything entering her range would be exposed. While this range wasn’t particularly large, she actively expanded it at the slightest anomaly, increasing it over tenfold.

Ambushes seldom worked. In direct combat, she appeared composed and would readily disengage if a fight seemed unfavorable.

She currently operated around Kaja, still targeting those three dragons!

“Huh? Lena, what are these?” In the four-person Portable House, Green looked curiously at the four sets of clothing Lena took out, especially the masks, which resembled odd skulls—wearing them at night could probably scare people.

“They’re gas masks and Special Combat Suits. They might come in handy later, so I bought some in advance from an Online Store,” Lena said. Seeing Green’s slight confusion, she added, “I bought them from Connor’s Online Store. Earlier, I noticed he approached the Sanctuary Church person in charge of this Temporary Camp. These items appeared on the Online Store around that time.”

“Oh? So these are related to lifting the ban?” Garcia picked up a gas mask and put it on his face. It had adjustable parts; a slight tweak fit it to his face shape. This, of course, applied only to Humans. For demi-humans with beast-like heads, custom orders would be needed. Fortunately, while Alien Races had features different from ordinary people, their appearance largely resembled Humans.

“Just speculation. Whether it’s true depends on the Sanctuary Church’s subsequent actions.” Lena shook her head. “But it doesn’t hurt to prepare in advance. Look at this clothing—isn’t it more convenient than traditional Adventurer gear?”

“…” Oss picked up a Special Combat Suit and examined it. Though somewhat thick, the quality was excellent, with many built-in pockets and hooks. Hard protection was added internally in vital areas. Protective gear didn’t need to be extra hard everywhere; key areas providing crucial defense sufficed. All-around protection often yielded unsatisfactory results. Overall, it was a well-designed piece of equipment. If this became popular, both Mercenaries and Adventurers would likely favor it… After all, not all Adventurers could afford Expansion Pouches.

When venturing out, many small items had to be carried. Though small, they could be life-saving at critical moments. One might think of not carrying them, but those small items added up, forcing Adventurers to carefully choose what to bring. Bringing too much risked not finding important items when needed, which would be disastrous.

This Special Combat Suit could solve that problem, with numerous small-item pockets in convenient locations, allowing easy access without appearing bulky.

“This seems quite suitable for the captain and Garcia,” Green said, picking up a Special Combat Suit to test its weight before setting it down. “It’s a bit too thick for my requirements and slightly heavy. It doesn’t suit me; I’ll stick with traditional leather armor.”

He gently tugged on the exquisite leather armor he wore, made from the hide of a powerful wind-attribute Magical Beast he had hunted. It retained some characteristics of that beast—not only light but also capable of deflecting attacks to some degree. At the very least, arrows shot by ordinary people with regular bows were unlikely to harm him. Additionally, the armor reduced noise during movement.

It was a piece of Magic Equipment; with such gear, he wouldn’t replace it for the sake of carrying convenience.

As for Fred, seeing the animal skin hanging over his shoulder and some simple protective gear made it clear he didn’t need this type of equipment. Only Oss and Garcia could truly use it.

Oss didn’t have any special Magic Equipment anyway, so switching was reasonable. The protective effect of this suit was much better than his ordinary Adventurer attire. Garcia’s situation was similar; he also used regular Adventurer gear, not because they were too poor to afford better, but because they hadn’t been Adventuring long. Green had the longest Adventuring experience among them! Combined with sufficient and well-rounded strength, his accumulated resources exceeded those of Oss and the others. Regarding Magic Equipment, Oss had considered it before, but after starting to explore the ‘Spellbreaker’ path, he abandoned the idea.

Magic Equipment had poor compatibility with him. In regular combat, it was fine, but once he activated the fourth stage of his Magic Eye, the Magic Equipment on him would emit elemental hues like mist, interfering with his observation. Therefore, the only Magic Equipment he could use had to be high-level enough to suppress such emissions.

Such Magic Equipment was rare. Even the Magic Arms he summoned exhibited related Mana hues, but Magic Arms were more condensed and less dispersive, and being weapons rather than worn items, the overall impact was minimal. After getting used to it, there was no effect.

Thus, Oss preferred ordinary protective gear over enchanted equipment… Wearing such things, he felt he might as well wear cloth armor, which was at least lightweight. As for taking hits, he had his Blood Essence Shield; that power provided sufficient protection when activated. More importantly, Bloodline Power didn’t have such color emissions!