The survivors who venture out now may still have enough kindness in their hearts, but such kindness is contingent on it not affecting their own interests.

Once something threatens their safety, they will act decisively, showing no mercy. You must understand that although the Traditional People are usually humble, that is just a habit formed from learning Confucian culture.

But a habit is just that, think of the cry Chen Sheng and Wu Guang made, "Would the nobility and officials be there if not for their birth,"

Think of the phrase Jack Oliver uttered, "The blue sky is dead, the Yellow Sky will rise, the year of Jiazi, all under heaven will be prosperous,"

And the eternal masterpiece made by Huang Chao, still passed down today, "Waiting for the eighth day of the ninth month of autumn, when my flowers bloom, I’ll slaughter all after, a fragrance that pierces the skies through the capital, with the whole city adorned with golden armor."

Also, consider the research before the cataclysm that the Traditional People rarely suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after retiring from military service.

All of these indicatives show that Traditional People have a martial nature in their very bones.

Even Confucianism, which proposed the virtues of propriety, righteousness, integrity, and honor, initially advocated for learning the Six Arts of the gentleman, among them: chariot driving and archery, one being a high mobility combat method, the other a long-range killing technique.

Think again of the Human Emperor’s Banner, the child asking for the Mysterious Core, aren’t all of these the best embodiments of their inherently valiant spirit?

Therefore, kindness is merely a reflection of the Traditional People’s refined upbringing, but martial valor is the instinct that flows in their veins.

However, for some unknown reason, after asking numerous survivors Zachary encountered, he wanted to trade with them for Mysterious Cores.

After all, at present, although some creatures have emerged underwater, the inherent effect to Disperse from the Companion Spiritual Treasures naturally prevents them from being attacked by those aquatic creatures. However, this also cuts off their desire to capture those creatures.

Yet even when Dong Tianyu offered to trade food supplies, all the survivors he met, for some reason, chose to refuse to trade with him.

Even though several showed a flicker of interest at first, upon reflecting for a moment, they eventually decided to refuse.

Seeing the decisions made by the survivors, Dong Tianyu guessed there must be some reason he was unaware of.

However, Dong Tianyu’s initial offer to trade was actually meant as a form of support for those brave enough to venture out alone, because even if they were willing to trade, it’s unlikely they would have many Mysterious Cores.

Even if they did have some, he guessed they would be low-level Mysterious Cores, which in small quantities, were virtually insignificant to Dong Tianyu.

But the meat and Food Bricks Dong Tianyu offered were indeed valuable commodities.

However, since the others had their reservations, Dong Tianyu naturally would not insist.

Following the direction provided by others, Dong Tianyu soon saw a water platform resembling Magic City’s third base.

It seems that the base location provided by the survivors was also a Water Base constructed by the Imperial Court.

It wasn’t surprising to Dong Tianyu, as during the disaster, the only force capable of constructing such massive structures, besides the Imperial Court, was likely no other.

Before he even got close, Dong Tianyu had already taken the Wave Rider back into the Storage Space, and maneuvered the Jade Ship towards the Water Base in the distance.

Like Magic City’s third base, the surrounding waters of this Water Base were also filled with countless rafts.

The simple purpose of these rafts was to use the Companion Spiritual Treasure’s Disperse property to stop the aquatic creatures from approaching the base.

Perhaps because the Jade Ship was not large, or because they thought Dong Tianyu was a survivor returning to their base, his communicator did not go off as he drew near.

Following other returnees, Dong Tianyu entered the Inner Harbor of the base.

Typical of a Water Base constructed under the unified organization of the Imperial Court, even though Dong Tianyu had never been here before, its layout was identical to the one at Magic City’s third base. Hence, he was extremely familiar with the layout here, even without a guide.

Following the others ashore from the dock dedicated to Companion Spiritual Treasure pilots, Dong Tianyu glanced around before heading straight to a neatly dressed survivor.

As Dong Tianyu walked purposefully, the survivor quickly noticed him, but only greeted his approach with a smile, showing no particular reaction.

Before Dong Tianyu could speak, the survivor asked, "Comrade, may I ask what business you have with me?"

Hearing this form of address, Dong Tianyu knew he had found the right person, as, apart from the officials on duty, few used the term "comrade."

"Hello, it’s my first time here. Could you tell me the name of this base and if there’s something like a Trade Market around here?"

Upon hearing Dong Tianyu’s questions, the survivor’s eyes lit up. He was there waiting for newcomers, even though Dong Tianyu only had a backpack with him.

He knew that, whether Dong Tianyu came from another base or had been traveling in the wild, he was likely to have some valuable items.

Even if he didn’t have what they needed, Dong Tianyu must have encountered the Mysterious Ship in the wild, meaning at the very least he would have some Mysterious Cores.

Now that Dong Tianyu was here, although they might not be able to make him settle down, they at least wanted him to spend here. As long as Dong Tianyu made a purchase, it was a win for them no matter what.

He introduced himself warmly, "This is Lakeside Base, my name is Ethan Harris, and I welcome you. What’s your name, and are you here to resupply or are you planning to settle down?"

When Dong Tianyu heard the name Lakeside Base, he felt somewhat puzzled. He knew that all water platforms were named after cities, but China didn’t have a city called Lakeside.

Despite his doubts about the name of the base, Dong Tianyu still responded to the question, "I’m Dong Tianyu, and I’m here to see if I can trade some supplies."

The smile on Ethan Harris’s face grew even broader when he heard about trading supplies. He enthusiastically said, "What a coincidence, that’s exactly what my department handles. Let me take you to our temporary Trade Center near the harbor.

Whether it’s supplies or everyday goods, we have them all. Our goods might be a bit more expensive than those in the upper-level Free Trade Market.

But since we are an official department, you can be absolutely assured of the quality, and you won’t have to worry about being shortchanged."

"It’s your first visit, so you might not be familiar with our prices. Why don’t you come and have a look? Buying or not, selling or not, it doesn’t matter. At least you can get an idea of what to expect."

After hearing this, Dong Tianyu observed the expressions of the people around him with his Divine Sense.

Since the two of them were speaking at the dock, some passersby could hear their conversation.

After such a long chat, people around them merely cast a curious glance at Dong Tianyu and then went about their business.

At the same time, Dong Tianyu noticed several other individuals dressed like Ethan Harris within the Inner Harbor through his Divine Sense, engaging in trade conversations with others.

Dong Tianyu surmised that these individuals were probable officials, and while it wasn’t clear if they were temporary workers, their jobs seemed to be mostly related to purchasing.

Many survivors who had just returned directly handed over their newly acquired Mysterious Cores to them. After verification, the officials wrote receipts by hand, and the survivors left cheerfully with their receipts.

Since the handwritten receipts were trusted by others, these individuals, whether they were officials or not, had high credibility at the dock. This was why Dong Tianyu was willing to follow Ethan Harris straight away.

After walking for a short while, Ethan Harris brought Dong Tianyu to a bustling marketplace.

While walking, Ethan Harris proudly said to Dong Tianyu, "Because most outgoing survivors choose to trade with our office, those who don’t meet our transaction standards set up stalls near the office to sell goods.

As the number of stalls grew, this place became livelier. Now, apart from new survivors like yourself, few people use our office for anything other than major transactions.

Apart from those who can’t meet the trading standards, some survivors looking to earn more also choose to sell goods at the entrance.

Other survivors who find it troublesome tend to trade directly with my colleagues at the dock."