Translator: AnubisTL
The Iron Ridge Wasteland is a low-Tier region that can accommodate trains up to Tier 3. The highest-Tier monsters that spawn here are also Tier 3. When a train reaches Tier 3 with fully equipped upgrades and is ready to advance to Tier 4, it must venture into a higher-Tier zone and begin preparing for Class Change.
There are two Class Change paths: Mechanical Train and Flesh Train.
Each increase in Tier for a train brings more than just an increase in its base speed and the ability to equip more accessories. Each Tier also unlocks one or more new functions.
For example, the new function unlocked at Tier 2 is "Personalized Customization."
And the new function unlocked at Tier 3 is—
"Legacy Value."
Legacy Value is a feature exclusive to Tier 3 trains. Having a high Legacy Value grants greater opportunities in high-Tier zones. For example, a mysterious Black Market Merchant might flag down the train, offering rare goods for sale. Or, the train might gain access to Black Markets that require a certain Legacy Value for entry.
Some special accessories can only be installed if the train's Legacy Value meets a specific threshold.
Wait.
There are only benefits, no drawbacks.
There are several ways to earn Legacy Value:
The train shelters a child under 12 years old: +1 Legacy Value.A married couple bound by a Doomsday Marriage Certificate is found on board: +100 Legacy Value.A newborn child is born to passengers on the train: +1 Legacy Value.And so on.
Legacy Value, as the name implies, is a reward for preserving Civilization's Legacy.
Whether sheltering a child or welcoming a newborn, these passengers contribute virtually nothing to the train's strength and continually deplete its resources.
Legacy Value serves as compensation for these sacrifices.
It's a small token of recognition for those who, even in the apocalypse, still prioritize the continuation of Civilization's Legacy.
The rewards aren't overly generous.
If they were too substantial, childbirth would become a business.
The Doomsday Marriage Certificate, a special item, grants the train a full 100 Legacy Value if a suitable couple is found on board. While he had no concept of Legacy Value, he understood the significance of sheltering 100 children.
100 Legacy Value was no small sum.
But...
"..."
Chen Mang shook his head regretfully, placing the Doomsday Marriage Certificate into a drawer beside the control panel. He wouldn't need it anytime soon. There wasn't a single couple on the Stellaris, let alone one truly in love. Besides, the train hadn't reached Tier 3 yet, so Legacy Value was temporarily useless.
"We'll deal with it later," he muttered.
After inventorying the items dropped by the Red-Eyed Rabbit and the rewards for the Boss's First Kill, Chen Mang turned his attention to the remaining prizes.
The Tier 3 Boss Zombie King had dropped not only a white-grade Vehicle Component Blueprint for a Rapid-Fire Ballista but also a special item: the Handheld Zombie Perception Blocker.
Again? If he hadn't traded one to the train conductor of the Bloodthirsty Mad Bull Train during their last deal, he'd have three of these things now.
This item was only useful in specific situations. Most of the time, its effects were limited, since the wasteland was home to more than just zombies, and it only blocked the perception of Tier 1 Zombies. Still, having one was better than none. He tossed it into the drawer alongside the Doomsday Marriage Certificate.
Finally, there was the loot from the zombie horde.
The quantity was staggering—hundreds of items in total.
928 Units of Tier 1 corpse meat.
23 Units of Tier 2 corpse meat.
Yes, killing zombies only dropped these items—all corpse meat. It seemed to be a special resource, similar to Spider Silk. Nothing else dropped.
There were no Component Blueprints for accessories that used corpse meat.
He checked the Rapid-Fire Ballista, a white-grade accessory, but it didn't require corpse meat.
He had no idea what these resources were for yet.
He dumped them all into a corner of the refrigerator. There was quite a lot, taking up space, and the bloody mess looked rather disgusting. The refrigerator was perfect.
It offered ample space and guaranteed freshness, locking in both the flavor and smell.
No odors would escape to contaminate his chilled Cola, and no smells would seep in to ruin it.
Perfect.
With that, the night's haul was completely inventoried. It was a bountiful harvest, and he was thoroughly satisfied.
In this world, killing monsters wasn't the primary method of development.
Except for the Flesh Train.
For Mechanical Trains to thrive, the most crucial resource was iron ore. Other resources paled in comparison. Even though his train could now slaughter zombie hordes with impunity, all he gained was more corpse meat.
Slaughtering zombie hordes doesn't yield crucial resources like iron ore. Mining is the primary path to development.
When facing monsters, evasion is the best strategy.
"Time for bed!"
Chen Mang rose from the control panel, stretched languidly to loosen his stiff muscles, and then collapsed onto his bed. It was late, and he was exhausted. Sleep first, he decided, and deal with the rest tomorrow.
In a hazy state, he drifted into another dream.
This time, his train had hundreds of carriages, including a hundred Open-Air Carriages, each equipped with four 40-Tube Cherry Blossom Fall Rocket Launchers.
The train sat on the wasteland, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of monsters roaring and charging.
Black clouds blotted out the sun, and even the ground trembled under the onslaught.
Chen Mang merely sneered, waved his hand, and countless rockets with fiery orange trails filled the sky. Simultaneously, a deafening shriek of rockets tearing through the air echoed across the heavens.
As the rockets rained down upon the horde, a sea of flames erupted, soaring into the black clouds like the wrath of a Divine being unleashed upon the world.
When the clouds finally parted, all that remained in sight was ruins.
The "Powerful Magnet" he had embedded in the locomotive, now upgraded to Tier 100, emitted a blinding white light, rapidly drawing the items dropped by the monsters into the carriages. Just then, a discordant chorus reached his ears.
"Brothers, get ready! We're going mining!"
"Put some muscle into it! Mining takes effort!"
"Hi-lo!"
"I'll shout 'One'! Mine with all your heart!"
"Yo-hi!"
"I'll shout 'Two'! Work together, everyone!"
"Yo-lo!"
"I'll shout 'Three'! Swing your arms wide!"
"..."
The next morning, Chen Mang, successfully roused from his sleep, finished washing up and stood expressionlessly at the window of the locomotive cabin, gazing at the bustling scene outside. Dawn had broken, and the slaves had already begun their work. But today was different.
Doba, the goblin slave, was leading the mining chant.
His voice was so loud it had even penetrated the locomotive cabin, waking Chen Mang from his sweet dreams.
Doba swung his pickaxe while bellowing the chant at the top of his lungs. The other goblin slaves followed his rhythm, swinging their pickaxes in unison and responding with equally loud shouts.
(End of the Chapter)
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