Translator: AnubisTL
The scene was remarkably orderly and harmonious.
All the goblin slaves swung their pickaxes in unison, and with each rhythmic shout, they brought them down with a satisfying thud. It was a strangely captivating sight, imbued with a surreal, dreamlike artistic quality.
As for the human slaves...
Perhaps infected by the atmosphere, they gradually joined in the rhythmic chanting, their voices rising in response.
"I'm calling out an eight! Mining must be steady!"
"Gong hei!"
"..."
Chen Mang stood by the window, observing the scene with a blank expression for a moment before taking a sip of water to moisten his dry mouth. He sighed softly and picked up the walkie-talkie on the control panel. "At lunchtime, give Doba a special meal."
He was genuinely worried.
After a day of shouting like that, his slaves would be hoarse and parched. They needed more water, but Doba was working so diligently that Chen Mang felt a pang of guilt.
Doba truly believed Chen Mang could help him rebuild the Goblin Civilization. It was clear he took the matter seriously and genuinely trusted Chen Mang's ability to succeed.
But...
Only Chen Mang knew the truth.
It had all been a lie, a fabrication he'd spun to deceive and stall for time. If even human civilization couldn't be rebuilt, how could he possibly restore the Goblin Civilization? Doba's current work ethic had forced him to reconsider how he would fulfill his promise.
He had deceived many people in his life, but he had never once deceived a fool.
I always feel a strong sense of guilt and unease when I deceive fools.
"My moral standards are still too high," Chen Mang muttered, secretly admiring his own moral integrity before turning back to the train control panel. He glanced at yesterday's haul again. Many blueprints required iron ore to craft, so he'd have to wait until today's mining was complete.
He had nothing else to do at the moment.
He opened the Train Radio and resumed lurking. Since completing his last trade, he hadn't spoken in the Train Radio, but he'd been quietly observing others' conversations.
But...
Today's Train Radio seemed different from usual.
Twelve Volumes of Military Strategy, each volume bearing the name of a master.
The words "Stellaris" and "Stellaris Train" appeared on the public screen with excessive frequency. Nearly everyone was discussing him, and the discussion had been ongoing since last night, accumulating thousands of messages.
"Holy shit," Chen Mang muttered, staring at the scene before him in a daze. "It's just a Boss First Kill. Is this really necessary? Do they have nothing better to do than discuss this for thousands of messages? Can't they focus on something productive?"
He took a deep breath, lit a cigarette, and grabbed an ice-cold Cola from the refrigerator. Then, he scrolled back to last night's chat logs, preparing to read through each message one by one to see what everyone was saying about him.
There were expressions of surprise, shock, envy, and even analytical commentary.
"Soda Train: 'The Stellaris is only a Tier 2 train. What are the chances they actually earned the First Kill of a Tier 3 Boss? It's more likely they just swooped in to take advantage of a weakened opponent. Maybe another Tier 3 train and the Boss were already locked in a mutual destruction battle, and the Stellaris just happened to be there to clean up the mess. Pure dumb luck.'"
"..."
Chen Mang glanced casually at the message in the Train Radio, but it didn't faze him. A man who gets riled up by a single unfriendly comment is immature and lacks self-control. He simply pulled out a small notebook from a drawer and jotted down the words "Soda Train."
He added a parenthesis after it, writing "Malicious Speculation" inside.
He even saw the train conductors of the Bloodthirsty Mad Bull Train and the King of Electronic Music Train chime in.
These two train conductors were quite interesting.
The conductor of the Bloodthirsty Mad Bull Train was incredibly excited, though it was unclear why. He kept insisting he had personally met the conductor of the Stellaris and even made a trade with him. He showered the man with praise, claiming he had recognized his extraordinary potential from the very first encounter, sensing a true "warlord" aura about him.
It was clear this big brother wasn't highly educated. He had exhausted every compliment he knew, repeating them over and over.
Chen Mang felt a twinge of embarrassment watching this display. He had only secured a First Kill, not achieved invincibility. Such excessive flattery was unnecessary.
But...
Perhaps this big brother's over-the-top praise had finally provoked the ire of a Tier 3 Train Conductor.
"Purple Cloud Train: 'Alright, you got lucky and snagged the First Kill on a Tier 3 Boss. Now you won't shut up about it all night. If you're so tough, why don't you bring your train over and ram it into mine? See if you can even touch me. And tell me, would he dare speak up in front of me?'"
"..."
Chen Mang stubbed out his cigarette in a Cola can and calmly resumed taking notes in his small notebook.
Purple Cloud Train: Arrogant tone. Demanded to ram his train into mine and asked if I dared speak up in front of him.
There's an opportunity here.
Before heading to the high-Tier zone, he would definitely drive his train to find this Purple Cloud Train and ram it until it was scrap metal. If he failed, he'd change his surname.
What a cocky bastard. He's got some nerve.
As for the Trainmaster King of Electronic Music, the dwarf train conductor, he was even more bizarre. He kept babbling on the Train Radio about how they were kindred spirits.
Who the hell is kindred with you?
The woman he gave you? He didn't even touch her! He just took her from the Bloodthirsty Mad Bull and handed her over to you untouched.
What kind of mental illness is this? Even if you were kindred spirits, is that something worth bragging about over and over? Why don't you just get a plaque made with those words and hang it on your train?
For exorcism and blessings, no less.
Were there any normal train conductors left in this wasteland? Had the pressures of the apocalypse driven them all mad?
After meticulously reviewing every chat log, Chen Mang returned the small notebook to his drawer, noting only the names of the two trains. Most people had been quite friendly.
That's true.
There was no need to needlessly offend others with a few careless words. Why draw unnecessary attention?
But some people simply couldn't control their tongues.
Especially the crew of the Purple Cloud Train.
I have to say...
These people were truly bored. It was just a Tier 3 Boss First Kill, something he himself didn't care much about. Yet they'd spent thousands of messages discussing it. Truly, they had too much free time.
Before he knew it, night had fallen. The slaves began lining up, each carrying their pickaxes to receive their evening meal.
"..."
Inside the train, Chen Mang stood by the window, watching the scene unfold. He mused that it was time to put the Train Rules on the agenda. For days, the train had been developing in a wild, untamed manner, with many matters selectively ignored.
A civilized community needed rules for proper management.
When the time came, he'd also formalize the train's titles. They couldn't remain a makeshift operation forever; at least on the surface, it had to appear more organized.
Once the two mines in the Doomsday Abyss and the newly acquired Tier 2 Copper Mine were fully excavated, he'd handle both tasks simultaneously. By then, the train would likely be a fully upgraded Tier 2 train.
(End of the Chapter)
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