A new feature had updated on the Protocol Synchronizer: Regional Construction.
It displayed everything related to outpost development—and more importantly, it meant Endfield had successfully established a connection with the Refugee Camp Outpost, enabling material supply and infrastructure growth.
In simple terms:
Endfield provides goods. The Refugee Camp pays with Valley Dispatch Vouchers.
Each successful trade also increased the outpost's Development Value, a quantified metric proving the outpost had advanced. Once enough Development Value accumulated, the outpost would upgrade its development stage, expand in scale, and offer better trade rewards.
There was a constraint, though.
The Dispatch Vouchers obtained through trading could not exceed the outpost's current accumulated cap.
The camp's capacity to "pay" was limited.
So the outpost's current voucher reserves and the Fourth Valley warehouse inventory had to be traded according to real needs and real limits.
As for what could be supplied, it depended on Soth's material list:
Healing Capsules
Prismatic Vials
Crystal Casings
Prismatic Parts
Among them, Healing Capsules had the highest priority—and therefore yielded the most vouchers per unit.
The obtained voucher totals would be displayed directly in the Outpost Management interface. Every completed transaction updated the numbers in real time.
And there was more:
The system even supported dispatching a Liaison Operator to assist with construction and trade at the outpost.
"So… why can the Refugee Camp even pay with Valley Dispatch Vouchers?" Hao Fan asked after skimming the system, his expression turning distinctly strange.
To him, it felt like watching someone stand on their own shoulders and float into the sky.
Because this had already been mentioned back at the Worker's Home:
Under the relevant provisions of the Ringbelt Convention, signatories were required—while maintaining normal circulation of Gold Notes in the civil economy—to maintain sufficient material reserves corresponding to the agreed issuance volume of such dispatch vouchers, enabling orderly cooperative logistics during special circumstances.
Which implied something very simple:
In the Fourth Valley, there were only two entities with the standing and reserves to issue these vouchers—
The Union Guild and Endfield Industry.
Both had the logistics base to support voucher circulation.
And the actual issuance source was likely the Hub District Base, representing cooperation between the two.
So the question remained:
Where did the Refugee Camp's vouchers come from?
They were issued by the Union Guild or Endfield—meaning the camp was paying Endfield with a currency Endfield (or its partner) had effectively enabled.
No wonder Hao Fan felt the whole thing was fundamentally circular.
"…Whatever. If you're happy, I'm happy," he muttered, deciding not to get stuck on the detail.
Regional construction wasn't his specialty anyway.
Perlica, meanwhile, worked through the terminal with practiced efficiency.
"The request is confirmed. The types of goods we can dispatch are still limited for now, but we'll expand the supply range in the future."
She looked toward Soth.
The older refugee leader had now assumed the role of Outpost Manager—meaning the Refugee Camp outpost would be run under his supervision.
"As long as we cooperate like this, we can expand this place into a real shelter…" Soth smiled, as if a weight had finally been removed from his chest. "Thank you. I feel… steadier."
With the Gun Towers' fire support and Endfield's material dispatch, the outpost's survival conditions were undeniably protected.
But Wolfguard didn't share the optimism.
"Danger still exists."
He looked toward the direction of Valley Fortress and asked flatly, "You know this area well. Is there a back route leading to the Riftbreakers' concentration zone?"
"There is… wait—are you planning to go into their nest?" Soth blurted.
"We have our own mission," Wolfguard replied, leaving no room for discussion.
"…Understood."
Faced with that unwavering stare, Soth didn't argue. He simply delivered what he knew.
"There's an underground ventilation conduit. It might connect to where you want to go. That's how we escaped."
At the same time, Soth noticed refugees who had been hiding in the temporary shelter cave were steadily relocating to the newly secured outpost.
He called over a young Forte man.
"Daniel. You and a few others go clear the obstacles inside the cave… With these people here, it's the Riftbreakers who should be worried."
"Got it." Daniel grinned, thumping his fist against his chest—a habit that looked distinctly guild-born. "We've been scared for too long. Time to give them a little 'surprise'."
Hao Fan—who had been distributing the canned citrus he'd scavenged earlier to the hungry refugees—caught the exchange and understood immediately.
Next move:
Follow Daniel back to the old shelter cave, enter the underground ventilation conduit, and go cause trouble for the Riftbreakers.
"Seriously… they don't even let you rest—" he sighed.
And then he froze.
Near the cave entrance, a golden spatial fissure had appeared—quietly, suddenly, as if it had always been there.
"…What is that?" Hao Fan stared, completely dumbfounded.
For a moment, he suspected his sanity was dropping low enough to hallucinate. Because there was no reasonable explanation for a crack of gold light splitting the air like that.
Perlica stepped closer, oddly calm.
"A Protocol Space? Did it just appear?"
"You know what it is?" Hao Fan asked instinctively.
Her composure made him feel like he was the only one overreacting.
"Not much. We occasionally encounter phenomena like this," Perlica said, forming a small 'universe' gesture between her fingers as she explained. "A Protocol Space is essentially an information fragment within Originium… sometimes it even contains memory data. It can replay someone's past—along with the enemies they once faced."
That immediately reminded Hao Fan of Originium's internalized "universe" concept.
Before he could press further, the Liaison Operator Fiona's voice came through the comms.
"Hi, Administrator. I need a favor."
Her tone carried the exhausted strain of someone buried under too many tasks, yet still forcing herself to stay functional.
"We've detected some unusual Originium reactions across Fourth Valley. There's one near your current position. Can you check it out?"
"No problem…" the Administrator said softly, eyes fixed on the golden fissure. "It feels… familiar."
She raised her hand without hesitation.
Fingers brushed the shimmering crack.
"I'm going in."
....
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