Chapter 70 - 67: Member Contribution System

Chapter 70: Chapter 67: Member Contribution System

Xi Xue, one of the Safe Zone’s first members and a self-proclaimed veteran after three visits, came to see the Safe Zone in a new light today.

It had only been a few days, but it felt like a lifetime.

"So, you’re saying that the Flaming Torch, the special drink, and the Witchcraft Flying Eye are the new three-piece set for conquering Nightmares? That the success rate is now at least several times higher, the risk is much lower, and you can even retreat to the Safe Zone to save your life if you fail?"

"That’s right. This is the new era ushered in by the Manager."

Hair Ghost said, "In this new era, as the number of Dream Descenders in the Safe Zone increases, our efficiency at conquering Baijiang’s Nightmares will also improve dramatically. What Profound Sword was worried about is no longer a problem."

The Safe Zone had changed dramatically, and not just because of the new three-piece set.

Xi Xue discovered several major new sections on the control panel: Task Commissions, Storage and Trading, and Information Exchange.

All these sections were new, so they didn’t contain much information yet.

But she already saw a Dream Descender posting a request to buy a special Curse Object in the trading section.

’If our Safe Zone had more people and was a bit livelier, we could hold our own trade fairs and auctions.’

She thought.

Peaches, at her side, only cared about one thing. "Mr. Hair Ghost, could you please ask the esteemed Manager how I can get a membership? I’ll do anything for the Manager."

As the Safe Zone’s only employee—or rather, its only human employee—Hair Ghost had been asked this question many times before.

He didn’t need to ask the Manager for instructions.

"The Manager has already provided an answer to that question."

"Look here."

He operated the panel on the desk, opening a guide page.

There, she saw the brand-new Safe Zone Contribution System.

Hair Ghost explained, "The Manager thinks far ahead. He established the Safe Zone to shelter us Dream Descenders, but he also hopes we can do our part to change the increasingly tense situation in reality."

"And so, this contribution system was created. For example, the main way to contribute is by conquering Nightmares. Conquering Nightmares doesn’t benefit the Manager or the Safe Zone itself, yet he still offers a very high number of Contribution Points for it."

Hair Ghost explained the system.

Any Dream Descender fortunate enough to find the Safe Zone can earn a membership from the Manager by accumulating 100 Contribution Points. Once they do, they can finally escape the endless suffering of the Nightmares.

The methods included:

"Conquering Nightmares, providing intelligence, and completing tasks posted by the Safe Zone—like drawing a Nightmare Map—can all earn you Contribution Points."

"There are also secondary methods. For example, the Manager is recruiting temporary employees and paying them in Contribution Points by the hour. However, most Dream Descenders can’t neglect their lives in reality, and a single dream descent only lasts two or three hours, so they can’t earn much that way."

"Oh, right. The store also purchases various dream Treasures. Most Treasures are bought with only Dream Dust, but for some of the rarer ones, we’ll give out Contribution Points as well."

Hearing this, Peaches’s eyes lit up.

It was true that, according to Hair Ghost, conquering Nightmares was the primary and easiest way to accumulate Contribution Points.

The Manager awarded a full 50 Contribution Points for conquering one Nightmare, and these points were then divided among the team members.

That meant, if she was quick about it, she would only need to conquer two Nightmares to earn her membership.

Relying on the Safe Zone and the three-piece set, taking down an ordinary Nightmare wasn’t actually that difficult.

But Peaches still felt it was too slow.

’I can just pay my way in? That’s much easier!’

She immediately checked the purchase list.

There wasn’t a specific list of items they were buying. However, the Safe Zone would give out Contribution Points for things like Treasure Medicine and practical, single-use items.

Shi An wanted to use the Treasure Medicines himself.

Even if he couldn’t use them all, Treasure Medicines and versatile single-use items were always in demand.

This was true even if a Treasure Medicine was worth slightly less than a complete Curse Object.

The former were rarely seen on the open market, while the latter were frequently sold on the black market.

...

Xi Xue was lucky. She had earned the Manager’s favor before the membership system was released and received a Member Card in advance.

This was likely the second way to obtain a membership: being granted one at the Manager’s discretion.

However, Xi Xue had also brought many gifts in return today.

She opened the suitcase she carried with her—which was also a spatial storage item—and took out one precious item after another.

A batch of supplies;

A batch of items;

And several recipe blueprints.

The supplies included daily necessities, provisions, and special seeds that could allegedly be planted in the Nightmare World.

The items were some of the more common and practical ones.

For example, the walkie-talkies that Shi An had been eyeing before, and a Compass that could be used for positioning and finding direction.

"You’re very thoughtful."

Shi An accepted some of them as gifts but insisted on purchasing the rest.

But he had to admit, if he really were a ’Lost Person’, the supplies Xi Xue brought would have been exactly what he needed.

’Is Xi Xue really this considerate?’

"And these! These recipes are all top-quality from our Wizard’s House. I’m sure you can use them, Manager!"

In her eyes, the Manager could produce Purifying Water and had built a camp in the Nightmare World all by himself.

So, the Manager must not only be powerful but also a versatile powerhouse.

He could appraise Curse Objects—that much was already confirmed. The appraisal machine nearby was an extension of the Manager’s ability.

He knew Planting, Alchemy, and crafting.

’How could anyone survive long-term in the Nightmare World without knowing how to gather local materials and brew potions?’

Shi An took the recipes.

He wasn’t a complete newbie anymore; his understanding of Baijiang’s major factions had grown much deeper.

The Extreme Intent Martial Arts Hall, for instance, had developed numerous Universal Curse Arts based on their martial techniques, specializing deeply in the way of Curse Arts.

Meanwhile, the Wizard’s House excelled at brewing Potions and had also developed a variety of strange and quirky items.

However,

Shi An glanced at the potion recipes in his hand, which looked like complete gibberish...

’Could I possibly admit I can’t read this?’

He could only give a slight nod and reluctantly accept them.

But suddenly,

As Shi An gazed at one of the equally incomprehensible recipes, a prompt sounded in his ear.

"Notification: Original recipe for the ’Curse Power Potion’ discovered. Add this recipe to the Wizard’s Alchemy Workshop?"

Shi An: ’Huh?’

’It can do that?’

’In that case, I do understand potion recipes! I’m an expert!’

...

「Reality. Baijiang. Countermeasures Bureau Headquarters.」

The captains and deputy captains of every team were gathered here.

"The camp construction will be completed the day after tomorrow, and our Nightmare Shattering Plan will officially begin."

"However, our attempts so far show that we captains and deputy captains only have a low probability of being able to enter a Shallow Nightmare. When the time comes, the main force of the operation will likely fall to those at the Control Stage and the newly advanced Refining Stage."

"It doesn’t matter. We will win!"