Su Yao stayed in the southwestern region for another five days, finding replacements for all her responsibilities. Most importantly, she established trade channels with the southwest and successfully promoted rice cultivation in the area.

"Master, are you really leaving?" Xiwo was now the mayor of Huang'er Town, but he still didn't dare to make decisions on his own without Su Yao's orders.

Su Yao cruelly shattered his hopes, saying, "Yes, I must leave. The rest is up to you. The southwest region is your home, and making it better is your job."

Upon hearing this, Xiwo was visibly disappointed.

Su Yao looked at his expression and offered another word of comfort: "You're already better than most people. As long as you drink less and keep a clear head, the position of mayor is absolutely no problem for you."

When Sivo was rallying people to join the resistance, he demonstrated a strong charisma and leadership. He wasn't chosen as mayor right away but was first made the town's leader, mainly because there was a concern that his drinking might cause problems.

Siwo sighed, "Now I really don't dare to drink. I hope that next time you come, I can give you a satisfactory answer."

The latter sentence was learned from Su Yao, but Xiwo truly felt that he was undergoing a rigorous examination.

"It will succeed!" Su Yao smiled, "I really have to leave now. I hope you all build it well!"

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to them? What about Nara, aren't you taking her with you?"

"No, I'll come back in the future, so there's no need for a farewell. As for Nara, I've already interrogated her thoroughly and stripped her of her magic. You can discuss and decide her future yourselves."

Nara did provide many clues, but it was also true that she fed on human blood, and even harmed others. Su Yao was most annoyed by dealing with such two-faced people, so she left this opportunity to the locals.

Those who followed the evil dragon cult and harmed their own kind should also be dealt with by the current authorities. In this regard, they are more qualified than Su Yao.

……

The merchant's first stop was the southwestern region. Although she encountered many setbacks, Su Yao still made quite a bit of gold. This surprised Su Yao, as it seemed the southwestern region was merely under a reign of terror, causing gold to circulate less during this period, yet many households still had some on hand.

With the merchant task completed, Su Yao began selecting new clients mentioned in the accompanying task.

First, she needed to rule out those she communicated with the most, like Xiwo and others, as they all had official positions now and couldn't leave their posts. Su Yao needed someone who was free to follow her to the Misty Forest.

"Senior Hall, would you like to go on a trip?"

Hall was lying with his eyes closed on the street where he first met Su Yao. This time, there was a deck chair beneath him, and his face bore a "youthfulness" that didn't match his age.

As for the reason, Su Yao thought, it might be the "aftereffect" brought by the happy chubby water. Hall had recently become insanely infatuated with the bubbles and joy that cola brought, disregarding whether it was healthy or not, insisting on at least one bottle a day.

Huo Er heard Su Yao's voice and opened his eyes, "Oh, it's the master! Here for a bottle of Coke today as well... I was just about to go find you to buy one, but I didn't expect you to show up here first."

"Drinking too much cola is really not good." Su Yao never thought someone could be so obsessed with cola. "How about some milk instead? It's best for someone your age."

Hol shook his head: "Milk? No, no! Didn't I try it last time? I can't stand that taste! Health? No, thank you. I've lived alone to the age of seventy-three, outliving most people, and no matter how healthy I am, I won't live past a hundred!"

The maximum lifespan on Longyin Continent is one hundred years, and Hall never thought about living to a hundred. His ideal state was to live without worries about food and drink until eighty, after all, an older body would just burden others, and he had no relatives.

"Then do you want to go to the southwest with me and take a look?" Su Yao, seeing that she couldn't persuade Hall, brought up the previous topic again.

Hall sat up straight: "What? Go southwest with you?"

"Yes, to the Misty Forest. I opened an inn there."

"I'm really getting old, I feel like my brain isn't working as well." Su Yao's words filled Hall with confusion, "A shop can be opened in the Misty Forest? And you even opened an inn there. I remember the situation inside is quite dangerous, and there aren't many people... Can you make money?"

"That's not right, that's not right!" Hall didn't give Su Yao a chance to explain, adding to the logical chain himself, "No wonder you came all the way here to sell things. It seems you can't make money in the Misty Forest!"

Su Yao: "..."

In a way, Hall was actually right.

"Senior, you have so many gold coins, have you really not considered coming to my inn to help the poor? There are still many delicacies in the inn that you haven't unlocked."

Hall immediately laughed, "You should have said so earlier. If you had mentioned this, I would have agreed to go right away. I have plenty of gold coins, don't be shy. I couldn't spend it all even if I spent my whole life just eating!"

When Hall was young, the southwestern region was still peaceful, and he saved quite a few gold coins with his carpentry skills. Unfortunately, his luck turned for the worse. On the third day after the Cult of the Evil Dragon arrived, his wife and child were taken away, among the first to be captured. At that time, the cultists had not yet started raising blood slaves, and their demand for blood was enormous. Anyone who was captured had their blood drained completely, leaving no chance of survival.

Hol once thought about dying along with them, but then he saw many people on the street desperately seeking supplies and medicine, and he found a new meaning to live on.

To enter the town of Hong'er, there is a threshold. Apart from those who once helped build the market, anyone else wishing to enter must provide the usual number of blood slaves and, in addition, hand over three children. The blood from every three children can be exchanged for a pass to enter the market. If one wishes to reduce the number of blood slaves from their household, they must submit five more children.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

After hearing this rule, Su Yao found it difficult to calm down for a long time. She hadn't expected that this market, which appeared peaceful on the surface and was even described as a safe market for fair trade, was actually filled with bloodshed behind the scenes.

Because of this rule, and since many families couldn't have that many children, they would kidnap and kill other people's children to gain access to the market.

Now, when Su Yao recalls the little girl Sandy she met on the first day, she feels even more terrified. The "Little Fatty" she mentioned might be one of the heads their family exchanged for entry qualification.

It was also on that day that Xiwo talked about the process of setting up the "Hall Trading Market." It was Hall who, under pressure and with a lot of gold coins to bribe many cultists of the Evil Dragon Cult, managed to pull off this event.

It also, like Hall's wish, provided the necessities for survival to many who couldn't enter the "official market" of Red Town. There might be acts of robbery, but when it comes to who hates the Dragon Cult the most, those appearing on this street claim the first place, and no one dares to claim the second.

Xiwo brought Su Yao here to gather the resistance forces, and this was one of the reasons.

Now that the dust has settled, Hall has become completely idle, and he goes to the Misty Forest for food—

Hall said, "Yes!"

Three new users, Su Yao still had two-thirds of the progress to go.

She turned her gaze to the group of young people.

"Faulkner, would you be willing to leave home with your brother and go with me to the Misty Forest?"

Faulkner's initial reaction upon hearing this was the same as Hall's.

Looking at Su Yao in confusion, but with a cautious tone: "Can we go?"

"Although it's quite presumptuous, I would like to take a look at your brother's leg first," Su Yao said earnestly, looking at Faulkner. "I want to help your brother stand up again."

Faulkner was stunned: "What?"

Faulkner's brother Harrington stood by in disbelief: "Master, my leg is completely broken."

That day, a disciple of the Evil Dragon Cult got drunk and took a fancy to their mother. Harrington fought with the disciple to protect his mother. However, the opponent was a sorcerer, and the battle showcased his superiority from start to finish. With just one move, he severed Harrington's left calf.

If Harrington's mother hadn't taken advantage of the man's disorientation to strike him from behind, both of their lives might have been lost.

From that day on, Harrington's mother had been consumed with guilt, feeling it every moment. Harrington, on the other hand, remained optimistic, constantly reassuring his mother and family by saying that it was fortunate they survived and hadn't been found by the followers.

Anyway, no matter how they thought about it, they never dared to hope to stand up again.

Su Yao understood their concerns, but she really wasn't making empty promises. "The current level of medicine on the mainland can't heal your brother's leg, but the level of weaponry can help replace it. As it happens, there are three weapon masters staying at my inn, and with me, we might be able to fit your brother with a prosthetic."

A weaponsmith capable of crafting such advanced weapons should have no trouble making a prosthetic limb. If it really can't be done, Su Yao can also exchange for a modern one from the system's marketplace.

Faulkner listened to this and nodded frantically, "We're going! Thank you, Master! Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity!"

Harrington also thanked Su Yao, but he didn't agree, only saying he needed to think it over.

"Brother, what are you hesitating for? There's no harm in trying!"

"The things made by the weaponsmith are beyond our means," Harrington said with a bitter smile. He knew well that there was no harm in trying, but unlike Hall's family, with or without the Dragon Cult, they were very poor. "I'm already a burden and don't want to make it any heavier."

"No, I must go!"

Faulkner and Harrington's parents and younger brother suddenly appeared.

"I'm sorry, Master, we couldn't help but come over when we heard them talking loudly."

Su Yao waved her hand to indicate it was okay.

Their father said, "Harrington, you should go. So that your mother won't feel guilty, and so that we won't be sad, you must give it a try."

This remark might not sound very pleasant, but it was extremely effective on Harrington.

After a few seconds of silence, Harrington nodded through his tears and agreed.

……

Three new users were gathered, and Su Yao sent a message to Zhan Xing. Zhan Xing spent over two hours flying to the southwest and brought everyone to the hotel.

The journey there took two hours, and it would be the same going back. Su Yao was afraid the three of them would be scared, so she stayed with them to ride on Zhan Xing's Xiangyun.

During the journey, Su Yao opened the rewards sent by the system.

I had glanced at it before, but hadn't dealt with it specifically.

The self-selected materials are very useful, and Su Yao hasn't forgotten about her hot spring station. With winter approaching, more than half of the materials for the hot spring station have already been gathered. With the addition of these self-selected materials, it can be built very soon. They might even be able to arrange a stove in the inn as well.

According to the system, the winter in the Misty Forest is also very cold, and a stove is definitely more useful than an air conditioner.

With the materials arranged, Su Yao's next step was to open the food gift pack.

The food gift pack didn't appear often, but each time it brought her a surprise, and this time was no different.

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining restaurant food: Mapo Tofu, Spicy Stir-fried Intestines, Braised Pig Trotters, Mashed Potato Noodles, Crispy Pancake; obtained store food: Orange Juice, Pomelo.]