Chapter 246: Taoyang is Still Just a Small Workshop?
By mid-September, the temperature had reached another peak, and the sun was relentlessly scorching the earth.
Su Tao hadn’t been too bothered by the heat—until she saw the Tao Chi Business Building parking lot.
Several cars were rolling in from outside, billowing smoke from their overheated engines.
Some customers didn’t even make it to their designated parking spots before their vehicles stalled.
The newly recruited attendants were running around in distress, calling Meng Xiaobo for help towing the vehicles.
The heat was making tempers short.
A long line of vehicles was getting blocked at the entrance, and drivers were getting frustrated—worried that if they arrived even a second too late, the supplies would be gone.
Plus, they all desperately wanted to get inside and enjoy Taoyang’s protective shield and air conditioning.
Outside, it felt like both people and cars were about to be roasted alive.
Seeing this, Su Tao suddenly worried whether her blue Jeep could handle the heat.
It would take at least three to four days to drive from Taoyang to Xindu.
By the end of the month, the weather would probably be even worse.
She needed to upgrade her vehicle and buy a few more cars.
This time, for the Alliance Summit, she wasn’t just bringing Fangzhi, Ma Dapao, and others, but also Meng Xiaobo, Xu Qi, and a few other ability users for security.
That was thirteen or fourteen people in total—definitely too many for just one car.
Just then, a voice called out, pulling Su Tao from her thoughts.
“Hey! Are you an attendant here too?”
She turned and saw a small team of four or five people. One of them—a dark-skinned young man in his early twenties—was jogging toward her.
Stopping in front of her, he asked anxiously,
“The other attendant is too busy. We’ve been calling her for a long time, but she hasn’t been able to come over. Do you have a moment? Could you get us some cold water? One of our teammates looks like they have heatstroke.”
That reminded Su Tao—she should install some vending machines on the first floor of the business building.
Right now, the only places with drinking water in Taoci were the warehouse and the offices.
Since it wasn’t convenient to bring outsiders into the warehouse, the office was the best option.
Su Tao nodded. “Follow me.”
The young man looked relieved. He quickly ran back to his car to grab two water bottles before following her into the business building and up to the second floor.
The left side of the floor housed Lin Fangzhi’s private office, while the right side was an open-plan workspace.
As Su Tao pushed open the door, she saw only one customer service representative furiously typing on their keyboard.
The employee noticed her and was about to greet her, but she raised a hand to signal them to continue working.
She then pointed the young man toward the break room.
“Go ahead and fill your bottles.”
The young man hesitated for a moment, clearly feeling out of place in such a well-furnished office.
Just how capable did someone have to be to work in a place like this?
Seeing his hesitation, Su Tao led him inside and had him place the bottle under the water dispenser.
Crystal-clear water gushed into the bottle, and the young man couldn’t help but lick his lips. He hesitated before asking nervously,
“Uh… how much do we owe for the water?”
Su Tao smiled. “It’s free. We should’ve been better prepared for guests, so think of it as an apology for the inconvenience.”
The young man was stunned by the generosity. After a long pause, he muttered in admiration,
“No wonder Taoyang has gained such a huge reputation in the South within just six months. It’s not just about development—you guys are really something else.”
Su Tao asked, “Which base are you from?”
The young man chuckled bitterly and shook his head.
“We only got permission to apply for base status this June. You’ve probably never heard of us. Until recently, our place was just a stopover for travelers. But because we have a freshwater lake that hasn’t dried up yet, and our leader is good at management, more and more survivors started settling down. After three years of struggling, we finally qualified to apply for base status.”
That’s when Su Tao realized—Taoyang wasn’t even considered a base yet.
According to Federal regulations, the minimum requirements to apply for base status were:
A sovereign land area of at least 20,000 square meters, a permanent population of at least 2,000 people, an established armed force and a history of at least three years.
You couldn’t just claim a piece of wasteland, gather a group of temporary workers, and call it a base.
Once officially recognized, bases received several major benefits:
Official recognition from the regional alliance, access to various associations, invitations to networking events and mutual aid opportunities.
It was a huge step forward—one that Taoyang still had to work toward.
Even if a base was on the verge of being overrun, the alliance would extend a helping hand.
Additionally, Changjing provided annual support to bases of all sizes. For example, newly developed crystal energy weapons were first distributed to major bases.
These were benefits that shelters and gathering places could only dream of.
Su Tao sighed inwardly. Although Taoyang had gained some reputation, its history was still too short—only six months. Because of this, many who had heard of Taoyang found it unreliable.
In the eyes of larger bases, Taoyang was probably still just a small workshop.
It looked like they had to work hard in the coming years and strive to apply for base status as soon as possible.
Sure enough, the young man hesitantly asked in the next moment:
“I have a blunt question… Taoyang isn’t officially a base yet, right?”
Su Tao nodded indifferently. “Not yet.”
The young man sighed. “You’ll definitely become one sooner or later, but you might miss this year’s Southern Alliance Summit. I heard there will be more attendees than ever, even people from Changjing are coming. Plus, this time there’s not just a trade fair—there’s also an auction. That only happens once every five years, and they have all kinds of rare stuff.”
Su Tao asked curiously, “What kind of things do they auction? Can participants also put items up for auction? Are the payments in crystal cores?”
The young man was momentarily stunned by her rapid-fire questions and shook his head.
“I only know that anything rare can be auctioned, but I don’t know the details. Our base was just established, so we don’t even qualify to attend. If you really want to know, you should ask your big clients. They usually come from major bases.”
Su Tao nodded. “Alright, you should head back now. Don’t keep your companions waiting.”
The young man thanked her again before hurrying downstairs with the two cups of water.
Su Tao stayed until sunset but still didn’t see Lin Fangzhi take a break.
Customers kept arriving in waves, most of them procurement officers from various Southern bases.
Su Tao observed everything, feeling pleased. She saw these people as walking crystal cores.
Of course, not everyone was a serious buyer.
The new receptionist, Xiao Yun, complained to her that some visitors clearly weren’t there to purchase supplies—they were just probing for information or mooching off the air conditioning.
Sure enough, even as the sky turned dark and it approached eleven at night, some people still refused to leave. Su Tao even saw them take tents out of their vehicles, intending to camp on-site.
Her expression immediately darkened.
“Xiao Yun, go tell them we’re closing for the night. They need to leave and can’t set up camp in the parking lot.”
Xiao Yun stomped off angrily.
Su Tao watched as she spoke politely to the two leading men.
One of them, a skinny man with a sharp face, immediately became aggressive upon seeing a young woman approach.
“What kind of business are you running? There’s so much empty space here—what’s the harm in us resting in a corner for one night? We were planning to buy some supplies tomorrow, but with service like this… I really doubt all those people saying good things about you weren’t just exaggerating.”
Of course, buying supplies was out of the question.
They had no crystal cores.
They were just passing through and didn’t want to endure the scorching heat outside, so they were trying to freeload off the cool air here.
