Whether it was fortune or misfortune remained unclear.
But this Serendipity Map was purely for entertainment purposes. The Train Conductor wouldn't suffer any injuries here, so there shouldn't be any significant danger. However... the middle-aged man felt he was about to encounter things he'd never experienced before.
He walked all the way into the casino.
Then ascended the stairs to a VIP room upstairs.
Pushing the door open.
Only a tall woman in a long dress sat at the gambling table, looking at him with a faint smile while swirling a glass of red wine.
Beautiful.
That was the first thought that flashed through the middle-aged man's mind. This woman showed no traces of any mechanical organs, appearing completely human-like. She was strikingly beautiful and carried an undeniable presence—clearly someone of authority.
Trying to maintain his composure, he sat at the gambling table and met her gaze steadily. "May I know how to address you?"
"Call me Sister Qi."
Sister Qi studied the middle-aged man before her and said, "I admire your beginner's guides. I also have some advanced Train experiences from the early stages. I'd like to collaborate with you to create a tutorial for novice Train Conductors, helping more of them survive, reducing their mortality rates, and allowing them to progress further."
"These guides will be priced at 100 Stellar Coupons."
"Fifty-fifty split."
The middle-aged man shook his head. "I don't need the money."
"Do you think Neon City needs it?"
"The main goal is to help novice Train Conductors grow quickly. What you'll gain is reputation, not profit."
"I need you to share more detailed experiences with me—preferably down to specific components."
"What do your guides contain?"
"Plenty. For example, the Supermodel Effects of all craftable components at levels 5, 10, and 20, among others."
"Keep me anonymous."
"Oh?"
"Many of these experiences are extracted from my past. If they're exposed and my competitors find out, it could cause me some trouble."
"Understood."
"I won't set any conditions. I just want to know one thing."
"Go ahead."
The middle-aged man leaned forward slightly, his gaze burning with intensity as he stared straight at Sister Qi, enunciating each word clearly: "I'm already at Level 18 with my Train—basically among the top-tier powerhouses. Yet, I still feel utterly powerless against the apocalypse."
"You're the first Mechanical being I've met who can communicate clearly and who commands an entire Neon City."
"Can you tell me—"
"Exactly what level does a Train need to reach to truly survive the apocalypse?"
"..."
Sister Qi fell silent, unsure how to answer. Her database didn't contain this information. Instinctively, she almost turned to the surveillance camera to seek Lord Mang's help but caught herself just in time. Regaining her composure, she replied, "Level 100. Level 100 will be enough."
"Level 100?"
The middle-aged man froze momentarily before a flicker of despair and resignation flashed in his eyes. Slumping back into his chair, he let out a bitter laugh and shook his head.
"So... once a planet faces its apocalypse, is its destruction inevitable?"
"Level 100."
"I'm only level 18, and the resources needed are astronomical, easily in the tens of millions or even billions of iron ore. To reach level 100, all the mines on Aqua Blue Star combined might not be enough. How could anyone possibly reach level 100?"
"If one planet's mines aren't enough, then find a few more planets. In the sea of stars, there are plenty of planets."
The man did not respond immediately. He sat in silence for a long time before softly saying, "You're thinking too far ahead. I don't know if I'll even live to see that day."
"I'll take care of the matter. You find someone to connect with me."
He then stood up and walked outside.
The red zone is extremely dangerous.
A few days ago, he witnessed a level 17 mechanical train nearly meet its demise. That day, three trains triggered some kind of crisis from a serendipity map, leading to three major crisis events in the red zone where he was located.
It lasted a full 48 hours.
After 48 hours, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the red zone was completely wiped out, and he was no exception.
But fortunately.
Not long after the major crisis events began, a train called "Stellar" successfully cleared that serendipity map and halted those crisis events. Otherwise, who knows what the "Twilight Coast" area would look like now.
Perhaps it would be a scene of carnage.
He had never dared to upgrade to a level 19 train, even though he met the upgrade conditions a month ago. He was too afraid; his energy shield level was too low, and he lacked the confidence to survive in the "Golden Zone," which had monsters up to level 21.
Even though he was already in the first tier of trains, he still felt insecure.
"Could it be?"
The man suddenly realized something. Without any data like leaderboards or the ability to communicate with other zones, he had always believed he was in the first tier, the pinnacle of trains.
After all, he had acquired his train shortly after the apocalypse began, and his development speed had been rapid.
It couldn't be that someone was faster than him.
What if he wasn't in the first tier, but rather in the second or even third tier?
The man shook his head and didn't dwell on it. He just looked at his balance of several million stellar coupons, preparing to go to the "Mechanical Train Parts Store" to buy something. Coincidentally, the name of the stellar coupons matched that of the Stellar train.
In a corner of Neon City.
The Dwarf Man exchanged a glance with the Young Man beside him, both seeing the speculation in each other's eyes.
Their "Neon City Free Entry Tickets" were found.
The Dwarf Man had been to Neon City before, and it was nothing like it was now; the changes were immense, especially with the currency name changed to stellar coupons. In the Mechanical Train Parts Store, he saw many familiar products.
The same thought almost simultaneously crossed their minds.
That man
Had taken over this city and become its master. However, both of them tacitly remained silent. Since Lord Mang had not actively revealed his identity, it indicated that he wanted to keep it hidden, and they naturally wouldn't say anything more.
All train conductors entering Neon City would become loyal users of Neon City.
This was a transformative existence.
The Convocation had almost lost its meaning. Beyond the white zone, there wasn't much slave trading happening in the green zones and above—unless someone had an exceptionally beautiful woman, like a celebrity, in which case they'd still trade at the Convocation.
Moreover, Neon City wasn't just for free trade.
It also doubled as entertainment.
You could purchase many special goods.
You could exchange information with other Train Conductors.
You could eavesdrop on the conversations of big shots and gather enough secrets.
For example—
At this moment, with only three minutes left before Neon City closed, a Young Man pushed open the stall door and staggered out, trembling. He had been sitting on the toilet for nearly 24 hours, and his legs were so numb he could barely move.
He hadn't gone anywhere all day.
He had simply hidden in the corner of the restroom, waiting patiently.
Though physically and mentally exhausted—feeling more drained than if he had spent the whole day mining—his spirit was unusually high, his eyes bright and alert.
This was his second time here!
This time, he had hidden in the restroom the entire time, listening to the conversations between Train Conductors who came in with their Thugs, or between familiar Conductors chatting together. He had overheard plenty of secrets and gossip.
If fantasy novels often portrayed taverns as the source of information,
then in non-fantasy settings, the restroom could very well be that source.
The accuracy of information exchanged in restrooms was often absurdly high.
After all—
Few people bothered to boast in a restroom.
The solemn atmosphere of the place made people instinctively want to speak the truth.
From the information he had gathered today, he had keenly picked up on one crucial detail: information disparity!
Each region produced different Accessory Blueprints, and their prices varied. For example, the "Drill Bit" Accessory Blueprint was so common in his region that it was practically worthless—almost everyone had one. Yet, just moments ago, a Train Conductor had complained to his Thug while using the restroom: "How is there not a single Drill Bit Accessory Blueprint in this entire place? The Resource Detection Radar shows nothing but ore underground, but we can't even dig it up!"
Indeed, no one was selling the "Drill Bit" Accessory Blueprint—not even in his own region.
Since nearly everyone already had one, most people only needed to obtain a single copy. There was no point in getting a second, and no one would buy it anyway.
What he needed to do now was—
Return to his region, quickly buy up as many "Drill Bit" Accessory Blueprints as possible, and then sell them at a high price the next time he entered Neon City.
That was his plan!
This was easy money. Once information became transparent, prices would stabilize, and such huge profits would disappear. But before that happened, he could make a killing.
The Young Man, excited, dragged his numb legs with difficulty, bracing himself against the wall as he inched his way out of the restroom.
But just as he was leaving—
He froze.
"Huh? I just took a shit, and you're charging me 4,700 Stellar Coupons?"
The staff member at the restroom entrance smiled gently. "Sir, we charge by time. The first five minutes are free. After that, it's 100 Stellar Coupons per half-hour."
"...Fine, take it!"
Neon City closed.
Chen Mang had returned once more to the interior of the Stellar Train. By now, all the residents were resting. He lay back in his chair, listening as Uncle Li, standing beside him, began his report.
Uncle Li cleared his throat lightly before beginning his report: "Last night marked the second opening of 'Neon City,' operating for 24 hours. A total of 568 Train Conductors entered Neon City, representing a 173% increase year-on-year."
"The peak number of Train Conductors staying in Neon City simultaneously was 283, a 180.2% increase year-on-year."
"Among them, 82% were from Level 6 Trains or below."
"Of these 568 people, 123 were returning visitors, while the remaining 445 were first-time newcomers. Among the newcomers, 223 were brought in through referrals."
"Today's total revenue was 30.12 million Stellar Coupons, a 62.9% increase year-on-year."
"Hmm."
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair with a satisfied expression, pleased with Uncle Li's report—everything was showing growth. "Out of this 30.12 million in revenue, how much can I withdraw directly?"
"2.777 million units of Iron Ore are available for immediate use."
"Withdraw it all later."
"Understood."
"Also, the number of people increased by 173% year-on-year, but why did revenue only grow by 62.9%?"
"The main reasons are that the first wave of visitors mostly came out of curiosity without spending much, and fewer visited the Pleasure Houses. Additionally, the 'Free Trade Market' has taken up a significant share of the market, from which we earn no profit. Many Train Conductors spent their Stellar Coupons on items sold by other Train Conductors, causing some capital outflow. If we imposed transaction fees, we could take a cut of that."
"Got it. No rush for now—keep it free. We'll introduce fees once more people join."
"Understood."
After Uncle Li left, Chen Mang stretched lazily, freshened up, and prepared for bed.
It had been a long time since he last slept.
He had pulled an all-nighter from yesterday until now.
Among the 50 Mines, he prioritized Iron Ore extraction. The ten Iron Ore Mines were nearly depleted—just half a day's work remained before they'd be completely exhausted. Once done, he'd upgrade both the Armor and the Train first.
Plenty of space.
Plenty of Mines.
With enough residents mining simultaneously, efficiency naturally soared.
"Xiao Ai."
"I'm here."
"I'm resting properly tonight—no Dream Creation."
"Received."
He fell asleep quickly.
Chen Mang soon drifted into a hazy slumber. Some people rarely dream, while others dream almost every night—he wasn't sure what determined that.
But tonight, he dreamed again.
And not just one dream—a series of them.
Perhaps because he'd spent the past few days mining in his dreams.
Tonight, he dreamed of mining again—though this time, it wasn't a Level 10 Mine but a Level 9 one. He swung his pickaxe tirelessly in the dream.
Dawn arrived.
Chen Mang woke up, but due to sheer exhaustion, it was already noon by the time he stirred.
"Goddamn insanity."
Slowly opening his eyes and feeling the soreness throughout his body, Chen Mang angrily flexed his weak, aching arms. He hadn't even used Dream Creation last night—why the hell was he mining in his dreams again?
Can't we stop mining?
Is mining really this exhausting?
He felt as if he'd been violated—his entire body limp and devoid of strength.
"Xiao Ai, are you sure you didn't use Dream Creation last night?"
"Train Conductor, I cannot disobey any of your orders."
"Sigh."
After washing up, Chen Mang lit a cigarette and sat in his chair to review last night's Train Log. In reality, the Stellar had been stationary in this space all night—an area devoid of any monsters—so the log naturally contained little noteworthy information.
Still, he instinctively scanned through it, checking the operational status of various components.
It had become a habit.
Starting his morning without doing so left him feeling like something was missing.
But then—
Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed the "Dreamstone" on his bedside flickering faintly but persistently.
"..."
Chen Mang's mouth fell slightly open, his eyes flashing with disbelief as his breathing grew rapid. Could it... could it really be...?
For days, his dreams had yielded nothing.
He'd nearly forgotten about this possibility.
After all, it was a low-probability event—not something to pin hopes on.
Yet today, it had lit up again.
Though he vaguely recalled last night's dream involving more than just mining, those details were now mostly forgotten. Dreams, for some reason, faded from memory almost instantly upon waking.
Taking a deep breath, he approached the single bed with nervous anticipation, placing his hand on the "Dreamstone." A portal immediately materialized beside it.
Reaching inside,
he withdrew a translucent, stalactite-like object that shimmered brilliantly under the light.
Simultaneously—
The Dreamstone's capacity plummeted from 98% down to 3%.
This stone was none other than a Grade 9 Iron Ore!
Chen Mang's ears flushed visibly red as he stared at the ore in his hand. Unable to contain his excitement, he punched the air fiercely and exclaimed, "Fucking incredible!"
"Goddamn it..."
"All those backbreaking days nearly digging myself to death—finally paid off!"
A single Grade 9 Iron Ore.
Worth 100 million units of standard iron ore.
This tiny stalactite in his palm could spark an all-out war if revealed in White Zones. Any White Train obtaining it would immediately skyrocket to prominence.
"Hell yes!"
"Fucking hell yes!"
Chen Mang sat back in his chair, exhilarated and satisfied, admiring the artistic quality of the ore—far surpassing the appearance of ordinary iron ores, as if from another tier entirely.
Its equivalent: the total output of ten Grade 4 iron mines.
Meanwhile, the current iron ore batch had been fully excavated, with residents hauling refrigerators to transport the ore to Storage Carriage No. 3.
"Perfect."
Chen Mang glanced at the Train console where the Dreamstone indicator now read 14%—a second Dreamstone in production. At this rate, it would take about a month to reach 100%, granting him another Dreamstone.
Only...
The progress was painfully slow. Having tasted such success, he now found it impossible to sleep without a Dreamstone.
The one on his bedside had dwindled to 3% capacity, soon to be depleted.
He fell silent, deep in thought.
"Dreamstone" production was a standard function for all Level 12 Trains, while "Dream Creation" belonged exclusively to Level 13 Trains. His Stellar currently stood as a Level 13 Train.
The combined effect of these two functions is the ability to create dreams.
Entertainment and mental strength enhancement each account for half of the effect.
The dreams produced through "Dream Creation" can effectively provide mental strength to the user within the dream.
The effect isn't particularly significant.
At least, he had hardly ever heard anyone mention "Dreamstone" on the Train Radio, which meant this thing was practically useless to most people. That meant he could... buy them up in bulk!
"Xiao Ai, have Uncle Li and the others set up a stall in Neon City and purchase as many Dreamstones as possible."
"Yes!"
Those who've tasted sweetness once will keep coming back for more.
Why was he so happy?
Not just because of a single Level 9 Iron Ore.
More importantly, it confirmed that Level 9 Iron Ore in dreams could indeed be produced.
Although the probability was extremely low—just a stroke of luck this time—as long as there was a chance, the rest could be achieved through sheer volume.
Take, for example, the fusion of sperm and egg. Wasn't it just one out of hundreds of millions of sperm that succeeded in combining? That was a classic case of overwhelming probability with quantity.
As long as he acquired a large number of Dreamstones,
he could equip every resident with a Level 100 Single Bed. Then, every night, through Dream Creation, all residents could continue mining in their dreams!
He had over 6,000 residents.
No matter how low the probability, surely one or two would strike it rich every now and then, right?
Everything beyond the break-even point would be pure profit.
The only problem was...
"Hmm."
Chen Mang pondered for a moment before speaking. "Xiao Ai, do you think it might be a bit exhausting for the residents to mine during the day and then mine in their dreams at night?"
"No." Xiao Ai's voice came from inside the train. "Once the Train's level is high enough, we can study how Doba and the others resurrect after death. Then, we can have the Train Residents continue mining in hell after they die."
"Speak like a normal person."
"My apologies, Train Conductor. I was just trying to be humorous." Xiao Ai sounded a little apologetic. "Theoretically, this would exceed their physical limits."
"It'd be like working 24-hour shifts."
"The strain on the body would be immense unless they injected more heart stimulants and drank more cola daily. But even then, it would still drain their vitality and shorten their lifespans."
"Shorten lifespans? The Level 10 Supermodel Effect of the Single Bed happens to be longevity."
"Then there's no problem. It's a closed loop."
"Mmm."
After a pause, Chen Mang continued, "Level 100 Single Beds aren't cheap. One costs about 510,000 units of Iron Ore. There's no way we can afford 6,000 of them."
"Here's the plan."
"First, have Neon City prepare to purchase Dreamstones."
"Once we've acquired 100 Dreamstones, spend 50 million units of Iron Ore to craft 100 Single Beds. Test the output probability and calculate the return on investment. If it's profitable, we can gradually expand the operation."
"Yes."
After finalizing this plan, Chen Mang sat back in his chair, satisfied, and gazed at the control panel screen.
A profitable business isn't necessarily a good business.
A profitable business that can be replicated—that's a good business.
This is precisely why so much capital is chasing pre-made meals. No matter how delicious century-old home-style dishes are, they're useless to capital. What capital values is replication—only replicable business models are good models.
"Not bad."
He felt the acquisition of Dreamstone should go quite smoothly. Once he secured the first batch of Dreamstone, he'd assess its effectiveness.
If this plan succeeded...
He would obtain massive quantities of Iron Ore!
He gave this plan a rather pleasant-sounding name—
"Cyber Mining."
"Actually..."
Just then, Xiao Ai's voice came from inside the train: "Train Conductor, you could just stuff the residents into the Combat Training Virtual Space and sustain them with Nutrient Solution. That way, they can remain in a constant state of unconsciousness."
"24 hours a day mining in their dreams."
"Dreaming three times a day."
"This way, the chances of obtaining Iron Ore from dreams would be much higher."
"There'd be no need to mine in the real world anymore."
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!