Chapter 742

Zombie Alliance sends a rank seven and two rank six immortal zombies after the seller, only rank six and backing-less, to guard its reputation and recover the last of the boat’s recipe, the core Immortal Gu recipes and coordination methods it still lacks. The flame furnace, Earth Trench, and the boat are now settled. No one stands when Yin Liu Gong asks for unreported missions, since a mission can be turned in at any time. Gu Ye stays quiet about his own mission guarding old earth wood, since turning it in early would cost him points. ^{ch. 742}

Yin Liu Gong opens the floor for requests, and the hall fills with overlapping trades. Fang Yuan asks how to shed his zombie status and revive himself. It draws laughter around him. Gu Ye explains he cannot post a mission yet without an oath, a token, or contribution points, but the request already belongs to every immortal zombie there. He points Fang Yuan to the mission board’s largest listing. That listing sells research on shedding zombie status and regaining life, its cheapest result twenty contribution points. ^{ch. 742}

Most zombies joined for this listing, and the alliance itself was founded for it. Fang Yuan asks whether anyone has revived through it, and Gu Ye says only that rumor claims cases exist. Many findings cost a thousand contribution points or more, and joining the alliance means signing away the right to resell them privately. Gu Ye insists they are not fake, since he exchanged for one himself with real use. ^{ch. 742}

Fang Yuan reasons the alliance dangles these findings as bait, and hope for the next result keeps almost every member working. His own reason differs: the inheritance in Earth Trench holds rebirth research that in his previous life lifted Northern Plains immortal zombies for a time above the main branch, Eastern Sea Zombie Alliance. Grinding out contribution points slowly holds no appeal for him. ^{ch. 742}

Yin Liu Gong then issues the mission of feeding the ancient desolate beast half moon qilin, and several rush to claim it at once. Its pregnancy is nearly over, and its young, born as desolate beasts, will grow into ancient desolate beast strength. Feeding it is dangerous: its temper can injure a rank six zombie, and its pain in pregnancy makes it lash out. Bidding cools once Yin Liu Gong lowers the reward to three hundred points, and a single winner emerges. Feeding it only earns a head start, not the beast. ^{ch. 742}

The next mission gathers ruyi fungus from ground shared with Liu tribe, whose greater power takes more than its share each year. It goes to Granny Yuan, a rank seven immortal zombie whose close ties to Liu tribe keep the tribe from overreaching. Next, the super force Yao tribe requests another immortal zombie as research material for Yao Huang, one of Northern Plains’ five rank eight Gu Immortals, to improve his healing Immortal Gu. No one wants their pride wounded, and the hall stays quiet. Yin Liu Gong asks Fang Yuan directly, who declines, unwilling to risk exposing his two apertures. Yin Liu Gong means both to probe Fang Yuan’s character and foundation and to draw out the hall, and several bottom tier zombies quietly compete, choosing benefit over pride. ^{ch. 742}

One request presses the super force Yuan tribe to return an Immortal Gu that Zombie Alliance’s leader loaned it before leaving for Eastern Sea. Yuan tribe has held it well past the loan’s term and even driven off members sent to collect it. The reward climbs before anyone finally accepts. Another request calls for collecting souls, touching Fang Yuan directly, since Fairy Li Shan seeks souls everywhere, Zombie Alliance included, for guts Gu. ^{ch. 742}

The most popular mission is gathering black oil in Earth Trench, which slows a blessed land’s disintegration when spread in a dead aperture and, outside the alliance, serves as a widely used Gu refinement material. It is the alliance’s most important trading good, playing the role guts Gu plays for Fang Yuan, only on a far larger scale. Extractors keep whatever they gather beyond quota, the most profitable mission there is, so nearly everyone competes. Fang Yuan wants it too. Winning it would let him slip into Earth Trench for the inheritance in secret. But he has no token yet, the mission carries a time limit, and he is already committed to the auction and the Refinement Path Convention. Three immortal zombies win the three spots and must each pay several hundred points to the alliance rather than earn any, proof of how profitable black oil is. ^{ch. 742}