Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

It didn’t take long for Fang Zheng, under the introduction of Captain Amamiya, to meet Minister Johannes.

”Hello, Mr. Fang Zheng.”

Johannes stood up, smiled, and extended his hand to Fang Zheng.

”I’m Johannes, the Minister of the Fenrir Far East Branch. It’s nice to meet you.”

”My name is Fang Zheng, from the Heavenly Dao Palace.”

Fang Zheng also extended his hand, giving Johannes’s hand a slight shake.

”To be honest, this is my first time here, and I must say, the feeling is completely different.”

”Hehe, we seldom see people from other places.”

Minister Johannes also chuckled. As he said, Fenrir is in a remote location, except for those who are exiled or some unlucky ones, almost no one wants to come here. Even the wandering buses rarely come to Fenrir, so for Fenrir, this is a rare opportunity to communicate with external forces.

Although Minister Johannes seemed to want to brush it off, Fang Zheng was straightforward, diving right into the main topic.

”To be frank, my reason for coming to Fenrir this time is to ask for a favor.”

”Oh?”

Minister Johannes was taken aback upon hearing Fang Zheng’s words.

”May I ask what it is?”

”Here’s the situation, I hope to investigate the core reactor of your city... Please rest assured, it would be merely collecting some intelligence, and as compensation, I can provide some assistance, whether it’s resources or strength, it’s not a problem.”

”This...”

Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s request, Minister Johannes and Captain Amamiya exchanged glances. Though they were mentally prepared, they did not expect such an outrageous request... The core reactor of the mobile city is its heart, how could they let anyone see it casually?

”May I inquire, Mr. Fang Zheng, which part of the data you intend to acquire? If it doesn’t involve core secrets, maybe we could provide some organized materials...”

”I must apologize; I need to collect it personally.”

Fang Zheng shook his head, only his Order Seal can read the content hidden within the core, the recorded data of these people would be of no use to him.

”....”

This time, Minister Johannes did not speak, but stared at Fang Zheng, rubbing his chin.

”As compensation, I can provide you with whatever you need, whether it’s living materials or technical improvements, as for military assistance... Hmm, I see Fenrir doesn’t seem to need it.”

Unlike Jernie, Fenrir can be considered a quasi-military city, whereas Jernie is more like a talent cultivation center, so Jernie can accept Fang Zheng’s military support, but Fenrir clearly does not need it. After all, this can be seen from their actions. Other mobile cities avoid creatures, but Fenrir almost targets these creatures, wherever they are, they go and fight.

Indeed, as Fang Zheng learned from informants while wandering in the city, Fenrir’s mobile city had long been modified, their core no longer relies on mineral energy like other mobile cities, but on the core of wild gods!

This indirectly shows Fenrir’s terrifying combat power, even southern mobile cities do not dare to chase after contaminated beasts. Yet, Fenrir runs where there are powerful wild gods, and after killing them, they strip the core for fuel... It’s undeniably ruthless.

But strengths come with weaknesses. Fenrir’s approach can be seen as tough, but also as a helpless action due to resource scarcity. This land appears much poorer than the south. Fang Zheng just took the girls outside for a spin and quickly discovered the city’s biggest shortcoming is the lack of supplies.

This city doesn’t even have a store; all goods are essentially rationed; only internally, there are some items traded, and it’s limited to military supplies. This itself already explains the problem, showing that Fenrir’s fierce local style is, in some measure, forced out; otherwise, they might have perished long ago.

Sure enough, upon hearing Fang Zheng’s request, Minister Johannes’s expression slightly changed.

In fact, as Fang Zheng expected, the whole Fenrir organization has been facing hardships lately, not only from external pressures but also from surrounding pressures. Although Fenrir’s mobile city has been modified to use the core of wild gods for movement, due to power limitations, Fenrir’s mobile city does not support tens of thousands like those in the Academy City Alliance; the population of Fenrir’s mobile city at most reaches ten thousand, otherwise supplies would be insufficient.

And it doesn’t end there; to gather as many qualified God Eaters as possible, Fenrir also needs to provide certain protection to surrounding settlements. Though resource constraints prevent direct aid to the refugees, they can eliminate threats posed by wild gods as best as they can.

Previously, Captain Amamiya went to the refugee settlement to search for newcomers and provide protection.

If all those surrounding die outside, relying on barely ten thousand people inside Fenrir, wouldn’t they perish sooner?

For this reason, nearby refugees have collectively demonstrated outside Fenrir’s gates, demanding greater protection and a share of living supplies. Though no conflict has arisen yet, Minister Johannes knows well that if this continues, conflict is inevitable.

The problem is that it’s difficult to cook without ingredients, as Fenrir’s internal resources are also tight.

And wild god meat can’t be consumed; if it could, that would be a different story...

Seeing Minister Johannes’s expression, Fang Zheng immediately raised the stakes.

”If you agree, Heavenly Dao Palace can provide your honored side with resources including food and medicine sufficient for ten thousand people over five years... How do you consider this proposal?”

”Ten thousand?!”

Upon hearing this, Minister Johannes and Captain Amamiya were genuinely shocked. Just what is this Heavenly Dao Palace? Maintaining food, medicine, and living supplies for ten thousand people is already difficult enough to find, and they can provide five years’ worth directly?

Know that most of the current mobile cities are basically self-sufficient, occasionally engaging in some commercial trade, but the volume is quite small. But such a transaction amount... no mobile city could manage this!

”Can you really provide so many resources? Just to... investigate the core reactor?”

Minister John was somewhat skeptical at this point. After all, this is the apocalypse. In such a world, a piece of meat is worth more than a gun! Indeed, the reactor is the heart of the mobile city, but a force that can produce so many resources at once could probably buy a mobile city with ease!

”I understand, but I’m not afraid to tell you, perhaps to you these resources are very important, but for the Heavenly Dao Palace, this is just a drop in the ocean.”

Fang Zheng spread his hands, and he wasn’t lying. There are over two million people in Academy City, finding some resources is as simple as pie.

”Alternatively, we can offer you soil-free cultivation technology, which can increase your food self-sufficiency and risk control. What do you think?”

”Soil-free cultivation?”

”It’s cultivating crops directly through nutrient solutions without soil, allowing them to mature... I believe this should be a very useful technology for you.”

As expected, after Fang Zheng’s simple introduction, Minister John’s and Amamiya Ryōtan’s eyes immediately lit up.

The biggest problem in this world right now is that the soil is contaminated—there are no life traces, and no crops can grow on it, leaving people unable to farm on this land. In this situation, people can only use the planting zones inside mobile cities to grow crops, but those zones are limited, and soil cultivation poses a significant trial for fertility.

But soil-free cultivation technology is different, especially since Academy City is quite advanced in this area. As the saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Food will eventually run out but mastering the skill is a whole different matter.

”Such precious technology...”

”As I said, it might be precious to you, but for us, it’s not classified information.”

As he said this, Fang Zheng shrugged.

”In fact, the conditions I offered for core reactor investigations in other mobile cities were pretty much the same.”

”I see...”

Hearing Fang Zheng’s response, Minister John couldn’t help but twitch his eye, feeling quite complicated. Know that in Fenrir, while these might not be priceless treasures, they’re undoubtedly valuable. Yet, this young man casually offers them as if they’re nothing...

”I understand what you mean.”

Thinking of this, Minister John regained his composure and smiled slightly at Fang Zheng.

”But I’m sorry, I need to discuss this with others. Can we give you a reply in two days?”

”No problem at all.”

Fang Zheng didn’t care whether they were willing or not. In fact, with Fang Zheng’s ability, whether they agreed or not, he would definitely get in and read the data. But after all, it’s someone else’s property, and being the God of Magical Girls and the God of Games, not the God of Thieves, he still had some reservations. Actually, Minister John didn’t know that Fang Zheng shared this because it wasn’t a transaction choice but compensation—after all, he was sure to read the core data, so compensating them was only natural.

Just like Fang Zheng’s suggestion to Kalian in Jernie.

Choose your compensation terms, but you don’t have the power to refuse.

Thus, their initial exchange concluded, and Fang Zheng bid farewell, leaving while Amamiya Ryōtan stayed in the office. After watching Fang Zheng leave, he finally asked.

”What do we do next?”

”I don’t know.”

Minister John shook his head.

”Frankly, it sounds too good to be true. After all, such technology and resources... just for a core reactor investigation? I don’t quite understand the operation here.”

”But perhaps as he said, the value of things varies for everyone.”

”That may be so, but I still have some concerns. If the Heavenly Dao Palace is indeed a power as vast as he claims, wouldn’t one transaction be a bit too hasty...”

Thinking of this, Minister John’s eyes suddenly lit up.

”By the way, Captain Amamiya.”

”What is it?”

”I remember a report was submitted earlier that mentioned a new Divine Machine User was coming to report?”

”Yes, Alisa Ilinichina Amiella, 13, the first user of second-generation Divine Machine, is set to be transferred to my department tomorrow... is there a problem?”

”I have a good idea...”

Hearing Amamiya Ryōtan’s report, Minister John smiled.

”Perhaps, it could solve the current dilemma we face.”