[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world":3,"chapter-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-282":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Survival Guide in a Mysterious World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2299251,4497,"Chapter 282: Sword in Hand, Trade in the Other","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-282",282,"\u003Cp>When he opened his eyes, Ning Zhe saw only darkness. He tried to move his body, but his limbs and bones felt limp and weak—likely from lying in bed too long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat up, propping himself on one hand, removed his eye mask, and spent a few seconds adjusting to the room’s light. Looking up, he saw Xia Yubing sitting on the edge of the bed, her back to him, changing clothes—her posture suggested she was putting on silk stockings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What time is it?” Ning Zhe asked, rubbing his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re awake?” Xia Yubing turned around in surprise, fastening the garter clips to her waist as she spoke. “You’ve slept for nearly two days. No matter how we called you, you wouldn’t wake up. The airship has already landed at ‘Vivian Port.’ Yesterday someone came looking for you—said they were a friend of Fan Daike?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two days…” Ning Zhe clicked his tongue. It seemed he’d stayed within the influence of the Taiyin longer than expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He changed out of his pajamas into casual wear, then switched into Fan Daike’s identity and got out of bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivian Port lies at the border between the Apennine Peninsula and the European continent, not far from the mountains where Vanessa Castle stands. With a private plane and a quick car transfer, you could reach it in just a few hours without stopping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who came to see me? Did they leave a name or contact?” Ning Zhe asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His name is Fosolus Milicato,” Xia Yubing mused. “He seems to be Fan Daike’s friend. Do you remember him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.” Ning Zhe stretched, walked over to the sofa, and poured himself a glass of water. “The Daike family are military nobles, with generations entrenched in the army, commanding heavy forces. The Milicato family are descendants of colonialists from the Age of Exploration, with enterprises spanning the globe. The two families have long collaborated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Yubing blinked in surprise. “How could soldiers and merchants cooperate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You think this is your homeland,” Ning Zhe smiled. “In four words—sword in hand, trade in the other.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Milicato family aren’t old money like the Daikes. They rose to wealth overnight through the colonial wave of the Age of Exploration. Every one of their overseas ventures is stained with blood. For example, a gold mine in a small African nation—its mining rights belong to the Milicato family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Milicato family hire locals at rock-bottom wages to dig the gold, then ship it to ports for smelting within Europe—to prevent the small nation from acquiring gold-refining technology.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The workers dig up immense wealth for the Milicato family every day. The brutal conditions and exhausting labor rapidly destroy their health; their average lifespan is under thirty, yet their pay barely covers food.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Yubing frowned in disbelief. “How can this be… don’t the locals rebel?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course they rebel,” Ning Zhe sipped his water. “That’s why sword in hand, trade in the other.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Daike family, holding military power, station troops around the mine under the guise of protecting national business interests abroad. They provide security and take a cut of the profits. Historically, there were four worker uprisings—three were crushed by gunfire and artillery.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The fourth uprising was led by a Transcendent who had mastered a vengeful spirit. The army couldn’t suppress it, so Fan Daike personally arrived with his granted artifact and slaughtered every worker—including the Transcendent. The spirit was taken back to the Daike family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Milicato family uses shadowy, dirty methods to extract wealth; the Daike family provides protection with overwhelming force. This has been their long-standing partnership.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a sense, the Milicato family acts as a white glove for the Daike family, wiping blood off their coins. For his ruthless handling of this affair, Fan Daike earned the family’s favor and was granted the title of Marquis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was also through this affair that Fan Daike met a young heir of the Milicato family: Fosolus Milicato.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Vivian Port… it’s right in Fosolus Milicato’s territory.” Ning Zhe stepped out of the lounge and walked to the window, gazing at the crystal-blue waters beyond the glass. Suddenly, he remembered why Fosolus had come to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tomorrow, there’s supposed to be a swimsuit show sponsored by Fosolus—at the Vivian Port Mega Mall.” Ning Zhe turned to Xia Yubing, standing behind him. “He came to invite me to watch it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.” Xia Yubing nodded reluctantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such a fuss,” Ning Zhe glanced at her garter stockings and couldn’t help smiling. “It’s twelve degrees outside, and you’re showing your thighs? How haven’t you frozen to death?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I like it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Ning Zhe still went to meet Fosolus and caught up for a while, but regretfully said he wouldn’t be able to attend tomorrow’s swimsuit show—he was here to borrow a plane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leveraging Fan Daike’s influence, Ning Zhe easily borrowed Fosolus’s private jet and flew at top speed toward Vanessa Castle, leaving Xia Yubing to take his place at Vivian Port’s final swimsuit runway show.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivian Port is an ancient harbor city. As far back as the Ming Dynasty, camel-borne merchants traded silk with fishermen for pearls. After globalization took hold, this old port gained new vitality—merchants gathered, passenger ships arrived in droves, and prosperity flourished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a single word, not a single line, not a single detail is out of place!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yet this prosperity is Vivian Port’s last glow. Soon, this beautiful city will be abandoned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dressed in equestrian attire, Fosolus Milicato walked down the street, introducing Vivian Port to Xia Yubing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For decades, Vivian Port’s population has far exceeded its carrying capacity. Groundwater has been overextracted for so long that the city sinks at least ten centimeters per year. We have no choice but to abandon this ancient, beautiful city and move to a new deepwater port.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The relocation plan begins next week. So tomorrow’s Mega Mall swimsuit show will be the last—and grandest—ever held in Vivian Port. It’s a great pity that the honorable Mr. Daike cannot attend.” Fosolus shook his head slowly, sighing repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s so interesting about a swimsuit show…” Xia Yubing muttered under her breath, yet kept a polite smile on her face. “Then I must make up for his loss with my own eyes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s perfect,” Fosolus chuckled. His phone buzzed with a message—his private jet had taken off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned off his phone, slipped it into his pocket, and kept smiling warmly as he introduced Xia Yubing to the historic Mega Mall at the heart of Vivian Port.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1085,"2026-06-20T06:29:22.815Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","409cb85cb1a04da2ce897d1832552ff4579567370300e1db3f20d08a5b521e0b","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-283","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-281",353,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurvival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-cover.jpg"]