Universe Infinite Canteen

Before setting off, Ma Lu fulfilled his promise and distributed the rewards for the crash exam.

The first place got 100 silver coins, second place 70, third to fifth places 50 each, and sixth to tenth places each received 30 silver coins.

Added together, that was a total of 470 silver coins. Ma Lu placed a briefcase full of silver coins on the lecture table in front, and the students called by name could come up to receive the money.

That case of shimmering silver coins was indeed visually striking, especially for Hou De where finances had always been tight; both teachers and students had almost forgotten what it was like to see so much money.

The silver coins on the table were given by the railway bank Ping City branch.

Cao Youyi had packaged together the Cardcaptor Sakura leaf and those thirteen Song Stones and sold them to a Talisman Master Association, which offered a total purchase price of 6,731 silver coins. After checking that there were no issues, they issued a cheque on the spot.

Cao Youyi took the cheque, paid off the debt she owed Cao Jinhua, and exchanged the rest of the money into actual silver as Ma Lu had directed, a total of 1,360 silver coins.

However, as quickly as the money came, it was spent just as fast; in the blink of an eye, Ma Lu had already handed out nearly five hundred silver coins in rewards.

Moreover, after deciding to go to the neighboring city to clear the catastrophe belt, Cao Youyi had also contacted the Carriage Shop and rented 10 horse carriages, which was another expense. Ma Lu had also instructed her to purchase another batch of materials needed for talisman making in the near future, which basically used up almost all of that money.

Cao Youyi was accustomed to being frugal, so she wasn't very comfortable with spending money so freely.
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In the midst of this, she asked Ma Lu whether they should cut some of the rewards or bring fewer people along, but Ma Lu rejected both suggestions.

Although Ma Lu now planned to quickly farm education points by using the Hou De students as accessories in the Disaster Zones, he did not want to give up on the education points produced by the normal cultivation of students.

Moreover, the Ministry of Education had recently introduced a new challenge system to quickly raise the school's ranking, which also required the students to possess corresponding strength.

But Hou De had been in decline for too long, the majority of both students and teachers had become accustomed to complacency, and there was a lack of energy throughout the school.

To break this gloomy atmosphere, he had to take drastic measures.

Ma Lu had not been entirely bluffing before; taking a deep dive into the Disaster Zone would expose these students, who were just getting by in school, to the threats of danger and death, forcing them to improve their own strength to survive.

This was one of Ma Lu's goals.

But pressure alone was not enough, as over time it would inevitably lead to resistance and backlash, so incentives needed to keep pace.

That's why Ma Lu insisted on generously rewarding the top ten scorers of the preliminary exam, and he even planned to make such rewards a regular and expanded fixture.

They would have the monthly exams each month; not only the top ten but also any student who showed improvement would receive a cash reward commensurate with the extent of their progress.

Not just the students, but the teachers as well, would receive rewards. Aside from Cao Jiajia's 40 students, Ma Lu divided the rest into two groups, which were assigned to teachers Zhong and Jing, respectively. From now on, these students' grades would be tied to their teachers' bonuses.

As for Cao Jiajia, Hou De's sole Grade B Talent, Ma Lu had delegated her to be tutored individually by Cao Youyi.

After these actions, the message he wanted to convey was clear—the school was no longer as before, no longer short of money. Those who wanted to study and work seriously would no longer lack resources and would receive the school's full support in cultivation.

He had given no long speeches, simply completed his opening address with practical actions, and showed everyone the future direction of Hou De.

Bombarded by so much stimulation and information all at once, the teachers and students were somewhat dazed, each feeling differently. However, they still followed the new headmaster's instructions and assembled within two hours.

Because it was their first mission, and the entire school was being mobilized, Cao Youyi worried that Ma Lu wouldn't be able to manage so many students, so he had two other instructors accompany them.

Ma Lu, however, didn't mind. Although teachers didn't generate education points, under the effect of Dignity Candy, they could still provide him with a bonus and contribute to his strength.

Once everyone had assembled, the carriages also stopped at the foot of Shouyang Mountain.

Ma Lu then led all the teachers and students, taking advantage of the night, to rush to neighboring Jiyang City.

The Jiulong Instrument had detected that a Disaster would strike here soon, issuing an alert three days prior.

Cao Youyi, following Ma Lu's instructions, submitted a cleaning request at the earliest opportunity.

According to intelligence provided by the warning department, the one appearing in Jiyang City was a Level 1 Disaster Zone, which was one level lower than the Disaster Zone that Ma Lu and Qiutong had dealt with last time.

Theoretically, the monsters and the Lord inside should be weaker as well.

In addition, the Jiulong Instrument also detected that monsters within the catastrophe belt feared gold; in other words, Gold Element talismanic magic would be more effective in battle.

However, Ma Lu only glanced briefly at the information in his hands before setting it aside.

The humans of this Plane had been discovering catastrophe belts for nearly a hundred years, and the means for early warning and detection of catastrophe belts had become increasingly refined.

Especially since the success of the Jiulong Instrument, talisman masters could grasp many key details before venturing deep into the catastrophe belt, significantly increasing the success rate of clearing them.

However, the Jiulong Instrument's predictions were not entirely accurate; there was about a 3% margin of error in the 100 alerts.

Cao Jinhua had once placed too much trust in the Jiulong Instrument's results, thinking that he was entering merely a Level 1 Disaster Zone, and that the monsters inside happened to be the kind he was adept at handling.

Added to that, with Hou De in desperate need of money, he accepted the clearance task.

Unfortunately, his luck was bad, and he encountered that 3% error, ultimately dying in the Disaster Zone.

Ma Lu did not wish to repeat his mistakes. He only took the information provided by the Jiulong Instrument as a reference, regretting that he didn't have extra education points; otherwise, he could have unlocked the "Catastrophe Forecast" from the scientific research lab.

That way, Hou De could have its own disaster prediction system, which would also make it easier for Ma Lu to clear catastrophe belts in the future.

But there was no need to rush. One eats one bite at a time, and walks one step at a time.

Three hours later, Hou De's teachers and students arrived at Jiyang feeling apprehensive.

The time was 3:15 a.m., most people were still deep in sleep, and the whole city seemed very quiet, like a beast crouching in the darkness.

Because the catastrophe belt was located on the outskirts of the city, Ma Lu led the group to eat something and rest a little beneath the city walls, without entering the city.

The guards of the Patrol Office responsible for guarding the Disaster Zone saw Hou De's caravan from a distance. One of them immediately ran towards the city gate, while the other, an older one, approached with a kerosene lamp in hand, walking cautiously.

Ma Lu showed the man the Talisman Master Association's approval document and credentials that could prove their identity.

After the guard had examined them, he breathed a sigh of relief and respectfully handed them back.

"So it's the teachers and students of Hou De. I thought you were bandits from nearby."