There are a total of nine founders of Chixian City, among whom Wei Siming and Lin Lijiao are a couple, so there were eight founding families in the city.

However, after more than a hundred years, only five of the founding families remain. Besides the Wei Mansion, the strongest Cheng Family has only about thirty people.

Apart from the five major families, the other refugees and commoners in Chixian City were not notified or invited, not even Zhao Qianju and Wang Tiejimu, who could be considered as "one of their own".

After all, the New Year is a local festival, unrelated to the Damo Realm — Damo itself also has the concept of "year," it just hasn't reached that time yet.

Under these circumstances,

Even if Zhao Qianju and Wang Tiejimu were close to the community there, they would find it difficult to achieve genuine empathy.

To put it bluntly, not being able to empathize amounts to formalism, which is exactly what the Fire Camp doesn't need.

At 8 PM local time, the New Year's Eve party of the Damo Realm officially began.

The event kicked off with an opening speech by Lin Li, a tradition of sorts:

"Hello to all comrades who came to the Damo Realm from the homeland, and to all descendants of Huaxia Transmigrators and members of the five major families. I am Lin Li, the head of Fire Camp.

I am honored to stand here today and spend the New Year's Eve with all of you.

Unknowingly, we have been in the Damo Realm for more than five months.

The year 2022 is gradually fading away with its joys of success and harvest, and the bell of 2023 is about to ring.

Amidst colorful fireworks and joyful melodies, the new year approaches us.

In saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, we always find ourselves overwhelmed with mixed emotions and countless thoughts.

Though we are separated from our homeland by just a light gate, at this moment, none of us can return home.

Because we have more important missions to accomplish!

In the new year, we will face new challenges and new opportunities.

Honestly speaking, the process might be exhausting, we might sweat, even bleed.

However, every bit of effort we put in today could allow our compatriots, our nation, and our descendants to stand a bit taller, no longer subjected to humiliation as they were a hundred years ago..."

Underneath the stage.

Lin Li's two honorary disciples... er, beloved disciples, Wang Qiang and Li Yan, were sitting shoulder to shoulder in two adjacent seats.

Watching Lin Li speak passionately, Li Yan gently nudged Wang Qiang with her shoulder and whispered:

"Xiao Wang, Teacher's performance today is quite good, looks formal and structured."

Wang Qiang looked at her senior sister with a face full of excitement:

"Of course, you didn't notice who arranged his wig?

Every time Teacher gives a report, I'm the one who handles the wig, okay?"

Li Yan: "....?"

It seems like something's not right?

However, before she could react, Wang Qiang took out an exquisite little box from herself, opened it with a hum.

Inside the box was a small blue pill prominently displayed in the center.

Due to the outstanding contributions Wang Qiang's team made in recent times — whether it was the L17 cultivation environment or the breakthrough in demon beast crystal, both brought great benefits to the camp and even the homeland.

Especially the L17 cultivation environment, without this cultivation module, the Spiritual Root testing of over sixty thousand warriors back home would have been entirely futile.

Therefore, with special approval from the core management, the pills distributed to Wang Qiang's team were slightly better than the standard Cleansing God Pill, classified as a first-tier pill that can enhance life energy — of course, there was also a bonus from Lin Li forfeiting his own rewards.

At this moment,

Wang Qiang held the small box with the pill in one hand in front of her, looking just like Ito Mima serving a ball — naturally, this girl's beauty far surpassed that of the big forehead auntie.

She muttered:

"Sister Yan, do you think this thing can remove laugh lines?"

Li Yan rolled her eyes, just about to respond with, 'even sensitive skin can use it,' when she heard Wang Qiang continue:

"If it can remove laugh lines, I'll bring it back home for my mom when we can finally return."

Li Yan was stunned, the retort she prepared stuck in her throat.

Then Wang Qiang carefully closed the small box, gingerly put it back in her pocket, and sighed softly:

"ε=(´ο｀*))) Sigh, Senior sister, truth be told... I really miss home, I didn't go back for New Year last year, it's been a whole year."

Wang Qiang has only recently been promoted to an official researcher at the beginning of this year, and due to her unique research direction, she hasn't really participated in any of those long-term ultra-classified projects.

Life science is actually a very extreme subject, unlike physics and computer engineering, there aren't that many routine classified projects for you to join.

For example, some of the classified projects in physics are relatively simple, just a couple of months to complete and then sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Whereas the classified research in life sciences involves either long-term projects in the eight or ten-year plans, some significant breakthroughs in human science at the forefront,

or assisting in the development of some special new drugs.

Besides these three scenarios, everything else would be like discovering aliens.

That's why not only Wang Qiang, but most of the young people in the Plant Biology Laboratory haven't had much experience with classified projects.

So it's quite normal to feel a bit homesick.

Li Yan didn't know how to comfort her junior sister, as unless something unexpected happens, they might be stuck in the Damo Realm for two or three years without being able to truly return home.

However, perhaps due to their carefree nature, in the end, it was Wang Qiang who adjusted her mindset by herself.