Chapter 119 - 112: Day 24 Settlement
Besides the plant, this harvest also included an Advanced Building Card.
After his experience with the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery, Qin Ziwen was full of anticipation for the new Advanced Building.
He took out the Card and learned that the building required a 20x40-meter area.
’Do all these Advanced Buildings require such a large footprint?’ Qin Ziwen thought, a little vexed.
He put the Card away. It seemed he would just have to wait.
He didn’t have enough open space at the moment, but if he was lucky, he might get the Expansion Cards he needed tonight.
When Qin Ziwen came out, Liu San reported to him, "Sir, the quality of the salt is much higher today. Please take a look."
Qin Ziwen hadn’t actually asked Liu San for regular reports. The Salt Well was small, and its daily output was so low that everything was basically out in the open.
However, since Liu San was willing to report, he didn’t refuse. "I’ll take a look."
Liu San handed over a burlap sack containing that day’s coarse salt.
Although it was coarse salt, the fineness of the grains and the purity of its color were already approaching that of the previous green salt.
"This is the coarse salt?" Qin Ziwen asked, surprised.
’If the first-pass coarse salt can be this good, how much better will the second-pass green salt be?’
"Yes, Sir. And this is today’s green salt." Liu San handed him a small bamboo flask containing fine, greenish-white salt.
Although the color still had a faint greenish tint, its overall fineness and grain size were very close to factory-produced table salt.
Qin Ziwen took a small pinch between his fingers, watching the fine salt trickle from his fingertips.
"Not bad."
’The better the quality, the stronger my competitive edge.’
’If two businesses are selling the same salt, you either have a price war or you rely on the advantage of superior quality.’
Qin Ziwen then asked, "By the way, I remember two of the refugees were assigned to Li Tieshan, right? Did he have them do anything today?"
Liu San replied, "Sir, Master Li had them digging at the iron mine."
"For the whole day?" Qin Ziwen’s expression was odd.
Liu San gave an embarrassed smile.
Qin Ziwen nodded. "Alright, I’ll go take a look."
When he arrived at the iron mine, the large bamboo baskets by the entrance were already filled with iron ore.
Two refugees were sitting on the ground resting. When they saw Qin Ziwen approach, they scrambled to their feet, grabbing their pickaxes and pretending to mine.
Qin Ziwen saw them slacking off but didn’t reprimand them. It would have been useless.
After spending the last few days with the refugees, he had started to understand the logic behind their behavior.
As long as their bellies were full, they would listen to him and could be counted on for simple, not-too-strenuous tasks.
But if they went hungry or felt pressured, their efficiency would plummet, and they might even try to flee.
Based on his observations, a refugee who was fed consistently over a long period would become more efficient at following orders.
Qin Ziwen said, "You can stop digging for now. Just carry these two baskets of ore to the Blacksmith Shop."
Hearing this, the two refugees cheerfully put down their pickaxes.
Then, the refugee on the left seemed to think his reaction was inappropriate. He quickly wiped the smile from his face, but when he saw that Qin Ziwen wasn’t angry, he let out another laugh.
Qin Ziwen asked him, "What’s your name?"
He raised his sleeve to wipe his sooty face, which only smeared the grime around more. "My name is Little Stone."
"A good name. Resilient, like a stone."
At the praise, Little Stone broke into an even bigger, sillier grin.
"Go on, then."
That evening, after dinner.
Qin Ziwen went to the rooftop.
There were quite a few neighbors on the rooftop, from both Building One and Building Two.
He also saw Zhao Shuhuan.
𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
Upon seeing him, Zhao Shuhuan waved.
"Where’s your dad?"
"My dad went to get some seeds."
"Oh. Have you eaten yet?"
"I already ate before I came up, Uncle Qin."
Looking out from the edge of the rooftop, he could see many Forest Giant Mayflies still flying above the river.
Some of the mayflies broke away from the swarm and dove toward the water’s surface. Their weightless bodies floated on the water, tails outstretched and wings spread wide, drifting with the current.
"They must be laying eggs," Qin Ziwen remarked as he looked out at the river. Its surface was densely covered with floating mayflies. Some were already dead, while for others, the countdown had begun.
Zhao Shuhuan said, "I heard from my biology teacher that mayfly eggs hatch incredibly fast. Once they hit the water, they hatch in under twenty minutes."
Qin Ziwen’s gaze fell on the Stone Cave Ancient Giant Toad, which was lying motionlessly on the bank. It was still in the same position it had been in that morning, as if it hadn’t moved at all.
"How long has it been lying there?"
Zhao Shuhuan replied, "It’s been there all day. I’m starting to suspect it’s here to act as an escort for the mayflies."
Just as they were speaking, the Stone Cave Ancient Giant Toad on the ground finally stirred.
It began to move forward slowly.
It continued until its entire body was submerged, with only the upper part of its back breaking the surface. From a distance, it looked like a small, floating island.
The Stone Cave Ancient Giant Toad swam toward the corpses of the Forest Giant Mayflies. It opened its massive maw, and with a single gulp, cleared an entire section of the river’s surface.
It was like an all-you-can-eat buffet; the countless corpses floating on the river were its personal smorgasbord.
In that moment, Qin Ziwen suddenly understood.
He understood why the Stone Cave Ancient Giant Toad was here.
For the toad, the annual mayfly migration was an opportunity to feast with minimal effort.
It was a spectacle unique to this river basin.
’There are still three days left,’ he thought. ’The Stone Cave Ancient Giant Toad will probably stay by the river until the mayfly mating season is over, then it will return to its cave.’
After chatting a bit more with Zhao Shuhuan, Qin Ziwen returned to his apartment. He practiced his archery for a while, took a shower, and finally lay down in bed, ready to sleep.
[You have successfully survived in the wilderness for a twenty-fourth day. Today, you acquired one Card and a mysterious plant from the depths of a cave... Comprehensive Score: 150 points]
[Rewards Obtained: [Function Card] Level 1 Insight Card x1, [Resource Card] Level 1 Coal Mine x1, [Expansion Card] Small Underground Cave x1]
「The next day.」
It was an unprecedentedly high score. After reviewing the day’s rewards, his attention was drawn to the settlement log.
’Interesting. The plant from the Stone Cave Ancient Giant Toad’s cave was specifically mentioned. The fact that it appeared on the settlement log was proof enough that the plant was anything but ordinary.’
It was even listed with a higher priority than tending the beast cage, mining the stone quarry, or drawing from the Salt Well.
He then turned his attention to the new Function Card he had acquired.
With a flick of his wrist, a red Card appeared in his palm.
’Use,’ he thought.
[Function Activated: Level 2 Insight]
[Authority Level Increased. Current Authority: Level 2 Authority (0/4)]
[Level 2 Insight: Can be used on Card buildings, resource points, recruited units, and humans to perceive their basic rules or attributes.]
[Your Authority has increased. You have acquired the Safe House function.]
[Your Authority has increased. Those with an Authority Level lower than 2 cannot use Insight on your possessions.]
[Your Authority has increased. You have obtained more information about the next crossing.]
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