Chapter 131 - 122: Day 26 Settlement
"Sir, I’ve finished the perch for the Beaked Eagle. Take a look." After Wang Yun left, Li Tieshan found Qin Ziwen, carrying several thick branches. In front of Qin Ziwen, he arranged them into an X-shape and stuck them into the sand.
He then secured the intersection of the branches with wire and placed a crossbeam between the two X-shaped supports.
The Beaked Eagle tentatively landed on the crossbeam. Its talons gripped it perfectly. It flapped its wings a few times, then gradually adjusted to the perch’s stability.
"Does this have to be stuck in the sand?" Qin Ziwen asked, pointing at the support.
Li Tieshan shook his head. "No. I can forge an iron base for it later. That way, it can be stable without being stuck in the sand."
"Thoughtful of you. How many spearheads have you made?" Qin Ziwen asked.
Li Tieshan quickly replied, "Sir, I hammered out two spearheads today. As soon as I find suitable shafts, I can finish them."
Qin Ziwen noticed the fresh burns on Li Tieshan’s arms. "You’ve worked hard."
After a moment of contemplation, Qin Ziwen continued, "Is there anything you want? Or anything you need for your work?"
Li Tieshan shook his head. "Sir, I know the conditions in our Home right now. Just having a meal to eat is enough to be content."
Qin Ziwen said, "Your contributions are noted. I’ll reward you for them when conditions improve."
"Yes, Sir!" Hearing his words, Li Tieshan felt the fatigue from his long day melt away. He even felt like forging a few more Ferrous Iron Ingots just to channel his excitement.
After leaving the sandy area, Qin Ziwen went to his Level 2 Farmland and took out two Level 1 Farmland Cards. He used both Cards at the same time.
The entire field was enveloped in a white light.
When the light faded, the black soil had undergone a change. It was still black, but it seemed more "viscous."
Qin Ziwen crouched down and grabbed a handful of soil.
It felt like holding a clump of damp earth, but as he rubbed it between his fingers, the soil sifted back into the field, leaving his fingertips barely moist.
He used Insight on the farmland.
[Level 3 Farmland: Level 3 Growth Acceleration, Level 3 Fertile]
No new traits were added, but the two original ones had been upgraded to Level 3.
To track the farmland’s effect on crop growth speed, Qin Ziwen found a small wooden stick, placed it next to a spinach plant, and carved a white mark on it as a tracker.
Meanwhile, the others were methodically gathering supplies, working late into the evening.
The main trading partners for the gasoline were the other residents of Building 8, Unit 2.
When they learned they could trade gasoline for meat, most people readily agreed. A few, however, made excuses to jack up the price.
Behind the door of Apartment 701, the residents watched a stone-faced Qin Ziwu walk away.
The wife behind the door asked her husband worriedly, "They’re not going to back out of the deal, are they?"
The husband from 701 said with conviction, "No way. They’ll definitely be back to buy it. I don’t know what they need gasoline for, but if they need it, they’ll be back."
The wife still felt her husband’s attempt to price-gouge was excessive. "What if they don’t buy from us? What if they go to someone else? It’s not like we’re the only ones in the Gated Community with gasoline."
Hearing his wife raise this possibility, the husband panicked. ’That’s not impossible.’ He realized he might have made a mistake.
But he was unwilling to back down in front of his wife. "It’s fine. If he comes back, I’ll just agree to his price. Besides, I heard their group got a lot of food and even brought back a wild boar last time. We’re all neighbors, so what’s wrong with them sharing a bit more with me?"
Looking at her husband’s stubborn attitude, the wife sighed inwardly. ’He’s probably not coming back.’
THUMP THUMP THUMP. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps ascended the stairs from below.
The husband gloated, "What did I tell you?"
"Let me tell you, I wouldn’t buy a single drop of your gas, not even if it were cheaper! From now on, we won’t be doing any business with your family!" The more Qin Ziwu thought about it, the angrier he got, and he had stormed back just to hurl those harsh words.
"You!" The husband’s face turned livid with anger.
After leaving 701, Qin Ziwu went to the neighboring Unit 1 to trade with someone else.
Before long, he had gathered all the gasoline he needed.
Back home, Qin Ziwu found his big brother and told him about the frustrating incident while trading for gasoline. Most people were decent, but there were always a few oddballs.
"Big Bro, three families tried to jack up the price. The ones in 701 were the worst. They thought that since we have a lot of meat, we should just give them more. Isn’t that just taking advantage of honest people?" Qin Ziwu said indignantly.
After listening to his brother’s story, Qin Ziwen pointed out the problem with how he handled the situation. "You’re still too young, too impulsive. Once you walked away, there was no need to go back just to spout threats. If they don’t want to trade, so be it. Some things are better left unsaid. Even if a deal falls through, you should part on good terms. You never know if you’ll have a chance to work together in the future."
Qin Ziwu looked at his older brother suspiciously. "Bro, are those really words coming out of your mouth?"
Qin Ziwen laughed in exasperation. "Why can’t I say that? In your eyes, am I some ruthless monster who wipes out entire families over a single disagreement?"
Qin Ziwu mumbled something under his breath. Qin Ziwen couldn’t hear it clearly, but he could guess it wasn’t anything good. He gave him a light tap on the head. "Alright, that’s enough. Come with me to the rooftop to make Incendiary Bottles."
Qin Ziwen then led Qin Ziwu to the rooftop. As soon as they arrived, they were hit by the strong smell of gasoline.
A flashlight was on, illuminating the area.
They weren’t using any open flames. Under Wang Yun’s instruction, everyone quickly got the hang of making the Incendiary Bottles.
Because the skin on the Giant Toad’s back might be too soft for the bottles to break on impact, they had added small, sharp-edged stones or metal fragments inside each bottle to increase the chance of them shattering.
They worked until almost midnight. Because they had added another ambush point, they made a total of 80 Incendiary Bottles.
In addition, there were three sealed barrels of gasoline.
After finishing their work, he returned to his quarters. He had just showered and lay down on his bed when the daily rating settlement notification sounded in his ear.
[You have successfully survived in the wilderness for a twenty-sixth day, obtaining three Cards... Comprehensive Rating: 72 points]
[Rewards Received: Building Card: Level 1 Laundry x1, Building Card: Level 1 Brewery x1, Expansion Card: Blank Expansion Card (Small) x1]
’A laundry? A brewery?’
Qin Ziwen silently shook his head. These two buildings... how should he put it? They weren’t exactly useless, but they weren’t particularly useful either.
Then again, they weren’t completely useless. As the Gated Community developed, these two functional buildings would indeed become an indispensable part of it.
After all, clothes needed to be washed. It was just that, given the current circumstances, every household washed their own. No one could afford the luxury of sending their laundry out to be done by someone else.
Then there was the Brewery.
Who in their right mind had spare grain to make alcohol? It would only be worthwhile if brewing produced something of greater value than the grain itself, or if the alcohol made in the Brewery had special effects.
But... Qin Ziwen thought of his tavern.
In the tavern, the food prices weren’t very high. It was the drinks that were expensive.
If he could later obtain a building that used currency for transactions, then the farmland, the Brewery, the tavern, and that unknown new building could be linked into a complete industrial chain.
But that was a matter for the future. At this stage, he couldn’t even guarantee that his own group had enough food.
Although his Home was growing, more people meant a greater daily consumption of food.
Thinking of this, Qin Ziwen felt he could perhaps try to expand into a new business—trading coarse salt, for instance!
But if he started trading coarse salt, it would mean creating a conflict of interest between his team and Zhang Bo.
Either they would start a price war, or they would have to reach a price agreement... or one side would have to annex the other!
...
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