Chapter 139 - 130: Deal
Still, with only twenty-five fish in a Fish Pond nearly four hundred square meters large, the number was far too low.
If any real fish farmers found out, they’d laugh their heads off.
Qin Ziwen decided to head to the river to acquire more fish.
But before he left, there was one more building that needed an upgrade.
Arriving at the Blacksmith Shop, he took out two Level 1 Blacksmith Shop Cards and chose to use them.
As the light faded, the Level 2 Blacksmith Shop before him successfully upgraded into the second Level 3 Building in his Home.
Qian Muzhen, who was on his way to the pharmacy to dry some herbs, happened to pass by. Seeing this, he said plaintively, "My lord, Master Li’s Blacksmith Shop upgrades so quickly. I wonder when an old man like me will get a proper clinic."
Qin Ziwen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He never thought Dr. Qian would care about such things.
"You’ll get one," Qin Ziwen said, though he couldn’t make any promises. After all, the building rewards were random.
If he was lucky, he might get one the very next day.
If not, it could be a long wait.
’But it’s bound to show up eventually,’ he thought.
A smile appeared on Qian Muzhen’s face. "My lord, I’ve observed the refugees working at the Salt Well. A few of them are unwell. While it’s not serious for now, if it’s left untreated, it will inevitably lead to problems."
Qin Ziwen said, "Go and take a look at them. If it’s not serious and you can treat it, then do so. By the way, what about everyone else in the Home?"
Qian Muzhen replied, "I’ve already examined everyone else; they’re all fine. It’s just Blacksmith Li—he’s been overworking himself and needs to be careful."
"Alright, I’ll remind him."
After Dr. Qian left, Qin Ziwen noted that the Blacksmith Shop’s appearance had changed dramatically. Its footprint remained the same, but it had grown into a four-meter-tall structure of blue brick and tile.
The interior was cleaner and more orderly. The most obvious change was the forge—it was now twice as large. Furthermore, the bellows had been upgraded to a dual-chamber piston model made of paulownia wood.
The airflow was now stronger and more stable.
Li Tieshan was still at the Furnace Fortress. He would surely be pleased when he returned.
Qin Ziwen then went to the Salt Well and asked Liu San, "How much salt do we have now?"
Liu San replied, "Reporting to my lord, we currently have 100 pounds of coarse salt and 40 pounds of green salt." When Qin Ziwen remained silent, Liu San quickly added, "We used a lot for curing meat earlier, my lord. We absolutely haven’t misappropriated any."
"Mm. Pack me half a pound each of the coarse salt and the green salt. I have a use for them."
Carrying the two bags of salt, Qin Ziwen went to the river with Du Yu.
Even before they reached the riverbank, they could see a large crowd gathered on the shore.
In the center of the crowd was a crocodile. Who knew what method they’d used to lure it ashore.
On dry land, the crocodile’s massive jaws were agape, its face a mask of ferocity.
But the surrounding crowd was ecstatic, brandishing various homemade polearms and relentlessly striking the crocodile’s head, body, and back.
A few of them, caught up in the frenzy, howled like excited monkeys as they beat the beast.
Writhed in agony, the crocodile turned to flee back into the river.
But someone threw a large net, ensnaring the crocodile. The others grabbed hold, pinning it down.
When the crocodile turned on them, they retreated. When it tried to run, they pulled.
Eventually, the crocodile was exhausted and slaughtered on the spot.
After killing the crocodile, the twenty or thirty people involved let out triumphant shouts.
The scene left Qin Ziwen in a bit of a daze.
Compared to their very first crocodile hunt, everyone was clearly much more proficient now.
In the twenty-seven days since they’d been transported here, it wasn’t just him; many of his neighbors were also adapting to their new environment.
Those who couldn’t adapt were eliminated.
The ones who survived were the elite.
He didn’t know how many people were left in the Gated Community, but as he walked around on a typical day, he could clearly feel that the place was much quieter than it had been in the beginning.
On the hillside behind the community, more and more burial mounds, each marked with a wooden stick, had appeared.
"Time to divide the spoils! Let’s carve it up!"
"Are there any more crocodiles in the river?"
After killing the crocodile, some people were already clamoring to hunt another.
Seeing this, Qin Ziwen said, "Du Yu, it looks like we’ll need to stock up on more meat over the next few days."
"Understood, my lord," Du Yu nodded.
Reaching the river, Qin Ziwen spotted some anglers. He took out his bag of salt, offered it to them, and let them have a taste.
"What do you think of this salt?"
"Interested?"
"It’s cheap. Only half the price of what the Alliance Association is charging."
He wasn’t selling, just promoting.
Soon, someone quietly slipped away from the crowd.
A moment later, Zhang Bo received the news and was furious.
"He’s selling salt too? Where did he get it? No, wait... could it be?" Zhang Bo quickly guessed what had happened. The other party must have also acquired a Salt Well or a similar building.
At this thought, Zhang Bo grew agitated.
He had long been mentally prepared for this, but the actual arrival of a competitor still pissed him off.
After all, he’d been enjoying his comfortable monopoly when a competitor suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Sitting across from him, Huang Tao just smiled faintly.
He wasn’t worried in the slightest.
Because he had a core asset: a Carpenter!
Even if another neighbor acquired a new Carpenter’s Workshop, they couldn’t possibly compete with him.
A Carpenter’s Workshop was useless without a Carpenter to man it.
Zhang Bo stood up and said to Huang Tao, "Excuse me for a moment."
Then, Zhang Bo hurriedly left.
Watching his departing figure, Huang Tao narrowed his eyes.
The corners of his mouth turned up, a mysterious smile on his face.
By the river, Zhang Bo found Qin Ziwen promoting his coarse salt. He took a deep breath, forced a smile, and walked over warmly.
"Younger Brother Qin!"
"Hey there, friend! Looking to buy some salt? It’s cheap, half the price of the Alliance Association’s, and the quality is even better," Qin Ziwen recited smoothly, holding out the bag in his hand.
Only after finishing his spiel did he pretend to notice it was Zhang Bo standing before him.
"Well, I’ll be! To think I failed to recognize one of my own. If it isn’t Boss Zhang! You have your own Salt Well, so I imagine you won’t be needing this." With that, Qin Ziwen moved to pull the bag back.
"Wait, can I take another look?" Zhang Bo stopped him, his eyes fixed on the bag of salt in Qin Ziwen’s hand.
A flash of horror crossed his eyes.
Originally, he hadn’t been an expert on salt.
But ever since he’d opened his Salt Well and started dealing in it daily, he was no longer a layman.
In that fleeting glimpse, he had seen that the bag Qin Ziwen was holding contained green salt.
But this green salt was clearly of a much higher quality than his own.
’How is this possible!’
’Could he have a Level 2 Salt Well?!’
Seeing the fish had taken the bait, Qin Ziwen smoothly handed both bags to Zhang Bo.
The more Zhang Bo examined them, the graver his expression became.
Finally, he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he let out a long breath and looked at the man before him. "I admit defeat. The quality of your salt is better than mine. I can’t beat you in a direct competition.
But since you deliberately lured me here, you must have something you want to say to me."
Qin Ziwen said, "That’s right. I want to make a deal with you."
"You overestimate me. I can’t represent the Alliance Association, and my influence there is limited. You’d be better off going directly to Chairman Zou," Zhang Bo said, shaking his head.
"Should I go find him, then?" Qin Ziwen made a show of turning to leave.
Zhang Bo quickly stopped him. "Wait. Just say it."
Qin Ziwen said, "I want to trade for some live fish, and I’ll pay with salt."
Zhang Bo gave Qin Ziwen a long, hard look. He knew why he was being approached: the Alliance Association had many members, including a dedicated Hunting Team for fishing.
As for why Qin Ziwen had sought him out specifically, he probably didn’t want to join the Alliance Association and needed a middleman. Since the man also had a Salt Well—and one that produced better quality salt—if he were to join the Alliance, Zhang Bo’s own value would plummet due to the direct competition.
"With me? Not with the Alliance Association?"
"That’s right. With you."
"Alright. I accept."