Chapter 569 - 67: Development
The construction of the new ship was not immediately put on schedule.
After acquiring treasure worth nearly three hundred million, the huge burden in Chen Zhou’s heart was lifted, giving him a sudden feeling of being carefree.
After executing Lisoben, he set aside all his work and spent a few days fishing heavily with Lai Fu on the island.
Since preparing the attack on the island and capturing the natives and the Spaniards, Chen Zhou hadn’t relaxed like this for a long time.
Fishing used to be just a way to relieve stress; it wasn’t truly relaxing from the deepest part of his heart.
Now it was different.
Like those retired officials who receive thousands in pensions every month, with their children’s jobs and marriages settled, owning a house and a car, having long paid off the mortgage, and with pensions they can’t even spend in full.
Such a near-perfect life is about to reach an enviable conclusion. What else is there to worry about or be troubled by?
In the past, Chen Zhou was always somewhat utilitarian about fishing, thinking he had to catch a big enough fish or several fish over 50cm in length.
Now, he would just sit at the edge of the small lake with his fishing rod for a whole day.
When in the mood, he would sprinkle more cooked barley, not caring about catching big fish or whether the fish were biting often.
If he got tired or bored of fishing, he would play with Lai Fu for a while.
When Lai Fu was young, he used to love lowering the front of his body, wiggling his butt, and staring unblinkingly at Chen Zhou, inviting him to play.
But at the beginning of the challenge, Chen Zhou was the busiest, working endlessly from waking up until sleep, rarely having time to spend with Lai Fu.
Now the situation had flipped around.
Lai Fu had developed a steady temperament, losing the liveliness of a young dog, but now his over-thirty-year-old master wouldn’t let up, teasing him with thrown bones or pinning him down to rub his belly, engaging in playful tussles.
Lai Fu often gave a "Can’t stand you" look to his childish master, yet had to oblige him, running a few steps and barking half-heartedly.
...
After fishing, Chen Zhou’s favorite pastime was strolling leisurely by the beach with Lai Fu.
Many new constructions had sprung up along the shoreline where he landed on the island, the most prominent being a high circle of cement walls, like a gray barrier.
This was the site where the mysterious rewards would descend, and the wall was built under Saturday’s supervision to prevent new island settlers from stealing the rewards or accidentally wandering into the area at night and being sliced apart by spacetime shifts.
The walled area was larger than when the material rewards arrived, ensuring it wasn’t destroyed by spacetime cuts.
The wall stood perpendicular to the ground with a smooth surface free of climbing holds; at 3.5 meters high, even adept native climbers couldn’t scale it without tools.
Each time mysterious rewards descended, members of the guard tasked with moving them would cart them away under a tarpaulin, delivering them to a factory storeroom for Chen Zhou to inspect.
...
However, as the workforce on the island grew, the effects of the rewards provided by the Space-Time Administration Bureau became increasingly minimal.
In the past two years, while the rewards included practical tools, no single tool, however exquisite or useful, could match a few skilled workers, making them relatively lackluster.
To resolve the issue of these rewards piling up unused in storage, Chen Zhou devised a "Work Hours Exchange System."
Islanders who completed work satisfactorily could earn points to exchange for rewards.
However, like the "blind boxes" Chen Zhou received, the rewards the islanders exchanged for were opaque; they wouldn’t know what they’d get until they received the reward.
It was foreseeable that premium metal tools might become luxury items and collectables for the veteran workers in the future.
Yet, due to the opacity of the rewards, as long as no one engaged in shady dealings, everyone’s chances of receiving good rewards remained relatively equal, enabling even lower-tier islanders to gain a quick path to advancement through diligent work and some luck.
The rewards-for-work-hours system was implemented in mid-May 1666, with islanders’ hours beginning to accumulate simultaneously.
By the end of May, some diligent veteran workers had qualified for their first reward exchange.
Unfortunately, this batch didn’t have much luck; the grand prizes Chen Zhou had prepared were not drawn by them, only some steel picks and multifunctional shovels.
Of course, while not the best, these prizes were still sought after by the islanders; it’s said that Zebra paid a high price to trade for two rewards.
Tools that were common in modern construction sites or fields became "luxuries" displayed on the shelf in Zebra’s house.
Whenever entertaining guests, Zebra would show off and invite them to admire and play with the metal tools, proudly stating they came from the Leader’s factory or even the "Celestial Kingdom," always wearing an expression of longing and reverence, as if merely displaying these items filled the wooden house with glory.
...
Beyond the gray walls, farther ahead, the coastline was lined with docks extending across it.
Newly constructed small boats, some with leather-sewn sails, others being improved canoes, or rafts made of joined planks, were lined up along the shore in a long row.