Chapter 117: The Tailor Shop |
Qin Ziwu and the others caught up from behind. Seeing the wild boar restrained, they immediately swarmed forward.
Within just a few minutes, the wild boar that had been ferocious moments ago lay on the ground, completely unconscious.
Qin Ziwu praised, "Damn, big bro, when we were coming over, we saw you guys just straight up pinning that boar down."
Li Yue came closer and looked, the more he looked, the more familiar it seemed.
This male wild boar seemed to be the very one that had gored him back then.
By the time the dust settled, dusk was approaching. It was past seven in the evening when the group carried their trophy back to the residential complex.
The group carrying the wild boar in was particularly eye-catching, attracting the attention of neighbors on all sides.
"Whoa, what a huge wild boar!"
"Where did you guys get this? Can you trade for some of that boar?"
"Handsome, you're so manly." The speaker was a man. He pretended to approach and touch the boar, but actually secretly stroked Qin Ziwu's bulging, muscular arm.
Qin Ziwu's eyes widened like copper bells.
The man gave a strange, sly smile and retreated back into the crowd.
Qin Ziwen called out, "The meat isn't for sale, but it can be traded. If you have fresh, live fish, you can come exchange for wild boar meat."
The wild boar was carried all the way up to Unit 602. Qin Ziwen first went to the rooftop to retrieve the Crowned Eagle, then led it down through the stairwell.
Stepping on the hard cement floor of the stairwell, the Crowned Eagle's claws made crisp clicking sounds. The surface ground against them, causing some pain. Several times along the way, it wanted to spread its wings and fly, but the space in the emergency stairwell was somewhat cramped, leaving it unable to maneuver properly.
Qin Ziwen felt a pang of heartache watching this. He simply picked up the Crowned Eagle from behind.
Although its size had increased significantly, its weight wasn't too outrageous.
Among creatures of the same volume, birds are considered very light.
But for one two meters tall with a wingspan exceeding five meters, its weight still surpassed that of many adults.
Qin Ziwen estimated it should be around two hundred pounds.
Fortunately, his strength now was much greater than before. Picking it up was somewhat strenuous, but not impossible.
After bringing it back home and setting it on the floor, Qin Ziwen wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. "If you get any bigger, I might not be able to carry you anymore."
"Scree." Back home, the Crowned Eagle stepped on the floor tiles, feeling uncomfortable no matter what. Finally, Qin Ziwen led it to the sandy area. Only when its feet and claws sank into the sand did it feel much more at ease.
Qin Ziwen pondered, "Looks like I need to make a few perches at home, so it can rest by gripping them with its claws. Usually, this sandy area will do."
By the salt well not far away, Liu San and the others saw such a large divine bird from a distance and felt even more reverence for Lord Qin.
Qin Ziwen called out toward the salt well not far away, "Liu San."
Liu San hurried over. "What are your orders, my lord?"
"Prepare ten catties of coarse salt first. We'll need it for curing the meat later."
"Yes, my lord."
Liu San went back and soon returned, carrying a bag with about ten catties of coarse salt.
After taking the salt, Qin Ziwen let the Crowned Eagle play in the sand by itself.
Then he carried the salt upstairs.
He saw everyone busily cleaning the wild boar and dividing the pork.
Everyone was in high spirits, excited about getting a share of the meat.
Qin Ziwen set the salt down, told them to continue their work, and then returned to his residence with Du Yu.
Back inside the room, Qin Ziwen calmed his mind. He prepared to use Insight to examine every place within the Home that could be viewed.
[Level 2 Coal Mine: Level 2 Coal Purification, Level 2 Reserve Increase]
[Level 2 Iron Mine: Level 2 Iron Purification, Level 2 Mine Safety Enhancement]
[Level 1 Stone Quarry: Level 1 Stone Hardness Enhancement, Level 1 Reserve Increase]
Looking at the 'Mine Safety Enhancement' after the Iron Mine, Qin Ziwen's eyelids twitched. What did that mean?
Safety could be enhanced? That meant this mine originally had a risk of collapse?
The resource points within the Home actually had risks when he mined them himself.
Afterward, Qin Ziwen went to the spring.
[Level 2 Spring: Level 2 Water Output Increase, Level 2 Water Quality Purification]
Just as he was pondering this,
A knocking sound came from outside the door.
Opening the door, he saw Zhao Pu standing outside. "Mr. Qin, I'd like to ask for your guidance on how to handle this building of mine."
Guidance?
Qin Ziwen found it strange. Wasn't a building card just used directly on empty land? Why would guidance be needed?
But seeing Zhao Pu's cautious yet hopeful demeanor reminded him of when he first obtained a card himself.
"Alright, but I wouldn't call it guidance. However, I can offer some small suggestions to help you avoid detours."
Following Zhao Pu to his home,
The room Zhao Pu had selected was a secondary bedroom.
This bedroom was originally probably a storage room. Now, it was mostly cleared out.
"This card says it needs a 3 by 4 area. My bedroom's area is exactly this size. Mr. Qin, do you think it's okay?"
"Hmm... it's okay, theoretically it is. But have you considered, if the main door direction of this building doesn't align with your bedroom door, how will you get in? Are you planning to just tear down this wall?"
Zhao Pu suddenly realized. "Mr. Qin, I thought buildings were like in games. Once constructed, you could just enter directly."
"No, buildings created through building cards, you can understand them as having no difference from normally constructed houses, except they contain some more miraculous effects."
"I understand! Thank you, Mr. Qin, for clearing that up."
In the end, Zhao Pu chose to build the Tailor Shop in the living room.
Like the choice of the vast majority, the first building was placed in the living room.
As the white light dissipated, a small wooden hut appeared in its place.
This hut leaned towards a Western-style aesthetic. Viewed from the outside, it was constructed from stacked, felled tree trunks.
The gaps between the trunks were filled with yellow mud mixed with dry grass.
On the side was a wooden louvered window.
Inside the hut, a small wooden table was placed, with two kerosene lamps on it.
On another table nearby, resembling a workbench, were scattered scissors, a tape measure, chalkstone, a thimble, and a densely packed pincushion.
Then there were several large bundles of thread in black, white, and gray.
It looked very rudimentary, yet inexplicably carried a special charm.
Qin Ziwen looked around, somewhat puzzled. This was an ancient-style building leaning towards Western aesthetics.
This was the first time he had seen a building of this style.
Within his own Home, his buildings were mostly leaning towards Eastern styles.
He didn't know if it was a matter of the building card itself or a difference between Homeowners.
But once he built his own Tailor Shop later,
He should be able to find out.
Qin Ziwen looked at the Tailor Shop before him.
Used Insight.
[Permission verification in progress... Insight successful!]
[Level 1 Tailor Shop: Level 1 Sewing Efficiency Increase, Level 1 Leather Armor Flexibility Enhancement]
Qin Ziwen was somewhat surprised. This Tailor Shop's effects were pretty good. It increased sewing efficiency and also had a leather armor flexibility enhancement.
One increased efficiency, the other increased the flexibility of leather armor.
This meant leather armor made within this Tailor Shop would have greater toughness using the same materials.
The leather armor made in Zhao Pu's Tailor Shop would be more competitive than similar products.
"Mr. Qin, is everything okay?" Zhao Pu inquired.
Qin Ziwen nodded. "It's fine, it's quite good."
Zhao Pu breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."
Just now, after Mr. Qin came in, he kept looking around, which had kept Zhao Pu on edge, worried there might be something wrong with his building.
"Dad, we have a card too." Zhao Shu Huan walked in, looking delightedly at the tailor's tools on the table.
"Do you want to learn tailoring?" Zhao Pu said with a smile.
Zhao Shu Huan quickly shook his head. "I don't."
Seeing this, Zhao Pu didn't force it. He knew interest was the best teacher. "If you're not interested, then forget it. Later, when there's a profession you are interested in, you can go learn that."
Hearing his father say this, Zhao Shu Huan himself felt a bit embarrassed. He said softly, "It's not that I look down on being a tailor. I just don't really like it. I like the feeling of setting traps and capturing prey."
"You want to be a hunter?" Zhao Pu was taken aback. This child usually seemed quiet and calm, yet he actually wanted to be a hunter.
Zhao Pu reminded him, "Being a hunter is very dangerous. Don't just see how impressive the Hunting Team members look every day. In reality, every time they go out, they themselves can't guarantee they'll return safely."
Zhao Shu Huan opened his heart to his father for the first time. "I know, Dad. I've looked into it."
Looking into his son's eyes, Zhao Pu remained silent for a long while. "I'll think of a way. But you need to get your body in good condition first. If you want to hunt beasts, physical fitness is very important."
Qin Ziwen said, "Doctor Zhao, I'll head back now then."
"Thank you, Mr. Qin." Zhao Pu saw Qin Ziwen to the door.
Only after hearing the sound of Mr. Qin going upstairs and closing his door did he close his own door.
Zhao Shu Huan asked curiously, "Dad, so you awakened that Home thing, right?"
"That's right." Zhao Pu smiled and summoned the Home's little glowing ball.
Looking at the small ball floating before him, emitting a soft white glow, Zhao Shu Huan's eyes reflected the ball's projection. He reached out, cautiously trying to touch the ball.
But his finger passed right through it.
Clearly visible, yet untouchable.
Zhao Shu Huan said excitedly, "Dad, I heard that very few people in the complex have awakened a Home now, only about ten percent."
Zhao Pu said, "Seventeen percent."
Zhao Shu Huan was surprised to hear this precise percentage. "Huh?"
"The Home can show it." Zhao Pu looked at the reminder for the next crossing.
But not everything could be seen. The most prominent among them were those four large characters: Insufficient Permissions.
Zhao Pu sighed with emotion. "It seems Mr. Qin's permissions are much higher."
"Dad? Dad?" Zhao Shu Huan called him twice.
Zhao Pu snapped back to reality, looked at his son, and smiled. "Shu Huan, Dad will definitely make sure we survive well here."
...
After leaving home, Qin Ziwen called Du Yu and went with him to Building 1.
At this hour, the trading market in the center of the complex was nearing its end. Most of the ground stalls had been packed up, and it was gradually becoming quiet.
Arriving at Building 1, Unit 1, Room 801.
After knocking, it was very quiet inside.
"Brother Wang, it's me, Qin Ziwen."
Only after Qin Ziwen spoke did footsteps sound from behind the door.
A moment later, the door opened a crack.
Wang Yun stood behind the door, his hair messy, his mental state somewhat listless. He looked Qin Ziwen over, his gaze finally settling on Du Yu.
When he saw Du Yu, a flicker of something strange passed through Wang Yun's eyes.
Having recruited a hunter before and having long-term contact with the recruited ancient person, the moment he saw Du Yu, even with Du Yu's short hair, he instantly recognized that this person was definitely not a modern person.
Because there was a natural difference in temperament between modern people and ancient people.
"It's only been a few days, and you're acting so distant with me." Qin Ziwen said with a smile. "I heard about your situation. I didn't join the Alliance, don't worry."
Hearing the latter part, Wang Yun remained silent for a long moment, then pulled the door open and stepped aside to let them in.
After entering, Qin Ziwen looked at the somewhat empty room. Compared to his previous visits, it felt much more desolate.
Sitting on the living room sofa, he asked casually, "Hey, brother, where's my sister-in-law?"
A flash of pain appeared in Wang Yun's eyes.
"She's sick. That infectious disease."
As his words fell, Lin Yi's violent coughing came from the bedroom.
Then came Lin Yi's hoarse voice. "Is that Xiao Qin? I'm sorry, I've caught the illness, it's inconvenient for me to come out and greet you. Please forgive me."
Qin Ziwen asked, "Has sister-in-law taken any medicine?"
"She took some traditional Chinese medicine, but the effect wasn't much use. Her body wasn't very good to begin with." Wang Yun's face was full of bitter expression.
There were no hospitals here. Medicine of all kinds was scarce.
If you got sick and couldn't treat yourself, you could only pray your immune system worked and leave it to fate.
Qin Ziwen said, "I had this illness before too. I took a few cephalosporin pills. I have a bit left over. If you don't mind, I'll bring it over later."
Upon hearing this, Wang Yun's eyes suddenly lit up, his voice trembling. "This... this..."
He had begged everyone, high and low, anyone he could beg or ask, he had basically tried them all.
But he had offended the Alliance. The Alliance people wouldn't sell him anything, and others all said they didn't have any.
"Brother Qin, this—"
Wang Yun didn't know how to express the excitement in his heart.
But soon, bitterness returned. "If you're thinking of joining my team, I'm sorry. You probably know a bit about my situation. Now the team is basically dead or scattered.
The altar I discovered before is now under the Alliance's control. I don't have much to offer you. But if there's anything you need me to do, just give the order."
Qin Ziwen said, "Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony. Brother Wang, I'm here to invite you to join my team."
Wang Yun didn't hesitate much and nodded in agreement. "Okay. Any other conditions? Once my wife gets better, I'll give you my very life!"
Qin Ziwen waved his hand with a smile. "No need for that. This is a proper team, not some life-selling illegal organization. By the way, where's that hunter brother from before?"
Hearing this, Du Yu looked toward the balcony. Wang Yun waved toward the balcony.
From the balcony edge, a taciturn man wearing sportswear walked out.
Qin Ziwen was surprised. He had been here for so long and hadn't even noticed there was someone on the balcony. He threw an Insight at him.
[Permission verification in progress... Insight successful!]
[Ordinary · Human: ☆☆☆]
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