Chapter 90: Joining the Party

Night fell.

To successfully recruit Ka Wei to A Ru Cun, Luo De specially went to the dream world to ask Nadixa for some good things, then went to the Lambard tavern and waited.

After waiting, it was midnight before he finally saw the tardy Ka Wei.

Just like during the day.

Ka Wei still looked like a dissipated youth; upon entering the tavern he said nothing, leaned against the seat where he had slept during the day, ordered neither food nor drink, just huddled there until the Lambard tavern brought a bottle of wine, then he sat up and poured and drank it himself.

He needed no side dishes.

Ka Wei just kept drinking cup after cup of wine straight.

Not long after.

His eyes began to grow hazy.

"His alcohol tolerance is really poor."

Luo De roughly compared his own tolerance and reached that conclusion.

After spending a long time with the mercenaries of the Blazing Light Beast Hunters, Luo De's tolerance had been trained to be fairly good.

If he used to go down after two cups, now he can at least finish a bottle.

Meanwhile, Ka Wei hadn't even finished half a bottle before he could barely keep his eyes open, his hand shaking as he held the cup.

Knowing that if he waited any longer, this guy would surely pass out drunk.

Luo De then picked up the wine bottle and sat directly opposite Ka Wei.

"Huh?"

"Who, who are you?"

The wine-affected Ka Wei, his vision a bit dizzy, suddenly failed to recognize that this person was the diner who had taken his seat earlier that day.

Luo De carefully examined the disheveled, unkempt youth before him and couldn't help shaking his head.

Too dissipated.

This mental state is not easy to deal with.

But the matter still needed to be discussed; it wasn't possible to avoid talking to him just because he was dissipated.

"Mr. Ka Wei, with your condition, I don't even know how to broach hiring you."

Upon hearing this,

The Ka Wei who had just been a bit dazed suddenly sobered up considerably, though his tongue was still a little thick as he asked, "You, you want to hire me?"

"Yes."

Luo De nodded and said, "Name your price."

"?"

Upon hearing that, Ka Wei's drunkenness turned into a smile: "Friend, you're an amateur, aren't you?"

"Indeed, I'm of the student faction; farming is my forte, but I'm not good at construction."

Luo De openly admitted it, then said, "I want to hire you to go to A Ru Cun for a trip; how about it? Interested?"

"A Ru Cun?"

Upon hearing that name, Ka Wei blinked slightly.

Isn't that the village in the desert?

Ka Wei, who had never taken a desert job before, asked doubtfully, "What do you want to hire me to do?"

"A lot."

"Repair the library, repair the school, repair the hospital, repair the dam, repair the bridge, repair the road—in short, a lot, a lot."

As the only major town in the desert, A Ru Cun, which could achieve peace, lacks a great deal of infrastructure, or rather, basically has no decent infrastructure.

This is also the topic Luo De and Nadixa mentioned most often when discussing A Ru Cun.

The causes of this problem are multifaceted.

The harsh natural environment is one aspect.

The Academy is another factor.

A Ru Cun's inability to afford repairs is another aspect.

The desert people's unwillingness to change their long-standing habits is another aspect.

In any case, many factors combine together.

Ultimately, this resulted in A Ru Cun's current state, where it has nothing to show besides peace.

The only good news now.

In Luo De's experiment using grass slime to replace the Fertility Blessing, the problem of water and soil loss can basically be solved now.

Plus Nadixa's newly simulated drought-resistant economic crops from the dream world.

After a few days, when Luo De brings these experiment reports back, A Ru Cun's reliance on the Fertility Blessing may hopefully become history.

As for livestock.

We still have to wait for Duo Li to breed the hairless chickens before we can buy suitable chicks; other livestock also need to wait, so these are matters for later, no need to rush for now.

On the other hand.

Regarding Luo De's proposals, Ka Wei appeared not very pleased.

"You might as well just say you want me to rebuild A Ru Cun."

"Friend, if there's nothing else, please don't come to tease me."

He said these things in an irritated tone.

Ka Wei stopped paying attention to Luo De and started pouring himself another drink.

Constructing regional infrastructure.

This isn't something you can joke about just by moving your lips.

Like the hospital Luo De mentioned.

This thing isn't impossible to build.

But the doctors, nurses, medical facilities and other supporting needs for the hospital aren't something that can be explained in a few words.

Although the Academy doesn't bother much with the desert side, letting the desert folk do as they please.

But without going through the Academy, these supporting facilities could never be assembled.

And if this matter were to pass the Academy's approval.

The person speaking to me shouldn't be Luo De, but the village chief of A Ru Cun and an Academy official, and they'd have to bring various Academy documents to find me.

Luo De currently has nothing.

Just opening his mouth, he's asking me to design and construct all the infrastructure for A Ru Cun.

Ka Wei naturally assumed he was just here to amuse himself.

His behavior was already expected by Luo De and Nadixa, so Luo De handed over a densely drawn drawing: 'Here, take a look.'

No one knows the Academy's procedures better than Nadixa.

According to her understanding of the Academy, if they really followed normal procedure, those Academy officials would definitely use a delaying tactic, endlessly postponing A Ru Cun's application for infrastructure support, ultimately forcing A Ru Cun to give up.

So some necessary measures still need to be taken.

It must be said.

Having emerged from her seclusion, Nadixa is noticeably more decisive than when she first met Luo De.

Plus what the Academy has done to her.

She now feels not only disappointment toward the Academy, but also no trust at all.

And this necessary measure is what would make Ka Wei give up pressing about the Academy's attitude.

That is what Luo De handed him.

Beginning.

Ka Wei didn't care at all about the stack of drawings Luo De produced.

He only flipped through it out of respect for Luo De.

But upon looking, it turned out to be astonishing.

These drawings, comparable to textbook standards, made Ka Wei unable to look away.

His brain, still fuzzy from drunkenness just moments ago, is now completely sober.

"This, this is."

"Who drew this?"

"Which master's masterpiece is this?"

Ka Wei could not contain his excitement, handling these drawings as if they were precious jewels, fearing that any sudden movement might damage them.

"I drew them."

Luo De has a thick skin; when he lies, he doesn't even blink.

"You?"

Ka Wei stared blankly for a moment, then he rubbed his eyes hard, intensely gazing at Luo De's face while quickly searching his memory for the renowned architects and their disciples he knew.

No matter how hard he tried to recall.

He just couldn't remember where he had seen Luo De before.

Combined with Luo De's earlier claim that he studied the Vitalist School, Ka Wei firmly concluded: 'Since you've already hired such an outstanding architect, don't come joking with me—I know my own level well, and I'm certainly no match for the master who drew these plans for you; if you could get him, you don't need me.'

Having said that.

He without hesitation handed the drawings back.

"Sigh, I said it was me—why don't you believe me?"

Luo De sighed, dipped his finger in some liquor, and began drawing directly on the table.

Just a few strokes.

He wrote down several commonly used architectural formulas in succession.

"This doesn't prove anything."

Just a few generic formulas, still can't fool Ka Wei.

Luo De's response was to simply spread out the drawings, apply the formulas written on the table, and continue calculating on the table.

"."

The more Ka Wei looked, the more something felt off.

What's the deal with this guy who claims to be from the Vitalist School?

Which Vitalist School student would be so familiar with the Marvelous Theory School's knowledge?

Although what Luo De wrote are just the simplest formulas, Ka Wei could work them out mentally without pen or paper.

But this also indirectly proves.

Luo De indeed knows the Marvelous Theory School's knowledge.

And then.

When Luo De began explaining the contents of the drawings and was completely correct, Ka Wei was already utterly bewildered.

"You, you really are from the Student Theory School?"

Ka Wei asked in disbelief.

Too standard.

Luo De's explanation of the drawings was exactly the same as how his teacher taught him when he was still at the Academy.

Could it be that this guy isn't here to make fun of me, but he's actually here to invite me?

No.

If these drawings are really all hand-drawn by him.

Then his knowledge level of the Marvelous Theory School is already completely above mine, so why would he need me to go to A Ru Cun to design and build infrastructure?

"Want me to lecture you on some Life Theory School materials?"

Luo De said with a smile: "Oh, right, I also concurrently study the Simple Theory School; if you want to hear it, I can tell you."

These few words completely broke Ka Wei's defenses.

He suddenly thought of a person.

A guy who once told him, 'Every young person should learn at least twenty languages before graduation.'

And also the bastard Ka Wei least wants to see.

Ai'erhaixen is already enough of a pervert.

Where did another person who cultivates three schools and is proficient in all of them, a super genius, come from again?

I've never heard of this before!

"Hehe——"

Seeing Ka Wei shocked to the point of being unable to close his mouth, Luo De couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.

He is a hammer-wielder who cultivates three schools.

Everything is just him repeating what Nadixa says, sentence by sentence.

When it comes to theoretical knowledge on paper, who in all of Sumeru can compare to her!

This trick really works.

Ka Wei was indeed bluffed, and no longer doubted Luo De's motive for seeking him.

Next.

Luo De then said: "I'm asking you because I can't stay long in A Ru Cun; I'll have to go to the Academy soon, so I need to find a qualified builder for the village to help."

This time Ka Wei finally believed Luo De's words, and he earnestly asked: "For constructing these basic facilities, have you obtained approval from the Academy? I can help you design them, but if you don't have the approval, even if built, these facilities can't be put into use."

"I've applied for it."

"By the time your construction there is nearly done, the approval will come through."

Luo De put on a confident appearance and spoke off the cuff.

He had it all figured out.

Even if he couldn't rescue Nadixa in time, once Ka Wei finishes building those designed infrastructure for A Ru Cun, the blond-haired traveler will also arrive around then; when Nadixa takes over the Academy, any approval she wants will be granted.

This is the advantage of knowing many things in advance.

For many things, Luo De can boldly promise, without fearing that he'll go back on his word later.

Ka Wei also believed what Luo De said.

But that alone isn't enough.

"How much is the pay? How is it calculated? Per project or a lump sum?"

This is the real problem staring us in the face.

"The pay is that the village will help you repay your monthly debts."

Luo De smiled and put forward a condition that made Ka Wei's heart race.

To help Ka Wei solve this debt problem, he today nearly scratched his scalp raw.

Finally, it was with Nadixa's help.

He managed to get something that could offset Ka Wei's debt.

This time it wasn't some valuable experimental data.

But an investment contract.

The content of this contract is very simple.

That is, Duo Li will fund Luo De to plant Nadixa's newly researched cash crops in the desert, with all yields prioritized for sale to Duo Li.

This is actually the investment proposal Luo De once made to her.

Back then, Luo De was penniless, and Duo Li immediately refused.

But now it's different.

With Luo De holding extremely precise experimental data and these new crops having high feasibility as a premise, plus his promise again to bear any losses, Duo Li can confidently allocate funds to Luo De for large-scale cultivation.

Sumeru's rainforest region is indeed rich in produce, but the desert land there is practically free.

Once Luo De succeeds.

The crops produced from that desert will have a cost competitiveness far surpassing the rainforest region.

What's more.

Duo Li has also been watching step by step as Luo De grows things in the desert and actually achieves a bountiful harvest.

So when Luo De again proposed wanting investment, she agreed without much hesitation.

The only thing was, when Luo De said that in this investment his early gains would go to offset Ka Wei's debt, and that Ka Wei's stay in A Ru Cun would offset the debt proportionally.

Duo Li expressed some surprise at this.

How did these two guys who both owe me money end up together?

But surprise is surprise.

In the end, Duo Li still agreed to this.

This is also where Luo De's confidence in seeking Ka Wei is strongest.

And this paycheck indeed makes the straitened Ka Wei very eager.

The debt of nearly one million Mora per month truly weighed on him, making it hard for him to breathe.

Thus, this cooperation was reached in an atmosphere where everyone was happy.

Before leaving.

Luo De heard Nadixa's voice again in his mind.

He froze for a moment.

He immediately patted Ka Wei's shoulder: "Your father once lived in A Ru Cun for a period; the house he lived in back then is still vacant. When you get to A Ru Cun, go take a look."

Upon hearing that.

Ka Wei's body stiffened, and he looked at Luo De in disbelief.

The stored drafts were all used up yesterday; from now on I'll have to write in real time, updating roughly at this time every day~~~

(End of chapter)