Chapter 169

Winter nights come earlier than usual, and as dusk sinks into the snow-capped valley, people who have finished their day's work come one after another to the open space in front of the abandoned inn.

Villagers who are good at carpentry used the wood provided by the players to build a shed here to shelter from the wind and snow, and set up several simple stoves and pots under the shed, cooperating with the life class players who came to help to prepare dinner.

Today's ingredients are mainly pumpkins.

Under the suggestion of the crowd, 【Little Xiao Xiao Yu Gao Zhi】 decided to cook the locals' favorite delicacy, pumpkin porridge, so she led a group of NPCs responsible for helping out to prepare the vegetables, peeling, seeding, and chopping the pumpkin into large pieces, stacking them in a steamer to steam until cooked, and then mashing them, busy and having fun.

【Little Rabbit Juice】 was giving bad ideas on the side, even suggesting adding some pine nuts and chili to the pot... Fortunately, it was stopped by the little demon players who were also looking forward to tonight's delicacy.

Nuts are still easy to say.

Pumpkin porridge with chili, the taste is strange enough just thinking about it.

"Stop messing around, I have to send a bowl of this pumpkin porridge to Lord Demon King in a while. If you have time, why don't you help me send the pumpkin peels to the Beast Ranch." Looking at the friend who was still unwilling to give up and waiting on the side, 【Little Xiao Xiao Yu Gao Zhi】, who covered the pot lid, complained helplessly.

The pumpkin peels were not wasted; the Beast Ranch on the edge of Beifeng City had already bought them from the NPC warehouse, intending to use them as feed for the cows.

Including those pumpkin seeds, they were not wasted either.

The newly opened oil mill in Beifeng City had already booked this batch of kitchen waste in advance, and several women helping out on the side were sifting the pumpkin seeds from the pulp.

At that time, these seeds would be pressed into oil.

"I'm just trying to supplement everyone with some protein..." Little Rabbit Juice put away the venison in his hand in a dispirited manner, changed the subject and said, "By the way, are you still running errands for that Demon King? How much favorability have you brushed?"

"Two or three thousand? Anyway, it feels like it's always rising, but there is no hint of what the upper limit is..." Little Xiao Xiao Yu Gao Zhi tilted her skeleton head and said, "It feels like a bottomless pit."

"Pfft! Isn't that just painting a pie?!" Little Rabbit Juice almost sprayed, and said indignantly.

Little Xiao Xiao Yu Gao Zhi smiled embarrassedly and said shyly.

"It doesn't matter, anyway, I'm not doing tasks for favorability... and don't you think it's quite interesting? This game can even order NPCs to do things! And also, I can feel it, that feeling of gradually becoming important."

It's not just becoming important in the minds of one or some NPCs. She can clearly feel that as she completes more and more tasks, the role she plays in the entire virtual community is becoming more and more important.

Although cooking delicious food is not a particularly amazing thing, when other players encounter trouble, they will subconsciously think of asking her for help.

And other NPCs are the same.

She, who was just a small transparent person in reality, suddenly experienced the sense of achievement that only a "five-star chef" has here.

This is not a kind of fun of management.

Looking at Little Fish with a satisfied smile on her face, Little Rabbit sighed helplessly, threw the venison in her hand on the table beside her, and picked up the basket containing the melon peels.

"You are too easy to satisfy."

Little Xiao Xiao Yu Gao Zhi smiled happily and said.

"Thanks."

"Hey, why be polite, it's not our first time running errands." While throwing down a sentence, Little Rabbit Juice, holding the basket, ran away in a puff of smoke, like a rabbit disappearing into the forest.

When it was completely dark, the steaming pumpkin porridge was finally out of the pot, and 【Little Xiao Xiao Yu Gao Zhi】, who was in charge of the spoon, and the villagers who helped out shared it with everyone who was hungry.

The tempting smell wafted out, hooking the gluttons in people's stomachs, and also hooking people's longing and homesickness for the midwinter of the past.

Looking at the pumpkin porridge filled in the bowl, former adventurer Brook, sitting on a tree stump, suddenly felt that the soreness accumulated in his biceps suddenly shifted to the bridge of his nose.

He always felt that something was missing this year, and the displacement of the past few days left him no time to think.

Until now, when he held a bowl of hot porridge in his hand, he finally realized what it was.

He had found his home again!

Not far away, the hunters who went out hunting, led by the minions of Lord Demon King, walked back from the nearby forest.

Their cloaks were covered with a layer of white snow, and their noses and faces were frozen red, like snowmen crawling out of the forest.

However, having said that, every one of them had a jubilant smile on their face.

Today's harvest is quite gratifying.

With the help of the little demons, the situation in the forest was clear at a glance, and no matter how the prey ran, they couldn't escape their eyes.

In order to ensure that they could eat meat in the future, they even let go of some smaller wild deer and only picked the big ones to start with.

A group of children chased the little demons giggling and running around in the open space, and the noisy sound diluted the heavy atmosphere a lot.

Several hunters put their hunting tools into the warehouse, then went to get a bowl of steaming pumpkin porridge and sat by the fire not far away.

Looking at the hunter sitting in front of the fire, a man with a chin full of whiskers asked with a smile.

"How was the harvest today?"

"Quite amazing," the hunter grinned and said proudly, "I have never hunted so much prey in winter! You should have come with me!"

In winter, many prey hide in their nests and don't come out. In the past, it was good not to work in vain, far from being as full as a flatbed truck today.

Of course.

This also has to do with the rich products of the Silver Pine Forest.

If it were in the Twilight Forest, not only were there few prey, but they were as cunning as rat people, often able to fight with them for a long time.

The man with the whiskers smiled and said.

"Hunting doesn't need so many people, the logging site needs more manpower... It's really hard to imagine how they hoarded so much wood."

"Maybe some monsters eat that stuff? Since it's Lord Demon King's arrangement, I think he must have his intentions," the hunter then looked at Xie Pu, who was burying his head in porridge, and continued with a smile, "Speaking of which, what about you? Xie Pu, how is the ranch?"

Yesterday, this guy was the first to find a job, making many people envious.

Hearing someone talking to him, Xie Pu raised his head, smiled and said.

"It's okay, the first cow shed has been built. The owner of the farm said that he will buy some cows tomorrow and let me help look at them. Although I suggested that he wait until the coldest time to go, he seems to be unable to wait, so let him be... Buying at this time also has benefits, the price is cheaper, just have to be careful about the animals getting sick."

Just as Xie Pu was talking, everyone sitting around the fire showed surprised expressions on their faces.

The reason they were surprised was not because the minions of Lord Demon King actually had a way to buy livestock from nearby villages, but the speed at which this guy built the cow shed.

"Already built?!"

"So fast?!"

"Saint... Lord Demon King above, how did you do it?"

Seeing that everyone had an expression of never having seen the world, Xie Pu couldn't help but feel beautiful and proud in his heart, and said with a hearty laugh.

"It didn't snow today, so the construction progress is indeed faster. And that's not a complicated job anyway, just make the fence and build a shed... By the way, you absolutely can't imagine what I saw—a magic-driven nail gun!"

Speaking of this, he used his hand to gesture the shape of a short-barreled flintlock in the air, and continued with excitement in his tone.

"The shape of that thing is like a cane sawed very short, it is said that some precise Nether script is carved inside, although I don't understand what Nether script is, that thing is really damn easy to use! As long as you pull the trigger, the nail can 'whoosh' fly out, nailing two wooden boards together, fast, accurate and stable! No need for a hammer at all, and no need to worry about hitting your hand!"

"No need to hammer?!" The man sitting next to him looked at him in surprise, shaking his head in disbelief, his beard gathered into a ball sweeping left and right like a broom, "How can that be nailed firmly?"

"Exactly! How is this possible?!"

"Too outrageous!"

The others beside him had the same expression, some laughing at Xie Pu for bragging without a draft, others shaking their heads in disbelief.

"What I said is all true! What good is it for me to lie to you?" Seeing that everyone didn't believe it, Xie Pu, who was originally proud, suddenly became a little anxious, wishing he could go back and bring that thing over to open the eyes of this bunch of ignorant things.

And unlike those who shook their heads in disbelief, the hunter holding the pumpkin porridge did not doubt, but touched his chin thoughtfully.

"The thing you said sounds like a musket... but I haven't heard of using a musket to nail nails, what does that thing consume?"

He just came back from hunting with the minions of the Demon King, and he knew very well that those guys really had something.

For example, they would bury a kind of explosive that looked small but very powerful in the ground, and after detonating it, they would scare the hibernating prey out of the cave, and then the little demons flying in the sky would track the footprints of those prey.

Precisely because of this, he was not surprised at all that the minions of the Demon King would take out things he hadn't seen before, just curious about how that thing was used.

Seeing that someone finally believed what he said, Xie Pu, whose face was flushed, hurriedly gestured with his fingers and explained to the hunter.

"Nails and magic crystals! Just these two things! Now that you mention it, that thing is indeed a bit like a musket, but the movement is much smaller than a musket! By the way, I seem to hear the sound of air leaking... Maybe it compressed the air in some way, and then squeezed the nail in!" "Magic crystal?!" The man who looked a little more cultured on the side widened his eyes, repeating in disbelief, "How is this possible? It's actually a magic crystal!"

He used to be a lamp maker who helped the lord make candles, and had seen magic crystal lamps in the lord's castle. And the brilliant light emitted by that thing, he would never forget in his life.

He still remembers that the servants in the castle told him with an arrogant and proud attitude that the crystal-like lamp was a masterpiece of the dwarves, and it used technology similar to inscriptions, and it is said that the value is comparable to the same weight of gold!

That sentence may not be true.

But judging from the proud expression of the servant, it is enough to prove that magic appliances using magic crystals are still quite rare in the Kingdom of Ryan.

It was not just him who was surprised, the slightly older herbalist on the side also showed an expression of disbelief, sighing and saying.

"Demon King above... they actually gave you a magic guide device!"

Seeing the two so surprised, Xie Pu was also startled, his voice subconsciously weakened, and he asked in a low voice.

"Is that thing called a magic guide device?"

He didn't expect that thing to be so valuable.

Thinking that he had used that thing to build all day during the day, and threw it at the construction site after using it, sweat couldn't help but seep out of his back.

=9+Book_Bar

After going back, he must find an expensive box, carefully put it away, and offer it like a treasure!

Looking at Xie Pu, who was terrified, the older herbalist nodded, sighed and said.

"I heard that those that consume magic crystals are... of course, there are also some that are said not to need magic crystals, but need the user's own magic power."

Speaking of this, he still had an expression of disbelief on his face, and added another sentence after this sentence.

"How could they give you that kind of valuable thing? And just let you use it like that?"

There was half a sentence left, which he held in his heart and didn't ask.

That is "Why!"

"I don't know either... that adult even put the tool here with me, and didn't take it away after I finished the work," Xie Pu swallowed nervously and continued, "But thanks to that thing, I finished three days of work in one day! Maybe... he hopes I work faster?"

The lamp maker and the herbalist looked at each other, couldn't help but ask.

"Compressing three days of work into one day... is that thing really that magical?!"

While everyone was amazed, they discussed one after another.

However, up to this point, no one doubted what Xie Pu said, after all, being able to build a cow shed in one day is indeed a bit outrageous.

This is not something that can be explained by a clear sky!

Beside the fire not far away, the construction worker who had just sat down happened to hear their words and couldn't help but turn his head and interject.

"What's the big deal, it's just a nail gun... We've seen even more powerful guys when we were working."

The lamp maker widened his eyes and said in surprise.

"There are even more powerful ones?!"

Seeing that everyone's attention was focused on him, the construction worker's vanity was greatly satisfied, and the corners of his mouth curled up and said.

"You know that cement made of volcanic ash, right? The lords use it to fill wall cracks. Here, they directly used wooden boards to surround a grid, inserted iron bars in the middle, and then poured the mixed mud into it. When the wooden boards were removed, it was as hard as a brick! Seriously, I've been a mason for so many years, and it's the first time I've seen this construction method."

"Me too..." Another construction worker also had an expression of great emotion, and continued, "And there are several iron bars inserted in each of their grids... I really don't know where they got so much iron!"

The blacksmith on the side interjected.

"Iron? That thing is steel! Refined from a huge furnace, I am responsible for helping them do this work!"

"Don't you think the cement is more amazing?" The construction worker who spoke first grabbed the conversation and muttered, "There is a mine nearby, I'm not surprised at all that there is iron and coal, but where is there a volcano?!"

Just when everyone was puzzled, a young man interjected in a low voice.

"Maybe... the raw material is not volcanic ash at all."

The construction worker was stunned and stopped talking.

Others around were also stunned, and pairs of eyes looked at him.

"The raw material is not volcanic ash?"

"What is that? Mud?"

Being looked at by so many eyes, the young man was also embarrassed and said ambiguously.

"I don't know either... but I saw that the raw material seems to be a kind of stone. They smash it, then drag it into a huge furnace, about the same size as the one for refining steel, and it becomes ash after burning. By the way, they also used a special hammer when smashing those things, the kind that comes with power."

No one cared about the second half of his sentence.

After all, everyone present had heard of a gun that shoots nails, and a hammer that comes with power didn't seem to be anything worth being surprised about.

In contrast, cement made of stone was even more surprising.

In the Twilight Province, cement is basically controlled by the dwarves of Brass Pass, and like other precious metals, it is the latter's main export commodity.

Although everyone present didn't know how much cement actually sells for, materials that even the lords are reluctant to use must be very valuable.

And here, the minions of the Demon King not only use cement to replace stone, but even use it to build houses for them who have just wandered here!

It's as if Lord Demon King not only has the magic of turning stones into gold, but even uses gold to make bowls for them poor people to eat...

Without others thinking about it, they themselves felt it was a waste!

Xie Pu, who had been silent for a long time, sighed and said.

"Maybe this is the legendary alchemy..."

The hunter sitting next to him nodded in agreement.

"I heard that Lord Demon King is a necromancer... that adult should be able to do it, right?"

Just as his voice fell, the man with the whiskers on the side complained.

"Are you stupid! Where does such a small thing need that adult to take action personally, his subordinates have already handled it!"

The hunter's old face flushed, and he defended.

"That's what I mean... since Lord Demon King can do these things, his minions can of course do it too!"

Everyone discussed, sharing what they saw and heard in this camp all day, and the incredible big and small things they saw when working for the minions of the Demon King.

And everyone didn't know until they communicated, and only then did they realize that this Grave was even more amazing than they imagined.

Things like nail guns were just pediatrics.

Their steel was not forged, but extruded and machined. Their cloth was not woven by manpower, but woven at an incredible speed by steam-driven machines.

And crops growing in the house, stone men pushing shovels to level the ground, and cave spiders digging ore and transporting earth...

Various rumors were also spreading more and more mysteriously, and the more they talked, the more outrageous they became, and everyone's admiration and reverence for His Majesty the Demon King also turned from a trickle into a surging river.

"I really feel for the lord here..." Listening to everyone's vivid description, Brook, who was wiping his sword, couldn't help but say.

"Why feel for that miser," Xie Pu sneered and said gloatingly, "I just want to see him sweating now!"

"There will be such a day," the hunter on the side said with a smile, "I bet that after this winter, when he sees a city-state loyal to the Demon King behind his butt, let alone sweating, he might be scared to pee on the spot!"

"Hahaha!"

Everyone laughed, but some people shook their heads rationally and said.

"That's an exaggeration, this is only two or three hundred people, the wall is only two or three meters high, and it's made of wood. If I were him, I really wouldn't take this place seriously."

"Two or three hundred people are just now, soon there will be more people here!"

The hunter smiled and patted the man on the shoulder, facing everyone sitting around the fire, and continued in a firm tone.

"Don't forget how they drove us here!"

(End of chapter)