Chapter 26: You Even Want This Kind of Trash

Besides selling books, bookstores also sell stationery.

The "Writing Fifth Treasure"—the book knife—placed out in the open had already been scavenged, or consumed for other uses.

Only those tucked away in book pages, inconspicuous, might have been missed.

A civilian, practical, all-in-one small knife, it could cut paper and open letters, and also serve as a bookmark; the blade was relatively dull, not easily causing accidental injury.

The one Wen Gu picked out from the furnace slag, judging by the design, originally should have had a tassel attached, which burned away in the furnace along with the book.

Those made of animal bone or bamboo and wood had all burned to ash or warped; only those of copper or iron metal could remain.

Wen Gu came over just to see if he could pick up any leftovers.

Noble families and wealthy households tended more toward the elegant, high-class style of "no steel blades in the study," abandoning copper and iron to use precious materials like jade, gemstones, and ivory. Even if they used copper or iron, they would inlay them with gemstones.

However, here, being able to find a copper or iron book knife was already considered not bad. This was also the kind Wen Gu wanted: practical.

In the furnace slag, only this one relatively complete book knife was found.

Digging a bit more, there were two more with metal blades and wooden handles; the handles had burned away, leaving only finger-length small blades, which Wen Gu also collected.

Xiao Liu could use them when setting traps.

County Lieutenant Zhou had no interest in these; because he had suffered hunger, and his family members had also met with misfortune while searching for food, he, like Xiao Liu, valued things related to food more.

Besides things that could be eaten, there were also cooking utensils.

Every time they arrived at a residence, County Lieutenant Zhou would first go to see if there was any food, or if iron pots or copper pots had been left behind.

Unfortunately, he didn't find a single one. They had either been taken away by the original owners or collected by forces that had passed through here later.

They only found a few teacups, rice bowls, and spoons.

Fortunately, there were still the grain bricks from the grain merchant's house, which could soothe the dissatisfaction in his heart.

However, there were too many grain bricks in the grain merchant's house, and they only had one donkey cart and one mule cart, which also had to carry other supplies; they couldn't fit so much food made into bricks.

It wasn't realistic for everyone to carry another sack of bricks on their backs while traveling!

They pried all the grain bricks off first.

Leaving them on the wall, there was no telling if they would be gnawed away by rats.

Since they couldn't take them all at once, they found a place to stockpile the rest, perhaps having a chance to come back and haul them away later.

The place where the grain merchant lived had been ransacked several times; no matter which force passed through here, the first thing they would target was definitely the grain store and the pharmacy.

"It's not appropriate to leave them here."

County Lieutenant Zhou carefully recalled the houses in the Town, and chose an inconspicuous residence; there was a small storeroom there with intact doors and windows. By building a wall inside, the complete grain bricks, when placed together, were actually not conspicuous; if one pushed the door open to enter, the first thought would only be that the storeroom had long been emptied.

With the doors and windows closed, it wouldn't be easy for rats to get in.

Wen Gu also made a note in his Notebook.

He had a Notebook specifically for drawing maps; in this era, information did not flow well, and there was no navigation, so much of the work still had to be done by himself.

Returning to the grain merchant's residence, they would rest here for one more night and set off tomorrow morning.

County Lieutenant Zhou chopped some firewood, looked at the axe in his hand, and was very worried: "If this axe breaks, I don't know if I'll be able to find a replacement."

If it were just that the axe blade was dull or rolled, it would be easy to handle. But if the axe blade were severely damaged, it would require heating and forging. They didn't have the conditions for that now.

Wen Gu was also thinking about this matter.

Ironware flowed into the civilian population, and blacksmith shops could be seen in some Towns and remote County Towns.

Of course, not the high-tech type of blacksmiths who had official establishment status and forged military weapons and armor.

Ordinary blacksmiths only forged civilian utensils.

Don't count on finding that kind of high-tech talent; that type had long been snatched up by various forces. Wen Gu didn't have high requirements; finding an ordinary one would do. If they couldn't handle weapons, surely they could forge some daily utensils?

The problem was where to find someone.

Where were there blacksmith shops and blacksmiths?

The axe was just a small matter; he also wanted to forge some other things.

After a short rest, they continued north.

The small Town at the river ferry became silent once again.

In the grain merchant's residence, a layer had been pried off the inner side of the perimeter wall. In a certain room, the wooden window frames and house pillars were left with dense, tiny dots, as if poked out by some sharp, pointed tool.

Wen Gu's group, carrying the newly pried grain bricks and a large amount of Grain Powder packed in oil paper, headed north along the planned route.

Another few days of travel.

They had already crossed the state border and arrived in another state.

Under the current dynasty's state and county system, the hometown of Xiao Liu and County Lieutenant Zhou and the place they were currently stepping on belonged to different states.

Due to transportation limitations, ordinary people in this era rarely traveled far; Zhou Shan also knew more than others only because he had run to many places due to his duties.

Now that they had even left the state and departed from the familiar region, County Lieutenant Zhou found it hard to give suggestions.

He was very familiar with the area within the County Town, and had heard of the surroundings of the County Town, but as for further away, he was completely in the dark.

Being in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, the route was hard to choose; Wen Gu pondered pulling a few locals into the team.

There were still not enough people!

The further they went, the more intense the survival competition in the north would be; he had to recruit more talent so it would be more convenient to do things later.

"I wonder if there are any survivors locally."

Not long after, Wen Gu saw traces of man-made firewood cutting.

Besides that, there were also the remains of evil creatures that had been slain, likely from half a month ago, with clean and efficient blade work.

Wen Gu had everyone keep an eye out.

Without a map, they could only judge the distribution of towns and Villages based on the terrain, topography, and roads.

The place they were passing through now should be very close to some County Town or a once-prosperous Town.

If it were a County Town, they would choose to bypass it.

Along the way, most of the County Towns had turned into nests for monsters.

Matuan in the sky gave a warning first.

A moment later, they encountered a person.

He was out chopping firewood, seemingly alone, carrying a basket on his back, holding a Firewood Knife in his hand, wrapped in a gray, coarse cloth garment, and wearing a mask, so it was impossible to tell what he looked like, though he appeared to be quite young.

Even though he was just chopping firewood, he gave off a feeling of being very shifty and not quite upright.

Zhou Shan stepped forward with his blade, called out to the other party, and maintained a distance that made both sides feel at ease.

Wen Gu listened to the conversation between the two in front and also observed this local.

According to the other party's own introduction, his surname was He, he was the eldest in his family, and everyone around him just called him He Da.

Surname plus birth order, a popular way of addressing people.

He Da used to be a villager from a Village outside the County Town, but later, when the world turned chaotic, he entered the city.

Ahead was the County Town of Feng County, where there were still quite a few survivors.

If they had come half a month earlier, there would have been even more people in the County Town.

It wasn't that there had been heavy casualties in the last half-month, but rather, half a month ago, County Magistrate Tan of Feng County took many people and left, heading north.

A year ago, when the world turned chaotic, County Magistrate Tan led the various government runners to guard the city, protecting many people and preventing this County Town from becoming a nest for monsters like other counties.

However, in the second half of this year, not long after the weather turned cold, County Magistrate Tan made preparations to take people and leave.

This County Magistrate Tan had also tried to persuade them, stating clearly that it was not safe here and that there was more vitality in the north.

But for the commoners, the risk of leaving was greater, so it was better to stay.

Therefore, half a month ago, County Magistrate Tan gathered his men, cleared the surrounding evil things, and took those who wanted to follow him, heading north. The remaining people stayed in the city.

Wen Gu listened attentively and couldn't help but think to himself:

Being a County Magistrate, some are so stupid they drag everyone down with them to the grave, while others can protect a County Town, judge the direction of the great trend, and act decisively.

Not from a noble family, yet possessing such ability.

A great talent indeed!

It is a pity that I was a step too late and could not pay a visit to that County Magistrate.

Wen Gu sighed again.

Alas, even if I could see him, I currently have neither fame nor background, and such formidable figures have their own pride; they might not even look at me properly.

County Magistrate Tan, is it?

Note it down, note it down.

Perhaps there will be a chance to meet in Beidi in the future?

Up ahead, He Da was also feeling depressed at this moment; he had come out to chop some firewood and actually ran into government runners.

Although Zhou Shan didn't say it explicitly, He Da could guess after chatting for a few sentences that this person holding a blade in front of him used to be an official.

At this time, Zhou Shan finally introduced himself.

Upon hearing that he was a County Lieutenant, He Da hurriedly put down the basket full of firewood, bowed, and put on a smile: "This little one has met County Lieutenant Zhou!"

Seeing this reaction from the other party, Zhou Shan knew what kind of profession he used to have.

It was very likely that this He Da used to be an Idler, without a fixed occupation, getting some rewards for running errands in the city, and despite being young, he was already slick with the ways of the world. His footwork must be very good.

Did he put down the heavy basket to pay his respects?

Not at all!

It was to be ready to slip away at any moment!

Wen Gu, however, swept his eyes over He Da's basket.

Inside, there was a square object carefully wrapped in paper; when he put the basket down, the firewood shifted, and the wrapping paper opened slightly.

After seeing it clearly, Wen Gu raised his eyebrows slightly.

After observing for another moment, when the conversation in front was about to end, Wen Gu stepped off the donkey cart.

His gait was calm and steady, his demeanor dignified and humble.

His gaze was clear and upright, yet lacked no approachability.

Although he was wearing coarse cloth with narrow sleeves, this bearing and temperament caused He Da, who had originally been wary of Zhou Shan, to have his attention instantly diverted.

Looking at Wen Gu, He Da suddenly recalled the elegant, scholarly young men he had seen in the academy before, those who already held scholarly honors.

Facing a martial-type official like County Lieutenant Zhou, He Da could respond flexibly, but in front of this refined scholar, he became visibly reserved.

Qingyi Daozhang at the side: "..."

Here it comes, here it comes again!

This Gou Shusheng is starting to put on an act again!

Qingyi Daozhang looked at He Da, then looked at Wen Gu, his face twitching.

You've got to be kidding?

You've got to be kidding!

You even want this kind of trash?

Happy Lantern Festival!

May the flowers bloom and the moon be full, may good fortune always be with you!