Chapter 52 Body Expansion <TOC> Chapter 54 Sage Time
Translator: SumTLMan
“I understand Grub Grain Town has difficulties, but the prices of our company’s products are already lower than those from Chicken Head Town merchants. We can’t reduce them further.”
The young man leaning on a cane wore a look of helplessness.
Cao Dayuan scratched his ear, at a loss for words.
The goods from the Wasteland Development Company were indeed of good quality and reasonably priced.
Now, each Grub Grain Town resident had access to prism stones, enabling long-term illumination of the tunnels. The price was driven down by the Wasteland Development Company; just ten Grub Grain Worms could be exchanged for a single stone.
Even meat, once scarce, at least, scraps from the bones, could be traded for mushrooms. Not the dry, dirty bone fragments but whole bones with meat and marrow, simmered in a pot with mushrooms and sprinkled with salt, creating a flavor beyond description.
But Grub Grain Town was still too poor.
“Sigh, I know.”
Cao Dayuan, despite his hesitation, pressed on: “But this winter came too suddenly; it snowed last night, and folks don’t dare to go outside anymore, fearing the Winter Beast.”
“The rat infestation is worsening too. Sand rats have stolen plenty of dried grass and branches, and they’re hard to catch. Although mushroom production has been good in recent years, it’s the heating problem that remains unsolved.”
“Given the current situation, the firewood reserves won’t last.”
“Before, you bought a lot of wood and branches from town. Can’t you sell some back to us?”
“To you, it might just be decoration or flooring material, but for the townsfolk, it could keep them from freezing to death. We’re willing to trade more mushrooms; please, have mercy, sell us a little.”
Gong Zheng fell into deep thought.
Cao Dayuan anxiously awaited his response.
He and Gong Zheng had known each other for a long time.
Gong Zheng was knowledgeable, literate, a healer, and well-versed in dealing with creatures. He was highly respected in Grub Grain Town. Cao Dayuan, with years of experience growing mushrooms in cavernous storehouses, was aware of his limited knowledge and often sought advice from Gong Zheng.
In the past, both had their strengths, and the gap between them wasn’t so vast.
Now, it was a world of difference.
Cao Dayuan still wore tattered clothing, sewn together from his grandfather’s and father’s clothes, thicker than most townsfolk’s.
Dirt clung under his nails, and his crude, fuzzy cloth leg bindings, washed pale by the sand, carried a sour smell of mushrooms and manure.
In contrast, Gong Zheng was dressed in a clean, smooth black coat. His straight pants and well-crafted shoes were complemented by a cane that seemed both metallic and stone-like. His face was spotless, and his every gesture carried a calm confidence, vastly different from his former wary, outsider demeanor.
This made Cao Dayuan feel a twinge of doubt.
Had he made the wrong choice?
If he hadn’t stubbornly resisted and instead joined A Jin to work under the Chairman of the Wasteland Development Company, might he now stand rejuvenated like Gong Zheng, free from worries over food and warmth?
The hesitation lasted only a moment.
Cao Dayuan regained his resolve.
No.
To change Grub Grain Town’s fate, it had to come from its own people. Otherwise, in the eyes of others, this place would forever be a settlement of beggars and wastrels.
We are not beggars.
He had to stand tall.
After a long silence, Gong Zheng finally spoke: “I sympathize with your situation and understand it, but I don’t have the authority. If the Chairman agrees, everything can be adjusted. All I can do is take you to see him. However, the Chairman is busy and doesn’t handle minor matters unless there’s a reason.”
“A reason…”
Cao Dayuan thought long and hard before he finally came up with one: “I’ve cultivated a type of mushroom that attracts creatures. Would that count?”
“Oh? You should elaborate on that.”
Gong Zheng smiled: “The Chairman is always interested in novel things.”
…
Following Gong Zheng, Cao Dayuan held a prism lamp as they walked through the oasis.
From a distance, they could see a creature the size of a small mountain standing on the beach near the Dead Sea.
Its body was riddled with square cavities, each emitting a blinding light. Rumor had it that inside, there was a maze of channels leading to each cavity, accessible through intestines or bones.
Apart from those who had joined the company, no one from Grub Grain Town had ever gone inside.
The two stopped in front of an iron gate nestled within a low wall.
The wall was barely a man’s height.
Cao Dayuan thought even a child could easily climb over it; he couldn’t fathom its purpose. The grand iron gate, however, was indeed imposing. In Chicken Head Town, the gate was wooden, clumsy and drab compared to this one.
Gong Zheng spoke to the gate: “This is Cao Dayuan from Grub Grain Town, here to visit the Chairman.”
“Please, open the gate.”
Shortly after, the iron gate slowly opened inward.
Cao Dayuan watched in amazement: “The gate… understands you?”
“This is Jade Emerald City. It is both my colleague and our company’s office building, generally referred to as the Dead Sea Abomination…”
Gong Zheng explained: “It doesn’t understand our language, but under the Chairman’s command, anyone brought by an employee is recognized as a legitimate visitor. Outsiders can’t enter.”
Cao Dayuan hesitated, casting another glance at the low wall.
Couldn’t one just climb over?
Sensing his thoughts, Gong Zheng said sternly: “Don’t even think of trespassing. That would trigger the gate’s defense, and intruders would be instantly obliterated.”
A shiver ran down Cao Dayuan’s spine.
Before they reached the main door, he noticed two boats moored outside, and he thought, so the Wasteland Development Company was developing the Dead Sea, no wonder they had such abundant resources.
They continued inside and entered a narrow compartment.
The silver door closed from both sides.
The silver walls began to shimmer with light.
Cao Dayuan felt as though something was lifting his body, instinctively gripping the wall. A queasy feeling gnawed at him: “Wh-what’s this?”
“An elevator, it takes us from bottom to top. We’ll reach the Chairman’s floor soon.”
Gong Zheng chuckled: “It’s really just Jade Emerald City’s intestine.”
“Are… are we being eaten?”
Cao Dayuan was dumbfounded.
“We’re just moving up and down through this intestine; don’t worry about it.”
Suddenly, Gong Zheng asked: “Old Cao, where do you see the future of Grub Grain Town?”
“I don’t know.”
Cao Dayuan replied: “For now, surviving the winter without any deaths would be enough.”
With a ding, the door opened.
Finally leaving the long, straight intestine of the creature, Cao Dayuan breathed a small sigh of relief.
Beyond the top-floor door, he finally met the man he had heard so much about, the Chairman of the Wasteland Development Company.
“Please, come in.”
The Chairman, a man with black hair and white attire, exuded an air of dignity. His clean appearance and living environment indeed marked him as one accustomed to a life of luxury.
Inside was a bright, warm chamber. The wide, smooth structure, the enormous transparent crystals on the walls, thick woven rugs on the floor, leather chairs, shelves stacked with metal canisters, and finely crafted, unfamiliar devices…
These filled Cao Dayuan with an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Compared to the opulent palace inside this creature, the Grub Grain Town caves seemed like a mere insect’s burrow.
Cao Dayuan reminded himself silently.
Stand tall, we are not beggars.
This is a negotiation.
“I hear you have a mushroom that can attract creatures? May I see it?” the black-haired young man asked.
Cao Dayuan pulled out a small cluster of fine mushrooms from his pocket.
“Here it is.”
“They sprout from normal cavern mushrooms; they’re a mutated strain, extremely rare. I call them ‘Monster Lure Mushrooms.’ If we encounter a creature attack, we can throw these to attract them, creating an opportunity to escape.”
“However, they’re too few in number, and I haven’t found a way to cultivate them artificially. I’m willing to offer all I have to your company.”
The young man took the Monster Lure Mushroom, examining it closely.
His face lit up with interest: “And what do you hope to trade this for?”
Cao Dayuan replied: “We need more branches and wood for warmth, to survive the winter.”
“Consider it done.”
The young man agreed: “If it’s insufficient, I’ll also find additional fuel for you.”
Overjoyed, Cao Dayuan stammered: “Thank you, thank you!”
“It’s a small matter.”
The Chairman handled the mushroom carefully: “This is what’s truly valuable. Now, let’s discuss these Monster Lure Mushrooms in more detail.”
“Of course, gladly.”
The weight finally lifted from Cao Dayuan’s heart.