novelraw Chapter 151: Mountain Cabin
Chapter 151: Mountain Cabin
After pondering for a long time, Li Wei flipped out that One-Star Pet Card in his palm.
Even though it was not yet activated, he could sense the trembling state of that blood-crow skull in his embrace.
The two were indeed related. However, he didn't plan on touching this blood-crow skull; he merely wanted to activate the Pet Card.
There is a saying: 'Iron-forged camps, flowing-water soldiers' (institutions remain, personnel changes).
Applying it here was the same. The Pet Card was fixed—unless one died, it would not drop. It could hold at most one pet inside it. But if the pet died, one could continue searching for a new pet.
This principle was simple and easy to understand.
The next moment, Li Wei successfully activated this One-Star Pet Card. The result was just as he expected—he didn't feel much of anything, as if nothing had happened. There wasn't even an information prompt; he just activated a loneliness, with even the Hunter Card responding with cold indifference.
Only the blood-crow skull in his embrace trembled a bit more frequently, but it wasn't the kind of trembling from when it received the black-robed Witch's instructions.
"As expected, I've used all the potential of the Hunter Card on bow and arrow and throwing; there truly isn't any spare potential to develop pet training."
Li Wei wasn't surprised. Where would there be such a good thing as having both the fish and the bear's paw?In the future, he would have to conduct training from nothing to something. For example, catching some chicks as pets, or little ants as pets, and training and improving them bit by bit. This process would be extremely difficult and extremely lengthy.
"Let this matter be for now."
Li Wei stopped wrestling with it and thoroughly cut off his thought of his first pet being a crow.
——
The night passed uneventfully. The next morning, after lighting a fire and cooking meals, Li Wei's group of six continued on their journey.
With the route opened up yesterday, today's march was clearly much easier. This was because they could largely bypass cliffs, precipices, steep slopes, and areas overgrown with jagged rocks to the greatest extent. Even if they had to take a longer detour and pushing the carts was somewhat difficult, it was still better than carrying the wheelbarrows to march.
Anyway, by around 10:00 AM, they had already smoothly traveled over thirty li and arrived at the second campsite.
Here, the field of vision was open and the ground was relatively high. There was also a mountain stream flowing past a few hundred meters away. It was extremely suitable for pitching camp; this was all reconnoitered in advance by Li Wei.
In short, aside from being a little tired and a little hot, the five people including Clyde were actually at least twice as relaxed as yesterday. Each of them admired him endlessly in their hearts.
Sure enough, those skilled in war have no illustrious feats.
To be able to become the Head of Household, how could he be an ordinary person? Look at this, without making a sound or a peep, the advantages had accumulated bit by bit just like this.
"Old rules. Liu Zhongyuan, you are responsible for pitching camp and cooking. Clyde and Collas are a group to fetch water and patrol the surroundings along the way. Charles and Pang Wu are a group to pick up firewood and chop down a few suitable trees along the way. I plan to construct a mountain supply station at this location."
Supply station?
The five of them were all dumbfounded upon hearing this. There was no village ahead and no inn behind here; it was rarely visited by human tracks. Even bandits and robbers wouldn't set foot here. My Lord, was your brain kicked by a donkey? Right now, purchasing Table Salt hasn't even seen the first stroke of the character 'eight' (there isn't even a shadow of success yet), and you want to play with this?
But Li Wei fundamentally wouldn't explain. He had seen this place yesterday, and it was exceptionally good.
Firstly, this place was about sixty li from the family Camp. The distance wasn't considered far, especially since twenty li of it was flat road. As for the latter forty li, in truth, as long as it was somewhat constructed according to the route Li Wei surveyed, he wouldn't dare say how good it would be, but it would absolutely be a qualified mountain trail.
Pushing wheelbarrows, Mercenaries with this kind of Level 1 Awoken Stamina could run a round trip in a single day.
Secondly, this location was situated exactly in the middle of four mountain ridges.
The mountain ridge to the east was not high, and the terrain was gentle.
The mountain ridge to the north was extremely tall and large, standing in the north like a barrier.
Then there was that stretch of mountain ridge to the west. Li Wei estimated that crossing that ridge would allow them to see that road; the distance wouldn't exceed fifty li.
Finally, the mountain ridge to the south; it wasn't considered high, but it undulated with dense groves, which could also be considered a decent barrier.
In short, relying on the terrain here to construct a mountain transit station and materials supply station was extremely suitable.
Of course, the premise for all this was that Li Wei could find a town in the north capable of supplying Table Salt.
This way, they could basically bypass Kakh City and conduct trade with other places.
At least, a one-sided trade.
Although doing this would cause the conflict with Kakh City to immediately appear on paper (become obvious).
But that would be a subsequent problem for the Head of Household to worry about. Anyway, he had opened up a trade route. Who dared say this didn't count as Contribution?
Right?
Next, Li Wei got to work himself, helping chop wood, selecting the site, digging the foundation, and boring holes.
When Clyde returned from fetching water, everything was led by him. They busied themselves all the way until dusk, and the main body of a sturdy mountain cabin, though still missing a roof, was crafted out.
"My Lord, if we wish to operate this mountain supply station long-term, it would be best if we also needed to transport some lime from the Camp and fire some clay tiles. However, if it's only for short-term operation, this matter is actually quite easy. With just one day's time tomorrow, I can make this mountain cabin immune to leaking rain."
"Alright. We'll stay here for a day tomorrow and fix up this cabin."
Li Wei nodded, approving Clyde's suggestion.
The night quickly passed, and a new day arrived. After eating breakfast, Clyde directed the four Mercenaries to get busy.
Li Wei, however, carried his shovel and continued forward to explore the path.
This path exploration was still primarily focused on taking detours, avoiding steep places as much as possible. From time to time, he also had to dig out a path.
However, a portion of these thirty li of road was rather difficult to walk. After Li Wei surveyed the surroundings a full five times, he finally decided to detour along another route.
He forcefully extended the journey that originally could have been completed in thirty li to nearly sixty li.
But this route was basically completely flat. Not only did it meet the standards of a mountain trail, it could even serve as a main road.
When night fell, Li Wei was still sixty li away, but he had successfully found that road connecting Kakh City with the Weir Province to the north.
He merely needed to dig out a crossroad branch on this road and set up a signpost, and this trade route would basically take shape.
Of course, he couldn't do that at this very moment.
Subsequently, when Li Wei returned to the mountain cabin, it was already midnight.
Clyde was quite reliable. Not only had they produced a roof for the cabin today, but they also used two layers of stones to tamp and pile up the ground of the cabin.
The first layer was gravel + fine sand, and the second layer was stone slabs. In the future, another layer of wooden boards could be added.
Liu Zhongyuan had even built a cooking stove inside the cabin.
Smoked meat could also be hung from the roof; it was quite nice.
The total area of the cabin was eighty square meters, which was sufficient.
This night, Li Wei didn't go keep watch. The whole group blocked the door, pushed the wheelbarrows into the room, and slept truly soundly.
When daylight broke and everyone got up to cook, a misty drizzle had started floating outside. Just after eating, this rain actually grew heavier and heavier in a single breath, falling incessantly.
Water rose in the streams, mountain torrents erupted, and occasionally thunder rolled.
Seeing this, there was no way to leave.
Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, but could only secretly cry how lucky they were. In this kind of weather, let alone the materials on the wheelbarrows being drenched through, even they themselves couldn't endure it!
As a result? Because of Li Wei's orders, they were now hiding in a leak-proof wooden cabin, chatting and shooting the breeze while having piping hot meals and ample dry firewood. Yes, they had picked up a lot previously—since this was a mountain supply cabin, would it be proper if there was no dry firewood?
Tsk tsk!
Badass!
They could even imagine what kind of sighs the others in the family Camp would let out at this moment. They probably envisioned the figures of six people drenched like drowned rats before their eyes.
Hahaha!
This heavy rain truly poured for a whole day, only gradually stopping around four or five in the afternoon.
The golden sun revealed itself from the clouds, illuminating this world as bright and clean as new.
A rainbow hung at the edge of the sky, like a dreamy bridge. This side connected to the heavens and myriad realms, where they fought bloody battles and eked out a living, neither entirely human nor ghost.
That side connected to their long-lost hometowns, where they were still little children, peeing to mix mud (playing with mud), farting in pits, having childhood sweethearts, and innocent playmates.
They could vaguely still see familiar figures one by one, as if they could still hear cheerful laughter and a mother's calling.
But, they couldn't go back!
Today was the fourth day of this month.
Tomorrow around noon, they would enter that main road. Perhaps many things would happen. Would they encounter robbers, merchant caravans, or a Lord's army?
Everything was unknown.
Regarding this, Li Wei also had no good solutions. Looking at the color of the sky, he entered the mountain forest alone. As nightfall approached, he brought back a deer on his shoulder—a One-Star Elk.
This scene made everyone click their tongues in praise, especially Pang Wu, whose eyes turned red with envy. He was also a Three-Star Hunter, but the number of times he had hunted a One-Star deer in the past few years could be counted on one hand.
"My Lord, can I help you butcher it?"
Collas ran over and spoke ingratiatingly. Li Wei glanced at him. The next second, Collas had already surreptitiously passed over a Gold Coin.
Mm, this child is teachable.
Actually, even if Collas butchered it, the obtained Contribution would belong to Li Wei. But the sole point was that this process would increase the Butcher Destiny Grid.
This was a truth that many Mercenaries only understood after becoming Mercenaries.
Professional Destiny Grids did not show mountains nor reveal water (were inconspicuous), but their actual utility was so great that no one could ignore them.
And Collas's butchering was actually much more outstanding than Li Wei's—perhaps even surpassing the previous version's Fila No. 1. After all, he was a Three-Star Butcher. The deerskin he peeled off was extremely remarkably excellent.
The next day, Li Wei's group of six set off again. Some materials were left in the small wooden cabin, including a portion of venison that needed to continue air-drying, but that deerskin was brought along.
Due to the eruption of mountain torrents yesterday, the road was undoubtedly a bit harder to walk. But even so, it was still easier than crossing mountain ridges.
Setting out at 5:00 AM, by around 12:00 PM noon, they had already smoothly arrived near that main road, looking to be about ten li away.
Here, Li Wei had long since marked a place where they could camp.
"We can construct another mountain cabin here to serve as a relay station to rest our feet."
After eating lunch, Li Wei fell into deep thought for a long time before issuing an order again.
Constructing a small wooden cabin wouldn't delay too much time, but it could excellently improve the quality of camping.
He was also uncertain what the situation would be like on this trip to purchase Table Salt and grain. However, acting out of a style of steady prudence, constructing two wooden cabins equipped with dry firewood, cooking stoves, and capable of sheltering from rain in these desolate mountain forests was also absolutely necessary.
Especially since this was the rainy season of August; who knew when it would rain?
When the time came, transporting hundreds of catties of grain, there would be nowhere to go if they wanted to hide from the rain.
The first wooden cabin to the east was sixty li from the family Camp, and the second wooden cabin was fifty li apart from the first wooden cabin. Quite good.
And just like this, everyone forcefully delayed another day here.
(End of this chapter)