Lord of the Myriad Worlds

Chapter 54: Inventory Check

"Alright, Mom, winter is dangerous. We must confirm whether we've stored enough food." Li Wei sat back down and smiled slightly.

Fila glanced at him, sighed softly, and could only report truthfully, "Currently, the food in our household consists of roughly these types: about nine hundred jin of wheat, twenty jin of dried wolf meat, twenty jin of dried deer meat. There's no preserved pheasant or rabbit meat left—it was mostly used to make mushroom meat soup. We have quite a bit of dried fish because we've been fishing continuously over the past three months, approximately fifty jin."

"Additionally, we have thirty jin of dried fiddlehead ferns, fifty jin of dried mushrooms. One-star quality mushrooms are the main ingredient for mushroom meat soup, and currently we only have one jin of dried mushrooms left. That's enough for about twenty more meals. However, if we have one-star quality meat, then we can also make mushroom meat soup using ordinary dried mushrooms. Those twenty jin of dried deer meat are all one-star quality. If we use deer meat to make mushroom meat soup, we can guarantee this month's supply, but we can't guarantee next month's."

"Then there are chestnuts. I estimate we can harvest at least eight hundred jin. I plan to grind them into flour and mix it with wheat flour to make gray bread."

"We still have quite a bit of grease, including what you brought back, totaling about fifteen jin. Plus the salt you brought back, and also some sun-dried preserved fruits—currently we have ten jin stored. I've collected all the bones from the wolves, deer, pheasants, and fish we previously killed and made them into bone meal, which can be added to the flour mixture."

"Finally, I've gathered twenty jin of pine needles. When heavy snow blocks the mountains, we can still brew tea with them. That's everything. For six people, if we eat frugally, we can last until spring. Moreover, we can continue fishing next month..."

Fila somewhat reluctantly listed out the inventory.

Because with this list, anyone checking the warehouse would immediately discover her private stash.

Having a private stash isn't really a problem—it's personal property, after all. Nobody would steal or seize it. But the issue is, among the current household members, she's the one who has consistently maintained the habit of storing private goods.

Just based on what Li Wei, Penny, and the others have seen and know about, Fila's private stash already includes three large jars of fruit wine, one jar of mead, at least fifty jin of dried fish, twenty jin of dried rodent meat, and no less than fifty jin of dried wild vegetables and mushrooms.By calculating the quantity and value of these private goods, one could roughly deduce a figure: if Fila chose to donate everything, she would gain at least 50-80 contribution points.

Oh, by the end of this month, Fila's Family Contribution should be close to 100. So if she donated everything, she would become a big shot with at least 150 Family Contribution points!

That is, unless Li Wei didn't have Penny's strong assistance this month.

Next, he calculated in his mind. Though not entirely accurate, it seemed like it would be roughly enough for six people.

But they definitely needed to consider that food consumption would increase during winter, so—

"Alright, Leon, next month you'll be responsible for fishing."

Li Wei ultimately agreed to Leon's request. Although he could learn from Penny's example and create obstacles for Leon, he felt that at this stage of the family's development, petty sabotage had little meaning anymore. As the Family Head, increasing the family's wealth, upgrading the camp, and achieving better completion ratings were the main priorities.

Currently, Leon obviously believed his primary profession as Craftsman couldn't compete with Penny's for now, so it was better to catch more one-star quality fish to boost his Family Contribution.

Previously, when Li Wei hunted that sika deer, he directly obtained 20 contribution points, which definitely stimulated Leon.

So, raising his contribution points and someday taking the Family Head position to experience it—why not?

Thus, among the four family members, only Li Wei's monthly main quest remained undetermined. Fila, Penny, and Leon all looked at him. This step couldn't be skipped—everyone theoretically had the right to know.

After thinking for a moment, Li Wei looked at Penny again. "Sis, I think your previous idea was correct. We really do need external trade. Although we have many options, we can't give up on ironware. You have extensive experience in this area—can you offer me some suggestions?"

That's right. After careful consideration, Li Wei felt that as the Family Head, he shouldn't follow Penny's example of acting impulsively, nor imitate Fila's focus solely on personal interests, nor copy Mixi's arrogance. He needed to consider the overall situation. Especially since his current Family Contribution was as high as 221 points—if he worked hard, earning 30 points monthly wouldn't be a problem.

This meant that throughout the coming winter, and even extending into spring, he would continue serving as Family Head. Unless those two veteran completion players had some special method to seize the Family Head position.

Therefore, external trade was an important economic growth point he couldn't overlook in developing the family.

So far, the pillar industry of mining, smelting iron, and forging couldn't stagnate just because Penny was injured, Mixi died tragically, and Leon retreated.

At the very least, if they planned to rebuild the small blast furnace to quench molten steel next spring, they needed sufficient iron ore and charcoal to support it.

"George, are you sure you want to hear my opinion?"

Penny spoke weakly, quite surprised since she had already started slacking off at this point.

"Yes, sister."

Li Wei spoke very seriously. Different professions require different expertise—denying this wasn't feasible.

Penny looked at him for a few moments. "If you're asking me, abandoning iron smelting during the cold winter is correct. Firstly, iron ore and charcoal cannot be reliably supplied. After heavy snow blocks the mountains, originally simple tasks become extremely troublesome."

"Secondly, winter temperatures are too low, which poses a fatal flaw for maintaining the small blast furnace's temperature. If not handled properly, it could easily cost lives."

"Therefore, it's better to wait until spring flowers bloom to rebuild the small blast furnace. By then, I'll try firing higher quality refractory bricks. Of course, this doesn't mean we can't do preparatory work next month. The weather won't be too cold next month. Before the first snowfall, we can continue mining iron deposits and cutting wood for charcoal. With one month of reserves, starting the furnace for iron smelting next spring will become much easier."

"Of course, this is just my suggestion. You decide for yourself."

Li Wei nodded at this point. Penny's reasoning was well-founded and indeed made sense.

"Good, then it's decided. We'll postpone starting the furnace for iron smelting until next spring. Next month, I'll be responsible for mining and logging. Having more reserves is never a bad thing."

Immediately, as Li Wei confirmed in his heart, consuming 3 Family Contribution points, the monthly main quest for next month was thus issued.

【Monthly Main Quest】

【Mother Fila needs to collect all the chestnuts, while also being responsible for three daily meals, tending the furnace fire (daytime only), caring for Old Ox, and must guarantee one meal of mushroom meat soup per day (materials confirmed sufficient for this month). She will therefore obtain 8 Family Contribution points. However, due to the special nature of her main quest, after completing chestnut collection, she can freely arrange other work tasks】

【Sister Penny needs to recuperate well this month. She will obtain 1 Family Contribution】

【Brother Leon needs to catch 300 jin of fish this month. He will obtain 10 Family Contribution points. If he catches one-star quality fish, he will obtain additional contributions. The specific standard is: every five jin counts as one unit, each unit granting 1 additional contribution point】

【You need to mine and transport back 10 units of iron ore this month, and chop down and process 5 units of oak wood. You will obtain 15 Family Contribution points】