Chapter 8

The convoy…

It was already here?

Wangchuan glanced at the basket at his feet. It was not full yet, which left him feeling a bit regretful.

Lin Dahai was already issuing instructions.

“According to the rules, those of us closest to the entrance will transport the iron ore out first. Everyone stop working and head outside! Wangchuan and I are the first group. Heipi and Old Li, second group. Zhang Kai and Wei Zhe, you stay behind for now and watch the ore.”

“Got it!”

Lin Dahai’s basket also held nearly two hundred jin of iron ore.

Heipi and Old Li pulled out two thick ropes, stepped over quickly, and efficiently tied the baskets to Wangchuan and Lin Dahai.

“You didn’t mine much ore. One trip will do it. After unloading, come back and help.”

“Alright!”

“Lift!!”

With their help, Lin Dahai hoisted the two-hundred-jin basket onto his back and began moving forward step by step.

Then it was Wangchuan’s turn.

Only now did he truly realize how important the basket was.

Wangchuan quickly lowered into a horse stance. With Heipi and Old Li’s assistance, he got his load onto his back. The crushing weight made it hard to breathe.

“The convoy is just outside the cave. Endure it for a bit and you’ll be there. Watch your footing. Slow is fine—just don’t fall.”

Lin Dahai walked ahead, reminding him.

Wangchuan clenched his teeth and followed, inch by inch.

Two hundred jin was heavy.

It tested one’s core strength severely.

Fortunately, Wangchuan’s stamina and strength were sufficient. He adapted quickly and kept pace behind Lin Dahai.

Then he heard Heipi and Old Li’s voices from behind.

“Wangchuan’s got a solid foundation.”

“Adapting really fast.”

“Don’t know if I still have time… to go back to working out now.”

Heipi was truly talkative—still chatting at a time like this.

Wangchuan did not dare slacken his breathing. He followed Lin Dahai for over thirty meters, finally stepping off the gravel path and seeing rows of sturdy mule-drawn wooden carts parked along the mountain road.

A merchant stood nearby, accompanied by seven or eight robust young men.

Each of those men had iron weapons strapped at their waists.

“Dahai.”

“You’re here?”

“Oh? A new face.”

The merchant was tall and thin, with narrow eyes and a drooping mustache. One glance told you he was a shrewd businessman.

He noticed Wangchuan following behind Lin Dahai and could not help asking.

Lin Dahai set his basket onto the cart, then helped Wangchuan unload and said,

“Take out your household registration proof.”

“Oh, right.”

Wangchuan quickly took out the wooden plaque.

The merchant glanced at it, then handed it back.

“Since you’re villagers, we’ll pay you at the village rate. Five jin per copper plate.”

“These two baskets are both two hundred jin. Forty copper plates each. Here, take them.”

The merchant counted out eight large copper coins and handed them to Lin Dahai and Wangchuan.

Wangchuan quickly put the money away and followed Lin Dahai back to the mine to help out.

Lin Dahai still had another basket of iron ore.

Heipi and the other four had mined all day, earning about one hundred and eighty copper plates in total.

The group sat by the roadside, exhausted, eating flatbreads.

Wangchuan’s hunger had dropped to thirty. The food tasted exceptionally good.

As he ate, he watched other players transporting ore.

There were dozens of people inside the mine.

Some were solo players.

Others seemed to belong to game studios similar to “Warring States,” working in small teams.

The ore transport lasted more than an hour before finally ending.

Everyone received their wages.

“Let’s go.”

Lin Dahai stood up and said,

“While there’s still time, we’ll mine for another hour before heading back.”

Everyone was well-fed and had rested for over an hour. Their strength mostly recovered, and they all stood up.

Naturally, Wangchuan also wanted to earn more money.

They returned to their original “work spots,” cleared nearby rubble inside the mine, carried it outside to make space, and began mining again.

As they worked, Wangchuan learned from Lin Dahai and the others that:

Iron ore carried back to the village could be sold to the village chief. However, the journey involved mountain paths, so they could not carry too much.

The group agreed tacitly to mine for only one more hour.

After resting, other miners gradually returned and continued working.

An hour passed.

It was around four-thirty in the afternoon.

Everyone began clearing rubble in unison, then carried half-full baskets of iron ore out.

Less than one hundred jin felt much easier than before, but the distance back was far longer.

Over forty people formed what looked like a small migrating group, heading toward Blackstone Village beneath the setting sun.

Along the way, Wangchuan grew hungry again and ate another flatbread.

They trudged along for more than an hour, stopping and resting repeatedly as dusk fell.

At last, before the sun fully set, they returned to Blackstone Village. The two guards at the gate looked as if they had been waiting anxiously. They quickly shut the village gates, as though something terrifying would be let in after nightfall.

Wangchuan also noticed that aside from the two gate guards, armed hunters were patrolling the earthen walls around the village, fully equipped and alert. The atmosphere was tense.

Lin Dahai explained quietly,

“After nightfall, it becomes extremely dangerous outside the village. Besides wild beasts, vagrants, and bandits, there seem to be some strange things as well. Once it’s night, never linger outside.”

“Wangchuan, at night, go back to your room and rest. Don’t come out unless you have to.”

Heipi winked at Wangchuan.

“Sometimes, the village itself isn’t necessarily safe. Old Li said that a month ago, Blackstone Village actually had more people than it does now.”

“……”

Wangchuan did not quite understand what Heipi meant.

Everyone gathered at the entrance of the village chief’s courtyard.

The village chief purchased iron ore.

Five jin for one copper plate.

Most people received around twenty copper plates.

A normal day’s income could reach two hundred copper plates. After deducting food expenses—four flatbreads—there would still be about one hundred and ninety copper plates left.

Wangchuan silently calculated.

Lin Dahai turned his head and lowered his voice.

“The iron ore the village chief buys eventually all goes to the blacksmith’s shop… Wangchuan, didn’t Blacksmith Sun want to take you as an apprentice? Take your iron ore over and see if you can sell it for a better price.”

Wangchuan’s eyes lit up. He left the group alone and headed for the blacksmith’s shop.

Blacksmith Sun was still forging iron at the door.

When he saw Wangchuan approaching with a heavy basket, he grinned.

“So, have you decided?”

“Master, I want to learn blacksmithing from you.”

“Good, good, good!”

Blacksmith Sun looked genuinely happy.

“Perfect timing. A bit later, the iron ore collected by the village chief will be delivered here. You can help me out and see how iron ore is smelted.”

“The village chief sells iron ore to me at four jin per copper plate. Since you’re my disciple now, I won’t let you suffer a loss. I’ll buy it from you at the same rate—four jin per copper plate—but only for you. Any more than that, and the village chief won’t be pleased.”

He emphasized this point deliberately.

Wangchuan smiled.

“Thank you, Master.”

Sure enough, it was easier dealing with one’s own people. One hundred jin of iron ore earned him twenty-five copper plates here—enough to buy two extra flatbreads.

“Wangchuan, while Wang Dalang’s flatbread stall is still open, go buy some more flatbreads. We’ll be busy tonight.”

Blacksmith Sun instructed.