Chapter 85: Bully!
Chu Jiu did not break his promise.
The next day, he handed two pieces of extremely transparent glass to Old Mr. Nikola.
Seeing the pure, clear, and flawless glass without a single bubble, Old Mr. Nikola’s beard began to tremble.
He almost pressed his eyes against the glass, repeatedly exclaiming, “It can really be done… it can really be done…”
Chu Jiu smiled and said, “Old sir, with these two pieces of glass, and making eight more lenses, should that be enough?”
Nikola hurriedly said, “Enough! Enough! Even if you wanted to make another ten or eight pairs, it would be enough!”
Hearing this, Chu Jiu added with a smile, “In that case, how about troubling you to make another ten pairs?” Nikola: “Huh?”
Chu Jiu: “It’s like this—some users of the lenses might have slightly different degrees of ‘nearsightedness,’ but we can’t determine this difference right now. We can only ask you, sir, to make an extra pair within the same range as a backup. Then they can try them on and choose the relatively suitable ones.”
Chu Jiu had once read in a folk custom book that in modern times, street peddlers of eyeglasses would place various glasses in a flat square wooden box for customers to choose from. Once a customer made a selection, the peddler would take out a thread-bound book and ask the customer to read it, using whether the customer could see the words clearly as the criterion—
That was the “eye exam” of the time.
Now, although Old Mr. Nikola knew how to grind lenses and knew that lenses could make those who originally saw unclearly see clearly, he had no concept of how to specifically “perform an eye exam” or how to match the degree of lens grinding with an individual’s “diopter” of nearsightedness.
Therefore, Chu Jiu could only adopt this ancient method, hoping that the little Seals could find the lenses that best matched their vision.
Although Old Mr. Nikola found the young man’s explanation quite novel, having seen how many other even more novel things the other party had done and how much he knew, he didn’t question it further, just grunted, “You little brat, so you were waiting for me here all along.”
“First you said ten pairs of lenses, and now you suddenly want to double it. You really know how to order people around.”
He grumbled as he carefully placed the glass on the soft cloth-covered table, saying loudly, “Alright, alright, don’t disturb my work now.”
“Twenty concave lenses, with varying thicknesses—will take me ten days to half a month to grind? Fine, little one, go back and wait!”
Chu Jiu didn’t say anything more and obediently went out.
The moment he stepped out the door, Nikola’s wife, Rose, a silver-haired old woman, chased after him and said to Chu Jiu, “Young man!”
Chu Jiu: “Madam Rose, is there anything I can help you with?”
The old woman shook her head repeatedly, the wrinkles on her face deepening with her smile: “No, I just wanted to say, thank you, young man!”
“My old man inherited a rather strange craft. When he was young, he ground many lenses from crystals for the royal family.”
“Later, after that kind of clear, bright crystal ran out, he became obsessed, constantly searching for a replacement material.”
“To tell you the truth, we have so many colorful crystals at home that they can only be piled up in boxes.”
“But every time, every time he would sigh, saying something about not being transparent enough, or having color…”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him so excited and so motivated to grind lenses.”
The old woman gave Chu Jiu a very respectful bow and said slowly, “I was afraid you’d be scared off by the old man’s words.”
“That old coot… don’t listen to his harsh words. He’s incredibly happy inside, you know.”
Chu Jiu quickly said, “Please, don’t be so polite…”
“And I can tell that the old gentleman is quite happy!”
Because this old gentleman was truly very proud of his own skills.
*
In just five days, Old Mr. Nikola sent over twenty sets of lenses.
Two pairs were ground from crystal, and the other eighteen pairs were ground from glass.
As Chu Jiu requested, none of the twenty sets of lenses had any frames; they were all bare lenses.
After receiving the lenses, Chu Jiu asked Old Mr. Nikola when he planned to return to Sea Moon City, offering to accompany him.
But the old man snorted twice and muttered, “Your village… it’s quite broken down. Doesn’t even have a decent shop, or any singing and acting.”
“But well… your healing center is not bad.”
“Anyway, Rose likes it very much.”
“You know, it’s not easy to make the wifes like something—oh, you’re just a greenhorn, you probably don’t even have a wife, do you? You must understand.”
Chu Jiu: …… Eh?
Little Can: …… ??
Old sir, are you here specifically to mock us?
Nikola coughed again: “Anyway, I’ll stay here for a while longer.”
“If you can still make glass, I can help you grind a few more pieces.”
“Anyway, I’m free, and I won’t charge you a processing fee.”
“But little one, let me tell you, I’m just staying temporarily! Your broken-down little village is still far too inferior to Sea Moon City!”
“I’ve always lived in big cities. I’m just staying here for a few days for a change of pace!”
Chu Jiu glanced at the new notification that popped up in the background:
[Dynamic notification from “Honorary Area – Bean Village”: 2 new permanent residents have been added!]
[Host has spearheaded the establishment of a “Lens Grinding Workshop” in this area!]
[Area development level has increased to 33%!]
…The system never designated temporary residents as “permanent residents.”
Chu Jiu naturally wouldn’t expose the old man’s “staying for a few days for a change of pace.” He just smiled and said, “There’s still quite a bit of glass left. Thank you for your trouble.”
Indeed, there was still quite a bit of glass left.
In addition to preparing enough glass for mass lens grinding, Chu Jiu also had the little squirrels make beautiful small bottles from the glass.
He hadn’t forgotten that in a while, Marco’s side would be going to deliver honey to Sea Moon City.
Last year, when the bee farm had just been built, Chu Jiu used small, earth-colored pottery jars to send honey to Sea Moon City as samples. At that time, he thought, “If we could use glass jars to hold the honey, it would definitely be even more beautiful.”
This year, they could finally use crystal-clear glass bottles to hold the honey!
Suddenly, just the appearance alone would be enough to give the wealthy people of Sea Moon City an aesthetic shock!
*
A day later, Chu Jiu set off for Sea Moon City again with the spirit beasts.
He first sent the [Seal Clan Special Aviator Goggles Hats] to A Li and the others.
These special goggles, the lenses were a given, but the “frames” were actually woven hats, made from [Rock Rabbit Fur] woven into [soft thread]. They were very comfortable to wear and had good elasticity.
The brim at the front of the hat was particularly long, and positions for fixing the lenses were left on the brim, making them look like “aviator goggles hats.”
And on the top of the hat, there were two separate openings to allow the little Seals to stick out their small ears.
A Li was the first to try them on.
He eagerly put on the goggles hat, pulled his small ears out from the top, pressed his little paws against the lens part, and shouted in surprise and joy, “Oh, Sea God! It’s so clear!”
“Ah, that thing on the beach, it’s actually a coconut rolling around! I was just wondering who kept walking back and forth there!”
“Wow, wow, I see crabs crawling ashore! Brother, it’s a crab, it’s a crab! I’m going to catch it and eat it!”
Chu Jiu stopped the overly excited A Li and then helped him try on two other goggles hats with the same “prescription,” letting him choose the one that felt most comfortable to wear.
Soon, all the “goggles hats” Chu Jiu had prepared were distributed.
For a time, the hidden beach became more lively than ever before.
Everyone was exclaiming, “Wow, so that’s what you look like!” or “Hahaha, I can finally count how many legs the crabs have left!”
The most outrageous thing was when Chu Jiu heard, “Hehehe, so my wife is even prettier than I saw her before!”
…You guys… are truly true love.
*
Having solved part of the Seal Clan’s nearsightedness problem, Chu Jiu began to discuss the arrangements for the meeting with Clara.
To his surprise, Clara was particularly interested in the “goggles hats for the Seal Clan” that Chu Jiu mentioned, and even asked Chu Jiu to draw them on paper for her to see.
After looking at them, Clara pondered for a moment and told Chu Jiu:
She planned to meet with the Seal Clan twice.
The first meeting, following Chu Jiu’s initial plan, was a small-scale gathering held at Clara’s residence.
During this meeting, they needed to clarify a few key points before deciding on future cooperation.
The second meeting was a very formal “signing ceremony,” to be held on the Sea Moon City waterfront or in the near sea—in short, a place with enough people to witness and decorated with sufficient solemnity and grandeur.
Before the signing, Chu Jiu needed to prepare more “goggles hats,” which would then be distributed publicly to the little Seals attending the ceremony.
Afterward, the leaders of both sides would formally sign the cooperation agreement.
At this point, Clara looked at Chu Jiu: “That is to say, Pioneer Chu Jiu, before the official meeting with the Seal Clan, you need to prepare enough ‘goggles hats.’ Can you do that?”
Chu Jiu nodded: “Yes.”
However, he was a bit puzzled by Clara’s seemingly elaborate purpose.
He saw a sly glint in Clara’s eyes: “Are you wondering why the City Lord is breaking down something that could be done in one go into two separate events?”
Before Chu Jiu could answer, Clara continued, “If you’re confused, why don’t you discuss it with the person you trust the most?”
Chu Jiu: ……
Seeing the young man’s bewildered expression, Clara smiled again: “Alright, go do your work. Don’t forget to deliver on time.”
Chu Jiu went downstairs in a daze.
He was indeed quite curious about Clara’s actions.
He could vaguely sense that there was a special meaning Clara wanted to convey by doing this.
But he couldn’t quite grasp it.
It wasn’t until he lay in bed at the inn that night that he finally understood completely.
To discuss… discuss with the person he trusted the most…
Chu Jiu subconsciously looked at the little cat beside him.
Actually, when he heard “the person you trust the most,” his first reaction was to find Lu Qingyan.
But he didn’t know where Lu Qingyan was or what he was doing at that moment.
He couldn’t just recklessly have Little Can drag the person over just to get an answer to a question that wasn’t actually that important.
What did he take the person for? An AI assistant that was always online?
Chu Jiu shook his head, thinking that was absolutely not possible.
He turned over, about to bury his head in the pillow and sleep, when a furry cheek pressed against his face.
It was naturally Little Can.
The little guy nuzzled Chu Jiu’s face: “Meow, meow?” — “Why are you still spacing out? Are you thinking about Lu Qingyan?”
Chu Jiu’s face flushed instantly, and he reflexively denied it: “No, I wasn’t—”
But halfway through his sentence, he realized: why was he denying it?
He was just looking for someone to discuss things with, why the hurry to deny it?
So he changed his words: “I was just, um, thinking about the question Clara raised, and somehow felt that Lu Qingyan would definitely know the answer.”
Little Can nuzzled Chu Jiu again: “Meow?” — “Shall I call him over?”
Chu Jiu hurriedly said, “No, absolutely not. Don’t disturb him casually.”
Little Can tilted its head: “?”
Chu Jiu: “It’s such a small matter, no need to trouble him. He must have many very important things waiting to be dealt with.”
Little Can tilted its head at a different angle: “Meow, meow.” — “But, in his heart, Chu Jiu’s matters should be very, very important.”
The little cat’s tone was very matter-of-fact, just like “I just like eating fish cooked by Chu Jiu,” so natural and confident.
Chu Jiu’s face, however, was gradually burning red from these words.
He said softly, “Anyway, I’m not going to bother him for something like this.”
“Alright, Little Can, you should sleep.”
“Look, Kakaba and Rawr Rawr Rabbit are already asleep.”
Having said that, Chu Jiu didn’t allow for any argument, pulled the little guy to his chest, stroked him a couple of times, then pulled up the quilt, closed his eyes, and prepared to drift off to sleep.
But Little Can still stubbornly added, “Meow.” — “He really wouldn’t mind.”
Chu Jiu closed his eyes and mumbled sleepily, “Okay.”
After a while, he murmured again, as if in a dream, “It would be great if I were in my hometown.”
“I think I said that before?”
“In my hometown, if you want to find someone—I mean, if there’s something you need to find someone for, you can use something called a mobile phone to find the other person immediately.”
“That way… if there’s something to discuss, it would be so… convenient…”
As he spoke, Chu Jiu really fell asleep.
Little Can, however, lay on his chest, deep in thought with a serious expression.
*
The first “informal meeting” between Clara and the Seal Clan went exceptionally smoothly.
The two sides even arranged a “sparring session”:
A Li, riding his Ten-Legged Fish, fought back and forth against a water-type ability user, thoroughly enjoying himself.
After coming out of the “martial arts pond,” A Li jumped up and down excitedly, exclaiming, “Now I won’t aim wrong anymore! My spear won’t stab in random directions anymore!”
Chu Jiu silently rubbed his forehead to the side.
On the human side, through this “sparring session,” they confirmed what they needed to verify:
The ability users’ limited abilities had no connection to the Seal Clan or their mounts, the “Ten-Legged Fish.”
That is to say, the reason some ability users suddenly lost their abilities was because of those “underwater ghosts.”
After clarifying this point, Clara and the Seal General sat together, seriously discussing how to deploy their forces and how to deal with the seemingly endless ghosts with their limited troops.
Meanwhile, Chu Jiu had his own things to attend to.
He had previously sent someone to notify Old Mr. Nikola, asking him to quickly make more pairs of glasses.
Chu Jiu would process all these urgently made glasses into “goggles hats.”
Fortunately, Old Mr. Nikola was indeed very reliable.
Clara had set the “signing ceremony” for the end of July. The old man truly managed to grind dozens of lenses by late July.
Chu Jiu used his quick crafting skills and completed all the “goggles hats” three days before the signing ceremony.
Next, all that was left was to put them on the little Seals one by one at the signing ceremony.
He would be able to see even more seals wearing aviator goggles hats and walking in neat formations!
Chu Jiu couldn’t help but smile whenever he thought of such a scene, his heart full of anticipation.
In fact, Chu Jiu was far from the only one with expectations.
At this time, many people in Sea Moon City had heard the news and were discussing it animatedly:
“Have you heard? Have you heard? The City Lord has found a way to deal with the ‘sea monsters’!”
“What? Sea monsters?
Those vicious sea monsters?! Can they be dealt with?!”
“I find it unbelievable! But the City Lord seems to have sent a particularly capable pioneer, a young man named Chu something, who said that this young man convinced the ‘Seal Clan’ to cooperate with us and fight the sea monsters together—can that really deal with the sea monsters?”
“…Seal Clan? What is that?”
“Oh, it’s a spirit and monster race, just like the dwarves, except they live in the sea and are particularly good at fighting in the sea!”
“Heavens above! So that’s how it is!”
“Our Sea Moon City is still amazing, and our City Lord is so insightful! To actually be able to cooperate with such a race! It’s just like the legendary hero lords!”
“Of course! If the City Lord weren’t so wise, could the residents of our Sea Moon City live so comfortably?”
“Really, hearing this news, I thought: wow, something I’ve only heard about in stories is actually going to happen! It seems our Sea Moon City is getting more and more amazing!”
“Speaking of which, have you ever seen the Seal Clan?”
“I have… I heard they look a lot like dogs…”
“Yeah, yeah, are they furry like the dwarves? Hehe, let me tell you, I went to Bean Village before and bought a broadsword, and I actually saw dwarves there!”
“Cute? Do they really have big tails?”
“Yes, yes, super cute!”
“Ah, I’ve been to Bean Village, but I didn’t see any furry little people—next time I definitely have to go see what the Seal Clan looks like!”
“Wait, you guys just mentioned a pioneer… what was his name again? I heard that the reason Bean Village has dwarves opening a blacksmith shop is because there’s a pioneer named Chu Jiu in their village! They say he’s incredibly powerful! He can do anything!”
“Could the pioneer who persuaded the Seal Clan this time be him?!”
“Most likely! Now I definitely have to go and see!”
In this way, the atmosphere in Sea Moon City became even more lively than usual, as if a grand celebration was about to take place.
*
However, it wasn’t just the residents of Sea Moon City who heard the news.
Ancient Linburg.
The Vice-Chairman’s private reception room.
A gray-haired man sat upright, directly issuing orders to a high-ranking ability user in a black robe who knelt on one knee.
“This mission is simple and does not require other members to go.”
“The True God is tired of the Bean Village’s nonsense. We can no longer tolerate these commoners repeatedly jumping out to obstruct our sight.”
“The pioneer of Bean Village and several other leaders will go to Sea Moon City this time.”
“You must make good use of this time, take the ‘tribute’ I have prepared, bypass Bean Village alone, go to the wasteland bordering Bean Village, find the source of their so-called Bean River, pour the tribute into the river, and offer it to the True God.”
“Remember, it is ‘alone,’ ‘alone’ in a way that ‘must not be discovered by anyone’.”
“For you, a high-ranking ability user, this should be no difficult task.”
The high-ranking ability user’s face was as wooden as ever: “It is not a difficult task, it can be completed.”
The Vice-Chairman nodded with satisfaction and then winked at the black-robed attendant beside him.
The black-robed attendant immediately presented the wooden box he was holding to the ability user: “Your Excellency, the Vice-Chairman understands your hardship in carrying out the mission alone. This is a potion he has prepared specifically for you.”
“After you complete the mission, you will inevitably feel unwell. At that time, just drink this medicine.”
The ability user took the potion: “Understood.”
A smile appeared on the Vice-Chairman’s lips: “What a reliable believer!”
“The True God be with you!”
The ability user withdrew.
After the ability user had gone far, the black-robed attendant was slightly uneasy and asked in a low voice, “Vice-Chairman, this medicine… isn’t it a lethal dose…?”
The Vice-Chairman smiled: “Isn’t it just the right dose?”
“At that time, the river water in Bean Village will change.”
“Even if someone survives by chance, or if that pioneer returns and chases you into the wilderness, at most they will only find a corpse gnawed by demonic creatures. There will be no clues whatsoever.”
The black-robed attendant hurriedly said, “Your Excellency the Vice-Chairman is wise!”
“However, the other party is a high-ranking ability user after all… You must know, Lord Chairman, he appreciates and needs such ability users the most…”
The Vice-Chairman’s expression remained unchanged: “Consumables. It’s normal to consume a few more occasionally.”
“We can always spend more money this year to find more replacements.”
The black-robed attendant obediently lowered his head: “Yes!”
*
Two days before the signing ceremony.
The high-ranking ability user dismounted his horse far from Bean Village and walked fearlessly into the dense forest.
In the dense forest, there were chilling screams and blood-colored vines dancing everywhere.
But in the eyes of the high-ranking ability user, none of it was worth fearing.
He alternated using fire and ice abilities, clearing a path through the dense forest.
He had seen the map.
As long as he followed this newly created path, he could bypass Bean Village and directly enter the “Forgotten Forest.”
At dawn, he entered the Forgotten Forest.
He walked for another whole day, oblivious to hunger and thirst, and finally found the source of a river the next morning.
Very good, now it was time to carry out the mission.
The high-ranking ability user was unaware of the unusual sounds beside him. He took down the box from his back, opened it, and was about to pour it into the river—
“Plop!”
A giant paw, appearing from nowhere, slapped him directly to the ground!
The high-ranking ability user wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked up:
It was… a giant… beaver?
The giant beaver looked angry, pointed at the box, patted its chest, and then gestured at the high-ranking ability user.
If the high-ranking ability user could understand a bit of “common demonic language,” he would know that the giant forest beaver was saying:
Where did you little brat come from? Don’t you know you can’t just pour things into the river?
This is a place even the old ones don’t dare touch!
But the high-ranking ability user completely failed to understand what the demonic creature was trying to express.
He could only raise both hands and begin to gather power…
Unexpectedly, the giant beaver raised its arm forty-five degrees and, “pfft,” spat a large mouthful of saliva askew at the high-ranking ability user’s head!
A mouthful of saliva, for a human, was probably about the size of a bucket…
The high-ranking ability user, who usually lacked emotional fluctuations, now experienced an unprecedented “rage” after being drenched in saliva!
His face turned liver-colored, and he shouted, “You demonic creature! You—”
Before he could finish shouting, the giant beaver had already reached out a paw to grab his foot, swung him around in the air twice like a large green onion, and then slammed him to the ground!
High-ranking ability user: *……%&@#@?
Even though his physique was far stronger than ordinary people, this fall almost displaced his internal organs.
The high-ranking ability user lay on the ground, the intense pain he hadn’t experienced for a long time causing him to groan involuntarily.
This pain washed over his limbs like a tide.
He was completely unable to concentrate enough to use his abilities.
At this moment, he felt the ground disappear beneath him again, and his whole body flew up!
It turned out that the giant beaver had picked him up and slung him over its shoulder like a sack of beans.
The high-ranking ability user hung upside down on the giant beaver’s back, struggling uselessly and shouting incoherently, “Demonic creature, what exactly do you want to do!”
Giant forest beaver: “Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak!”
If the high-ranking ability user could understand, he would know that the giant beaver was saying:
Old one is going to send you to that miniature capybara! Let it deal with you!
Hmph, that miniature capybara told old one very clearly last time that the residents of our forest must protect the environment and not affect the lives of the residents downstream!
Old one is going to let it see that old one remembers everything it said!
Hmph!
