Chapter 29: The Reputation of the Human Race
When Chu Feng saw Illya enter the room, he smiled and said, “You’re here! I brought you something good.”
He took off his backpack and pulled out a cake box.
When Illya saw the cake inside, his eyes lit up, though he quickly composed himself.
“This is especially for me?”
Chu Feng nodded. “Yup. It’s not easy to bring over, so I only brought a small piece this time.”
Illya’s eyes curved with a smile. “Thank you.”
Ever since eating cake last time, Illya hadn’t been able to forget the taste. Chu Feng had said he’d bring more, and although Illya didn’t mention it when he didn’t see a cake box this time, he had secretly felt a bit disappointed.
“No need to thank me,” Chu Feng smiled.
“I wasn’t desperate to eat it or anything. You really didn’t have to go through the trouble.” Illya fluttered his lashes and looked away a bit shyly.
“It’s no trouble at all.”
“Sorry about Gray helping himself to your candy,” Illya said.
“It’s fine, not a big deal.” Chu Feng had brought all that candy to win over the villagers anyway. In a way, Gray had helped him out.
The adults in the village seemed to hold strong prejudices against humans, making direct contact difficult. But if he could win over the children, it would make dealing with their parents much easier later.
Still, things that come too easily are never treasured. Just handing out candy for free wasn’t sustainable either.
“Hurry and eat before Gray sees. Too much sugar isn’t good for kids,” Chu Feng said.
Illya looked puzzled. “Too much sugar is bad? There’s such a thing?”
Chu Feng nodded. “Yeah!”
“Then I won’t save any for him,” Illya said, holding the cake box.
“That’s the right decision.”
“Have you thought about what kind of house you want to build?” Illya asked while scooping a bite of cake.
At the mention of this, Chu Feng got excited. “I want to build a castle!”
He pulled out a blueprint from his backpack and showed it to Illya.
Illya looked at the drawing in amazement. “This is beautifully drawn!”
Staring at the castle on the blueprint, Illya was clearly impressed. “This is the first time I’ve seen a design like this. Even the goblins, who specialize in mechanical crafting, probably couldn’t draw this. Did you draw it yourself?”
Chu Feng: “…” Illya was giving him way too much credit—there was no way he could draw something like this.
The blueprint had cost him 3,000 yuan on Taobao from a professional designer. The castle was just the beginning of Chu Feng’s plans. If all went well, he wanted to gradually develop this place into a full-fledged base. If one day he could make a name for himself in this world, this castle would be the starting point of his grand ambitions.
“It’s not drawn by me—I bought it.”
“That’s impressive too.”
Chu Feng: “…” Really? That counts as impressive?
“A blueprint this good must’ve been hard to get, right?”
Chu Feng: “…” Actually, not really. In modern society, there are tons of people trained in design who aren’t doing well. As long as you’re willing to spend money, you can get all kinds of blueprints.
Illya looked at the blueprint and thought for a moment. “To build a castle like this, you’ll probably need help from the Highlanders and the Dwarves.”
Chu Feng asked curiously, “Highlanders? Dwarves?”
Illya nodded. “The Highlanders like to live in mountain caves and are incredibly skilled at mining stone. They’re strong and hardworking. Humans especially like hiring Highlanders to build houses.”
“The more houses they’ve built, the more skilled they’ve become. The Highlanders are true experts in construction.”
Chu Feng nodded. “So how should I pay them?”
Illya thought for a bit. “You can start by paying in salt.”
Chu Feng nodded. “I already gave you all the salt I brought last time. I didn’t bring more this time.”
Illya shook his head. “That’s fine. You can use the salt you gave me.”
Chu Feng had brought an entire box of salt previously. It was way more than what Crescent Village could use on their own.
Chu Feng hesitated. “Is that really okay?” Illya had probably already given the salt to the shaman. It wouldn’t be right to take it back.
“It’s fine. Just bring more next time,” Illya said with a smile.
Chu Feng nodded. “Alright then.”
“What about the Dwarves?”
“The Dwarves are masters of forging. Since your castle is so big, using Dwarven tools would really speed things up.”
Chu Feng nodded. “You’re right. A workman must first sharpen his tools if he is to do his job well.”
The Egyptian pyramids took decades to build—who knows how long his castle would take. If it dragged on for ten years, who knew when he’d get to live in it.
“So how do I hire the Dwarves?”
Illya thought for a moment. “The Dwarves love alcohol—especially the ‘Hundred-Fruit Brew’ from our village.”
“Alcohol, huh?”
Illya nodded. “Yes.”
“Many people in the village know how to brew it. We used to trade it for salt and fabric. This year we can keep more for ourselves. The shaman’s brew is the best—it even enhances abilities.”
Chu Feng’s eyes lit up. “The Hundred-Fruit Brew can enhance abilities?”
“Only the shaman’s brew has that effect. No one else’s does, even though everyone follows the same brewing steps,” Illya said.
Chu Feng: “…” So it must have something to do with the shaman’s own abilities. That shaman really is something.
“That sounds amazing. Do you know what the shaman likes?” Chu Feng asked.
Illya shook his head. “I don’t know. The shaman is always quiet and aloof.”
Chu Feng: “…” Looks cold on the outside—maybe secretly a bit of a weirdo?
Illya looked at Chu Feng. “You want the Hundred-Fruit Brew? You bled just from drinking that medicine earlier. The brew is strong liquor.”
Chu Feng: “…” Strong liquor? Well, he could dilute it with water, right?
“The Dwarves like alcohol. Will any kind do?” Chu Feng asked.
Illya nodded. “They’re not picky. It’s hard to be picky when alcohol is so rare.”
Chu Feng thought to himself: That makes sense. Only when there’s enough food can people afford to make alcohol. When you’re barely eating, drinking becomes a luxury.
“Do you have alcohol on your side?” Illya asked.
Chu Feng nodded. “Yeah, there’s all kinds. Tons of varieties.” From cheap two-yuan cans of beer to fancy liquors costing hundreds or thousands—he could afford them, but it wasn’t easy to carry much at once. “It’s not very portable.”
Illya nodded in understanding. “Then just use salt for now.”
Chu Feng looked at Illya. “Is salt really that scarce here?”
Illya nodded. “Yes!” For any race living in the mountains, salt was always in short supply. Chu Feng’s appearance really solved a big problem.
Chu Feng: “…” If that’s the case, then things will be much easier.
Walking beside Chu Feng, Illya asked, “Where do you want to build the castle?”
Chu Feng shook his head. “Haven’t decided yet. Can I build it nearby?”
Illya nodded. “Sure!”
Chu Feng nodded. “Then let’s go scout out the area.”
Illya nodded. “Sounds good.”
Chu Feng stood on a hill, looking out over the surrounding land. “This spot looks nice—let’s choose here.”
Illya nodded. “Alright.”
“You think the Highlanders will really build for me?” Chu Feng asked. After all, he was a human.
The people of Crescent Village clearly didn’t like humans. The moment anyone mentioned them, they’d call them cunning, treacherous, and full of ill intent. Chu Feng suspected that if Illya hadn’t personally brought him into the village, he might’ve been killed outside.
Illya thought for a moment. “If the shaman steps in, the Highlanders will agree.”
Chu Feng blinked, thinking: Is that so-called quack from earlier really that powerful? Then again, the shaman did seem pretty capable.
“The Highlanders really listen to your shaman?”
Illya nodded. “The Highlander chief’s son was seriously injured before, and it was the shaman who healed him.”
Chu Feng: “…” In a place without hospitals, healers must have a high status.
“I see.”
Chu Feng asked curiously, “What are the characteristics of the Highlanders?”
Illya thought for a moment and said, “The Highlanders are all very tall and have big appetites. They’re incredibly strong, but their reactions aren’t very quick.”
Chu Feng nodded and thought to himself: To put it simply, the Highlanders are probably a race with strong limbs and simple minds. Simple-minded people are the best—easy to deal with. He liked simple-minded folks the most.
Illya looked at the secretly pleased Chu Feng and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Chu Feng shook his head. “Nothing.”
Illya gave him a warning. “Don’t underestimate the Highlanders. While many of them are slow to react, there are some smart ones among them.”
Chu Feng nodded. “I understand.” There’s always a tall one among the short—if the Highlanders were all fools, they’d probably have been wiped out long ago.
“In the past, to earn food, the Highlanders often served as mercenaries in the wars between humans and demons. They’re brave but reckless, so they were often used as cannon fodder. Many of them died in those wars, and their numbers dropped significantly. Eventually, the Highlander elders decided this couldn’t go on and retreated into the forests.”
“How do the Highlanders feel about humans?” Chu Feng asked.
“The Highlanders think humans are deceitful liars who can’t be trusted,” Illya replied.
Chu Feng: “…Why’s that?”
“A hundred years ago, the Highlanders joined a war between humans and demons. The humans promised them generous rewards before the battle, but after suffering heavy losses, the human leaders went back on their word. The Highlander elders left a warning: never trust humans easily.”
Chu Feng: “…” The human race really has a terrible reputation! This just made everything a lot harder for him.
