Chapter 40: Woodcarving Booklet
Ilya kept opening boxes. “What’s this? Looks like bread.”
Chu Feng nodded. “Waffles.”
He had originally wanted to bring freshly baked bread, but since it wouldn’t keep long, he had to settle for waffles.
“Is it good?” Ilya asked.
Chu Feng smiled. “Try it and see.”
Ilya didn’t hesitate—he tore open a pack and took a bite. His eyes lit up. “Soft and tasty. It’s really good!”
Chu Feng nodded. “If you like it, keep a few more for yourself. Don’t give them away.”
Ilya blinked. “There’s too many—I couldn’t finish them all!”
Chu Feng opened another box. “What’s this?”
“Honey. Do you guys have this here?” he asked.
Ilya shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
Chu Feng thought: No honey? Then again, maybe it’s not that they don’t have it—maybe they just call it something else. Or maybe the people of Crescent Village are too isolated to know what exists beyond their borders.
The last three boxes were filled with all sorts of cookies.
Looking at all the opened boxes, Chu Feng couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of abundance.
Here, owning a box of salt made you rich. With this many supplies, he was the richest of the rich.
*
Ilya made a pot of porridge, and by the time they’d finished sorting everything, the porridge was ready.
Chu Feng opened a pack of pickled mustard green, shared some with Ilya, and scooped some into his own bowl.
Ilya chewed thoughtfully. “It tastes amazing!”
Chu Feng smiled. “Really?” Back in China, pickled mustard green was once a common snack for lower-income folks. Nowadays, as living conditions improved, fewer people still ate it. But here, it could probably be considered a gourmet item.
“Are you planning to use this as food for the Highland Tribe?” Ilya asked.
Chu Feng nodded. “Yeah.”
Ilya nodded seriously. “If you do, the Highlanders might fight each other just to work for you.”
Chu Feng raised a brow. “Really?”
Ilya nodded firmly. “Really.”
Chu Feng thought to himself: The people here really are simple and honest, huh? You can win them over with just pickled mustard green? I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been amazed.
Gray came running up, eyes sparkling. “Big bro, what are you guys eating?”
Chu Feng glanced at him. “Porridge. Want some?”
Gray quickly nodded. “Yes, yes!”
Chu Feng waved a hand. “There’s more in the pot. Go help yourself.”
Gray devoured the porridge with the pickled mustard green and practically finished the whole pot, showering the dish with praise. Seeing how much Gray loved it, Chu Feng felt like he needed to re-evaluate the value of pickled mustard green.
Chu Feng grabbed his backpack, loaded it with a few things, and said, “I’m heading to see Duvean.”
Duvean was the first person he’d ever made a deal with here. He needed to maintain that business relationship well—if he earned Duvean’s trust, others in the village would be more willing to trade with him too.
Build a good reputation, and more business would follow.
Ilya frowned slightly. “Do you want me to come with you?”
Chu Feng shook his head. “No need.” He had to learn to be “independent.” “You go do your own thing.”
Ilya nodded. “Alright.”
Chu Feng brought some snacks, a booklet of woodcarving designs, and some carving tools, and set off for Duvean’s place.
On the way, he ran into a few villagers from Crescent Village. Though they didn’t greet him, their expressions seemed noticeably friendlier than before. It didn’t feel like they were rejecting him—more like they were shy.
Chu Feng thought to himself: The candy offensive really works! Even though I’m a human, I’m also their God of Wealth!
*
When Chu Feng arrived at Duvean’s door, he saw a blond man standing there.
The man’s expression darkened slightly upon seeing him.
He had golden eyes, somewhat like vertical pupils. Chu Feng guessed the man was likely a half-beastman—someone with beast blood, and a particularly fierce lineage at that.
Chu Feng had been in Crescent Village long enough to roughly distinguish the different races.
Half-elves were generally refined in appearance—handsome men and strikingly beautiful women. Half-beastmen, on the other hand, usually bore some physical animal traits.
“Hi there!” Chu Feng greeted with a wave.
The blond man said nothing, his face stern.
Chu Feng’s gaze shifted and caught sight of a wooden carving nearby. He thought, This guy must be that Sterling—half-tiger beastman who saved Duvean back in the day.
From inside, Duvean called out, “Guest from another tribe, come in.”
Hearing this, Chu Feng walked past the blond man. Seeing that the man didn’t react, he felt slightly more at ease.
Chu Feng stepped inside. Sterling followed him in. The thought that this man might turn into a ferocious beast at any moment gave Chu Feng chills.
He regretted not asking Ilya to accompany him. So many people in the village hate humans—who knows when one might just snap?
“I’ve nearly finished the set of twelve zodiac carvings you wanted,” Duvean said.
Chu Feng looked at the wooden carvings Duvean handed over and exclaimed in admiration, “Your craftsmanship is amazing.”
Each of the twelve zodiac carvings was vivid and lifelike. Chu Feng thought to himself: Duvean, this elf, really has an extraordinary gift for carving. He wasn’t a professional appraiser, but he had decent taste.
Duvean hesitated for a moment and said, “Actually, there are many villagers here with great carving skills—not much worse than mine. If you need more wood carvings…”
Chu Feng frowned slightly. “No rush, we’ll take it slow.”
“I brought you some things,” he said, handing over a set of carving knives.
Duvean’s face lit up as he examined them. “These are really nice!”
Chu Feng chuckled awkwardly. “Maybe.”
Feeling a pair of eyes staring at him from behind, Chu Feng grew a bit tense.
Then he pulled out a picture book. “This is a woodcarving reference book. You can follow the images for inspiration, but there’s no need to replicate them exactly.”
Chu Feng had actually bought several of these online, but only one had arrived before he crossed over—the others were still in transit.
Duvean flipped through the book, enchanted. “Who drew these? They’re stunning.”
Chu Feng chuckled again, not explaining that the images were actually photographs, not drawings.
“These pictures are beautiful, but some carvers couldn’t do them justice. If it were me, I could carve them even better,” Duvean said proudly.
Chu Feng nodded. “Of course, everyone knows you’re the best craftsman in the village.”
He then took out some chips and bread. “This is your payment for this batch.”
Duvean nodded. “Thank you.”
“No need to be polite. I’ll get going now,” Chu Feng said.
Duvean looked surprised. “Leaving already?”
Chu Feng nodded. “I’ve still got things to do.” For the sake of his personal safety, it was best to leave early. With a tiger literally breathing down his neck, the pressure was real.
“Sterling, walk him out,” Duvean said.
Chu Feng quickly waved his hands. “No, no, really—it’s fine.”
Seriously? He wants a tiger to escort me? Is he trying to get me killed?
*
Duvean sat flipping through the picture book, completely captivated.
“These are so beautiful.”
The woodcarving reference book had opened a new world to him, sparking countless ideas in his mind.
After a while, Duvean finally noticed Sterling.
“Are you hungry? Want something to eat?” he asked.
Sterling shook his head sullenly. “I’m not hungry.”
“Are you in a bad mood?” Duvean asked, puzzled.
“Do you… like that human?” Sterling asked.
Duvean thought for a moment. “He seems different from most humans. I don’t dislike him. I used to wonder why Ilya would bring a human into the village, but now I get it.”
“He and Ilya seem really close.”
Duvean nodded. “Yeah, I heard Ilya can take whatever he wants from the things he brings. That’s some real luck.”
Sterling: “…”
Duvean’s living conditions hadn’t been great. Even with Sterling’s help, he often went hungry. But lately, many people had come to trade with him, so food wasn’t a problem anymore. Plus, he could focus on doing what he loved. He was quite happy.
Not long after Chu Feng left, a few half-elf villagers stopped by Duvean’s home.
“Duvean, did that human give you those carving knives?”
Duvean nodded. “Yeah.”
“These are beautiful! Kind of look like something dwarves would make,” Tilly said.
Duvean shook his head. “They’re not made by dwarves.” He had thought the same at first, but after asking, he learned otherwise.
“I heard that human also gave Ilya a set of daggers—sharp enough to slice through iron like mud.”
Duvean thought silently: That human’s goods… a lot of them are things we’ve never even heard of before.
Shaya flipped through a picture book and said, “This is so finely made! Are all human picture books like this?”
Duvean shook his head. “Apparently, it’s not made by the humans from this side of the sea, but by the humans across the sea.”
“I heard that person’s ability is spatial transmission—what an enviable power!”
Shaya shook his head. “He doesn’t seem able to control it, though. He can only passively wait for the transfer to happen. That’s still pretty inconvenient.”
“It’s already impressive—at least he has an ability!”
“Duvean, did that human give you this?” Tilly looked enviously at the snacks nearby. “Trade me some—I’ll give you a Mie-Mie Beast in exchange.”
“The chips are off-limits. The rest, you can trade for,” Duvean replied simply.
Tilly nodded. “Okay, I want this one…”
Duvean frowned. “That one?” Tilly had picked up some instant noodles. Duvean had never tried it before and didn’t know what it tasted like, so he just casually nodded.
