Chapter 53: Dwarves and Wine
Chu Feng opened a nearby box and frowned. “These things still haven’t been dealt with?”
Gray leaned over for a look, surprised. “What are these?”
“T-shirts.” Compared to what they usually wore, these clothes were quite plain.
Chu Feng had originally brought these to give to the villagers, but over time, he had forgotten. They ended up shoved to the bottom of the pile.
Though he’d been here a while, he didn’t know that many people, and when it came time to give gifts, he wasn’t sure who to give them to.
Chu Feng shook his head. He had already told Illya that he could deal with these items, but Illya always thought the things Chu Feng brought were too precious and didn’t dare touch them. So if Chu Feng didn’t handle them, the pile just kept growing.
“What are you thinking about?” Gray asked, seeing him deep in thought.
“I should give this stuff away. No point in hoarding it. Maybe I’ll give them to the Highlanders as work clothes.”
But then he reconsidered—most of the clothes were sized for Illya’s frame. The elves were all slim, and though he bought some larger sizes, even the biggest ones probably wouldn’t fit the burly highlanders.
“You want to give them to the Highlanders?” Gray blurted out.
Chu Feng was startled by Gray’s sudden loud voice. “What’s your problem?”
Gray puffed his cheeks. “Nothing. It’s just that a lot of people in the village dream of wearing your clothes.”
Chu Feng: … Really? I hadn’t noticed.
“Is that so?”
Gray said seriously, “My big brother told me that when he walks around the village, he feels like people want to rip his clothes off.”
Chu Feng: … Why does that sound so wrong?
“Alright, let’s give them out then,” Chu Feng said.
He thought for a moment, then picked out a few items. “These are for the shaman. We still need to keep him happy. He won’t wear all of them himself, but he can give them out.”
“And let’s send some to Duvean too.” Chu Feng picked out a few more. “These, send them to Duvean.”
Gray flipped through the clothes. “This one’s the wrong size. This one would fit Duvean, but that one’s too big.”
Chu Feng blinked. “That one isn’t for him. It’s for him to give away—to that tiger he’s always hanging out with.”
Gray nodded. “Yeah, they do get along well.”
Chu Feng: … Those two obviously have a thing for each other. That’s why I picked a couple’s set. If they actually get together, maybe they’ll even give me a matchmaker’s fee.
Gray looked at Chu Feng with an odd expression. “You’re really thinking ahead.”
Chu Feng said smugly, “I’m a thoughtful boss.”
Gray tilted his head. “But Shaya works for you too. I haven’t seen you treat him this nicely.”
“That bear?” Chu Feng curled his lip. “Didn’t you say he wanted to kick me out of the village?”
Gray puffed up his cheeks. “Don’t worry. No way he could kick you out now.”
“Really?”
Gray nodded. “Yeah! A bunch of people rely on you for candy and instant noodles. If he tried to kick you out, they’d probably kick him out first.”
Chu Feng: … Wow, have I really gotten that popular around here without even realizing it?
“Am I really that welcome here?”
Gray nodded. “Yeah! At least all my friends really like you.”
Chu Feng rolled his eyes. Gray’s friends? Do they like me, or do they like the snacks I bring?
“Give these to Kalan,” Chu Feng said, pulling out a few more clothes. “He works for me too. Gotta take care of him.”
Gray nodded. “Got it. I’ll deliver them later.”
Traveling back and forth between two worlds was tiring, but Chu Feng was getting used to it.
In the blink of an eye, nearly two months had passed since he gained the ability to travel between worlds.
He’d already made more than ten trips. The spatial portal had grown wider, and he could now bring more things through each time.
Chu Feng’s own body had also grown stronger over these two months.
He’d been drinking the shaman’s herbal tonics and ginseng wine regularly. According to a strength test machine he used, his power had increased by nearly 50%.
Chu Feng was pretty satisfied with the progress. Step by step, he believed that if he kept this up, he’d definitely become a top expert.
Qiu Luo the shaman’s opinion of him had improved significantly, and the dosage he prescribed for Chu Feng had finally been adjusted to match that given to the village children.
Over this period, Chu Feng had grown much closer to many of the people in Crescent Village. Whereas Illya used to worry that Chu Feng might be attacked while walking around the village, now that concern had vanished.
Chu Feng appeared in the room carrying several boxes. It was deep in the night when he arrived, but Illya wasn’t asleep yet. A small desk lamp—battery-powered, brought by Chu Feng earlier—was still lit. It had proven quite convenient.
“Still not resting?” Chu Feng asked.
“By my calculations, it’s about time for you to show up,” Illya replied.
Chu Feng shook his head. “You don’t need to wait for me.”
He sighed inwardly: This inability to control the timing of these dimensional crossings is a real pain. Sometimes I travel over in the middle of the night, and I can’t even get proper sleep.
Illya shook his head. “It’s fine.” He had once been an assassin, used to working at night and hiding by day. But ever since meeting Chu Feng, his mission had shifted to protecting him.
“Actually, I’m not the only one who’s been waiting for you,” Illya said.
Chu Feng looked puzzled. “There are others?”
“Some dwarves and highlanders were here earlier too, but after waiting a while and not seeing you, they had to leave.”
Chu Feng: So that’s what happened. “Was one of the dwarves Hughes?”
Illya nodded. “Yes. He drank all the liquor you brought last time.”
Last time Chu Feng came over, he had brought Hughes a whole case of Moutai liquor.
Hughes had been ecstatic to receive the Moutai and immediately swore undying loyalty to Chu Feng, even offering to take an oath before the God of Craftsmanship.
According to Illya, the God of Craftsmanship held great importance to the dwarves. If a dwarf swore allegiance to someone in that god’s name, betrayal was highly unlikely. Many sought the loyalty of dwarven craftsmen, but it was notoriously difficult to obtain.
Hughes was not only a master blacksmith among the dwarves, but also a powerful ability user. For someone like that to pledge loyalty to a human was nearly unheard of.
Historically, dwarves only made such oaths to those who had rendered them tremendous favor or who they sincerely admired.
Though Illya spoke of the vow with great reverence, Chu Feng was a bit skeptical—he suspected Hughes might have only pledged loyalty to secure more liquor.
Originally, Chu Feng thought Hughes was obsessed only with instant noodles, but later he discovered that liquor was his true old flame. Of course, now with a new love in the mix, Hughes shamelessly clung to Chu Feng for both alcohol and noodles.
Chu Feng actually hoped to secure Hughes’ loyalty—after all, a master blacksmith was extremely useful.
“So much liquor, and it’s all gone already? That stuff is strong. Drinking too much isn’t good, right?” Chu Feng asked.
Illya waved dismissively. “Don’t worry. He didn’t drink it all himself—his companions helped polish it off.”
“The dwarves must be really close, huh? Sharing and all.”
Illya rolled his eyes. “Hughes wanted to hoard it all, but his companions snatched it from him.”
Chu Feng asked, “How do you know that?”
Another eye-roll. “He’s been whining to me nonstop about how he barely got any. It’s hard not to know.”
Chu Feng: …
Illya tilted his head. “That liquor of yours is pretty great.”
Chu Feng smiled. Truth be told, he didn’t drink, and couldn’t tell what made a 500-yuan bottle of liquor so special. But it was famous and expensive—surely it had to be good.
Illya asked, “Did you bring more liquor this time?”
Chu Feng nodded. “Yeah.”
To be honest, Moutai liquor was relatively cheap. Though he had assets over 100 million, each time he restocked supplies it cost tens of thousands. At that rate, he couldn’t keep it up forever. He needed to increase income too—hopefully the woodcarving shop would turn a profit soon, though it still seemed a bit tough.
Chu Feng shook his head, deciding not to think about all that for now.
Illya nodded. “Because of that liquor, a bunch of dwarves want to work for you now.”
“Really?”
Illya nodded again, looking complicated. “It’s hard to get dwarves to work for anyone.”
Dwarven craftsmen were famously proud. In the past, Crescent Village had paid a heavy price to recruit even a few. Yet now, they were volunteering to work for Chu Feng.
While Illya was happy for him, he also felt a little bitter—he used to beg those same dwarves, and now they ran to Chu Feng on their own.
Shaking off the thought, Illya said, “The crops on the shaman’s land have started growing. That red tuber you brought—it’s edible now.”
Chu Feng looked at him. “Really?”
Illya nodded. “Yeah, lots of villagers have already eaten it. If we can promote its cultivation, we’ll have a much easier time getting through winter.”
Chu Feng thought: Sweet potatoes are high-yield, but they usually don’t grow that fast. It’s probably thanks to the shaman’s powers… or maybe the environment here is better suited for them… or both.
Looking at the sky outside, Chu Feng said, “It’s almost midnight. Let’s sleep first. We’ll deal with the supplies tomorrow.”
Illya nodded. “Alright.”
