Chapter 66: The Dwarves
Two days later.
Chu Feng arrived at Crescent Village with a large haul of supplies. In addition to his usual items, he had brought winter clothes—thick cotton coats and pants. Also, because the dwarves had gifted him a lot of gold before, he brought three full crates of alcohol in return.
Gray rushed out excitedly—not to look at the supplies, as usual—but instead urgently asked about the rabbit.
“The rabbit—is it dead?!”
Chu Feng looked at him and sighed. “Yeah, it’s dead.”
Gray was visibly shaken. “Dead? How?!”
“It’s just dead,” Chu Feng replied. He had originally planned to make braised rabbit, but gave up on the idea.
Illya frowned and looked somewhat gloomy. “Traveling between two worlds involves a lot of uncertainty. A person with special abilities might be protected, but an ordinary creature… not so lucky.”
Chu Feng glanced at Illya. He must be disappointed too, he thought. Illya’s longing for their world might be just as strong as Gray’s.
“What did you bring this time?” Gray quickly perked up again.
“I brought some warm clothes. You can help distribute them.”
Gray touched the fabric and exclaimed, “So soft—must be expensive!”
Chu Feng smiled awkwardly. “Not really. Quite cheap.”
“Have the dwarves arrived yet?”
Illya shook his head. “No. Are you looking for Hughes?”
Chu Feng nodded. “Yes, I want to research something with him. That oath he swore to the God of Crafts—does it really bind him to serve me?”
Illya nodded solemnly. “It does. Is there something confidential you want to share?”
“Kind of,” Chu Feng replied.
He pulled a toy gun from his bag and fired a shot into the distance.
“A toy?”
Illya’s eyes lit up. Chu Feng noticed the seriousness in his gaze and realized that Illya must’ve already understood the gun’s potential.
“It’s a weapon, isn’t it?”
“This one’s a toy,” Chu Feng explained, “but there are real ones that look almost identical. They’re restricted items—hard to get. If you’re caught dealing them privately, the police will be all over you.”
Illya looked at him and asked, “Is the destructive power strong?”
Chu Feng nodded and said, “Finished firearms have a lot of destructive power.”
Illya tilted his head. “If these weapons are really that powerful, they’d help us a lot in winter against beast tides.”
Chu Feng’s face darkened. “Beasts? There are still wild beasts here?”
Illya nodded. “Yes. Sometimes in winter, when they’re starving, they attack villages. A child was even snatched away once.”
Chu Feng’s heart skipped a beat. Life had been smooth since his arrival—he’d almost forgotten that this world was full of dangers.
“The beast tides haven’t been too bad in recent years,” Illya added with some relief.
“What happens when they’re serious?” Chu Feng asked.
“When the beast tides are severe, entire villages can be wiped out,” Illya replied grimly.
Chu Feng: …
Chu Feng then called Hughes over and showed him some pre-recorded firearm videos.
Hughes watched, visibly excited. “This is what you want me to study?”
Chu Feng nodded. “Yes. But only you. No one else in the Dwarf Tribe can know.”
“Why not?”
“Because they haven’t sworn loyalty to me,” Chu Feng said without hesitation.
“They can swear loyalty!” Hughes replied immediately.
Chu Feng rolled his eyes. “Loyalty? Can you make that decision for everyone?”
Hughes nodded firmly. “Yes, I can.”
“You’re saying you’ll lead the whole Dwarf Tribe to swear loyalty to me?”
“Exactly!”
Chu Feng: … Exactly? What’s that supposed to mean?
Illya looked at Hughes. “Hughes, swearing to the God of Crafts isn’t a joke. You should think carefully.”
Hughes shook his head. “Don’t worry. If it were anyone else, of course not. But Boss Feng is different. The Dwarf Tribe would be happy to follow him.”
Chu Feng blinked. “So if the entire tribe swears loyalty to me, does that make me your leader?”
Hughes smiled flatteringly. “Yes! If you want to be our chief, then you are our chief.”
Chu Feng: … Becoming chief of the Dwarves is this easy? Being a leader sounds kind of cool…
He tilted his head, lost briefly in thought.
Illya looked at Hughes. “This isn’t something to joke about.”
“I’m not joking. I’m serious,” Hughes replied firmly.
Illya quickly realized Hughes’ intent—he wanted to tie the Dwarves to Chu Feng’s side, perhaps to secure more wine. Still, the Dwarves were incredibly skilled. If they pledged loyalty, it could only benefit Chu Feng.
Hughes smiled obsequiously. “Boss, please consider it. We’re sincere.”
Chu Feng: … Is this guy begging me to become their chief? “Alright then.”
“Boss, the guys back at the tribe won’t work without wine. What do you say?”
“As your chief, I’ll make sure the wine problem is taken care of,” Chu Feng said. Wine wasn’t a problem—he could afford plenty.
“You’re so bold, Boss Feng!” Hughes flattered enthusiastically.
Illya: “…”
Chu Feng laughed. “Where’s Shuxia today?”
“The merchant caravan went to our tribe, and big brother got tied up dealing with them.”
“Merchant caravan?”
Hughes nodded. “Yep. Since we didn’t go to trade with them this year, they came to us.”
Illya thought to himself: The Dwarves really are powerful. They didn’t go to the traders—the traders came to them.
“They’re probably here for weapons,” Hughes added, glancing at Illya.
Illya had previously traded refined salt for a large number of weapons from the Dwarves. At that time, the Dwarves didn’t know about Chu Feng, and thought they’d gotten a great deal. In truth, they kind of had.
Meanwhile, Gu Nan was leaving the Dwarf village, his expression tense.
“Steward Nan, something seems off,” someone said.
Gu Nan nodded. “Yes, something is definitely strange.”
Wherever the merchant caravan had gone in the past, they were always warmly welcomed. But this time, their trip to the Dwarves had been… humbling. When he presented their premium snow salt, the Dwarves weren’t interested.
Gu Nan had taken this trip very seriously. He didn’t even bring the usual coarse salt—he went straight for the best snow salt. But the Dwarves seemed to look down on it, like it wasn’t even worthy.
Even the alcohol he brought was met with disdain—unusual for the Dwarves, who were known for their love of drink. They had never been picky before. This time, he brought high-quality liquor, yet they still weren’t impressed.
Gu Nan quietly wondered if another merchant group had gotten to the Dwarves first.
“Steward Nan, I also noticed something strange about the clothes the Dwarves are wearing.”
Gu Nan nodded. He had noticed it too. The Dwarves seemed to be hiding something, and weren’t saying much.
Not long after the merchants left, several Dwarves gathered together and started chatting excitedly.
“Boss, Boss Chu is coming today, right? Wonder how much wine he’s bringing this time.”
“Boss Chu is generous. We gave him so much gold—he should bring back a lot of wine.”
“Hughes already went to meet him. Should be back soon.”
“We really shouldn’t have let Hughes go alone. He probably drank a few bottles on the way.”
“I wonder what kind of wine Boss Chu will bring. Mou Tai is great, but that floral brew was pretty good too.”
“No matter what kind of wine it is, it’s far better than what the merchant caravans bring.”
“Yeah! Exactly!”
The dwarves grew more and more excited as they chatted. Compared to the crafty merchants, Chu Feng seemed extraordinarily generous.
Chu Feng glanced around the room and frowned. “There’s more and more stuff piling up here.”
Illya nodded. “Yes, there is.”
Chu Feng crossed his arms. “I’ve been thinking about something lately.”
Illya looked at him. “What is it?”
“I’m thinking about wages.”
Illya was a bit confused. “Wages? You want to pay everyone wages?”
Chu Feng nodded. “Yes. But I’ll issue them in the form of labor vouchers.”
He had noticed that more and more people had been working for him lately. Until now, he’d been giving out rewards rather casually. That worked for the short term, but it wasn’t sustainable. He decided to start paying a fixed wage to better motivate everyone. “These vouchers can be exchanged for the goods I’ve brought with me.”
Illya nodded. “Sounds interesting. The Highlanders will probably be happy about that.”
Chu Feng smiled. “Right? I’m planning to open a small general store.”
Illya nodded again. “Then you’ll need someone to manage the store, right?”
Chu Feng nodded. “Yes.”
But he thought to himself: choosing someone to manage the shop wouldn’t be easy. The person would need to know basic arithmetic and must be trustworthy. Running the store would be a cushy job. Illya was a good candidate, but Chu Feng didn’t want him stuck in the shop all day.
