Volume 8: The Sword Points to the Far East Chapter 240: Taking Advantage of the Dark Elves
The contour maps of the Snow Wolf Tribe are rather ordinary, mainly because they do not have such accurate measuring tools, and can only use blocks of different colors to fill in the lines representing the undulations and heights of the ground, so that people can see at a glance which areas have rising terrain and which areas have sunken terrain, where there are low mountains, and where there are valleys and canyons.
This map, which is definitely not very accurate, is barely sufficient in the grassland environment...When Aldoni led his companions to the upper reaches of the Earth River in the northwest and arrived at the Grand Canal project site, this group of spellcasters took a glance at the map hanging in the shed and basically understood where the Grand Canal would be built.
This is also what shocked the group of spellcasters: "This, this - you want to build a 1,200-kilometer-long canal?!"
"To be exact, it is 1,260 kilometers, with an error of 10 kilometers." Ah Yue corrected with a serious face, "From the upper reaches of the Earth River to the southern estuary, the straight-line distance is about 800 kilometers, but these places are inaccessible, so we have to go around an extra 360 kilometers." Ah Jiang raised his hand and pointed to several places on the map, "This area is densely populated with low mountains, this dark green area is a forest, and this, this is a large low-lying area, that is, a swamp, we have to go around it a little bit."
Aldoni didn't understand: "I know we need to go around the mountainous area, but why do we need to go around the forest swamp?"
A Yue patiently explained, "This forest is about 40 kilometers in area. It is one of the few places in our tribe that can produce lac, so we cannot cut down trees and destroy the forest. When we have more manpower in the future, we will have to find a way to expand the forest area. As for the swamp, according to our experience, the silt cleared from such a large swamp can at least fertilize tens of thousands of hectares of farmland. The cleared swamp is very suitable for planting fruit trees, soybeans and alfalfa. The canal will go around the edge, and in the future we can build an agricultural base around this swamp."
Aldoni & other spellcasters: "..."
Just...you grassland people must beat us spellcasters in vision, right...
It is absolutely impossible for A Yue to have any environmental awareness. This guy who rejects new things but will firmly defend their existence when he finds that they are indeed profitable is a very practical pragmatist. Shellac is not a scarce resource. A naughty kid with a small blade can cut dozens of kilograms of it in a day by playing in the woods. But as long as it is something that needs to be bought with money, there must be awareness of self-production and protection of production.
Xiao Yun sent a total of nine spellcasters to the construction site. These were the manpower that could be squeezed out after the spellcasters who stayed behind for "further training" were divided up by the three major scientific research companies. Balk lost Aisha and took Aldoni away for Xiao Yun, his eyes glowing green. Xiao Yun was too embarrassed to touch the remaining four disciples, two women and two men.
A Yue asked the team chef to prepare a meal to feed the nine spellcasters, and then quickly... took Aldoni and the other nine people to the mica mine that they accidentally discovered when they were digging the Grand Canal.
The original construction site, which had just begun excavation and was immediately stopped, was now surrounded by a fence. Ah Yue walked inside, squatted down and dug up the soil, picked up a piece of muddy and dirty mica and showed it to the casters: "When we build roads and dig rivers, we dig into the rock layer and then put nitroglycerin in to blast it. But when we chose to dig from this side at the beginning, we found mica pieces less than two meters deep."
"Then we dug up the surrounding area and checked it out, and confirmed that there should be a relatively large mica mine around here." Ah Yue said, gesturing with her hand to indicate a general area. "Of course, we don't know how big it is. We are busy building the canal, so we left it alone for now. Now that you are here, please help us check the reserves of this mica mine. If it is worth mining, I will contact the Qiuling New District."
To be honest, at first the nine spellcasters were very worried that the snow wolf would ask them to open a mine - it was not impossible for these grassland people to do such a thing!
Aldoni and others breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that they only needed to survey the reserves and that someone else would take over the mining.
The caster's mental power can penetrate any hole, so it is not difficult to use it to explore underground mineral veins. Yumi Hockley also did this when he was seduced by the beauty of the river...
Next, Aldoni and others worked for a few days at this suspected mica mine discovery site. After confirming that there were mica flake crystals within several kilometers around and thousands of meters underground, and that it was a large-scale mica-rich mine, they went to find A Yue to report.
Due to the discovery of mica mines, the canal project was moved twenty kilometers to the east and construction has officially started; when the spellcasters arrived, a construction team of three thousand people was busy cutting rocks and removing vegetation between the cliffs that blocked the water of the River of the Earth, driving steel drills into the valleys, and pouring concrete dams layer by layer.
When Aldoni and his companions came before, they were taken to inspect the mica mines before they had a chance to see the construction site. Now that they had come to the dam construction site, they were all stunned.
With the infrastructure level of the Fire Department, it is impossible to build any super project that defies the heavens. This Grand Canal Dam built on the mountain wall is actually the level of a reservoir dam that can be seen in any third-tier city in modern China ...
But even this level of modern reservoir dam is enough to shock the indigenous people of this world - between the two mountains, on the south side, an artificial valley with a width of 500 meters was forcibly opened (the mountain wall was not dug through, it will be blasted open after the canal is completed), and then the foundation was filled up section by section; part of it has been filled to the ground level, and pipes extending from huge cement mixers are filling them with cement, and steel bars erected towards the sky are 20 to 30 meters high; the other half is still in the excavation stage, and pumps are rumbling, pumping out the seeping groundwater into a simply dug reservoir, which is used on site for cement mixing.
The spellcasters, who usually saw "big construction sites" like theater construction sites or noble mansion renovation sites, were simply stunned!
The nine spellcasters couldn't help but rise up together, flying to a height of several dozen meters to overlook the entire construction site...
"Is the rammer assembled? If it is assembled, drag it over here!"
"No, the rammer is too heavy and I can't hold it firmly, so I haven't hoisted it up yet!"
"I told you to put up the pulley assembly hoist frame first, why are you so lazy? Forget about assembling it, put up the hoist frame first... eh?" Ah Yue looked up and saw the spellcasters riding the wind to rise into the air, her eyes suddenly lit up, "Come down quickly and help!"
...With the help of the spellcasters, the engineering team successfully assembled the five-ton solid three-dimensional rectangular rammer onto the rammer...
Then Ah Yue did not let the spellcasters have their free time. Not only did he use them as human cranes, he also asked them to pump water from the poured cement and twist steel bars with his flexible and powerful hands... How could there be no work on the construction site? There was work everywhere!
In theory, building this kind of reservoir-level dam and launching a hydropower project would not be without benefits. Unfortunately, the current technological level is not high enough and has not yet reached the stage of the electric power industry, so when casting the dam, we can only leave space in advance and do it when the technology is available.
During the period when Aldoni and others were helping the grassland tribes with the canal dam project, Adam pretended to be a traveling wizard and took a detour to the Western Continent to join a small team composed of plant hunters, alchemists, and treasure hunters, entered the underground world and sneaked into the dungeon.
The team consisting of two spellcasters, a plant hunter and a treasure hunter, obviously did not come to the dungeon to pan for gold, but to spend money. When entering the city gate, Adam and his three companions enjoyed good treatment - the underground world was full of all kinds of exotic species. When the adventurers brought back the things they collected from every corner to the dungeon, buyers with different needs would naturally gather in the dungeon.
The densely covered luminous moss on the dome above the head does not make the dungeon as bright as day, but it does not make people feel dim. The security and sanitation of the dark elves' dungeon are no worse than those of the forest elves' cities. There are orderly streets, rows of shops, and pedestrians. If you are financially well-off and can afford the slightly higher expenses in the dungeon than in the outside world, then this is indeed a good place to live.
In other words, everything is expensive here...
In a tavern on the street, Adam took two bites of the store's high-end imitation Snow Wolf tribe cold food skewers. Every bite felt like eating coins...
"In Ananas City, a pot of skewers costs only one silver coin, but here it costs five silver coins, which is five times more expensive." The alchemist from the forest elf tribe was considered the richer of the four people. He was also amazed while eating, "The sauce and hot and sour soup taste the same, and the ingredients are almost the same. It's a pity that the dungeon dares to sell it at such a high price."
The human treasure hunter was reluctant to order such expensive cold pot skewers. He was slurping noodles and smiled when he heard this: "Not all the restaurants in the dungeon are expensive. There is a food store run by grassland people in the territory of the Scythe of the Abyss. This kind of cold pot skewers only costs one silver coin. However, the food sold in that store is limited every day, and most of it is consumed by the dark elves themselves. It is difficult for outsiders to buy it."
Adam pretended to be surprised and listened to the treasure hunter's chatter, but he was very disdainful in his heart (￣_, ￣)... How can one silver coin for a pot be called cheap?! In the canteen of the Fire Department, a pot of skewers only costs thirty-five copper coins!
A hot pot that tastes better than skewers and can feed three to four people costs seventy-five copper coins!
Sigh... If I had known earlier I wouldn't have tried to save face by ordering skewers like the alchemist. Even though the money I spent was the "activity funds" given by the devil Ayun, it still hurt to pay for it with my own hands!
After solving the stomach problem, the group of four went to the hotel street to find a place to stay. The human treasure hunter, who was a frequent visitor to the dungeon, led the newly formed group of companions to the most inexpensive and high-quality store - a family hotel run by a couple that only charged two silver coins per room.
The Barbarian Plant Hunter said in surprise, "You are amazing. You know a store that is so hidden. The last time I came to the dungeon with another group, the store we stayed in charged four and a half silver coins a day. The environment was poor and the owner's attitude was terrible."
The human treasure hunter smiled proudly: "When you spend money in the dungeon, you must go to the store run by the relatives of the local block owner. The owner of this store is a distant relative of everyone on this street of inns. His family does not have to pay high security fees, so it is so cheap."
Adam looked at the happy faces of his new companions and felt a stomachache - the dormitories of the Fire Department were indeed crowded, with more than a dozen people living in one room, but they were free, and provided hot water for bathing and toiletries, and the beds were heated in winter!
It’s just… I’m used to living in the Fire Tribe, and when I get out, nothing goes my way!
The two spellcasters booked a room, and the barbarians and humans shared one room; it wasn't that everyone was so particular and didn't want to save money and squeeze together, but there were only two beds in each room, and those beds were so small that only one person could turn over...
When the tall barbarians sleep on this small bed, their feet are hanging outside...
Finally he was settled, and Adam was thinking about finding an opportunity to make friends with the treasure hunter of the same tribe to see if he knew how to contact those who secretly stole minerals from the underground world. Then this treasure hunter came to him on his own initiative.
"The big market in the dungeon opens every three days, and it won't open until tomorrow. Since we have nothing to do today anyway, why don't I take you all to see the new stuff in the dungeon." The old fox winked and made crazy hints to the two spellcasters.
The green-skinned elf alchemist readily agreed, and Adam, wanting to build a relationship with this fellow alchemist, pretended to be curious and "got on the car".
Then the two spellcasters and a barbarian were taken to the dungeon theater by the treasure hunter.
In order to maintain his status as a spellcaster, Adam, who had to bear the pain and team up with the alchemist to pay for a small VIP room (after all, they were both relatively wealthy), almost vomited blood when the play on the stage started...
The play performed by the dark elf actors on the stage was actually "Sheriff Holmes"!
These shameless dark elves plagiarized crazily... no, they copied the entire play of the Robbins Theater, and even copied the second part, "Sheriff Holmes: A Study in Scarlet"!!
Well... although this second part is also a classic mystery copied from Earth by a certain black-bellied wolf cub, with only slight changes in details, changing it into a story that fits the background of this world... but anyway, the mystery readers on Earth can't accuse you of plagiarism across dimensions... cough cough cough!
In short, Adam, who was sitting in the VIP seat at this moment, had every reason to denounce the shameless robbery of the Dark Elves, especially the serious "OOC" protagonist character setting where the Dark Elf actor who played Holmes was too handsome and the Dark Elf actor who played Watson was not fat enough, and the behavior of disrespecting the original version was greatly despised!
After watching the three-hour play, when walking out of the theater and back to the hotel, the green-skinned elf alchemist actually sighed: "The troupe over there has only rehearsed the first part of Sheriff Holmes, and the second part has not been performed yet. But I got to see the second part here with the dark elves."
"..." Adam looked at the green-skinned, pointy-eared creature expressionlessly. So, you forest elves are justified in plagiarizing, right?
"I watched the first film in Valentine last year, and I think it would be more interesting if the actors for the leading roles of Holmes and Watson were humans." The young and energetic Adam immediately expressed his dissatisfaction in a tactful way.
"That's true." The alchemist actually agreed. "Whether the actor's image matches the role has a great impact on the viewing experience. So our troupe specially found two human vassal races with the same image to play the leading roles, instead of messing around like the dark elves did."
This guy actually looks so proud ...
Adam was too lazy to talk to him...
The alchemist was unaware of this and said with admiration, "The plot of the second part is indeed more exciting than the first. If I have nothing to do tomorrow, I will come to watch it again, write down the lines, and bring them back to provide them to our theater troupe so that people back home can enjoy this play."
Adam turned his face away...
No wonder Ayun never thought that you elves have a noble image!
The human treasure hunter had been squatting in the dungeon for a long time. He didn't think there was anything wrong with the drama from his hometown in the southern continent being plagiarized by foreign races and performed in the dungeon. He smiled and agreed with the alchemist to chat about the drama for a long time. Suddenly he thought of something and said, "Have you seen this issue of "Travels of the Continent"? This time, your forest elf ranger Crest and snow wolf Hongye went to the Far East and taught the local orcs to forge harvesters for harvesting wheat and soybeans. It looks really amazing. The forest elves are not much worse than the dwarves in metallurgy."
Adam couldn't stand this fellow tribesman always disagreeing with him, so he spoke again tactfully: "If I remember correctly, the wheat bean harvester seemed to be invented by Mr. Sean from the Kroning Kingdom?"
"It's like this." The forest elf alchemist didn't notice Adam's emotions at all, and nodded as a matter of course, "We forest elves are not good at making machines. That travelogue was just made public by the snow wolf Ayun and Evelyn of Ananas through the mouths of the forest elves."
Adam felt as if he had punched cotton. His face turned pale and he held back his anger for a long time before he could calm down.
"Yeah, I was only paying attention to the story and didn't pay attention to these." The human treasure hunter laughed heartlessly.
Adam felt that this fellow was hopeless... He began to doubt whether his previous idea of trying to make friends with this old hand in the dungeon was stupid.
But obviously - as Xiao Yun said, he is still too young and judges people superficially.
The next day, the dungeon bazaar opened. Individual adventurers, teams, and wealthy people came to buy goods and swarmed into the bazaar to sell their trophies. The forest elf alchemist, accompanied by the plant hunter and treasure hunter Adam, charged into the dungeon separately.
The treasure hunter intentionally or unintentionally brought Adam to a trading area full of humans. After completing a transaction and seeing Adam load a large amount of goods into the space ring, the hunter found an opportunity to lean close to Adam's ear and lowered his voice: "Hey, let me ask you...are you interested in doing some work to make some extra money?"
Adam didn't hear clearly at first and looked at the other person in confusion.
The treasure hunter winked at Adam and signaled him to be quiet, lowering his voice even lower: "To be honest, I have information about a hidden mine. The location is very remote, and the dark elves haven't discovered it. It's just that it's a bit difficult to bring a large amount of ore out under the dark elves' noses. How about we work together to make this money?"
Adam: “…”
He suddenly understood why Ayun asked him to bring the space props and specifically told him to try to contact the human veterans who made a living in the dungeon; and why Ayun didn't pick anyone else and specifically let him, a young man with a fresh face, do this job.
Young people (seem) easier to deceive!
The old hands who squat in dungeons and secretly fleece the dark elves specifically look for "partners" like these young spellcasters who are just starting out and trying to make their way in the world alone. Even if something goes wrong, they can still sell it out quickly!
Adam felt like he was screwed. He wasn't angry, nor was he surprised...
Central grassland.
After more than a month of long journey and haste, the group of warriors led by Yu and Xiaohua finally arrived at the tiger clan's royal court.
Looking from afar at the complex of buildings that was only slightly smaller than the Fire Tribe but much more crude and unrefined, and the layout was not very good, the Snow Werewolves didn't feel anything, and Chief Arthur didn't feel anything either. Xia, who had been to the royal court and almost defected to it because of a moment's thought, was filled with emotion.
The closer he got, the more clearly he saw the desolation and dilapidation of this once glorious prairie city, and Xia Bao's mood became more and more complicated.
Because of his natural ambition, he has suffered more than others over the years - compared to the smooth sailing of Yugu, Qingyan and others, he has been stumbling all the way; he was unable to achieve any results at the beginning, but later he made some achievements and was moved to another position for Xiao Yun (in fact, other people were also moved, such as Qingyan who was moved out of the hilly new area that he had worked hard to open up, but this guy only saw himself); finally his position became relatively stable, and people like Rosemary and Chief Arthur appeared one after another around him, either eyeing him to seize power and make him suffer, or being more popular than him without having to put in too much effort.
Others are trained and put in positions where they can fully display their talents after they have shown their abilities. They don't have to worry about anything and just do their job well. But for Xia, he has to strive hard and perform hard for any position he wants. Even if he gets the position, there will definitely be obstacles around him...
But at this moment, Xia was extremely grateful for his ambition.
If he had not been unwilling to "become a inferior to the others" and refused to come to the tiger royal court, it would be hard to say what would have happened to him - the tiger tribe could hardly protect itself, and the centaurs had exchanged them for food with the Fire Tribe two years ago. How could the cat tribe, who were hanging out with them, have a good ending?
A large group of several hundred people, most of the soldiers were wolf-like warriors carrying heavy supplies. Such a huge group was getting closer and closer, which naturally alarmed the people who stayed behind in the royal court.
First, two tiger warriors who were patrolling around the royal court discovered the approaching group of snow wolves and hurried back to report the news. Ten minutes later, two tents of tiger warriors appeared inside the wall of the royal court, staring warily at the snow wolf warriors who were approaching openly and without concealing their whereabouts.
Five hundred meters, three hundred meters, one hundred meters. Yu raised his hand to stop the large group and turned to look at Xiaohua.
Xiaohua nodded to show that she understood, and Yu walked forward alone with the spear in hand, and did not stop until he was fifty meters away from the wall of the royal court.
After staring at the twenty-odd tiger heads for a few seconds, Yu said in a deep voice: "The king's court should have a central tent to guard it, where is the central tent?"
