Chapter Forty-Two: Preparations Before Departure

Having safely passed the night of the full moon, and with plenty to show for it, Jia Zhengjin felt satisfied. Besides the fine spoils from the triceratops skeleton, the countless skeletons he had defeated—aside from those that had refreshed before he could search them—had yielded a trove of low-quality equipment, jewelry, minerals, and, notably, ten gold coins.

Of course, the two skill points gained from leveling up twice were an even greater reward!

Now at level nine, Jia Zhengjin needed 25,600 experience points to reach level ten. That was an immense figure; at the rate skeletons granted experience, he would need to slay at least 2,560 more to ascend.

He decisively invested his two new skill points into unlocking steel production and cement production.

With steel unlocked, he could craft higher-grade steel tools, weapons, armor, and even some steel furniture and equipment. Cement, meanwhile, was essential for upgrading ordinary stone-brick houses to far sturdier cement dwellings.

For Jia Zhengjin, a more robust and secure base was the foundation of his very survival in this world.

“Wow!” In the early morning, Tina, wearing her sandalwood necklace, followed Jia Zhengjin into the garden, her spirits soaring. As she beheld the enchanting scenery and inhaled the intoxicating floral fragrance, she couldn’t help but lose herself in delight.

“Tina, come here,” Jia Zhengjin beckoned softly, calling her to his side. Carefully, he parted the petal of a lily, revealing a sleeping forest fairy within.

Tina’s mouth dropped so wide it seemed she could swallow an egg. Gripping Jia Zhengjin’s hand excitedly, she gazed rapturously at the beautiful creature.

“Shh,” Jia Zhengjin gestured, warning her not to wake the forest fairy. These lovely little beings were extremely shy. Only because he had built a garden for them had their relationship warmed, even slightly. But Tina was a stranger to them; any sudden greeting would surely startle them. In time, as they became familiar, it would be different.

“This is the nectar brewed by the forest fairies!” While Tina gleefully peeped at the other fairies, Jia Zhengjin retrieved from the garden a bottled delicacy the fairies had brewed overnight as rent.

He gingerly opened the cap, dipped his finger in, and tasted it. A wave of intoxicating sweetness washed over him instantly. It was like the taste of first love... Jia Zhengjin turned to Tina, happiness lighting up his face. “Tina, try some!”

Hearing his voice, Tina rose and, seeing him offer the nectar on his fingertip, opened her mouth and gently took it without hesitation. Delight blossomed on her face, and she blinked joyfully at Jia Zhengjin.

“A bottle of nectar every day—how wonderful!” Jia Zhengjin hugged Tina. “Let’s not wake the fairies; let them rest well.”

The kobolds had already begun their day’s work at dawn. Fifty miners toiled industriously around the base, constantly delivering resources to the open space within.

The kobold soldiers, led by their chieftain, had also set out early to hunt and stockpile fresh meat, while the werewolf Wolf had taken Jia Zhengjin’s place as overseer of the squad.

Now, even without Jia Zhengjin’s supervision, the kobolds dutifully repeated their tasks each day; there was no need for concern.

“How do you like the shredded fish with honey?” He had made a breakfast of fish-flavored shredded meat with nectar himself.

From the way Tina’s mouth was slick with oil and her beaming smile, it was clear she loved it.

Jia Zhengjin reached out and gently wiped the grease from her lips, gazing at her tenderly. “Today, let’s get the resource exchange built and upgrade the stable. Before nightfall, we’ll try to capture a triceratops and tame it as a mount. Tomorrow, I’ll accompany you home to visit your family. If possible, we can invite your parents to come and live with us.”

Tina didn’t understand most of his words, but she caught “home” and, overjoyed, kissed his cheek.

By midday, the resource exchange was complete.

Within the exchange were ten kinds of resources: gold coins, iron ore, copper ore, silver ore, gold ore, diamonds, amethyst, obsidian, fresh meat, and wild fruits.

These resources could be traded among one another, with differing rates based on their value. For example, one gold coin could be exchanged for 1,000 units of fresh meat, or for 5,000 wild fruits. The most expensive was amethyst, costing 5,000 gold coins for one; next was obsidian at 3,000 coins; diamonds at 1,000 coins each; gold ore could be traded for ten gold coins; one gold coin could be exchanged for ten silver ores, or for 100 units each of copper and iron ore.

It seemed he would never again have to worry about not having enough fresh meat to employ the kobold miners! So long as he found a gold mine, he could support an even larger workforce of miners and soldiers.

The nearest gold and silver mines, however, lay deeper within the forest, where more dangerous creatures lurked—especially that fire-breathing giant serpent...

That afternoon, Jia Zhengjin, together with Tina, Wolf, and the kobold squad, regrouped. The regular hunt was over; now, their goal was to head to the lake and capture one or two solitary triceratopses to bring back and tame as mounts.

A triceratops mount could be ridden and could fight—most forest beasts were no match for it, except for magical beasts or carnivorous hunters from other worlds.

“Wolf, are you sure you can handle this?” Jia Zhengjin asked, hidden behind a rock on a hill near the lake.

“Leave it to me!” Wolf replied with confidence. “With my combat strength and powerful healing, I can easily withstand a triceratops!”

“Good. Lead your chosen triceratops here, and have the kobold crossbowmen whittle its health below half. Just be careful not to kill it! Once it’s too weak to resist, it’ll be much easier to drive it all the way into the base’s stable. Remember, never herd it back while it’s still at full strength, or it’ll destroy the stable!”

“Don’t worry! You mean, weaken it until it can’t put up a fight or wreck the stable, right?” Wolf confirmed.

“Exactly!” Jia Zhengjin gave him a thumbs-up. “Tina and I will keep watch from here. Good luck!”

“Leave it to us!” Wolf turned to the kobold squad. “Wait here until I give the signal; then you’ll move in!”