Chapter 83: The Crossbow Chariot
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Having made up his mind, Li Zhan greeted the four tribal leaders before disembarking and walked onto the dock. He instructed Zhang Feng and Zhao Ming to guide the cargo ship back to Yanhuang Village.
Upon entering the town, Li Zhan first went to the market and found Zhu Shi’s acquaintance. After a few polite exchanges, the acquaintance somewhat shyly accepted the payment for the ship ride. Li Zhan then inquired about the battle from the previous night, selecting the essential details to recount to Zhu Shi’s acquaintance.
At the end, under Zhu Shi’s acquaintance’s guidance, Li Zhan went to a grain shop owned by a fellow player merchant. He pre-purchased six hundred units of grain at a bulk price of 60 grains per gold coin (market price was 50 grains per gold coin), agreeing to pick it up later for ten gold coins. Afterward, Li Zhan bid farewell to Zhu Shi’s acquaintance and the merchant and walked directly to the government’s appraisal center.
Inside the appraisal center, the atmosphere was rather quiet. Since most players were of low level, the items requiring appraisal were quite limited. Three appraisers stood behind their counters, bored, tidying the cabinets behind them. The cabinets displayed various appraised items: weapons, armor, blueprints, and assorted manufactured goods.
Li Zhan approached the counter facing the entrance, behind which a large number of blueprints were displayed. He reached into his pocket, took out a blueprint, and handed it to the appraiser.
“Sir, please help me appraise this blueprint.”
The appraiser, an elder around fifty years old, took the blueprint and examined it repeatedly.
“The appraisal fee is fifty gold coins, with an 80% success rate.”
Li Zhan was momentarily taken aback.
“What does an 80% success rate mean? Last time I appraised something, there was no such clause.”
The appraiser shook his head.
“This blueprint has suffered some wear and tear, though not severe enough to be completely unappraisable.”
Li Zhan exhaled quietly, blaming his own carelessness. An 80% success rate was acceptable; at least there was a good chance of success.
With that in mind, Li Zhan took fifty gold coins from his pouch and handed them to the appraiser.
The appraiser accepted the gold, spread the blueprint flat on the counter, and opened a shallow wooden box from beneath the counter. Inside was a row of over ten brushes of varying lengths and thicknesses. While staring at the blueprint, the appraiser ran his hand over the brushes, finally selecting one about the thickness of a goose feather. He dipped it in cinnabar and began delicately tracing the blueprint.
The entire appraisal took over an hour. Li Zhan watched curiously the whole time. The appraiser switched between seven brushes, ranging from the thickness of a toothpick to that of a thumb. He outlined the general contours in black ink and used cinnabar to detail the critical parts. It was clear the appraiser was meticulous. Due to the blueprint’s wear, he frequently paused to massage his eyes, relieving the strain on his visual nerves.
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Finally, the last section was completed. The appraiser sighed in relief, took out an exquisite folding fan, and gently fanned the blueprint before handing it to Li Zhan.
“All done. The appraisal was successful; please have a look.”
Li Zhan eagerly took the blueprint and fixed his gaze on it—
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Intermediate Blueprint [Appraised]
Type: Military Equipment
Description: Crossbow Cart
Bonus: Basic Projectile Technique (Direct effect: crossbow cart, catapult, trebuchet; Indirect effect: siege tower operation)
Function:
1. Eliminates the cost and research process of the crossbow cart—you can directly manufacture the crossbow cart (requires a joint workshop).
2. Grants the additional features directly.
Usage Requirement: Advanced Development
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Li Zhan felt his hands trembling.
The crossbow cart was a relic from the castle era. Though somewhat redundant compared to many other military devices of that time, owning a crossbow cart in the feudal era was undeniably impressive. Its long range, piercing damage, and devastating power made it a formidable asset then. Just this single crossbow cart made Li Zhan ecstatic, and to think it also came with the added Basic Projectile Technique.
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Li Zhan roughly calculated that the “crossbow cart” plus “Basic Projectile” saved him 2,000 units of wood and 1,000 gold coins in research costs.
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Black Sha: *** I lost more than a dozen militia in total, finally completed the mission, and got this blueprint from an old craftsman. I wanted the carpenter to have a look and see if he could recognize it. But when the tribe was attacked, the damn carpenter fled for his life and forgot the blueprint. Damn it, I’m so furious!!
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As Li Zhan was about to leave, the appraiser smiled and said, “If you have any unappraised items like blueprints in the future, please bring them here. It helps me improve my appraiser rank, and naturally, the appraisal fee will be discounted a bit.” Li Zhan was quite satisfied with the appraiser’s skill and gladly agreed.
Stepping out of the appraisal center, Li Zhan was in an exceptionally good mood. Upon returning to the village, he needed to quickly build a joint workshop. This would allow Old Tang to focus on making leather armor and also equip the crossbow carts to his troops.
At the market, Li Zhan hired a cart to carry the grain to the dock, then spent 35 copper coins to hire a cargo ship to load the grain. The ship then sailed directly toward Yanhuang Village.
At this moment, Yanhuang Village was bustling with activity—not only because the population had suddenly increased by over 150 villagers, but also because many wandering players had learned of Yanhuang Village’s upgrade to the feudal era and flocked there. These players mostly had two intentions: to learn skills and to level up.
Skill learning involved players training in military buildings such as barracks or shooting ranges to acquire professional skills over time. This required specific military buildings (e.g., barracks, shooting ranges, stables) and the relevant troop upgrades (e.g., swordsmanship and shield techniques require at least swordman class; spear techniques require spear infantry class). Previously, players learned skills in the government center, but the large number of players caused long queues, and most players still had no chance to learn. Currently, some seventy wandering players surrounded Ruo Yan, who was guarding the north gate with Zhao Ming and others, bombarding her with questions about learning skills.
As for leveling up, in the past, since tribes were in the Dark Ages with limited military and self-defense capabilities, the system intentionally spawned beasts and hostile NPCs (sporadic bandits and robbers) only around county outskirts to accommodate wandering players leveling up, while the government center was capable of fending off such threats. Now that Yanhuang Village had upgraded to the feudal era, the system gradually lifted its protective measures for tribes, increasing the spawn rate of beasts and hostile NPCs around the village. Players, long tormented by too many people and too few monsters, naturally swarmed here to enjoy killing monsters and leveling up while the competition for kills was still low.
From a long-term perspective, the influx of players also positively stimulated the village’s economy. Constructing a market allowed players to sell surplus materials, and the village gained revenue through the system’s automatic tax deductions. Building an inn provided a place for players exhausted from combat to rest, store items, and pay fees directly to the village. Additionally, numerous villagers under players could take temporary jobs in the village, which did not occupy official population slots but increased the village’s productivity.
Ruo Yan was overwhelmed by the players’ endless questions. Spotting Li Zhan standing at the bow of the cargo ship docking at the pier, she quickly called out to the twenty or so players around her:
“Look, the lord mayor of Yanhuang Village, Li Zhan, has returned! If you have any questions, hurry and ask him!”