Section 009: The Craftsman with Forward-Thinking Mindset

When Li Zhan led Ruoyan and Zheng Jun into the shipyard, the NPC villager with the crafting skill was stretching an ink line. A long black thread was pulled from the ink reel: one end was wedged atop the timber with a small wooden wedge, the other end attached to the ink reel held in the villager's hand. Because the timber was so long, the villager had to exert considerable strength to keep the ink line taut and straight, yet he worried the line might slip free from the wedge, so he cautiously increased the tension bit by bit.

Li Zhan, seeing this, quietly walked over and pressed down on the wooden wedge at the top of the ink line. The villager, thinking his helper was just another NPC like himself, paid it no mind and didn’t even look up. His eyes remained fixed on the stretched ink line below, pulling it tighter, calibrating the position with his eye. Once satisfied, he lifted the taut ink line, then let go. With a crisp snap, a long, straight black line was left upon the timber.

As the villager wound the ink line back into the reel, he glanced up at Li Zhan and said, “Thank you, brother. If not for you—ah, Chief!”

The villager, caught off guard, nearly dropped the ink reel. Li Zhan laughed. “You’ve done a fine job—clearly you have the talent of a carpenter.”

“Not at all, Chief, you flatter me,” the villager replied, scratching his head bashfully, though excitement shone on his face.

Praise is always more motivating than rebuke; Li Zhan knew this well.

Zheng Jun took up the conversation, “Wang Hui, the Chief intends for you to develop a wooden plow. How confident are you? How long will it take?”

The villager, Wang Hui, stopped scratching his head and adopted the seriousness of a true craftsman. He pondered a moment, then replied, “I can’t be completely certain, but I’m seventy percent confident. It should take no more than five days.”

While Zheng Jun and Wang Hui spoke, Li Zhan had already reviewed Wang Hui’s attributes:

Villager [Male]
Name: Wang Hui
Civilization: China [Yanhuang Tribe]
Title or Position: None
Level: 2
Attributes—Potential: +7, Constitution: 22, Strength: 21, Intelligence: 24, Agility: 3, Loyalty: 82, Approval: 53
Leadership: 5, Attack: 2, Defense: Armor 0, Shield 0, Speed: 1
HP: 43, MP: 48
Skill—Basic Crafting 27% (skilled in research and manufacturing)

At this point, Zheng Jun turned to Li Zhan, seeking the Chief’s opinion.

Though five days was swift, Li Zhan was not entirely satisfied. He strode over to Wang Hui and patted his shoulder, intent on applying a bit of pressure.

“Wang Hui, I have some bad news for you.”

Wang Hui was bewildered by this, quickly stooping in respectful fear. “May I ask what news the Chief wishes to tell me?”

Li Zhan deliberately took a deep breath, heightening the gravity of the moment, then slowly said, “Our Yanhuang Tribe is ranked behind many others. The situation is precarious—truthfully, there’s real danger we could be wiped out at any time. So, even though I know you’ve made thorough plans, I still hope you’ll develop the wooden plow both faster and better, so our tribe’s agriculture can keep pace with the others and not fall hopelessly behind.”

Li Zhan’s words had the desired effect. Wang Hui furrowed his brow, thinking deeply for a moment, then looked up and said, “Rest assured, Chief. I, Wang Hui, will spare no effort and complete the wooden plow in the shortest possible time, so our Yanhuang Tribe can catch up with the others. Also, there’s an idea I’d like to share with you.”

Wang Hui paused here, as if seeking Li Zhan’s approval to continue, but his proud expression suggested he was deliberately teasing.

Li Zhan said, “Oh? What is it? Speak, I’m eager to hear.”

Wang Hui continued, “While building ships at the yard, I often saw farmers traveling great distances to fetch water from the bay to irrigate their fields. It’s laborious and time-consuming, and since the riverbank is higher than the fields, digging irrigation channels doesn’t work. So I wondered—why not harness the river’s current to drive a waterwheel? The wheel’s paddles could carry dozens of bamboo tubes filled with river water. A long wooden trough could be set beside the wheel, reaching up to the fields, just a little higher than the center of the tribe. That way, the water in the bamboo tubes would automatically flow into the fields, saving much labor and giving the farmers more time for harvesting.”

A waterwheel? Li Zhan’s eyes lit up. That was a product of the feudal era—something ordinary craftsmen could only invent in that age. Who’d have thought this unassuming craftsman’s mind would leap so far ahead, crossing into a new era? Delighted, Li Zhan responded, “Your idea is excellent—very forward-thinking. Once the wooden plow is finished, start work on the waterwheel at once. If you need anything, just ask me—or if I’m not here, talk to Zheng Jun.”

Wang Hui agreed and immediately set aside his shipbuilding to focus on developing the wooden plow.

Li Zhan and Zheng Jun quietly slipped out of the shipyard to avoid disturbing Wang Hui’s work. Outside, they saw Ruoyan sitting on the drying platform, her legs dangling above the water, leisurely swinging as she gazed dreamily at the distant sunset.

Sensing Li Zhan beside her, Ruoyan glanced at him, then returned her gaze to the glowing red sunset. “I used to dream of one day escaping the city’s noise, leaving behind steel and concrete to return to nature—rising with the sun, resting at dusk, living at peace till old age in the countryside. How wonderful that would be.”

“I’ve never had such thoughts. If I left the exhaust fumes and city noise behind, I’d get insomnia and couldn’t sleep,” Li Zhan replied, utterly missing the mood, earning an exasperated look from the beauty beside him.

Just then, a villager came running along the distant riverbank, clearly anxious, stumbling several times and nearly falling. Seeing Li Zhan on the drying platform, he shouted as he ran, “Chief! Something’s wrong—there’s a wolf pack at the logging camp!”

Li Zhan and Ruoyan hurried down from the shipyard to meet the villager. Breathless, he continued, “We were at the logging camp, delighted to have found stone, when suddenly a dozen gray wolves appeared from behind the rocks. Several workers were bitten before they could react, and I was sent to report and call for help!”

Zheng Jun arrived behind Li Zhan, who instructed him, “Return to the tribe center immediately. Lead all villagers of level three and above to the logging camp to rescue the workers. Ruoyan and I will go ahead to assess the situation.”