Wasteland Development Diary

Ajin struck a small iron block against a stone, igniting a thin piece of wood and lighting the fire.

He scooped some water into a clay pot, added some dried mushrooms and a few items resembling jerky, covered it, and began to stew.

With the fire lit, the cave warmed up.

Zhou Yi observed that the ventilation near the fire pit was better than he had imagined. There seemed to be some airflow outside that could carry away the smoke from here, so the room did not feel suffocating.

"Master."

The young Ajin spoke in a low voice, "I haven't told anyone in town about you, not a single one. Unless you allow me, I won't say a word. Occasionally, there are travelers who pass by to rest and trade with us. So, everyone probably thinks you're here just to rest for the night."

He demonstrated seasoned and meticulous survival skills.

Zhou Yi asked him, "When I came in, I mostly saw people about your age. I didn't see many older individuals?"

"The elders, who all have a skill of their own, are able to live to their age because of it. They wouldn't want to stay here; they've all gone to larger, better market towns or cities to make a living."

"It's very easy to die from injuries here since there are no doctors or good medicine. The elderly tend to die mysteriously. That's what happened to my father. One day I woke up and couldn't rouse him, not knowing how he had died."

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Ajin spoke about death casually, with an ease on his face, "As for us, those whose experience is not yet very rich, especially Scavengers like me, we are everywhere. Good places don't want us, nor do they allow outsiders like us to settle down."

"They only take those who can farm and breed livestock. Those with rich experience in these crafts can find work. Those capable take this path and go to other market towns, where life is a bit better."

"I've liked picking things up since I was young, but it often leaves me hungry. I'm also thinking of learning a craft in demand, and then getting by day by day. There's no choice; my appetite is growing bigger, and I'm too hungry to sleep..."

As he was speaking, the grass curtain at the entrance was suddenly lifted by someone.

A tall youth with a Bone Chain around his neck squeezed in, "Ajin, I want to trade with you. How many mushrooms for that hat of yours?"

Noticing the stranger inside, the uninvited guest uttered an "ah."

For a moment, his lips moved, and he seemed somewhat at a loss in the presence of a stranger.

Ajin stood up and said, "Not trading."

"Come on, trade."

The other party persisted in persuading, "I'll give 100 mushrooms!"

"Not trading."

The Bone Chain youth clenched his teeth and pulled out a sharpened bone dagger, "And this, too."

Ajin shook his head.

The youth left dejectedly.

The trade here was indeed very direct.

Zhou Yi looked at Ajin, "Is Mao Valley Town based on barter?"

The young man hummed an affirmative, "That's part of it, but mainly it's still based on mushrooms."

Mushrooms were the hard currency here, not just in Mao Valley Town but in the cities as well.

Dried edible mushrooms could be stored for a long time, were very light, and convenient to carry around. They could be boiled in water when needed for eating or sprinkled with some salt for a dry snack.

The basic unit of common currency was the mushroom.

1 mushroom equaled 1 dried mushroom.

For example, if you didn't want to go to the distant Oasis River to fetch water and asked someone else to do it, it would cost you 10 mushrooms.

Before, Bone Chain had offered 100 mushrooms for the duckbill hat, enough to buy an old piece of clothing.

The main product of Mao Valley Town was cave mushrooms. People cultivated the mycelium of these mushrooms, usually in a specialized cave, placing rotten wood and leaves there, maintaining moisture, and after several months of care, they finally grew into mushrooms.

Novices could hardly cultivate mushrooms alone, they needed to start as apprentices under the guidance of a master and it would take several years before they could learn the skill to successfully grow them. Skilled workers with agricultural abilities were in high demand everywhere.

Besides cave mushrooms, another main food source for the locals were Mao Valley Worms.

"Mao Valley is a kind of insect, and it's also the origin of the town's name," Ajin explained as he opened a woven basket and pinched out a brown, hairless soft worm.

It was about 20 centimeters long, its head black in color, resembling a certain type of large earthworm.

"Mao Valley Worms grow underground; feed them mushroom scraps and inedible mushroom stems, and they will grow."

Touching the worm in his hand, Ajin said, "Freshly grilled, the skin is soft and glutinous, and the inside even has a texture akin to meat. Live worms are quite expensive, and what is usually traded is dried worm, which is just dead Mao Valley—but it still provides strength when eaten."

"Price-wise, 1 portion of dried worm costs the same as 5 portions of dried mushrooms. Live worms are even more expensive, and the longer and fatter they get, the higher the price."

"I'll grill it now, you must try it; this is a delicacy of Mao Valley Town. Although it's not the same as fresh meat, it's the best we have here…"

The young man was about to deal with the worm with a small wooden stick when Zhou Yi quickly stopped him.

Compared to grilled giant earthworms, he much preferred a big meat chop.

Zhou Yi tasted the mushroom soup, with just a pinch of salt, the flavor was extremely bland.

From this, he deeply realized the hardships of the people of Mao Valley Town; mushrooms and worms were their main staples. To avoid the threats of the Guangna Species, they adjusted their rhythms to rising at sunset and resting at sunrise, unable to engage in large-scale planting and animal husbandry. They could only barely survive within such confined spaces and times.

Once, humans were the lords of Earth, dominating and transforming mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas. Now, the new humans had completely fallen to the bottom of the natural food chain, merely existing from day to day—a survival considered successful if they did not starve to death.

Zhou Yi pinched the bridge of his nose.

He had thought that upon encountering a group of new humans, he would finally eat fresh food that he had long been without, but instead, they were almost reverting to living in caves.

To restore human glory, it seemed he, a prehistoric human, would have to take action.

Zhou Yi looked at Ajin, "Since you're out of work now, I'll hire you. What are your expectations for compensation?"

"Expectations? What's that?"

"How much do you want to be paid?"

"Can I really ask for that?" The other party looked shocked.

"..."

Zhou Yi said, "Room and board included, safety guaranteed, and two kilograms of meat per month."

"Room and board?"

Ajin seemed to understand and asked quietly while wringing his hands, "You mean, you'll provide my food, and I'll live near your fire, right?"

"That's one way to put it."

"Master, what will I have to do?"

"Build a house."

Upon hearing this task, Ajin suddenly seemed confident, patting his chest and saying, "Not to boast, but I'm pretty good at digging. Near the fire, I'll definitely dig out an exceptionally neat and beautiful burrow for you, it'll make a great house."

Before leaving, Zhou Yi reminded him to pack up his things and come to report the next night.

Upon returning to the beach, Zhou Yi immediately gave the order, and one samurai crab after another emerged from the mist of the Dead Sea, starting to busily and orderly go about their tasks.