"Who the hell is dragging me... Ah, dad, second uncle, Brother Dao..."
The young man reacted harshly at first, almost cursing, but when he saw it was Hong Guang pulling him, he was startled and quickly greeted him.
The young man’s name was Hong Yu, the eldest son of Hong Guang, aged fifteen, two years younger than Yuwen Dao, and despite his age, he had broken through the Logging Realm more than a year ago.
"Xiao Yu, what’s going on?"
Yuwen Dao had a good relationship with him, as Hong Yu had followed him around since he was young, so he asked directly.
"I heard there was a mining contest organized by Great Xia a while ago, and today is the day they announce the results. They just announced the rankings for the Wood List. The top thirty get prizes, with 800 Contribution Value for the first place and 300 for the thirtieth; Coal has five places, with 2000 for first and 1500 for fifth. They’re announcing the Iron Ore List now. Listen..."
"Now announcing the Iron Ore List:
First place, Luo Yuan, 3290 points, rewarded with 2000 Contribution Value;
Second place, Xia Chuan, 3210 points, rewarded with 1900 Contribution Value;
Third place, Zhao Long, 3100 points, rewarded with 1800 Contribution Value;
Sure enough, upon listening closely, Yuwen Dao confirmed it was Xia Chuan announcing the Iron Ore List.
"One point can be exchanged for 2 pounds of Cold Beast Meat. To award 2000 Contribution Points all at once, that’s quite generous. What’s the deal with these extraction points?"
Upon hearing his father’s inquiry, Hong Yu quickly shared what he knew.
"I just asked around. Great Xia calculates resources like wood, coal, and iron differently from us. They consider 1000 pounds of wood as one point, 20 pounds of coal stone as one point, and 10 pounds of iron ore as one point. The contest started on the twenty-seventh of January, supposedly to aid Leader Xia Hong’s breakthrough. I’m curious, what’s the link between resource extraction and the leader’s breakthrough?"
Yuwen Dao’s eyes gleamed with insight upon hearing Hong Yu’s curious question, recalling when Xia Hong made millions of pounds of coal and iron disappear at the Mirror Immortal Camp.
"Have you noticed how the temperature here at the log cabin is quite unusual?"
Hong Yu’s understanding of the camp was clearly deeper compared to the six of them.
Until now, the six had been engrossed in discussing the Hunting Department. Upon hearing Hong Yu’s question, they suddenly realized the anomaly. The cabin, with just a single stove, was surprisingly warm, infinitely more so than outside.
Yuwen Dao was the first to set his gaze on the central stove, over a meter in diameter. The others followed suit, their eyes filled with curiosity.
They’d seen a coal-burning stove before.
But could a stove merely a meter in diameter warm an entire fifty-meter wide cabin?
No, it wasn’t just the cabin. The temperature was consistent within at least a hundred meters outside the cabin too.
"Brother Dao, did you notice? I heard from the people of Great Xia that the stove was a divine item created by Leader Xia Hong, and once lit, it can raise the temperature within a hundred meters. Meaning, as long as you’re within a hundred meters of it, there’s no need to light a fire to keep warm. I tried it myself, and it’s true! Isn’t it amazing?"
Now Yuwen Dao’s eyes were not just curious but filled with shock.
The same went for Hong Guang and the five others, who were bewildered to discover the seemingly mundane stove possessed such miraculous effects.
"Moreover, it doesn’t just ward off the cold. The stove can deter deceitful monsters. I heard some even broke into the camp previously.
And it’s not just one item. From what I learned, Great Xia has many extraordinary artifacts.
A polishing hammer that can take on any shape;
Wooden mannequins that transform into Cold Beast forms;
A Green Bamboo Fence resembling, or perhaps even superior to, our Snow Bamboo;
A Marking Stone that can detect life signs within a kilometer;
The Medicine Decoction Pot that automatically records medicinal materials, generating formulas on its own;
Small torches, Solidified Fire Oil..."
As Hong Yu recounted the wondrous items he learned about, Yuwen Dao, along with the five others, showed shifting expressions, eventually looking rather incredulous.
Could this kid be going crazy from desire?
"There’s another thing I heard about—Leader Xia Hong’s Martial Arts Training Ground. Spending 20 Contribution Value allows one to train there for a day, doubling the efficiency!"
Upon hearing about the Martial Arts Training Ground, Yuwen Dao and the others were left speechless, their faces frozen in astonishment.
Finally, Hong Guang couldn’t help but slap his son.
"You fool, where did you hear this from, and you dare to believe it!"
"But it’s true, father, Brother Dao. At first, I thought it was fake, but then I asked several people from Great Xia, and they all said it’s true. A few even trained there. I’m sure it’s real, and I’m planning to save up Contribution Value. Once I train there for a few days, I’m certain I can soon break through to the Earth-digging Realm."
Seeing this, Hong Guang raised his hand to strike again but was stopped by Yuwen Dao.
"Uncle Hong, don’t rush. Xiao Yu wouldn’t be so easily tricked..."
Though he said this, disbelief was still evident in Yuwen Dao’s eyes.
Increased training efficiency, by double?
Such an outrageous claim, how was it possible!
Maybe not impossible—if the Martial Arts Training Ground was as extraordinary as he claimed, then the things Hong Yu mentioned could be just as baffling.
"Brother Dao, trust me, I saw the torches and Solidified Fire Oil myself. It’s unlikely that over a thousand people from Great Xia conspired to fool me. Besides, I’m not the only one who asked. Zhu Kang and Meng Ao were also inquiring last night. They might know even more than I do. If you don’t believe me, ask them."
Zhu Kang was Zhu Ling’s son, and Meng Ao was Meng Yi’s son, both around Hong Yu’s age and similarly curious and eager to explore.
In truth, Yuwen Dao was already seventy percent convinced.
He understood that his childhood companion, Hong Yu, was not one to make baseless claims. If he said such things, there must be some truth behind it.
"It seems there are many surprises waiting for us to uncover in Great Xia!"
Yuwen Dao spoke softly, a spark of excitement in his eyes.
"Yuwen Dao, how are the preparations for the Hunting Department going?"
Coincidentally, having completed the mining contest rewards, Xia Chuan approached Yuwen Dao.