NOVEL NEXT 053. Craftsman
- Craftsman
Leaving the tavern, Old Dmitry led Li Aozhi and Qiu Ran through the complex alleys and containers of the Sikkim settlement, opened a manhole cover, and took them down.
"Is this... a sunken ship?"
Qiu Ran brushed her fingers over the alloy plates on both sides of the corridor, surprised, and said:
"The entire Sikkim settlement is actually built on a ship... It's unimaginable. How big is this ship?"
"A small freighter under a million tons. In the old days, this was small, not even equipped with a nuclear reactor. The warships and aircraft carriers of the old days were often five or six hundred meters long."
Dmitry said with some longing:
"There used to be a lot of water outside, forming oceans. But after that war, the red and black clouds of the apocalypse swept across the world. The oceans either froze into ice, were buried by snow and sand, or turned into permanent snow and blew away with the wind."
"The old world seems like everything was big." Qiu Ran looked enviously at the spacious corridor. "Even Frost-Plated doesn't seem to have such a big ship."
"Yes, the old world's productivity was excessive. The clothes they produced in a year could clothe billions of people for a thousand years," Dmitry said.
"That's amazing... They must have been very wealthy then, with big wardrobes to hold hundreds of clothes."
"Not really. According to the scavengers' excavations, most clothes were discarded after being worn only a few times." Li Aozhi shrugged, dispelling Qiu Ran's fantasy. "In reality, the old times were no different from now. The poor remained poor, and the rich remained rich. Just the quality of life was much better."
"Uh..."
Qiu Ran opened her mouth and finally said:
"Even so, it's better than now."
Compared to above ground, the underground wasn't much warmer. Homeless wanderers were everywhere in the corridors, but compared to those living in iron containers above ground, they had some assets, at least a blanket, a vessel that might be a pot or a skull, some weapons, and that's all.
Almost everyone slept on their boxes. Unlike above ground, there were few fights here, giving a bit of a community feel. Some places had scattered campfires, around which dozens of people crowded to sleep. With the ship's original ventilation ducts, no one should die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
It was much cleaner here than above ground, perhaps because there were more toilets on the ship. The filth and excrement above ground were only temporary, often disgusting at first but blown away or buried by snow by midnight.
In fact, Li Aozhi knew that outside, even excrement was fought over. Without fertilizers, the soil's nutrient layer had long been destroyed by wind and sand, leaving little material to grow crops. In such places, public toilets often had armed guards to prevent the theft of this important resource.
Everything related to humans was precious outside, except for human lives.
Old Dmitry walked to the end of the stairs, used a key to open a door to a sailor's dormitory:
"I live here."
As soon as the door opened, a warm breath rushed out. Qiu Ran smelled water vapor, a woman, and a faint scent of milk. She curiously peeked inside. The orange candlelight was especially precious in the darkness. A middle-aged woman with a sallow face but a kind expression lay on wooden boards, surrounded by a bed made of furs, quilts, and even chicken feathers.
The room's layout was luxurious, with a large bed, a carpet, a workbench, a cabinet, and a coal stove. Except for lacking a private bathroom, this was a wealthy home by Sikkim settlement standards.
"This is Kachina and Sirich, my daughter and grandson." Dmitry brought over two iron buckets and raised his hand: "Let's sit and talk—I've just had a drink, so I won't offer you tea—though I don't have any tea. You don't mind, do you, scavenger?"
"No problem."
Li Aozhi noticed the woman on the bed, or rather, the swaddled bundle she held.
The baby noticed the strangers, got scared, closed its eyes, and immediately started crying.
"Shh! Shh!" Dmitry's daughter Kachina quickly rocked the baby, whispering, "Don't fuss, Sirich—Grandpa is entertaining guests."
"We mean no harm." Qiu Ran also tried to soothe, "Don't be afraid, little one. We're all good people... well, at least I am."
However, Qiu Ran's gentleness didn't stop the baby from crying. He continued to whimper.
"It doesn't seem to work," Qiu Ran said helplessly.
"Sorry for making you see this." Dmitry scratched his half-bald head awkwardly. "Kaya, can you quiet Sirich a bit? At least calm him down..."
"Oh, sure! If Dad never brings strangers in again, Sirich will be as quiet and calm as a snow fox." Kachina retorted angrily.
"Wahh..."
The baby cried anxiously, kicking and squirming, no matter how his mother tried to soothe him.
Li Aozhi's gaze shifted. He stood up and approached Kachina.
This mother instinctively shrank back, still wary of the scavenger's reputation.
Qiu Ran quickly grabbed Li Aozhi, thinking of his previous actions of killing three people and his decisiveness in facing Russian roulette.
She quickly whispered, "Li Aozhi, this is a child, you can't—"
"Let me try."
But Li Aozhi only said calmly. He bent down, removed his hood and mask, revealing a young and handsome face. His gray eyes were full of a kind feeling contrasting with his outfit, which made Kachina relax her guard unconsciously.
She hesitated for a moment, then extended her hand, handing the swaddled baby to Li Aozhi. He gently and steadily cradled the baby in his arms.
Qiu Ran's worried look gradually turned to surprise.
Li Aozhi did nothing, and the baby miraculously stopped crying, instead widening his eyes to curiously observe Li Aozhi.
"Eh-hey!"
The next moment, the baby laughed and reached out to touch Li Aozhi.
"Shh... Sirich, quiet."
Li Aozhi raised his index finger and gently rocked the swaddled baby, softly saying:
"Don't tire yourself out from crying, too exhausted. You need to sleep, slowly sleep..."
Little Sirich gradually became drowsy in his arms and humming, relaxing his body, stretching his limbs, resting his head on Li Aozhi's arm, and falling into a peaceful sleep.
Li Aozhi handed the baby back to Kachina. Her expression was complex, but she still said:
"Thank you."
Dmitry, holding his knees, pondered:
"It seems little Sirich really likes you."
"Babies have always liked me," Li Aozhi shrugged, "since a long time ago. Babies and toddlers feel close to me—once they grow older, not so much."
"Children are always simple. They like whoever treats them well." Dmitry glanced at him meaningfully, "Scavenger, what should I call you?"
"Li Aozhi."
He casually said, sitting down.
"I am Dmitry Oslovovich Moskov. As you see, I am a craftsman, skilled in a bit of everything."
He pointed to his bright yellow eyes:
"This is my Arcane ability, I call it 【Eye of Destiny】, it lets me see the length of a person's life."
"Cool." Li Aozhi said, "Being able to see death, you must have endured far more than the weight of death."
"You are right." Dmitry glanced at his daughter, "It also cost me my son-in-law, Kachina's lover, Sirich's father, Xiao."
He shook his head, saying: "A person's lifespan is predetermined, but we can still record something in our lifetime, allowing the deceased to continue in another way."
"Like?" Li Aozhi's mind moved, knowing the crucial part was coming.
"Like this."
Dmitry took a small box from the bedside cabinet, opened it in front of Li Aozhi, revealing a finely crafted iron ring with a unique allure.
On close inspection, a special white ceramic coating could be seen on the ring's surface.
"Xiao." Dmitry said, "He ground his own rib into powder and attached it to the ring. In the final stage of his life, he poured all his heart and love into creating it."
The ring's attributes appeared before Li Aozhi:
【Item Name】: Xiao's Masterpiece
【Category】: Jewelry/Ring
【Quality】: Flawless Treasure
【Attributes】: Charisma +7
Permanence: Reduces the user's probability of being hit by bullets by 50% if the user is a relative of the maker.
【Description】:
"Regretfully, I cannot be with you, but I will always protect you. Death cannot stop me from protecting my loved ones."
A masterpiece imbued with the undying will of a dying man.
————————————
To say the least, in the early stages, this was a true artifact.
In the early stages of a level cap of 30, even without the permanence effect, the additional 7 points of Charisma could cause a qualitative transformation in an ordinary 【Mutant】.
For Li Aozhi, with a base 【Charisma】 of 21 points, adding 7 points plus the 30% benefit from the 【Permanence•Love Hunter】 specialty equated to 36.4 points of 【Charisma】!
This was not just Alpha-tier, but close to Beta-tier.
But in reality, this flawless treasure-grade jewelry was not Li Aozhi's goal.
Dmitry put the ring away and took out a thick stack of notes and materials from the table, handing them to Li Aozhi.
"You have already seen the power of that thing."
Dmitry said solemnly:
"This is a masterpiece that only the dying can create. You possess such a calamity, but it's also an opportunity—even if your death comes as expected. Your existence, your soul, will still persist in the world."
"This is the secret of the Death Craftsman."
【You have obtained the "Enchanted Manufacturing Manual"】
【Tip: Dmitry has shared with you the life profession heritage—"Craftsman".】
【You must master the required professional knowledge within a month. Otherwise, this career mission will be considered a failure, and you cannot reselect this type of life profession for 24 months.】
【Do you accept?】
"I accept."
Li Aozhi took the heavy manual, quickly flipping through it, his mind instantly flooded with various techniques on handling materials, designing drawings...
The vast knowledge slightly stunned Li Aozhi until Dmitry spoke, bringing him back to his senses.
"I will always be here. If you have any questions, you can come to me anytime."
Dmitry said, sitting at the workbench:
"Of course, I also have some good things here. Enchanted jewelry is my specialty. I have a lot of stuff that even a scavenger would appreciate—but it costs money."
Li Aozhi nodded. He saw Dmitry's favorability displayed, currently at 65 points, which was decent.
As favorability increased, Dmitry would later sell some excellent equipment. Of course, Li Aozhi's goal was to get the old man completely on his side.
In the future, when players arrive, they will surely struggle to find jewelry equipment. Li Aozhi plans to first bulk-buy from Dmitry and resell to players for a profit.
When favorability increases, he will invest directly in Dmitry to have him sell under his name, or when his life profession training is complete, he will directly make and sell to players, which would be a significant income.
