[Wind-splitting Saber, Expert (1523→…→…2187/6000)]
Tang Wen stood still for a long time.
"Xiao Wen!"
"Commander Tang Wen!"
"Holy crap, the Earth-Walking Beast is dead?"
"..."
Zhou Bing, after a series of intense bursts, finally managed to kill the Stone Tooth Boar. She dragged her exhausted legs and led the others rushing in.
She immediately froze.
The Superior Exotic Beast, the Earth-Walking Beast, was dead.
Captain Liu, feeling dizzy, looked around and saw no one else: "Commander Tang, did you kill it alone?"
Tang Wen didn't answer.
In his mind, he grasped an inspiration, a cultivation inspiration.
If the Contemplation Method could be unleashed through saber techniques, then couldn't he throw pebbles as if they were sabers?
A delicate, green onion-like finger gently rested on his shoulder.
Tang Wen turned his head and saw Zhou Bing's worried face: "I'm fine. I just overexerted myself a bit."
Indeed, even with his robust physique, he was nearing exhaustion.
Yes, just nearing exhaustion.
Zhou Bing, Wu Tian, Captain Liu, and the others were even more tired.
Seeing that Tang Wen was unharmed, they let out a sigh of relief, wishing they could lie down and sleep immediately.
Tang Wen helped Zhou Bing to rest. Captain Liu, looking at the still-warm Earth-Walking Beast, got excited again: "We can't wait for dawn. Quick, bring out the carriages. We might have to rush back to camp overnight. Messenger, go inform the camp that we've hunted a Superior Exotic Beast and have them send people to escort us!"
Although several stone houses were toppled.
This time, they hit the jackpot.
Sand Wolves, Stone Tooth Boars, Earth-Walking Beasts.
The guards, mustering their strength, got busy.
About an hour passed, and they were still not done packing.
The sound of hoofbeats came from the direction of the camp.
Hearing that a Superior Exotic Beast had been hunted, General Zhao personally led a team. After glancing at the corpses of the exotic beasts, he asked, "Where are Tang Wen and Zhou Bing? Are they injured?"
"General! Both commanders are exhausted and are resting."
Before Captain Liu could finish, Tang Wen walked out of the house.
General Zhao looked him up and down, delighted: "Good lad! You're a freak! It's only been a few days since you became a Martial Master, and you've already hacked an Earth-Walking Beast to death!"
Tang Wen smiled wryly: "My saber broke."
Seeing that Tang Wen was fine, General Zhao couldn't hide his excitement and spoke more: "If the saber broke, just replace it! A Superior Exotic Beast! These things are hard to kill and even harder to find! You're one lucky guy. The traveling merchant caravan is about to return. See what goodies they bring back, and you can pick whatever you want!"
With General Zhao here, the hunting squad wasn't in a hurry to leave.
Any High-Level Mutated Beasts that wanted to come were welcome.
"You go back and rest. Don't worry about safety!" General Zhao waved his hand.
"Alright, but there's something I need to discuss with you."
"What is it?"
Seeing the hesitation on Tang Wen's face, General Zhao also became serious.
A few minutes later.
"You want to resign as commander to focus on training?"
General Zhao's eyes were filled with curiosity.
Is this how geniuses think, always so unconventional?
"Is it difficult?" Tang Wen asked softly.
General Zhao shook his head: "Many years ago, someone made the same request."
"Who?"
"The Queen."
This wasn't surprising. The Queen loved drinking and fighting, and had no interest in leading or managing teams.
"Alright! I'll bring it up when I get back. Given your merits and talent, maintaining your commander-level treatment and allowing you to train freely within the camp shouldn't be an issue."
"Thank you, General Zhao!" Tang Wen clasped his hands and smiled. He had been thinking that if the camp stopped paying him, he would make a living by hunting Mutated Beasts.
"No big deal," General Zhao waved his hand dismissively.
The two of them strolled along the hunting squad's encampment, chatting casually.
The next day, General Zhao took command of the hunting grounds.
The blood of the Earth-Walking Beast was smeared on three bait.
Three days passed in a flash, and the hunting squad had killed seven or eight Mid-level Exotic Beasts and over a hundred Low-level Exotic Beasts.
But not a single High-Level Mutated Beast was found.
This was why the camp didn't deploy general-level combatants for long-term hunting.
High-Level Mutated Beasts were extremely cautious and intelligent enough not to attack human camps for food easily.
On the fourth day, a camp guard suddenly reported, "General, Commander. The long-distance caravan has returned. Please return to the city immediately."
General Zhao suddenly realized, "Finally, they're here. It's been a year and a half this time! In that case, let's take our spoils and head back to the city."
The camp's caravans were divided into two types: short-distance and long-distance.
Short-distance caravans would wander around nearby.
A trip could take as little as a month or as long as two or three months.
But for long-distance caravans, the shortest trip was measured in years.
After all, they relied on horse-drawn carriages, traveled through wild mountain paths, and faced all sorts of dangers.
The long-distance caravans couldn't even guarantee they would bring anything back.
Sometimes, just surviving was a struggle.
The entire camp buzzed with excitement.
Children ran back and forth on the roads.
Adults craned their necks, watching the carriages covered with thick cloth.
Even though it had little to do with the outer city residents, they were still eager to watch.
Ultimately, life in the camp was too harsh, and ordinary people rarely had anything worth celebrating!
In the palace.
Everyone curiously observed the items and women brought back by the long-distance caravan.
They were a group of Western beauties with deep-set eyes, high noses, fair skin, dressed in gauzy clothes and furs that accentuated their full chests, slender waists, and long legs.
Tang Wen nodded subtly to himself: Needless to say, the Western regions of this world were undoubtedly a primary target for conquest by the Central Plains civilization.
The caravan commander, the portly Qian Sanduo, introduced them, "They are a dance troupe from the West. They encountered an accident, and our caravan rescued them, so they came back with us."
The Queen examined them with interest.
Upon learning that she was the Queen, they quickly curtsied.
"Greetings, Your Majesty, General, Commander!"
"Not bad!"
Commander Qian Sanduo seized the opportunity to say, "I plan to establish a singing courtesan tavern in the inner city, where they can perform and sell wine."
"Hmm, wine? What kind of wine?" The Queen tried hard to appear indifferent.
"There's grape wine and sorghum wine!" Qian Sanduo clearly knew the Queen well. He led everyone to a carriage filled with black porcelain wine jars, the mouths of which were sealed with black clay.
"Good, good, good," the Queen suppressed the urge to rush over, open a jar, and drink immediately, letting Qian Sanduo introduce the rest.
As the waterproof tarps were lifted one by one and the wooden boxes opened, even Tang Wen was surprised.
A Grandfather Clock!
Inside a black wooden box, there were two half-meter-tall grandfather clocks.
The kind of old-fashioned, large clocks that sit on a pedestal.
Tang Wen took a deep breath and pinched the back of Zhou Bing's hand.
She frowned at him, puzzled.
Tang Wen nodded slightly to himself—this wasn't a dream.
"Grandfather clocks, it's said that craftsmen assemble them from hundreds or even thousands of parts. They can be placed in meeting halls for everyone to check the time."
In the next cart, a crisp, tinkling sound emerged from a small box.
"A music box, capable of producing sounds, a marvel of craftsmanship."
Someone carried down a large wooden machine.
"A hydraulic loom! It uses the power of flowing water to weave cloth quickly. I've seen people use it on-site—it weaves faster than ten people combined." Transparent glass bottles filled with liquid.
"Glass, ink, brushes, and quills."
"…"
At first, people were amazed, but by now, they were utterly stunned!
A massive storm brewed in Tang Wen's heart: because many of these items were mass-produced!
Products of civilization, modern civilization!
This world had an industrial civilization!
But there was no nation, no
federation. The neighboring Black Mountain Camp was still a slave society!
People were still starving to death on a large scale due to barren land and lack of clothing and food!
Who could possibly have the capability to invent such things?
A huge question churned in Tang Wen's mind.
(End of Chapter)