Chapter 322, Dine with Me
Macintosh—that name still struck a note of recognition for Wu Heng.
The prophetess of the Old Barrel Tavern, thick-lipped, thick-browed, and the six-armed woman.
Her appearance somewhat resembled an Indigenous figure from movies.
Was the bald, burly man in front of him one of Old Barrel's people?
"What does she want with me?" Wu Heng asked him.
Though the bald man looked fierce, his tone was respectful, "Madam didn't say."
Wu Heng nodded, "Where?"
"This way, please!" The bald man led him toward a side path.
Wu Heng followed him, and soon they arrived at a carriage.
It seemed they had only just spotted him.
The bald man stood beside the carriage, saying softly, "My lady, your guest has arrived."
The curtain parted slightly, revealing a woman's eyes peeking out. "Please, sir, step inside."
The door opened, revealing a dimly lit interior.
Wu Heng glanced inside; the woman was alone with nothing strange about the space.
He motioned Skull-Crusher to sit with the coachman while he entered the carriage with Bloodhand.
The door closed, and the woman poured a glass of fruit wine, offering it with a soft smile, "Deputy Steward, where would you like to go?"
Wu Heng didn't mind that she knew his identity.
After all, the pirates had already spread the word.
And it was even less surprising given that the Old Barrel Tavern held extensive knowledge of the island.
"Back to the guild."
"Coincidentally, I'm also heading to the center district," she replied, tapping the carriage partition. "Let's go!"
The carriage started moving, proceeding at a gentle pace.
After a short silence inside the carriage,
the woman leaned back in her seat, saying, "So, Deputy Steward, were you just shopping on Lighthouse Street?"
"Just browsing," Wu Heng replied, before asking, "Macintosh, where are you headed?"
"To visit a friend. Did my information from last time lead to anything?" she asked.
Wu Heng had previously gone to her for intel on the pirates.
Although she hadn't provided any, she did mention two bodies found at the port.
It wasn't a direct lead on capturing the pirates, but it was tangentially related.
"It was somewhat helpful. Your intel is quite reliable, Macintosh. I may need Old Barrel's services again in the future," Wu Heng responded politely.
The woman smiled, "No need to keep calling me 'Madam.' I'm not much older than you."
She reached out, attempting to place her hand on his.
Wu Heng quickly raised his hand to scratch his head, avoiding her gesture, and casually changed the subject, "Nothing unusual happening at the port lately, right?"
Her missed attempt didn't alter her expression.
She said smoothly, "Have dinner with me tonight, and I'll share any information you need."
Wu Heng couldn't help but feel a chill.
This line sounded oddly like someone trying to lure a young girl.
Yet today, it was being used on him.
His mind flashed back to what Moya, the Steward's assistant, had mentioned during his first visit to Old Barrel Tavern.
Macintosh had gone through several husbands, with lovers aplenty.
She had warned that Macintosh's gaze at him was unusual, urging him to be cautious.
At the time, he hadn't thought much of it, but now it was happening.
Lovers aplenty...
It wouldn't be surprising if a few of the brawny men outside were among them.
Macintosh controlled the port's labor allocation and intelligence work. Though not as powerful as the Island Lord or a guild steward, she was well-known on the island.
Having multiple lovers was only natural.
The powerful had more resources, including partners, regardless of gender.
It's just... she didn't fit his aesthetic, and he wasn't fond of this approach.
"I'll pass on dinner. If I need any information, I'll come to Old Barrel Tavern," Wu Heng stated plainly.
She glanced at him, smiling as she took a sip of her tea without pressing the matter further.
Instead, she casually mentioned how many wealthy merchants had recently come to Lighthouse Street, buying up properties in the newly developed areas.
Soon, there would likely be a wave of new shops on Lighthouse Street.
Wu Heng made polite conversation in response,
though he felt somewhat uneasy.
The awkward conversation continued until the carriage reached the guild.
Thanking her, he promptly exited the carriage.
Her ringed fingers parted the curtain, "If you ever reconsider, you know where to find me. Feelings can develop over time."
Wu Heng raised an eyebrow, "I still prefer to pay for information."
She didn't respond, and the carriage slowly departed.
Watching the carriage leave,
Wu Heng headed toward his residence.
Great. Even as a guy, he nearly got flirted with.
...
Returning home,
he found Andviel had also returned from the guild.
The three women were chatting in the living room.
Upon seeing Wu Heng, Minnie piped up, "Master, Sister Shanaila brought a ton of ingredients, so dinner will be quite the feast!"
Shanaila smiled, "The fleet brought them over, too much for just me, so let's enjoy it together."
"You're spoiling us."
"Not at all, it's just regular ingredients."
Minnie hugged Shanaila's arm, "It's so nice to be rich."
"Your Master is quite wealthy too."
"But not as much as you," Minnie looked up at Shanaila and added, "Why don't you just live here? It's less of a hassle than going back and forth."
Shanaila blushed slightly, casting a quick glance at Wu Heng before gently tapping Minnie's forehead, "I'm the president of Star Flower. Staying elsewhere casually would impact the reputation of both the caravan and my people."
Sitting nearby, Wu Heng had a feeling she was directing that last part toward him.
Minnie clung to her, "But you're here every day. Doesn't that count?"
"I'm here to see you, so it's different!"
"Hehe, true!"
They chatted for a while until Chef One announced that dinner was ready.
They all sat down together to eat.
After dinner,
they gathered with the owl in the courtyard, discussing plans for the flower bed and pool reservoir.
As night fell,
Shanaila bid them farewell, returning to her own place.
Wu Heng also took the two girls upstairs to rest.
...
The next morning.
In the cargo hold,
Star Flower workers began moving the cargo.
Nearby, someone repeatedly reminded them to be careful with the fragile items.
Today, Shanaila wore a blue cloak, concealing her body and face, but her graceful figure was still apparent.
Wu Heng handed her the completed order, "It's ready—50,000 leather armors, 3,000 hand axes, 3,000 longbows, 1,000 heavy crossbows, and 5,000 sacks of grain."
Hearing the quantities, Shanaila gave him an incredulous look, "Buying so much again?"
Was he outfitting an entire army?
"I have a lot of friends. When they heard Star Flower was handling the goods, they all wanted in."
"Nonsense! At this rate, you'll become our biggest client on Gold-Silver Island." Shanaila replied.
"Any discounts?"
She rolled her eyes and handed the order to the caravan manager, instructing, "Calculate it at a 30% deposit."
"Understood!" the manager replied.
After calculating the cost, Star Flower paid Wu Heng over 40 gold coins.
This was the income from the glass and ceramics sales, though it would have been higher without the 30% deposit deduction.
When handed over, it was only a small bag.
But it was still a good price.
Back in Rentam City, these items sold for copper coins, whereas Shanaila purchased them at one silver coin apiece.
Of course, only Star Flower could sell these glass products, making it a monopoly price.
Pocketing the money, Wu Heng stood by and observed.
The workers continued to load the goods.
Wu Heng and Shanaila watched in silence.
Once everything was loaded,
Shanaila went off to manage the fleet, and Wu Heng, with his skeletons, disembarked from the port.
After returning home and informing Minnie,
he went straight to the fourth floor, heading to the zombie world.
...
Exiting the dormitory,
the survivors greeted him.
Wu Heng nodded in acknowledgment and proceeded to the skeleton standby area.
He did a quick walk-through.
Selecting twenty skeleton warriors that had reached Level 5 and possessed the [Hunter's Aim] trait.
[Hunter's Aim]: When this unit focuses on aiming, its attacks become highly accurate, ignoring the target's concealment and any minor cover.
Hunter's Aim was a trait unlocked by archers and crossbowmen, which improved accuracy by mitigating environmental factors.
Environmental impact was minimal for skeletons, though.
Skeletons had no tactile sense, with most impacts only affecting their weapons.
Such as wind, drag, or other interference.
But having this trait was better than none.
Wu Heng placed a rifle on the ground, instructing, "Put down your weapons and pick up the firearms!"
Clatter!
The skeleton warriors set aside their longbows and bent down to pick up the rifles.
At Level 5, skeletons had basic intelligence.
Though they followed orders strictly, they had strong recognition and judgment capabilities.
Wu Heng picked up a rifle, demonstrating how to unlock the safety, change magazines, and other actions.
After demonstrating, he ordered, "Fire ahead!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The skeletons fired in unison, bullets piercing through the tall grass in the distance.
Skeletons wielding firearms was not a new sight.
The prison and transit station were both guarded by armed skeletons.
The skeletons' combat effectiveness was higher than that of the average survivor, and they also prevented issues that could arise from arming survivors.
If anyone attempted to seize a skeleton's weapon, the skeletons would detect the threat and counterattack.
Hence, skeleton guards served as both external and internal deterrents.
Just then, Qi Hancai, hearing the gunfire, approached quickly with her team.
She saw Wu Heng and dismissed the others, coming over to say, "I thought we had an intruder!"
"No, just assigning these skeletons to guard duty," Wu Heng replied.
"Understood!"
Qi Hancai promptly stationed the skeletons at their guard posts, drawing the attention of many survivors.
Once back, Wu Heng continued, "Get the convoy ready. We're going out to clear zombies."
"On it!"
Soon, the convoy was ready.
Escorted by the skeleton army, they exited the factory's main gate.
...
Passing a street lined with abandoned KTVs,
hordes of zombies surged like a flood, converging from all directions, reeking of blood and violence.
Whoosh!
A skeletal dragon flew overhead,
releasing a hail of iron bullets, raining down on the horde below.
The ground trembled, and clouds of dust billowed up.
Immediately, a second and third wave of iron rain followed.
In a series of explosions, hundreds of zombies fell, clearing the previously crowded area.
Only a few stragglers pushed to the edges, staggering forward with torn bodies.
Dazed, they glanced around before continuing their assault.
Wu Heng waved away the drifting dust behind him.
Observing the hundreds of zombies, he ordered, "Advance."
Clatter!
The skeleton army moved forward,
marching down the road.
Wu Heng trailed behind, activating [Battlefield of the Dead].
Skeletons rose in waves, joining the ranks of the skeletal army.
[Skeleton Warrior (Level 3) ]
[Skeleton Warrior (Level 4) ]
Level 4?