Chapter 9

  Years of gaming experience have taught Cheng Dairen that opening treasure chests is a gamble. It's possible to get white equipment or even top-level orange weapons, but it's also possible to end up with an empty box.

  But I'm so lucky today, this kind of thing definitely won't happen.

  He washed his hands and burned incense, bowed three times towards the sky, then moved over a wooden box and opened it with force.

  "Everyone pay attention, the moment of witnessing miracles!"

  Everyone gathered around, eyes wide with excitement, only to find the box empty. Cheng Dalai chuckled: "You can't win the first time with just a thousand or ten thousand; didn't anyone tell you that the good luck is always in the back?"

  The second box was also empty. Cheng Dalai didn't believe it, and opened ten more boxes in a row, but got nothing. Especially the last one, which felt particularly heavy, made Cheng Dalai's heart excited, thinking this was an excellent opportunity to escape from Asia into Europe. But when he opened it, he found that the box was filled with stones.

  This made Cheng Darui dare not open it again, feeling depressed in his heart. Even if the system was brushed with BUGs and shadows by himself, he shouldn't retaliate like this.

  "Big boss, let me say a word." Xu Shenji.

  "You're so dark-skinned, your face is even darker than mine."

  Xu Shenji excitedly moved over a trunk, although he didn't say anything, Cheng Dali still handed him an eye.

  "Something, something......" Xū Shén Jī shouted loudly, suddenly stunned: "What is this thing?"

  Inside was a full box of black powder-like substance. Cheng Dalai pinched some, and suddenly his heart skipped a beat: "This is gunpowder."

  "What is gunpowder?" Qin Man, Xu Shenji and Xu Ling'er all asked in confusion.

  Cheng Darui did not respond, he had always been unaware of the level of production in this world. However, based on Cheng Darui's judgment, it was almost impossible to climb the technology tree. Firstly, as a liberal arts student, he did not have the ability, and secondly, the productive forces of this world did not have the soil for that.

  Three people did not recognize the black gunpowder in front of them. Although there was a reason for the information blockade of Qingniu Mountain, at least it also explained that gunpowder had not been used on a large scale yet.

  With the help of gunpowder and taking advantage of geographical advantages, it's not impossible to counterattack Blackstone City.

  Cheng Dalai suddenly had an idea and said: "Quickly open all the wooden boxes and see how many of these things there are."

  Xu Ling'er and the other two started their joyful unboxing game, and whoever got something would let out an excited shout. However, Cheng Dairen could only watch from the side with envy, unable to join in because he was possessed by a non-ke, and didn't dare take any risks.

  In the end, a total of ten boxes of gunpowder were opened, and the other boxes were empty. Cheng Dalai still needs to think about how to maximize the value of this gunpowder.

  "Put the box away, I still need it."

  "Master Da's insight is great, these are all good wood, we can burn firewood in winter."

  "I actually wanted to burn you, but I'll spare your life for now. Don't mess with me again." Cheng Da Lei shook his head in frustration, then suddenly remembered something and asked: "Military Advisor, where are the fields of our mountain stronghold?"

  "On the back slope, it's been abandoned for several years. I still scattered some wheat seeds in the spring, but nothing grew out of it. The master asked what this was for?"

  "Go take a look."

  "It's getting dark, what's the point of walking so far, it's several miles away."

  Xu Shenji was very lazy and had already gotten tired from moving boxes. Suddenly, a loud thunderstorm came out of nowhere, and he could only lead the way.

  As the four of them walked to the back mountain slope, Xu Shenji was completely stunned. The ten mu of wheat fields that were connected together now grew golden wheat ears, and the mountain spring that had dried up flowed with clear and cold water.

  Everything is within Cheng Dairen's expectation, and now the best system reward has been seen.

  "Good heavens! Good heavens!"

  Xu Shenji suddenly rushed into the wheat field, a dazed expression on his face. So many harvests in the mountains had not brought him such an expression. Qin Man also showed a smile, silly and smiling.

  Cheng Dali was shocked and stared blankly at this scene.

  "Ling'er, don't run around wildly, you'll knock off the wheat ears."

  "All these can be harvested and can yield thousands of kilograms of grain, this winter will be able to get through."

  "Wheat straw can also be used for heating kang, and in winter it can reduce suffering from cold."

  "Hurry up and harvest, the rainy season is almost here."

  Three people stood in the wheat field, discussing enthusiastically, all of them insiders.

  "Master, let's harvest the wheat tonight, or it'll all be ruined if it rains." Xu Shenji ran over and said.

  "All right, you hurry up and get the wheat in, then when the people from Blackstone Castle arrive, they can take it away."

  Xu Shenji was speechless, he suddenly knelt down and kept saying: "God bless you, great kindness and great virtue."

  Cheng Dali was speechless, but it was just a few mu of wheat, why make such a fuss. What surprised him even more was that Qin Man and Xu Ling'er also knelt on the ground, saying the same thing.

  Looking at their sincere expressions on their faces, Cheng Dairen suddenly understood something.

  Mountain stronghold, it's not as imagined, a group of evil people who kill without blinking, going down the mountain to rob and plunder, eating meat and drinking wine in large quantities. In fact, it's not like that, sometimes the mountain stronghold is more like a village, with old people and children, some people open up wasteland to plant grain, and sometimes they go down the mountain to buy daily necessities.

  For example, these three people in front of Cheng Dairen, saying they are mountain bandits is truly an honor for them.

  Like Xu Shenji, Cheng Dalai also figured out his origin over the past two days. When Xu Shenji was at the foot of the mountain, he was a private school teacher in a village, and being a private school teacher meant that he could barely recognize characters. His greatest entertainment was to save some copper coins, exchange them for a pot of wine, and drool while staring at the breasts of widows in the village.

  Forever detestable and hateful, provoking disgust whether in the mountains or at their foot.

  One day, a local tyrant in the village set his sights on Xu Ling'er. The tyrant wasn't particularly formidable, just a distant relative who was a servant of a certain noble family in the city. But this was enough to make no one in the village dare to provoke him, let alone Xu Shenji, who didn't have an ounce of flesh on his body.

  One day, Xu Shenji dressed up Xu Ling'er beautifully and invited the local tyrant to their home. He borrowed money to buy wine and slaughtered the old hen that laid eggs at home...

  "Ling'er will be lucky if she follows you, and I'll also get some good fortune in the future."

  "You see how handsome and white my son is, he will definitely serve you well."

  "Tonight you'll be in the bridal chamber, don't worry, I'll take care of locking the door... haha..."

  ……

  ……

  When the bully was drunk, Xu Shenji cut off his head with a kitchen knife and escaped with Xu Ling'er, after several twists and turns, they fell into the Frog Village.

  This was probably Xu Shen's first and only successful use of strategy in his life.

  Finally, until the sun sets in the west, the three reluctantly left the wheat field and returned to the mountain village together.

  Cheng Dali pulled out the system reward's large flag and waved it in front of Xu Shenji.

  "Huh? Isn't this our mountain stronghold's original big flag? I thought someone had altered it, but today we've actually found it."

  "I just wonder who designed this pattern, a toad with an egg on its head, is it trying to express that the toad is carrying an egg?"

  "That's not an egg, it's the moon! This painting of a toad swallowing the moon, after you said that, Big Master..."

  "Get it up!" Cheng Dairen tossed the large flag to Qin Man.

  Qin Man was as agile as an old ape, and in a few leaps he climbed up the flagpole and hung the great banner at the top.

  As they waited for him to come down, the four of them looked up at the large flag, which was unfolded by the night wind and fluttered in the air. The toad on it seemed to be moving, revealing a greedy gaze towards the moon above their heads, as if trying to convey a message:

  It's all about being a toad who wants to swallow the moon and eat swan meat.

  It seemed that something was connected in the hearts of the four people, and the mountain stronghold had food, so everyone could survive this winter, as long as they could get through the current crisis. The eyes of the four people flickered with a fiery light, and suddenly there was a sense of determination to protect this place.

  "Is this considered a sudden rise?" Cheng Dairen thought silently in his heart, and at this moment, the system gave out two prompts.

  Hoot! Oh righteous young man, your great banner has been raised, heroes from all sides will hear the wind and come to join you.

  Task received, gather population and increase mountain stronghold population to 100, reward with 1 lottery draw chance.