Chapter 339, Thrill-Seeking
Upon hearing Wu Heng's arrangement, Qi Hancai felt a surge of joy.
Skeletons possessed formidable combat power, and having one assigned as her personal bodyguard demonstrated how much Wu Heng valued her.
At the very least, she was no longer just an ordinary, untrustworthy survivor.
The skeleton Poison Blade obediently moved to stand by Qi Hancai's side.
"Thank you!" Qi Hancai expressed her gratitude with delight.
Wu Heng nodded and continued, "How's the market today?"
"It was quiet in the morning. People only started arriving recently. It seems like there'll be more than yesterday," Qi Hancai said, glancing toward the market.
Survivors who traded yesterday likely spread the word after returning to their shelters.
Over the next few days, the numbers would continue to grow.
"Any security issues?"
"None so far. The armed skeletons are intimidating enough to keep the visiting survivors in line. Even shelters with bad reputations act cautiously when they come here," Qi Hancai explained directly.
"Good. I'll leave this to you."
"Don't worry," Qi Hancai nodded, then reminded him, "The food exchange rate is high; we can sustain it for at most a week."
Shelters believed the factory survivors were foolish, so they were exchanging large quantities of food in case the terms changed later.
Combined with the growing number of visiting shelters, the exchanges might only last a week.
"Food isn't a problem. Continue as planned," Wu Heng assured her.
The shipment from Starflower was due within the next couple of days.
It included the massive amount of food he had ordered.
The wood elves' crop-enhancing potions could easily meet the trade demands here.
Moreover, flour costing only a few copper coins per bag could now be exchanged for gold.
Even if they had to buy out grain shops elsewhere, the trades here wouldn't stop.
Hearing Wu Heng's reassurance, Qi Hancai felt relieved. "Alright, I'll get back to work."
"Go ahead."
Qi Hancai headed toward the market.
The skeleton thief Poison Blade followed closely behind her.
Wu Heng turned and walked toward the dormitory.
...…
Entering the dormitory,
Wu Heng headed to a room on the third floor.
He knocked lightly and then pushed the door open.
The room was dim, and Zhang Chi, seated at his computer, turned to look.
Seeing Wu Heng, he quickly stood up, "My lord."
"How's the design coming along?" Wu Heng asked, moving to the computer.
Zhang Chi stepped aside and enlarged the software display on the screen. "I've measured the dimensions of the dragon's chest cavity and am designing modules to fit inside it."
On the screen was a diagram of the dragon's chest cavity, with various module components displayed within it.
It resembled CAD software from school, but with three-dimensional modeling.
"When will it be ready?" Wu Heng asked.
"It'll take a few more days. Once the molds are printed, we'll need to test and adjust them," Zhang Chi replied promptly.
"Speed it up as much as you can. When you're done, have Qi Hancai arrange someone for testing."
Zhang Chi nodded, "Understood."
With a brief word of instruction,
Wu Heng left the room without further delay.
...…
Back at his dorm,
Wu Heng summoned Glenda and Xiaoxiao simultaneously.
The large and small wraiths floated mid-air, glancing around before fixing their gazes on him.
Though both were his wraiths, they couldn't communicate due to language differences.
Only Wu Heng could understand them both.
Xiaoxiao hovered lazily in midair. "Uncle, if there's nothing to do, can I go see my mom?"
Wu Heng nodded. "Go ahead. The market is open now. If you're bored, you can wander there, but don't scare anyone."
"Got it! When have I ever scared anyone?" Xiaoxiao quipped before phasing through the wall and leaving.
With only Wu Heng and Glenda left in the room,
Glenda poked her head out the window and asked, "Are all those people below your slaves?"
Glenda had seen the zombie world before.
On two occasions, when searching for mutated zombies in larger areas, Wu Heng had sent both Xiaoxiao and Glenda out for reconnaissance.
Afterward, Glenda had asked about it.
Wu Heng had explained that his homeland had turned into its current state due to certain events.
Given their contract, he wasn't worried about Glenda betraying him.
If anything happened to him, the wraith bound to him would perish as well.
"We don't use the term 'slaves' here. They're called survivors," Wu Heng replied.
Glenda considered this. "Survivors? Sounds like people who barely escaped death."
"You've seen this world's situation. That's an accurate description."
"Fair point," Glenda agreed, then asked, "Why haven't you been hunting pirates lately?"
"The guild has some internal issues. The steward told us to avoid setting sail for now. We're using this time to rest," Wu Heng explained.
The guild's operations were temporarily paused for an internal investigation.
While unclear on the details, this lull gave Wu Heng more time to focus on the zombie world.
The market was up and running, leaving only his Level 15 goal from the original plan.
"Makes sense," Glenda nodded.
"With the market open, you can explore if you're bored," Wu Heng suggested.
Glenda hadn't been active for a while due to the lack of battles.
Wu Heng figured it was a good day to let both wraiths out for some air.
"Sounds good. I'm curious about your culture," Glenda said before fading and phasing through the wall.
With both wraiths gone, Wu Heng sat at his desk.
He pulled out the skill book he had purchased that day and began reading.
...…
The [Eagle Eye Spell] belonged to the rare divination school of magic.
Divination primarily focused on foreseeing the future,
but many of its abilities involved uncovering hidden truths, exposing deception, or detecting things.
Eagle Eye was a detection skill within this category.
The spell allowed the caster to create an invisible sensor within their casting range to observe and listen to a specific area.
To Wu Heng, it was essentially a magically created temporary surveillance camera.
Once cast, the sensor would turn invisible, serving as a hidden camera for real-time monitoring.
The book detailed the spell's features.
The sensor had to be placed within casting range, but once set, it could be observed from any distance.
"This is way more useful than a camera," Wu Heng thought.
For example, he could place sensors along his route to check if anyone was following him.
It was far more versatile than traditional surveillance.
Continuing his reading,
Wu Heng noted that the sensor had a limited lifespan, lasting at least 10 minutes, depending on the caster's mental strength.
Another point was the sensor's invisibility.
High-perception individuals or those skilled in detection had a chance to spot it.
It wasn't completely undetectable.
"It's similar to wraiths."
Wraiths could also be noticed by perceptive individuals despite their invisibility.
This made the sensor akin to them.
Wu Heng flipped through the remaining pages.
Upon reaching the last page,
a system notification appeared.
[Skill Unlocked: Eagle Eye Spell. ]
Finally, it was unlocked.
Closing the book, he stored it in his spatial ring.
He raised his hand and cast Eagle Eye.
A tennis ball-sized spherical sensor materialized in front of him.
Within a second, it faded into invisibility.
However, Wu Heng could still sense its position.
Concentrating, Wu Heng mentally connected with the sensor.
Instantly, he gained a new perspective, seeing and hearing from the sensor's position.
Watching himself from a different angle felt strange.
Wu Heng cast two more sensors,
positioning them in different parts of the room.
Connecting to each one individually,
he realized he could only link to one at a time.
To view another, he had to switch connections.
Unlike a camera system, he couldn't view all sensors simultaneously on a single screen.
This made sense upon reflection.
After all, the connection relied on mental focus.
Receiving multiple streams of visual and auditory input simultaneously would likely overload the brain.
Overall, Wu Heng was satisfied with the skill.
It worked as intended.
...…
The day passed quickly.
As dusk fell, the market closed.
Glenda was the first to return from the market, hovering in the air. "There was a fight at the market just now. Aren't you going to check it out?"
"What happened?" Wu Heng asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing serious. A guy went to trade food while another man was fooling around with his woman in one of those metal vehicles. The first guy came back and caught them in the act, and then they started fighting," Glenda explained.
Wu Heng frowned. "In such a short time, they had the energy for that?"
Glenda laughed. "Thrill-seeking, I suppose. Don't you think sneaking around with someone else's spouse while their partner's out is exhilarating?"