Wasteland Development Diary.

Chapter 8 Wasteland Currency
Ajin used a small piece of iron to hit a stone, igniting a thin piece of wood and lighting the fire.

He scooped water into a clay pot, added some dried mushrooms and a few pieces of what looked like dried meat, covered it with a lid and started stewing.

The cave became warmer as the fire lit.

Zhou Yi observed that the ventilation in the fire pit was better than he had imagined. There seemed to be some kind of airflow outside that could bring the smoke up, so the room didn't feel choking.

"Grandmaster."

The young man Ajin whispered, "I didn't tell anyone in the town about you. Unless you let me, I won't say a word. Occasionally, some passers-by come to rest and trade with us. So everyone probably thinks that you come here to rest for a night."

He was sophisticated and careful in his survival.

Zhou Yi asked him, "When I came in, I saw that most people here were about your age. I didn't see many older people."

"Most of the older people have a skill that allows them to live to such an old age. They are not willing to stay here and have gone to other bigger and better towns or cities to make a living."

"It's easy to get injured and die here because there are no doctors or good medicine. Older people can easily die for no apparent reason. My dad was like that. One day I woke up and found that I couldn't wake him up. I don't know how he died."

Ah Jin sat cross-legged on the ground, not afraid of death. He said with a relaxed look, "People like us who don't have much experience, especially scavengers like me, are everywhere. Good places don't want us, and they don't allow outsiders like us to settle down."

"As long as they know how to plant and raise livestock, and have these two skills and experience, they can go and work. Those who are capable will take this route and go to other towns, where life is a little easier."

"I have loved picking up things since I was a child, but I often don't have enough to eat. I also want to learn a skill that is popular and then make ends meet. But there is no other way. Now my appetite is getting bigger and bigger, and I am too hungry to sleep..."

As he was speaking, the straw curtain at the door was suddenly lifted.

A tall boy with a bone chain around his neck came in and said, "Ah Jin, I want to trade with you. How many mushrooms do you want for your hat?"

Seeing a stranger inside, the uninvited guest cried out.

His lips moved for a moment, and he seemed a little at a loss in front of strangers.

Ah Jin stood up and said, "No."

"Change it."

The other party still tried hard to lobby: "I'll give you 100 mushrooms!"

"No change."

The bone chain boy gritted his teeth, took out a sharpened bone dagger and said, "Add this."

Ajin shook his head.

The other party left dejectedly.

The transactions here are quite straightforward.

Zhou Yi looked at A Jin and asked, "Is the town of Changu a bartering town?"

The boy hummed: "Yes, but it's mainly mushrooms."

Mushrooms are the hard currency here, not only in the town of Changu, but also in the city.

Dried mushrooms are edible and can be stored for a long time. They are light and easy to carry around. You can eat them by boiling them in water or by drying them with a little salt.

The basic universal unit of currency is the mushroom.

1 mushroom is 1 dried mushroom.

For example, if you don’t want to go to the distant oasis river to fetch water, you will need to pay 10 mushrooms to ask others to fetch a bucket of water.

Previously, the bone chain boy offered 100 mushrooms for the baseball cap, which was enough to buy a piece of old clothes.

The main product of Shangu Town is cave mushrooms. People cultivate the mycelium of this mushroom, usually in a special cave, put rotten wood and leaves, keep it moist, and then after several months of care, it will eventually grow into mushrooms. It is almost impossible for a novice to grow mushrooms on his own. He needs to start as an apprentice under the guidance of a master, and it will take several years to learn the skills of successful cultivation. Skilled workers who master agricultural skills are also in short supply everywhere.

In addition to cave mushrooms, another major food eaten by locals is millet bugs.

"The worm is a kind of insect, and it's also the origin of the name of this market town." Ah Jin opened a woven basket and pinched out a brown, hairless soft worm from it.

It is about 20 centimeters long, with a black head and looks like some kind of large earthworm.

"The millet beetle grows underground. If you feed it mushroom scraps and inedible mushroom stems, it will grow."

Ah Jin touched the worm in his hand and said, "If you roast fresh ones, they are soft and sticky on the outside, and the inside feels like meat. Live worms are more expensive, and what is traded are basically dried worms, which are basically dead insects, but eating them can give you strength."

"In terms of price, one dried worm is worth five dried mushrooms. Live worms are even more expensive, and the bigger and fatter they get, the more expensive they are."

"I'm grilling it now. You must try it. It's a delicacy from Changu Town. Although it's not as good as fresh meat, it's the best we have here..."

The boy took out a small wooden stick and was about to deal with the insects, but Zhou Yi quickly stopped him.

He still prefers big steaks to roasted earthworms.

Zhou Yi tasted the mushroom soup and found it tasted extremely bland with only a little salt added.

He also realized firsthand that the people of Changu Town were indeed having a hard time. Mushrooms and insects were their daily staple food. In order to avoid the sun, they adjusted their schedule to get up at sunset and rest at sunrise. They were also unable to carry out large-scale planting and animal husbandry, and could only barely survive in this narrow space and time.

In the past, humans were the overlords of the earth, dominating and transforming mountains, rivers, lakes and oceans. Now, the new humans have completely become cats and dogs in the nature's food chain, and they are considered a success as long as they don't starve to death.

Zhou Yi pinched his eyebrows.

They thought that they would meet a new group of humans and be able to eat fresh food after a long absence, but it turned out that they almost degenerated into cave dwellers.

To restore the glory of mankind, it is up to me, a prehistoric human, to take action.

Zhou Yi looked at A Jin: "Since you don't have a job now, I'll hire you. What are your expectations for compensation?"

"Expectations? What?"

"Just how much you want to be paid."

"Is this what I can have?" The other party looked shocked.

"..."

Zhou Yi said: "Food and lodging are provided, safety is guaranteed, and you will be given two kilograms of meat every month."

"Food and lodging included?"

Ah Jin seemed to understand something, rubbing his hands and whispering, "You mean, you give me food and I live by your campfire?"

"That's understandable."

"Master, what should I do?"

"build house."

Hearing this task, Ajin immediately felt confident and patted his chest and said, "Apart from anything else, I am quite good at digging holes. I will definitely dig a very neat and beautiful hole for you over the bonfire. It will be a great house."

Before Zhou Yi left, he told him to pack his things and report back the next night.

After returning to the beach, Zhou Yi immediately gave orders, and the warrior crabs crawled out from the light fog of the Dead Sea and began to work in an orderly manner.

(End of this chapter)