Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 86 The Footprints of the Past

Familiar streets, slightly different scenery.

Since Rean had come over, he was unusually happy and didn't have to worry about going to work tomorrow, so dinner turned into a late-night snack.

Larry sobered up and lay on the sofa. Looking at Dimon, who was barefoot and looking bewildered, he decided to take the two of them for a nighttime stroll and check out the construction site.

"Before, the only places with lights on at night were the casinos and the red-light district, but now, their enthusiasm is unstoppable."

Standing at the foot of the hill, Dimon pointed to the factory area below and said.

Larry was very touched, while Rean was a little confused.

Working at night is quite inefficient, isn't it? In this era, manpower is still the most important factor. Working in the dark and dragging things out can easily lead to accidents.

He looked over with his longan and noticed something strange.

Construction has begun; under the lights, some workers are laying bricks and stacking walls, while some older men sit on chairs and watch.

An ordinary person would probably be completely bewildered, but Li En, who had worked at the grassroots level, knew pretty much what it was all about after just a couple of glances.
"If we work non-stop, can we avoid extra fuel consumption?"

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Dimon was also a little surprised. He really didn't expect that Rean, who also seemed to come from a noble family, would know about these kinds of nonsense things.

Rean certainly understood that in times of economic chaos, newly started construction sites and projects in remote areas could easily be "touched" until only metal remained if no one was around at night.

Many valuable pieces of equipment, if not handled carefully, end up only being able to be found at scrap yards.

“They did it voluntarily, and I couldn’t stop them. Actually, I thought leaving a few guards would be enough, as construction at night could easily lead to accidents, but they insisted, so I let them do it,” Dimon said.

Rean shook his head and didn't say anything; he felt that the people below were right.

Those who understand slums best are still the slums themselves.

Even if you leave a few people to guard it, you can't keep watch once the lights go out. In some places, it's really possible that the whole village will come out and no barbed wire will be of any use (they'll take it down), and they'll just take everything in one go.

Why not just work day and night together? That way we can meet the deadline and avoid unexpected issues.

Losing a little money or valuables is fine, but if equipment and machinery are taken away, that's a real problem. Even if they're recovered, they'll probably be nothing but scrap metal and copper wire.

"what is that?"

Rean pointed to another area of ​​bungalows, where the faint aroma of cooking food could be heard.

Judging from its location, it's also within Dimon's territory.

"The seafood processing plant mainly produces various dried fish and dry rations, which are intended to be sold to sailors and adventurers. We'll start with a small batch to test sales; it's better than those bars and restaurants. I've done that before, and a lot of what they sell is actually kitchen waste."

Rean nodded. Dimon was really thoughtful. This market segment was indeed relatively untapped and had great potential.

The biggest headache for adventurers and sailors is actually the preservation of food. The lunch boxes and dry food sold at the accommodations are not much better, especially unscrupulous vendors who intend to make a one-time sale to travelers from the very beginning.

Dimon, however, had a longer-term vision. If, as he had previously stated, he had successfully developed the logistics business of this underground passageway, it would be better to build a reputation and establish a long-term business than to engage in one-off, exploitative practices.

When people buy food from you, they will naturally buy weapons, supplies, and miscellaneous items as well, and may even stay overnight. If it really becomes a well-known and reputable stable supply line, then it will be a semi-permanent stable income.

Dimon may not have read many books, but he's definitely not stupid.

"Business here is picking up. I'll take 30%, you take 10%, and the rest will be outsourced. The rest will be similar. For example, that textile factory downstairs, Miss Suliman owns 60%."

Rean nodded, which was considered an agreement.

Acting as a backer naturally entitles one to this money, even if it's not much, it still involves this relationship.

Rean also looked down on this income, as it might only yield a few gold coins a year, and the future was uncertain.

The so-called "strength" is nothing more than human resources and capital, and as long as the industry gets moving, what is needed will come sooner or later.

"Ah, I've also acquired some businesses."

Although it seemed insignificant, looking at the busy crowds and dilapidated factory below, Rean felt a sense of joy and satisfaction.

Wherever I, an outsider, have gone, I have at least left some traces.

The changes may be minor, and the traces may be faint, but they are still visible to the naked eye.
"I can help! I can help!" At this moment, Kuku became active again.

"Great Alchemist! Food Improvement! Eat More!" He meant that he could help improve the taste of rations and portable food.

"I've eaten so many kinds of rations! I've eaten them from all races! I can recreate them! They're delicious! Elven! Dwarven! Mech! Wyvern! They're all delicious!"

Rean hesitated for a moment, considering his past record, not wanting to blow up what had just been set up.
"Okay, go ahead and do it."

Well, it doesn't seem like a big deal. We already have nothing, so we can just rebuild after it's blown up.

If he actually succeeds, he'll make a fortune.

Rean would not underestimate the power of a Heroic Spirit, even though he may seem unreliable on the surface. In fact, he is quite unreliable, yet he is still an epic hero who has left his mark on history.

"Dimon, let me introduce you to a technical consultant."

Because he introduced Kuku to Dimon, Rean couldn't leave. Considering that Lana would be safe with a maid watching over her, Rean simply slept there.

Naturally, he then encountered even more painful dreams.

"Ouch! It hurts! It hurts!" The physical headache woke up Kuku from his "long slumber".

The kobold clutched his head, lost in confusion and bewilderment.

The initial "dual-core" surgery did not go smoothly. To be precise, the kobolds' overconfidence led them to force the surgery despite the immaturity of the technology.

If it weren't for the favor of fate or his truly stubborn nature, he should have been dead long ago, and the cause of death would have been suicide.

Even so, due to the aftereffects of the surgery, he experienced a long period of "mental decline" and a life of homelessness.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!" He spat out the dead rat and sand in his mouth, looked up in bewilderment, and saw an endless desert and oasis in front of him. He had no idea where he was.

Later, he calculated that during the more than six months that he lost his mind and intelligence, Kuku had wandered through at least a dozen cities and thousands of kilometers. It was really lucky that he didn't die. Also, there are indeed few people who dare to mess with the Mad Mage.

Having regained his intelligence and rationality, he was surprised to find that the side effects of the surgery were less than expected, and the results were truly remarkable.

He did indeed possess a second mindset, even a second personality, yet he was still himself.
"Let's work together! Let's learn magic!"

"Together! Let's become masters."

Thus, one Kuku became two Kuku.

The boost from dual cores finally allowed him to break through the bottleneck of the third-ring mage, and even reaching the fourth ring was no challenge.

But soon, he discovered a better use for multiple lines of thought.

"Click! You learn energy shaping! I'll learn transformation!"

The spellcasters' magic and extraordinary abilities are roughly divided into eight schools based on the characteristics of their abilities.

Protection, spells, prophecy, enchanting (bewitching), evocation, illusion, necromancy, and transmutation (alchemy) are just rough classifications, subjects to facilitate spellcasters' study and research.

Magic and knowledge have no limits, but mages have limited lifespans and energy. Concentrating time on specializing in a particular subject is a common classification. This classification is actually quite unscientific, with many problems and contradictions, but it is indeed useful for beginners.
In the process of specializing in this field, monks often gain a lot.

"No! I'll learn change! You learn energy shaping!"

However, each spellcaster has their own preferences and characteristics, and each Kuku naturally wants to learn a system that suits them.

Both Kuku were interested in alchemy, which leans towards the transformation system, and neither wanted to learn Evocation (a mage: Evocation barbarian? He looks like a crude warlock).

Even though the energy-generating ability is extremely strong in actual combat, it is consistently ranked among the top two in terms of destructive power alone.

Ultimately, the first Kuku won due to its "age" advantage.

The dual thinking process is not merely about having an extra "hand" in battle, but rather about two mindsets studying and learning from different perspectives and angles, ultimately converging their findings.

"Prophecy! It works great! How about another one?"

"Great! Great! You're so boring, this will give you more people to chat with!"

Thus, the third child was born. This period of confusion lasted only one month, and Kuku locked himself in his house.

"You study prophecy! You're new here!"

"No way! I want to learn alchemy and medicine making!" Uh, they started fighting again.

However, the original aftereffects should have been much more severe. All the same surgeries had failed. At this point, Kuku did not know that his success was due to his special circumstances.

Kuku was simply satisfied; the new Kuku was still Kuku, seemingly without any of the personality conflicts and soul-breaking issues that others had mentioned.

"Since there's no problem, let's try again!" The kobold's confidence made him always believe that he could succeed next time.

Many in the know await his madness and self-destruction.

But he actually succeeded.

The same thing happened again and again, and heaven knows how many Kuku were left in the end.

But by then, Kuku was already a true great mage, even a rare polymath.

However, he did not stop, and even intensified his efforts.

"Shamanic magic! There were some I couldn't learn before! Let's specialize in it!"

"Elemental spells! Evil magic! Even experts are needed!"

"Dragon's Words Incantation"

Perhaps no one expected that among the spellcasters of that era, there was a real little monster hidden.

He was already incredibly powerful; at least among the spellcasters he knew, no one dared to underestimate him anymore.
At this point, Kuku had a strange yet normal-looking nickname: "Hellhound Dragon".

Finally, at a certain point in time, Kuku, who had finally gained enough power, began to try to return to her origins and fulfill her long-cherished wish to embark on the path of magic.

Knowledge is for solving problems.

"Break free! Free the kobolds from the control of the evil dragon! Let them live for themselves!"

This is the origin of Kuku, and what he wanted to leave for the world.

But will fate be on his side this time?

(End of this chapter)