Chapter 31. A dark and windy night, the perfect time to take stock of one's possessions...
Night has fallen.
A crescent moon hung in the dark blue sky, sparse stars twinkling like broken diamonds. The nights in the Cursed Land always carried a primal and mysterious tranquility, but also harbored unknown dangers.
The occasional howls of unknown wild beasts, heard from afar, are like deep drumbeats, reminding the people living here that peace is only temporary.
But on this small piece of land, barely enclosed by a rudimentary wooden fence, "Lin's Restaurant" exudes a warm and vibrant atmosphere that is completely different from the outside world.
The shelter, which could now be called the main house, had windows simply covered with animal hides and wooden planks, from which slivers of dim, warm light shone through.
That was a simple oil lamp made by Lin Yue using wicks twisted from collected animal fat and plant fibers. Although its brightness was pitiful and it would occasionally emit black smoke, it was enough to dispel the darkness and bring a sense of security in the long night.
Not far away, in the open-air blacksmith shop, the furnace fire was still burning. Uncle Shi Quan seemed to be addicted to blacksmithing, tirelessly swinging his stone and wood hammer, the clanging sounds carrying far in the quiet night.
He was trying to forge a piece of newly refined, slightly better quality pig iron into a decent... kitchen knife? This was Lin Yue's insistence; he was fed up with chopping meat with a dagger.
The newly built makeshift shacks, serving as temporary bedrooms, echoed with the even breathing of Old Bader's family.
After a period of adjustment and a relatively stable life, their tense nerves finally relaxed, and they were able to get a good night's sleep.
Gray, as usual, sat silently on the steps of the main house entrance, wiping his spear, which had been newly fitted with an iron tip.
The spearhead gleamed coldly in the dim firelight, like a lurking beast. He watched the darkness beyond the fence with the steadfastness of a loyal guardian.
Little Fern was curled up at Gray's feet, fast asleep. Her fluffy little body rose and fell with her breath, and she would occasionally smack her lips, as if she were having a sweet dream.
Lin Yue stood on a slightly elevated mound he had built himself, which he called a viewing platform and command post, overlooking the small outpost he had built from scratch.
The furnace fire leaped, the lamplight flickered, the hammering sounded crisp, and breathing was steady... everything seemed so real, yet also carried a touch of unrealistic dreamlike quality.
A few months ago, he was just a struggling engineer on Earth, working himself to the bone to make a living. In the blink of an eye, he became the curator, founder, chief technology officer, and... (N titles omitted here) of a small outpost on the edge of this cursed land in another world.
He looked at the fence that was beginning to take shape, at the rooftops with smoke rising from their chimneys, at the potato seedlings growing vigorously in the experimental fields not far away, and at the tender green wheat seedlings that had just sprouted but were growing well, and at the flickering fire and hardworking figures in the blacksmith's shop...
An indescribable sense of pride and accomplishment flowed gently through his heart like a warm spring.
"Damn it... I actually managed to make a name for myself in this godforsaken place, starting from scratch..." Lin Yue couldn't help but curse in his mind, and his eyes even started to well up with tears.
This feeling of creating something from nothing and watching everything slowly improve in your own hands is something he could never experience, no matter how many blueprints he drew, how many clients he argued with, or how many project bonuses he won on Earth!
[System Notification: Host emotional fluctuation detected: Satisfaction +30%, Sense of Achievement +40%, Sense of Belonging to the Current Community +20%. Phase One [Survival and Establishment] is basically complete. Overall Rating: B (Successfully survived under extremely difficult conditions and established a rudimentary base, and even managed to unite a group of partners from diverse backgrounds—worthy of encouragement!)]
"Only a B-level rating? System, your standards are way too high!" Lin Yue complained. "This is practically an epic start! Anyone else would have been finished by now!"
[System Response: Please face reality. The current community is still small, technologically backward, and severely inadequate in its security. We are still a long way from true 'civilization.' Do not be complacent; continue your efforts.]
Lin Yue: "..." Okay, system, you win. You'll always be that sharp-tongued navigator who's good at throwing cold water on things.
However, the system is not wrong.
The challenge of survival has only been temporarily overcome. They now have enough to eat, a place to live, and even some basic self-defense capabilities.
But what about the future?
Lin Yue's gaze drifted into the distance, into the depths of that cursed land, which appeared even darker and more mysterious under the moonlight.
What secrets are hidden there? What exactly is this so-called "darkness"?
Does the vibrant and fantastical past that Gray describes really exist?
Is the so-called "curse" really caused by malnutrition and environmental degradation? If so, where are the sources of pollution? And how can it be addressed?
And the elves! Those mysterious, enigmatic high elves! Why are they on the edge of this abandoned land?
What do they think of Lin's Restaurant, this suddenly emerging outlier? Are they potential allies or dangerous enemies?
Is Xiaofen's so-called wolf god mark and sensitivity to magic related to elves?
Outside surveillance never ceased. The news brought by Old Tom proved that the Cursed Land was not entirely isolated. The appearance of the disgraceful Blackrock Gang served as a further wake-up call.
As the restaurant's reputation spreads, will it attract even more powerful and greedy forces? Perhaps... a real bandit gang? Or... a lord's spy? And how should they deal with them?
The internal challenges are equally severe. How to feed the ever-growing population? How to increase agricultural output and diversity? How to overcome the technological bottlenecks in smelting and forging to truly achieve freedom in the production of iron tools?
How can we establish more comprehensive management rules so that this group, composed of people from different backgrounds and ethnicities, can truly coexist harmoniously, build trust, and form a united force?
The integration of the Bard family is not yet fully resolved. Gray's secrets remain shrouded in mystery. Although Uncle Stonefist stayed, his inner conflicts regarding his family and hometown are clearly unresolved, and his superb forging skills have only been partially revealed.
Each question felt like a heavy mountain weighing on Lin Yue's heart.
He felt like a village chief in a newbie village, having just led the villagers to solve their basic needs and barely managed to build a few thatched huts, only to find that outside the village, not only were there goblins and slimes, but also dragons and demons eyeing them covetously, and that the village was hiding several mysterious and powerful figures with unknown abilities...
Isn't this game a bit too difficult?!
"Sigh..." Lin Yue let out a long sigh. The sense of pride and accomplishment that had just risen was instantly diluted by the heavy pressure of reality.
"The road ahead is long and arduous..." He looked up at the sky, at the waning moon and sparse stars, and felt that his future, like the night sky, was full of unknowns and uncertainties.
But so what?
He looked down at his hands, roughened by years of labor but also stronger, and felt the heart in his chest, still full of vitality and hope.
No matter how many difficulties or challenges there are, Lin Yue is no longer the miserable engineer who could only wail in front of the computer screen!
He has knowledge, a systematic approach, increasingly reliable partners, and... an endless yearning for delicious food, a good life, and braised goose in an iron pot!
"When soldiers come, we'll meet them head-on; when water comes, we'll dam it!" Lin Yue clenched his fist, his eyes regaining their resolve. "Difficulties are like springs; the weaker you are, the stronger they become! As long as we don't give up, there's always a way!"
He gave himself a bowl of warm, comforting encouragement, and then began to plan the next phase of his action plan in his mind:
The top priority is still to increase our strength! Smelting and forging cannot stop! We must strive to develop more advanced tools and weapons as soon as possible! Iron pots! They must be produced immediately!
Second, safety first! The fencing project needs to be expedited! The traps need to be upgraded! We also need to think of ways to implement more reliable defensive measures, such as… training Xiao Fen to be a guard dog?
Third, agricultural development is fundamental! Wheat must be grown well! We must strive to eat steamed buns and noodles as soon as possible! We also need to continue searching for new crop seeds! A balanced diet is key!
Fourth, population and management! We need to find ways to better integrate the old Bud family! At the same time, we also need to prepare for potential new members in the future, such as... developing a "Lin's Restaurant Resident Behavior Code Handbook"?
Fifth, intelligence and exploration! We can't just stay cooped up in our little hut! We need to find ways to learn more about the outside world! Explore the surrounding area, find resource points, and even... try to have a friendly encounter with the Pokémon? This is a bit risky, so we need to think it over carefully.
One plan after another took shape in Lin Yue's mind. Although there were many difficulties in implementing them, at least there was a clear direction.
A night breeze blew by, carrying a hint of coolness. The clanging of the blacksmith's shop gradually subsided; Uncle Stone Fist was probably tired too. In the distance, a few soft murmurs from Xiao Fen drifted down in her sleep.
Lin Yue took a deep breath of the air, which was filled with the scents of grass, trees, and cooking fires, and felt a surge of power within him.
They have successfully passed the first stage of the survival challenge.
Although the future remains full of unknowns and challenges, the secrets of the Cursed Land are shrouded in mist, external threats loom intermittently, and internal integration will take time…
But the fire in the stove was warm, and the wheat seedlings were green.
Their story has only just begun.
The next chapter of "Lin's Little Restaurant" is destined to be even more exciting, and even more... chaotic!
-----------------------
Author's note: The first stage of the main text is complete, and we're finally moving on to the next stage!
Thank you for reading this far, and happy reading! [clasped hands][heart emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
