Chapter 24: What a Waste!
Chapter 24: What a Waste!
Gao Jing never dreamed that Shan Guoer’s “tiny” body held such powerful strength!
That big, naughty child couldn’t stand a single blow.
Not only was he completely overpowered on the spot, but the kids he crashed into also suffered greatly.
Some became cushions, some fell flat on their backs, and one even had his head smack hard against a nearby rock.
Thud!
Even Gao Jing watching felt frightened.
If this happened back in the Primary World, how much money would Old Shaman Shan Yan need to settle this?
Yet these naughty kids quickly clambered up, gathering around again as if nothing had happened.
They didn’t cry or get angry; they just laughed and chattered like it was completely normal.
Even the guy who hit his head merely scratched his scalp, showing no sign of injury at all.
They crowded around the little girl, all talking at once, pleading and coaxing.
“Shan Guoer, let us see him!”
“Yeah yeah, this little person looks so fun, so interesting!”
“Let him play with us!”
“Shan Guoer…”
No, I am not fun at all.
Nor interesting!
Surrounded on all sides, Gao Jing felt so small and helpless.
What is worse than one naughty child? A whole group of naughty kids!
Moreover, they were giant naughty kids!!
“Go away! Go away!”
Shan Guoer showed no intention of indulging them at all.
She lifted her head, sounding very proud as she declared, “He is my grandfather’s guest! Now I’m taking him to see our village. All of you, move out of the way, don’t block the path!”
“Oh, alright then.”
The naughty children surprisingly made way obediently.
They stood at the side of the path, watching Shan Guoer skip down the mountain road.
Like guards seeing off their queen.
It finally dawned on Gao Jing.
Although Shan Guoer seemed very obedient in front of the old shaman, actually, she was the children’s leader in the Shan Yue Tribe.
Or the little autocrat?
Gao Jing couldn’t see anyone who dared to disagree with her.
This obviously wasn’t just because of her status.
The terrain sloped downwards. The mountain path winding towards the valley mouth was lined with houses built by the villagers.
Although the buildings in the village were clustered in groups, scattered east and west without unified planning or design, and the craftsmanship of the houses varied, giving it a slightly messy feel,
the entire village fort was surprisingly clean and tidy. No litter or dirt could be seen on the paths or around the houses, front or back.
And there certainly weren’t any nasty incidents of messing everywhere.
Wildflowers and grasses grew thick beside the mountain stream, and the scent of red sandalwood drifted faintly in the air.
One small fortune, two small fortunes, three small fortunes…
Sitting on Shan Guoer’s shoulder, Gao Jing counted silently all the way down.
He gradually grew numb, about to turn into metal (a play on words regarding shock)!
Every single one of the wooden houses here was built using red sandalwood.
Most used uncut logs, bark still on, though some had been roughly shaped, exposing the deep red wood within.
Even though Gao Jing was no expert, he could tell the quality of this huge timber was incredibly high.
Clearly, for the Shan Yue Tribe, the premium rosewood (red sandalwood) that could sell for hundreds of thousands, even millions, per ton in his world was merely the most common, cheapest building material.
What a waste!
Gao Jing couldn’t help but get lost in a wild fantasy.
If he could move all the wooden houses from the village fort to the Primary World, could he become the world’s richest man?
But of course, that was impossible!
Very basic economics. The value of top-tier red sandalwood lies in its scarcity, amplified by market hype.
It’s actually a lot like natural diamonds – hugely dependent on marketing and perception.
If the market were flooded with massive amounts of identical material, its price would crash instantly, becoming barely more expensive than ordinary wood.
So Gao Jing could never become the world’s richest man by selling red sandalwood.
Achieving a few small fortunes? That would definitely be possible.
Moreover, the village fort held more than just rosewood. Beside each house were piles of firewood, big and small.
Gao Jing couldn’t identify what kind of wood the firewood was, but he assumed it was easy to burn and cut.
There weren’t many tribespeople in the fort that morning. Aside from that earlier group, most who remained were elders and women.
Some were crafting wooden utensils, some weaving ropes or coarse cloth, and others were drying fruit, meat, and other foods.
Gao Jing noticed they used extremely primitive tools, mostly made of stone and bone.
No metal tools were seen!
Gao Jing didn’t know if this was due to scarce metal deposits in the Great World or simply because the Shan Yue Tribe didn’t grasp mining and smelting.
Recalling yesterday’s scene of the tribe’s hunters surrounding the wild bull, he made a mental note.
“Shan Guoer!”
Men, women, old, and young alike – no one in the village fort who saw the little girl failed to greet her warmly.
“Grandpa Shan Gen, Auntie Shan Chun, Uncle Shan Yao…”
Shan Guoer responded to each one along the way.
It was clear she was well-liked in the village; everyone seemed genuinely fond of her.
The tribespeople also noticed Gao Jing sitting on Shan Guoer’s shoulder, most showing curious expressions.
However, no one specifically came over to interrogate him.
It was the dogs wandering the village. As if catching an unfamiliar scent, they barked incessantly from a distance.
Yellow eyes stared at Gao Jing, eyes filled with unease and caution.
But after Shan Guoer scolded them sharply a few times, they whimpered, wagged their tails low, and approached meekly.
“Little Guor…”
An old giant sitting on his doorstep smiled kindly and beckoned to the little girl. “Come see the stool I just made.”
“Grandpa Shan Teng!”
Shan Guoer immediately ran over.
The old Giant handed her the small stool he had just finished. “Try it.”
“Okay!”
Shan Guoer sat down and wiggled her bottom. Her words sweet as wild honey: “It’s great! Grandpa Shan Teng, you’re the best craftsman ever!”
The old Giant laughed, “Hahaha,” clearly overjoyed.
Gao Jing guessed that he must have been a mighty warrior in his youth.
Though ruthless time had stolen his once strong body, leaving his tall frame bent under the weight of years, the deep scars on his cheeks and arms silently spoke of his past.
Yet, Gao Jing sensed no trace of malice or bloodlust from this old Giant.
Instead, he felt kindness, kindness, and more kindness.
While Gao Jing observed the old Giant, the old Giant also noticed his presence.
“Is this the Ancient Remnant Clan Shan Hu and the others brought back?”
The old Giant’s eyes shone with a flicker of curiosity.
“Uh-huh.”
Shan Guor nodded. “Grandpa told me to show him around our village.”
The old Giant understood. “Ah.”
He smiled warmly at Gao Jing. “Welcome, traveler from afar, to our Shan Yue Tribe.”
The deep scars on his face made the smile look somewhat fearsome.
But Gao Jing could feel his goodwill.
Gao Jing leaped down from Shan Guoer’s shoulder, landing on the ground.
Before, such a jump would have easily broken his legs.
Now he landed steadily, perfectly unhurt!
Raising his right hand to his chest, Gao Jing bowed slightly to the old Giant. “Hello.” (Gao Jing was saying ‘Nihao’ in Chinese, but it means hello.)
He spoke in the Dahuang Language.
His words were awkward and stiff, but perfectly understandable.
The next moment, Gao Jing froze.
He stared blankly at the wood shavings scattered on the ground.
These shavings were pieces the old Giant had carved off while making the stool, useless scraps that couldn’t be used anymore.
Of course, to Gao Jing, even these scraps weren’t small at all.
The most important thing was, all these “scraps” showed beautiful swirling patterns, their surfaces dotted with tiny golden sparks.
The color… the grain… the scent…
This… this was bloody Small-Leaf Sandalwood!
And not just any sandalwood, these were the absolute finest quality, top-tier treasures! Cloud swirl patterns, wavy lines, scaly texture, literally bursting with golden sparks!! (Definitely wrote more words here)
Longer names meant it was more awesome.
There was this steel wholesaler Gao Jing knew. The guy had a bracelet made of gold-sparked sandalwood beads. He treasured it like his most precious jewel, rubbing it day and night, never letting anyone else touch it. Refused to sell it at any price.
But even his golden sparks were a whole grade lower than this.
This stuff was the supremely rare, top-of-the-tops, absolute best kind!
Gao Jing hadn’t even seen the real best kind before, only admired it in pictures.
Yet here, piled up like plain junk… was a huge heap of wood scraps every bit equal to it!
Just think how many beads you could carve from taking this back!
Though Gao Jing had already seen vast expanses of Rosewood before, he was still completely stunned right now.
He totally missed what the old Giant said next.
Only when Shan Guoer gently nudged him with her fingertip did he snap out of it.
“You seem to like this wood quite a lot?”
The old Giant smiled warmly. “I have plenty more at my place. Take as much as you want.”
Gao Jing gulped instinctively.
He knew his idea of “plenty” and the old Giant’s idea of “plenty” were two completely different things!