Final Lord

Chapter 18 Food Shortage
Wang Bufu's gaze lingered on the search button for a long time, but he finally chose to give up.

"But no matter how curious I am, I can't choose to go looking now. If I do, I'll most likely find the bandit leader. I don't have a favorable impression of this coach, I'm just grateful. I'm grateful for his valuable experience. But forget about him becoming my subject.

It's better to save the fire energy. Save it for four days and accumulate 100 energy to double the search."

Wang Bufu blinked and closed the village panel. Butler Ming looked around and saw no buildings appear. Curious, he leaned over and asked:
"Master, why didn't you build any buildings? Although the resources I brought are not many, it should be enough to build the village chief's house."

"I deliberately didn't build anything, Steward Ming." Wang Bufu said with a smile, "This territory is just being established, so we have to be frugal in every aspect. We didn't bring many resources with us, so it would be a waste to use them on buildings."

Butler Ming was stunned for a moment: "But, this is a desolate place, where are we going to live if there are no buildings?"

Wang Bufu smiled and pointed to the ground.

"Ah. Sleeping on the floor? This... you'll catch a cold, young master. I'm fine if I catch a cold, but what about you and your dear daughter?"

"Of course not. I mean sleeping underground."

"Sleeping... underground? Ah! Young Master, only the dead sleep underground, how can we living people sleep underground?" Butler Ming was dumbfounded.

"That's because you don't have enough experience. Uncle Ming, today I'll show you what I'm capable of! All cavemen, assemble!"

So, under the call of Wang Bufu, the cavemen who had just obtained the status of free people began to laugh heartily, with smiles on their faces, stunned, and began to dig holes in the ground out of joy.

The caveman [Big Butt] was digging when he sat down on the ground and said angrily, "Wu La Wu La Wa La!" (Brother Blind Cat, when we were slaves, we dug the ground every day. Now that we are free people, if we are still digging the ground, then our free people have been in vain.)
Bang! The blind cat hit Big Butt on the head with a stick.

"You are so stupid! When we were digging the ground before, we were digging the master's land. But now we are digging the ground for our own home. How can it be the same?

Hurry up, move quickly. The Lord wants to live in the cave with us too. I'll check it later. If the Lord's cave isn't spacious and flat enough, you'll all redo it.

Oh, remember to build Officer Weiyi's room next to the Lord's room, and leave a small passage for entry and exit."

"Uh?!" (Ah! Commander Weiyi won't blame us, right?!)

"Impossible! I saw Commander Wei Yi sneak into the Lord's room in the middle of the night. But the Lord was a little quick, and Commander Wei Yi came out in just over ten minutes.

Just dig it up, there will be no punishment, and you will be rewarded greatly."

Butler Ming stomped twice on the dug hole. The floor was very solid, not a speck of dust flew up. He hummed and nodded in satisfaction.

"That's great. It's much better than I imagined. I thought the cave would be a dark, damp place with a soft, crackly floor, just like the cellar in our territory.

However, the walls of this cave were surrounded by glowing sunset copper, the ground was clean and dust-free, and the ceiling showed no signs of collapse.

Although the living conditions here are not as good as the master's castle, they are much better than ordinary houses."

"Of course." Wang Bufu said with a smile: "Digging holes, cavemen are professionals.

The biggest problem with living in a cave is drainage. Fortunately, it is the dry season in the Sunset Mountains, so there is little rain, so this is not a problem.

Food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. The clothes we brought from the territory are sufficient, and shelter is also solved. For the time being, there is no need for us to go out. The only things left are food and water.

As long as the food and water problems are solved, the survival of Shengyang Village will not be a problem. Uncle Ming, how long will our food last?

"Well... I just wanted to tell you about this." Butler Ming awkwardly raised a finger and said, "Master, the remaining food can only last so long."

"A month?" Wang Bufu touched his chin. "Time is a bit tight, but we should be able to hold out until fast-growing crops like buckwheat mature. If that doesn't work, we can just hunt for wild fruits in the mountains. That'll get us through."

"Not a month, young master." Butler Ming smiled awkwardly.

"Ah? A week? Isn't that too little?"

"One day." Butler Ming was at a loss for words. "When the cavemen go on a campaign, they have a feast. When they defeat the bandits, they have another feast. Every day, we have to feed them according to the standards of the people under our jurisdiction.

No matter how much food I bring, it can't stop you from wasting it like this, young master.

"If we follow the previous standards, we only have enough food for one day now. If we save a little, we can still eat for two or three days."

"Oops, miscalculated." Wang hit his head in dissatisfaction. He was so focused on boosting morale and strengthening the sense of identity that he forgot about the lack of resources at the beginning.

"Uncle Ming, you just said that normal food isn't enough, right? What about food like rye?"

Butler Ming's eyes lit up: "That's enough to last a week. If we save some and get more water, we can last two weeks. But Master, we just said that we want to treat the cavemen as leaders. It's not a good idea to let them continue to eat rye, right?

Think about it, they ate rye when they were slaves, and they still eat rye when they become subjects, so their subjects are in vain."

"Of course not." Wang Bufu nodded in agreement. "So not only do they eat it, but you, Uncle Ming, eat it too."

"Ah? I want to eat too?" Butler Ming was stunned.

"Haha, just teasing your Uncle Ming."

"Oh, that's what I said. You scared me."

Wang Bufu said seriously, "Not just you, Weiyi and I will eat too. Let's just eat rye for a while. I'll figure out a way to deal with the food."

"Really want to eat it?" Uncle Ming said with a bitter face. "Master, it's not that I can't bear bitterness. It's just that rye tastes too bad.

Rye itself has a strong earthy flavor that cannot be removed by any cooking method. After cooking, it looks like black soil and tastes like soil.

I'm old and have been through it all, so I can still bear it. But what about you and your daughter? You won't be used to it. Besides, rye isn't very nutritious. Eating too much won't make you feel hungry, but you'll still feel weak.

"It's okay, I expected this. Uncle Ming, look, what is this?" Wang Bufu took out a white mushroom and shook it in front of Butler Ming's nose.

Butler Ming took a deep breath, his face intoxicated. "Huh?! This is top-quality food! It tastes even better than the tier 1 sea bream we had at Master's birthday banquet last year!"

"That's right." Wang Bufu smiled and said, "Uncle Ming's grasp of food is still so precise. This is a level 2 stone mushroom. Uncle Ming, you can't find a way to remove the earthy taste of rye, it's only because the quality of the ingredients you have access to is not high enough. When you cook rye, try adding a stone mushroom. If it works, I'll get you some more stone mushrooms."

"Huh?" Butler Ming's voice suddenly rose. "Using this high-quality ingredient to cook rye? What's the difference between that and using beef to cook shit? Does rye even go well with it? Oh, I can't bear to do that."

"Master, this kind of high-grade food can improve your physical condition if consumed over a long period of time. It's priceless. Cooking rye with it... this, this..." "Uncle Ming!" Wang Bufu stretched out his voice and said, "No matter how good the stone mushrooms are, they can only feed me. But cooking rye with them can feed the entire territory."

You have to distinguish between what is more important and what is less important.

This thing was dropped by Weiyi and I when we were fighting monsters in the Mushroom Forest. It's free. If we really need it, we can go fight for it again."

"Fighting monsters is a life-or-death experience, but you make it sound like shopping for groceries... Oh, Master, please don't look at me like that. I will definitely listen to you. I just can't bear to nag you.

Hey, Master, go get busy. Don't worry about Uncle Ming, I promise to research a delicious and economical stone mushroom dish."

Wang Bufu smiled, hugged Uncle Ming, and walked into the depths of the dungeon.

The blind cat, who was leading the digging of the caves, saw that the king was dissatisfied and immediately ran over.

"Lord! Blind Cat reports to you. We have already dug the kitchen and defense room and are currently excavating your lord's room. The work is progressing smoothly and we haven't encountered any problems!"

"Very good. Thank you for your hard work." Wang Bufu patted Blind Cat's head to show his consolation, and then said seriously: "Blind Cat, help me gather all the cavemen who have not advanced to poison cavemen. I have something very important to tell you."

"Yes, Lord!" Blind Cat immediately agreed and ran to the cavemen to cheer. Soon, the somewhat panicked cavemen immediately gathered in front of Wang Bufu.

This was the second time Wang Bufu had summoned the cavemen. Last time, fifty lucky cavemen emerged victorious and were reborn.

So...what about this time?

Wang Bufu scanned their faces one by one and observed them. He found that their expressions no longer had the fear they had at the beginning. Although they were still a little nervous, they could also see some anticipation.

Wang Bufu nodded and said, "I once promised you that I would give you the opportunity to make meritorious contributions so that you can escape slavery and gain freedom and dignity like your former companions. Now, I will fulfill my promise.

I need a brave caveman, a caveman brave enough to risk his life for the territory and for me.

This mission wasn't combat, but it was more dangerous than combat, with a mortality rate potentially as high as 60%.

I promise that the cavemen who can survive this mission will not only be granted the status of citizens, but will also receive focused training and additional resources from the territory.

There was only one spot available this time. The first caveman who tried it unfortunately died, and the other cavemen had the chance to take his place.

I give you three minutes to think. Blind cat, in three minutes, you bring the cavemen who have thought things through to me.

"Yes! Lord."

"Ulla! Ulla!" Seeing that the king was about to leave, a caveman shouted anxiously. The blind cat immediately kicked him, signaling him to shut up.

"Wait a minute." Wang Bufei asked, "Blind Cat, what did he say?"

"Reporting to the Lord, he asked if it was possible to tell them what the specific mission was."

"I'm sorry, I can't." Wang Bufu shook his head. "This is a top secret that concerns the future of the entire territory. If I could tell you, I would have told you from the beginning."

Wang Bufu reached out and nodded at the caveman who had made the noise. He said, "Of all the cavemen here, you're the only one who dares to ask me a question. Your courage is commendable. I hope you can maintain your courage."

Wang Bufu took a final glance at the caveman's name, waved his hand, and strode away.

【Blind Chicken】

After Wang Bufu left, the blind chicken held his head high and said to the blind cat, "Boss, look, you praised me!"
"Haha. You're so brave! You don't even understand. No wonder you're asking." The blind cat laughed in anger. "When I lead the men to find the lord, you go first."

"Huh?" Blind Chicken was stunned. "Woo-la-woo-la!" (No, this is too dangerous. I don't know what to do.)
"Oh, I said you're stupid! If you don't leave first today, I won't want you anymore. Change your name. I don't have a brother as stupid as you."

"Woo-la!" (Big brother, no, I'll be the first one to go. I was planning to go anyway.)
The remaining cavemen offered no objection to Blind Cat's proposal. Cowardly by nature, even if they had the courage to take a gamble, they didn't want to be the first uninformed test subject. The 60% mortality rate still frightened them.

Soon, the cavemen made their choice. Including Blind Chicken, five chose to challenge. The rest decided to wait and see. If there's one, there'll be another. Who knows, there might be another such dangerous opportunity to perform a feat.

"My Lord, the caveman who wants to challenge me has arrived."

The king in the cave turned around and saw five trembling cavemen. He shook his head and said, "Those cavemen who were forced or who are hoping for a lucky break can just go back. I won't blame you.

If you don't have the courage to succeed in this challenge, even if it means death, you will surely die."

The blind cat felt a little worried about the blind chicken, but saw the blind chicken shook its head vigorously and strode forward.

“Woo-la-la…”

Blind Cat immediately translated:
"My Lord, you praised my courage. I certainly cannot let you down. I am not afraid of death. I will be the first to come."

"Okay." Wang Bufu nodded, then asked, "Are there any cavemen who want to leave? If you don't, you won't be able to leave later. You must challenge me. I'll give you five minutes."

The king turned back, unconvinced, and continued to mobilize his resources. Behind him, the cavemen whispered among themselves, muttering "Hurrah!" The blind chicken was the most active, constantly shouting "Courage," "Loyalty," and "Long Live the Lord."

It was amazing. The cavemen, who were a little hesitant at first, became determined after hearing the blind chicken's shout.

Five minutes passed and no caveman chose to leave.

"Well. Good. You didn't let me down, well done." Wang Bufu laughed.

He asked kindly, "You have all lived underground. Do any of you know what the cavemen's main food was?"

The blind cat immediately raised his hand: "My Lord, I know, it's moss and lichen."

The king remained unconvinced and continued to ask, "Any other answers?"

"Ulala?" (A red fruit that grows underground)
"Woo woo?" (No, our tribe eats sweet potatoes.)
"Ahhh!" (It's a very bitter tree root)

Wang Bufu looked at the cavemen's confused expressions and asked with a smile, "Does each caveman clan eat differently? Because you are scattered in different places, you can only eat what you can find.

But long, long ago, cavemen weren’t like this.”

(End of this chapter)