I started on a deserted island and encountered Ying Zheng, who insisted I was an immortal.

"Three hundred thousand?"

Zhang Ying picked up the chicken wing that had fallen on the table, blew off the sand, and put it in her mouth.

"Do you think I run a charity?"

He pointed to the dark, barren coastline, his tone utterly absurd.

"Three hundred thousand people, each one could drown my island with a single spit. And you expect me to feed you? Are you suggesting I be cooked and used to make soup for you?"

Ying Zheng's smile froze.

He hadn't expected this "immortal" to refuse so decisively.

In the Qin Dynasty, countless people begged to join its army, hoping to earn a living from the imperial salary.

How come my elite troops have become a burden here?

"Sir, you've misunderstood."

Upon seeing this, Li Si quickly spat out the chicken bone in his mouth and approached with a forced smile.

"Your Majesty... oh no, what Lao Ying means is that these people are strong and capable of working."

Li Si pointed to the soldiers who were still licking their fingers.

"Clearing wasteland, farming, building roads, carrying bricks—as long as they have food to eat, they'll do anything."

"right!"

Wang Ben pounded his chest so hard it made a deafening noise.

"Our people from the Great Qin Dynasty...our crew are the hardest working! No wages! Just enough to eat!"

Zhang Ying glanced at the group of people.

This production crew is really going all out to save money.

Are extras being treated like livestock?

but……

He glanced at the unharvested cornfield in the distance, and then at the undeveloped wasteland behind the mountain.

The "Build Your Home" task issued by the system has been stuck at 15% for half a year.

It would take him forever to develop this island by himself.

If there is free labor...

Zhang Ying touched her chin.

"Three hundred thousand is definitely not enough."

He held up three fingers.

"At most three thousand."

"The rest, let them stay on the boat, or go out to sea and fish. I don't have enough fresh water on this island for so many people to waste."

Ying Zheng frowned slightly.

Three thousand?

Of the mighty Qin warriors, only one percent remained?

This is simply an insult to the power of the Qin Dynasty.

"gentlemen."

Ying Zheng was about to speak up to try and persuade them.

Zhang Ying interrupted her directly.

"Fine, don't do it then. The potatoes will rot anyway, I'll just plant less next year."

Threat.

A naked threat.

Ying Zheng looked at the mountain of potatoes, his heart bleeding.

That's the fate of the Great Qin!

Rotting in the ground?

What a waste!

"good!"

Ying Zheng gritted his teeth and waved his hand.

"Mr. Yi!"

He turned to look at Meng Tian, ​​regaining his imperial decisiveness.

"Meng Tian, ​​listen to my command!"

"Select three thousand elite soldiers! Lay down their armor! Return to their fields!"

"The rest of you, retreat to the warships and take turns going ashore...take turns going ashore to learn farming techniques!"

Meng Tian looked completely bewildered.

Farming?

Let his ruthless, bloodthirsty soldiers farm the land?

If word gets out, where will the Qin cavalry put their faces?

"His Majesty……"

"Hurry up and go!"

Ying Zheng kicked Meng Tian in the shin.

"If you can't dig up potatoes, I'll hold you responsible!"

Meng Tian felt wronged.

Meng Tian dared not speak.

He could only turn around and yell at the soldiers who were still savoring the sweet potato:

"Vanguard Battalion! Step forward!"

"Remove your armor!"

"Put all your weapons away!"

"Tonight's mission is..."

Meng Tian glanced at Zhang Ying, then at the dark, barren field, and roared with steely resolve:

"Dig potatoes!"

The entire army fell silent.

Then came a series of scattered sounds of armor being removed.

Zhang Ying looked at the group of shirtless, muscular men and nodded in satisfaction.

This physique.

That's execution.

It would be a shame if they didn't go to construction sites to carry bricks.

"Wait."

Zhang Ying turned and went upstairs.

A short while later, he came down carrying a bundle of things.

"Clang!"

A pile of shovels were left on the beach.

That was a "high-carbon steel multi-functional entrenching shovel" given to me by the system.

Although it would be considered cheap goods in modern times, this was a stock that Zhang Ying had accumulated for a long time.

"One for each person, don't fight over it."

Zhang Ying kicked the pile of shovels.

"Let me make this clear from the start: you'll have to pay for it if you break it. This shovel is worth three months' worth of your food expenses."

Meng Tian bent down and picked up a shovel.

It feels heavy in your hand.

It's cold.

By the firelight, he examined the strange weapon.

It is entirely black, without any superfluous decorations.

The blade of the shovel is as thin as a cicada's wing, yet it exudes a chilling light that sends shivers down your spine.

Meng Tian tried waving it a couple of times.

The sound of wind breaking was sharp and piercing.

"Great iron!"

Meng Tian was a discerning person.

This material is even harder than the "hair-cutting" sword that Your Majesty seized from the Zhao Kingdom!

It is even purer than the finest black iron from the Qin Dynasty!

Absolutely no impurities!

"this……"

Meng Tian looked at Zhang Ying in shock.

"Sir, what kind of divine iron is this?"

"Stainless steel plus high carbon steel".

Zhang Ying made up something off the top of her head: "Rust-resistant, wear-resistant, and can even be used for cutting vegetables and sawing wood."

"Stainless steel?"

Meng Tian didn't understand.

But he was deeply shocked.

Such a powerful weapon.

A treasure capable of cutting iron like mud.

actually……

Is it used for digging potatoes?

A violent thing!

If this were made into an arrowhead, how could the Xiongnu not be destroyed?

If this were forged into a battle sword, why would we have to worry about the remnants of the six kingdoms not being appeased?

"What are you standing there for?"

Seeing Meng Tian staring blankly at the shovel, Zhang Ying impatiently urged him on.

"Get to work quickly. After we finish this patch, there are still two acres of peanut fields over there waiting to be tilled."

Meng Tian came to his senses.

Looking at the "divine shovel" in his hand, a shovel that could be passed down as a family heirloom.

My heart is trembling.

Use divine weapons to dig the soil.

This must be the arrogance of an immortal.

"Fellow soldiers!"

Meng Tian raised his entrenching tool high and roared in grief and indignation.

"At your command!"

"dig!"

Chapter 86 That's not a shovel, it's a divine weapon!

Midday on the moon.

The nights on the deserted island were not peaceful.

"Click—"

A crisp sound.

One Qin soldier used too much force and with one shovel, he chipped off a corner of a rock that was half a person tall.

Sparks flew everywhere.

The soldiers were terrified.

He looked at the intact shovel blade, then at the incredibly hard granite.

This stone would normally take half a day to smash even with a copper hammer.

So... it was cut like tofu?

"My goodness..."

The soldier swallowed hard, staring at the black shovel in his hand as if it were some kind of demon or monster.

The surrounding soldiers also stopped what they were doing.

They were all veterans.

They have a natural sensitivity to weapons.

That shovel is terrifying.

If two armies were to clash, and the opposing side were wielding this type of weapon...

What's the difference between their leather armor and bronze shields and those made of paper?

fear.

In awe.

It spread through the crowd once again.

"Be gentle!"

Zhang Ying stood on the edge of the field, holding a large megaphone, her heart aching so much she was jumping up and down.

"That's a shovel! Not a machete!"

"Don't use my shovel to test the stones! You can't afford to pay for it if it gets chipped!"

These spendthrifts.

Do you really think this high-carbon steel was just picked up off the street?

Ying Zheng stood aside, watching this scene, his breathing rapid.

He took a shovel from Meng Tian's hand.

My fingers gently traced the sharp edge.

That cold, metallic texture made every pore on his body stand on end.

"gentlemen."

Ying Zheng's voice trembled slightly.

"Can this product be mass-produced?"

"What?"

Zhang Ying was directing the soldiers on how to shovel the potatoes without damaging them, so she didn't hear clearly.

"I mean..."

Ying Zheng stared intently at Zhang Ying, his eyes burning with the flame of ambition.

"How much of this kind of iron do you have here, sir?"

"If you're willing to part with it, sir, the entire Qin treasury is yours to choose from!"

Zhang Ying turned around and looked at Ying Zheng as if he were a fool.

"What do you need this thing for?"

"Take it back to cook with?"

"This is just a shovel. If you want it, I'll give you a link later so you can buy it online yourself."

Online shopping?

link?

Ying Zheng could not understand these celestial texts.

But he understood that "it means the shovel".

In the eyes of immortals.

This incredible weapon, capable of altering the course of warfare, was merely a farming tool used for cultivating the land.

What a magnificent spirit!

How incredibly extravagant!

"We've dug it up!"

A gasp interrupted Ying Zheng's thoughts.

A soldier dug a bunch of heavy potatoes out of the ground.

There were six or seven in total.

Each one was as big as a fist.

Clinging to the damp earth, it looked especially tempting in the firelight.

"They have them here too!"

"many!"

"My God! This shovelful is full of grain!"

Exclamations of surprise rose and fell.

The three thousand soldiers went completely mad.

They originally thought digging potatoes would be a chore.

But when those heavy bunches of fruit were lifted up...

The joy of the harvest instantly washed away all the fatigue.

In the Qin Dynasty.

A good harvest is considered to be two bushels of millet per mu (unit of land area).

But here...

Meng Tian made a rough estimate.

In just this small patch of land, the potatoes dug up piled up into a small mountain.

This output...

More than ten thousand catties.

That's simply defying the heavens!

"Auspicious omen... truly an auspicious omen!"

Li Si held a freshly dug potato, trembling with excitement.

He took out the bamboo slips and carving knife he always carried with him, wanting to record this momentous occasion.

"In the twenty-eighth year of Qin Shi Huang's reign, he encountered immortals at sea and obtained divine food..."

The carving knife moved laboriously across the bamboo slips.

Bamboo slips are heavy.

Engraving is laborious.

Li Si had only written a few words when his wrist became so sore that he could no longer lift it.

With the light dim, he squinted and leaned close to the torch, wishing he could press his eyes against it.

"Tsk."

Zhang Ying couldn't stand it any longer.

These extras are so dedicated.

What era are we living in? Still using bamboo slips with inscriptions?

They didn't even find it tiring.

"Alright, alright, stop carving."

Zhang Ying took out a black notebook from her pocket and then pulled out a ballpoint pen.

He casually tossed it to Li Si.

"Use this to remember."

"To avoid blinding myself, which would be considered a work injury and I'd have to pay compensation."

Li Si caught it in a flurry of activity.

The feel of it when he touched it stunned him.

soft.

light.

He carefully turned over the black leather cover.

Snow white.

exquisite.

Smooth as a mirror.

It was a piece of paper.

A piece of paper that is priceless in this era.

Li Si's hands were trembling.

He dared not touch it.

I was afraid that my rough fingers would soil this sacred object.

"This...this is..."

"Paper."

Zhang Ying removed the pen cap, casually drew a circle on the paper, and tested the ink flow.

"Never seen it before?"

"Take the pen and write whatever you want."

Li Si held that strange thin stick (a ballpoint pen).

Imitating Zhang Ying, I made a light stroke on the paper.

A clear blue line appeared instantly.

Smooth.

Smooth.

There were no obstacles.

No need to grind ink.

No force is needed.

It's as easy as gliding your fingers across the surface of water.

Li Si was dumbfounded.

He looked at the pristine white paper and the blue lines.

As the Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty, he was in charge of all official documents.

He knows better than anyone.

What does this mean?

Bamboo slips were bulky and difficult to transport, making it hard to spread knowledge.

Silk was expensive and could only be used by nobles.

And this thing...

Lightweight and easy to write.

If the Qin Dynasty possessed such a thing...

With government orders being effectively implemented and the people being educated, this is no longer just empty talk!

"Thump."

Li Si knelt down.

This isn't acting.

His legs were really weak.

"His Majesty!"

Li Si held the notebook as if it were the future of the Qin Dynasty, tears streaming down his face.

"A divine artifact! This is a divine artifact for the pursuit of literature!"

"With this, all scholars in the land will submit to the Great Qin as their master!"

Ying Zheng suddenly turned around.

He rushed to Li Si in a few steps.

He snatched the laptop away.

My fingers traced the smooth surface of the paper.

Listening to Li Si's almost frantic roar.

Ying Zheng stopped breathing.

He looked up.

Looking at Zhang Ying, who seemed completely indifferent.

The man was smoking a cigarette and directing the soldiers to load potatoes into baskets.

It was as if what he had just thrown out was not the spark of civilization.

It was just a piece of waste paper used for wiping one's bottom.

"gentlemen."

Ying Zheng's voice was hoarse, with a hint of pleading.

"This item...can I have it in exchange?"

"I am willing to use..."

Ying Zheng looked around.

Aside from that pile of potatoes, it seems that the Qin Dynasty was truly so poor that all it had left was money.

But money is useless here.

"I wish to use all the bronze artifacts, all the silk, and all the jade on board!"

"Change the technique in your hands, sir!"

Chapter 87: Take my dragon throne and exchange it for his roll of toilet paper!

Zhang Ying paused, her hand holding the cigarette still.

He turned his head and looked Ying Zheng up and down.

This guy is getting way too into character, isn't he?

Bronze artifacts?

silk?

jade?

Just how rich is this production crew?

"Are you serious?"

Zhang Ying pointed to the notebook in Li Si's hand.

"Just for this crappy notebook?"

"The kind on Taobao where it's 9.9 yuan with free shipping, buy five get one free?"

Although Ying Zheng did not understand "Taobao" and "free shipping".

But he understood what "broken notebook" meant.

破？

Such a divine object, pure white, light as a wing, and with a smooth writing flow.

It's actually called a "broken notebook"?

Ying Zheng felt his worldview was collapsing.

In the eyes of this immortal, what exactly constitutes a treasure?

Is it only the stars in the sky that catch his eye?

"teacher!"

Ying Zheng stepped forward and grabbed Zhang Ying's sleeve tightly.

"I do not ask for much."

"I only ask for... the method to create this thing!"

"As long as you are willing to teach me, I..."

Ying Zheng gritted his teeth, as if he had made a decision that went against his ancestors.

"I'll dismantle the dragon throne from the ship and give it to you!"

"It's made of pure gold! Inlaid with a luminous pearl from the East China Sea!"

"And my crown! Twelve tassels! All made of the finest jade!"

Zhang Ying was stunned by the overwhelming aura of nouveau riche.

A pure gold dragon throne?

A luminous pearl?

Although he always thought these people were either escaped from a mental hospital or immersive script murder game players.

But what if...

What if those props are real?

Even high-quality replicas can fetch a good price, right?

Anyway, we all learned about papermaking in junior high school chemistry.

Tree bark, hemp fibers, rags, old fishing nets...

The principle is incredibly simple.

"make a deal."

Zhang Ying threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out.

"But let me make this clear first, I don't guarantee you'll learn it all."

"I only provide theoretical guidance and some raw materials."

"As for whether you can build it or not, that depends on your own understanding."

Ying Zheng was overjoyed.

A smile as bright as a chrysanthemum bloomed on that perpetually stern and tense face.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

"Li Si! Hurry!"

"Move everything off the ship!"

"Move everything down except the people and weapons!"

"The dragon throne! The screen! The incense burner! The wine cup! Move them all!"

then.

An extremely bizarre scene unfolded on the deserted island.

On one side, shirtless soldiers were huffing and puffing as they dug potatoes.

On one side, officials dressed in fine clothes were directing soldiers to transport various rare treasures to the island.

The enormous bronze cauldron was lifted down and placed on the beach, creating a deep crater.

The exquisite lacquer screen stood out incongruously next to the coconut tree.

There was even a huge set of chimes, carried by several soldiers, which made a sound with each step they took.

"when--"

The clear sound of bells echoed in the night.

Zhang Ying stood on the balcony of her small building, looking down at the piles of "scrap metal" below.

My eyelids are twitching.

The workmanship...

This patina...

This simple and rustic design...

Even if it's a modern craft item, this is made way too realistically!

Especially the bronze cauldron, with its clearly visible inscriptions, exudes a profound sense of history.

"This film crew...did they rob the museum?"

Zhang Ying casually picked up a bronze wine cup and weighed it in her hand.

Shen.

Press down.

It doesn't look like it's made of plastic or resin.

"gentlemen."

Li Si, holding the notebook, came closer like a primary school student.

He was still holding that ballpoint pen in his hand.

"How do I add ink to this brush?"

He was writing so enthusiastically that he used up a lot of ink in the pen.

As he watched the blue liquid in the transparent tube decrease, Li Si panicked.

I'm afraid that once I use it all up, it will be gone.

"Can't add it."

Zhang Ying casually remarked, "Disposable, just throw it away after use."

"Throw?!"

Li Si let out a scream and almost dropped his pen.

"Such a magical pen! You just throw it away after use?"

"What a waste! That's a crime!"

Li Si trembled with heartache.

He made his decision.

From now on, this pen will never be used lightly except when writing an imperial edict.

It's better to use a carving knife normally.

This money should be treasured.

It should be passed down as a family heirloom to future generations.

"Alright, stop looking like you've never seen anything like this before."

Zhang Ying turned and went into the house.

after awhile.

He came out carrying a bag.

He bought those wholesale on Pinduoduo, originally intending to use them as kindling or for cleaning windows.

Paper roll.

The inferior kind.

The surface is rough and it crumbles a bit.

But in the eyes of the Qin emperor and his ministers at this moment.

That is a sacred object.

"Give."

Zhang Ying tossed the roll of paper to Ying Zheng.

"This stuff is called toilet paper."

"The paper isn't as good as the paper in that notebook, but it has the advantage of a large quantity."

"Take this to wipe... your sweat."

Zhang Ying originally wanted to say wipe her butt.

But seeing Ying Zheng's devout expression, he couldn't bear to say it.

I'm afraid this emperor of all ages might suffer a stroke on the spot.

Ying Zheng took the roll of paper with both hands.

Through the transparent plastic packaging, you can see rolls of clean, soft paper inside.

His hands were trembling.

So many...

There are a full ten volumes!

If used to write imperial edicts, how many characters could it contain?

How many laws of the Qin Dynasty could it record?

"Sir, you have shown me such great kindness..."

Ying Zheng's eyes reddened.

He looked at Zhang Ying and bowed solemnly.

"The Great Qin Dynasty will never be forgotten!"

Zhang Ying waved her hand.

"Alright, stop getting sentimental."

"Hurry up and have your men move those bronze artifacts into the warehouse."

"If it gets rained on and rusts, I'll return it."

Ying Zheng immediately turned around and roared at Meng Tian:

"Did you hear me!"

"Hurry up!"

"If your precious child gets wet in the rain, I'll chop you all up!"

Meng Tian: "..."

Didn't you just say it was "scrap metal"?

How come it became a treasure once it was in your hands, sir?

His Majesty's change of expression is faster than turning the pages of a book.

Late at night.

The sea breeze was slightly cool.

Zhang Ying lay on the recliner, watching the busy crowd downstairs.

He was holding the lighter he had tricked from Ying Zheng (actually, it was a jade pendant that Ying Zheng had given him before he died, but Ying Zheng took the lighter).

The jade pendant has a warm, smooth texture.

It gleamed softly in the moonlight.

"This jade..."

Zhang Ying narrowed her eyes.

"It looks real."

"This group of people..."

"Could it be..."

"Is it really Qin Shi Huang?"

The thought had barely crossed her mind when Zhang Ying nipped it in the bud.

"How is that possible?"

"Would Qin Shi Huang kneel before me for a few rolls of toilet paper?"

"He must have gotten too into character."

"but……"

Zhang Ying looked at the mountain of bronze artifacts.

A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Who cares if it's true or not."

"Anyway, this deal was a huge profit."

And behind him.

Ying Zheng sat on a reef.

By the moonlight.

He was holding that ballpoint pen in his hand.

On a rough piece of toilet paper torn from a roll.

He solemnly wrote down two words:

【Great Qin】.

The brushstrokes are vigorous and powerful.

The force penetrates the paper.

that moment.

The wheels of history took a huge turn on the beach of the deserted island.

Freeze.

The waves crashed against the rocks.

The toilet paper in Ying Zheng's hand fluttered in the wind.

It resembles a brand new battle flag.