Wasteland Lord: Starting from Thirty Days to Live

"That's right. Level 2 magical beasts can be used to make weapons for warriors or as materials for arcane mages. As for this bear, I think its value undoubtedly lies in its strange exoskeleton."

"But there's a problem now. We don't have 'skinners' here, nor do we have the corresponding technology to process level 2 monster materials."

"It's such a pity that it was all burned to the ground."

Vittorio pondered Edmund's words and heard a term he had never heard before.

"The skinner?"

"Oh, that's a profession that specializes in identification and material processing. After adventurers hunt monsters, they send the monster carcasses to the skinners for processing."

Vittorio suddenly realized a loophole.

"If the bodies of monsters were so valuable, this land should have been washed away by adventurers long ago, but I haven't seen any trace of outsiders."

Edmund smiled.

"Perhaps my description was inaccurate, causing you to misunderstand some things. Adventure is not a respectable profession, or rather, it is strictly forbidden in the Kingdom of New Augustus."

"In the kingdom, only criminals, madmen, infected individuals, or those who are naturally drawn to thrills choose to become adventurers."

"Of course, it's not like that in other countries. As far as I know, in the Iron Bay Federation, which is the closest to here, adventurers have become an open profession, and there are even guilds. However, they cannot cross the border to come here, as that would be illegal."

"In short, there aren't as many adventurers in the kingdom as you might think. They prefer to frequent rift areas that are more challenging to explore but less dangerous. The Reach, as the kingdom's border, isn't their first choice."

Vittorio thought for a moment and nodded.

That makes sense.

After figuring out the stakes involved, Vittorio tried to find a way to dispose of the body.

"Perhaps, as you said, its true value lies in its skeleton, but the skeleton has long been removed from it. Now all that's needed is to dispose of its corpse."

Edmund nodded.

"You're right."

"Its true form seems quite ordinary to me; it's just a slightly larger bear. Don't we have hunters? Why not just treat it like a normal bear?"

That's true.

Following this line of thought, Edmund quickly called on Rem and another hunter, making them the main force while the others assisted, to deal with the huge bear carcass.

Vittorio specifically reminded them to wear protective gear to avoid cuts and blood splatter.

In short, there was nothing about the bear that Vittorio needed to pay special attention to.

Vittorio then turned to examine the enormous exoskeleton.

This exoskeleton is clearly the essence of this bear's body.

I don't know how to use it.

Vittorio used the excuse of convenience to go behind a deserted tree, opened the parchment, and hoped to get some inspiration from the system.

And the system did not disappoint him.

[An alien exoskeleton has been discovered, possessing multiple development potentials. Analyze? (Consumes 150 Lord Points)]

Vittorio naturally confirmed without hesitation.

There's no way around it, we're definitely much richer than before, and we don't feel stingy at all when it comes to spending lord points.

As the system analyzed the data, a series of options quickly appeared below.

[Unlock: Basic Exoskeleton Tool Crafting Blueprints (including basic tool sets for mining, woodworking, and agricultural machinery) (Consumes 350 Lord Points)]

[Unlock: Exoskeleton Heavy Weapon Manufacturing Blueprint (Consumes 500 Lord Points)]

[Unlock: Exoskeleton Armor Manufacturing Blueprint (Consumes 500 Lord Points)]

After the system analyzed the blueprints, one after another flashed by, leaving Vittorio dazzled.

The first three were quite good, covering both people's livelihood and military equipment, but what shocked Vittorio and even excited him immediately was the last blueprint.

[Unlock: Exoskeleton Composite Bow Technology Blueprint (Consumes 1500 Lord Points)]

Compound bow?

Although Vittorio didn't know anything about archery, he knew it must be a good product just by looking at the system's price.

And isn't there someone in his territory who is very skilled with a bow?

Vittorio turned his gaze to Edmund, who was still directing the bear dissection, completely unaware of what was happening.

It's decided, I'll redeem it!

Vittorio spent all 2850 points with almost no hesitation.

Soon, the specific details of each blueprint clearly appeared in his mind.

Vittorio already understood these things.

However, although he understood the principle of production, he did not have the corresponding skills and needed to find professionals.

Coincidentally, the [Characters] module was updated today, giving him a thorough understanding of the people in the camp who possess special skills.

So Vittorio decided to go find the only carpenter currently in the survivor camp—Ethan.

Ethan was also a scruffy-bearded middle-aged man, but he was a completely different type from Edmund.

Edmund was calm, reliable, and rock-solid, and was even regarded as a real father by the dozen or so children he adopted in the camp.

In comparison, Ethan is quite dissolute, unrestrained, and even a bit self-centered.

He is the kind of unreliable middle-aged man who makes you angry just by looking at him.

When Vittorio went to find him, he was drinking—or rather, it couldn't really be called drinking; it was just some wild fruit that had undergone insufficient fermentation, and then some hallucinogenic plants were added.

That smell...

Vittorio almost had a phobia of germs when he saw it for the first time, and immediately took three steps back.

But Ethan seemed to be resistant to the poison, and after drinking it, he was still able to mumble a conversation with Vittorio.

"Oh, it's you, Lord... What brings you to my humble abode?"

"I'm...sorry, my hair...is probably not as neat as yours."

Vittorio had checked the person's character panel before he arrived.

In terms of loyalty, this person has no problem; however, in terms of [status], this person is somewhat different.

Ethan

[Status: Persistent depression and hallucinogen addiction - This character intermittently experiences inability to care for themselves, and their productivity is reduced by 20% under normal circumstances]

Because of this information, Vittorio could be 100% certain that Ethan wasn't targeting him, but was simply a drug addict.

However, he was the only carpenter in the camp, so even if he was unreliable, Vittorio had no choice but to turn to him.

But seeing that he was in such a state, there was no way to communicate with him, so Vittorio had no choice but to find a basin of cold water and pour it over his head.

It took him about five minutes to come out of that dreamlike state.

He shivered as he shook off the cold water, finally looking up at Vittorio.

"Good day, my lord. What brings you here, Ethan?"