Chapter 44: A merchant from neighboring city

"I should have thought of it earlier!"

"The most abundant resource in the lake is not just the fish in the lake, but the rich nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium along the lakeshore! We're almost there, just ahead!"

With Mosquito following him, Hurricane walked towards the lake, excitedly talking along the way.

The two stopped at a shallow beach by the lake.

The vegetation here was lush, providing excellent concealment. It was an ideal water source for both humans and animals.

Just as Hurricane was about to point, Mosquito stepped forward and squatted down in front of a relatively flat rock.

He extended his index finger and lightly touched the rock wall. Then he leaned closer, sniffed, and even tasted it with a lick.

Hurricane couldn't wait until that gross feeling gone and asked, "How is it?"

Spitting on the ground, Mosquito had a half-pleased, half-worried expression on his face.

"Damn, why is there still fresh...?"

Hurricane: "..."

Although he accidentally tasted some fresh bird droppings, one thing was certain—they had indeed found a considerable amount of struvite (guano stone).

The main component of this mineral was Mg(NH4)[PO4]·6H2O, with a monoclinic crystal structure. Judging from its chemical composition, it was not difficult to see the wide range of applications for this stuff.

Moreover, when guano stones accumulated in a certain quantity, the ammonia content within would gradually oxidize into nitric acid through the action of nitrifying bacteria. Eventually, it would accumulate below the soil in the form of potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, calcium nitrate, magnesium nitrate, and other compounds, forming the so-called nitrate soil.

This nitrate soil, as an "associated ore," could be easily processed to extract impure saltpeter by simple methods, such as boiling and filtering the alkaline potassium water from wood ash.

In simple terms, finding guano meant having control over saltpeter.

And with saltpeter, they essentially had gunpowder!

In fact, it wasn't just guano. The lakeshore was scattered with a large amount of excrement from various species. Over time, these excrement deposits weathered and solidified, forming fecal stone minerals.

As for why there were so many fecal stones by the lake, it was easy to understand. During the early years of the wasteland era, this area had experienced a prolonged period of extreme cold, lasting nearly half a century.

During that time, the Diamond Lake Wetland Park, as the region with the richest water resources, had been home to a large number of wild animals and livestock that had escaped from ranches. The feces left behind were likely from that time.

It was only after the end of the extreme cold period that the uninhabited urban area formed a more abundant ecosystem, and the lakeshore gradually became less populated.

"With these nitrate soils, making black powder won't be a problem!" Mosquito stood up from the ground and looked excitedly at Hurricane. "Help me out, let's gather some more."

Hurricane asked with confusion, "We have the nitrate soil and charcoal, but if I remember correctly, the recipe for black powder also requires sulfur. Where are you going to find sulfur?"

If he wasn't mistaken, sulfur was usually found near volcanoes or hot springs.

But this area didn't seem to have either.

Mosquito hesitated for a moment.

Clearly, he hadn't considered this question yet.

"Well, if we don't have sulfur, sulfur salts can also work. It's just a bit more complicated in the process... but they should be relatively easy to find, right?"

Hurricane looked around and shrugged helplessly.

"Anyway, let's try to find some."

...

Unfortunately, they didn't find any sulfur in the forest, nor did they spot anything resembling sulfur by the lake.

Which was to be expected.

How could such a thing appear in a wetland park?

But fortunately, just as the two were about to give up, they found some gypsum deposits by a small river extending from lake.

The composition of this material was calcium sulfate, and when burned at high temperatures together with carbon, it could produce calcium sulfide and carbon dioxide. It was precisely the sulfates they were looking for!

"How did I forget about this!" Mosquito slapped himself on the back of his head in frustration. "A few days ago, I saw White and the others mixing this gypsum powder when they were making cement! Isn't this damn thing calcium sulfate?"

Hurricane smiled bitterly and said, "This is what they call 'finding the answer under the lamplight.'"

"Anyway, the result is good." Mosquito collected some gypsum and put it into a plastic bucket. He washed his hands and stood up, looking at Hurricane. "Let's go, we have the materials, let's head back."

Hurricane nodded and followed him.

As they returned to the survivor settlement and were about to enter their small wooden house, they noticed a commotion in front of the settlement's gate.

Gamers who had been working on the construction site had come down from the scaffolding with weapons in hand, surrounding a two-headed cattle.

Standing next to the two-headed cattle was an unfamiliar man.

He was wearing a leather jacket, had a flattering smile on his face, and gestured with strange hand movements while speaking in a language that no one understood.

Mosquito looked curious and stopped in his tracks.

"Who is that person? A new NPC?" he asked.

"I didn't hear about any updates today," Hurricane replied.

"I don't know. Let me go and ask," Mosquito said, and he walked towards Tomato, who was standing by the smoking rack, watching the commotion.

"What's happening over there? Who is that person?" Mosquito asked curiously.

Tomato crossed his arms and shook his head.

"I'm not sure of the details. From what I heard from others, it seems that one of our people encountered this guy on the way back from the construction site. And this guy just followed them without saying a word, all the way here."

Mosquito approached and overheard the discussions among the gamers.

"Why does the cattle have two heads?"

"A tamed mutant?"

"This guy has been following us! I bet he's up to no good, probably a spy for the raiders!"

"Can't say for sure. What if he's an NPC?"

"That doesn't make sense. If he were an NPC, shouldn't he be able to communicate?"

"Maybe the conditions haven't triggered yet?"

"Should we lock him up and wait for the governor to come back?"

Feeling the increasingly hostile gazes around him, Sun Shiqi, surrounded by the crowd, felt immense pressure.

Although he had a revolver hidden under his leather jacket, with the safety already off, he only had six bullets in the magazine. And the residents of the sanctuary, who were getting closer, would never give him the chance to shoot all six bullets.

With a single blow from a hammer, he would be lying on the ground.

"I'll say it again, I mean no harm. I am a merchant, do you understand what that means? Damn it, even if things were worse 200 years ago, they couldn't have wiped out the profession of a merchant, right? Or have you been sleeping for too long and forgotten?" Sun Shiqi exclaimed.

"Alright, calm down. Let me rephrase it. I want to trade some of the things on the cow's back for something I need that you don't lack... anything will do! Of course, if you don't want to trade, that's fine too. I'll leave and promise not to bother you anymore!"

Seeing that communication was impossible, Sun Shiqi was already considering retreating.

However, the sanctuary residents showed no intention of backing off. On the contrary, they were getting closer, some even pulling out ropes.

Sun Shiqi felt despair in his heart.

Just as he was contemplating whether to make a desperate move, the crowd surrounding him suddenly parted to make way.

A man appeared, carrying the carcass of a mutated reindeer on his shoulder, and walked towards them.

The mutated reindeer weighed at least a hundred kilograms, almost the size of a horse, but the man carried it as if it were nothing, covering himself completely.

Although he wore a harmless-looking blue coat, Sun Shiqi could still sense a dangerous aura emanating from him.

This guy...

He was definitely not an ordinary sanctuary resident!

The man dropped the carcass heavily on the ground, said a few words to his companions, and then obediently dispersed.

Watching the man approaching him, Sun Shiqi felt nervous, his nerves tense.

In an instant, a thought flashed through his mind. If he could take this person hostage, he might be able to leave this place safely.

But his intuition told him that if he really did that, he would be dead in an instant...

"Who are you?" Light Chu looked at him and asked.

Upon hearing the man speaking to him, Sun Shiqi was momentarily surprised, and a look of joy appeared on his face.

"You can speak? No, I didn't mean that. What I meant was, do you understand the language here?"

By "language here," he meant the common language used in the Humanity Alliance.

This area used to be part of the Humanity Alliance's territory before the war, and they used a unified language. Normally, the residents of the sanctuary would also use the common language of Humanity Alliance, but for some reason, these people seemed a bit different.

Light Chu furrowed his brow slightly and continued to look at him.

"Now it's my turn to ask you questions."

"Answer me, who are you?"

Sensing the unfriendly tone, Sun Shiqi hurriedly explained, "My name is Sun, Sun Shiqi, from the neighboring Redstream Town! I am a merchant!"

Redstream Town?

Upon hearing the unfamiliar place name, Light Chu raised an eyebrow.

He only knew that this was Springvale City, located in the hinterland of the Humanity Alliance's River Valley Province. As for the other cities in the River Valley Province, he wasn't very familiar with them.

"Why did you come to Springvale?"

Sun Shiqi cautiously replied, "I am a merchant... I came here to do business."

Light Chu's expression remained unchanged.

"A merchant? Then why did I hear from my companions that you were following them?"

"It's a misunderstanding, it's definitely a misunderstanding!"

Sun Shiqi waved his hand, explaining with a wry smile, "I was originally heading to Boulder City, and on the way, I happened to see them wearing blue coats. I thought there might be a nearby shelter or something, so I wanted to trade with you for some things... I'm just a merchant, I really didn't mean any offense!"

He hadn't expected these people to be so sensitive.

If it were a typical survivor settlement, he would never dare to approach them alone rashly. But with a shelter, it was different.

These cuties in blue coats were known in the wasteland for being naive and easily deceived.

Most of them were elites of the pre-war society, or the descendants of elites, often considering themselves the civilized heirs, arrogant and disdainful of others.

At that time, he thought that even if he approached them, worst-case scenario, he would be treated as a beggar and driven away, without much loss.

Who would have thought that after they led him inside, they would surround and trap him, not allowing him to speak or leave?

It was simply unfair!

Without relaxing the expression on his face due to this guy's explanation, Light Chu continued to look at him expressionlessly and said,

"Regardless of whether or not you intended to offend, you have indeed done something that offends us. I believe that tracking someone in any corner of this wasteland cannot be considered a friendly act, don't you agree?"

Sun Shiqi was sweating profusely and nodded reluctantly.

"...You're right."

"Very well, it seems you have realized your mistake," Light Chu nodded, "But don't worry, we are reasonable people. I have already persuaded my companions and informed them that you are willing to apologize for your offensive behavior."

Sun Shiqi quickly nodded.

"Yes, yes, I'm willing!"

Upon hearing these words, a smile finally appeared on Light Chu's face.

"Alright then. By the way, I suppose you wouldn't suggest that we choose for ourselves?"

Sun Shiqi was stunned, looking at the man in front of him with a bewildered expression.

"Wait, what do you mean by choosing for ourselves?"

Light Chu responded matter-of-factly,

"An apology should not be offered empty-handed, right? How else would one make amends? We won't extort anything from you, at most we'll just pick something from your cart."

As he said this, the smile that had previously appeared on Light Chu's face gradually faded away.

"You wouldn't... be unwilling, would you?"

Sun Shiqi's expression was even more unsightly than crying, but he still nodded with a determined head.

"No, I won't! The things are all in this cart... You can pick."

These bandits!

Where is the dignity and pride of civilized people?

They actually robbed a ragged wasteland traveler!

It's like a wealthy person with millions robbing a beggar on the roadside. Don't these people feel ashamed of their actions?

Infuriating!

Sun Shiqi cursed in his heart, but his face continued to greet them with a smile, not daring to show any negative emotions.

He had gradually begun to realize that there seemed to be a fundamental difference between this shelter and the shelters he had encountered before.

As for Light Chu, he didn't care about what thoughts were going through this merchant's mind.

Because it simply wasn't important.

Seeing this guy being so understanding, a joyful smile reappeared on his face.

"Then, I won't hold back."