That's definitely not just a simple matter of digging a few more meters. It's a tenfold increase; even if each experience point picked up has a '+50' value, I'd still need to gather a hundred of them.
"To level up from level three to four, it won't be fifty thousand, right? I reckon it's not quite possible to rely solely on excavating tombs to upgrade from three to four." Zhang Chen scratched his head, but upgrading from tier two to tier three seems hopeful if conditions allow, as he's only been digging for half a day.
Thoughts flickered in Zhang Chen's mind as he felt his waist and back ache. He simply climbed out of the pit and walked away with his shovel on his shoulder.
"If things continue like this, excavating tombs will exhaust me. The deeper I go, the harder it becomes, and transporting soil is also a big problem." Zhang Chen thought while carrying his shovel. "If I could pick up a skill that increases strength or allows earth escape, it would be much simpler."
Of course, Zhang Chen knew it was just wishful thinking; if skills were that easy to acquire, he wouldn't have waited so long.
"It seems my skills can be obtained from the gold foil pages filled with scriptures. Who knows where that Fox Spirit got that gold foil page from? It would be great if there were more of those scriptures." Zhang Chen muttered, feeling that the benefits of the Fox Spirit still needed further development.
"I don't know what kind of damage my tier two Light of the True God might cause to the Fox Spirit, but for now, I must hold back. Once I've collected all the experience points from the tomb, if I still can't upgrade my skills, then I'll give the Fox Spirit a big surprise. I want to catch that Fox Spirit and make her do my laundry, fold my bedding, and warm my bed every day. I also want her to carry food for me to eat every day." Zhang Chen already thought of a thousand ways to exploit the Fox Spirit.
"That poor scholar next door is truly lucky." Zhang Chen shook his head. Since it was still early, he wasn't in a hurry to go home and continued hunting in the mountains instead.
"It's a shame I can't use my trap-making technique as a skill. Otherwise, I would've upgraded my skill level by now and made traps capable of hunting a Great Demon." Zhang Chen cut some branches in the mountains and began weaving baskets and setting up traps.
Of course, the main purpose of weaving baskets was to transport the soil dug up from underground. He had already dug three meters deep, and continuing would involve moving the earth, which would make it even more laborious and troublesome.
"Moreover, a shovel is not suitable for excavating tombs." Zhang Chen thought of the Luoyang Shovel from his previous life. Maybe he could craft a Luoyang Shovel for tomb raiding.
"But crafting a Luoyang Shovel requires caution; no one must know its purpose. If people find out I'm a tomb raider, I'd lose my head." Zhang Chen murmured to himself.
In this world, tomb raiders are automatically sentenced to death once discovered!
After all, it's a world of aristocrats and noble families with traditions. Everyone needs a grand burial after death, and there's zero tolerance for tomb raiding.
Zhang Chen's hands were rough yet dexterous, and soon the outline of a bamboo basket appeared in his hands.
Seeing the sky darkening, and knowing the mountain was no longer safe, Zhang Chen picked up the basket and headed for the village.
The village had a blacksmith, and Zhang Chen had a great relationship with him. Even the villagers had good relations with Zhang Chen because he was a hunter who often brought back game from the mountain. Villagers wanting to eat game had to deal with Zhang Chen.
The blacksmith's surname was Cui, and the shop was passed down from father to son. The village knew their workshop was always ablaze, day or night.
Zhang Chen didn't head home but went straight to the blacksmith's shop instead.
It was called a blacksmith's shop, but it was just three old, dilapidated mud huts. The westernmost hut glowed red, with the sound of clanging and waves of heat pouring out.
"Uncle Cui!"
Zhang Chen shouted from outside the door.
He needed the beast traps for hunting, which required dealing with Cui and his family for wire and nails.
"Oh, the Zhang family's boy is here. What are you making this time?" A burly man in his thirties came out of the house, his face black with soot, looking at Zhang Chen with eyes full of anticipation.
He was a blacksmith, and smithing required strength and was physically taxing, so one could not do without eating meat to replenish the energy and complete daily work.
The game that Zhang Chen couldn't finish after hunting usually ended up in the old blacksmith's stomach, sold to the Cui family.
"This creation is different from what I've done before. I'll tell you its dimensions and pattern." Zhang Chen sketched the design on the ground, explaining the dimensions of a Luoyang Shovel to Blacksmith Cui.
The Luoyang Shovel isn't like a regular soldier's spade, so it's not hard to craft. It's quite similar to a regular shovel, except for the dirt-holding wings.
"What on earth are you making? A shovel? But this shovel is just too strange!" Blacksmith Cui had never seen a Luoyang Shovel before, and the strange design drawn by Zhang Chen caused him to frown and ponder, unable to guess its use.
"It's just for convenience when I go hunting in the mountains and set up traps." Zhang Chen grinned and explained, which seemed plausible enough.
"Come by tomorrow to pick it up," Blacksmith Cui memorized the design and said to Zhang Chen.
"Thank you, Uncle Cui. How much will it cost for this shovel?" Zhang Chen inquired.
"Just bring me two pheasants next time." Uncle Cui laughed.
Zhang Chen nodded at this. To be honest, two pheasants weren't expensive; in this antiquated age, iron was a precious metal.
Just as Zhang Chen was about to leave, Blacksmith Cui quickly stopped him. "Don't go yet! I've got something fun here. Want to take a look?"
Zhang Chen paused, turned to look at Blacksmith Cui, and asked, "What's the fun thing?"
Blacksmith Cui didn't answer but shut the door tight and dragged Zhang Chen into the house. From under the bed, he pulled out an old box, opened it, and said to Zhang Chen, "Do you want it? If you do, I'll give you a discount."
Seeing the box, Zhang Chen's eyes widened and his pupils shrank. "Uncle Cui, are you crazy? This could get you executed!"
"Of course, I know it's risky, but no one knows. I recently accepted a big order where the client provides the iron, and I craft things secretly. I secretly kept some iron, thinking you often hunt in the mountains and might encounter beasts, so I made weapons for your protection."
Zhang Chen eyed the box, took a deep breath, and saw a gray, unsightly long blade with a sharpened edge inside.
It looked ugly with its curves and bumps, lacking any aesthetic value. But its sharp edge overshadowed its ugliness, making it impossible to ignore its crude appearance.
The long blade was thick and seemed quite durable.
Beside the long blade were a dozen shiny arrowheads. Once attached to arrows and used with a strong bow, he'd feel confident even if someone suggested hunting for roe deer or sika deer.
"These iron ores were siphoned little by little from the big client. Want it? If not, I'll sell it elsewhere." Blacksmith Cui looked at Zhang Chen with a smile. "Don't say Uncle didn't consider you first when there's a good opportunity."
"I want it! Of course, I want it!" Zhang Chen quickly exclaimed, but then his face showed hesitation. "But you know my financial situation. I'm afraid I can't afford it."
"We live in the same village; money is not an issue. Consider it an ongoing exchange where you bring me game from time to time!" Blacksmith Cui smiled warmly.
ps: Do you have any recommendation votes, big bosses? Please do follow and read the new book every day during this period. Thank you all, big bosses.