In the end, Jiang Ge exchanged two stone axes and three stone knives with the trading station’s manager Huang Tao for two oil lamps and a small iron pot.
The iron pot was the most expensive item. In the village, metal tools were rare; most households still used stone pots and stone bowls. Metal ore had to be smelted, and crafting tools required a blacksmith.
Even so, Huang Tao still made a huge profit. Stone tools had steady demand in the village, while oil lamps brought the highest margins—just a small piece of crescent sheep fat could be refined into half a barrel of oil, and the oil also had a long shelf life.
Crescent sheep were hard to catch, but not rare.
Compared to oil lamps, one stone knife could be exchanged for three lamps, and a stone axe for five.
As for the iron pot, it was less than 26 cm in diameter—small, but still worth the trade.
Jiang Ge was very satisfied with the exchange.
In Huang Tao’s eyes, the finely crafted stone axes were actually made using her crafting table.
Two stones and one piece of wood were enough to produce one.
If not for her weak physical condition—and the fact that producing too many axes would arouse suspicion—she would have even considered getting rich by selling axes.
Huang Tao sent the curly-haired woman who had escorted her before to take her to the mine.
The woman’s surname was Du, her name Meiqin. Her body was covered in signs of abuse; she could barely walk steadily and almost fell several times. Even though she tried her best to hide her despair, Jiang Ge could still see it clearly.
“Guest… may I ask you for a favor?” Du Meiqin finally spoke after they had left the trading station.
Her voice was hoarse as she looked at Jiang Ge pleadingly.
Jiang Ge could tell she had hesitated for a long time before gathering the courage to ask.
Jiang Ge was pressed for time—besides completing the side quest, she still had many early-game tasks to grind, such as upgrading her shelter…
But she didn’t refuse outright. Instead, she asked calmly, “What is it?”
Du Meiqin clenched the medicine she had exchanged from Huang Tao. Her grip wrinkled the packaging as if she were a fish thrown into boiling oil, completely helpless.
“My daughter is sick. This is life-saving medicine. I need to go home first and feed her the medicine. After that, I’ll take you to the mine… is that okay?”
She quickly added, “It won’t take too much of your time…”
She was so earnest because she feared Jiang Ge might report her to Huang Tao if she refused.
And that would make her situation even worse.
Huang Tao wasn’t human—he was a beast.
Jiang Ge paused briefly, studying her face, then said, “Alright.”
She did lack time, but not to the point where she couldn’t spare a moment for a child to take medicine.
However, this was the apocalypse. One had to remain cautious.
Her hand rested on the axe handle at her waist, gripping it tightly, while the other was already ready to activate her skill.
Her ability was her last resort; she wouldn’t use it unless absolutely necessary. In the eyes of others, her control over the five elements looked like sorcery—something that would attract unwanted attention.
She couldn’t tell whether others were lying, so she stayed on guard.
Du Meiqin finally relaxed, tears of gratitude in her eyes.
She had taken a risk by asking this guest for help.
Her previous impression of Jiang Ge had been relatively good.
But she also knew revealing her daughter’s situation could bring danger.
In her home, there was only her seriously ill daughter—no other man.
That was also why she had chosen to stay with Huang Tao.
A mother and child alone could barely survive in this world.
Unaware that Jiang Ge was still wary of her, Du Meiqin hurried her steps despite her poor condition.
Soon, they arrived at a mud-brick house with a fenced yard and a red lantern hanging by the eaves.
She unlocked the door and rushed inside.
Jiang Ge glanced around. The surrounding houses were all similarly crude—mud structures, poor and desolate, doors tightly shut. No livestock could be heard. The area was dead silent.
This seemed to be where the poorest villagers lived. Aside from Du Meiqin, most others were probably working at the mine.
Jiang Ge followed her inside.
Du Meiqin stood by the bedroom, quickly fixing her messy hair and putting on a loose outer garment to cover her bruised, torn body.
Only then did she enter the inner room.
“Baby, Mommy’s back,” she said softly to the feverish girl on the bed.
The child’s face was pale, drenched in sweat, her small body buried under thick blankets, unconscious.
Du Meiqin fed her the medicine with trembling care, her face full of worry.
Within a minute of taking it, the girl’s condition improved noticeably. Color returned faintly to her pale face. She opened her heavy eyelids, and through blurred vision, softly called out like a kitten:
“M-mom…”
Du Meiqin was overwhelmed with relief.
A few minutes later, she came out of the room.
Meeting Jiang Ge’s gaze, she began to undress.
“Guest… we can do it outside. My daughter is asleep. I’m afraid she’ll wake up.”
Jiang Ge froze.
Do what?
As Du Meiqin’s clothes came off more and more, Jiang Ge finally understood. She immediately stepped back into the hallway, her tone turning cold.
“I don’t have any such intention. Take me to the mine as soon as possible.”
It wasn’t surprising that Du Meiqin assumed this—the world was like this.
She had nothing else to trade except her body.
Seeing Jiang Ge refuse, Du Meiqin was even more shocked than before.
In this oppressive, hopeless world, people sought release. Someone like Huang Tao would become increasingly violent if he didn’t vent, and the women under him would suffer more. To survive, they had to serve as tools for his desires.
Yet she had never seen a man like Jiang Ge.
A man who refused women—unless he wasn’t one…
Du Meiqin quickly suppressed her thoughts, said nothing more, put her clothes back on, and led her to the mine.
The mine was about half an hour from Starfire Village.
What appeared before them was a barren field: trees and grass cleared away, dark soil exposed to reveal gray stone layers. Several sheds stood in the distance, and countless mine shafts dotted the ground.
Before leaving, Du Meiqin leaned closer and whispered urgently:
“Don’t go into mining zones 1–20. If you find high-quality Blaze Star Stones, you must turn them in—they have detection machines and will find anything you hide. Also, stay away from Supervisor Liu Zheng… he’s not a good man. And make sure you complete your daily quota!”
After saying that, she turned and left.
Jiang Ge watched her figure disappear into the distance, slightly surprised.
She hadn’t expected Du Meiqin to warn her so much.
That was a kindness.
She withdrew her gaze and stepped into the mine.