In the early game there was basically nothing — every resource was short — but everyone was even shorter on food, because only with food could you recruit workers and farmers, which was just about the one way for any Lord to raise productivity.
On the trading platform, people were selling all sorts of things, but not one listing was an offer to sell food.
Aside from feeding yourself, farmers, soldiers, and tamed beasts all consumed food. With nothing to eat, Loyalty plummeted, and if you couldn't keep your people fed, your hires would betray you and walk off then and there.
Recruiting farmers and soldiers needed large amounts of food on top of that.
So in the early stage, the good things people obtained through various means, they were all willing to trade for a bit of food.
One step ahead meant every step ahead! Even recruiting one extra farmer at the start made your gathering far faster than the next person's. So on day one, food was without question the most precious thing.
There was a lot you could trade food for, but Han Huohuo only wanted iron.
Everything else could wait.
The thing was, at this stage not a single Lord was out mining iron ore from the start, so iron ore simply couldn't be traded for.
In the early game nobody had any use for iron ore. On top of that, iron mines were guarded by wild beasts, and the vast majority of Lords started with only one or two farmers — how were they supposed to beat the guards?
There was no iron ore to be had in trade.
Han Huohuo scratched his head, then turned and spotted his recycling furnace. His heart stirred. Other people's recycling furnaces had a 50% loss — but his had zero loss!
A thought turned over in his mind, and a scheme took shape.
He shouted out across the trade forum: "Anyone need food? Selling food here!"
"Duang, duang, duang, gather round, folks, food for sale right here!"
When you're doing business, you can't expect people to just find their way to you — you've got to do a little advertising. A big-voiced shout was the most honest advertisement of primitive society.
"Damn, someone's actually trading food?"
"Big bro, you're not pulling my leg, are you? Tell me quick, what do you want in exchange?"
"I've got good stuff here. I'll trade it to you for food."
"Want a blueprint? I've got an E-grade Spear Barracks blueprint, trade it for just 100 food."
"Fuck, an E-grade blueprint for food, and you want 100? Why not just go rob someone? Big bro, I've got a Taming skill scroll, I'll trade it for food."
"You'd even trade a Taming skill scroll? Are you out of your mind?"
"It's my call, none of your business. I just hate taming animals of any kind."
"......"
Word that someone was selling food set the trade channel buzzing at once.
Many people worked while keeping an eye on the trade channel, wondering what Han Huohuo wanted in exchange.
"I'll trade for any metal implement, anything goes — I'll pay in Premium Food!"
"Huh? Metal implements — want a big cauldron?"
"A big cauldron works too!"
"I don't have one! I was just talking. Don't take it seriously, big bro."
"Get lost!"
Han Huohuo's private chat channel lit up red all over in an instant, countless people clicking in.
He opened one at random.
"Big bro, I've got a saber — it broke while I was hunting earlier. Do you want a broken weapon?"
Han Huohuo paused.
"Big bro, big bro, I can sell it to you at a discount."
The person on the other end grew anxious, terrified Han Huohuo wouldn't take it. The blade was already snapped, useless to keep — recycling it got only two iron, so he'd rather swap it for a little food.
"This broken blade of yours isn't worth much."
Han Huohuo acted in no hurry at all, even putting on a look of distaste.
"Big bro, just give me a little food and the blade is yours!"
Han Huohuo did some quick math. Iron still ranked far above wood and stone. However precious food was, it couldn't be more precious than iron — especially now, when nobody was mining iron ore at all.
Right now was the best moment to trade food for iron. By the second day, it probably wouldn't fetch this price anymore.
By gathering efficiency, the time it took to collect one iron could collect ten food.
In other words:
One iron for ten food.
One iron for ten wood.
One iron for five stone.
That was the normal exchange rate.
This broken blade could be broken down into two iron ingots, normally worth 20 food — but right now, at the start, food was the most precious thing.
"Five Premium Food for one broken blade. How about it?"
That ratio was already outrageous. This sort of broken blade, recycled by anyone else, yielded two iron ingots — but in Han Huohuo's hands, it yielded four iron ingots.
The other side hesitated briefly. "Sure. This broken blade's no use to me anyway."
"Brother, you've made out great! And this food of mine can even raise Loyalty!"
Han Huohuo gave him a little encouragement, then quickly completed the trade.
【This transaction's value is too low; the trading fee has been waived!】
Eh!
In the system's appraisal a broken blade wasn't worth anything, so even the trading fee was waived. Now that was nice — saved some gold coins.
That trade gave Han Huohuo a fresh idea.
He started turning it over. If this had been a good blade, it might've fetched fifty food — but once it broke, it was worthless.
Because a broken blade had to be smelted; you had to build a smithy, hire a craftsman, and forge a new one. Not only did the process incur huge losses, you also had to pay the craftsman in gold.
Clearly not worth it.
Better to just sell it straight to him.
If he specialized in collecting scrap, it was obviously far more profitable than trading for intact ironware! And trading in scrap seemed to dodge a lot of the trading tax too!
Having worked out the logic of it, he immediately revised his trade terms.
"Professionally recycling scrap ironware, food in exchange!"
"Holy crap, big bro, you've switched careers to scrap collecting?"
"Tell us — is collecting scrap actually more badass than being a Lord?"
"Big bro, I really do have an iron pot. Don't tell me you're going to make me smash my own iron pot before you'll trade for it?"
Han Huohuo's trade terms left everyone baffled. Those trading intact ironware for food had all set high prices, and Han Huohuo turned every one of them down.
Yours truly doesn't want the good stuff — I'm strictly in the scrap business. Anything too nice won't do!
The number of people trading dropped off in an instant.
"Big bro, want this iron rod of mine? I found it on the ground while picking berries. It's all rusted, doesn't look good for anything, but it's a big chunk."
"Send it over, let me have a look."
【Discarded Metal Flagpole: an abandoned metal flagpole; useless except for recycling. An ordinary recycling furnace can recover 10 iron ingots from it.】
"Ah, pure junk, huh? How about I give you 10 Premium Food?"
"10's too few, bro, can you go a bit higher? This flagpole's heavy as hell — I nearly broke my back hauling it back to camp. Just 10 food? Am I not getting ripped off?!"
"Fifteen, then, and not a bit more. This thing's no use whatsoever! Agree and it's a deal; if not, keep it yourself."
"Deal!"
Han Huohuo felt a secret thrill. This thing was great — in his own recycling furnace it would yield a full 20 iron ingots. A huge profit.
Scrap of every kind came in, some worth more, some less.
Before long he'd traded away all 80 Premium Food, without paying a cent of trading tax. His heart was sweet with delight.
A heap of corroded copper and rusted iron piled up in front of the furnace.
Broken blades, flagpoles, leaky cauldrons...
Han Huohuo felt as if he'd drunk from a sweet spring, blissful and warm, as he fed the junk one piece at a time into the recycling furnace.
Gained 20 iron ingots.
Gained 2 iron ingots.
Gained 4 iron ingots.
......
In no time it was all broken down — 67 iron ingots in total, plus the one ingot left over from before, giving him 68 iron ingots in hand.
Han Huohuo did the math. He had no wood or stone now, and that wouldn't do — those were the basic building materials. He couldn't live in a thatched hut behind a wooden fence forever.
He returned to the Mecha Workshop.
He made two Mechanical Wolves, then four Mechanical Workers, sending two workers to gather wood and two to gather stone.
Why not gather iron ore directly?
Because iron mines had guards. You had to bring a Mechanical Wolf to wipe out the guards first before you could mine, whereas chopping wood and gathering stone had no guards.
The mechanical workers looked like Wall-E. Once they received their tasks, they all set out to gather resources.
When they walked, they rumbled and clanked!
Gou San watched these mechanical monsters dumbstruck, and the way he looked at his boss changed completely.
What kind of man is this?
Isn't this a born conqueror?
Behind Han Huohuo stood a row of three terrifying Mechanical Wolves — already with an air of lording it over the world.
Gou San felt his knees go suddenly weak. Why do I have this urge to kneel?
"Come on, back to hunting!"
This time he set out with three giant mechanical wolves, walking with a swagger, and Han Huohuo set his sights on the Mammoth Beasts.
One Mammoth Beast carried 300 to 500 food — that was a true treasure trove of food.
With three giant mechanical wolves in hand, beating one Mammoth Beast shouldn't be a problem, but beating two would be a bit difficult.
No matter — wasn't there still a Gou San? Han Huohuo turned his head toward Gou San with a grin.
A foolproof tactic had taken shape in his mind.
"Come here!"
Seeing his boss summon him, Gou San scampered over eagerly.
"Gou San, in a bit, you run over and lure one Mammoth Beast away. I'll take out one with the Mechanical Wolves first, then you bring the other Mammoth Beast back to me. Any problems?"
"Huh?" Gou San nearly wet himself. "I... I go lure away one of those beasts? That... probably won't work, will it?"
Han Huohuo patted his shoulder, encouraging him. "Someone as nimble and clever as you — no problem at all. Get out there. Don't worry, I've got your back. Look at these Mechanical Wolves, so mighty and imposing. What's there to be afraid of!"