The construction of the outpost base requires an abundance of tools: forging tongs and hammers, axes for chopping trees, saws for wood splitting, and smaller instruments like screwdrivers, screws, nails, and wrenches. Without these, many tasks either can't commence or proceed at a snail's pace. For instance, the plastering trowels the players currently use to repair walls are makeshift wooden substitutes crafted by *WcMossie*.
If it were the early days of the post-apocalypse, tools like these could still be scavenged from hardware stores, department stores, and repair shops. Thanks to pre-war material technology, they were often of top-notch quality. Yet, two centuries later, the easy pickings have long vanished. Resource-rich spots like supermarkets and repair shops became survivor dens, leaving nothing but hollow shells.
However, hope remains—just as scavengers still occasionally uncover scraps from the wastelands, some gems escape the notice of the careless. These items are often sold to nearby survivor settlements, displayed like trinkets for passing trade caravans.
Chu Guang had a straightforward plan: disguise as a caravan with two players, head to the Brown Farm, and trade for the outpost's essential supplies.
Dressed in found civilian clothing, Chu Guang, accompanied by Ye Shi and Fang Chang, departed from the south gate of the Wetland Park, taking a rugged trail southeastward while avoiding Route 76. Bert Street and Brown Farm lie roughly three kilometers away on the map—one to the south, the other to the southeast.
The reason for choosing Brown Farm was equally simple. Not only would no one there recognize him, but the route was somewhat easier, with fewer ruins to navigate. Even so, walking in the wasteland often involves much more than just the straight distance. Along the way, they had to sidestep impassable ruins, remain alert to mutants, and watch for the unwelcome attention of other survivors.
By nine o'clock, the group neared their destination. At the end of the muddy path stood a broad iron gate flanked by low, three-meter concrete walls, lined with aluminum eaves and reinforced with steel rebar. The walls, riddled with bullet holes and adorned with gallows bearing skeletal remains, left little doubt about the temperament of the farm's inhabitants.
Before the war, this place had clearly been a pastoral farmhouse, judging by the roadside signage. It seemed to have become a stronghold for survivors who fled the city in the initial chaos.
Unlike Bert Street, Brown Farm's owner, Mr. Brown, was a true landlord, with residents bound to his farm either as guards or serfs. Chu Guang wasn't overly concerned about hostility; factions with farmland are usually hesitant to provoke outsiders, knowing they have more to lose.
Ten meters from the iron gate, Chu Guang raised his fist, signaling his players to stop. Just then, a dark rifle barrel poked out from the aluminum panels on the wall. Flashing a weapon signified an intention of non-hostility—a successful first contact, Chu Guang thought.
A man standing atop the wall called out with hostility. "Hey, stop! Who are you, and what do you want here?"
"We mean no harm; we're here to trade." Gesturing for the players to stay calm, Chu Guang kept his gaze fixed on the man, calm and unflinching.
"Trade, huh?" The man scrutinized the cart behind them, finger still on the trigger, distrust plain in his gaze.
"I don't know you. Where are you from?"
With a prepared answer, Chu Guang replied, "The wilderness. We recently migrated to this area."
"Nomads?" the man asked warily.
"Interpret it as you will," Chu Guang answered ambiguously.
Nomads were common in the wasteland, especially in rural areas, where they rarely ventured into cities, subsisting on hunting and scavenging, trading scraps and pelts for supplies when needed.
Though still suspicious, the man refrained from acting rashly, likely due to the uncertainty of their "tribe's" numbers.
"What are you carrying, and what do you need?"
"Fifty kilos of smoked jerky, twenty kilos of smoked fish, and ten hides from mutated hyenas… We need metal tools and harvested grains. I assure you, once we're done, we'll leave without delay."
Believing them traders at last, the man slowly withdrew his weapon, issuing a warning. "Wait here. I'll get permission."
"Be my guest," Chu Guang replied, waiting patiently.
Not long after, the gate opened. A wooden cart, pulled by a shackled serf and flanked by two armed guards, emerged, laden with sacks of grain and crates of tools. The man who had addressed Chu Guang earlier stepped forward, staring intently.
"Liu Zhengyue," he said.
"Chu Guang," came the reply.
The handshake was brief. Liu inspected the cart with suspicion, eventually cutting a piece of jerky and tossing it to the shackled serf. The serf chewed cautiously, confirming it was dried mutated hyena meat, devoid of salt.
"Good," Liu said after a pause. "One kilo of jerky or fish for two kilos of green wheat or horned tubers. Hides trade for tools, one for one."
Horned tubers, with their potato-like texture, shaped like goat horns, and rich in carbs, were a local staple. Chu Guang, bargaining like a pro, responded firmly.
"At least five kilos of grain for one kilo of jerky, half green wheat, half horned tubers. These hides are top-quality; each should fetch three tools minimum. I've been to Bert Street—I know the going rate."
Liu seemed taken aback by Chu Guang's bold counter. After a moment, he nodded in agreement, surprising Chu Guang, who realized he may have lowballed himself.
With the transaction completed, Chu Guang set out with a cart full of ten sacks of grain and thirty tools, selecting only the best alloy tools manufactured before the apocalypse.
"You're welcome anytime," Liu said with a stiff smile, offering Chu Guang a small pouch of dried tobacco as a token. Accepting it without objection, Chu Guang knew it would fetch a decent price.
On the return journey, Chu Guang's mood soared; the trade had been a bounty. Fang Chang and Ye Shi shared his enthusiasm, speculating on the newly introduced NPC trade system and eagerly awaiting future updates.
Ignoring their chatter, Chu Guang kept his focus on their surroundings, ever watchful for lurking threats as they made their way back to the outpost.