On Earth, thick blackout curtain fabric started at six yuan per meter on Taobao and five yuan on Pinshaoshao.
Yang Qiu couldn't afford these relatively expensive newer ones. After comparing prices and haggling, he managed to purchase this batch of stock originally intended for rural markets from a textile factory on the brink of closure at the price of 2.4 yuan per meter.
The rise of platforms like Taobao and Pinduoduo dealt a significant blow to physical stores in cities, though many still managed to survive. On the contrary, those in the countryside suffered because even remote villages had access to roads and express delivery. As such, this batch of curtain fabric designed for the rural market was collecting dust in the warehouse.
Even considering re-purposing and processing them into clothing or bedsheets wasn't a feasible option. The colors were too bright, the prints too large and old-fashioned, and the material too thick. If these curtain fabrics were processed into clothing, there was no way they would sell, and it would mean incurring additional processing costs.
However, these flaws… were actually advantages in this other world.
Thicker fabric? It just so happened that everyone here toiled and struggled for their livelihood, and more durable materials were appreciated.
Bright colors and bold prints? Not at all! It was clear that the factory had put effort into dyeing and printing. Such beautiful fabrics would make for stylish clothing.
When Jerome repeated the new fabric's price three times, everyone within a 30-meter range of their stand went wild.
Vegetable sellers, buyers, and people minding their small stalls; as long as one had more than ten copper coins in hand, they would rush over in a crazed frenzy…
"Give me five meters! Any color is fine! Five meters!"
"Sir, can you cut me two meters? I want a thicker fabric!"
"Can I have one and a half meters? I only have 15 copper coins!"
Clang!
Hal drew his sword and roared at the people attempting to snatch the fabrics, "Line up! Do you all want to die?!"
The murderous aura of the former bandit gang leader… came in handy at a time like this. Everyone, whether they genuinely wanted to buy fabric or had intended to snatch some due to the overwhelming interest, all settled down. With some pushing and shoving, a snaking queue was formed.
Jerome wiped the sweat from his forehead, picked up a measuring tape and scissors, and beckoned to the first lady in line. "Madam, which design are you interested in and how many meters would you like?"
The lady's eyes darted to the fearsome Hal standing behind Jerome, and she gulped. Her fancy for these beautiful fabrics temporarily overshadowed her fear. While taking all her money, she scrutinized the rolls of fabric carefully.
The lady had a discerning eye, and even if she dared not be too picky at the stand of this rough-looking man, she immediately chose a slightly thicker fabric with a pink base and a large red rose print on the side. Pointing to it, she said, "Please cut this one for me, I want four meters."
This curtain fabric was meant for a bedroom and excellent at blocking out light. Its thickness and quality were impressive.
Jerome had never been taught to sew, but he had learned basic sewing skills as a squire and had even altered his knight's old clothes to fit himself during his youth. Cutting fabric with a measuring tape posed no problem for him. He took the money and efficiently cut a four-meter length of fabric for the lady, then rolled it up and handed it over.
The lady felt the smooth fabric surface and the thickness of the material and was evidently pleased. She thanked Jerome profusely and forgot all about the vegetables she was supposed to buy and ran home, hugging the rolled-up fabric.
The second lady in line was also a housewife, and her eyes were just as sharp. She didn't want a thick single-sided print fabric; instead, she opted for a thinner but intricately designed double-sided print with a slightly 3D flower pattern.
"When made into a skirt, both sides can be worn!" the second lady exclaimed to her neighbor, who was also shopping with her.
The neighbor's eyes lit up, and when it was her turn, she too bought the double-sided flower print…
In a world where productivity was not quite advanced, fabrics were considered premium goods.
While Chinese people despised the floral and rustic curtain fabrics, residents of this world were delighted. Regardless of whether they were townspeople or farm folk from the countryside, they all eagerly pointed at the vibrant fabrics.
Although Jerome's fabric cutting was swift, serving each customer took a few minutes. Customers waiting in line grew bored and began to glance at the other items besides the fabrics at the stall.
There were colorful plastic cups, bowls, boxes of plastic buttons, and colorful sewing kits in transparent plastic cases, along with towels with stripes and simple patterns.
Farm folk got increasingly tempted, and even the townspeople found it hard to look away…
A gutsy farmwife, with several people still ahead of her in line, couldn't resist and asked cautiously, "Mister, how… are these sold?"
Jerome didn't stop cutting the fabric as he explained, "Five copper coins each. Cups and bowls are counted as a set, and a sewing kit with a box of buttons also counts as one. If you want, you can also choose two sewing kits or two boxes of buttons."
A hush came over the crowd that had been eagerly discussing fabric colors or exasperating over not bringing enough money.
"E-even those large basins and towels? F-five copper coins each?" the inquiring farmwife was stuttering.
"Yes." Jerome nodded.
All those waiting in line for fabric simultaneously took out their coins and started counting…
Soon enough, cries of "Oh God, why did I bring so little money out!" and similar laments rang out.
Some townsfolk, who had positions toward the back of the queue, scrutinized the number ahead of them, bit the bullet, left the line, and rushed home to fetch more money.
Farm folk, whose homes were far away and often genuinely short on cash, found themselves in a dilemma and soon started shouting.
"Does anyone want vegetables? Buy now at half price!"
"Ma'am, does your family need baskets or shoulder poles?"
"Fabric or basins first? It's so hard to decide!"
Plastics existed in this world, but due to the lack of comprehensive resource development and scarce raw materials, plastic products remained expensive and far from common use.
Most people were familiar with the convenience of plastic plates and bowls, but in their daily lives, they still relied on various earthenware and low-quality glass products. Clay pots, glass cups, and bowls were essential items for the vast majority of households.
Some wealthier households might use enamelware, but in this world, they were considered rather high-end. Metals, after all, were also expensive in this world. Even on Earth, steel production would still be rather challenging had there not been two world wars and a Cold War that gave rise to China as a superpower.
And that was not mentioning towels. Many people only indulged in buying two new towels when they got married and refused to throw them away, even when those towels were riddled with holes.
The few townsfolk at the front of the queue hurriedly took home their newly acquired fabric rolls, then scoured their houses to gather all the available cash they could find before rushing back to the marketplace.
And while gathering more money, these people didn't forget to inform their relatives and friends. Thus, even more people were scouring every nook and cranny of their houses for money…
By three in the afternoon, half the town's population were aware that three gentlemen at the marketplace were selling fabric rolls, towels, and plastic bowls and cups provided by the new lord at astonishingly low prices.
Less than ten hours after Weisshem had been "conquered," the townsfolk were already cheerfully calling the new lord "Sir," even though they still hadn't figured out who this new lord was.
And this series of transformative changes to the town was simply part of a "new map storyline" to the players.
As soon as the respawn (teleportation/login) point at Weisshem Town Hall was completed, players without quests on hand eagerly activated it and returned to Exile Town.
There were two reasons for their haste. First, this siege quest had been exceedingly profitable, and all players who had participated earned a significant amount of in-game currency. Players were eager to head to the Undead Merchant Association to splurge on new gear.
Secondly, this expedition quest, which included a siege, had put considerable wear and tear on the players' clothing. Many players' outfits had seen better days and were in dire need of repair, so they needed to rush back to Exile Town and bribe the female NPC tailors with sugar cubes to mend their clothes.
Of course, it wasn't that all players were anxious to change their gear and repair their clothes. Some players weren't too keen on the 30-minute teleportation cooldown and continued to linger in Weisshem.
For instance, Qin Guan, who went about collecting video material. Besides covering the red light district extensively, he also browsed the residential areas in the northern and western parts of town, even taking some clips of the former militia headquarters and the captured NPC prisoners. He had plans to enter the resettlement camps and record the beautifully modeled NPCs but was stopped by Rex.
There was also the lifestyle class player, Liu Meng, who, after completing her quest in assisting Mia and Ben's procurement team, returned to Martin Street and curiously explored the small shops operated by NPCs.
Leather works, knife sharpeners, tailors, pawnshops, grocery stores—Liu Meng had seen them all. She, who had a knack for casually exploring the map during her gaming sessions, was ecstatic.
"This new map is incredible! The details are so spot on it's like strolling through a foreign town!
"A pity that there's a language barrier… Why doesn't this game have a universal language feature? It's so odd that even though we're in the same friendly faction, we can't interact with the NPCs properly!"
Oblivious that her lamentations on the inability to interact with NPCs had left a bunch of local business owners quaking in fear, Liu Meng still went about trying to interact with NPCs individually to see if they could trigger any more quests. As she passed through the middle section of Martin Street, she noticed a crowd gathering around the discount stalls.
And without a second thought, she squeezed her way over…
At this point, it wasn't just Jerome who was busy at the stall; Hal and Tuttle had their hands full as well. The former glared intensely at the townspeople comparing the thickness of plastic bowls, length of towels, and other aspects of the goods, while the latter squatted nearby collecting money with a wooden expression.
The townsfolk, in the midst of a shopping frenzy, couldn't care much about a single nearby undead player that had joined them. Those in the back urged those ahead to hurry, while those at the front either agonized over a lack of funds to buy everything they wanted or were irresistibly distracted by items they couldn't afford.
Liu Meng unceremoniously squeezed her way to the front, all while observing everything. She couldn't understand the language of civilian NPCs in this new map, but linguistic communication wasn't essential for a scene like this… Even if people didn't understand English, they could still make out all that was happening in Black Friday footage from across the Pacific.
After observing for a while and not seeing any fellow players in the crowd, Liu Meng couldn't help but exclaim, "NPCs advance the storyline on their own when players aren't doing quests? This AI is way too advanced!"
With this brief reflection, Liu Meng stepped out of the crowd and continued exploring the map. Players who were eager to explore new maps like Liu Meng were relatively few, but they weren't scarce.
At this moment, Ji Tang was feeling anxious and uneasy as he followed a few other players in wandering the streets and alleys of Weisshem.
"The scenery on this new map is absolutely amazing. It really feels as if we are walking within a real town," exclaimed Tang Jia in amazement. Pointing to a wooden two-story house, she said, "Qingyue, look! That house has such a quaint style! The little fence beneath the attic window is adorable!"
"It looks nice, but I bet it's not so comfortable to live in," the pragmatic Yang Ying commented. "Wooden houses don't keep insects out. Mosquitoes are everywhere in the summer, and in winter, people inside would be shivering from the cold. I once stayed at a relative's house like that in the countryside, and I remember it vividly."
"In a game, only looks matter. It doesn't matter if it isn't practical."
"But it's not practical; NPCs can get heatstroke, so the cold affects them too. The problem with these wooden houses is much worse when it snows in the winter."
"In that case, Tianyong City doesn't have any toilets either. Why don't you make a case with Zhulong?"
"What's Tianyong City?"
"Uh, it's a city inside Ancient Sword 3—"
Ji Tang glanced at the two carefree girls that were chattering about something incomprehensible. It would be much easier for him if all players were like that.
When his gaze shifted to the third person, Ji Tang's expression became somewhat heavy.
Accompanying Tang Jia and Yang Ying to explore the new map was… Unceasing Entropy.
With the in-game siege quest rewards settled and Earth time transitioning into the early morning, most student and office worker players had already logged out. In theory, both Unceasing Entropy and Tang Jia ought to have been attending classes at this time. However, Tang Jia was just so excited that she didn't just skip her class but also went over to Unceasing Entropy's dorm room at a different school and convinced the studious Zheng Qingyue to skip the morning lecture and game instead.
As a result, Ji Tang's crisis period came ahead of schedule…
In the two previous "game maps," the combined total of "human NPCs" in Exile Town and Desolate Outpost was just a little over three hundred, and the interaction intensity with players wasn't considered particularly high.
But now, this "new map" of Weisshem was bustling with nearly ten thousand "human NPCs," and the degree of close interactions would increase exponentially!
Ji Tang had already logged out, but when Tang Jia clamored about going to explore the new map in the WeChat group, Ji Tang logged back in anxiously…
He hadn't been wrong to worry. After just half a lap around the town's residential area, Unceasing Entropy had become notably silent, her gaze constantly scanning households, courtyards, and various other places along the street…
Ji Tang, who appeared as steady as ever, was growing increasingly uneasy deep down.
Traces of daily life by actual living people were, in fact, easy to detect from one aspect that most people would easily overlook—garbage.
This world being masqueraded as a game had a certain level of civilization. It wasn't as bad as medieval Europe, where the streets were strewn with human and animal excrement, but it wasn't exactly clean.
Garbage from everyday life was all over the place, and on their little stroll through town so far, the group of players had yet to see a sewage drain that wasn't clogged.
Perhaps it was fortunate that resources were scarce in Weisshem, and the townsfolk didn't have the luxury to be wasteful. Otherwise, Ji Tang would have started to wonder if the town's garbage might eventually overflow the streets…
Noticing Unceasing Entropy had been staring at a certain pile of garbage for over five seconds, Ji Tang mustered up his strength and muttered, "Hmm, doesn't this feel like it could be a hidden quest?"
Tang Jia and Yang Ying, upon hearing the word "quest," immediately ceased their banter and turned to Ji Tang curiously.
"What quest?" they asked in unison.
Ji Tang pointed to the garbage pile that Unceasing Entropy had been scrutinizing for quite some time and said as naturally as he could, "Have you guys noticed that this town is different from our Exile Town? You can see garbage heaps everywhere."
Unceasing Entropy turned around as well and stared at Ji Ting intently.
"And so?" Tang Jia still couldn't catch on.
"Didn't the system display a notification in yellow after we received the siege quest rewards? Weisshem we conquered is Taranthan's new territory. Our player faction leader, Lord Yang, is now the lord of this place and responsible for governing Weisshem, right?" Ji Tang continued. "Weisshem's livelihood is the red-light district, but we got rid of it after taking over. Wouldn't this lead to many people losing their jobs? So, if players suggest to Lord Yang to establish a sanitation bureau here and hire the townspeople as sanitation workers, wouldn't it solve a part of the unemployment issue?"
"Damn! Can the game be played like this?!" Tang Jia was taken aback. "Qingyue, Qingyue, is what Brother Ji says reliable?"
Unceasing Entropy didn't say anything, her gaze still locked on Ji Tang.
Ji Tang, feeling quite uncomfortable under her scrutiny, tried to act nonchalantly. "This game offers such a high degree of freedom, so maybe it could work? With enough reputation with the Undead Merchant Association, players can hire NPCs to form trade caravans or even buy land and establish factories. I think it's worth a try."
Unceasing Entropy finally shifted her gaze away from Ji Tang, rubbing her chin as she mused, "Right… Now that you mention it, Rex did issue an assistance quest to get players to help Mia out. It seemed to imply an effort to revitalize the town's economy and livelihoods. By focusing our efforts in this direction, we might be able to trigger a hidden quest."
Tang Jia, who couldn't stand long-winded analysis, leaped up immediately. "What are we waiting for? Let's go find Old Yang and ask for the quest! Let's go, hurry up!"
Ji Tang breathed a sigh of relief. But unexpectedly, Unceasing Entropy, who had already been pulled away by Tang Jia, turned back to give him one last glance.
Ji Tang: "…"
This lady isn't so easily fooled, it seems…
As Yang wasn't at the Town Hall, an impatient Tang Jia led her companions to the resettlement point to find Rex. Rex was viewed rather favorably by warrior players, and he was generally seen as more reliable than Hal.
Rex appreciated the proposal put forth by the players that would use Yang's funds to employ townsfolk to clean the streets and maintain environmental hygiene. He was also receptive to the players' opinions and promptly provided the regulations for establishing the sanitation bureau and employing sanitation workers.
There were also occupations similar to that of sanitation workers in this world. However, unlike back on Earth, this sort of sanitary work often fell to local officials who subcontracted the tasks to local street organizations.
Well, these organizations were basically street gangs…
In Indahl, for example, aside from the affluent districts (typically managed by domestic staff responsible for the surrounding area's cleanliness), the street cleaning, garbage collection, disposal, and incineration of street blocks with commercial activities were managed by street gangs. These street gangs not only received sanitation fees from local officials but also collected protection money from business owners operating in the area.
Ordinary residential areas that had no commercial activities nor domestic staff overseeing them, on the other hand, were basically neglected.
If the local municipality had enough money and cared about the city's image, they could allocate extra funds every month or two, allowing the gang members to clean up the accumulated garbage in the residential areas.
In places where finances were tight and local officials had limited funds, things were left to run their course. If residents couldn't stand living amid heaps of garbage, they had to figure something out themselves.
In Weisshem, there were two streets that could barely be categorized as commercial districts—the red-light district and Martin Street.
The red-light district had each of its brothels take care of their own premises, while Martin Street was where those that had some influence or connections set up shop. Protection fees also couldn't be extorted from farmers who came into town to sell their produce; they would simply refrain from entering the town and instead set up shop at the town gate.
On top of that, there were another two key factors:
Firstly, the town lacked civil officials. The town mayor was basically a position that didn't do much besides raking in dirty money with the certain baron that owned the town. Employing a sheriff to maintain law and order, along with a small militia to address security issues, was all that was required, so there had never been a need for additional civil officials.
Secondly, Weisshem was situated quite close to Indahl. There were better opportunities to thrive in the militia here, and if one wanted to get involved in street gangs, it was much easier to make a name for oneself in Indahl than to struggle in this poor town.
With these two factors combined, it was clear that Weisshem didn't provide fertile ground for the survival of traditional street gangs.
But of course, garbage didn't magically disappear when no one attended to it. Even if most townsfolk lived frugally and meticulously, every household would produce a pile of garbage every month.
Consequently, disputes over issues related to garbage, like one's garbage spilling into another's yard, arose, and such quarrels could be occasionally heard.
In short, forking out some funds and hiring townsfolk to work as sanitation workers could indeed significantly boost the townspeople's favorability toward the new lord.
After resolving the territory ownership and deed issues, Yang Qiu didn't rush back to Weisshem right away. Currently, he was holding on to a considerable amount of gold and was busy purchasing magical materials at the Indahl Free Market.
The three existing teleportation points weren't actual teleportation circles; they were simply fraudulent undead summoning arrays. Players could teleport between the three locations because they functioned as "summon entities."
However, this unique method of teleportation wasn't accessible to living beings…
Since the players themselves took control of Weisshem, establishing a new storyline and map, Yang Qiu naturally wouldn't be willing to let go of the territory uncontested. And to ensure this, a legitimate teleportation array was needed.
Legitimate teleportation arrays demanded not only magic dust but also an abundance of magical materials. Having looted the red-light district and also plundered the town mayor's little treasury, Yang Qiu found himself extremely well-off, allowing him to purchase what he needed.
When he received the request from Rex about establishing the sanitation bureau, Yang Qiu, who was still in the middle of negotiating a trade, was surprised.
Well done, players! You guys even thought of something I hadn't even considered yet!
Yang Qiu was rather pleased, and after making some calculations and realizing the next Earth date would also happen to be the day of prestige settlement, he promptly sent out a system announcement:
[System Announcement]: The position of Weisshem Mayor has been integrated into the Taranthan Territory's Mayor Election. The two players with the highest territory prestige at the end of each monthly settlement date will assume the roles of Exile Town Mayor and Weisshem Mayor.