Chapter 45 - 42: Human, behold, this is the Milestone Reward!
They were the kind used to cut cloth or leather, too small to serve as a weapon.
Moreover, the resonance bonus applied only when he was holding and using them—it was not like he could just stash them in his pocket and benefit from the resonance attribute bonus.
Lu Yuan then picked up the dagger and gave it a slight try.
The dagger was about 25 centimeters long and radiated an ancient bronze glow.
Its attributes were also quite impressive, dubbed "Unstoppable," its sharp edge could slice through most leather!
[Daedalus’ Skin Cutting Knife, a Superior Level equipment’s resonance power, when you focus on using it, Form +9.2%, Qi +3.3%, Spirit +4.5%.]
Lu Yuan swung it a couple of times; this thing was actually quite handy and could be used as a real weapon.
As for that ruler-like object, it turned out to be the core of the entire toolset, able to sense the "vein" of a supernatural item when pressed against leather.
Lu Yuan held the ruler, lightly touching the leather shield he had just made, indeed sensing a mysterious pulsation akin to a heartbeat.
Many "veins" were ruined by his rough production technique, leading to the material’s properties not being fully utilized.
Lu Yuan felt somewhat regretful, but he would make do with it.
[Daedalus’ Ruler, a Superior Level equipment’s resonance power, when you focus on using it, Spirit +8.9%.]
Finally, there was that booklet-like object filled with minuscule writing the size of sesame seeds, along with various strange patterns.
The hint provided by the Pioneer’s Eye was: [Handbook left by Daedalus, containing some application knowledge on extraordinary materials and corresponding sewing skills. However, clearly, since you lack the prerequisite knowledge, you can currently not translate this text.]
[Even the great Pioneer’s Eye can’t translate something you have absolutely no concept of, just like you wouldn’t understand a dissertation proving Goldbach’s conjecture if it were in front of you.]
Lu Yuan was both joyous and somewhat annoyed; in the end, he let out a long, resigned sigh, "Okay, it’s indeed awesome, very valuable."
"It’s such a pity, only this dagger is useful to me."
How should I put it... this Milestone reward would be excellent for a genuine civilisation.
The Seventh Epoch Crete civilisation, capable of developing "Superior Level" equipment, their supernatural technology was definitely a hundred times more advanced than humankind’s.
Especially that resonance power, which made the equipment seem alive, completely beyond Lu Yuan’s understanding!
Human scientists could definitely gain a lot of knowledge through scientific research.
Science is a way to understand the world, not dogmatism. In a supernatural world, the method of scientific research is still viable.
But for Lu Yuan, the usefulness was really just so. He didn’t have superpowers in forging nor did he have enough knowledge reserves to study these items.
At most, he could use the dagger as a weapon.
"What a waste!!" he lamented, wiggling his bottom as if getting away with something cheeky.
Moreover, Lu Yuan suspected that being the first to forge "Ordinary Level," "Fine Level," "Superior Level," and other extraordinary items would also come with new Milestone rewards.
But for him, that was a remote possibility.
He couldn’t possibly consume all Milestone rewards alone; "Ordinary Level" supernatural items were still within the realm of possibility, but for higher-level oddities, without enough knowledge, it couldn’t be done.
"Forget it, a pilfered dagger is not to be scoffed at... maybe after I’ve explored a few more ruins, I might learn this knowledge," Lu Yuan mumbled to himself, still quite optimistic.
One might say he had completely solved the problems of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation; what came next was making himself comfortable...
Suddenly, he saw that giant metal sphere which had been continuously open in that spot for nearly two months, and the red indicator light was still flashing on and off.
Despite knowing it was just a scrap iron sphere, he still pretended to be like a high and mighty sage, saying calmly, "Humans, see? This is the Milestone Reward!"
"I am the first civilization to create Extraordinary Items. So, God has given a reward."
"Always one step ahead leads to steps ahead!"
"God only adds flowers to the brocade, never sends coal in snowy weather. A powerful civilization must always be leading the way!"
In his mind, this was just a way to relax through social interaction.
Whether the signal was transmitted or not, as long as he was happy, that was all that mattered.
...
...
Lu Yuan had been in Pangu Continent for five months, and had basically solved the four big problems of clothing, food, housing, and transportation.
For the humans in the Safe Zone, it was just a little less than two days.
The intense environmental changes had almost transformed everything in human society, and the complete collapse of the economic system only intensified the unrest within the city.
Currencies like the US Dollar, Eastern Coin, Euro, and Japanese Yen became worthless overnight.
"The savings in the bank can’t be found... I have a question, does that mean we don’t have to pay our mortgages anymore?"
Yes, all the bank data is lost!
Of course, there’s no need to pay anymore!
"Haha, I don’t have to pay back last month’s Ant Credit Pay!"
"But what about us who haven’t bought houses? The landlord told me today to get out of the rental immediately because money has become worthless... Should I take a knife and chop that old thief up?"
"Chop up that old thief’s whole family!"
"Society in emergency, the supermarket has closed, and there’s only two days’ worth of food left at home."
"If we give it to you, then we’ll have nothing left to eat ourselves."
"Who has fever-reducing medicine? I need emergency help! The hospital has closed!!"
The collapse of the economy started a series of chain reactions; the private economy had fallen apart, and personal safety had become the most urgent issue.
In response to these civilian issues, Yunhai City’s government urgently launched a series of measures, which were heavily publicized through TV, radio, text messaging, the internet, and so on.
Yunhai City’s government square was densely packed with tens of thousands of people.
Li Chunhong stood at the highest point, holding a megaphone, his face full of anxiety.
He had only slept for four hours before getting up in a hurry, with so much to do that he didn’t even have time for a proper rest.
"Folks, don’t panic! Let me explain the latest policies that have been introduced."
"First and foremost, assure the housing rights of all citizens!"
"The first property is owned by the individual."
"No matter how big your house is or how much mortgage you have, it belongs to the individual. Even though we have lost contact with Earth, Yunhai City government will still protect residents’ private property!"
"But we also have to look to the future, so I’m sorry about the second property, any additional houses you own will now belong to the community."