The next day, under an awkward silence, they finally set off toward the village. After buying basic supplies—seasonings, tools, and such—they left Yinai City behind.
Both stayed quiet on the road. The reason? Their morning wake-up positions had been... intimate. How intimate? Well, two hours of zero conversation spoke volumes.
Visible discomfort hung between them.
Zhang Yemiao broke the silence first. After all, she’d practically flirted with Wang Qi the night before. Avoiding his gaze, she asked softly, "Once we reach the village... should we just build a house to live in? How will we survive?"
"Hmm, villages mean farming, right?" Wang Qi replied quickly. Silence would only make things weirder. He tossed the topic back to keep the conversation going. "But Dorm Leader, with your Mastery of Objects skill, you could become a legendary blacksmith here."
Zhang Yemiao propped her chin on one hand, thinking. "Mastery of Objects is useful, and leveling it is simple—but hard to hide. I gain XP only by forging items myself. Raw materials alone won’t cut it. To level up, I’d need to craft increasingly advanced gear nonstop."
*Who’d supply rare materials later?* Wang Qi had gone solo partly for this reason. Zhang Yemiao’s skill devoured resources. Even maxing out Physical Enhancement—which was brutally hard—wouldn’t feed her skill to the top.
"My combat strength isn’t weak," Zhang Yemiao mused. "I can wield any weapon, even divine-tier ones. But I’ll still need a smithy. Level 2 lets me forge basic weapons. Level 3: armor. Level 4: enchanted gear. Early upgrades matter a lot."
"True," Wang Qi nodded. "We both scale hard early on. But your late-game potential is insane." He eyed her with envy.
Zhang Yemiao lifted her chin proudly, golden hair swaying. "Hmph~ Still your Dorm Leader!" Without makeup to dull her looks, she was easy on the eyes.
Their pace was steady. Yinai City was merely a mid-sized settlement in the Arcanum Kingdom. Above it lay major cities, metropolises, and Sky Citadels—nation-sized war fortresses, ultimate weapons showcasing a country’s power. Even Arcanum had only three.
By midday, they reached a village outside Yinai. Unlike the endless grasslands on the city’s other side, thick trees now lined their path. Their artificial arrangement was obvious—planted after Yinai’s founding. *This world has plant-accelerating wood magic, after all.*
Wang Qi suddenly punched a tree.
"Ah!!" He clutched his reddened, swollen hand. Zhang Yemiao yanked it to inspect. No Li Pingtian around for healing.
"What were you *thinking*?" She scowled, then spotted herbs under the tree. With a light tap of her hammer, she shaped them into a poultice and slapped it on his palm.
"I thought my strength could snap it..." Wang Qi winced.
"You forgot Newton’s third law?" Zhang Yemiao snapped into lecture mode. "Force is mutual! This timber’s structural-grade. Without deforming it, you’re just punching yourself. Locals soften wood with magic before cutting." Her Mastery of Objects skill had already analyzed the tree.
Wang Qi rubbed his head sheepishly. "My Physical Enhancement heals fast. Your poultice’ll fix it in half an hour."
"So how *do* we cut it?" Wang Qi changed subject fast. "Local law says if we build a house here, we join the village. Just register with the chief later for taxes and grain shares."
*Heavy by Earth standards, but manageable here.* Even farmers used water or wood magic to tend vast fields alone.
"We don’t have magic." Zhang Yemiao rolled her eyes. She pulled an iron ingot and wooden rod from her bag—bought in the city. Her hammer flashed. A saw materialized.
"Axes suck. Saws work. Wish I had coal oil—I’d make a chainsaw. Could handle low-level monsters too."
With tools, Wang Qi’s Physical Enhancement made him a labor powerhouse. He got to work.
Zhang Yemiao, meanwhile, struggled to even lift the saw. *If I master any tool... but what if my strength can’t handle it?* Panic hit. *Please let stats increase on level-up. Or I’m in big trouble.*
Watching Wang Qi saw alone gnawed at her conscience. House-building was slow here. These trees? Planted overnight by Yinai, the kingdom’s powerhouse, to lure wanderers to settle. *Strong folks just magic-build houses anyway.*
*What can I do?* Zhang Yemiao summoned a wok. She tapped irregular stones—they reshaped into a stove. "Playing Minecraft, huh?" She gathered dry twigs, lit them with flint, then tossed in meat and local veggies.
Flames shot up.
Only Wang Qi’s body-slam extinguished the fire before disaster struck.
Zhang Yemiao hung her head like a scolded child. Wang Qi sighed. "Dorm Leader... let me handle cooking later."
