In the early morning, as the sun cast its first rays upon the east, the water metropolis that had slept through the night began to stir back to life. People coming and going rode on Bulu, the unique means of transportation in Water 7, breathing vitality into the sleepy city. It was destined to be another wonderful and harmonious day.
"Stop right there! Don't run! Pay up!"
A chase was unfolding on the main street. Several burly men in black were shouting angrily as they rushed forward.
The person being pursued was a blue-clad young man wearing wind goggles. Without looking back, he called out, "Stop chasing me! If I had money, would I be running? Hey, hey, people in front, move aside!"
The blue-clad youth sprinted straight into the shipyard. The big men, however, came to a halt, panting heavily on the spot. One of them shouted, "Consider yourself lucky! Out of respect for Mr. Iceburg, we won't cause trouble inside the dockyard. The next time we see you outside, we certainly won't let you off so easily!"
With that, still seeming unsatisfied with his anger, he yelled toward the shipyard, "Hear this, everyone! That bastard Paulie—he runs up debts, breaks his word, and has zero integrity!"
Outside the shipyard, a girl stood dumbfounded, watching everything that had just happened. She was a reporter for Water 7, and her mission today was to the shipyard to verify a bizarre piece of news.
Only after the men in black had left did the girl cautiously emerge from her corner. She walked up to the shipyard gates, knocked, and asked, "Excuse me, may I come in?"
As her voice trailed off, a long-nosed man wearing a hat and wrapped up tightly so that only half his face was visible appeared before her. "Sorry, unauthorized personnel are not allowed inside the factory. State your business out here."
Startled by the sudden appearance of the man, the girl took a step back. Seeing that he wore the shipyard uniform, she calmed down and continued, "H-hello, I'm a reporter for the Water 7 newspaper. I came here mainly to verify something. Recently, many people have reported encountering a wooden bird that can not only fly but also helps them solve their problems. Some people said they saw the wooden bird fly into the shipyard in the end. I'd like to ask what's going on with this wooden bird. Is it the latest research project of the Galley-La Company?"
The long-nosed man frowned and said, "So it's about that. To be honest, I don't know where it came from either. I saw it once before, but it disappeared very quickly. Since you're a reporter, I'll go ask Mr. Iceburg. If he grants permission, I'll let you in. However, Mr. Iceburg is very busy and probably won't be able to receive you personally." With that, the man vanished like a gust of wind.
The girl sighed in admiration, "I'd heard long ago that the workers inside the Galley-La shipyard are all highly skilled. Seeing it today, it truly lives up to its reputation."
Before long, the man returned, stating that Mr. Iceburg had made arrangements and the girl was permitted to move around in certain areas. Expressing her gratitude, the girl entered the shipyard and proceeded to interview several workers:
"A wooden bird? I ran into it. At the time, it had a piece of paper in its beak saying it needed some wood. I gave it some scrap lumber from the room, and it flew away. Then, very soon, it brought back an extremely sturdy hammer. It works wonderfully!"
"The wooden bird needed a bit of lubricating oil, so I gave it some. Then it brought me a bottle of fine wine, haha."
"It's amazing. I saw that one of the wooden bird's wings seemed to be missing a chunk, so I fixed it for it. The wooden bird left a bottle of pills for me, and after I took them, my lower back pain of more than ten years was cured!"
"Don't mention that wooden bird to me! I gave it half a smoked cigar I'd finished with, didn't give it a single useful thing, and it pecked me instead!"
The female reporter quickly gathered her information. There was indeed a wooden bird here, and it actually helped people. How incredible. It was a pity that after staying here for over an hour, she hadn't seen the wooden bird appear with her own eyes. Still, since so many people at the shipyard had encountered it, it surely couldn't be false.
Just as the girl was debating whether to wait at the shipyard until the bird appeared or simply leave, her gaze fell upon a teenage boy not far away. The boy was lying flat on his back atop a pile of lumber, his hands pillowed behind his head, humming something under his breath.
The girl thought to herself, *I'll just interview one last person to wrap things up.* She stepped forward and said politely, "Hello, excuse me. May I..."
Before she could finish, the boy waved a hand and said, "Don't stand there. Take three steps to your right."
The girl was stunned, and involuntarily took a few steps to the side.
With his eyes closed, the boy murmured, "The Gate of Death, situated in the eastern Zhen Palace, corresponds to the Five Elements wood. It flourishes in spring, withers in autumn, and forebodes great misfortune and vulnerability to illness or injury. The Gate of Life, situated in the northeastern Gen Palace, corresponds to the Five Elements earth. Earth gives birth to all things, Yang Qi returns, bringing great fortune and prosperity."
Baffled, the girl asked cautiously, "Excuse me, what did you mean by what you just said? Was there something wrong with where I was standing before?"
The boy waited a moment longer until the scroll in his sea of consciousness chimed: *Quest to collect residual fierce wind completed. Reward: glutinous rice wine x10. Current collection progress is 30%. Upon completion of progress, you will receive a mysterious grand prize. Please keep up the good work.* Only then did he open his eyes and say, "Nothing much. It's just that where you were standing was blocking the breeze."
"..."
Speechless for a moment, the girl completely forgot the speech she had prepared. She reorganized her thoughts and tried again: "Hello, I'm a reporter for the Water 7 newspaper. I came today to ask about the wooden bird at the shipyard that helps people fulfill their wishes. I wonder if you've ever encountered this wooden bird and had a wish granted?"
Hearing this, the boy laughed. "Fulfill whose wish? It's nothing more than an equivalent exchange. It's just a normal commercial transaction."
The girl said doubtfully, "Equivalent exchange? Although the wooden bird does ask for some things, compared to what you get in return, they're completely on different levels."
With that, the girl briefly outlined the interviews she had conducted today. This time, it was the boy's turn to be stunned.
The boy muttered under his feet, *Are agarwood and ointment really worth so little in this place?*
Then, he took several items out of his portable pack and placed them before her. "May I ask you something, miss? What are these items worth?"
Curiously, the girl looked at them—some wood, silk threads, and ironware. "Although I'm not a craftsman, ordinary people use these pretty often. They generally cost just a few hundred Berries."
"What about these?"
The boy took out a medicine bottle. "This is Trauma Ointment. It can quickly stop bleeding and restore physical strength."
"This is Royal Jelly. It can restore True Qi."
The girl listened in total confusion. "What kind of doctor prescribed these? I've never heard of them. Generally speaking, medicines with good efficacy in hospitals can sell for tens of thousands of Berries. If they can cure difficult and miscellaneous ailments, they might even sell for millions."
"Is that so?" The boy rubbed his smooth chin. "Is this what Master meant by things being precious because they are rare? When there's too much of something, it becomes worthless. Hmm, it looks like I can't trade based on the System's recycling prices either."
With that, he bowed to the girl. "Thank you for your guidance, miss; I am deeply grateful. I have a small bead here; please accept it as a token of my thanks."
Before the girl could react, the boy ran off.
She stared blankly at the glowing, luminous pearl the size of an infant's fist that had suddenly appeared in her hand, letting out a shriek a moment later.
This boy was, of course, Li Xiaohu. After being discharged from the hospital, Xiaohu had immediately requested an audience with Mr. Iceburg. Iceburg, however, stated that saving him had merely been a coincidence and that he did not need any repayment. Still, seeing that Xiaohu had nowhere to go, Iceburg allowed him to stay and work at the Galley-La Company.
The Galley-La Company, also known as the Galley-La Shipbuilding Company of Water 7, was founded by Mr. Iceburg after merging seven shipyards in Water 7. It stood as a commercial giant second to none in the world for hull manufacturing, repair, and remodeling.
As for Iceburg, he was a tall, middle-aged man with short, deep-blue hair. Word had it that he used to be a shipwright himself. Now, he held another identity: the mayor of Water 7. Yet he had no interest in political affairs and would often capriciously cancel meetings with various department leaders. The moment anything related to ships was mentioned, however, it would instantly command his attention. He loved inspecting the Galley-La Company while instructing his employees, and even his residence was arranged inside the company grounds.
The first quest issued by the System was still hanging there. Fortunately, new tasks popped up from time to time—such as collecting materials, upholding justice, and so on. The rewards obtained were also varied, ranging from medicinal herbs and elixirs to equipment and talismans, all of which Xiaohu stored in the System's inventory. These items would have taken up half his room if left outside, but inside the inventory, they showed no signs of filling up at all.