Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space
Chapter 178. Weapon

Chapter 178: 178. Weapon

It was a coincidence that just as they entered this shop, they happened to encounter a man sneaking away with a weapon model, who glanced at them with a threatening look before leaving, clearly feeling guilty.

Indeed, it was like searching high and low only to find it effortlessly right before you.

Hua Jinchong immediately sensed something was up and tugged at his father, the father-daughter pair tacitly engaging the attendant in conversation. After slipping them some money and acting friendly, they found out that this shop secretly sold weapons.

As expected, policies are set at the top, while countermeasures lie at the bottom. Never underestimate the wisdom of the common people.

Of course, they only sold to regular customers or those introduced by them. It was rare for people like Hua Jinchong to stumble upon it by chance. The attendant, seeing that the father-daughter duo didn’t seem like they were there to cause trouble and had discreetly bribed him with silver, figured troublemakers wouldn’t bother to offer such payments, and thus led them through the forging room to meet the shopkeeper inside.

When they mentioned they wanted to buy weapons, and the attendant nodded in confirmation, the shopkeeper had them turn around. It wasn’t clear what he pressed, but with a click, a hidden door appeared.

Hua Jinchong’s eyes lit up; it was a real mechanism, looking quite advanced.

Daring to privately sell weapons with a government-imposed ban takes more than just boldness; one must be capable enough as well.

Hua Chengtian couldn’t help but take an extra look. His vast experience told him that the most important thing when venturing out was to avoid showing fear or revealing thoughts. He forced himself to remain unswerving in appearance.

This seemed to dispel the shopkeeper’s last bit of doubt.

The hidden door wasn’t large, but sufficient for an adult to pass through unimpeded. As the shopkeeper lit a candle inside, the dim light revealed row upon row of neatly arranged weapons before the father and daughter.

Even with his calm demeanor, Hua Chengtian couldn’t help but widen his eyes. This time the shopkeeper wasn’t suspicious, as many people were surprised when seeing their stock.

"These are all the weapons. Choose as you wish, but be careful; they’re all sharpened and very likely to draw blood."

The last statement carried a hint of threat. Hua Jinchong couldn’t help but glance at the burly shopkeeper.

One couldn’t deny that his physique alone was enough to intimidate.

If Hua Jinchong could realize the shopkeeper’s implied threat, how could Hua Chengtian, an adult, fail to? He’d issued enough threats in his youth to understand, and he nodded at the shopkeeper.

Their lack of fear beyond the initial surprise solidified the shopkeeper’s belief that they were skilled, improving his attitude and letting them choose freely.

Seeing the shelves full of weapons, the knives and swords were the most numerous, with various long spears and pikes beside them, along with some rarer weapons and certainly, a selection of bows and arrows.

The regulation on bows and arrows was a bit looser than on knives and swords, as few would commit crimes with bows, and mastering archery without teaching wasn’t easy. As long as one wanted to buy, it was usually possible to do so.

"Be careful," Hua Jinchong picked up a large iron knife amid the shopkeeper’s exclamation and twirled it effortlessly, relieving the shopkeeper.

His judgement was narrow because a girl who could follow her father into a weapon room without flinching couldn’t be an ordinary girl. Her strength alone showed she must have trained for many years.

The shopkeeper was reassured as long as she didn’t hurt herself; trouble could be avoided.

Hua Jinchong grinned at the warning shopkeeper, then shifted her attention back to the knife, especially the blade, and pulled out a hair to test its sharpness, finding it indeed very sharp.

Though Hua Jinchong wasn’t well-versed in weapons, the knife wasn’t light, suggesting it was not a cheaply made weapon.

Beside her, Hua Chengtian was pleased too, having handled axes and machetes at home and possessing some knowledge. Moreover, a retired veteran in the village had a similar knife, but the one at this shop seemed even better, as the veteran’s knife was much lighter and chipped.

He casually swung it against a test wood, and the blade easily embedded in it, leaving Hua Chengtian even more satisfied.

"Dad, how about this?"

"Not bad," Hua Chengtian replied with a smile in his eyes.

"Since it’s good, dad, let’s buy more," Hua Jinchong coaxed, leaning towards her father.

It was rare to find such a place, and one shouldn’t leave without making the most of it.

These things, Hua Jinchong felt, might be useful, especially recalling her dream.

Understanding his child’s intent, Hua Chengtian contemplated briefly before nodding.

His daughter, frightened by the dream, always wanted to stockpile more things; otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to buy so many machetes and axes.

As the saying goes, "Forewarned is forearmed," no matter what, being more prepared is always right.

Besides, weapons don’t spoil, and at worst, they’d be stashed away forever.

These might just become their assets in the future.

Thus, he let his daughter choose freely. Anyway, the money was earned by the child, and she could spend as much as she wished.

Only...

He didn’t expect the girl to be so extravagant, practically clearing the shelves of knives and swords, which undoubtedly amounted to over a hundred by mere sight. Hua Chengtian opened his mouth and chose to remain silent.

And that wasn’t all; she picked fifty each of long spears and pikes, a hundred bows, buying all the arrows in the secret room, and even selected fifty iron bars.

This fully triggered the child’s stockpiling impulse, and when her eyes sparkled at an extremely heavy pair of battle axes lying against the wall, he couldn’t resist stepping in to stop her, or she’d have grabbed them already. Even then, they ended up adding another fifty large knives until she was satisfied.

Knowing his own child well, otherwise, the amount of weapons would make anyone in Hua City suspect plans for rebellion.

How insecure must she feel! Hua Chengtian began reflecting on himself, resolving to train his body better upon returning, and not spare his sons either.

He remembered hearing about a retired darts master in town with good skills; Hua Chengtian planned to inquire after returning.

The shopkeeper at the door was quite surprised too, thinking the father-daughter duo would pick a few knives at best, not expecting the ground to be piled high.

Though just momentarily surprised, as they had customers purchasing large quantities too, those were, of course, unspeakable secrets.

It turned out to be a big client. The shopkeeper’s smile grew wider.

Doing business, the more sold, the better.

"Have you made your choice, patron?"

Hua Chengtian quickly nodded, saying, "Yes," giving Hua Jinchong no chance to speak.

The shopkeeper understood, then had two attendants come in to haul out all the weapons, count them, followed by the clatter of an abacus.

The final total made Hua Chengtian gasp, glancing at his daughter.

Though he anticipated a high cost, he hadn’t expected it to be so much. The space-stored silver wasn’t even warm before it was about to be spent, and it was impossible not to feel heartache.

Each knife and sword cost ten silver taels, 236 in total, amounting to 2,360 taels. The long spears and pikes were slightly cheaper at eight taels each, totaling 800 taels. There were a hundred bows and ten thousand arrows, and with the secret room falling short, the shopkeeper ordered several thousand more to be brought from elsewhere, totaling over 700 taels. The iron bars were slightly cheaper at three taels each, totaling 150 taels.

In total, it added up to 4,053 taels, the shopkeeper waived three taels, which still left Hua Chengtian feeling pain in his heart, liver, lungs, and everywhere.