Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 66 - 053. Craftsman

Chapter 66: 053. Craftsman

Leaving the tavern, Old Dmitry led Li Aozi and Qiu Ran through the complex alleys and containers of the Sikkim Settlement, opened a manhole cover, and took them down the ladder into the depths.

"Is this... a sunken ship?"

Qiu Ran brushed her fingertips along the alloy panels on either side of the corridor and said in surprise:

"The entire Sikkim Settlement is actually built on a ship... It’s hard to imagine. How big is this ship?"

"Less than a million tons, a small cargo ship by the old standards. Back in the old days, that was considered small, not even equipped with a nuclear reactor. The warships and aircraft carriers of the old era, those were real behemoths, easily five or six hundred meters long."

Dmitry spoke wistfully:

"There used to be a lot of water in the Outer World, gathered into oceans. But since that war, the Ersha red and black clouds swept across the heavens and earth. The oceans either froze into blocks of ice, were buried by snow and sand, or turned into perpetual snow, carried away by the wind."

"The old world, it seems everything was big." Qiu Ran looked enviously at the spacious corridor: "Even Frost Plated doesn’t seem to have such big ships."

"Yes, the old world had excess production capacity. They produced enough fashion clothes in one year to dress billions for a thousand years," Dmitry said.

"That’s impressive... They must have all been very wealthy at that time, each household having a large wardrobe to fit hundreds of clothes."

"Not really," Li Aozi shrugged, dispelling Qiu Ran’s fantasy. "Actually, the old times were not much different from now; the poor were always poor, the wealthy always wealthy. It’s just the quality of life was much better than it is now."

"Uh..."

Qiu Ran opened her mouth and finally said:

"Even so, it must have been better than now."

Compared to aboveground, underground was not much warmer. Homeless Wanderers could be seen everywhere in the corridors, but compared to those living in tin container houses aboveground, they had slightly more assets; at least a blanket, a utensil that was indistinguishable as a pot or a skull, some weapons, and that was it.

Almost everyone slept on their own boxes, and unlike aboveground, few people erupted in fights. There was a sense of community, and in some places, bonfires were scattered, where dozens of people could huddle together to sleep. Relying on the ship’s original ventilation ducts, it was unlikely anyone died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

It was cleaner here than aboveground, and whether that was because there were more toilets on the ship was unknown. Actually, the filth aboveground was only temporary; you might find it disgusting the first day, but by the middle of the night, it would all be blown away or buried by snow and sand.

In fact, Li Aozi knew well that in the Outer World, even excrement was a coveted commodity. There was no fertilizer here, the nutritive layer of soil had long been destroyed by wind and sand, leaving very little nourishment for growing crops. In such places, there were usually armed guards behind communal toilets to prevent the theft of these vital resources.

In the Outer World, aside from human life, everything related to humans was precious.

Old Dmitry led them down the stairs to the end, where he unlocked a sailor’s dormitory door with a key:

"I live over here."

The moment the door opened, a warm breeze rushed out. Qiu Ran smelled moisture, a woman’s scent, and a faint hint of milk. She curiously peered forward, where the precious orange candlelight flickered in the darkness. A middle-aged woman with a sickly yellow complexion but a kind expression lay on a wooden board, beneath her a bed piled with furs, mattresses, and even soft bedding woven from chicken feathers.

The interior layout was luxurious, with a large bed, a carpet, a workbench, a cabinet, and a coal stove. Apart from lacking an independent bathroom, it was certainly considered a wealthy household in the Sikkim Settlement.

"This is Kachina and Xirich, my daughter and grandson," Dmitry said as he brought over two iron buckets and gestured, "Let’s sit and talk—since we just had a drink, I won’t serve you tea—not that I have any. You wouldn’t mind, right, Scavenger?"

"No problem."

Li Aozi instantly noticed the woman on the bed, or rather, the swaddling clothes she held in her arms.

The baby noticed a stranger had come and got a bit scared, her eyes squeezed shut, and she was about to cry out.

"Shh! Shh!" Dmitry’s daughter Kachina rocked the baby gently, whispering, "Quiet now, Xirich—the grandpa is entertaining guests."

"We mean no harm." Qiu Ran also tried to soothe, "Don’t be scared, little one, we’re all good people... well, at least I am."

However, Qiu Ran’s gentleness failed to stop the baby’s crying; she continued to whimper.

"It seems to be of no use," Qiu Ran said, troubled.

"I’m sorry you have to see this," Dmitry scratched his half-bald head awkwardly: "Kaya, can you get Xirich to calm down a bit? At least try to soothe him..."

"Oh, of course! If Dad could just stop bringing strangers in here, Xirich would be so quiet and composed, as serene and silent as a snow fox," Kachina retorted with exasperation.

"Waaahhhh..."

The little baby’s cries were filled with unease; she flailed her arms and legs, and no amount of calling or soothing by the mother would work.

Li Aozi’s gaze shifted subtly as he stood up and approached Kachina.

This mother instinctively recoiled, still startled by the reputation of the Scavenger.

Qiu Ran quickly grabbed Li Aozi, her mind flashing to his previous actions of killing three men without hesitation at the roulette table.

So she hastily whispered, "Li Aozi, this is a child, please don’t—"

"Let me try,"

was all Li Aozi said calmly. He bent down, removed his hood and mask, revealing his young and handsome face, his grey eyes filled with a warmth that was in stark contrast to his attire, causing Kachina to relax her guard unconsciously.

After hesitating for a moment, she extended her hand and handed the swaddled baby over to Li Aozi. His movements were gentle and steady as he cradled the baby in his arms.

The look of worry in Qiu Ran’s eyes gradually turned to surprise.

Li Aozi did nothing, and miraculously, the child closed her mouth, stopped crying and fussing, and instead opened her eyes wide, gazing curiously at Li Aozi with her blue eyes.

"Eheh!"

The next moment, the baby laughed out, reaching her hands towards Li Aozi as if wanting to touch him.

"Shh... Xirich, be quiet."

Li Aozi raised his index finger, gently swayed the swaddle and softly spoke:

"Don’t cry yourself too tired, too weary. You should sleep slowly, sleep slowly..."

Little Xirich, in his arms and hums, slowly grew drowsy; he relaxed his body, stretched his limbs, and rested his head on Li Aozi’s arm, peacefully falling asleep.

Li Aozi handed the baby back to Kachina, whose expression was complex, but she still said:

"Thank you."

Dmitry braced himself on his knees, lost in thought:

"It seems little Xirich quite likes you."

"Babies have always liked me," Li Aozi shrugged, "They’ve done so since long ago. When the infants and children see me, they feel a closeness—but it’s different when they get older."

"Children are always pure. They know who is good to them, and they like them in return." Dmitry gave him a meaningful glance, "Scavenger, how should I address you?"

"Li Aozi."

He said casually, sitting down.

"I’m Dmitry Ostrovich Moskufu. As you can see, I am a craftsman who can do a bit of everything."

He then pointed to his bright yellow eyes:

"This is my Arcane Energy. I call it the ’Eye of Destiny’; it allows me to see the length of a person’s life."

"Cool," Li Aozi remarked, "To be able to see death, you must’ve endured blows far heavier than death itself."

"You’re right." Dmitry glanced at his daughter, "It also led to me losing my son-in-law, Kachina’s lover, Xirich’s father, Xiao."

He shook his head and said, "A person’s lifespan is predetermined, but we can still record something in our lifetime, so that the deceased can continue in another form."

"Like what?" Li Aozi’s thoughts stirred; he knew the crucial part was coming.

"Like this."

Dmitry took a small box from the bedside table, opened it in front of Li Aozi, revealing a meticulously crafted iron ring with a unique attraction.

If one looked closely, they’d notice a special white porcelain coating on the ring’s surface.

"Xiao," Dmitry said, "He ground his own rib into ash and attached it to the ring. In the final stage of his life, he devoted all his energy and love to crafting it.’

Li Aozi immediately saw the ring’s attributes:

[Item Name]: Xiao’s Masterpiece

[Category]: Jewelry/Ring

[Quality]: Flawless Treasure

[Attributes]: Charm +7

Perpetual: When the user is a relative of the maker, reduces the chance of being hit by bullets by 50%.

[Introduction]:

"I regret that I cannot be by your side, but I will always protect you. Death cannot stop me from protecting the ones I love."

A masterpiece imbued with the immortal will of one facing death.

————————————

It’s no exaggeration to say that in the early stages, this is a truly Divine Artifact.

In the early game, where the level cap is 30, even putting aside the Perpetual Effect, the additional 7 points in Charm is enough to cause a qualitative mutation in an ordinary Mutant.

For Li Aozi, his Basic Charm is as high as 21 points. With an additional 7 points and the 30% gain from the Specialty "Perpetual Love Hunting", it was equivalent to 36.4 points in Charm!

This wasn’t just at the Alpha Stage, but close to the level of the Beta Rank.

But in fact, this Flawless Treasure grade piece of jewelry was not Li Aozi’s true objective.

Dmitry put the ring away and took a thick stack of notes and materials from the desk and handed them to Li Aozi.

"You’ve already seen the power of that thing."

Dmitry said earnestly:

"This is a masterpiece that only the dying can create. You are faced with such a calamity, but it’s also an opportunity—even if your death is imminent. Your existence, your spirit, will still continue in this world."

"This is the secret of the Death Craftsman."

[You have received the ’Enchantment Craftsmanship Notebook’]

[Prompt: Dmitry has shared with you the inheritance of the Lifestyle Profession—’Craftsman’.]

[You must master the occupational knowledge required for employment within one month. Otherwise, this career task will be considered a failure, and you will be unable to re-select this type of Lifestyle Profession for 24 months.]

[Do you accept?]

"I accept."

Li Aozi took the hefty notebook and quickly flipped through it, as various techniques and ways to handle different materials, how to design and draw, flooded into his mind...

The vast knowledge momentarily stunned Li Aozi, until Dmitry spoke up, snapping him back to reality.

"I’ll always be here. If you have any questions, you can come see me at any time."

Dmitry said, sitting at the workbench:

"Of course, I also have some nice things here. Enchanted jewelry is my strong suit. I’ve got plenty of items that even a Scavenger would find appealing—though it comes at a cost."

Li Aozi nodded, noticing that Dmitry’s Favorability rating also showed up, currently at 65 points, passable.

As the Favorability increased, Dmitry would sell some pretty good equipment. Of course, Li Aozi’s goal was to completely sway the old man.

In the future, when players Descend, they would definitely struggle to find jewelry-class equipment. Li Aozi planned to first stock up in bulk from Dmitry and sell to the players at a profit.

Later, once the Favorability increased, he could either invest directly in Dmitry and have him sell under his own name, or once his own Lifestyle Profession training was complete, sell directly to the players, which would bring in a considerable income.