Chapter 57: The Goddess Brought Top-Grade Farming Tools and Divine Artifacts

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: The Goddess Brought Top-Grade Farming Tools and Divine Artifacts

Yun Zhen returned with a bountiful haul!

She had brought back more items this time than ever before. The moment the goods hit the ground, the noise was louder than previous times; the dull thud of the rice and flour sacks was completely masked by the loud CLANG of the wheelbarrow and iron tools colliding. The crowd watched in awe as the items around the Goddess piled up into a mountain, their jaws dropping one by one.

The village chief trembled as he spoke, "Goddess... these..." He was so shocked he couldn’t even finish his sentence.

Yun Xiu also found it hard to remain calm. His daughter had brought back so many things this time. At a glance, he saw the shovels lying at his daughter’s feet. Not just one—one, two, three, four...

Thoroughly astounded, he immediately asked, "Zhen Niang, why did you buy so many shovels?"

Yun Zhen looked at him and said, "Dad, I bought a total of ten shovels. Four are the pointed shovels we commonly see, three are round-tipped shovels unique to the Immortal Realm, and three are flat-tipped."

GASP—

Gasps echoed through the crowd, rising and falling. The village chief clutched his heart, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Before the crowd could recover from their shock, Yun Zhen continued, "Besides the ten shovels, I also bought ten hoes, three machetes, and two axes. Everyone, take a look. The farming tools of the Immortal Realm are all forged from refined iron, and they certainly didn’t skimp on the materials. You can see with your own eyes that the shovel blades and hoe heads are larger than the ones we buy in our village. The wooden shafts connecting them are polished smooth and white, making them lightweight and handy to carry.

"The same goes for the machetes and axes. The iron heads and handles are firmly fitted together. At first glance, you can tell they are top-tier farming tools.

"I also bought pickaxes, both flat-tipped and pointed. The Shopkeeper said the pointed pickaxes can break through ice and even crack large rocks. Thinking about how the ice layer beneath the snow must be frozen rock-solid, I bought this pointed one."

The village chief shakily bent down and picked up a shovel. The metal gleamed faintly in the firelight, and it felt smooth, not rough to the touch. Just as the Goddess had said, it was remarkably light and ergonomic. His eyes brimmed with excitement, and his lips trembled. "This is too much of an expense! How much Silver must this have cost? I reckon the combined wealth of our entire village wouldn’t be enough to buy all these farming tools!"

The villagers swarmed forward, picking up the farming tools from the ground to inspect them closely, chattering all at once.

Someone who owned a shovel at home remarked, "The Goddess was absolutely right. This shovel looks much finer than the one several of our families pooled money together to buy."

Another chimed in, "There’s not a single bump on it; it’s perfectly smooth and doesn’t prick the hands. Even the wooden shafts connected to the iron heads have been meticulously polished. These are premium tools!"

Someone else suggested, "Even the farming tools of wealthy households surely aren’t as precious as the ones in our hands!"

A person nearby retorted, "These are tools from the Immortal Realm! No matter how fine a wealthy family’s tools might be, how could they possibly compare to the Immortal Realm’s?"

The village chief’s face turned solemn. "Ten shovels, ten hoes, along with machetes and axes—even wealthy households don’t have such a complete set of farming tools!"

Zhou Dashan held a shovel in one hand and a hoe in the other, unable to put them down. "We’re only willing to part with our money for shovels and sickles. Our hoes and hammers are just fashioned out of wood or sharpened stones. This is my first time seeing an iron hoe!"

Yun Xiu couldn’t help but worry. "Zhen Niang, these farming tools must have cost a fortune, right?"

Everyone turned to look at Yun Zhen in unison, seeking an answer.

In the county town, a single shovel cost at least 80 cents. No matter how cheap things were in the Immortal Realm, it wouldn’t be less than 50 cents, would it? Ten shovels would be half a tael of Silver. The crucial point was that the Goddess hadn’t just bought shovels; she had also bought hoes, machetes, and axes, and in quite large quantities. The village chief had said it himself—emptying the pockets of the entire village wouldn’t be enough to afford these tools. Could the Goddess’s wages, plus the money she made from selling crochet dolls, truly cover the cost of these premium tools forged from refined iron?

Knowing that everyone would be even more shocked once they found out these items cost less than half a tael of Silver, Yun Zhen didn’t hide the truth. She revealed the prices of all the tools: "A shovel was ten cents. A hoe was the same as a shovel, ten cents each. The machetes were 50 cents apiece, and the axes were 70 cents each."

She spoke lightly, but the villagers all simultaneously clutched their chests. Their hearts were about to leap out of their throats!

The shovels and hoes being ten cents was enough to shock them, but as it turned out, the machetes and axes were also absurdly cheap. They looked at one another, making sure they hadn’t misheard.

The village chief was dumbfounded with joy. He double-checked, "Goddess, is what you’re saying true? Are these farming tools really that cheap?"

Yun Zhen nodded emphatically. "It’s absolutely true! All the farming tools combined came to 488 cents. It didn’t even cost half a tael of Silver!"

Now, everyone heard it loud and clear. Ten shovels, ten hoes, three machetes, and two axes had all cost just over 400 cents—not even half a tael of Silver.

"AHHH!" Tian Ergou shrieked in uncontrollable excitement.

The others couldn’t calm down either.

"Are the farming tools of the Immortal Realm really this cheap?"

"A shovel here is at least 80 cents, yet in the Immortal Realm, you only need ten cents to buy a shovel forged from refined iron, and there are so many varieties too. The Goddess bought all these farming tools for less than half a tael of Silver... am I dreaming?" someone questioned in disbelief.

"OUCH!" Suddenly, he was pinched by a companion beside him. It wasn’t a dream!

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" Yun Xiu cheered repeatedly.

Yun Old Lady clicked her tongue incessantly. "If Zhen Niang hadn’t gone to the Immortal Realm, we wouldn’t have been able to use farming tools made of refined iron in our entire lifetimes."

Yun Xiu was grinning from ear to ear. Holding a pointed pickaxe, he said, "Zhen Niang said this pointed pickaxe can break through the ice layer beneath the snow. I definitely have to test it out tomorrow."

Tian Ergou couldn’t wait and pleaded, "Brother Yun, let me do it! I want to try out this unique farming tool from the Immortal Realm and see if its power can truly break through the ice."

"Me too!" Zhou Dashan said.

Yun Xiu declared loudly, "Don’t think any of you will be slacking off! All the young and strong men in the village will be taking shovels to clear the snow and using pickaxes to smash the ice beneath it."

The moment everyone thought about getting to use farming tools made of refined iron, they all burst into excited laughter.

Hunter Wang held a machete. "Tomorrow, I’ll go up the mountain to chop down a tree and drag it back for everyone to use as firewood."

Carpenter Zhao gripped an axe. "I’ll go with you. You use the machete to chop the tree, and I’ll use the axe."

"There are still two more machetes; we’ll go chop trees too!" someone said, joining the tree-chopping brigade.

"And there’s still one axe left. You guys drag the chopped trees back, and I’ll chop them into smaller blocks for everyone to use as firewood."

The village chief laughed heartily. "Work hard tomorrow, everyone! Yun Xiu and I will make porridge for you, and we’ll add extra lard!"

Those who hadn’t managed to claim a refined iron tool felt a bit regretful. "The tools are all distributed. I suppose I’ll just use a bamboo basket to transport the snow."

Yun Zhen pointed at the wheelbarrow. "A basket isn’t as convenient as a wheelbarrow."

Everyone looked in the direction she was pointing.

Yun Zhen introduced it: "This is a two-wheeled wheelbarrow, also forged from refined iron. The Shopkeeper said it can bear a weight of around 600 to 800 catties. Tomorrow, you can use shovels to scoop the snow into the wheelbarrow, pack it down solidly, and then push it out to dump it.

"Watch."

She demonstrated the proper way to use the wheelbarrow. Gripping it with both hands, she steered it in various directions with ease. By lifting the handles high, the wheelbarrow’s bucket naturally tilted downward. There were also two iron bars attached to it; when the handles were pressed down, the wheelbarrow could firmly prop itself up on the ground.

Everyone was dumbfounded! What kind of divine object was this!

It could bear 600 to 800 catties, and by firmly grasping the handles, you could turn it in any direction effortlessly. Just by lifting the handles, the contents would naturally dump out, and it could even stand steadily on the ground! It was far more useful than a standard handcart!

If the farming tools made of refined iron had left them shocked and overjoyed, then the wheelbarrow forged entirely from pure refined iron was enough to leave them speechless with sheer awe.

A Divine Artifact! This was a true Divine Artifact!

For a moment, there was absolute silence.