Inn

Perhaps it was because Li San had repeatedly urged her, but Madam Xu kept silent about the matter of building a brothel, afraid of angering Elder Qiushui. She even had Madam Xu apologize to Elder Qiushui to soothe her temper. Qiushui didn’t bear a grudge against an NPC over such a trivial matter, and let it pass.

Zhan Xiaobai wanted to get some useful information from Madam Xu and asked, “Madam Xu, you came from Chang’an—how are things there now? Did you encounter any unusual people or events along the way?”

Madam Xu came up holding a tray, sighing, “Chang’an has long since fallen into ruin, with barely any population left. The Pleasure Pavilion I managed there couldn’t survive, so I sold it off cheaply. I planned to retire in Yangzhou, but on the way I was waylaid by wretched bandits, lost all my money, and ended up drifting to Xiliang. Fortunately, I met Brother Li, who saved me from dire straits—he’s truly a good man.”

Li San blushed and mumbled something unintelligible.

Zhan Xiaobai and Qiushui exchanged amused glances.

Sword Tyrant joked, “Old Li, how deep was the water and how hot was the fire when you rescued Madam Xu? Tell us the story!”

Li San just grinned foolishly, not daring to answer. He knew Sword Tyrant’s sharp tongue all too well.

After the laughter, Zhan Xiaobai asked Madam Xu again, “Did you notice anything unusual along the way?”

Madam Xu quickly replied, “As a matter of fact, I did. In the wilderness west of Chang’an, vast villages have sprung up, more populous and prosperous than the cities themselves—it greatly surprised me. Unfortunately, I was being held captive by the bandits in a carriage and couldn’t go in to have a look. Only after reaching Xiliang did I manage to escape when the bandits were distracted, then I made my way to Xiaobai Village and met Brother Li.”

Zhan Xiaobai nodded. Those were player-built villages, naturally teeming with people. He thought to himself: looks like I won’t get much useful intelligence from Madam Xu; best to let her run the tavern.

They ordered some wild greens and shredded meat, finding the taste much like reality.

As they ate, a player suddenly called out, “There’s food but no wine—my mouth is so dry, Madam Xu! What kind of wine can you brew? Why not make some for us to try?”

Madam Xu smiled coquettishly, “Oh, that’s easy, young master. I’m an intermediate brewer; I can make all sorts of wines—rice wine, fruit wine, monkey wine. The only thing missing is a fine grape wine from the Western Regions. If you can get me a few catties of wheat for brewing, I can have excellent rice wine ready in a few days. If you fetch me some rare wild kiwi, you’ll be tasting monkey wine in just over ten days. As for the rest, as long as I have the ingredients, it’s no trouble at all.”

The player thought for a moment—wheat was the easiest to get, as it was in the village. He turned to Zhan Xiaobai, “Boss Xiaobai, how about letting me buy some wheat from the village stores for brewing? I’ll pay, just so everyone can try something new.”

Zhan Xiaobai considered it—brewing some wine to test its effects sounded good. He nodded and smiled, “No need to pay. Li San, go fetch three catties of wheat for Madam Xu and see what kind of rice wine she can make. Once it’s ready, the drinks are on me.”

The player thanked him profusely.

Li San went to the warehouse, fetched three catties of wheat, and delivered it to the tavern for Madam Xu to begin brewing. With the wheat in hand, she set to work; in two or three days, the wine would be ready.

Li San returned, saying, “My lord, Madam Xu asked me to request that you give the tavern a name. What do you think would be appropriate?”

Zhan Xiaobai laughed, “Let’s just call it ‘Madam Xu’s Tavern’—simple and memorable.”

Li San noted it down and had a carpenter carve a signboard for “Madam Xu’s Tavern” to hang above the door. With a new sign outside and a fluttering wine banner, the tavern at last looked the part. The tavern itself could hold only twenty to thirty people at most, so Madam Xu asked Old Li to buy a number of tables and benches from the carpenter at a discount, setting up more than ten tables outside for guests.

After their meal, the group left the tavern.

Stepping outside, Zhan Xiaobai felt it wasn’t ideal to have just a solitary tavern in the busiest part of the village.

“So, what do you think we should build next to complement it?” he asked.

Sword Tyrant had an idea. “As the saying goes, ‘Eat and sleep under one roof.’ Why not build an inn next door? If travelers come from afar, it’ll be convenient for them to stay. Last time we had players coming from dozens of miles away, and we didn’t have anywhere for them to eat or sleep.”

“Li San, what does building an inn require?”

“We’ll need a proprietor and a runner—nothing else really.”

Zhan Xiaobai frowned, “Where would we find the boss and the runner?”

Li San quickly replied, “That’s easy, my lord. Any NPC or player with money can be the boss, and for the runner, I can pick a nimble villager from the village.”

Zhan Xiaobai smiled, “That does sound simple.”

“This inn probably won’t make a profit at first, so, Li San, post a notice in the tavern: we’re building an inn and looking for an investor to act as the boss. If no one volunteers, the village will fund it and one of the four elders can serve as proprietor.”

Li San acknowledged the order.

“All right, get started.”

Zhan Xiaobai calculated that this would be the twelfth building in the village—three more to go, and they’d soon be complete.

Li San took the order and gathered carpenters and farmers to construct the inn.

Primary Inn: Ten common rooms, accommodating ten guests at a time (shared rooms count separately).
1. Accelerates stamina and health recovery for NPCs and players.
2. There is a chance for special NPCs to visit.

Li San specially selected a nimble, silver-tongued NPC farmer from the villagers and brought him to meet Zhan Xiaobai. “My lord, this villager is the most eloquent among us—please see for yourself.”

The farmer bowed deeply to Zhan Xiaobai and said respectfully, “Old Soybean greets the village chief.”

Zhan Xiaobai waved him off, “Very well, you’ll be the runner. The village will pay your wages. Except during busy farming seasons, you’ll work at the inn.”

Old Soybean agreed enthusiastically.

—The village’s first named farmer NPC had finally made an appearance.

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Having read everyone’s reviews, I see there are a few “default” settings in this book that have sparked much discussion. Let me address a couple of points here:

1. Food—Grain and Fish

Many readers have asked: if there’s a grain shortage, why not just butcher animals for meat to solve the problem?

I find it amusing—there’s a famous anecdote: during a great famine, when many commoners starved, someone reported this to Emperor Hui of Jin. The emperor was shocked: “If the people don’t have millet, why not eat meat porridge?”

By this logic, many of you have become Emperor Hui of Jin.

In this story, the grain crisis is impossible to solve. Otherwise, it would create a terrifying bug—if everyone can simply feast on “meat porridge,” why would the Yellow Turbans rebel? The heroes of the Three Kingdoms would be greatly vexed, as well-fed people would hardly rise up in revolt.

Aside from fish, the animals in the book mainly serve as upgrade resources, granting small amounts of loot (like leather, wool, sinew, horns, and so on). It’s an awkward setting, unless you can think of a better solution to this bug—let me know.

Later, the village will develop animal husbandry and livestock pens, providing some meat as a dietary supplement.

Also, following many readers’ suggestions, cattle are now removed from the upgrade monsters—no more slaughtering cows, as they’re all needed for plowing.

The food system here is based primarily on historical records from the Three Kingdoms and a little from Empire Earth: grain is the staple, with fish and meat as minor supplements. There will be much greater variety in dishes as the story progresses.

—This is as thorough as I can make it for now. If you have better ideas, please share them in the reviews. I read every single comment and won’t miss any.

2. NPCs—Farmers lack gender, intelligence, and depth

NPC intelligence is an issue.

For now, NPCs in this book are divided into several tiers. The famed talents of the Three Kingdoms are in a league of their own, ordinary notable NPCs are a step below, and at the bottom are the nameless farmer commoners. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, these people barely appear.

Building up the village will be a long process—please enjoy the gradual progress. I’ll do my best to let lesser NPCs show some character and not just serve as background. Even the farmers will have their moments.

The pace of the story is upward: NPCs will gradually grow stronger, player opponents will become tougher, and the village itself will steadily advance, step by solid step. Barring surprises, this book will be long and full of flavor—I imagine you’d like that too, as a longer tale is richer.

3. Suggestions for bugs and feedback

Many issues would go unnoticed without your debates and input. I’m deeply grateful to all the readers who’ve pointed out bugs and offered suggestions these past days—you’ve given me great inspiration. Your feedback helps clarify problems and makes the book more complete.

I can’t list everyone’s names—there are too many helpful readers, and I’d hate to leave anyone out. Please keep sharing your thoughts and brainstorming. Thank you!