Su Wei glanced down at the black leather scroll in his arms.
The leather is delicate and has a faint scent of leather care oil. When you run your fingers over the gold-stamped handwritten text, you can feel its substantial weight.
He didn't say anything insincere or polite.
He simply gripped the roll of knives tightly in his hand, nodded slightly at the old man's back, and then turned and pushed open the heavy iron door.
"Squeak"
Outside, the cold night wind of Kodiak, mixed with icy snowflakes, rushed in and instantly filled my collar.
Cold and biting.
But Su Wei felt a burning sensation all over his body, as if his blood was surging through his veins.
He stood in the wind and snow, looking down at his hands, which had turned white from being soaked in medicine for a long time, by the dim light of the street lamp.
Perhaps we could try something new?
What use would a self-made specimen have?
Chapter 133 Future Planning and Playing the Victim at the Negotiation Table
The cold wind howled, seeping into the gaps in Su Wei's neck, and a chill immediately set in.
He stood outside the iron gate, looking down at the cold black leather scroll in his arms, feeling the smooth texture of the leather against his fingertips.
The text on the system panel floated before my eyes like exhaled white mist.
[ Crafting Module ] is activated.
[ Blessing: A specimen you create yourself will randomly trigger a special Blessing.]
This line of text is very tempting.
If it were ordinary prey, Su Wei would definitely take action himself, gambling on the unknown effect of the Blessing.
But now his hunt has yielded the King of the Island, a rare 613-kilogram brown bear.
In addition, there is another rare Roosevelt King antler.
Both items were extremely expensive and rare, so he certainly wouldn't dare to try them.
Su Wei opened the car door; the Raptor pickup's warm cabin blocked out the wind.
He leaned back in his chair, looking at his hands.
The sense of control I had when handling the keelback skull, the ability to see through the bone structure, still lingers in my fingertips.
But that was just a kestrel.
It's just a common small skull.
His current LV1 Basic Taxidermy were simply insufficient to handle that large and heavy brown bear pelt and that intricate crown antlers.
A mistake would not only ruin an expensive pelt, but also show disrespect to the beast.
Su Wei took out her phone and opened the bank's app.
Looking at the more than three million US dollars in his account, he didn't hesitate. His fingers tapped rapidly on the screen, making up the remaining thirty thousand US dollars for the bear skin specimen and prepaying the full twenty thousand US dollars for the crown antlers.
Seventy thousand US dollars, just to exchange for two top-quality works of art.
Old Hope has already indicated that he should learn from him, so why wouldn't he trust the other person's skills?
It would be better to transfer the money in advance to show his trust.
As for that tempting Blessing attribute, there will be plenty of opportunities to try it on ordinary black-tailed deer or snow rabbits in the future.
A text message notification sounded, indicating the transfer was successful.
Su Wei started the car, the deep roar of the engine echoing through the empty industrial area.
The tires rolled over the snow, leaving a deep groove.
Su Wei suddenly slapped the back of his head.
"How stupid of me! Since I was already learning taxidermy from Old Hope, why didn't I ask to help him make brown bear taxidermy specimens and process deer antlers?"
He muttered to himself, wondering if helping Old Hope with specimen preparation would be detected by the Crafting Module and trigger special effects.
If that really works, then it's a huge win!
Even if it doesn't work out, it's not a loss.
It can also improve your skill level and allow you to gain more experience.
The only downside is that the antlers and bear skin can't be kept for too long.
Otherwise, he would really wait until his technology was fully developed before doing it.
Just as we drove out of the industrial area, the car's Bluetooth suddenly cut off the music, and Black's name appeared on the screen.
Su Wei pressed the answer button.
I think you haven't gotten home yet.
Black's voice boomed through the carriage, accompanied by the sounds of billiards and clinking glasses.
"Just left Old Hope's place."
Su Wei turned the steering wheel onto the main road, and the windshield wipers cleared the snow from the windshield.
"Is something the matter?"
"A good thing, but also a troublesome thing."
From Black's direction came the crisp sound of a lighter lighting a cigarette.
" Old Sam, that old drunkard, has finally relented; he's agreed to meet tomorrow to discuss the land."
Su Wei tapped his fingers lightly twice on the steering wheel.
Where are you? What time?
"Tomorrow at 1 p. m., at the Old Captain Seafood Restaurant. He's having his last Kodiak king crab meal there before heading off to Seattle."
Black exhaled a puff of smoke and began to speak faster.
"Listen, Su Wei, this old man is a gambler who's lost everything. He's drowning in debt at underground casinos, and his cirrhosis is in its late stages; he desperately needs a liver transplant to save his life. A man like that will do anything for money."
"The $400,000 is not only his lifeline, but also his last gamble. He'll definitely try to squeeze every last drop out of you."
Su Wei remained calm.
"As long as the land deed is in order, money is not an issue. But if he wants to take advantage of me, I'm not a philanthropist."
That's why I'm worried.
Black swore.
"Damn it, the guild has a last-minute emergency request. The Hunters' Guild in Anchorage has sent hunting area assessors, and I have to take them deep into the wilderness to explore; it'll take at least seven or eight days."
"That means I can't go with you. Also, your training schedule will have to be postponed for now."
That was unexpected.
Su Wei glanced at the dark road ahead, the shadows of the streetlights flashing past the car window.
Without the seasoned hunter Black to keep things in check, the variables at the negotiating table would increase significantly when facing a desperate old gambler who is at his wit's end and desperately needs money.
That Old Sam is definitely a tough character, since he was able to gamble away his entire fortune.
"Don't worry, teacher."
Su Wei's voice remained calm.
"I can handle it myself. Just be careful, I know what I'm doing."
"Also, I'm planning to learn taxidermy from Master Hope. It will take me a few days, and I was thinking of asking my teacher for leave. Since you're going to be a guide, I can learn alongside you."
"Ha! You're starting to sound like a pro these days. But you want to learn specimen collecting from Hope? Did the old man agree?"
Black laughed loudly, but upon hearing Su Wei's next words, his tone became suspicious.
"Yes, he agreed. He even told me to report at six in the morning."
Su Wei glanced at the knife that Old Hope had given him.
"In that case, you should study hard. Specimens are items that greatly demonstrate a hunter's honor. The fact that that hot-tempered man approves of you means you must have something he values. Who knows, you might actually become a master."
"Alright, use your brain. Don't be fooled by that old man's sob story. Remember, sympathy is the most useless thing at the negotiating table."
"Clear."
The call ended.
The carriage returned to silence.
Su Wei glanced at the time; it was 8:30 PM.
If we have to go to negotiations at 1 p. m. tomorrow, then the special training I did with Old Hope this morning will definitely be canceled.
It takes two hours to get from town to the factory in Old Hope, and with the extremely demanding work of handling specimens, there's simply not enough time.
I must ask for leave.
Su Wei was about to throw his phone back to the passenger seat when he paused, picked it up again, and dialed Old Hope's number.