He walked to the changing area, silently changed into his own waterproof apron, and put on nitrile gloves.
After everything was packed up, it was exactly six o'clock.
Old Hope stopped what he was doing.
He turned around, the knife in his hand still dripping with yellow grease.
There was no praise as I had expected.
The old man merely glanced at Su Wei from head to toe, his expression remaining unchanged.
"Good."
Old Hope casually stuck the knife into the disinfectant dispenser next to the cutting board. "Not being late is a good habit."
That's all.
He took off his gloves and pointed to a folding table in a dark corner of the factory.
There were several black garbage bags piled up there, along with several thawed, wet corpses.
That's your spot.
Old Hope's voice echoed in the empty factory, his tone harsh.
"Two snow hares, one otter, and a red fox that foolishly crashed into the truck."
"Go, skin him. Practice your knife skills first."
After saying that, Old Hope turned and walked toward the huge object covered with tarpaulin—the brown bear skin and elk antlers that Su Wei had brought.
He's about to start working.
Su Wei didn't move.
My feet felt like they were rooted to the concrete.
"How?"
Old Hope lifted a corner of the oilcloth, revealing the thick, plush bear skin underneath, without turning his head.
"Too dirty? Or do you think this kind of lowly work isn't good enough for your hands that hunt brown bears?"
His tone was full of sarcasm.
Su Wei carried his toolbox and walked straight to the other side of the stainless steel main table.
The two men stared at each other through the enormous bear skin.
"Mr. Hope, I would like to participate in the processing of the bear skins."
Su Wei's voice was soft, and his request was polite.
He pointed to the brown bear skin, then to the enormous, crown-sized elk antlers next to it, "And that one too."
Su Wei knew perfectly well what his words meant.
This represents a novice who wants to learn specimen preparation, and has finally gained the approval of an experienced craftsman who agrees to teach him.
As a result, an extremely unreasonable request was made at the very beginning of the teaching process.
This apprentice was prepared to attempt a BOSS-level challenge right from the start.
Processing bear pelts and antlers of king bears.
This is utterly audacious!
But Su Wei was prepared.
As expected.
Old Hope paused in his actions.
He slowly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Su Wei, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.
"What did you say?"
"Excuse me, what I meant was that I really want to be involved in the creation process of these two precious items."
Su Wei met the old man's almost murderous gaze without backing down.
He repeated it again, earnestly and sincerely.
This is the respect that a veteran craftsman deserves.
"If possible."
"I'd like to assist you with everything from skinning and defrustrating to tanning and even the final shaping."
The air condensed.
Only the operating light emitted a faint hum of electricity.
"Ha!"
Old Hope suddenly let out a strange laugh and slammed his hand on the table.
"Bang!"
The stainless steel countertop trembled, and several surgical scissors jumped up.
"Kid, do you think you're playing in the mud?"
Old Hope's wrinkled face instantly turned red, and spittle flew everywhere.
"This is top-quality hide! These are perfect antlers that only God could create!"
"You're a complete novice who hasn't even fully tried the basic procedures, and you want to use these to practice?"
"Did I give you confidence by having you try separating the skeleton yesterday?!"
"Dream!"
Old Hope grabbed the boning knife, made a mock slashing motion in the air, and acted as if someone was about to burn his house down.
"Do you know how delicate this leather is? One cut, and the genuine leather layer is gone, and that $50,000 becomes worthless!"
"Go skin your rabbit! Say one more word and you're out of here with your money and stuff!"
This outburst of anger was expected by the Su Wei.
For a master who had been immersed in this field for forty years, Su Wei's demands were indeed a kind of blasphemy.
But he had reasons why he couldn't back down.
There are also reasons why I really want to try it.
On the system panel, the text "[ Crafting Module ]" kept flashing.
[Effect - Blessing: The specimen you create will randomly trigger a special Blessing.]
This bear pelt and these deer antlers are his top-tier hunting spoils to date.
It is also a very memorable piece.
Even if he can achieve even more success in the future.
But it's still not as good as this bearskin and deer antlers.
The former was a trophy from Black's first hunt of a brown bear.
The latter was a lucky find from the first crackdown on poachers.
If Old Hope had completed them independently, they might have just been two expensive decorative items.
But once in his hands, these dead spoils of war could very well become truly valuable 'treasures'.
He wasn't sure if simply assisting would bring any benefit.
But he still chose to try because it was an opportunity.
Both are top-tier trophies in their respective categories.
If it really does produce a beneficial effect, he can't help but wonder what kind of Blessing it will bring.
This is absolutely captivating.
Moreover, working with Old Hope to create specimens of this caliber would certainly provide valuable experience.
Please forgive my arrogance; I know it may be offensive of me to say this.
But I don't need those tens of thousands of dollars.
Su Wei spoke slowly and deliberately, placing a tool bag filled with expensive Germany knives on the table.
But I'm missing these two things.
He looked directly at Old Hope, his eyes full of sincerity.
"This is the first time I've hunted a brown bear and obtained its prey, and it's also the first time I've participated in chasing down poachers."
"Both of them have special meaning to me. I acquired them, and of course I want them to remain in their best condition."
"If it were just to save trouble, I could simply give you the money, go home, lie down, and wait for a call."
"But I'm standing here to leave my mark on them. I want to be a part of it."
Old Hope's breathing was still heavy, but the disdain in his eyes had faded somewhat, replaced by a scrutinizing look.