That's a fireplace.
Su Wei didn't want those generic red brick fireplaces or commercially available cast iron stove cores.
He wanted a rugged design with a sense of polar oppression.
The pen tip scratched across the paper.
The base is made of bluish-gray pebbles that have been washed by glacial water for millions of years in the Pilan Creek.
The stones have natural textures on their surfaces, and are hard and austere.
Above the fireplace, on the beam that serves as the visual focal point, Su Wei painted a huge antler.
It's neither slicing nor splicing.
It is a complete, enormous red deer, along with part of its skull structure, lying across the pile of stones.
The forked angle extends upwards.
After Matt finished assigning tasks to the workers, he came over and took a look.
The experienced foreman first frowned, then let out a meaningful whistle.
"My God, that's a really wild idea."
Matt pointed to the structure of the antlers.
"I don't object to using raw stone to build a fireplace, but this thing? Do you know how much skill a stonemason needs to perfectly embed such a large antler into the stone, while ensuring it doesn't get blackened by smoke or deform? There are only one or two old stonemasons in Kodiak Town who can do this job, and their hourly rate is higher than my lawyer's."
Matt shook his head, clearly thinking this was a classic case of sacrificing one's wallet for aesthetics.
"Besides, where can you find such large and perfect antlers? On the market, the raw material alone would cost several thousand dollars for antlers of this quality."
Su Wei stopped writing and blew away the eraser shavings from the paper.
"The manufacturing process is not a problem."
Su Wei closed his notebook, his tone indifferent.
I'll build it myself.
Matt paused for a moment, opened his mouth as if to say something, seemingly wanting to mock the young man for his arrogance.
Stone laying may seem simple, but selecting stones, mixing mortar, and grouting all require skill. If you're not careful, it can collapse or look like a mass grave.
But he looked into Su Wei's calm eyes.
This is a true wilderness hunter; his hands are strong enough to hold a gun, so deer antlers wouldn't be a problem for him.
As for laying stones? He would remain skeptical, but also respectful.
Matt swallowed the sarcastic remark that was on the tip of his tongue.
As for the antlers.
Su Wei stood up and dusted off his trousers.
"There are plenty in this forest. It just takes a little time."
The Crafting Module allows him to perform perfect anti-corrosion and hardening treatments on bones, and even adjust the luster of the bone tissue.
As for stonemasonry, the basic skills in the Life Module, combined with his spatial awareness, are sufficient to handle this rough-and-ready style of stacking.
In this manor, problems that can be solved with technology will never be wasted money.
Just then, Su Wei's phone, which was in his down jacket pocket, suddenly vibrated.
The rapid buzzing sound was particularly jarring on the empty construction site.
Su Wei took out his phone.
The screen lit up in the dim light of the early morning, displaying a contact name.
That name represents the finest craftsmanship in all of Alaska, exorbitant prices, and a peculiar temperament.
Old Hope.
Chapter 151 The So-Called Craft: Reshaping the Miracles of Nature in the Tiniest Moments
The voice coming through the receiver was dry and hoarse, without any pleasantries, and went straight to the point.
" Su Wei, is your hand broken?"
Old Hope's roar even drowned out the noise of the excavator's hydraulic arm operating dozens of meters away.
Su Wei moved the phone further away; the background noise on the other end was very empty, and she could vaguely hear the crisp sound of a metal knife being thrown onto a stainless steel tray.
"If you die in that damned wood and mud, I'll throw your unprocessed hide into the incinerator. As for your antlers, I'll saw them to smithereens and feed them to my old, toothless hunting dog."
Su Wei turned around, his back to the noisy construction site.
He glanced at Matt, who was directing the workers to lay the gravel base layer, and spoke in a calm tone.
"I'm watching the foundation; Matt's heavy machinery is at work, and that's crucial to the structural safety of the exhibition hall."
"Structural safety?"
Old Hope let out an extremely grating sneer.
"Even the sturdiest house will become a dilapidated structure in fifty years, and a ruin in a hundred. Only a perfect specimen, baptized in formaldehyde and arsenic, can freeze time at its most glorious moment. You're wasting your life, kid."
Su Wei did not refute, knowing full well that arguing about philosophy with an old man who had spent half a century surrounded by corpses was pointless.
The key point is that bear skin.
This bear pelt from Kodiak Island is extremely rare; not only is the head structure intact, but there are also no bullet holes on the pelt.
If problems arise during the initial processing stage, the losses will not only be hundreds of thousands of US dollars, but also the massive amount of experience points accumulated by the Crafting Module.
"The bear skin is still being processed, but the deer antlers have been degreased."
Old Hope's voice suddenly lowered, carrying a hint of threat.
"It's been a few days already. If you're still going to come and help out, learning how to make specimens, as you said before, then you need to adjust your attitude! Don't make me rush you!"
Su Wei glanced at the soil beneath his feet.
The foundation pit has been formed; the next steps are to lay the waterproof layer and tie the reinforcing steel bars.
This is a technical job, but it's not indispensable.
Even if he were here, he would only be guarding the place.
In contrast, when it came to learning specimen-taking techniques, apart from Old Hope, there was no one else in all of Alaska willing to teach him.
The Crafting Module on the system panel, which include specimen making skills, are all at low levels. To handle that level of prey, the system's basic bonuses alone are insufficient.
He needs the kind of twisted methods that Old Hope, methods that could even completely remove nerve endings.
And he has countless precious formulas and experiences hidden in his mind.
"Tomorrow morning at 10:00."
Su Wei answered.
"Snort."
Old Hope. didn't seem surprised by this answer.
"Take your tools."
The call was abruptly ended.
The sound of blinds mingled with the sound of the wind.
Su Wei put away his phone, stood there for a few seconds, and mentally reviewed the construction process for the next two days.
After confirming that everything was correct, he turned and walked towards the bottom of the pit.
Matt was squatting on a pile of black gravel, holding a tape measure, measuring the thickness of the subbase.
Seeing Su Wei come down, he spat out the half-smoked cigar from his mouth.
"If you're here to push for faster progress, then I can only say that this is already the limit."
Matt pointed with his thumb to the roaring road roller behind him.
"After a couple more runs, the foundation will be as hard as the Pentagon bomb shelter."
I'm leaving for two days.
Su Wei's words startled Matt.
He looked up, his pale blue eyes filled with surprise.
"Now? At this critical juncture?"
Matt stood up and dusted off his trousers.
" Su Wei, this is your house. Even my most trusted clients would want to sit next to me and watch during a crucial moment like pouring concrete."
I have more important things to do.
Su Wei took out a folded A3 sheet of paper from the inside pocket of his down jacket and unfolded it in front of Matt.
"Listen, Matt. I'll be away for the next couple of days, and there are a few key points you need to oversee personally; you can't leave them to the workers."
Su Wei took out a red marker from his pocket and drew a heavy circle on one corner of the drawing.