Blackstone Village, at the Village Chief's house.

Su Wangchuan walked into the courtyard and saw an elderly man with half-white hair, a smoking pipe in his mouth, watering and fertilizing the vegetables in his yard.

Perhaps hearing the commotion, the old Village Chief turned around, looking Su Wangchuan up and down with a puzzled expression:

"The village guards said there's an unidentified vagrant wanting to join our village. Looks like that's you? You seem like a decent young man. I hope you can live well in the village."

"Working at the iron mine outside the village is a bit tough, but as long as you can endure the solitude, you'll always have enough to eat. Here, take this."

The Village Chief handed over a wooden plaque, saying:

"This is the Household Registration Certificate for Blackstone Village residents. Keep it safe."

"Ding!"

System prompt:

"Congratulations, you have joined Blackstone Village and become a resident."

"Blackstone Village Reputation System activated, current reputation 0, stage: Obscure Stage—Even dogs will bark at you."

Su Wangchuan took the wooden plaque, feeling its realistic texture.

It read 'Blackstone Village, Wangchuan.'

The engravings and characters on the plaque were incredibly clear, reminiscent of feeling mahjong tiles blindly.

Damn.

This game... the realism is off the charts!

No wonder second-generation wealthy folks are willing to invest so much in it.

If this game doesn't become popular, it would be unjust.

Yet strangely, there's not a peep about it on TikTok.

No game streamers have mentioned "Spirit Realm."

Su Wangchuan was shocked, then realized he didn't even have an inventory. His Household Registration Certificate had to be tucked into his clothes.

He patted his chest, feeling quite insecure.

The Village Chief had already turned away, issuing a subtle dismissal: "Young man, remember, you can only leave the village during the day. You must return before sunset. If you're late, the village guards won't open the gate for you."

"Off you go."

Su Wangchuan nodded to show he understood and left the Village Chief's house.

Lin Dahai appeared out of nowhere, smiling:

"Good."

"Now that you have a legitimate identity, you're just a few pieces of equipment away from mining."

To read the uncut version, go to pawread dot com.

"I'll give you two options."

"One is the fast track to mining, the other might take a bit longer, a few days before you can start mining."

Su Wangchuan eagerly sought advice.

Lin Dahai explained:

"Normally, newcomers are penniless. To mine, you need a pickaxe and a basket, plus you must prepare a day's worth of food."

Su Wangchuan listened intently.

"You have to work in the village to earn money, like feeding chickens and catching weasels for Aunt Wang, or becoming an apprentice to the Blacksmith, working for free, mining for free to earn money..."

Lin Dahai smiled slightly as he said this, "For those of us with a company, it's much easier. You can borrow 150 Copper Coins from us, buy a small iron pickaxe and a basket, work hard mining for a day, and pay back the money."

"But we can't lend you money for free. You must work for us another day, handing over the money you earn on the second day."

Su Wangchuan understood.

It was simply a way for them to double their short-term profits through lending.

One day of mining could earn 150 Copper Coins, and the second day would be pure profit.

But considering they were assigned to guide him, wasting their mining time, they deserved to earn this money!

And compared to spending several days working for villagers to earn money, this was a win-win choice.

"I'll follow Brother Lin's advice and borrow money from him."

Su Wangchuan decisively made his choice.

"Smart!"

Lin Dahai smiled:

"There was once a kid who couldn't think straight, insisted on taking village tasks, and ended up getting bitten by a weasel while catching them, suffering minor injuries, and lying in the village for half a month. In the end, he borrowed for medical fees, food, and mining tools, sinking all his wages and bonuses for three months."

"......"

Su Wangchuan was shocked.

What kind of nonsense was getting bitten by a weasel and lying down for half a month?

Seeing his disbelief, Lin Dahai smiled mysteriously and said, "Check your Status Panel, the Hunger section."

Su Wangchuan glanced as instructed.

The original 100/100 Hunger had now dropped to 89/100.

Lin Dahai said:

"In 'Spirit Realm,' everything mirrors the real world. From the moment you log in, your character exists, and every hour, your Hunger decreases by 10 points. When your Hunger reaches zero, you'll start losing health, 1 point every half hour. Without eating or drinking, you could really die!"

"......"

Su Wangchuan had lost count of how many times this game had shocked him.

Not eating could lead to death.

From being a workhorse in the real world, he had jumped into the game world to continue being a workhorse!

This time, his identity was a miner!

Suffering on both ends.

Fortunately, the real-world salary was high enough.

Lin Dahai watched Su Wangchuan's expression and laughed, "Once you get familiar with the game's rules, you'll realize how right today's decision was."

"Here."

"This is for you."

Lin Dahai took out a money pouch, counting out fifteen Large Copper Coins and five small Copper Coins.

Su Wangchuan examined them closely. The small Copper Coins were light, while the Large Copper Coins were heavier, with a tangible feel, and both sides bore the character 'ten' in seal script.

"The small ones are Copper Coins, the large ones are Large Copper Coins, one Large Copper Coin equals ten Copper Coins."

"Take this to Blacksmith Sun and buy an iron pickaxe for 130 Copper Coins. Make sure it's new, don't let him fool you; then go to Aunt Wang and buy a basket, also a large, sturdy one for 20 Copper Coins; finally, find Wang Dalang, his pancakes are good, 5 Copper Coins for two."

Lin Dahai pointed the way.

Su Wangchuan, clutching the Copper Coins, decided to find Aunt Wang first.

Although Lin Dahai's information was correct, Su Wangchuan wanted to buy the basket first to carry the pickaxe without tiring himself out.

The realism of this world was high.

Every additional Copper Coin's weight was clearly felt.

Holding a pickaxe consumed Stamina.

Lin Dahai watched Su Wangchuan's route from behind, smiling slightly:

"Not just a bookworm."

He had directed Su Wangchuan to find Blacksmith Sun first to see if this newcomer had independent thinking ability...

Many people ended up as workhorses...

Because they inherently had a workhorse mentality.

Only knowing to follow orders, they ended up taking many detours.

Su Wangchuan clearly wasn't one of them.

Aunt Wang was standing outside her chicken coop, tossing in grass. Dozens of hens pecked eagerly, each movement and glance filled with spirit.

It made one suspect this was the real world.

Seeing Su Wangchuan approach, Aunt Wang asked proactively, "You look unfamiliar, where are you from, young man?"

"Hello, Aunt. My name is Wangchuan, I just arrived in the village. Here's my Household Registration Certificate." Su Wangchuan showed the wooden plaque given by the Village Chief.

"A new arrival in the village, Wangchuan, what a nice name."

Aunt Wang smiled sincerely, "You're here to mine outside, right? If you need a basket, come to me. I make them big and sturdy, 20 Copper Coins each, but since you seem like a nice young man, I'll give it to you for 18."

Huh?

Su Wangchuan was stunned:

You can haggle?

This game...

Is quite interesting.