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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 101: The Transaction
The next morning, Nico Robin woke up early and began her work once again.
She crafted wooden and stone tools, making a stone axe and a hoe. Although they were somewhat fragile, they were still capable of chopping.
Next, she used reeds from the swamp to construct a thatched hut.
However, the results were disappointing. That night, a torrential rain fell, extinguishing the fire outside and destroying the thatched hut by the early hours.
So, for the next two days, Nico Robin decided to change her approach.
Instead of working by the shore, she ventured into the forest, further away from the coast, cleared an area, and started building a house.
She constructed a large furnace that stood about seventy centimeters above the ground, with a sizable pit beneath it. Then she began to build a mud house around the furnace.
Nico Robin used large trees, felling several deep in the forest and transporting them back—nine in total.
Two tree trunks of bowl-width thickness were deeply embedded in the ground around the perimeter, with a taller tree standing in the center.
The eight surrounding logs formed layers of mud walls, facing east towards the coast. On the southern side of the wall, she left an opening for a door. The northern wall was built around the furnace, closely hugging it, with an opening left for smoke to escape. This connection was elevated slightly above the surrounding ground to allow for ventilation.
Additionally, openings were left at the top of both side walls to ensure airflow.
Finally, she applied two layers of wet mud mixed with reeds on both the exterior and interior of the mud structure.
Under the heat of the furnace, both the mud bricks and wet mud dried out thoroughly, becoming exceptionally sturdy.
Nico Robin crafted mud tiles using two stones of different sizes. The larger stone was flat with a slight curve. She first made thinner mud bricks on top of the larger stone, then placed them on the other stone, pressing down to create a curve, transforming them into mud tiles.
Next, Nico Robin set up a slanted frame above the wooden structure and covered it with the mud tiles, forming a sloped roof.
When it rained, the water would flow down smoothly.
Using her Devil Fruit ability, Nico Robin completed the mud house in just two hours. It could shield against wind and rain, and with several layers of trees outside, it would help mitigate the sea breeze.
With that, basic accommodation was no longer an issue.
"That's about it," she said.
Nico Robin sat by the shore, explaining to Xiaqiu what she was currently working on.
"Mm-hmm," Xiaqiu nodded. She couldn't see where Robin was building the house due to the trees in between.
However, she was very impressed by how much Nico Robin had accomplished. Being stranded on a deserted island alone made it difficult for her to achieve such things.
Nico Robin looked at Xiaqiu and smiled, asking, "Can you understand what I'm saying?"
"Mm-hmm," Xiaqiu nodded again.
Suddenly, Nico Robin asked, "Do you know the terms for stove, mud drill, reeds, wet mud, house, roof, as well as the verbs clear out, flatten, push down, stake in, press down, and cover?"
Nico Robin curiously asked again.
Xiaqiu hesitated for a moment before nodding once more.
"To delve a little deeper, do you know about bears, deer, and rabbits?" Nico Robin asked again. After seeing Xiaqiu nod, she continued, "Can you understand the verbs 'to strike,' 'to lift,' 'to like,' 'to study,' and 'to fly'?"
Nico Robin broke down these words and asked again. After receiving answers, she lightly shook her legs, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. Then she said, "These words are not particularly profound, but some of them encompass a vast range of knowledge. And since you are a fish, nouns can only be accepted externally, while verbs cannot be acted upon by you. Therefore, if you want to understand, someone must have taught you these nouns and verbs.
This leads to two possibilities: one is that someone has taught you for a long time, conveying the meaning of each word to you. This would require a long-term and regular infusion of knowledge, and considering your grasp of basic mathematical abilities, this could take five years or more. The second possibility is that you have lived in human society for a long time, witnessing things firsthand and learning through experience. However, since you live in water and cannot ascend to land, this seems unlikely."
Nico Robin looked at Xiaqiu and asked, "So has someone taught you language and writing for an extended period?"
"That's right."
Xiaqiu thought for a moment and realized it was indeed true, nodding vigorously.
Nico Robin continued to look at Xiaqiu and said, "Then this person could not have encountered you by chance and recognized your intelligence before teaching you. They must have specifically cultivated you. Many of the words involved are things they could not demonstrate to you as a fish; even ordinary people would not attempt to make a fish do such things. Therefore, concentrated and prolonged teaching is necessary. Considering that your possession of wisdom is quite extraordinary, it seems that you did not acquire this intelligence by chance but were cultivated and taught over a long time. If nothing unexpected happened, you likely originated from a laboratory or research institution; am I correct?"
Xiaqiu opened her mouth wide; according to her thoughts, this was the only conclusion she could reach.
And it was indeed a good explanation, so Xiaqiu admitted it.
"So that's how it is."
Nico Robin remarked with some astonishment, "It turns out there are people researching how to grant intelligence to living beings. Aside from you, are there other creatures with intelligence?"
"No," Xiaqiu replied.
"Is it just you?"
Nico Robin nodded, confirming Xiaqiu's identity, and began to ask him more questions.
For example, about the climate, history, physics, biology, interpersonal relationships, literature, and some questions regarding morality and philosophy.
"I have a relative understanding of air and biological knowledge, know very little about history but am aware of some historical contexts. I also possess basic physics knowledge, have my own values, can think critically, and can judge right from wrong."
Nico Robin gently said, "You possess more knowledge than most adults and have a sufficiently mature mindset. Aside from the limitations of your physical structure, you are basically no different from a human."
At this point, Nico Robin looked at Xiaqiu and said, "If you weren't a fish, I would really think you were a person."
"Because I am the soul of a human," Xiaqiu shook his head.
Nico Robin smiled and said, "Anyway, since I can't leave this island for now, I will teach you some knowledge and tell you about the history and culture of this world. I wonder if you are willing?"
"Yes, yes!" Xiaqiu quickly nodded. He knew very little about this world and hoped to learn more.
And Nico Robin was undoubtedly one of the most knowledgeable people in this world. Not only was she a historian and linguist, but her life experiences and insights were also incredibly rich.
She was almost the perfect person to help him understand this world.
Nico Robin looked at Xiaqiu and said with a smile, "But you must meet one condition of mine."
"What conditions?
It wouldn't be about shortening the agreed time, would it?
Well, if she brings it up, I would be willing to shorten it by three months. If it's half a year, I could reluctantly agree.
Xiaqiu looked at Nico Robin with curiosity, and Nico Robin smiled as she said, 'Don't worry, I won't make any demands regarding time.'
'Then what conditions do you want to propose?' Xiaqiu asked, somewhat confused.
'I hope you can help me bring a ship,' Nico Robin said slowly."
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