Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 232 Suspected Formation

Feng Jun had already brought too many novel things to the mobile realm: snow-white salt, roll-up cigarettes, bitter yet sweet brown chocolate, snow-white soft paper, and lighters that produced fire with a single click…

However, all of this paled in comparison to the shock that the snow-white flour had brought to everyone—this was food!

The flour produced by modern industrial societies was fine, smooth, and white with good appearance and taste.

The same wheat flour, even without additives, would be classified as eighty, seventy, or sixty-five in the Earth Realm.

That meant, from a hundred pounds of wheat, one could mill eighty pounds of flour, seventy pounds of flour, and sixty-five pounds of flour…

Without a doubt, the eighty flour had more impurities, while the sixty-five flour… was not something an average person could get their hands on.

Beyond this classification, there were indicators like protein content, with distinctions between high-gluten and low-gluten flour…

Industrialized production led to many different types of flour.

But no matter how you put it, compared to the local grains mixed with bran and chaff, the food that the Divine Doctor brought was truly something only the wealthiest could enjoy.

In the Tian Family, even an intermediate level martial master like Tian Lewen would inevitably have fine bran in his meal, and only the older family elders would have their flour sifted, which was to accommodate the digestive systems of the elderly.

For most people, bran and chaff were edible as long as they didn’t exceed normal amounts.

After one meal, Feng Jun’s generosity shocked the Tian Family members—it cost at least three times the price of ordinary grains.

Therefore, many bizarre rumors about his origins multiplied; such flour was not something an ordinary household would produce.

What does the term ‘dietary habits’ mean? It’s what people are accustomed to eating under normal circumstances.

If Feng Jun had only taken out a bag or two of flour for his own consumption, no one would think much of it, it was a special supply—although this realm didn’t have this term, it was a common phenomenon in all sorts of societies for high status individuals to enjoy special treatment.

The key was that all the flour he took out was like this, which inevitably caused astonishment.

Certainly, one could have bought some coarse grains, but the Divine Doctor actually provided so much refined food, with both taste and appearance being so good, what kind of family could cultivate such a consumption concept?

Of course, some people pointed out the drawback of flour—it digested too easily and left one feeling hungry quickly.

This was purely nitpicking, as bran and chaff were not easy to digest either and didn’t abate hunger; what entered the body came out looking the same.

That was just the first day’s meal, and to everyone’s delight, they found meat in the next day’s lunch!

The meat brought from the Earth Realm was mostly fattened on feed, but it was still genuine meat, and thanks to castration, it lacked the gamey smell and had a taste that surpassed the local meats.

According to Earth Realm’s standards, this realm’s meats would be considered premium, being all-natural and having a chewy texture due to slower growth. Who would eat fatty meat if there were lean meat available? Dragon bones were so expensive that they cost even more than meat.

However, for people in this realm, fatty meat was so much tastier than lean meat, and the fat helped stave off hunger. Only those of lowest status would end up with things like chicken feet, duck intestines, or pig tails.

Four days later, once the wiring was completed, Feng Jun had paid with a dozen bags of flour and rice. Then Tian Lewen came over again, wanting to allocate some people for Lone Wolf to manage, who could assist with patrols on a daily basis and also help Lone Wolf out.

The Tian Family had a patrol team nearby and kept a certain distance from Feng Jun’s residence, but that was under the Tian Family’s management. Tian Lewen meant, “I’ll give you some people for your own use!”

That was tantamount to the Tian Family sending people to work for Lang Zhen.

Of course, this meant that Lang Zhen would then be responsible for feeding them—Lone Wolf was penniless, so in the end, it all fell on the Divine Doctor.

After consulting with the Divine Doctor, Lang Zhen agreed to the proposal. Not only did he promise to recruit people for patrols, but he also said he would consider assigning some to take over a portion of the defenses.

The surveillance system was almost completely set up, and according to the Divine Doctor, with such a system, the workload for him and the Deng Family Brothers would be reduced, and recruiting some Tian Family members to assist in the defense would make it even more secure.

Feng Jun set up the monitoring room in a house at the entrance; when the surveillance was turned on for the first time, not only did Lang Zhen and the Deng Family Brothers come, Feifei did too. More importantly, both Tian Yangni and Tian Lewen were invited to attend.

When they saw the small screens covering nearly an entire wall, displaying the outside with meticulous detail, everyone was stunned, and Tian Yangni even asked in amazement, “Can this formation… trap people?”

There, Feng Jun hadn’t even fabricated the origins of the surveillance system yet, and the other party had already jumped to conclusions—Formation!

But that was normal; in a mystical society, there were so many strange tales. The purpose of the surveillance equipment was somewhat similar to the monitoring of a formation—as for the wires and cameras they had installed, those were obviously materials used for creating a formation.

So Tian Yangni asked—after going to great lengths, this formation must surely have other uses, right?

Feng Jun certainly wouldn’t say “you’re overthinking it.” Instead, he responded with a counter-question, “Do you think a formation that can trap people is that easy to set up? Can everyone learn it just by my casual instructions?”

He didn’t plan to overly mythologize the surveillance system, merely intending to gradually reveal his exceptional abilities. However, if others insisted on mythologizing him, he wasn’t averse to it.

Tian Yangni accepted this answer with composure. In his mind, the words of the Divine Doctor, who was rumored to be an Immortal, made a lot of sense. Were formations from the Immortal Family that easy to learn?

Tian Lewen, being younger, was somewhat more impulsive, “Divine Doctor, how much longer would it take if we added a person-trapping formation?”

Feng Jun gave him a nonchalant glance, “Time isn’t really the issue, the key is that the cost is too high, it’s not worth it.”

These were not empty boasts. A person-trapping system was not impossible to create with Earth Realm’s level of technology; an automated control gate would suffice, or at worst, add some high-voltage electricity.

Hearing this, Tian Lewen also expressed his understanding.

The Divine Doctor wasn’t incapable of trapping people; the key issue was that, in such a desolate place, it was somewhat unnecessary to create such an elaborate setup.

Moreover, the martial masters who frequented this area were at most of the Intermediate Level, making a person-trapping formation a real waste.

So, he nodded, “Indeed, setting up some traps would be sufficient. A person-trapping formation would be too costly and not as effective as sending someone to capture… Divine Doctor, how much would this surveillance formation cost in total?”

Feng Jun looked at him oddly upon hearing this, “You’re not thinking of installing such a formation at home, are you?”

“I actually am considering it,” Tian Lewen nodded and gave Tian Yangni a sidelong glance, “Uncle Qi, the Tian Family needs such a formation. With this device, no one would dare to underestimate us.”

Yet Tian Yangni remained silent, pondering for a while before turning to Feng Jun, “Divine Doctor, this device… is it for sale?”

Feng Jun nodded without hesitation, “Of course it’s for sale, but… it’s somewhat expensive.”

“Somewhat expensive…” Tian Lewen frowned. In his opinion, the Tian Family wasn’t considered wealthy, just slightly better off than the average family, “How expensive is it?”

After thinking it over, Feng Jun replied, “Well, as you said, it’s much more expensive than having people guard and patrol. The key is that this system can only provide warnings, unlike sending out personnel… who can also engage in combat.”

Upon hearing this, Tian Lewen’s mouth twitched, and after a long moment, he sighed, “Although the device is good, unfortunately… it’s not practical. The Tian Family is still a bit too poor for it.”

He didn’t deny that the device was good—in fact, he could imagine the envious glances the Tian Family would attract if they really installed such a system. The prestige was truly elevated.

But the reality of the Tian Family’s situation was clear, although they had some savings, there were too many other expenses. Even if they tightened their belts, they might be able to afford the formation, but would they still be able to live comfortably afterward?

To a very wealthy family, this was a splendid device, but for the Tian Family, it seemed a bit too extravagant and impractical.

This was also characteristic of a small agrarian society where, due to low productivity, labor was cheap, and expensive equipment was valued.

Not like in the current Earth Realm, where if something could be done by robots, manpower wouldn’t even be considered.

At that moment, Tian Yangni spoke up, “In my view, the importance of the formation isn’t just the materials; it seems that these surveillance devices also need to utilize… Thunderous Power, right?”

Thunderous Power, as they referred to generators, was one of the most incomprehensible aspects of the Divine Doctor’s abilities in the eyes of the Tian Family members, and nearly all the local natives. The device that roared and discharged Thunderous Power was beyond their understanding.

The device was already astonishing, but they knew it didn’t produce Thunderous Power on its own; it required the addition of a strange-smelling liquid, a consumable that, through the device, could generate Thunderous Power.

Initially, they thought that this harnessed Thunderous Power was only for lighting, and they somewhat criticized the Divine Doctor’s extravagance privately. Was it excessive to use such a luxurious item just for evening illumination?

A simple torch could solve the issue; was there a need for such opulence and excess?

However, they later learned that, like the thunder in the sky, this power could not only provide light but also char objects. For instance, the young girl Feifei could cook using another device—just by connecting it to Thunderous Power.

And now, Tian Yangni made a keen observation that the surveillance screens glowing with white light were also connected to Thunderous Power.

This discovery led the elder of the Tian Family to feel somewhat desperate: Even if we could afford the formation, we would still need to buy the machine that generates Thunderous Power.

In fact, buying the machine wasn’t the main concern, as it could be used for lighting.

However, Tian Yangni was certain that no matter how expensive the machine was, there was a limit; the key was the liquid used to generate Thunderous Power, a consumable.

The liquid had a very unpleasant smell, but even if it smelled worse, it wouldn’t become any cheaper.