Krafft's Notes on Anomalies

"How about it?"

"Not very good." Kraft let go of the small ore in his hand. It was red and dark in color, almost like a piece of solidified dried blood. When it rolled down the steep slope, it reminded William of the red tears he shed.

Sitting at the entrance of the mine, there was a pile of such ores under his buttocks. It was like a liquid mixed with blood and water was accumulating in the hollow eye sockets, about to overflow.

For outsiders, seeing many of these mines does not mean that they treat them as normal. The more they see them, the more strange they are at how so many large and small caves were formed. The wheezing throats of the miners also give people a bad idea of ​​the mine.

These days, at Kraft's request, Peter took them to visit the operating mines one after another. Years of operation did not make the settlement larger, and they all maintained a model of families and villages as units. , the output is consistent with the transportation capacity.

The mining time of larger mines can be calculated on a proxy basis. Young miners and their fathers are working in them, and they are familiar enough to remind outsiders to be careful about the special stone under their feet, and remember whose kid fell there last time.

There were no branches in the cave that went straight down. Kraft followed them to his usual working place, which was far enough to walk for more than ten minutes. Then an invisible line separated the active area from "deeper", and they stopped and let Craft see for himself what was needed.

It is rare to see our ancestors, and even if they are, they have lost the ability to work. They are sitting in the shade at the root of the village wall, topless, and their breathing is obviously rising and falling. They showed the typical signs of difficulty breathing. The skin on the sternum and collarbone was deeply sunken, just like Yvonne's father.

The flying dust at the mining site quickly forced the interested visitors out. Miners are also troubled by these things that cause coughing and sneezing on a daily basis, but they have not directly linked it to lung disease, or they have thought about it and have no time to confirm it. Naturally, you won’t cover your mouth and nose during heavy physical labor just to cough or sneeze.

After all, dust-induced lung disease is something that requires long-term observation and summary. The cycle is measured in years. Without clear and sufficient comparative cases, it is difficult to win people's trust. And there is obviously no one here who can do this.

There was also nothing found in the ore. Kraft jumped down from the ore pile with a small bag, "Iron ore, still iron ore, what they mine the most is iron ore. It was iron ore in ten years, and it will be iron ore in ten years." .”

"Then what are you doing here? Recommending your... mask to them?"

Kraft began his bewildering behavior after visiting two or three settlements a week ago, trying to recommend a lower-face mask made of a piece of cloth and two strips to the locals.

He claimed that he was doing a survey that might be beneficial to improving the miners' lung disease.

"Yes, but the form has changed." Kraft took out two badly worn copper coins from his pocket, which were privately minted. "I plan to sell them to them, one copper coin each."

"Are you sure how many people will buy it? I gave it to them for trial before and no one used it." William still has some market sensitivity. In a relatively closed village, it is very difficult to persuade them as a stranger.

You must know that he has been hanging out with the ice tribe for so long, but he still hasn't been able to make the ice tribe people get used to things that they didn't have before and integrate them into their daily lives.

"Not many people will buy it. Or after I help people solve a small problem, only two people will pay for it. Can it be regarded as another form of medical treatment?" The copper coin passed through the fingers and turned back to the palm. Stuffed back into the bag.

"Spending money makes people feel that things are valuable, and they will use them for a few days. During these few days, it will make their coughs and sneezes better, and at least it will feel effective psychologically. What's more, this is a mask with a 'herbal formula' added ."

Herbal medicine is the mainstream of current medical treatment, but William has never heard Kraft mention it before, "So you still know about herbal medicine?"

"I don't understand. I just found some juice from a grass root that has a light taste. Let them guess. If there is a chance to promote it, maybe it will form some kind of inherited formula. It will be kept secret and only used on a small scale. "Craft said in William's ear, but at this point the miners were far from resting. They were all still in the mine, and no one came to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"The key is to provide such a treatment method that conforms to the general idea. I don't care what they use, as long as they focus on the mask."

William's expression was strange. The captain had seen a lot in his life. He had seen all kinds of profiteers and good people. He had taken such a huge turn to become an investigator, and he couldn't comment.

“What if they don’t do what you say?”

"So many villages will always have some impact. I sold five in the previous place. You must know that behind each prime-age labor force is an entire family, how much influence can it have on a small village with only a few people? Wait for another five years The results will be recycled ten years later.”

Kraft shook the money bag, and there was a jingle inside. He estimated that there was only half a bag.

"Are you coming here again?"

"Not necessarily. You can send one of my students over. I'll pay for it and it will be treated as a trip at public expense."

"Then I feel sorry for him in advance, and suggest that you focus on the things we are working hard on." William failed to connect the recent itinerary with travel, and expressed dissatisfaction with his partner for not doing his job properly.

"Oh, my friend, the best planned investor, then you have wrongly blamed me." Opening the purse, a large number of copper coins were displayed in front of William. The dark yellow and green rust of the old metal showed the former owner. How long have they been kept.

"I remember I just mentioned that there are many mines here, there are many minerals, and there are many villages, but... there are very few people in each village, so few that even a random child can recognize and name everyone in the village. Nicknames for each of them.”

"We started in the wrong direction. We didn't even need to check what minerals were flowing out or where the food was going. Over time, the flow was too large. So what is the least important thing here?"

"What?"

Kraft pointed to himself and then to William's chest, "There are only a few outsiders on a year-to-year basis. The further you go, the fewer the villages. They are few enough to stay in this boring and repetitive life like Qingshui for a long time." Talk."

"Especially for outsiders like us, who don't want to transport food or have ready-made mines, but just dig into the mines."

He had a rare smug smile on his face, like the consistent winner William had seen in the casino. He closed his eyes and listened carefully before taking down the chips. He saw the wooden bowl opened in the gap, and the fireplace fire illuminated the desired points.

"There is indeed such a person, and I'm trying to find his route."

It does not come for trade and exchange, but appears intermittently in the mouth of the original owner who has just bought a bag of copper coins, and the footprints go deep into the mountains. Integrating information from outsiders is easier than searching for daily ores and grains.

Looking at the mountains in the distance, the stacked natural barriers can no longer block the view. The long days of running have finally clarified the muddy water that was muddied by traffic and information.

"Now, what do you think those two people said to me? There was an outsider living in the next village a few years ago!"