Chapter 213 - 130: Looking Up

Chapter 213: Chapter 130: Looking Up

Back at his house, a tile-roofed building with a courtyard, Xu Mo clasped his hands behind his back like a property appraiser. He carefully surveyed the inside and out, trying to figure out the best place to expand downward.

The master bedroom was a spacious suite of three connected rooms. But digging a cellar under the bedroom? ’That feels weird.’ The living room in the middle was the main activity area, with people coming and going (though almost no one ever visited), so it wasn’t suitable for excavation either. The other room served as his storage and workshop, piled high with all sorts of materials and tools Xu Mo had collected. Digging up the floor in there would make it even more inconvenient to get to his things.

After much thought, Xu Mo concluded that insisting on digging a habitable cellar in his structurally simple house was neither appropriate nor particularly necessary.

At the Iron Bone Realm, his tolerance for extreme heat far surpassed that of an ordinary person. The minimal cooling effect a cellar could offer held little appeal for him.

’Maybe I’ll just build an awning in the courtyard?’ Xu Mo walked out into the yard and glanced up at the blistering sun. An awning would provide shelter from both rain and sun. He could put a table and chairs under it and have a relatively shady outdoor space for the summer. That seemed far more practical.

Deciding to act, Xu Mo went out to ask around and soon found a shop in a craftsman’s district in the outer city that specialized in various simple construction projects. The owner was a lean, middle-aged man. When he heard that Xu Mo wanted to build a sturdy, weatherproof awning in his courtyard, he enthusiastically began listing the options. There were wooden structures, sheet metal with frames, and hybrid materials, each with a different price tag.

Xu Mo chose a plan that looked the sturdiest and most durable, which was also said to be fire-resistant to some degree. But when the shopkeeper quoted the price, Xu Mo frowned.

’This expensive?’ It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it. His savings of fifteen thousand Contribution Points gave him plenty of confidence. It was just that the price far exceeded what he expected to pay for a few posts and a canopy.

The shopkeeper rubbed his hands together, a strained, professional smile on his face. "Sir, in times like these, wood, iron, tools—none of it comes cheap. And workers have to eat, right? For the specifications and materials you’re asking for, this price really isn’t high..."

After listening, Xu Mo said no more. Instead, he headed to the hardware and general goods market in the outer city. He spent a few Contribution Points on what looked like the sturdiest military-grade folding shovel he could find, and also picked out a few other simple tools he might need.

Carrying the new shovel back home, Xu Mo stared at the empty yard. His gaze swept around before finally landing on the kitchen.

The kitchen was a small, separate building built against the courtyard wall, which he didn’t use very often. Its floor was solid rammed earth over a natural foundation. Digging down from here seemed more suitable than doing it in the main living quarters, and it would be less disruptive.

’Maybe... I’ll dig a small one first as a trial run? It’ll be good practice, and I can store some things in it.’ Xu Mo hefted the heavy shovel in his hands. ’Besides, I’ve got strength to spare.’

After clearing the few odds and ends from the kitchen, Xu Mo marked out a rough perimeter. Here, the strength and endurance of his Iron Bone Realm proved to be a massive advantage. The sharp shovel felt like a toy in his hands. Every plunge cut deep into the rammed earth, effortlessly prying up large clods of dirt.

In just a single day, Xu Mo had excavated a "pit" roughly three meters deep, with a floor spanning seven or eight square meters.

That’s right. A pit. Looking at the hole in his kitchen, Xu Mo suddenly had the feeling that he should probably never use this room as a kitchen again...

Standing at the bottom, Xu Mo felt like he was in a trap. A distinct coolness seeped from the earthen walls, a stark contrast to the oppressive heat on the surface. The air was a bit stale, thick with the fresh smell of turned soil.

Xu Mo resignedly dusted off his hands. ’This is definitely not livable.’ If it caved in while he was sleeping, that would be a pathetic joke.

While it was uninhabitable, it was perfect as a storage space for surplus supplies he didn’t currently need.

And that was how Xu Mo spent his day: digging a "trap" in his kitchen to store miscellaneous items.

Barely two days after Xu Mo had finished digging his trap, a formal public advisory was broadcast throughout Jiang City regarding "measures for coping with extreme high temperatures and encouraging residents to take appropriate precautions against heatstroke."

The advisory did, in fact, mention that "excavating cellars, basements, and other subterranean spaces to leverage the soil’s natural thermal stability for cooling" was a traditional and effective method. It also offered some simple advice on digging and safety, such as ensuring proper ventilation, preventing cave-ins, and waterproofing.

But then, the announcer’s tone shifted, growing serious:

"We must state unequivocally: any excavation or modification of underground spaces must be conducted in a manner that does not compromise the structural integrity of the main building, damage public utility lines, or endanger the safety of neighboring structures! Unauthorized private excavation is strictly prohibited beneath load-bearing walls or columns, along the paths of known utility lines (water, power, communications), and in any area too close to public roads or other buildings."

"Any individual or entity found in violation of these regulations—by undertaking dangerous private excavation that creates a safety hazard or causes actual damage—will be severely penalized in accordance with the law. Penalties include, but are not limited to, substantial fines, mandatory backfilling, and being held liable for any damages. In cases where severe negligence leads to a major accident, the responsible parties will be referred for judicial trial."

"District management committees and patrol teams will increase inspections, and residents are obligated to monitor and report violations. When beating the heat, safety must always come first."

The broadcast’s warning was forceful and clear. Xu Mo listened and nodded slightly. ’That makes sense.’