Chapter Eighteen: The Development of the Territory and Its Special Products
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Inside the room, Chang Yin heard Gouwa’s call and immediately knew it was Lord Lin Mu, who hadn’t appeared for three days.
“All right, I got it, I got it, you little rascal, so mischievous!” Chang Yin patted Gouwa’s head, smiling warmly as he gently scolded him.
Seeing Lin Mu enter, Chang Yin stood up and bowed slightly. “My lord, your training is complete! Your skills must have improved greatly. Congratulations!”
Lin Mu waved his hand in response. “Yuanjian, no need to be so formal. My skills have improved somewhat, but it’s nothing worth mentioning.”
“Soon, Xiao Hu and I will go out for a stroll to observe the surrounding territory. I came here just to check on how the domain has developed over these past few days,” Lin Mu casually said.
“Reporting to my lord, after several days of development, the territory has undergone significant changes.” Lin Mu had already noticed some changes upon arrival but was not yet fully informed. He listened attentively as Chang Yin gave a detailed report.
As a divine-level scholar, Chang Yin's abilities were indeed remarkable.
“Following the lord’s orders, our territory now has three major industries:
First, weapon and equipment manufacturing at the blacksmith shop; second, expanding and cultivating farmland to develop agriculture; third, mining of stone, timber, and minerals,” Chang Yin began his summary.
“With the bonus of divine-level territory attributes and my administrative efficiency, plus the lord’s special instructions, the primary industry of iron weapon manufacturing has developed rapidly. The blacksmith shop currently has one senior blacksmith, four intermediate, and seventeen junior blacksmiths. The senior blacksmith can forge weapons up to the Yellow-rank level. So far, 740 swords, spears, and knives, as well as 135 iron chainmail armors, have been forged. As the blacksmiths’ skills and numbers increase, production will grow even more.”
“Next is the secondary temporary industry, agriculture. Based on the lord’s focus, we assigned many commoners without special talents or gifts to land reclamation and cultivation. Currently, there are 313 junior farmers, 47 intermediate, and 18 senior farmers working on 9,000 acres of reclaimed land. However, due to seed limitations, only 100 acres are currently planted. In three days, the crops will be harvested, allowing us to select superior seeds and plant the entire reclaimed area. This will make the territory’s grain self-sufficient.”
“Moreover, during field hunts, Feng Jin encountered some rare wild beasts, including a special kind of blue ox and several nests of colorful pheasants. The blue ox represents a small herd numbering in the thousands, while the colorful pheasants are even rarer; we only captured seven nests with 83 chicks. Two days ago, a special gifted commoner named Jiang Yuan appeared in the territory. He is Gouwa’s father and possesses the talent ‘Beast’s Heart,’ allowing him to tame wild beasts as livestock and poultry. With him, these rare beasts—the blue ox and colorful pheasants—can become special local products with great value. I hope my lord will pay close attention!” Chang Yin spoke with a serious expression, hoping Lin Mu would recognize the importance.
Hearing this, Lin Mu was thrilled—an animal tamer with a rare gift! What a treasure. He hadn’t expected Gouwa’s father to be so formidable. Lin Mu knew how rare such talents were; in his previous life, his territory never produced such precious individuals, and he had only been able to cultivate related skills by purchasing specialty books from developed counties. This underscored their rarity.
“What? Blue ox and colorful pheasants! How many colors do the pheasants have?” Lin Mu’s excitement surged upon hearing about these specialties. The word ‘specialty’ held immense attraction and promise.
“They have three colors!” Chang Yin answered, slightly stunned. Did the lord already know this news?
“Oh, three-colored, that’s pretty good!” Colorful pheasants are ranked by the number of colors on their feathers: single-color, tri-color, five-color, seven-color, and so forth. Lin Mu had tasted tri-colored pheasant eggs in his previous life—delicious and excellent for restoring energy, making them vital rations for military campaigns.
Actually, Lin Mu had hoped they’d be seven-colored—he had high expectations.
“What about the blue ox? What’s its situation?” Lin Mu’s attention shifted to the blue ox after learning about the pheasants.
“The blue ox likely carries some ancient blue ox bloodline. It has excellent endurance and strength, making land reclamation much faster. This is crucial for farming! I’ve ordered Jiang Yuan to breed both blue oxen and colorful pheasants extensively, aiming for a stable supply of offspring and a sizable population. This will greatly aid the territory’s cultivation and food supply!”
“Good, good! Yuanjian, I trust your work! Please continue with the rest of your report.” Lin Mu valued Chang Yin’s insights deeply.
The territory had also discovered two rare wild beasts with potential as local specialties. As expected, Dragon Dragon Valley was a land of abundant treasures and resources.
Once domesticated, the strong blue oxen could serve as draft animals for plowing, boasting endurance and power far superior to the ordinary horses or water buffaloes of Lin Mu’s former territory—dozens of times better.
As for the colorful pheasants, Lin Mu had heard of these rare birds that laid multi-colored eggs rich in nutrients. Eggs from pheasants with five or more colors were considered delicacies only enjoyed by noble families in the Han Empire.
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Specialties are unique industries within a territory, always extremely rare. As the name suggests, these are special products; in games, some specialties are unique while others, though not singular, remain scarce. Other territories may have them, but not in abundance, or else they’d lose their specialty status. To players, specialties symbolize wealth—monopolies on specialties bring the greatest profits and fastest development.
Hearing of two specialties, Lin Mu understood the immense potential gains. The most profitable ventures were monopolies, and specialties were exactly that.
Chang Yin continued, “Furthermore, the mining workforce has grown significantly. There are three senior miners, eight intermediates, and 36 juniors. The territory’s ore supply is now very abundant. We’ve also recruited six lumberjacks and four stone miners. The territory’s supply of ordinary timber and stone is sufficient, but I’ve instructed them to continue mining and stockpile as much as possible, since the population will grow. For now, due to limited transport manpower, resources remain stored at the lumber and quarry sites.”
Lin Mu wasn’t overly concerned about timber and stone at the moment. Once the primary trade market opens, many players will trade ordinary resources. For now, these are not the focus.
“There’s good news: six architects have appeared—one senior and five junior. They can build the territory’s basic infrastructure, ensuring the villagers’ basic needs are met, so they won’t have to sleep outdoors or eat bland meat.”
“Hm, the construction industry should not be overlooked. We must strongly support and cultivate their professional experience,” Lin Mu instructed.
“Yes, my lord, your subordinates will do so.”
“Moreover, with a tamer now present, we can domesticate more wild beasts and develop animal husbandry, accelerating and improving the territory’s growth. Haha! Jiang Yuan must be well rewarded and assigned important tasks!” Lin Mu said joyfully.
“I want a reward too! I want one too!” Gouwa, unwilling to be left out while chewing on a beef jerky strip, chimed in with a raucous laugh.
“All right, all right, the adorable Gouwa shall be rewarded too!” Lin Mu couldn’t help but laugh.
“Hehe...” Upon hearing praise for his father, Gouwa seemed to share in the happiness, beaming brightly.
“Commoners gathering wild fruits have also found many rare fruit trees, vegetables, and medicinal herbs. However, we currently lack gardeners and herbalists. Many rare plants were collected only once and cannot be transplanted or cultivated, which is a pity.” Hearing this, Lin Mu felt a pang of regret—why couldn’t the territory generate various talents? This was a sign of wanting more than one had.
“No worries. Once the population grows, talents of all kinds will definitely appear. For now, if any rare plants are not yet mature, try not to harvest them. Mark their locations so that when specialists arrive, they can transplant and cultivate them. A diversified territory is the key to prosperity,” Lin Mu reassured Chang Yin.
“My lord’s approach is very wise. I will learn from your attitude.”
Lin Mu had no retort—he understood the difficulty all too well. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have wasted rare plants—after all, they wouldn’t run away if left untouched.
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“Regarding fisheries, three intermediate shipbuilders have appeared. They can build advanced fishing boats in the junior shipyard, allowing fishermen to catch about 4,000 units of fish daily, making fish an important food source. The villagers are delighted to have fresh fish.”
“The Asylum River is sparsely populated but rich in fish species. I suggest retaining rare fish to use as broodstock, perhaps by excavating a large lake to farm them. This would provide a stable fish supply for the territory. I hope my lord will consider this.”
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“Lastly, Feng Jin leads the hunting team. They provide ample meat daily, making a vital contribution to the territory’s survival during the challenging early village-building stage,” Chang Yin praised Feng Zhong’s efforts.
Feng Zhong, a divine-level general, was assigned as a humble hunting captain—a clear case of underutilizing talent. But there was no alternative; every villager had to contribute maximally, so no soldiers were being trained for now.
Feng Zhong must endure this for the time being!
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“In addition, Feng Jin has hunted many wild animal pelts. After tailoring by our territory’s seamstress, some equipment has been made. If my lord ventures outside, you can choose some gear there for protection!”
“The tailors have also produced an expert-level talent—our territory’s second expert!” Chang Yin smiled.
“That’s my mother! My mother indeed!” Gouwa, who knew the details, shouted excitedly upon hearing about the expert tailor.
It turned out the whole family was extraordinary! Truly a lineage of formidable warriors!
“Also, please take care, my lord. You are the anchor of our entire territory. Without you, nothing can hold steady!” Chang Yin emphasized the utmost importance of Lin Mu. His fate represented the fate of the entire territory.
Lin Mu felt a chill in his heart. Indeed, if he were to ‘permanently die’ due to some unforeseen event, the village would collapse.
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Chang Yin thoroughly explained all aspects of the territory—its people, production, products, and more. He pointed out all the important matters and shortcomings without hesitation, proving himself a very responsible aide. Lin Mu was immensely grateful for such divine assistance.
After some friendly exchanges, Lin Mu lavishly praised Chang Yin and Feng Zhong. However, since the territory currently lacked abundant wealth and treasures, no rewards were given for now. They would be considered in the future and quietly noted in Lin Mu’s mental “notebook.”
After bidding farewell to Chang Yin and Gouwa, Lin Mu took Xiao Hu to the territory’s tailor shop to inspect the equipment Chang Yin had mentioned.
Like other junior buildings, the tailor shop occupied about one acre. It was plain and unadorned, resembling an ancient house, with only a “Tailor” sign hanging outside marking its purpose.
Unlike the muscular, bare-chested men in the blacksmith shop, the tailor shop was filled with lively women and girls, with some children playing inside.
Upon seeing the lord enter, they all rose cheerfully to greet, “Greetings, my lord!”
Haha, seeing this group of women and children, Lin Mu felt a stirring in his heart. He recalled the historic beauties of the Three Kingdoms era. In his previous life, he had the fortune to see many peerless beauties. Ancient beauties were indeed striking, elegant, virtuous, and full of charm. Unfortunately, no matter how hard Lin Mu tried, he could never win their favor. Like many players, he sighed in frustration, secretly cursing the “pigs” who had stolen his chance, hoping those pigs would soon be slaughtered, while also wishing he were that pig!
Having experienced the breathtaking beauties of his past life, Lin Mu remained composed and calm upon seeing the women in his territory now. He did not succumb to temptation, his gaze steady and serene.
“These young ladies must think the lord is young and capable, wise and heroic. If they could serve him, life would not be in vain,” many girls thought quietly.
Lin Mu did not know their thoughts, and even if he did, he would not pay them any mind. He had no such intentions for now, and his standards were quite high—only a historical beauty like Diao Chan might suffice, haha...
Though his heart wandered in foolish daydreams, his expression remained unchanged, his composure flawless.
These flirtatious beauties were all sirens of ruin, pink skeletons, hmph, but Lin Mu stood alone, unwavering.
The women in the tailor shop warmly welcomed Lin Mu, but he politely excused them, as he and Xiao Hu were only there to select one or two pieces of equipment.
Unbeknownst to him, Lin Mu was amazed to find such excellent gear could be made in a tailor shop!
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