Chapter Nine: The Initial Development of the Territory

Countless blueprints dazzled Lin Mu. However, glancing at the 19,190 Destiny Gold Coins in his pocket—a pitifully small sum—he had no choice but to abandon the blueprints that made him linger with longing and regret.

When faced with choices, Lin Mu relied on his own experience: first, pick what is most urgently needed; next, the best quality; then, what is most desired; and finally, what holds the greatest potential.

Following these rules, Lin Mu made his decision quickly: prioritize blueprints that refresh the population.

After calculating, he spent 6,000 coins on three "Primary Vagrant Camp Blueprints," 4,000 on four "Primary Refugee Camp Blueprints," 3,000 on one "Intermediate Refugee Camp Blueprint," and 5,000 on one "Intermediate Vagrant Camp Blueprint." This totaled 18,000 Destiny Gold Coins, leaving him with 1,190. It was a pity there were no more Primary Refugee Camp blueprints available; otherwise, he could have bought one more with the remaining balance.

He purchased these because of the population issue. His territory was newly established, and the system-provided Primary Vagrant Camp only spawned about ten people per day, which was nowhere near enough to support the territory's growth. With these blueprints, the population growth would increase dramatically.

His territory could now host four vagrant camps, one of which could be upgraded to an Intermediate Vagrant Camp using the intermediate blueprint, increasing its daily spawn to 50 people. Combined with the three primary camps, he would now spawn 80 people per day from vagrants alone. Additionally, he could establish four refugee camps, with one upgradable to an intermediate level. Since primary refugee camps spawn 10 people and intermediate ones spawn 50, the refugee camps would also contribute 80 people per day.

A total of 160 people per day was quite high, rivaling the growth capacity of the town-level territory he had managed in his past life.

While the spawn rates for vagrants and refugees were the same, their aptitudes and the probability of special NPCs appearing differed. Simply put, vagrant camps attracted those displaced by misfortune, while refugee camps were filled primarily with the lowest-class peasants and farmers.

Vagrants generally possessed higher aptitudes, with a better chance of spawning NPCs with specific specialties or talents; for instance, a typical vagrant NPC would be Grade 3. Refugees were generally lower, typically Grade 1 or Grade 2, with far fewer special talents. However, if the goal was to find farmers for tilling the land, refugees had a high spawn rate, which was crucial for opening up new fields—something Lin Mu desperately needed.

Vagrant camps had a much higher chance of producing NPCs with Grade 6 or Grade 7 aptitude compared to refugee camps, though both were ultimately a matter of luck. One could never be certain—a refugee camp might produce a Grade 7 talent while a vagrant camp might not. Probability was something Lin Mu respected like a deity.

He believed that with the territory's god-tier attribute bonuses, which generally elevated an NPC's aptitude by one grade, his citizens would be completely transformed, their potential reaching new heights. It was truly incredible—so impressive that Lin Mu couldn't find words for it, only a smile that refused to fade from his lips. Haha.

With the remaining 1,190 gold coins, Lin Mu thought for a moment before purchasing blueprints for a Primary Blacksmith, Primary Tailor Shop, Primary Shipyard, Primary Carpentry Workshop, Primary Dock, Primary Mine, Primary Logging Camp, Primary Fishery, and three Primary Dwellings that could house five people each. This exhausted his remaining funds, save for 90 Destiny Gold Coins. Money came quickly, but it went just as fast.

He didn't want to keep the final 90 coins in his pocket, so he exchanged them for 9,000 copper coins of the Great Han Dynasty, equivalent to 90 silver coins (the exchange rate being 1 Destiny Gold Coin to 1 silver coin).

In reality, using Destiny Gold Coins to exchange for Great Han copper, silver, or gold was highly cost-effective. For example, a Primary Tailor Shop cost 100 Destiny Gold Coins here, but if purchased through player trade or from government offices, it would cost only a few dozen silver coins at most—which was already considered very expensive. However, Lin Mu’s territory was located in the wilderness with no access to the outside world, so he didn't need to worry about government trade for now.

Regardless, he believed these acquisitions would allow his territory to develop by leaps and bounds. He felt the expenditure was well worth it.

In the setting of "Mythical Three Kingdoms," territorial construction was quite magical, though it drew some inspiration from reality. If a player possessed the construction blueprints and had sufficient resources, construction could be completed instantly. For example, Lin Mu had the blueprint for a Primary Blacksmith. His territory’s initial resources included 500 units of food, 500 units of stone, 500 units of wood, and 10,500 copper coins. Building the blacksmith cost 30 units of stone, 20 units of wood, and 200 copper coins. By using the blueprint and consuming the resources, the Primary Blacksmith would rise from the ground instantly. It was miraculous, though to other players, this was a standard, common occurrence in the game, so Lin Mu was not particularly surprised.

Without a blueprint, one would need a professional Architect to construct such buildings. Architects could build basic structures without blueprints, and as their level increased, their architectural knowledge grew, allowing them to build increasingly sturdy and advanced structures. Furthermore, Architects were essential for managing water conservancy, and their specialized branch, the "Water Conservancy Overseer," was a high-status profession.

As the territory grew, the demand for Architects would increase. Lin Mu planned to prioritize this profession, mentioning it occasionally when discussing chores with Chang Yin to ensure it remained a focus. After all, Lin Mu was currently leaving most of the administration to Chang Yin, who had been gifted by the system.

In ancient times, an architect was essentially a master mason, but "Mythical Three Kingdoms" blended this with reality, altering titles and characteristics. There were many such professions in the game: Blacksmith, Tailor, Logger, Miner, Architect, Inscriptionist, Priest, Sailor, Teacher, Groom, Beast Tamer, Alchemist, Physician, Herbalist, Farmer, Hunter, Butcher, Cartographer, and more.

There were also rarer ones like Mechanist, Feng Shui Master, and Swordsmith, about which Lin Mu was less certain. Players could take these as secondary or primary professions, and they could transition to them at schools or academies in county or commandery cities. There was no limit to how many professions one could hold, provided one had the stamina and energy to manage and level them up.

Lin Mu’s goal for himself was to be a General as his primary profession, with Alchemist as a secondary, though he was open to changes later.

After spending his coins, Lin Mu took Yuan Zhi and left the Dragon Temple, returning to the village's council hall. Yuan Zhi could not stay in the temple for long. Unlike Lin Mu’s hurried pace, Yuan Zhi was leisurely.

Back at the council hall, Lin Mu found Chang Yin processing the registration of the newly spawned vagrants. Counting them up, there were 11. Not bad—the territory now had 15 people. Breaking into double digits was a breakthrough of sorts.

Lin Mu said to Chang Yin, "Yuanjian (Chang Yin’s courtesy name, used by those close to him to show respect), please arrange for Yuan Zhi to rest in the side chamber of the council hall later. By the way, this is Yuan Zhi, a special merchant for our territory; he will be very helpful to us!"

Lin Mu offered a subtle hint, trusting in Chang Yin's intelligence to understand the importance of winning over this merchant.

"Understood, no problem!" Chang Yin replied, looking up without asking if Yuan Zhi would be registered as a citizen.

On the return trip, Lin Mu had asked Yuan Zhi if he could register as a citizen of True Dragon City, but the answer was no—merchants of his kind could not be registered. Lin Mu felt a touch of disappointment; if he were a citizen, Lin Mu could view all his attributes and analyze him more thoroughly. But he did not press the matter.

Registration was a crucial mechanic in "Mythical Three Kingdoms." Lords could view the attributes of registered players or NPC residents. Because skills like "Inspect" had low drop rates, many players could not learn them and were left blind to the data of others. If an item was special, it often required appraisal, which players could not do without the right skills.

Thus, registration became vital for viewing attributes. However, it had its limitations; for instance, it wouldn't reveal if someone was a spy. Still, the feature was essential for most players.

There were different management systems for players and NPC residents regarding registration. NPC residents enjoyed great freedom once registered; if they were treated poorly, they could withdraw their registration without system penalty (though the lord could, of course, retaliate through other means). If a player withdrew registration, however, they would suffer massive penalties to their reputation, achievements, and titles—though these wouldn't be wiped entirely, the punishment was severe and based on the individual's circumstances.

Lin Mu remembered when he had left a large guild, suffering a heavy system penalty because his strength, equipment, and reputation within the guild were quite high. Once he left, he was essentially stripped of his status.

Pushing those memories aside, Lin Mu continued to handle basic territorial affairs. Since he was currently idle and many of his planned projects were stalled by his lack of strength, he decided to play the role of the busy little bee.

Lin Mu used the vagrant and refugee camp blueprints, and eight buildings rose from the ground in the village instantly. The system-provided Primary Vagrant Camp didn't count as a territory building by default, but once Lin Mu upgraded it using the Intermediate Vagrant Camp blueprint, it became a part of the territory that required his maintenance.

With three primary refugee camps, one intermediate refugee camp, three primary vagrant camps, and one intermediate vagrant camp, the territory’s population growth reached 160 people per day—a very impressive figure. He wasn't worried about feeding them; although his territory lacked the convenience of government support, it was rich in wilderness resources—beast meat, wild fruits, and the aquatic life from the Yinglong River. Grain would certainly not be as scarce for him as it was for other players.