Chapter 6: 006
【006】 Rules Are Not Dead, They Are Alive
At this moment, Qingyun Village.
In just a few hours, many people who had been out discovered that the territory had undergone a huge change.
It wasn’t the environment of the territory that had changed, but the spirit and attitude of everyone.
Albert was a member of the team that had returned later. He remembered that before leaving, although everyone felt at ease knowing they had a safe place to stay, they were still hurriedly gathering to go out, hoping to gain more resources for their livelihood. They had no time to think about the future and were only focused on surviving the present. But now… it was different.
Looking around, some people entered the trading hall with smiles, took some meat, and quickly went to the makeshift camp to prepare to cook. In the open space in front of the camp, some had already started making soup, and the faint silhouette of carrots could be seen. The aroma of the soup spread throughout the entire territory, causing everyone’s stomach to growl with hunger.
Anyone who returned and saw this scene could only feel one word—warmth.
Albert felt a bit complex at this moment.
Before today, they lived day by day, fighting for their lives against the beasts, and getting by with just enough to fill their stomachs…
It was just yesterday, but it felt like a long time ago.
The teammates who had been with him on the expedition now greeted each other and went to find their families. They wanted to understand the changes in the territory and enjoy a hearty meal with the fruits of their labor.
After bidding farewell to the others, Albert looked at the trading hall and also planned to exchange some of his afternoon’s earnings for copper coins, maybe even some meat. He also wanted to enjoy a good meal, and perhaps invite Ulysses along.
Thinking of this, Albert’s pace became lighter.
At that moment, Albert’s sharp eyes caught sight of Ulysses. Many people in the territory, upon seeing him, respectfully called out “Village Chief.”
Obviously, Ulysses had already established his authority in just one afternoon.
Albert felt that perhaps the changes in the territory at this moment had a lot to do with Ulysses.
At this moment, Ulysses saw Albert and walked over to him.
“Albert, you’re back.” Ulysses greeted him with a smile. “I’ve been waiting to see if you would come back. I was hoping to find you.”
Albert scratched his head at Ulysses’ words. “Why were you waiting for me?”
“Right now, the territory needs people. I have the opportunity to recommend you to Lord Gu Qing as my assistant, to help with my daily work,” Ulysses said.
In just one afternoon, he had thoroughly understood the functions of the trading hall and the basic tailor shop.
The trading hall was for trading, where the Lord could set the purchase and selling prices for goods, helping balance the resources within the territory.
After understanding its function, Ulysses immediately sold the rabbit meat and carrots that Lord Gu Qing had provided. Rabbit meat was one copper coin per piece, and carrots were three for one copper coin. After all, to stabilize the residents, food was essential.
This move had a remarkable effect. In just a short time, all the residents in the territory knew that they could buy food with copper coins, and copper coins could be exchanged for wood, stone, or even crop seeds. The territory even bought some edible ingredients, which were varied and diverse. In an instant, the entire territory became lively.
As for the basic tailor shop, there were rabbit pelts as raw materials, but no corresponding tailor. The recruitment notice had already been posted at the village affairs center.
Whether it was the village affairs center, trading center, or the tailor shop, all of them needed people.
In such a situation, Ulysses naturally thought of Albert.
Albert was stunned when he heard this, then pointed at himself in disbelief and said, “I… can do it?”
Ulysses nodded. “No one is born knowing everything. If you don’t know, you can learn. Sometimes timing is more important. Right now, this is a good opportunity for you, it’s up to you whether you’re willing to seize it.”
Ulysses had always been an ambitious person, but in the past, he didn’t have the conditions. He could only work hard to learn all kinds of knowledge, waiting for an opportunity to come. This newly established territory had presented him with that opportunity, and he naturally grabbed it with both hands.
Albert, listening to Ulysses’ words, also felt his broad-mindedness. He remembered that in their previous territory, Ulysses would often chat with people in the territory while working, seeking advice from the teachers in the academy. Many people had laughed at Ulysses back then, but now? Ulysses had gained the Lord’s favor with his knowledge and had become the village chief.
If this territory continued to develop, Ulysses’ future could break through class boundaries.
Ulysses was right, this was a good opportunity, and Albert knew he had to seize it. If there was something he didn’t understand, why couldn’t he learn?
“Ulysses, I’ll work hard to learn,” Albert said seriously, looking at Ulysses.
“If you have any questions, feel free to come to me,” Ulysses patted Albert’s shoulder.
“Mm.”
“More refugees are coming!” Suddenly, someone shouted, drawing the attention of both Ulysses and Albert.
It turned out that a group of refugees, not small in number, had appeared outside the territory and were quickly noticed by some of the residents who had been active around the area.
Ulysses saw this and quickly went out to meet them, immediately noticing the refugees’ condition.
These refugees were far worse off than when they had first arrived. Some were covered in blood, clearly having gone through a fierce battle.
When they saw Ulysses, they quickly asked, “Are you the village chief of Qingyun Village?”
“I am.”
“We were saved by the Lord, and she told us to find you when we reached Qingyun Village,” one of them spoke with a trembling heart. They were the survivors of the hound attack, and no one could imagine how relieved they were when they learned that the person who had saved them was the very Lord of Qingyun Village, their destination. Many of them immediately knelt and begged to join the village, and the Lord had agreed.
At that moment, the two words that filled everyone’s hearts were: hope!
Especially when they saw that the Lord also possessed great combat strength, they had a little hope for the future.
Ulysses was surprised for a moment, then after asking, learned the origins of these refugees. Thoughts raced in his mind, and he felt even more admiration for the Lord.
He had wondered why the Lord had left the territory, it turned out it was to recruit more refugees.
The Lord was truly wise.
A territory’s development, after all, lacked people.
It seemed that he hadn’t thought enough.
He should learn from the Lord.
While thinking this, he still spoke mechanically, “To become a formal resident of Qingyun Village, each person needs to pay 2 copper coins, or they can substitute it with 100 units of wood. Those who don’t have enough copper or wood can register as temporary residents with 10 units of wood, allowing them to stay in the territory for one day.”
“The Lord mentioned this, so we collected some along the way. I have 100 units of wood.”
“I have some too.”
“I’ll just register as a temporary resident!”
“I haven’t eaten for a day, I want to eat something in the territory first, and also register as a temporary resident.”
“……”
For a moment, the scene became noisy.
“Those who wish to purchase formal resident status, stand in front of me. Those who want temporary resident status, stand in front of him. Everyone, line up, don’t cause trouble, maintain order.” Ulysses quickly spoke up, pointing to himself and then to Albert.
Once he finished speaking, the refugees quickly divided into two lines according to their conditions. It was clear that the ones standing in front of Ulysses were mostly young and middle-aged men, while the ones standing in front of Albert were mostly women, children, and a few elderly and injured.
The difference in the refugees was particularly obvious in terms of age and gender.
Ulysses said nothing about this but instead led the refugees to the village affairs center for registration.
Their arrival also caught the attention of the residents in the territory, who couldn’t help but murmur.
“So many people came again!”
“I wonder if the food in the territory is enough.”
“When we came here, the only one in the territory was the Lord. How much food could there be?”
“The Lord is so young and can establish a territory. She must have a great background.”
“Look, they even have rabbit meat!”
“And we have arms and legs. We can hunt magic beasts ourselves. If we hunt beasts, we’ll have meat.”
“Look, that group over there is all young and middle-aged men. They went out today and brought back a wild boar. Not only do they have food, but they also sold some to the trading center, earning quite a few copper coins!”
“Having a safe territory and the ability to gather and hunt with our own hands is much better than being a refugee with no idea what to do.”
“I’m not complaining.”
“Instead of worrying about the food supply, you should be worried about the monthly beast tide.”
“……”
When someone mentioned the beast tide, the atmosphere immediately fell into silence.
Yes, although they had somewhat stabilized now, it was only temporary. The monthly beast tide hung over their heads like a heavy stone, especially since their current territory seemed so weak. Would this territory even exist a month from now?
No one wanted to think too deeply about it.
Each day was another day survived. Compared to the days of wandering and hardship, having a month of stability was already something they had earned.
In the following days, more waves of refugees arrived in Qingyun Village, and they were quickly settled by Ulysses. The northwest area near the village gate became fully occupied.
To prepare for the night, they simply started a bonfire in the center of the camp.
It was at this time that Gu Qing returned to the territory. Thanks to the cover of darkness, her return went unnoticed.
As soon as she arrived, Gu Qing immediately went back to her residence and lit a candle.
The entire afternoon had left her both physically and mentally exhausted.
After taking a bath and eating a carrot, Gu Qing finally had the energy to organize the harvest of the day.
Both her personal panel and the lord’s panel had already changed.
【Name: Gu Qing】
【Race: Human】
【Level: lv.5 (5109/6000)】
【Health: 90/100】
【Stamina: 50/100】
【Skill Cards: Chain Attack, Chain Sprint, Stealth, Swordsmanship (max level: 4)】
【Talent: Leadership (Lord’s Token Function Enhancement)】
【Attributes: Constitution 7 (10), Intelligence 8 (10), Strength 4 (10), Defense 3 (10), Agility 7 (10), Charisma 9 (10)】
【Territory: Qingyun Village (Level 1 Village) 【Upgrade】
【Reputation: 1 (Unknown)】
【Population: 188/100】
【Tax Rate: 10% (Can be adjusted by the lord in real-time)】
【Resources: Rabbit Meat991, Rabbit Skin1013, Carrots1820, Tree Seeds30, Wood7040, Stone9030, Pork711, Sweet Potatoes1422, Beef129, Rice Seeds129, Wheat Seedlings129, Mutton255, Fodder510…】
【Buildings: Village Affairs Center, Fence, Residential Buildings, Trading Center, Primary Tailor Shop】
【Required Buildings for Upgrade: Trading Hall (Owned), Primary Tailor Shop (Owned), Primary General Goods Shop, Primary Warehouse, Residential Building (Owned), Farmland (Owned)】
Looking at these numbers, Gu Qing finally let out a deep sigh of relief.
With the red and green dots on the map indicating progress, besides saving a lot of refugees, she had also harvested quite a few magical beasts, especially those that could provide edible meat. This allowed her to secure this territory. Not only had her food reserves increased, but her personal level had also risen rapidly.
With every level-up, she could feel her body changing. The cooldown times and usage count for her skill cards when fighting magical beasts were significantly reduced.
However, after taking a walk through the area and seeing the magical beasts up close, Gu Qing didn’t feel overly smug.
It was precisely because she had walked around that she realized how many magical beasts were nearby. She also understood that when the beast tide came and these magical beasts concentrated on attacking her territory, it would be extremely difficult to deal with them.
She still needed to upgrade the territory quickly. Otherwise, when the beast tide arrives, she would end up as a refugee herself. At that point, she wouldn’t call it a vacation, she would call it a hardship.
Thinking of this, Gu Qing glanced at the upgrade requirements for the territory. The population had already been met, and the only remaining requirements were buildings.
The Primary General Goods Shop, Primary Warehouse, and Farmland.
At this point, Gu Qing couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful. After hunting so many magical beasts today, none of them had dropped any building blueprints. She hadn’t received any drops at all. Did that mean her territory would never upgrade?
Just as Gu Qing was lost in thought, the door suddenly knocked, and soon a familiar voice came.
“Lord, it’s me, Ulysses.”
Upon hearing the voice, a prompt appeared on Gu Qing’s screen asking if she wanted to open the door for a visitor.
Gu Qing selected “Yes,” and the door opened directly. Ulysses appeared outside, holding two bowls of food.
The scent of roasted meat immediately wafted into Gu Qing’s nose.
Was he bringing her food?
“Lord, I saw light coming from here and thought you must have returned. I brought you some food.”
“You’re too kind!” Gu Qing said this but quickly took the roasted meat and meat soup from Ulysses’ hands.
Aww, the last two days, she had been eating raw carrots, and now, the sight of this food was irresistibly tempting.
Seeing Gu Qing’s eager movements, Ulysses paused for a moment and silently made a note of it.
Then he waited quietly by the side.
After Gu Qing finished the roasted meat and soup, she looked at Ulysses. “Is there something you need?”
“Lord, I came to report on the current situation in the territory, and there are a few things that need your confirmation.”
“Go ahead.” In fact, by checking the territory template and the village affairs center template, Gu Qing already had an idea of what Ulysses had been working on.
Gu Qing was quite satisfied with how goods and currency were circulating in the territory now. She was glad she had recognized Ulysses’ potential. Letting him speak was more about seeing what his next plans were.
After Ulysses received permission, he briefly explained the situation and eventually brought up the upcoming important matter.
“The amount of wood and stone in the territory is skyrocketing. I think we can convert them into residential buildings. Right now, the residents are all gathered in a temporarily set up camp, and the order is quite chaotic. Since the lord already has blueprints for residential buildings, we can start by building a batch and either sell or rent them to settle the residents.”
“Besides wood and stone, today at the trading center, I also acquired some seeds. I hope the lord will allow me to gather the residents to cultivate farmland…”
Gu Qing had been carefully listening to Ulysses’ suggestions, but when she heard the part about cultivating farmland, she couldn’t help but pause for a moment, instinctively asking, “Can the farmland be cultivated by ourselves?”
“Yes, many of the residents were farmers before and owned their own land, so they naturally understand how to do it.” Ulysses found Gu Qing’s question a bit strange but answered it seriously.
【999, can farmland be cultivated? In that case, can the Primary General Goods Shop and Primary Warehouse be directly constructed?】 Gu Qing immediately asked the system.
999 System: 【Yes】
Gu Qing: 【Why didn’t you say so earlier?】
999 System: 【The Doomsday Game Subsystem cannot actively provide information to the host.】
If the system were to assist the host proactively, then what would be the point of the host’s role?
Gu Qing paused for a moment, and didn’t say more. She simply thought carefully.
She actually understood what she had overlooked.
She had thought this was a game world, where many things were fixed, like the need for blueprints to build a building, but she had overlooked the fact that this world, in addition to being a game world, was also a real world. In a real world, the rules are not rigid, they are dynamic.
At that moment, Gu Qing had an epiphany. She then looked at Ulysses and asked, “How many territories have you been to? What are the other territories like?”
Ulysses thought for a moment and began talking about the various territories he had visited.
After finishing his introduction, Ulysses added, “Human territories are numerous, but in terms of strength, the Elf and Orc races are the true powers of the Aldin Continent.”
“Wait, human territories? Elves and Orcs?” Gu Qing was surprised. There were other races in this world?
“There are five major races on the Aldin Continent: humans, elves, orcs, dwarves, and goblins.” Seeing Gu Qing’s surprise, Ulysses explained again.
He had also realized that his lord didn’t seem to be very familiar with the situation in this world.
But that didn’t matter. As long as this person in front of him could provide a stable life, that was enough.
“Please continue!” Gu Qing said.
She should have realized this earlier. The 999 system had mentioned “human territories” when referring to the territory.
She still had a lot to learn about the situation in this world.
That night, the candlelight in the residential buildings did not extinguish for a long time.