Chapter 9 – 009
【009】 – Rescuing Refugees
One by one, the residents gathered in front of the fence, their faces filled with excitement.
Territory upgrades were not an everyday occurrence in the residents’ lives, but they knew that every upgrade was a great boon for both the territory and its inhabitants. They also knew that with the territory’s upgrade, its defensive capabilities would strengthen, and life within the territory would improve.
They had only been here for a few days, yet they had already witnessed an upgrade firsthand. It couldn’t be denied that it instilled a lot of confidence in them regarding the territory.
“The territory leveled up! This is great!”
“The area is so much bigger now. This will make collecting resources safer for us.”
“It’s closer to the Misty Forest now.”
“But doesn’t that mean the magical beasts are closer too? I’m afraid that starting tonight, magical beasts will be lurking outside the territory, preparing to attack.”
“An expanded territory is inevitable, but it’s okay. If they dare to come, we dare to fight. When the time comes, we’ll be able to feast on meat. We can always retreat into the territory. What’s there to fear?”
“You’re right.”
“…”
The residents continued to discuss among themselves, their smiles reflecting a sense of calm and confidence.
Obviously, the secure environment within the territory had given them a sense of assurance.
It was at this moment that Ulysses appeared.
As soon as they saw him, all the residents enthusiastically shouted, “Village Chief!”
Compared to their respectful demeanor toward Lord Gu Qing, these residents felt a more familiar connection with Ulysses, as he came from their group of refugees, so they felt more at ease and were more willing to approach him.
Ulysses looked at the residents and nodded in acknowledgment.
He understood that Gu Qing had appointed him as the village chief with the expectation that he would manage the village well. And to manage the village effectively, building a strong rapport with the residents was crucial.
Indeed, when the residents saw Ulysses acknowledge them, their smiles became even more sincere, and some felt emboldened to speak more freely.
“Village Chief, the work of the construction team has been completed. Can we continue working for the territory tomorrow?” asked a resident who worked with the construction team, their eyes subtly gleaming with hope.
After all, the benefits of working with the construction team were just too good.
In the past few days, they had finally tasted what it felt like to be full and had saved up a few copper coins, allowing their family to move into a proper residence.
And not just this person—other residents, too, eagerly looked at Ulysses, hoping to hear some good news from him.
“The construction team does indeed have more work ahead, but we’ll have to wait for Lord Gu Qing’s arrangements,” Ulysses replied, having already received information from Gu Qing and giving them a positive response.
“Will more people be recruited? Do we have a chance?” Upon hearing this, other residents immediately started to think about it.
“Currently, the number of people we have is enough for now, so there won’t be any major changes in the workforce. However, the items needed by the base have increased. We urgently need wood and stone for construction, and also cloth and leather. The tailor shop is also purchasing these, and the prices are relatively high.”
“Everyone should keep an eye on the village affairs center for notifications. The latest news will be posted there.”
“Also, in order to make life more convenient for the villagers, Lord Gu Qing will be opening a canteen in the territory. Any resident with a valid territory ID can enter. The food there is cheap, and payments can currently be made with wood and stone instead of copper coins.”
Ulysses delivered several pieces of news in one go, and the residents gradually felt reassured, especially about the last announcement, which was crucial to their survival.
One by one, their faces once again expressed their gratitude to Lord Gu Qing.
“Lord Gu Qing is truly merciful.”
“Thank you, Lord Gu Qing.”
“Lord Gu Qing is so kind. She’s the best lord I’ve ever encountered.”
“I originally thought it was already lucky just to be able to survive in the new territory, but to encounter such a lord, the days have become so much better—full of… hope.”
“When the beast tide comes, I’ll definitely fight the magical beasts. I can’t let them destroy this territory.”
“Yes, we should hunt more magical beasts in our daily lives. That way, maybe there will be fewer beasts during the tide.”
“…”
As the residents continued to discuss, their eyes, once filled with confusion, now seemed more resolute.
Ulysses, seeing this scene, couldn’t help but smile slightly.
He thought that, under Lord Gu Qing’s leadership, the territory would only continue to improve.
—
Meanwhile, Gu Qing had no idea what was going on outside. After the upgrade, she began reviewing the updated module data of the territory.
【Territory: Qingyun Village (Level 2 Village)】
【Reputation: 2 (Anonymous)】
【Population: 188/1000】
【Tax Rate: 10% (Can be adjusted in real-time by the lord)】
【Resources: Rabbit Meat819, Rabbit Fur1013, Carrots1598, Tree Seedlings40, Wood11020, Stone13880, Pork650, Sweet Potato1222, Beef119, Rice Seeds129, Wheat Seedlings129, Mutton225, Hay510, …】
【Buildings: Village Affairs Center, Fence, Residences, Trading Hall, Primary Tailor Shop, Primary Grocery Store, Primary Warehouse, Residences, Farmland】
【Next Upgrade Requirements: Wall (Fence Upgrade), Primary Watchtower, Primary Barracks, Primary Blacksmith Shop, Primary Lumber Mill, Primary Quarry.】
The two reward blueprints are for the Primary Watchtower and Primary Barracks.
Primary Watchtower: 200 Wood, 200 Stone,
Primary Barracks: 2000 Wood, 2000 Stone,
From the required buildings for this upgrade, it is clear that the focus is on the military development of the territory, aimed at enhancing its combat power.
Gu Qing was quite pleased with this and carefully examined the descriptions of these two buildings.
【Primary Watchtower: Observation range of 1000 meters, can observe the surrounding situation of the territory.】
【Primary Barracks: Can turn residents into Primary Soldiers to increase combat power. Each soldier’s promotion costs 100 copper coins.】
This was the first time Gu Qing saw that buildings also had additional costs, and she couldn’t help but calculate it in her mind.
100 copper coins for one person, 1000 copper coins for 10 people, 10,000 copper coins for 100 people—not to mention the daily costs of maintaining soldiers.
In a word, she was still too poor.
At this point, Gu Qing casually glanced at the data of the Village Affairs Center to assess the current assets of the territory.
【Building: Village Affairs Center】
【Population: Official Residents (118), Temporary Residents (70)】
【Tax Revenue: 112 Copper】
【Assets: 29,372 Copper】
【Resources: Rabbit Meat819, Rabbit Fur1013, Carrots1598, Tree Seedlings40, Wood4000, Stone2880, Pork650, Sweet Potatoes1222, Beef119, Rice Seeds129, Wheat Seedlings129, Mutton225, Hay510…】
【Noticeboard: Operation】
Most of the copper coins rewarded by the system were still held within the territory. It’s not that the copper coins weren’t spent, but after being spent, they were taken back from the residents through the sale of food.
For now, with fewer people, it could be managed, and they could be self-sufficient, but once the population grew, she would have to consider whether the territory could avoid going bankrupt.
Thinking about the population, she couldn’t help but think about the required population for a Level 3 Village, which jumped from 100 to 1000. With a gap of more than 800 people, how could she attract the refugees? After that, how would they be settled? It was another problem.
It was like a lock with interconnected links—if any one part of the system failed, the entire lock would lose its function.
Her head was spinning.
Unable to help herself, Gu Qing muttered, 【999, every time I try to believe in what you say, reality hits me hard.
999 System: 【Host, happiness is something that’s realized through comparison.】
This time, the 999 System didn’t say anything comforting to Gu Qing because it knew that the more Gu Qing understood this world, the more she would realize that trying to be lazy in this world—well, it was difficult, to say the least.
There’s a saying that goes well:
Even though the world is tough, one must still hold onto hope.
It only gave Gu Qing a bit of hope.
Gu Qing was too exhausted to speak further, so she didn’t say anything else and directly started operating on the screen in front of her.
The first batch of completed buildings needed to be put into use as soon as possible to fulfill their intended functions and promote the vitality of the territory.
First, the Primary Warehouse. Currently, all the resources in the territory, including those in her personal module’s backpack, were mixed together. There wasn’t much distinction between her personal resources and the territory’s resources, and while there were no issues right now, in the long term, not only would it occupy her backpack space, but it would also make the territory’s accounting messy. The appearance of the Primary Warehouse perfectly solved all of these concerns.
Gu Qing immediately transferred all the resources, except for the skill cards, from her backpack into the warehouse. In an instant, her backpack was completely emptied, leaving only some skill cards.
Looking at these skill cards, Gu Qing suddenly had a thought—could the natives of this game world use these skill cards?
【999, you mentioned that some small and medium-sized territories are willing to accept residents who are level 20 or above. Do residents who are level 20 or above have skill cards?】
999 System: 【Natives above level 10 will derive corresponding skills based on their attributes, which are equivalent to skill cards. There is no upper limit, but using skill cards allows natives below level 10 to have skills in advance.】
Gu Qing was surprised: 【So, the survivors from Earth would be in high demand?】
999 System: 【Yes, they are like moving small treasure troves. If used properly, survivors can quickly establish themselves in the game world. If used improperly…】
999 didn’t finish its sentence, but Gu Qing understood its meaning.
If the survivors’ skill cards were discovered by the natives, they would definitely become the targets of many natives’ covetous eyes and might not be able to keep them.
This game was indeed balancing the strength of the game world’s natives and the Earth’s survivors. It was also promoting their integration, with great foresight.
Then, Gu Qing’s attention returned to the skill cards.
The highest-level person in the territory right now was Ulysses, who was only level 5. If she distributed these skill cards within the territory, it would definitely enhance the territory’s strength. But right now, the territory was a mix of people, and news could easily leak out. If that happened, it would be detrimental to her still-weak territory.
Therefore, the skill cards could be distributed, but only to people she could trust. And at the moment, there was no one in the territory she trusted. So, the skill cards would have to wait for now.
With this decision made, Gu Qing continued to focus on the other remaining buildings.
Primary General Store: Sells various items and has a certain chance of attracting wandering merchants.
Wandering merchants? From the name, they should be merchants who circulate goods between various territories. She wasn’t sure when they would be attracted here.
It seemed that each building had its unique purpose, and once developed, it would greatly benefit the territory. She needed to activate these buildings first.
As she thought about it, Gu Qing already had a plan in mind. She clicked on the Village Affairs Center and began to operate the noticeboard.
She couldn’t be bothered to look for Ulysses. Anyway, it only required a simple operation on the panel, and she could handle it herself.
【Recruit Soldiers 20, combat experience preferred…】
【Build Primary Blacksmith Shop, construction experience preferred…】
【Build Primary Logging Camp, construction experience preferred…】
【Build Primary Quarry, construction experience preferred…】
【Form a team to explore the territory map, outdoor experience preferred…】
【Rescue Refugees Task, open to all residents, rescue 1 person, reward 1 copper coin.】
【…】
Gu Qing, who was operating the system proficiently, didn’t realize that, unknowingly, she had already started to get used to her identity as the lord.