Chapter 19: The Farmer Could Not Have Appeared Out of Thin Air [Please Collect and Recommend]

According to the prompt, one only had to walk three miles directly north of the small courtyard to discover the stream.

Riding his old traveling horse at a steady pace, Zong Shen reached the stream in just six or seven minutes.

Although it was called a stream, the surface was about ten feet wide. The current was somewhat swift, but the water level was not deep.

Zong Shen dismounted and approached the bank.

The water was extremely clear; because it was running water, it was not turbid, and the pebbles at the bottom were clearly visible.

He looked up, following the stream upstream.

He discovered that the stream flowed out from the distant mountain forests to the north, meandering in a southwest direction.

Recalling the system's previous prompt about a lake to the southwest, he figured this stream must be one of the tributaries feeding into that lake.

Zong Shen was not surprised at all to find a water source nearby.

After all, if this area lacked water, it would have been impossible for such a large, lush grassland to form.

Furthermore, Zong Shen had discovered during his excavations that the soil here was extremely fertile black earth.

It was relatively moist and quite sticky.

In Earth terms, it was a humus-rich soil formed under the conditions of temperate humid climate grassland and meadow vegetation.

The organic matter in this type of soil ranged from 3% to 10%, making it incredibly fertile.

As long as the area did not suffer from desertification or the barrenness of the grasslands, it was impossible for it to lack water.

This was a matter of common sense.

However, the lords who landed in Gobi or desert regions must be having a miserable time.

He wondered if there would be some form of balancing compensation.

The various settings for a lord's survival were actually quite fair.

Standing by the stream, Zong Shen did not rush to draw water; instead, he began to contemplate the relationship between the environment and survival.

Then, with a wave of his hand, he took out the three wooden buckets he had previously made and placed them beside him.

He crouched down, scooped up a handful of water, and took a light sip.

The water was very sweet and clear, with no strange odor.

Clearly, this was a stream formed by mountain spring water flowing into the grassland.

Due to constant flushing and purification by the pebbles, the water quality was excellent.

He focused his gaze on the water's surface.

(The water source flowing from high mountain springs is rich in various minerals and of good quality, but it is still recommended that you boil it before drinking.)

After checking the strategy prompt and confirming its accuracy, Zong Shen began to collect the water.

He filled the three buckets one after another and stored them in his personal storage slots.

He left his old traveling horse to drink downstream on its own.

Since the three full buckets were of the same type, they could be stacked, so they did not occupy too many storage slots.

This gave him 30 liters of water.

Currently, his territory consisted of eleven farmers, two warriors, one black panther, one giant wolf, plus Zong Shen himself and the old traveling horse.

This 30 liters of water should be enough to last one to two days.

However, Zong Shen's territory was not far from this stream. Once he had sufficient timber resources, he could make more wooden buckets and have Colby come to fetch water.

He was not comfortable letting the farmers travel long distances.

The farmers' combat capability was too low; they had no ability to defend themselves, and losses would easily occur if they encountered danger.

As Zong Shen thought, he mounted his old traveling horse and rode back toward the small courtyard.

In his spare time, he needed to quickly understand some of the common-sense issues before him.

The "Lord Survival" system would not answer these questions; they were meant to be figured out by the lord themselves. But Zong Shen was different.

He had the strategy module.

Currently, Zong Shen did not have a clear goal regarding how to acquire more farmers.

His initial farmers were part of the starting gift.

Then, he had rescued eight more farmers by raiding a bandit camp.

These farmers did not seem to be able to be recruited out of thin air like warriors.

"How can I recruit more farmers?"

As the saying goes, when in doubt, consult the strategy.

Zong Shen immediately raised the question in his mind.

(Regarding the recruitment of farmers, there are several main methods

First, the primary method is to find indigenous villages, towns, or great cities. By increasing your prestige and completing regional favorability/prestige tasks, you can gain the trust of the natives. You can conscript natives in that area once every certain period, and the number of natives conscripted depends on the level of favorability/prestige and the scale of the region.

Second, mercenaries and men of ambition often appear in town taverns. Here, as long as you can pay sufficient rewards or promise to fulfill their ambitions, you can quickly acquire talent, and you might even encounter potential hero-type talents.

Third, raiding indigenous villages to forcibly seize population, though this may result in counterattacks and extermination efforts from various levels of indigenous forces.

Fourth, by attacking bandits, marauders, alien tribes, or nests, there is a chance to rescue a certain number of natives.

Fifth, purchasing through slave traders.

Sixth, as your territory expands and your influence increases, it will naturally attract population migration.

Seventh, if you are willing to accept alien races, you can even go to their nations to conscript them through alliances, increasing favorability, or raiding.

PS: The above methods are not the only ways to acquire population; there are countless opportunities and powerhouses waiting for you across the entire continent.)

So that was it!

Zong Shen understood immediately.

Farmers and other populations could not appear out of thin air; they had to be conscripted from the indigenous forces of the continent.

This was the main source of population.

Only after possessing a basic population could they multiply and thrive.

This would require decades of steady, painstaking work.

"What about soldiers? Can they only be conscripted through Recruitment Scrolls?"

Zong Shen raised his second question.

(The soldiers directly summoned through Recruitment Scrolls are all recruitment items left over from ancient times. While the number of Recruitment Scrolls is large, they are also very scattered and cannot be sought at will. They were once a major method of recruitment on the continent, but the unit types within them have almost become extinct. Powerful heroes or soldiers sleep voluntarily in another dimension, waiting for a lord's recruitment to reappear in this world.

In addition to Recruitment Scrolls, those indigenous farmers, as basic population units, can also be trained into soldiers, but this requires specific buildings, such as the Tier 1 barracks-type buildings found under [Construction].

These are the most common and basic human recruitment units; by spending some materials, farmers can be trained into soldiers.

Of course, there are many other special recruitment buildings that require continuous exploration and discovery by the lord!

In summary, you have a long road ahead. Work hard, you little rookie lord.)

After reading the prompt, Zong Shen had deeper thoughts regarding population and development.

To develop, contact with indigenous forces was unavoidable.

However, there was no rush.

Today was the first day of his development after landing.

The territory was not yet established.

At the very least, Zong Shen would not consider contacting indigenous forces until the territory had taken shape and possessed the ability to defend itself.

(End of Chapter)