Chapter 45: The Ocean's Dream

Because the territory level had upgraded to an Advanced Village, the village council hall had also become more spacious.

The entire building was several times larger than before. The once dilapidated and simple structure had taken on a more ancient and elegant look; while it lacked intricate carvings and painted beams, it was decent enough and possessed the dignified air expected of an advanced village.

The expanded building included several additional rooms.

Upon entering the main gate, one found a wide courtyard leading to the main hall. To the left, there were three more rooms than before; in addition to the Lord's Warehouse and the kitchen, there were several rest rooms where Lin Mu and Chang Yin stayed at night.

The rooms were simple and ordinary, furnished with a standard gray wooden bed, a quilt, and a set of square tables and chairs.

To the right of the courtyard, besides a stable, there were unexpectedly several clusters of bamboo groves. Beside the bamboo grove was a small rocky hill, surrounded by a shallow pool of water. The water was crystal clear, with several small, exquisite fish swimming aimlessly within. This minor decorative touch was likely designed and built under Chang Yin's orders...

The council hall had also added several rooms. In addition to the back hall where the Village Order stone tablet was kept, there were now several administrative offices. More than a dozen people were already busy inside; these were assistants arranged by Chang Yin for territory operations, serving as civil officials to assist in handling territorial affairs.

Chang Yin could now be considered a leader with over a dozen subordinates!

"Yuanjian, are you busy? If there is nothing urgent, come to the side room; I have something to discuss with you!" Lin Mu called out to Chang Yin, inviting him to the side room of the hall to avoid disturbing the others.

Hearing Lin Mu's words, Chang Yin gave instructions to those around him and followed Lin Mu to the side room. After they both took their seats, Chang Yin spoke first.

"My Lord, did you not go to level up today? It is rare for you to visit the council hall; do you have some instructions for me?" Chang Yin teased with a smile.

"No, no. With you and Fengjin in the territory, I am very much at ease, and I have no troubles," Lin Mu said, waving his hand. He was joking—with divine generals like them stationed here, possessing high-tier attribute bonuses, they were infinitely stronger than a commoner like himself. If he didn't exploit them, who would he exploit? He had wanted to become a hands-off manager for a long time.

"It is like this: our village has been established for some time now, and the number of residents is slowly increasing. Everyone is working very hard, and as the Lord, I am very gratified. Everyone has contributed greatly, especially during the village upgrade. Should we not grant some rewards to encourage them? At the same time, because of Feng Zhong's superb military training capabilities, our territory has already trained three thousand elite soldiers with high aptitude. It is time to show off our muscles!" Lin Mu explained earnestly.

"Oh, I did not expect my Lord to be so considerate and caring toward the villagers. I am very happy; the villagers are truly blessed to have met you!" Chang Yin praised, feeling deeply gratified. These were exactly the things a qualified Lord should do.

"Haha, we are all one family. They are my kin in this world, so it is only right to treat them well," Lin Mu nodded with a smile.

"Good. Since my Lord thinks this way, I am at ease. As for the rewards you mentioned, I have a suggestion."

"Oh? What is it? Speak up!"

"Since our village has upgraded to an Advanced Village, I arranged for workers to build a village plaza a few days ago. The construction is nearly complete and should be finished in a day or two. When the time comes, my Lord could host a village-wide banquet at the plaza. Whether it is for granting rewards or simply raising a glass with the villagers, it will be of immense help in increasing their loyalty, cohesion, and recognition of the village. It would kill two birds with one stone!" Chang Yin suggested.

"Good, good! Yuanjian, your suggestion is exactly what I was thinking!" Lin Mu clapped his hands in approval. "Let it be so. You arrange the details for the villagers to prepare the banquet. If there is anything you need me to do, just let me know, haha!"

"Actually, there is. I feel that some of the high-level talents in the territory, such as the Jiang couple, the Expert-level Chef Huang Tao, the Expert-level Blacksmith Zhang the Great Artisan, and the Expert-level Shipbuilder Lu Hao, need to be formally invited by my Lord with respect. This will make them feel more devoted to us!" Chang Yin said. In Chang Yin's eyes, while these talents were not yet Divine or Grandmaster level, they provided a massive boost to the territory's current development. Therefore, the Lord himself needed to step forward to show respect to these talents.

Currently, many of the territory's rules and traditions were not yet fully established, requiring Lin Mu to personally extend invitations. Once the territory grew larger and more talents arrived, these formalities could be handled by professionals, and the big boss, Lin Mu, would no longer need to appear in person.

"Uh, alright. That is nothing. I will go invite them immediately!" Lin Mu felt it was no big deal. They were high-level talents of his own territory, so the reception should indeed be grand.

"Very well. I trust your handling of things, my Lord. Leave the trivial matters to me!" Chang Yin looked as if he wanted to say something more to remind Lin Mu of something, but Lin Mu did not notice and took his leave.

...

Without realizing it, the territory had actually acquired so many expert-level talents.

Junior, Intermediate, and Senior were merely basic talents. They were vital in the early stages, but in the late game, once high-end, cutting-edge products were being developed, what would be needed were Master and Grandmaster level talents. Expert-level talents were merely the foundational pillars.

An Expert-level Chef meant he could lead his subordinates to produce food with attribute bonuses. Lin Mu hadn't realized this—he had been careless. However, since Lin Mu did not participate in the day-to-day management, and Chang Yin felt it was just an expert-level talent, he hadn't specifically notified Lin Mu.

Lin Mu was already aware of the Jiang couple's attributes, but as for the Expert-level Blacksmith, Zhang the Great Artisan, he was likely the upgraded version of the high-level blacksmith Zhang Huo. Lin Mu summoned the territory attribute panel and found Zhang Huo's profile under the territory buildings

Name: Zhang Huo (Courtesy Name: Yaoxing) Aptitude: Tier 9 [Heavenly Mansion] Loyalty: 87 Profession: Expert-level Blacksmith Title: None Prestige: 1759 Identity: Chief Blacksmith of True Dragon Village Merit: 0 Level: 36 (48%) Command: 16 | Martial Power: 24 | Intelligence: 70 | Politics: 9 [Derived Attributes] Combat Power: 2600 Leadership: 1600 Divine Strategy: 7200 Internal Affairs Efficiency: 9% Stamina: 280 Speed: 50 Defense: 200 Morale: 120 Talent: [Hand of the Fire God]: Fate enters the Heavenly Mansion, Fire Element shines in the heavens. A forging and casting talent that increases forging success rate and the efficiency of learning and researching forging techniques. Possesses the active skill: [Descent of the Fire God]. Skills: [Steelmaking], [Refining], [Purification], [Descent of the Fire God] Specialties: Expert [Casting], Advanced [Inscription], Expert [Fire-Element Iron Forging] Internal Cultivation: "Three Pure Fire Element Scripture," Earth-tier manual, 9 layers total, currently at the 3rd layer. Each successful layer increases Intelligence by 2, Forging Success Rate by +5%, and Forging Critical Rate by +1%. Equipment: Fire-Element Blue-Gold Hammer (Forging Success Rate +15%, Stamina +50), Fire-Element Battle Armor (Defense +180), Fine Steel Boots (Speed +20, Defense +20) Wealth: 14,068 Copper Coins

He was actually a Tier 9 aptitude talent! He was originally Tier 8, and by increasing one level, he had become Tier 9—a talent with the potential to become a Divine Master. He had to seize this opportunity! *Gaga...*

Lin Mu had already seen the Jiang couple's attributes, so he skipped them and looked at the Expert Chef's attributes

Name: Huang Tao (Courtesy Name: Yuyu) Aptitude: Tier 8 [The Sun] Loyalty: 85 Profession: Expert-level Chef Title: None Prestige: 4406 Identity: Chief Chef of True Dragon Village Merit: 0 Level: 27 (36%) Command: 9 | Martial Power: 7 | Intelligence: 62 | Politics: 9 [Derived Attributes] Combat Power: 700 Leadership: 900 Divine Strategy: 6200 Internal Affairs Efficiency: 9% Stamina: 200 Speed: 35 Defense: 30 Morale: 90 Talent: [Disarticulation]: Fate enters the Sun, exquisite craftsmanship, Yang-Fire Profound Heaven. A collection and processing talent. Those with this talent can process ingredients like the legendary butcher Pao Ding, preserving the ingredients' attributes and enhancing certain aspects of them. Skills: Disarticulation Technique, Decomposition Technique, Preservation Technique Specialties: Expert [Cooking], Advanced [Fire Control], Expert [Ingredient Processing] Internal Cultivation: "Culinary Scripture," Profound-tier manual, 6 layers total, currently at the 3rd layer. Each successful layer increases Intelligence by 1, Cooking Success Rate by +5%, and adds +3% attribute bonuses to cooked food, making it more delicious. Equipment: Family Heirloom Vajra Blade (Cooking Success Rate +15%, Extra Food Attributes +10%), Deerskin Clothes (Defense +20), Deerskin Boots (Speed +10) Wealth: 4,068 Copper Coins

Haha, a very impressive Expert-level Chef. With Huang Tao, the upcoming banquet would have excellent food.

Furthermore, with an Expert-level Chef, he could build a Junior Tavern instead of just a village canteen, and he already had the blueprints for a Junior Tavern.

Because the number of residents was increasing, the village canteen had been constantly expanding due to insufficient seating. However, because this was an autonomous expansion, it hadn't been recognized by the system, meaning it lacked attribute bonuses like Comfort or Pleasure. Lin Mu's territory was a very unique existence.

Finally, he looked at the Expert-level Shipbuilder, but what Lin Mu most wanted to see was the status of the upgrading Expert-level Shipyard. He wondered what kind of ships an Expert-level Shipbuilder could build.

He hoped there would be special vessels. Expert-level talents might possess unique skills—some inherited, some self-researched—all of which were vital.

Name: Lu Hao (Courtesy Name: Weizhi) Aptitude: Tier 8 [Heavenly Harmony] Loyalty: 89 Profession: Expert-level Shipbuilder Title: None Prestige: 69 Identity: Chief Shipbuilder of True Dragon Village Merit: 0 Level: 36 (26%) Command: 29 | Martial Power: 16 | Intelligence: 64 | Politics: 9 [Derived Attributes] Combat Power: 1600 Leadership: 3200 Divine Strategy: 6500 Internal Affairs Efficiency: 9% Stamina: 250 Speed: 30 Defense: 40 Morale: 90 Talent: [Master's Might]: Fate enters Heavenly Harmony, exquisite craftsmanship. A manufacturing talent. Possessing this talent increases the speed and attributes of manufactured ships. Skills: Ship Keel Technique, Shipbuilding, Supervision Technique Specialties: Expert [Manufacturing], Advanced [Assembly], Expert [Ship Design], Special Specialty [Lu Ban Warship Supervision]. Internal Cultivation: "Seven Skills of the Divine Artisan Lu Ban," Earth-tier manual, 7 layers total, currently at the 3rd layer. Each successful layer increases the attributes of manufactured ships by +5%. Equipment: Lu Ban Profound-tier Artisan Box (Reduces ship manufacturing time by 20%, increases ship attributes by +20%), Deerskin Clothes (Defense +20), Deerskin Boots (Speed +10) Wealth: 12,068 Copper Coins

Shock! Ecstasy! There actually was a special Warship Supervisor! Without a second thought, Lin Mu immediately clicked on the Lu Ban Warship to check its attributes—something he had never seen before

Name: [Lu Ban Warship] Tier: Profound-tier Type: Warship Attributes: Length 100m, Width 30m, Sailing Speed 120 km/h, Durability 20,000/20,000. Description: This warship was developed by the descendants of the ancient Divine Artisan Lu Ban, not by Lu Ban himself; the name was chosen by descendants to commemorate his achievements. This warship condenses parts of Lu Ban's techniques and includes innovations, making it quite excellent. It can carry catapults, crossbow chariots, etc. The hull is sturdy and the speed is rapid. Manufacturing Requirements: Requires mastery of the "Seven Skills of the Divine Artisan Lu Ban," led by an Expert-level Shipbuilder, an Expert-level Shipyard, 20,000 units of Tier 3+ timber, 3,000 units of fine steel, 200,000 copper coins, 3 Advanced Shipbuilders, 10 Intermediate Shipbuilders, and 20 Junior Shipbuilders.

In the shipyard attributes, he found the construction speed: 10 days/vessel. Stock: 2. He actually already had 2 ships!

Seeing these attributes, Lin Mu was utterly shocked. He felt like he had wasted his previous life. Even the great powers of his past life likely only possessed Tier-Earth ships at most, yet he already possessed a Profound-tier vessel. This would be a massive help to his plan to plunder the vast resources of the ocean!

Lin Mu's mind was filled with thoughts of the endless treasures in the sea!

If he could train sailors, he could set out on ocean explorations. But, to his disappointment, he didn't have a single sailor; there were no relevant camp buildings to train or transition them into sailors...

Conquering the ocean is a dream for many men, much like conquering outer space. It is the future, the vessel for their dreams and ambitions, and a place of countless treasures!

In his past life, Lin Mu had also dreamed of being a captain sailing the four seas, commanding his own ship and leading his brothers and sisters to adventure and treasure hunting on fertile, uninhabited islands.

In "Mythical Three Kingdoms," the ocean has been expanded countless times, becoming boundless. There are countless spiritual lands and blessed sites, as well as a vast number of demon beasts and spirit beasts. The seas also hide countless dangers.

Ocean exploration is a high-risk, high-reward endeavor!

Unfortunately, being a captain is not easy; it is harder than being a village chief.

Going to sea requires immense preparation, otherwise, the ocean will become your grave.

To go to sea, you need a ship, and it cannot be just any ship; it must be able to withstand violent storms and the ravages of sea monsters. At the same time, finding skilled sailors is extremely difficult—harder even than obtaining a Tier 6 native.

The natural treasures of the ocean are virtually infinite. Many uninhabited islands with unharvested spiritual herbs draw many players, but developing a navy is no easy task.

When Lin Mu saw Lu Hao's attributes and the Lu Ban Warship, all he could think about was the infinite wealth of the sea and the passionate years ahead!

"With this warship in the territory, the blueprint for the ocean can be activated. It seems conquering the sea is not far off!" Lin Mu clenched his fists and spoke firmly, letting out a deep breath.