Chapter 25: A Flourishing Territory

On the return journey, despite being on familiar ground, it still took Lin Mu and his group four days to reach the outskirts of the village.

Looking at the village from a distance, Lin Mu saw that its area had increased tenfold since he last left. Furthermore, much of the territory's farmland had been reclaimed, and many farmers were busy at work.

From the sky, the orderly fields looked as if a sharp blade had sliced the earth into a neat cake, consisting of squares, triangles, and trapezoids—a truly pleasing sight.

The paths within were also well-planned and sturdily built, making travel much more convenient. It seemed Chang Yin was managing things exceptionally well; he truly lived up to his reputation as a God-tier Scholar.

Lin Mu checked the territory's population: 3529/100. It seemed the population growth over the past twenty days had been quite substantial. However, the territory level was still a Junior Village; he had not upgraded it yet.

Lin Mu didn't bother looking closely at other information, intending to learn more through his conversation with Chang Yin. He also hoped to hear the suggestions and insights of this God-tier Scholar, as he considered himself a relatively novice Lord.

After arranging for the youth and Xiaohu, Lin Mu headed straight for the Village Council Hall. At the same time, he instructed Xiaohu to summon Feng Zhong, who was currently training the soldiers.

After several days apart, Chang Yin remained spirited, and Feng Zhong remained robust and upright.

"Fengjin and Yuanjian, I haven't seen you in over ten days, yet you both look refreshed and your abilities have improved!" Lin Mu first checked Chang Yin's attribute changes

Name: Chang Yin, Courtesy Name: Yuanjian Aptitude: Tier 9 [Heavenly Minister] (Sealed) Loyalty: 100 Profession: God-tier Scholar Title: None Providence: 1.16 Yuan Identity: Village Clerk Merit: 0 Level: 18 (12%) Command: 21 | Martial: 10 | Intelligence: 21 | Politics: 47

[Derived Attributes] Combat Power: 1000 Leadership: 2100 Divine Strategy: 2100 Internal Affairs Efficiency: 267% Stamina: 250 Speed: 46 Defense: 160 Morale: 160

Talent: [Pioneer of Innovation] Skills: Bountiful Harvest, Favorable Weather, Social Harmony, Prosperous Living

Specialties Specialty 1: Advanced [Farming] specialty. Increases grain yield by 30% during farming operations. Specialty 2: Master-level [Expansion] specialty. Increases the overall effectiveness of leading citizens in land reclamation and similar activities by 100%. Specialty 3: [Infinite Command], a special specialty for God-tier Strategists. Breaks the limit of Leadership, allowing for the command of an unlimited population. Specialty 4: Advanced [Effective Governance] specialty. Ensures that administrative orders are executed smoothly from top to bottom, with an advanced efficiency of 50%.

Internal Cultivation: "Scripture of Nature": A God-tier manual with twelve layers. Each layer studied increases the Politics attribute by 2 points. Once mastered, it greatly enhances the effects of Scholar-type skills and provides special bonuses to territory operations such as farming, afforestation, and mountain/lake excavation. Currently studied to the 9th layer, increasing Politics by 18, territory operation bonus by 120%, and Scholar-type skill bonus by 900%.

Equipment: Deerskin Clothing, Deer Antler Shoes, [Ancestral Protection] Wealth: 191 Providence Gold Coins

His level had risen so quickly, already reaching level 18, and he had gained two new specialties: [Infinite Command] and Advanced [Effective Governance]. Among them, [Infinite Command] was truly overwhelming. Lin Mu was ecstatic; it actually broke the limit of Leadership, allowing him to manage countless people directly. No wonder the God-tier Generals and Strategists of his past life could command vast armies as easily as moving their own hands!

Lin Mu could have foreseen Chang Yin's growth; management-type talents do not level up slowly. They were simply domineering. However, there were still these unexpected developments; after all, he knew too little about God-tier Generals and Strategists.

After reviewing Chang Yin's attributes, Lin Mu looked at Feng Zhong's

Name: Feng Zhong, Courtesy Name: Fengjin Aptitude: Tier 9 [Martial Star] (Sealed) Loyalty: 100 Profession: God-tier General Title: None Providence: 1.17 Yuan Identity: Village Military Clerk Merit: 0 Level: 28 (10%) Command: 23 | Martial: 63 | Intelligence: 31 | Politics: 10

[Derived Attributes] Combat Power: 6300 Leadership: 3300 Divine Strategy: 6200 Internal Affairs Efficiency: 10% Stamina: 400 Speed: 80 Defense: 450 Morale: 236

Talent: [Divine Suppression Power] (Locked) Skills: [Nine Formations of the Yellow Springs] (Yellow Springs Formation, Heaven Cover Formation, Earth Support Formation, Wind Spread Formation, Cloud Hang Formation, Dragon Flight Formation, Tiger Wing Formation, Bird Soar Formation, Snake Coil Formation), [Divine Strategy], [Divine Calculation], [God of War]

Specialties Specialty 1: Expert-level [Eloquence] specialty. Possesses sharp rhetoric and flowing speech, providing massive bonuses to diplomacy, surrender negotiations, and verbal debates. Proficiency: 29%. Specialty 2: Grandmaster-level [Strategic Planning] specialty. Provides massive bonuses when marching, deploying formations, or executing tactics. Can easily see through [Strategic Planning] or [Scheming] specialties of Grandmaster rank or below. Proficiency: 1.7%. Specialty 3: Master-level [Military Training] specialty. Increases soldier training efficiency by 100% and has a high chance of triggering soldier talents. Specialty 4: [Infinite Command], a special specialty for God-tier Generals. Breaks the limit of Leadership, allowing for the command of an unlimited number of soldiers.

Internal Cultivation: "Scripture of Wonders", a God-tier inherited manual with twelve layers. Each layer increases Martial attribute by 2 points and greatly enhances General-type skill effects. Currently studied to the 8th layer, increasing Martial by 16 and increasing formation effects by 800%. (Upgradable)

Equipment: [Feng Hou's Protection] (Crown), Yellow Springs Set (Sealed): Yellow Springs Staff (Weapon), Heart of Yellow Springs (Accessory), Yellow Springs Boots (Shoes), Yellow Springs Greaves (Leggings), Yellow Springs Raiment (Clothing) Wealth: 188 Providence Gold Coins

As expected, as someone who fought on the front lines, his level rose even faster, reaching level 28. He also possessed [Infinite Command], just like Chang Yin. They were both incredibly overpowered.

"But what is with your base attributes? Feng Zhong, are you trying to be a master of Command, Martial, and Intelligence all at once?" Lin Mu didn't interfere. As a God-tier General, he had his own path; a novice like Lin Mu was in no position to judge a God-tier General!

Lin Mu continued to admire their attributes; it was a truly satisfying sight.

"Greetings, Lord. It has been many days, and you have also improved greatly! I hope you can grow quickly so our territory can become even more powerful!" Chang Yin said with a mysterious expression.

Having not seen him for days, Chang Yin had actually taken on a bit of a mystic persona.

"Indeed, Lord. Compared to me now, you could be defeated with a single finger! You are truly too weak!" Feng Zhong chimed in from the side, teasing him.

"Can I even compare to you two freaks?" Lin Mu rolled his eyes, ignoring their sarcasm.

"Hehe..." The two of them gave sheepish laughs. Indeed, the Lord's aptitude was quite weak, but with his immense Providence, he would surely be able to change his fate in the future, they both thought to themselves.

"Alright, now that your abilities are increasing exponentially, I will leave the management of the territory entirely to Yuanjian, and I'll have to trouble Fengjin with the cultivation of our military strength!" Lin Mu concluded.

"As you command, Lord. Thank you for your trust!" The two were deeply moved by Lin Mu's trust in them; being trusted felt wonderful.

In truth, if Lin Mu knew what they were thinking, he would have laughed heartily. *Haha, you two God-tier laborers—if I didn't use you, I'd deserve divine punishment! Haha...*

The feeling of being a hands-off Lord was quite pleasant and joyful!

"Fengjin, Yuanjian, a few days ago I received a territory expansion and subjugation mission. It requires us to resolve the threat one large mountain stronghold poses to another. By doing so, we can incorporate that large stronghold, which would bring in over a hundred thousand people. It would be a massive boost, a leap forward for our territory's development."

...

"The stronghold is Qingyun Stronghold, and the other is Qinglong Stronghold. I heard Qinglong has 100,000 elite soldiers, 80,000 of whom are Tier 3, and the rest are Tier 4. Fengjin, what do you think?" After introducing the mission details, Lin Mu consulted them for advice.

The two pondered for a moment.

"Lord, they are just 100,000 ordinary soldiers. Once our territory's soldiers are well-trained, destroying them will be as easy as reaching into a pocket!" Feng Zhong spoke first. "Our territory already has over 100 Tier 2 soldiers with Tier 6 aptitude. If we wait a little longer until I have trained a force like wolves and tigers, we can easily crush them!"

For a God-tier General like Feng Zhong, it was incredibly easy. In the days Lin Mu was gone, the territory had actually trained over 100 Tier 2 soldiers. He truly was a god of training!

Lin Mu marveled inwardly. *God-tier, God-tier... truly like gods. I had considered countless methods like poisoning, fire attacks, and water attacks, yet it can be solved just by waiting a little while.*

"As expected of Fengjin, my divine assistant. How much time do you need?" Lin Mu asked with curiosity and admiration.

"Two months will suffice. By then, I can recruit 1,000 high-aptitude citizens and train them into Tier 3 soldiers. At that point, we should be able to attack Qinglong Stronghold!" Feng Zhong said heroically.

Two months was not long; Qingfeng Stronghold should be able to hold out until then.