Chapter 18: Development of the Territory, Local Specialties

Chapter 18: Territory Development, Specialty Products!

Inside the house, Chang Yin heard Gouwa's call and knew it was Lord Lin Mu, who had not appeared for three days.

"Alright, I know, I know. You little rascal, so naughty!" Chang Yin patted Gouwa's head, lecturing him with a kind smile.

Seeing Lin Mu enter, Chang Yin stood up and bowed slightly. "My Lord, you have returned from your training! Your skills must have improved significantly. Congratulations, My Lord!"

Lin Mu waved his hand in response. "Yuanjian, please don't be so formal. My skills have improved slightly, but it is nothing worth mentioning."

"Later, Xiaohu and I are going to take a stroll to check out the surrounding environment of the territory. I've come to see how much the territory has developed over these past few days," Lin Mu asked casually.

"Reporting to My Lord, after several days of development, the territory has undergone great changes." Lin Mu had noticed changes when he arrived, but he didn't know the specifics yet, so he listened intently to Chang Yin's detailed report.

As a God-tier Scholar, Chang Yin's capabilities were no joke.

"Following your orders, My Lord, our territory now possesses three major industries: First, weapon and equipment manufacturing at the blacksmith shop; second, land reclamation and farming to develop agriculture; and third, the mining of stone, wood, and minerals," Chang Yin began with a summary.

"With the bonus from the God-tier territory attribute, combined with my internal affairs efficiency bonus, the temporary first industry you specifically ordered—the manufacturing of iron weapons and equipment—has developed rapidly. We have a basic blacksmith shop containing one advanced blacksmith, four intermediate blacksmiths, and 17 junior blacksmiths. Advanced blacksmiths can craft equipment up to Yellow-grade. Currently, we have forged a total of 740 blades, spears, and swords, and 135 sets of iron chainmail. As the blacksmiths' skills and numbers increase, production will rise even higher."

"Then, there is the temporary second industry, agriculture. Following your focus, we have assigned a large number of colonists without special talents or aptitudes to land reclamation. Currently, there are 313 junior farmers, 47 intermediate farmers, and 18 advanced farmers. We have reclaimed 9,000 mu of land, but due to the territory's seed limitations, we have only planted 100 mu so far. However, the crops can be harvested in three days. Once we select superior seeds, we can plant all the reclaimed land, making the territory's food supply completely self-sufficient."

"Additionally, it is worth mentioning that while hunting in the wild, Fengjin encountered some rare beasts and discovered a special type of wild ox called the Azure Ox, as well as several nests of Rainbow Pheasants. The Azure Ox belongs to a small herd numbering in the thousands, while the Rainbow Pheasants are even rarer; we only caught 7 nests containing 83 chicks. The day before yesterday, a colonist with a special talent appeared in the territory—Jiang Yuan, who is Gouwa's father. Jiang Yuan possesses the talent [Beast Heart], which allows him to domesticate wild beasts into livestock. With him, those rare beasts, the Azure Ox and Rainbow Pheasants, can be domesticated as territory specialties in the future. They will be extremely valuable; I hope My Lord will give this due importance!" Chang Yin's expression became serious as he spoke, hoping Lin Mu would take notice.

Hearing Chang Yin's words, Lin Mu was ecstatic. A beast tamer with a special talent! That colonist refresh was a critical hit.

He hadn't expected Gouwa's father to be so impressive. Lin Mu knew how low the probability was for such special talents to appear. In his past life, his territory had never refreshed such precious talents; he had to purchase relevant specialty books in developed counties to train them himself, which showed just how rare they were.

"What? Azure Ox and Rainbow Pheasants? How many colors does the Rainbow Pheasant have?" When Lin Mu heard the word "specialty," he was overjoyed. The word "specialty" held a massive attraction for him.

"It is three-colored! However, some are about to ascend to five-colored," Chang Yin replied, momentarily stunned. *Does My Lord already know this news?*

"Oh, three-colored, that's quite good!" The rarity of the Rainbow Pheasant was distinguished by the number of colors on its feathers: one-color, three-color, five-color, seven-color, and so on. In his past life, Lin Mu had eaten three-colored Rainbow Pheasant eggs; they were excellent for restoring stamina and were an essential ration for marching and warfare!

In truth, Lin Mu was secretly hoping for seven-colored ones, but he knew his expectations were perhaps too high.

"What is the situation with the Azure Ox?" After learning about the pheasants, Lin Mu shifted his attention to the oxen.

"The Azure Ox likely possesses a trace of ancient Azure Ox bloodline. Their endurance and stamina are excellent, and their speed in land reclamation is very fast, which is vital for clearing land and plowing fields! I have instructed Jiang Yuan to extensively breed both the Azure Ox and the Rainbow Pheasants, ideally establishing a stable source of offspring to form a certain scale. This will be a massive help to the territory's farming and food supply!"

"Good, good! Yuanjian, I trust your work! Continue with the rest of the report," Lin Mu said, placing great importance on Chang Yin's insights.

The territory had discovered two rare beasts that could potentially become specialties; Yinglong Valley was indeed a land of treasures and abundant resources.

Once the Mang Azure Oxes were successfully domesticated, they could serve as oxen for plowing. They were strong, possessed great stamina, and were excellent for clearing and turning soil—dozens of times stronger than the common draft animals like nags or water buffalo in Lin Mu's former territory.

As for the Rainbow Pheasants, Lin Mu had heard of this extremely rare breed. They could lay colorful eggs that were highly nutritious. Eggs of five colors or higher were considered rare delicacies eaten only by the powerful clans and nobility of the Han Dynasty.

Specialties were unique industries within a territory, and to qualify as one, they had to be extremely rare. As the name implies, they were "special products." In games, some specialties were unique, while others were not unique but still very rare; other territories might have them, but not many. Otherwise, they wouldn't be called specialties. In the eyes of players, specialties represented wealth! Possessing a specialty meant one could develop at a breakneck pace!

Hearing there were two potential specialties, Lin Mu understood the massive profits involved. What makes the most money? Monopolies. A specialty was a monopoly.

Chang Yin continued his report: "Furthermore, the number of people in the mining camps has increased significantly. There are 3 advanced miners, 8 intermediate miners, and 36 junior miners. Currently, the territory's ore reserves are very sufficient. We also have woodcutters and stonecutters: 6 woodcutters and 4 stonecutters. The territory has enough ordinary wood and stone for now, but I have instructed them to continue mining and stockpile as much as possible, as the population will grow. For now, due to limited transport manpower, the resources are being stored at the logging and quarry sites."

Lin Mu didn't place much importance on wood and stone for now. Once a basic trading market was opened, many players would sell common resources; he wouldn't focus his attention there yet.

"There is also good news: 6 architects have appeared. One is an advanced architect, while the others are junior. Currently, these six can establish the territory's basic buildings, meeting the fundamental living needs of the colonists! They won't have to sleep in the wild or eat tasteless meat."

"Mhm, the construction industry cannot be ignored. We should support them heavily and help them gain professional experience," Lin Mu instructed.

"Yes, I shall ensure that is done!"

"And since the territory has a beast tamer, we can domesticate more beasts to establish a livestock industry. The territory's development will be even faster and better! Haha! We must properly arrange rewards for Jiang Yuan!" Lin Mu said joyfully.

"Me too, me too!" Beside him, the restless Gouwa, munching on beef jerky, chimed in. Haha...

"Alright, alright, a reward for the lovely Gouwa as well!" Lin Mu said, unable to contain his happiness.

"Heehee..." Hearing someone praise his father, Gouwa felt a sense of shared pride and was very happy.

"The colonists gathering wild fruits have also discovered many rare fruit trees, vegetables, and medicinal herbs. However, our territory currently lacks gardeners and herbalists. Many rare plants were collected only once and cannot be transplanted or cultivated, which is a great pity." Lin Mu felt a sense of regret upon hearing this. He wondered why the territory didn't spawn all kinds of talents; it was the classic "greed for more" mentality.

"It's fine. Once we have more colonists, all sorts of talents will surely appear. For now, if we find those rare plants and they aren't ripe, try not to harvest them. Mark their locations instead, so we can transplant and cultivate them once we have specialists. A diversified territory is the way to go," Lin Mu comforted Chang Yin.

"Your handling of this is very appropriate, My Lord. I shall strive to learn from your attitude."

Lin Mu was speechless. *Learn from me? I know how difficult it is; otherwise, I wouldn't have wasted those rare plants. They aren't going anywhere if left there.*

...

"Lastly, there is the development of the territory's fisheries. Since three intermediate shipbuilders have appeared, the junior shipyard can now manufacture advanced fishing boats. The fishermen can catch a lot of produce, about 4,000 units a day, which is also a vital source of food. The colonists are very happy to be able to eat fish."

"Because human activity is sparse, the fisheries of the Yinglong River are very rich, with many species of fish. I believe we can keep the rare fish caught to use as breeding stock. We could even excavate a large lake to raise them, creating a stable source of fishery for the territory. I hope My Lord will consider this!"

...

"The final matter is the hunting team led by Fengjin. They bring sufficient meat to the territory every day, contributing greatly to our stability during the difficult early stages of village building," Chang Yin said, requesting credit for Feng Zhong.

For a God-tier general like Feng Zhong to serve as a mere hunting captain was indeed a waste of talent, but there was no choice. To maximize the utility of all villagers, everyone was put to work, and soldiers had not yet been trained.

For now, Feng Zhong would have to endure the slight indignity!

"Additionally, Fengjin has obtained many animal pelts. Through the processing of the territory's tailors, some equipment has been made. If My Lord goes out on adventures, you may choose a piece or two of equipment there to arm yourself!"

"An expert-level talent has also appeared in the tailoring department; they are our territory's second expert-level talent!" Chang Yin smiled.

"That's my mother! It's my mother!" Beside him, Gouwa, who knew the specifics, chimed in when he heard the mention of an expert-level tailor.

It turned out this whole family was extraordinary! A lineage of tigers!

"Furthermore, I hope My Lord will stay safe. You are the stabilizing force of our entire territory; we cannot do without you!" Finally, Chang Yin pointed out a crucial fact: Lin Mu was the most important person in the territory. His fate represented the fate of the entire territory.

Lin Mu felt a slight chill in his heart. It was true—if he were to suffer "permanent death" due to some special circumstance, the village would fall apart.

...

Chang Yin slowly went through all the various affairs of the territory, detailing the people, yields, products, and so on. He pointed out important matters one by one and did not hesitate to suggest improvements or point out flaws. He was a very responsible assistant, and Lin Mu felt extremely fortunate to have such divine assistance.

After exchanging pleasantries with Chang Yin, Lin Mu did not hold back his praise, loudly commending both Chang Yin and Feng Zhong. However, since the territory rarely lacked money or treasures, there were no immediate rewards to give; he would deal with that later, noting it in his mental "notebook."

Bidding farewell to Chang Yin and Gouwa, Lin Mu took Xiaohu toward the territory's tailor shop to see the equipment Chang Yin had mentioned.

Like other basic buildings, the tailor shop occupied about one mu of land. It had no luxurious decorations, looking like an ordinary ancient house, but the sign "Tailor" hanging outside marked its purpose.

In stark contrast to the blacksmith shop, which was filled with shirtless, burly men, the tailor shop was filled with groups of women and young girls, with some children playing among them.

Seeing the Lord approaching, they all rose happily to greet him: "Greetings, My Lord!"

Haha, seeing this group of women and children, Lin Mu felt a bit restless. He thought of the historical beauties of the Three Kingdoms. In his past life, he had been fortunate enough to see many peerless beauties. It was undeniable that ancient beauties were exquisite, elegant, virtuous, and full of charm. Unfortunately, no matter how hard Lin Mu tried, he could never touch them. Like many players, he could only sigh in longing, silently cursing: *The cabbage is all being eaten by pigs; I hope those pigs get slaughtered soon!* At the same time, he very much wished he were one of those pigs!

Having experienced the peerless beauties of his past life, seeing the women of his current territory did not turn Lin Mu into a lecher. He remained composed, his expression unchanging and his gaze steady.

*The Lord is truly young and promising, possessing great wisdom and courage. If only I could serve him a little, it would be worth my time in this world,* many young girls thought to themselves.

Lin Mu did not know their thoughts, and even if he did, he wouldn't care. He didn't have those intentions for now, and his standards were quite high. If it were historical beauties like Diaochan, he might be interested, haha...

Though Lin Mu was daydreaming, his face remained perfectly calm, his self-control practiced to perfection.

*Women are all sources of trouble and pink skeletons, hmph, I stand alone in my virtue.*

The women in the tailor shop treated Lin Mu very warmly, but he sent them away, as he and Xiaohu were only there to select a piece or two of equipment.

He was shocked when he actually looked. The tailor shop could actually produce such high-quality equipment!