Chapter 31: A Bountiful Harvest

No matter how much you stir up the wind and clouds, I shall remain unmoved.

After purchasing those items, Lin Mu still had over 3 million copper coins left, so he needed to look into other resources.

Iron ore—not too much, not too little, 5 copper coins per unit. He bought it...

Dark Copper ore—not bad, 10 copper coins per unit. He took it all...

...

Green Oak stone—Grade 1 stone material, quite good, 3 copper coins per unit. He took it all as well...

...

Zhangqing Wood—Grade 1 wood material, 4 copper coins per unit. Excellent, bought instantly...

...

Lin Mu continued to harvest various resources from the market, spending another million copper coins. This caused a period of prosperity in the Dongye County market; with people selling and buying in large quantities, the market circulation stimulated other players to a certain extent.

Because of Lin Mu's massive spending, many player teams were attracted. Many teams left their homes and migrated directly to Dongye County. Some teams even treated this small, insignificant southern county as their future permanent base, bringing their families, belongings, and tools, raising the county's population to a new height!

With these changes, Dongye County seemed filled with business opportunities. Players who had transitioned into the Merchant class were also drawn here, further promoting the prosperity of the county.

Countless market demands ignited the enthusiasm of players for resource gathering. Countless players began to form groups—lone wanderers, swordsmen, and more—leaving the city to explore and gather resources in the dangerous wilderness, selling them for copper coins to exchange for money and weapons!

Currently, many players were discussing the [Black Iron Refined Steel Spear], [Black Iron Refined Steel Saber], and [Black Iron Refined Steel Sword], forming a massive trend.

"Do you have a [Black Iron Refined Steel Spear]?" "No." "Then do you have the skill? What level?" "What, only level 2? Get lost..."

"Do you have a [Black Iron Refined Steel Saber]?" "Yes!" "Come, come, let's be friends! We can team up to hunt monsters later!"

...

"You want to be my boyfriend? Fine, do you have a [Black Iron Refined Steel Spear] weapon?" "No." "Get lost..."

...

"Oh, you have a car and a house? Then do you have a [Black Iron Refined Steel Sword]?" "What! You don't know about this? You're so out of touch! We live in different worlds..."

...

"Hubby, I want a [Black Iron Refined Steel Sword], buy me one!" "Got it! Unlock a new position tonight!"

"Holy crap, they're out of stock in the market! Where can I buy one? My new position!"

...

The Black Iron Refined Steel weapons attracted immense attention and pursuit, with owning them becoming a trend. Unfortunately, they were currently out of stock. Countless players wailed in their hearts: *Boss, when will you have more to sell? I'll spend my entire fortune to buy them!*

...

Lin Mu bought up many rare iron ores, stone materials, and wood materials, spending over 1 million copper coins in total. These could bring more development opportunities to the territory, taking its growth to the next level.

Lin Mu began slowly moving the supplies into the territory's warehouse. He used the 8 Basic and 4 Intermediate Warehouse Construction Blueprints he had purchased to build many basic and intermediate warehouses. A basic warehouse could store 100,000 units of supplies, while an intermediate one could store 1,000,000 units. The territory's current warehouse capacity was sufficient.

In addition to grain and other supplies, the [Dire Wolf Iron Shield] crafting manual had been handed over to the blacksmiths in the medium and high-level blacksmith shops to study

Name: [Dire Wolf Iron Shield] Crafting Manual Grade: Yellow Trait: Shield Attribute: Allows blacksmiths of Intermediate grade or higher to learn how to craft the [Dire Wolf Iron Shield]. Description: Named for the fierce patterns of a dire wolf carved upon it. Requires Grade 1 or higher ore for forging. Tough and durable, it is the preferred choice for powerful tanks. If Dire Wolf Fangs are added, it can become a true Dire Wolf Iron Shield, reaching the Black Grade! One shield requires the collaboration of three Intermediate blacksmiths to complete.

With the manual, Lin Mu instructed them to learn it once the conditions were met and to try to produce as many shields as possible.

The blacksmiths began learning and forging shields, though Lin Mu still ordered them to prioritize the forging of Black Iron Refined Steel weapons. Shield production should first satisfy the territory's soldiers; forging 1,000 of them would suffice for now.

Lin Mu planned to arm 1,000 soldiers and have them transition into Shield Bearers, which might be useful when the territory levels up.

In the Mythical Three Kingdoms, there are many weapons such as sabers, spears, swords, halberds, bows, and more; these are all commonly used. In Chinese culture, cold weapons are countless, and they are also present in the Mythical Three Kingdoms.

However, in Lin Mu's heart, the spear was the most important; it had always been his primary weapon.

Sabers and swords were also exceptional.

The Saber is the overlord of all weapons, also known as the courage of all weapons. A saber is like a fierce tiger—bold, domineering, capable of splitting mountains and crushing stones, its ferocity enough to swallow the world!

The Spear is the king of all weapons, also known as the king of the battlefield. A spear is like the god of war; its momentum can pierce the heavens and shake the world!

The Sword is the gentleman of all weapons, also known as the ornament of virtue. It is an ancient sacred item, supreme and noble. Whether emperors, officials, heroes, merchants, or commoners, all take pride in wielding one.

Because its blade is light, elegant, and swift, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, many generals and scholars wore swords in their daily social activities to symbolize their gentlemanly status. Simultaneously, if an emergency arose, they could use the sword for self-defense.

Swords were mostly worn on the left side. When not in use, the left hand would rest upon it, looking elegant and poised; when needed, the right hand would reach out and draw it with extreme convenience.

In the world of greenwood wanderers, most swordsmen carry swords, so people call these light wanderers "Sword Heroes"! Those who carry sabers are called "Saber Warriors"!

There is also a saying: "A month for a saber, a year for a sword, and a lifetime for a spear!"

"A month for a saber" describes how one can learn to use a saber in a month. Its moves are broad and powerful, quite simple; with focused study, one can surely master it.

"A year for a sword" means one can learn to use a sword in a year and reach a proficient level. Swordplay is light, elegant, and unpredictable—killing a man in ten steps without leaving a trace! Furthermore, sword styles are ever-changing and difficult to master, hence the longer training time.

Finally, "a lifetime for a spear" means that the spear is something you can study for your entire life. Some people study for a lifetime and perhaps never even grasp the basics, which shows its difficulty. For many, it is hard to reach proficiency without three to five years of practice, and to reach the realm of perfection, hard work goes without saying, but more importantly, it depends on talent. Without the talent for using a spear, it is better to give it up and learn other, easier weapons!

Spear techniques are infinitely varied and divine. They can attack or defend; a thrust can be as delicate as a drop of water, possessing endless utility!

The spear is long and sharp, making it the most effective in actual combat with fierce lethality! On the battlefield, the vanguard is almost always composed of spearmen; the damage they deal is massive and highly advantageous to the battlefield situation.

Therefore, many players use the spear as their primary weapon, but to become a Grandmaster of the spear, or even reach higher realms, one needs high-aptitude exclusive talents.

Lin Mu currently had no talents, and his aptitude felt pitifully low!

...

After handling various affairs, Lin Mu listed 500,000 copper coins for sale on the Black Market platform. However, to avoid attracting unwanted attention, he split the 500,000 copper into over 50 groups—some for 10,000, some for a few thousand, and some exceeding 10,000. This way, the listings wouldn't draw suspicion. He needed to be cautious; after all, in reality, he still needed to be prudent.

100,000 copper coins = 200,000 RMB. Selling in over 50 groups, thanks to his weapon sales, many players had no copper coins, making the Black Market's copper very hot. Soon, Lin Mu's real-world bank account received 1 million RMB. Money came fast; a Lord was indeed a tycoon.

In his previous life, Lord-type players had always been the objects of envy. Generally, those who were Lords possessed some wealth, and if they developed well, their wealth became even more substantial. Although many players hoped to be Lords, unfortunately, it wasn't something ordinary players could afford. In his previous life, he had obtained a territory by accident, and its good development had brought him significant income, though he eventually left...

Regardless, current Lord-type players were synonymous with "tycoons." As players developed, the number of Lords would gradually increase, lowering the average wealth of the class. However, over time, the cruelty of the market and the outbreak of wars would lead to intense competition and chaos. Big fish would eat small fish, and whales would swallow schools of fish. Some low-foundation territories would be eliminated, annexed, or turned into vassals, gradually disappearing or transforming. Thus, in the late game, the stability would increase, and Lord-type players would truly manifest their status as genuine tycoons.

Lin Mu had about 1.4 million copper coins left, which served as the territory's liquid capital; otherwise, he wouldn't even have enough to pay the citizens' wages.

Although the territory currently lacked any commercial atmosphere, paying wages was merely a method of incentive. Once commerce developed in the future, it could be utilized. In China, whether in ancient, modern, or new eras, the hardworking Chinese people liked to save money. Only with savings could one have peace of mind against accidents, unlike Westerners who might live for the moment and spend future wages in advance if they ran out of money today.

Currently, the citizens of Lin Mu's territory all served him. They ate from the communal pot, and the territory issued some copper coins as wages, allowing them to live and work in peace. However, the territory's commerce had always been underdeveloped; there were too few transactions between citizens, and his territory was closed off, which was a concern for Lin Mu.

Lin Mu had discussed this with Chang Yin, but the situation could not be changed immediately. It required a gradual process; it could not be achieved overnight, or it would leave greater hidden dangers.

Since he had money now, those working for the territory could receive wages, and the territory's [General Store] could also be established. It was included in the building blueprints Lin Mu had purchased.

Once the Basic General Store was established, the system would refresh a Basic Merchant inside, and the products in the shop would also be system-generated. Both players and citizens could purchase them. Although this Basic General Store was a territory building, it belonged to the system—this was the true "System Mall." The shops in the Han Dynasty government were merely run by wealthy merchants, official merchants, or imperial merchants—that is, shops operated by noble families, high officials, or the imperial family.

The Basic General Store didn't sell anything rare; it sold daily necessities such as salt, oil, cotton quilts, linen clothes, and ordinary silk garments, which would bring a new look to the territory.

With products available, there needed to be money to buy them; thus, the wages paid to the citizens were essential, serving as the preliminary prototype of the territory's commerce.

After using the [Basic General Store] building blueprint, Lin Mu received a system notification

"Ding!"

"—System Notification: Congratulations, Lord Lin Mu, on establishing a Basic General Store. Territory Morale increased by 3 points, slightly improving territory commerce."

Lin Mu knew that establishing a Basic General Store could increase morale by 3 points. Other buildings would not increase morale, or if they did, it would be implicit without a system notification. This showed the importance of the Basic General Store to the territory.

It had been a highly productive day.

(End of Chapter)