Chapter 8

Even though he was in the dark at the moment, Liu Ming was extremely excited in his heart. He opened the system and first checked the conditions for villager production. This was a function attached to the Village Chief's residence, but Liu Ming was very worried that the sudden appearance of a few people might cause some panic. "System, how is villager production carried out? And in what form do the newly produced villagers appear?" Liu Ming silently asked in his heart. "In the system interface, open the Village Chief's residence interface, and spend one unit of currency to produce a villager. The villager will appear in the form of a refugee near the village within one to two days and will come to seek refuge immediately. At that time, the host can choose to accept or reject them. If you reject them, the villager will be reclaimed by the system once they leave the village by ten kilometers," the system coldly replied. A refugee is someone who can no longer stay in their hometown and is forced to leave and wander around, suffering greatly. This is actually the main source of population for warlords during times of war. The reason why there are people with different surnames in Liu Family Village is mainly because these people are refugees accepted by the village, not the original residents. However, one unit of currency for one villager, which is one guan (1000 coins), is quite expensive. "What is the difference between villagers produced by the system and refugees recruited from outside?" Liu Ming felt it was necessary to know this; otherwise, he would rather recruit directly within the Han Dynasty's territory. "Villagers produced by the system are absolutely loyal to the host and are fearless, making them the best source of soldiers. Additionally, the physical fitness of produced villagers far exceeds that of the natives, and their efficiency in production or farming is 50% higher than that of the natives, and their combat ability is 100% higher," the system quickly answered Liu Ming's question. Liu Ming understood that spending one guan to buy a life was a great deal! After some consideration, he decided to first look at the buildings that could be constructed in the Dark Age before deciding whether to produce villagers. Opening the interface, the system quickly displayed the specific details of the buildings: Constructable buildings: farmland; academy; watchtower; carpenter's workshop; barracks. Unconstructed buildings: farmland; academy; watchtower; carpenter's workshop; barracks. There are five types of buildings that can be constructed in the Dark Age, with only farmland being limited in quantity, while the others can be produced infinitely. Liu Ming also inquired and learned that for buildings related to professions, you only need to select a portion of the villagers and have them enter the building, and they will quickly complete their appointments, with their brains automatically acquiring all the necessary skills and knowledge. The system recommends using villagers produced by the system rather than natives. This setting was quite convenient, saving Liu Ming the trouble of recruiting people from elsewhere to work in Liu Family Village. He then casually checked the functions of each building: Farmland: One mu in size, the main crops such as millet, rice, and wheat can be harvested once a month. Without using any fertilizers or farming tools, the yield is twice that of other good fields. If fertilizers or farming tools are used for intensive cultivation, the yield can be further increased. Construction cost: 50 units of wood, 10 units of currency. Academy: It can enlighten the villagers and enhance their cohesion. The academy is also the most primitive place for scientific research, where Chinese characteristic technologies can be studied. Construction cost: 100 units of wood, 25 units of currency. Watchtower: A place for wind and alert, a seven-meter-high watchtower can see one kilometer around and can serve as a warning facility to guard against enemy or wild animal invasions, but it has no attack capability. Construction cost: 25 units of wood. Carpenter's workshop: A place for manufacturing wooden products, after construction, all buildings will reduce wood consumption by 20%. The carpenter's workshop is also the main processing place for the wooden parts of weapons, such as arrow shafts and spear shafts, and can also manufacture wooden weapons like hunting bows, wooden arrows, and wooden spears. Construction cost: 200 units of wood, 30 units of currency. Barracks: A place to recruit and train soldiers, currently, one instructor can be recruited to train spear militia and hunting bow militia. Note: What is produced is merely soldiers capable of going to battle; further training is needed for military strategy. Construction cost: 150 units of wood, 35 units of currency. Except for the watchtower, which is not very useful, the other buildings have very powerful functions. For Liu Ming, who likes to climb the technology tree, the academy is the most attractive, and he can't wait to start building it. However, reality told him that the most valuable building should actually be the farmland. One mu of land that can quickly produce food and has such a high yield is a 'divine field' that can bring him great cohesion. Checking the resources, the current resource situation is: 149 units of currency; 100 units of wood; 0 units of iron ore. According to the construction needs of the farmland, only two plots of farmland can be built. After construction, about 149 units of currency will remain, and then a batch of villagers can be produced to farm. With a harvest speed of once a month, a large amount of food can be quickly stockpiled, and more currency can be obtained by selling it. By then, the villagers responsible for logging should have prepared enough wood, and more farmland can be built, thus creating a cycle where the village will not lack food, and he will have a stable and quick source of economic income. At that point, other buildings can be constructed. With a preliminary plan in place, Liu Ming went to sleep soundly. The next day, around six o'clock, Gao Shun woke Liu Ming up. According to their initial agreement, Liu Ming would now begin to receive training from Gao Shun. Since it was related to his future achievements, Liu Ming naturally did not refuse. Before the morning meal, Gao Shun did not immediately teach him spear techniques but instead guided him on how to build strength. Gao Shun knew that Liu Ming's body was too weak, and without a solid foundation, other martial arts would be out of the question. "What is the cost of that so-called miracle?" Gao Shun suddenly asked during the training. "Since you are my teacher, I can tell you some things..." Liu Ming hesitated. "Don't worry, I will keep everything to myself," Gao Shun replied solemnly. If someone else, especially someone from the future, said this, Liu Ming would certainly dismiss it. But if Gao Shun made a promise, there was no need to worry about leaks. In ancient times, most people were very loyal to their oaths, after all, they feared that the heavens would punish them. "Actually, on the day I had a high fever and was unconscious, an old man with a white beard entered my dream. He said that I was not destined to die and that I had the fate of a ruler. Then he blew a breath on me, and I immediately felt refreshed. After that, he installed a divine tool that can communicate with the heavens directly in my heart. He told me that when I need it, I can use this divine tool to communicate with the heavens and, by paying a certain price, mainly currency, wood, and iron ore, I can obtain some miraculous buildings. According to the old man, these buildings are the foundation for me to conquer the world. It was from that day on that I had the idea of conquering the world. Last night, Uncle Zhang gave me so much money, so I decided to try it out, and it turned out to be true," Liu Ming said half-truthfully. "The changes in the world's pattern, did the old man with the white beard also say that?" Gao Shun asked calmly. "He only said 'heroes divide the land, contending for the world' in eight large characters... The rest, I combined with the current situation of the Han Dynasty and came up with it myself," Liu Ming said sheepishly. "Is there really a divine person in the world?" Gao Shun's expression became somewhat dazed. Clearly, the appearance of the non-existent old man with the white beard had overturned his worldview. "By the way, Master, I need to take a leave after noon," Liu Ming suddenly remembered something and said to Gao Shun. "That's no problem, but what are you taking leave for?" Gao Shun asked, puzzled. "In the afternoon, I will trigger the miracle again and create two plots of divine farmland!" Liu Ming said with a smile. "What kind of magic is that?" Gao Shun immediately became interested. "A field where millet can mature once a month, and under intensive cultivation, the yield is twice or even more than the average yield per mu. Isn't that magical enough?" Liu Ming asked with a mischievous smile. "Is there really such a divine field?!" Gao Shun's body trembled. "Won't you know in the afternoon?" Liu Ming smiled mysteriously and continued his training. Gao Shun was distracted throughout the morning, which made Liu Ming feel a bit guilty. It was rare for such a tough man to be so affected that his worldview might be destroyed.