Chapter 4

"Village Establishment Token: A token used to establish a village. After use, it allows the user to establish a village at an appropriate location, and the user automatically becomes the village chief. Characteristics: Indestructible!"

"Young hero, I have a favor to ask, I wonder if it is appropriate to speak of it?"

Just as Yang Rui was about to take the golden Village Establishment Token and bid farewell to the NPC beggar to log off and make breakfast for his sister, the old man suddenly said this.

"Oh? If you trust me, just say it. As long as it is something I can do, I will do my best!"

Yang Rui quickly realized this might be another opportunity. According to the strategies on the forums from his previous life, obtaining the Village Establishment Token was considered a success, and the NPC beggar would automatically leave with no further tasks!

Therefore, this additional task was likely unique.

"Young hero, I have not yet had the honor of knowing your name. I am Wang Hai, styled Decheng. I sincerely request that you help me one more time. If the task is completed, Wang Hai will be willing to serve you for life!" The NPC beggar's expression and demeanor changed, appearing very solemn!

Lifetime service? Yang Rui's heart stirred. Could this be a recruitment task? Is this NPC beggar a significant figure? It must not be, Yang Rui was certain, as he had never heard of a Wang Hai from the Three Kingdoms period!

While Yang Rui's mind raced, he responded, "Old sir, I am Lieryang. I am already deeply grateful for the precious Village Establishment Token you have given me. If there is any difficulty I can help with, please speak freely! I will do my utmost!"

"It is related to this Village Establishment Token!" Wang Hai pondered for a moment and then began to narrate.

"I am not boasting, but when I was the village chief, Dasha Village was quite well-known within a thousand miles. Although we faced consecutive years of famine, the villagers could still manage to survive.

It was those bandits. Stealing some ripe crops from the fields was one thing, but they later set their eyes on Dasha Village's liquor business and wanted to take over the entire village. I, of course, could not agree!

Dasha Village had hundreds of able-bodied men, and I was not very afraid of those bandits. If we did not have some strength, the bandits would not have been content with just stealing crops!

But the incident still happened..."

Wang Hai shook his head. The events that followed were as Yang Rui had guessed. The bandits, failing to achieve their demands, set fire to the village and the fields on a dark, moonless night!

Although the bandits did not harm the villagers, Dasha Village lost its foundation for living. Wang Hai had no choice but to lead the villagers to migrate and find a suitable place to rebuild the village. However, they encountered an epidemic, which led to their current situation. Wang Hai was disheartened.

Yang Rui's appearance gave Wang Hai a glimmer of hope. His request was to have Yang Rui build the new village near the old Dasha Village, and one day, help him eliminate the bandits and avenge the village!

Yang Rui almost immediately agreed to Wang Hai's request. He did not know what the reward would be, but when Wang Hai mentioned "bandits," Yang Rui's heart stirred, and he was determined to accept the task!

Bandits, pirates, and marauders are generally divided into two categories: one that appears with the establishment of new territories, and another that is inherently part of the system, like the bandits Wang Hai mentioned, which belonged to the latter!

Yang Rui was very clear that these system-inherent bandits, pirates, and marauders had special roles, so he was determined to take on the task.

"Congratulations, you have gained the trust of the NPC Wang Hai. Before the task is completed or settled, Wang Hai will follow you in game-related activities. Do you accept?"

Hearing the system prompt, Yang Rui finally understood. In the forums of his previous life, players had mentioned similar situations. "Following" generally occurred when there was considerable rapport with an NPC, especially during special tasks or historical scenarios, but "following" did not equal "recruitment"! The two were fundamentally different.

In fact, during the nearly two years since the game's launch in his previous life, there were a few instances of "following," but no one had ever reported "recruiting" a historical figure, even a minor one!

Afterward, Yang Rui and Wang Hai left the north gate of Juping County and headed northeast. After about two hours of travel, Yang Rui urgently logged off. From Wang Hai's words, he knew it would take at least two more hours to reach the old Dasha Village area!

Two hours, that's four hours in real time! This was with the game's speed greatly increased! (The map was magnified a hundred times, and the travel speed was adjusted accordingly.)

Yang Rui was worried that Xiao Hui would be hungry, so he told Wang Hai a few things and logged off to prepare breakfast. Yang Rui knew that the system had a preset rule that NPCs would not find it strange if he logged off, but he was concerned that the old beggar might be eaten by wild beasts!

After logging off, Yang Rui found that Xiao Hui's game helmet indicator light was still on, indicating she had not logged off yet! It seemed that "World War" had a significant impact on her!

He skillfully prepared breakfast, placed a portion on the small table by Xiao Hui's bed, and quickly finished his meal. Then, he hurriedly logged back into the game, as he was still concerned about the village establishment!

"Master Lieryang, I didn't expect to see you so soon!"

Wang Hai greeted Yang Rui with a bow and then urged him to set off, "It's only a two-hour journey to the old Dasha Village. I hope Master Lieryang can set off as soon as possible!"

Wang Hai seemed quite eager, clearly thinking about the task! This suited Yang Rui's plans, and the two set off again in a hurry.

Since leaving Juping County, they had been heading northeast. The further they went, the more rugged and sparsely populated the terrain became. However, Wang Hai introduced many place names along the way, showing his familiarity with the area, which alleviated many of Yang Rui's doubts.

Although Wang Hai was eager, the changing terrain caused some trouble! Their speed slowed significantly!

Wild beasts and birds would suddenly appear on both sides of the rugged road, and their levels increased, putting pressure on Yang Rui. A few times, he almost let Wang Hai be devoured by these monsters! Wang Hai had no martial skills, and his safety depended entirely on Yang Rui's protection.

"Master Lieryang, we are approaching the valley entrance! Our old Dasha Village was built at that valley entrance!" After rounding a mountain, Wang Hai pointed to a valley entrance.

Yang Rui felt a sense of relief. They were finally there! The terrain they were in could no longer be described as rugged and steep. The mountain they had just passed, in reality, would be a small hill, but in the game, it was magnified a hundred times, making it an insurmountable peak! If not for the winding road, this place would be a dead end!

Yang Rui was very satisfied with this. One of the main reasons he wanted to develop in Yongzhou was the terrain, which was very beneficial for early development. The Taihang Mountains and the Qinling Mountains crisscrossed Yongzhou, and the Wei River and several other rivers surrounded it, making it a fertile land!

The location Wang Hai pointed to was not bad either! Especially in the early stages, the only road leading to this area was the winding official road, and the rest was blocked by the rugged mountains of the Tai Mountains, with peaks reaching thousands or even tens of thousands of meters high!

Moreover, the official road followed the river, which was magnified many times in the game, making it a winding and vast stream. Clearly, the river was the best guide for the terrain!

"Master Lieryang! We have arrived!" Wang Hai's words pulled Yang Rui back from his thoughts, and the two arrived at the valley entrance Wang Hai had pointed to.

Yang Rui looked into the valley, his face showing amazement. The valley extended inward in a "<" shape, with the entrance about one or two kilometers wide. The further in, the wider it became, quickly reaching tens of kilometers in width, and the ground stretched out of sight! In the distance, he could see the shimmering of water, clearly a water source!

"Is this... the Dasha Village you mentioned, old sir?" Yang Rui asked Wang Hai, somewhat dazed.

Perhaps seeing the shock in Yang Rui's eyes, Wang Hai nodded and began to introduce the valley in detail:

"This valley has been the home of our Dasha Village for generations. The surrounding mountains are part of the Tai Mountains. Inside the valley is a lake called Heilongtan, which is over a hundred miles in circumference. The lake divides the valley into inner and outer parts. The only way to travel between the two is via a small path on the rock or by boat. The inner valley is vast but mostly infertile, while the outer valley is smaller but more fertile. Unfortunately, it is often harassed by bandits from the opposite mountain, so the village can only be built in the inner valley, and the outer valley cannot be settled!"

Wang Hai pointed to a low peak at the entrance of the valley, his eyes filled with hatred and regret!

Yang Rui's gaze followed Wang Hai's direction, and after a moment, he nodded and turned to comfort Wang Hai. The two then followed the small path on the rock to reach the inner valley.

"Do you wish to use the Village Establishment Token and establish the village here?" The system prompted after Yang Rui took out the token and clicked to use it.

After entering the inner valley, Yang Rui walked about forty to fifty miles along Heilongtan and finally chose a location near the lake, about a few miles from the center of the inner valley, to establish the village. On one hand, he found that the inner valley was not entirely safe, with a number of level 15 monsters. On the other hand, he considered whether being near Heilongtan could provide some fish and increase food production.

"Yes!" Yang Rui unhesitatingly followed the prompt, buried the Village Establishment Token in the ground, and chose to establish the village.

The land immediately distorted and rose, and in an instant, three buildings appeared before Yang Rui.

"Congratulations, you have successfully established a village. Please name your village!"

"Dasha Village!" Yang Rui did not care about the name but, out of consideration for Wang Hai, named the village Dasha Village.

"Congratulations, you have established the first village in 'World War' - Dasha Village. As the first player to establish a village, the system rewards you with 200 reputation points, the title of 'First Village in the World,' a 5-point increase in NPC system favor, a 10% increase in the rate of migrant refresh, and a 10% increase in the rate of special talent refresh. You also receive a special crop. Please choose (potato, peanut, sweet potato)."

The system announcement for the entire server also sounded:

"System Announcement: Congratulations to the Chinese player Lieryang for establishing the first village in 'World War' - Dasha Village. Special rewards include 200 reputation points, the title of 'First Village in the World,' and one foreign crop!"

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