IMC Chapter 78

After Shu Bao’s explanation, Ru Su finally understood that the other party was not trying to send him away. On the contrary, he was given a rather important position. The unexpected heavy responsibility made him feel honored yet overwhelmed. “But I really don’t have any talent in this area. I’m afraid…”

“Don’t be modest. Let’s speak with facts. I believe in you and you should believe in yourself. From now on, the population and trade of the base will depend on you!” Shu Bao interrupted Ru Su and gave him a gesture of encouragement. Joking aside, a family of three went out for a year and brought back more than 160 people. That achievement was highly convincing.

Being trusted and praised like this, Ru Su was somewhat at a loss. Looking at the deity in front of him, full of trust in his eyes, he finally nodded heavily. “I will work hard. Please rest assured, Your Holiness.”

If bringing back a large population this time was a stroke of luck, then from now on, it would depend on his efforts. He would not fail the deity. After all, the deity had saved him without holding past grudges and trusted him so much. Only by working hard could he repay this kindness.

Moved by these feelings, Ru Su began preparing for trade and diplomacy during the winter. First, he sought the deity’s explanation of what diplomacy meant. After understanding his role, he then consulted the former caravan members of the White Bear Tribe to learn from their experiences. Finally, he presented his plan to Shu Bao for approval.

Of course, during this time, he did not forget to attend the Magic Academy. Coincidentally, he turned out to be a mage with a rare spatial affinity, which made him an excellent candidate for a trade caravan leader. Driven by strong determination, he immersed himself in magic studies daily and quickly mastered some basic spatial spells, such as teleportation, blink, and remote object manipulation.

Shu Bao was very pleased with Lu Su’s enthusiasm. He truly was a genius in diplomacy and trade. With such a diligent worker, of course, the Mouse would reward him. So, Shu Bao carefully selected a suitable magic wand, a space ring, defensive clothing, and a complete set of magical gear from the empire’s spoils to equip Ru Su.

Feeling the envious gazes from others, Ru Su’s heart burned with passion. He even began eagerly hoping for winter to end soon so he could start working as soon as possible.

While improving himself, Shu Bao did not forget to let Ru Su choose suitable caravan members and the supplies he would want to take along in the future.

Ru Su absorbed new knowledge and information from the Xia Wang Tribe like a sponge. Xia Wang Tribe did not lack resources and circulating these resources would truly promote the base’s development. Having traveled with the White Bear caravan for a time, Ru Su had some understanding of popular goods and suitable trading tribes.

With the caravan matter finally settled, Shu Bao immediately turned to preparing the military training ground. To complement the Magic Academy, the training ground was built right next to it. Since the training ground was part of a technological mission, there were no issues with collecting materials.

Once the blueprint was laid out, the Xia Wang Tribe members began working diligently without needing any reminders. Despite the harsh cold and snow, there was not a trace of laziness. Initially, Shu Bao thought the White Bear Tribe members, who had just joined, might not adapt. But surprisingly, the most enthusiastic workers were from the White Bear Tribe.

Having just joined the Xia Wang Tribe, the White Bear people worked hard to prove their worth and quickly build their own comfortable tents. Their intense efforts even reminded Shu Bao of the slaves he had captured years ago.

Speaking of which, the slaves once captured from the Snake Tribe had now all become elders in the tribe. They seemed to be living quite happily, clearly well-integrated.

The Xia Wang Tribe members warmly welcomed and took great care of the newcomers, while the newcomers worked so actively and diligently. The tribe looked harmonious.

Aside from Ru Su, there was another person from the White Bear Tribe who was entrusted with great responsibility—the former high priest.

The position of high priest held high prestige in his original tribe. But after joining another tribe, it often became an awkward role. The White Bear’s high priest had not expected any significant development in his future. As long as his people were safe, he had no other desires.

What the White Bear’s high priest didn’t expect was that the deity, Shu Bao, retained his position as high priest and even allowed him to continue using the title of White Bear. “Our tribe will have many high priests in the future. You must work hard and share some of the responsibilities of Xia Wang’s high priest.”

Through this experience, Shu Bao realized that high priests in tribes were originally responsible for rituals, divination, and communicating with deities. They were naturally highly spiritual individuals, which meant that every tribe’s high priest must have strong magical talent, and most likely, special abilities as well.

As the base develops in the future, one high priest certainly wouldn’t be enough. Xia Wang’s high priest would handle potion-making, and the newly arrived White Bear high priest would be responsible for crafting scrolls—such talent would be wasted without work.

The Xia Wang high priest felt no resentment about having another high priest; in fact, he was rather happy. In just a short time, he had realized how busy his future would be, so having someone to share the workload made him extremely pleased.

The Xia Wang Tribe was bustling with activity, almost forgetting the cold of winter. The original residents worked hard out of fear of being surpassed and the new residents worked even harder, afraid of falling too far behind.

In just one day, all the materials for the military training ground’s blueprint were gathered, thanks to the tribe’s year-round diligent collection of resources and the large amount of metal Shu Bao brought back from the Chaotic World. As a result, the training ground rose quickly from the ground.

After just one day, the training ground was completed. Though it seemed modest compared to the grand Magic Academy, upon entering, its high functionality became clear. Unlike the academy, where magical talent was tested, anyone from the tribe could enter the training ground for training.

Everyone could try their hand at various weapons like bows, crossbows, and long swords. The virtual trainers in the training ground were able to correct and guide them during training.

Afterward, based on each trainee’s performance, the virtual trainers would score them. Achieving a score of ninety or above would earn a New Recruit Badge. Afterward, new recruits could improve their skills through hunting, attacking, or defending, earning points. Once enough points were accumulated, the New Recruit Badge could be upgraded.

In just a few days, several recruits had already advanced to private rank. Tribe members without magical talent seemed especially eager to prove themselves, showing extra bravery during the nighttime defense against the Chaotic World.

With the training ground running smoothly, Shu Bao shifted his attention to studying the new technological tasks that had been assigned. He had clearly realized that the base’s development heavily relied on blueprints and the best way to obtain blueprints was through tasks.

This time, the technology task was again population-related: build 50 comfortable wooden houses and have the population reach 200. For Shu Bao, this task wasn’t difficult. With the White Bear Tribe’s addition, the base’s population had already reached 233.

As for the comfortable wooden houses, the wood processing factory had just been upgraded to build them, and some workers had already learned how to construct them. The first wooden house was being built.

In less than a day, the first wooden house was completed by two carpenters. From the outside, the wooden house took up about the same space as a tent, but once inside, it became clear it had two floors, separated internal spaces, complete furniture, and smooth flooring.

The tribe members were both amazed and nervous. They couldn’t believe they would be living in such clean and orderly homes. They thought only the deity deserved to live in such a place and felt unworthy. But as one wooden house after another sprang up, they gradually realized that these homes weren’t anything too special.

Compared to the tents, the wooden houses were much more comfortable, and they could easily accommodate four people. Once the carpenters became skilled, the entire team mobilized. Within five days, all the tents in the tribe were replaced. In the blink of an eye, the tent-filled landscape was replaced with neatly arranged, aesthetically pleasing wooden houses.

Looking down from a high place, the tribe now resembled a modern rural village.

Shu Bao’s base was developing rapidly and his fans cheered enthusiastically. However, his detractors scoffed. After all, the Dragon Tribe next door had been living in wooden houses for a long time, though not everyone had them yet, as they hadn’t found a sufficient source of timber.

Unlike the Xia Wang Tribe, which had struck a deal with the Forest Giant Wolves and had access to fast-growing magical herbs, allowing them to achieve timber abundance.

“It only looks impressive. Xia Wang Tribe hasn’t even crossed into the true Stone Age yet.”

“That’s right. Their forge can only do simple metal shaping, not real metal forging.”

“Without unlocking a metal refinery or generator, all of this is for nothing.”

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