Chapter 307: Planning the New Territory, Future Outlook (6000)

[Your territory member: Renice Hawkeye has successfully used the Expert-level Heart of Strength, breaking through to a Tier 5 Leader-level creature, increasing base attributes by 100%]

[Due to the significant increase in attributes, she has completed a sublime transformation, increasing HP by an additional 50%]

…

"Hum!"

The aura belonging to a Tier 5 Leader-level powerhouse swept across the entire territory.

Everyone looked over in succession.

They could all feel that there was one more powerhouse in this territory!

Sarah, Assam, and the others seemed to understand something, wearing gratified smiles.

As the territory grew stronger, they felt honored as well.

Renice came to Cao Xing with an excited expression and said: "Lord, I succeeded!"

Because she was too excited, she subconsciously grabbed Cao Xing's arm.

Her powerful grip made Cao Xing feel as if he were being constricted by an iron hoop, making his mouth twitch in pain.

But in front of his subordinates, Cao Xing didn't want to show it.

He forced a smile and said: "Congratulations, Renice."

"I knew you would succeed."

Hearing this, the female archer in front of him also revealed a brilliant smile at the corner of her mouth.

He glanced at her attributes.

[Ascalon Archer: Renice Hawkeye]

[Race: Human]

[Level: Level 40 0/500000 (Tier 5 Leader-level creature)]

…

"Sure enough, Tier 5 is an extremely powerful transformation!"

Even though Renice was neither a Commander-level creature nor possessed Assam's Legendary weapon.

But she had a [Heart of Hunting] skill.

This skill directly increased critical hit rate by 50%, which, combined with her base critical hit rate, resulted in a 100% critical hit rate.

And her current attack power, added to Liu Muxue's [Blessing of Courage].

Dealing with those creatures without armor, a single critical hit would easily deal over nine thousand damage.

Coupled with her terrifying attack speed.

In terms of output, she was on par with Andrew.

In other words, Renice now possessed the combat power to fight a Tier 6 powerhouse across levels!

This was also the reason why Cao Xing always let these core combat personnel advance first, rather than letting himself and Liu Muxue advance first.

Admittedly, as a powerful Aurora Knight, Liu Muxue's attributes would increase significantly after advancing, including a huge boost to the values of some blessing skills.

However, these blessing skills could allow his subordinates to fight one tier above their own, but they could not grant the ability to fight two tiers above.

After all, the gap between Tier 4 and Tier 6 was like a chasm!

And for people like Sarah and Assam, as long as they broke through, they could possess the combat power to fight Tier 6 powerhouses.

His territory did not lack Tier 4 or 5 powerhouses; what it lacked were higher-level top-tier combatants.

Cao Xing exclaimed: "Not bad, Renice. Your strength after breaking through has become extremely powerful."

"Also, your strength has increased a lot…"

Hearing the latter part of the sentence, Renice immediately realized something.

She quickly let go of Cao Xing's arm and apologized in a panic: "I'm sorry, Lord…"

"I… I was too excited… I hurt you, I'm sorry…"

This woman apologized incessantly, a panicked expression on her pretty face.

Seeing her like this, Cao Xing had the urge to tease her.

He chuckled and said: "It's nothing, just rub it for me a few times and it'll be fine."

"Mm-hm!"

Renice nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

Then, she stretched out her hands, which had some calluses, and clumsily rubbed Cao Xing's arm gently.

And she gradually knelt on the ground.

From this angle, it looked a bit evil…

And Cao Xing, who was standing at this moment, could see Renice's fluttering eyelashes and her earnest eyes from this perspective.

And the large expanse of fair skin beneath her breastplate…

Renice was currently rubbing Cao Xing's arm very seriously.

The next moment, Cao Xing pressed down on her beautiful hair.

"Mmm…"

Renice's beautiful eyes widened, "Ah… so sudden…"

"Do you like it? Renice."

"I… I like it… I like the Lord the most…"

Cao Xing had a faint smile on his face as he gently stroked her hair.

A moment later, Renice said with a blushing face: "Lord… I haven't felt your affection for a long time…"

Cao Xing was stunned.

Come to think of it, since the last time, he really hadn't looked for Renice for a long time.

He didn't speak, but pulled the female archer, who had a perfect body curve, into his arms.

And what surprised Cao Xing was that compared to last time, Renice's body seemed to have undergone some changes.

"Hiss…"

Cao Xing gasped, then asked: "Renice, can your breakthrough affect this area?"

The beauty lowered her blushing head and said: "Be… because I've been getting stronger too fast recently… I can't control my body's strength very well."

Cao Xing sighed incessantly.

This time, he didn't even last half an hour.

Cao Xing felt a bit annoyed.

The beauty behind him had a shy smile in her eyes, and a trace of deep cunning hidden in her sapphire-like pupils.

After resting for five minutes, Cao Xing didn't believe it.

He continued to practice with this powerful female archer…

Until the middle of the night.

Cao Xing returned to his Lords Cabin as if fleeing in defeat…

…

…

Afterwards, nothing special happened.

Those unconscious soldiers, as well as Edward, had all been sent for treatment.

Cao Xing also fell into a deep sleep.

…

…

The next day…

[Survivors, please note that you have passed the third day of the construction week, remaining time: 4 days]

[Weather Forecast: Due to unknown reasons, a warm and humid current will pass through the Gale Snowfield area today, causing a brief rise in temperature in the high altitude, accompanied by a large-scale freezing rain and hail. The temperature will be -47℃ ~ 53℃. It is not suitable to go out, it is suitable to build the territory…]

…

Seeing the system notification, the two opened their eyes.

Cao Xing pondered: "Another bad weather?"

Liu Muxue nodded slightly, "Yes, ever since that blizzard, we finally had a few days of good weather. I didn't expect it to happen again today."

In this world, they had experienced light snow, heavy snow, and even blizzards many times.

But this was the first time they had experienced freezing rain and hail.

In the chat channel, some Survivors were already sighing.

However, after so many days, the Survivors who had survived had basically adapted to the ever-changing weather of this world.

Moreover, Cao Xing's territory was located in a plain area, so the freezing rain did not have much impact on him; he just needed to pay attention to drainage work.

Also, personnel working outside the territory needed to be careful about body heat loss.

After all, with the temperature in this world, rain falling on the body would quickly take away a large amount of heat.

Fever, colds, and other symptoms might break out among the residents.

Cao Xing thought to himself: "But fortunately, the medical room in my territory has already been built, and it is also equipped with corresponding medical personnel."

"Plus, most of my residents have the strength of around level 10, and their physique is much stronger than ordinary people."

Thinking of this, Cao Xing felt relieved.

"Get up, Muxue. Before the freezing rain falls, we need to carry out the second round of territory expansion!"

Hearing this, Liu Muxue was also a little surprised.

She replied obediently: "Mm-hm, let's get up together."

The two washed up quickly again and came outside the Lords Cabin.

At the same time, hundreds of soldiers outside, as well as nearly two hundred staff members, were waiting outside.

Seeing Cao Xing and Liu Muxue, everyone saluted at the same time.

"Good morning, Lord."

"Good morning, Lady of the Territory…"

Cao Xing nodded slightly.

Resident Cao Yi walked up at this time and reported: "Lord, the three carts of ore that Da Zhuang and the others transported back yesterday have all been sorted."

"A total of 22,784 stone resources, 7,734 iron resources, 2,183 copper resources, and 216 primary magic energy crystals have been obtained, and they have all been placed in the territory's storage box."

Hearing Cao Yi's report, a smile appeared on the corner of Cao Xing's mouth.

This efficiency was indeed very high.

Not counting anything else, just the [Primary Magic Energy Crystals] there were 216, which was equivalent to more than 20,000 magic energy units, equal to the value of two Expert-level Magic Energy Crystals.

Moreover, this was only the daily output of that group of goblin laborers.

Among them, there were also more than 20,000 stones.

Don't look at stone as just a basic resource, but in the upcoming territory expansion, the amount of this resource consumed would be massive!

Cao Xing nodded and said: "Thank you for your hard work, Cao Yi."

Resident Cao Yi said modestly: "This is our duty, respected Lord."

"Now, please give us instructions for today's work!"

Da Zhuang on the side also echoed: "That's right, Lord, we can't wait to work!"

The staff on the field were full of energy.

But Cao Xing laughed and said: "Not so fast, I have other arrangements today."

Everyone stood there with some doubts, but no one asked any more questions.

Cao Xing asked at this time: "Among you, who has experience in urban construction or village construction?"

Hearing this question, hundreds of eyes on the field looked at each other and shook their heads one after another.

Seeing this, Cao Xing also sighed.

In his territory, there were many talents in terms of combat and life.

However, there was not a single talent in management and construction.

He thought to himself: "It seems that the matter of recruiting talents in territory management and construction must be put on the agenda as soon as possible."

"But it doesn't matter if there aren't any now, let's expand the territory first."

"When I find talents in this area in the future, I will re-plan it."

"Anyway, I have the Giant Vine, I can move the layout of the territory however I want."

And just at this time, Liu Muxue on the side raised her small hand and said softly: "Axing… I used to major in urban planning. Perhaps, I can try."

Hearing this, Cao Xing was also slightly stunned.

Come to think of it, he really didn't know Liu Muxue's past.

He didn't expect her major in university to be urban planning.

After all, when Cao Xing first heard the name 'Liu Muxue', she was already famous in Hong Kong City.

"That's great, Muxue. In a while, I'll have someone draw a sketch of the territory, and then you can see how to plan it better."

The female knight beside him nodded gently, a soft smile on her face, seemingly happy to be able to contribute to the territory.

Cao Xing looked toward the painter in the crowd, whose face was somewhat pale, and asked, "Edward, how are you feeling now?"

Last night, the demon that had been stalking him finally revealed itself.

After that demon unleashed its terrifying power, an ordinary person like Edward could not withstand it and passed out, later being carried into the infirmary.

Upon hearing this, Edward wore a strained smile and said, "My Lord, I feel great now."

"I heard from Physician Sabina that you dealt with that demon last night."

"Now, when I close my eyes, those terrifying monster figures no longer appear!"

"Praise be to my Lord, it was you who saved me!"

After speaking, he bowed solemnly to Cao Xing.

[Due to your rescue, territory member: Edward Degas' loyalty has increased. Current loyalty: 91]

…

Cao Xing laughed upon hearing this.

It had to be said, Edward was truly his lucky star!

When Cao Xing had the sudden whim to bring this down-and-out painter back to the territory, it was because he had his eye on his Advanced Painting Mastery.

Unexpectedly, he also brought a powerful demon to the territory.

This demon dropped two Epic-grade items for Cao Xing and also significantly boosted his and Renice's strength!

The help was immense!

Of course, only Cao Xing had the strength to deal with the demon.

If it were any other Survivor or faction, even if the demon appeared, they would have no way to deal with that creature and might even have been wiped out by it.

Thinking of this, Cao Xing felt even better.

"Very well, I have a task to entrust to you now."

Edward's expression immediately tightened, and he said respectfully, "Please speak, my Lord, I will definitely do my utmost to complete it!"

Cao Xing smiled and said, "It's not a difficult task."

"I need you to draw out the architectural layout of our territory. About how long will it take?"

The painter pondered for a moment, then said, "Reporting to my Lord, I need to go to a high vantage point to survey the area first."

"But it won't take long, I should be able to finish drawing in about ten minutes or so."

Cao Xing nodded upon hearing this. "Good, then go ahead."

"Everyone else, go to the cafeteria to have breakfast, then wait for my orders."

Upon hearing this, the group looked at each other, seeing the joy in each other's eyes.

The Goblins said joyfully, "Haha, great, it's breakfast time again."

"Yeah, yeah, we've lived for decades, and we'd never even heard of what breakfast was."

"The people living in this territory are truly too happy!"

The group of Arctic People heard this and said proudly, "That goes without saying. Our Lord is considerate of his subordinates, kind, and powerful!"

"Being able to come to this territory is your good fortune!"

The Goblins agreed, saying, "The God of the Underworld above, I strongly agree with this Arctic Person's statement."

"Yeah, yeah, if only we could have met my Lord sooner."

"Famous, I suggest one of us goes back to the Southern Continent to bring the other laborers over to serve my Lord."

"Ramos, you idiot, the Southern Continent is at least who-knows-how-many-earth-dragon-lengths away from us. Even if you ran until your legs broke, you wouldn't make it…"

Amidst the 'chattering' of the Goblins, the crowd gradually dispersed.

As for Edward, he quickly climbed onto a distant watchtower and began observing the terrain of the entire territory.

He then took out a drawing board and brush and began drawing intently.

After entering his working state, the painter's expression was unprecedentedly solemn.

He would glance at the buildings below from time to time, waving his brush, his movements rapid.

Compared to his previous decadent appearance, he seemed like a completely different person.

Cao Xing and Liu Muxue stood below, waiting.

A few minutes later, Edward climbed down from the watchtower and quickly ran to the watchtower on the other end of the territory to begin drawing the terrain there.

It took about twenty minutes.

Edward visited watchtowers in four different directions and depicted each of them.

He ran over, panting, and said, "My Lord, Lady of the Manor, everything has been drawn, please take a look!"

Four large blueprints appeared in his hands.

Each blueprint contained a corner of Cao Xing's territory.

When laid flat and pieced together, a complete floor plan appeared.

Moreover, Edward's drawing technique was excellent, almost perfectly recreating the buildings in his territory one-to-one.

You could tell at a glance what each building in the territory was.

Cao Xing praised, "Edward, well done, your drawing technique is truly exquisite."

Liu Muxue, standing beside him, also chuckled and added a compliment.

Receiving their praise, Edward seemed to feel a great sense of glory.

He immediately straightened his body and said respectfully, "Thank you for the recognition, my Lord and Lady of the Manor!"

Then.

Cao Xing and Liu Muxue observed the blueprint Edward had drawn together.

However, the more they looked, the more their brows began to furrow.

Before, when looking with their naked eyes, they hadn't felt anything.

But now, as all these buildings were presented on paper, Cao Xing finally felt how chaotic his territory's layout was.

Because his territory was a circle with a diameter of one kilometer.

And because it had developed bit by bit, many buildings had been built temporarily.

Sometimes Cao Xing would obtain new blueprints, like the King's Altar or the Knight's Hall, and just find any empty space to build them.

Sometimes when new people arrived in the territory and new residential houses needed to be built, they would also just build a few behind these structures.

Consequently, the buildings in the territory lacked any concrete planning, with varying heights.

It appeared disorganized.

It wasn't just Cao Xing; except for some Survivor Lords who naturally had obsessive-compulsive tendencies, everyone else's territory was basically in such a messy state.

If they wanted to tear down and rebuild or re-plan later, it would require a massive amount of time.

Cao Xing said at this moment, "Muxue, I plan to expand the territory's diameter from one kilometer to two kilometers. How do you think we should plan it?"

Liu Muxue pondered for a moment upon hearing this.

Her beautiful eyes gazed at the buildings in the distance, seemingly deep in thought.

Cao Xing also waited quietly by her side.

After all, planning an entire territory was not a simple task.

Going from a diameter of one kilometer to two kilometers was equivalent to expanding the territory's area by four times; this was already the scale of a small town.

It could accommodate a great many buildings.

And wanting to plan these buildings while also considering future development was a very mentally taxing endeavor.

After thinking for about three or four minutes.

Liu Muxue seemed to have an idea.

She picked up a brush and circled a round in the center of the paper Edward had drawn.

"According to what you told me last night, the Furnace and the Lords Manor cannot be moved or demolished."

"Therefore, these two buildings are the core buildings of the entire territory."

"Then we shall use these two buildings as the center and expand outwards, dividing it into the second ring, third ring, and fourth ring zones."

"Within this, we must further subdivide into residential areas, industrial areas, agricultural and farming areas…"

"Also, we must reserve enough space to create combat zones or training grounds…"

As Liu Muxue spoke, she also constantly added details she had considered.

At this moment, she displayed her expertise as a city planning graduate, her expression solemn.

"The residential area includes places for the territory members to eat and sleep, so it needs a relatively quiet environment. Therefore, I suggest building it in the second ring zone outside the Lords Manor."

"Then for the third ring, I suggest placing buildings like the Knight's Hall, Warrior Camp, and King's Altar here, while reserving more empty space to facilitate the construction of other buildings in the future."

"Next is the industrial area. Places with relatively high noise, such as mechanical factories, ore sorting plants, and logging mills, should be set up far away from the residential area, which is roughly the outer ring area."

As she spoke, Liu Muxue began circling on the blueprint, noting the locations within these circles.

"Besides that, there are also farming and livestock areas like farmland and cattle sheds, which must also be separated into their own zones."

"The Pale Tree and the backyard do not need to be moved; they can stay as they are. Then, we should reserve a few spots here to serve as the central administrative district of the territory town."

"Then, these empty spaces in the second and third rings will be used to build more residential houses if the population explodes in the future."

As she continued to draw.

Very quickly, the drawing on the ground was filled with various circles of all sizes.

It took a full twenty minutes.

Liu Muxue finally completed her concept.

Cao Xing looked at the blueprint on the ground, filled with various patterns and text.

He looked at Edward beside him and asked, "Do you understand my wife's meaning?"

Edward nodded quickly, "Understood, my Lord!"

"Give me ten minutes, and I will draw out the Lady of the Manor's ideas right away."

Cao Xing nodded.

And this talent with [Advanced Painting Mastery] began to display his gift once again.

"Swish… Swish…"

As he laid a piece of paper on the ground, he began to draw freely while looking at the areas Liu Muxue had circled.

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