Food shortage, inspecting the territory (Daily Chapter)

Shaking his head, Cao Xing stopped thinking too much about it.

He continued walking toward the agricultural area of the territory.

Not long after walking, he saw a large area covered with white greenhouses appear ahead.

This agricultural area covered a full 200 mu, which was already considered a fairly massive scale among the Survivors.

Even the total area of many lords territories was not as large as this.

Dozens of villagers from Grapevine Village and that group of female elves were constantly busy in the fields.

The villagers bent down to farm, their movements skilled and focused,

That group of female elves fluttered the transparent wings on their backs, irrigating every crop with the Morning Dew they had gathered.

The scene before him was filled with vitality and harmony.

Cao Xing paused to watch for a moment, then called over the old village chief, Zelco.

He was the one responsible for managing the territory's agriculture previously.

In less than a minute, an elderly man hurried quickly to Cao Xing's side and respectfully said, "Lord, may you be well."

Cao Xing nodded and asked directly, "Zelco, how is our territory's current crop production situation?"

The old village chief quickly reported, "Reporting to Lord, we have already divided each crop into zones according to your specifications."

"Currently, the territory has a total of 200 mu of fertile fields, of which 120 mu are used to plant 'Kulin Barley' and 'Cold Dew Rice', and the other 80 mu are used to plant the two cash crops 'Agate Grapes' and 'Silver Dew Berries'."

"Now that the territory has the help of this group of diligent elves, even the growth cycles of these magical plants have been greatly shortened."

"We only need two months to harvest once!"

"A single harvest can yield at least seventy to eighty thousand kilograms of crops!"

The old village chief described it vividly, his tone filled with excitement and pride.

Having farmed his entire life, he had never seen such efficient agricultural production magic.

It was simply a combination of magic and wisdom!

However, listening to his report, Cao Xing fell into deep thought.

Although these 200 mu of fertile fields in the territory looked like a lot, and their annual yield was also astonishing.

But the problem was that all the fertile fields were used to plant cash crops.

And these crops were what Cao Xing planned to trade with the chambers of commerce.

In other words, there wasn't a single grain for the territory itself to eat.

"This won't do—" Cao Xing muttered softly.

"Next, I am also preparing to directly expand the territory into a Giant City. By then, the entire territory will have at least tens of thousands of people up and down,"

"With such a massive population, if there is no stable food supply, the consequences will be unimaginable."

After thinking for a moment, Cao Xing raised his head.

"Unless… we can establish a long-term and stable trade relationship with those chambers of commerce, exchanging these magical plants for a large amount of ordinary food."

"In this way, not only can we earn a large amount of crowns, but we won't have to worry about food issues in the future either."

"And after the Giant City is built, I can also zone out an even larger area specifically for food production."

It wasn't that Cao Xing hadn't thought about directly reclaiming large tracts of fertile land outside the territory and then dispatching soldiers to guard and protect them.

After all, there were still such vast areas outside the territory waiting for him to reclaim.

But if he did that, he wouldn't be able to enjoy the Pale Tree's growth bonus and the territory's special environmental protection.

Once a blizzard or other natural disasters were encountered, all these crops would go up in smoke.

This was also a situation that most territories in this world would encounter.

"Therefore, my agricultural area still must be built within the territory in the future."

"At worst, I'll just consume a bit more resources and continue to expand the area of the city walls."

Cao Xing made up his mind, then looked at the old village chief.

With an encouraging look on his face, he said, "You've worked hard, Village Chief Zelco."

"However, the territory will welcome the next step of the expansion plan, so many newcomers will still be recruited in."

"By then, I will arrange for these newcomers to join the agricultural construction."

"I will also need the old village chief to work hard and lead them in learning how to plant and cultivate these crops."

Hearing this, Village Chief Zelco said with a solemn expression, "Rest assured, Lord, I will definitely do my utmost to teach and supervise them!"

"Right under my nose, no one can slack off!"

After leaving the territory's agricultural area, Cao Xing came to the territory's livestock area.

Neatly arranged cattle sheds appeared ahead, surrounded by a circle of wooden fences.

The 'Intermediate Cattle Sheds' here had been expanded from the original seven to eleven, and a large number of livestock were kept in each of them.

Most of them were magical creatures with astonishing economic value, such as Cloud Yaks and Light Feather Chickens.

In addition to that, there was also that batch of Big-horned Sheep and Alpine Dairy Cows that Old Mel brought over when he first came to this territory.

After several months of breeding, there were now many lively calves and fluffy little lambs in the territory.

These creatures were creating a massive amount of revenue for the territory every day.

Cao Xing saw that a few figures were busy ahead, constantly going in and out among the several cattle sheds.

They were feeding the livestock inside, cleaning the sheds, checking health conditions, and so on.

These few people were Old Mel, Dahua, and two other villagers from Hoge Village.

With the increase in the number of livestock in the territory, the two of them, Old Mel, could no longer handle it all by themselves, so two assistants were equipped for him again.

At this moment, the sharp-eyed Dahua spotted Cao Xing outside the fence at a glance and immediately tugged on Old Mel's sleeve.

Old Mel also put down the milking bucket in his hand at that moment, brought Dahua to run quickly to his side, and bowed to salute.

Cao Xing asked, "Mr. Mel, how is the current breeding situation of these livestock in the territory?"

Old Mel respectfully reported, "Reporting to Lord, the number of those ordinary yaks and sheep has currently increased to 348."

"Recently, the Cloud Yaks successfully gave birth to another 9 calves, and the total number of Cloud Yaks has exceeded 120."

"However—the ones that reproduce the fastest are that group of Light Feather Chickens."

He paused, and continued, "Their yield is quite astonishing. The flock has almost entered a state of wild growth, with many Light Feather Chickens hatching out of their shells every day."

"Now the number of Light Feather Chickens in the territory is about to break three hundred. Counting the unhatched eggs, it totals 500."

Speaking of this, Old Mel added with a hint of worry, "I feel that after a while, we will need to expand the chicken coops, otherwise I'm afraid we won't be able to accommodate so many Light Feather Chickens."

Cao Xing smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. Once this Blood Chaos is quelled, I will set about establishing a stable commercial system."

"The output of these magical creatures will become an important economic source for our territory."

"By then, not only will we expand the chicken coops, but we must also find ways to continue expanding the scale of other magical creatures."

Pausing, he looked at the old man before him again, "However, you'll have to work hard next."

According to Cao Xing's plan, after the third stage of expansion ended and the Giant City was built,

agriculture would be entirely handed over to Village Chief Zelco to manage.

As for animal husbandry, it would naturally be Old Mel.

Hearing this, Old Mel shook his head, a gentle smile appearing on his wrinkled face.

"You exaggerate, Lord."

There was a hint of emotion in Old Mel's voice, "Although taking care of these cattle, sheep, and chickens is my job, I also take joy in it."

"Or rather, I like dealing with these animals."

"Besides, recently you've also had us eat all kinds of precious magical creature meat, enhancing our physical fitness and letting us continuously break through."

"This old bone of mine feels even more energetic than when I was young!"

Dahua beside him also chimed in, "That's right, Lord. We feel now that every day we have endless strength."

"If we don't work during the day, we can't even sleep at night!"

Hearing this, Cao Xing also revealed a gratified smile.

Ever since the territory's development, whenever he obtained beast meat that could increase attributes, he would always prioritize supplying the territory's personnel. Only the remainder would be taken out for trade.

Over the past few months, the physical fitness of all the staff in the territory had surged by a large margin, and their work efficiency had also increased significantly accordingly.

Cao Xing said, "Alright, then I'll have to trouble Mr. Old Mel."

The old man modestly shook his head, then continued to take Dahua back to work.

After inspecting the territory's agricultural area and livestock area, Cao Xing turned around and walked toward the Lords Castle.

After entering the castle, he once again saw that sparkling throne placed right in the center.

Cao Xing directly used the "Shining Nova" special effect on it.

Although it was currently the period of Blood Chaos.

But the monsters across the entire Gale Snowfield, including those in the nearby maps, had all been cleared out by him, so it couldn't cause any impact on him.

As a shining star rushed high into the air, it then rapidly descended toward a certain region.

This time, the location of the special resource point found by the "Shining Nova" seemed to be very far from the territory.

It directly crossed the Gale Snowfield and arrived at an unknown region.

Cao Xing glanced at the coordinates on the minimap; it was a full six hundred kilometers away from him.

"Huh? Is the distance this far this time?"

He originally wanted to habitually call Centaur Harati over and hand this exploration mission to her.

But he suddenly remembered that all the Centaurs had been sent out by him to mop up the Blood Legion, and other combat personnel also had their respective tasks.

Right now, he practically had no one available.

Cao Xing scratched his head, "I previously thought my own territory had strong troops and sturdy horses, but I didn't expect there would be a time when manpower wasn't enough?"

But soon, he thought of a method.

"The matter of manpower is easy to solve. Currently, there are still many training camps in the territory."

"We just need to select a staff member, let them go in for some training, and they can immediately possess decent combat effectiveness to execute this mission."

Cao Xing quickly pondered in his heart and soon decided on the candidate for training.

Pressing the communication device, "Sabina, come find me by the energy tower."

A mature female voice came from his ear, "I'm coming right over, Lord."

Cao Xing came to the side of the energy tower and waited.

In less than two minutes, a figure quickly walked over from ahead.

Today, Sabina was wearing a simple and elegant white cotton-padded jacket, her brown hair coiled up and naturally drooping to one side.

Her steps were light and steady, carrying an aura of maturity and composure in every gesture.

As a former physician, Sabina always carried a reassuring temperament about her.

Arriving by Cao Xing's side, this mature and steady woman quickly bent down and said respectfully,

"Lord, please give your orders."

Cao Xing didn't speak, instead glancing at her level first.

When she first came to the territory, this woman was only an ordinary person of level 20-something.

Although she had mastered certain combat skills, compared to those combat personnel who had undergone systematic training, the gap was still very large.

However, after last night's enhancement, her tier had also broken through to level 30, which was Tier 4.

Of course, tier was not the most important thing.

After all, under the bonuses of that full body of blessings, her current combat power was far from being measured by tier alone.

Therefore, as long as she was trained into a combat class and mastered certain combat skills, Sabina could leap into becoming a top-tier expert.

Sweeping across the entire Gale Snowfield would be a breeze.

Cao Xing spoke up: "Sabina, next I plan to train you into a combat class—Shadow Assassin."

"In the future, you will also need to participate in battles. Are you willing?"

For Cao Xing, the increase or decrease of one or two combat personnel did not affect the overall situation.

If she wasn't willing, he wouldn't force it either.

After all, everyone has the right to choose their own life.

Hearing this, the woman instantly raised her head and replied without hesitation: "Willing! Of course I am willing!"

"Rather, this is an opportunity I have always yearned for!"

Her eyes flashed with the light of excitement and anticipation!

Ever since her last conversation with Cao Xing, Sabina had always wanted to contribute to the territory, but she never had the opportunity.

Although she also wanted to help Francesca as an assistant, that witch's alchemy skills were far too profound,

and she wasn't on the same level at all.

Sabina simply had no room to intervene.

Now, she had finally waited for Cao Xing's arrangement.

"Very good."

Cao Xing nodded, then gestured: "Let's go, I'll take you over."

Soon, the two of them walked one after the other toward the third-ring area of the territory.

Sabina closely followed behind, her steps slightly hurried, appearing both nervous and excited at this moment.

Before long, they came before a building with a unique style.

The overall building presented dark tones, looking like a pitch-black single-story house, inside which the sound of sharp blades swinging could be faintly heard.

This was the [Shadow Assassin Training Camp], which could train classless civilians into powerful assassins. "Go in, Sabina."

Cao Xing stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and said to her: "After the training is over in a bit, I will give you another coordinate location, and you can help me go check out that place."

"Yes, Lord!"

Sabina responded without hesitation, her eyes filled with determination!

Afterwards, she stepped into the gates of the training camp in one stride.

As for Cao Xing, he took out a training manual from his backpack and then initiated the training for her.

After finishing these, he once again sorted through his mind to see what other matters had not been completed.

"Next, let's go see how many bottles of secret medicine Francesca has refined over there."

"This kind of secret medicine can only exert its maximum effect during the Blood Chaos."

Thus, Cao Xing headed straight to the Alchemy Workshop,

pushing the door open to enter, whereupon waves of rich medicinal fragrance instantly wafted from inside.

At the same time, a graceful figure also appeared before him.

The mixed-blood witch wearing a dark purple gown was intently tinkering with her cauldron.

She only slightly raised her eyelids at Cao Xing's arrival, and then continued doing her own thing.

Seeing this scene, Cao Xing didn't mind either.

Francesca was still as solitary as ever, as if aside from alchemy, as long as Cao Xing didn't give her tasks, everything in the outside world had nothing to do with her.

"Speaking of which, there is still a Relic in my backpack that can allow her to break through to Legendary."

"Moreover, Francesca is also an existence with status skills, and she can level up at home as well."

"As long as she can be made to break through to Hero-level, she can quickly rush to level 100 max level, and then she can break through toward Legendary."

"However, what's a pity is—I don't have any extra Hero's Hearts on hand."

Cao Xing helplessly shook his head, only able to hope that those personnel who went out to fight today could give him some surprises.

He walked to the side of this beautiful witch and asked: "Francesca, how many bottles of secret medicine have you refined recently?"

Upon hearing this question, she gradually raised that breathtakingly beautiful head and replied nonchalantly,

"About eleven thousand bottles or so."

Hearing this number, a look of appreciation emerged in Cao Xing's eyes.

Although to the massive base of Survivors, these ten-thousand-plus bottles were completely not worth mentioning.

However, Cao Xing didn't plan to take them for trade, but rather prepared to gift them to Yao Yiming and the others.

After all, this was a legion he built with his own hands, so naturally, he had to take care of them a bit.

"Well done, Francesca, you've worked hard during this period of time."

The witch waved her hand and said casually: "This is part of my duties."

"If there's nothing else, I'm going to continue refining medicine."

Cao Xing didn't mind her attitude.

This woman was always incomparably dedicated when in working state, not wanting anyone to disturb her; being able to spare time to exchange a few words with him was already giving him a lot of face.

Cao Xing shook his head and went straight to the storage box area in the back, taking out all of these ten-thousand-plus bottles of potions.

[Obtained: Blood Suppression Secret Medicine * 11458]

Then, he opened the legion channel again and pulled all three deputy commanders in.

"Yao Yiming, Ji Xinyue, Tian Jing, report on the current battle situation."

The three of them simultaneously noticed this newly appeared chat channel and the commander's message.

Tian Jing's side was the first to reply: "Boss, we have already led the legion to kill our way to the central river basin."

"More and more people are joining us, and it's almost breaking ten million!"

"Right now, Deputy Commander Xinyue, Deputy Commander Yao Yiming, and I each lead a large army to mop up the Blood Legion from three directions."

"We are about to fight our way to Eternal Frost Main City!"

Ji Xinyue also replied: "Commander! Those territorial residents under your command are too amazing; they wiped out a huge amount of the Blood Legion and left a portion for us to deal with."

"The remaining Blood Soldiers were instantly killed by us in one wave of concentrated fire, and everyone has earned a lot of military merits!"

(PS: Next, things will settle down a bit to sort out the territory's situation, wrap up the Blood expansion pack, and prepare for the third phase.)

(If it's farming or other daily plots, 'Daily' will be noted at the end of the chapter, and book friends can choose whether to subscribe.)

(Thank you for your support, book friends!)