Hidden achievements, territory blueprint selection.

Most lords now realized the importance of these mechanical devices, which could significantly speed up their resource gathering time.

Consequently, they all flocked to the market channel to collect blueprints and head to the mechanical factory for construction.

Of course, if they wanted to develop to the scale of Cao Xing's territory, it would still take quite a long time.

"Rumble—"

Black transport vehicles slowly drove into the territory, loaded with a large number of staff members.

After jumping down from the truck beds, these staff members rushed to the cafeteria immediately!

Having worked all day, they were already famished and only wanted to have a big meal right now!

However, when they stepped into the cafeteria and saw the rich food laid out on the tables, expressions of pleasant surprise immediately appeared on everyone's faces!

"The gods above! Today's dinner is so sumptuous!"

"Yes! There's so much bread, and hot stewed meat and vegetables too!"

"Oh my god, this is really too sumptuous!"

"Haha, this must be a reward from the Lord for us!"

Meanwhile, Dahua, who was in charge of managing the entire kitchen, stood at the entrance with a gratified smile and said, "Everyone, the meal is ready, you can start eating."

Without delay, the staff members poured into the cafeteria, eagerly picked up their cutlery, and began to enjoy this long-awaited feast!

Everyone ate ravenously, their pupils dilated!

After nearly half a month, they finally ate a sumptuous meal.

Nothing felt more blissful than enjoying a hot dinner on a cold winter day.

The territory residents sat around the dining tables, their faces beaming with happy smiles.

Meanwhile, as Cao Xing was counting the territory's supplies, a message suddenly appeared before him.

[During this snow disaster, because of your decisions, the safety of all territory residents was guaranteed, and during this period, no resident's loyalty decreased.

After the disaster, you prepared sumptuous food for all residents, causing the happiness level of all residents to increase.]

[Unlocked special achievement: Snowstorm Guardian]

[Obtained achievement reward: Purest Shard * 10, Primitive Snowflake Mark * 1]

Seeing this notification, a look of surprise appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

"Oh? Was a hidden achievement triggered?"

"Good grief! It actually rewarded 10 Purest Shards, this reward is really good!"

You have to know, this kind of material is used to craft Legendary equipment.

Last time Cao Xing ended the Blood Chaos expansion pack and achieved such a big thing, he was only rewarded with 10 shards.

And this time, the hidden achievement gave another 10, so the reward could be said to be quite generous.

Although he had harvested over a thousand "Purest Shards" through this transaction, it did not detract from the preciousness of this material.

Cao Xing nodded in satisfaction, and at the same time, he also saw the item behind it.

"What is this Primitive Snowflake Mark?"

With a hint of confusion, Cao Xing took this item out of his backpack.

A crystalline snowflake appeared out of thin air in his palm, emitting rays of light under the illumination of the lighthouse.

He could even feel waves of chill coming from it.

It looked just like a real snowflake.

However—even under the heat continuously emitted by the territory's energy tower, this snowflake showed no signs of melting at all.

"Strange thing—"

With a look of confusion, Cao Xing looked at its attributes.

[Primitive Snowflake Mark (Orange)]

[Quality: Epic]

[Item Type: Accessory]

[Equipment Effect ①: Spirit + 100, Constitution + 50]

[Equipment Effect ②: Primitive Snowflake Shelter (After activation, you are enveloped by the power of the Primitive Snowflake, isolating the surrounding snowstorm within a one-meter radius of your body.

Lasts for 3 hours, Cooldown: 5 hours)]

After reading the attributes of this snowflake, a look of surprise appeared in Cao Xing's eyes again.

"This thing is actually a piece of equipment? And it's an accessory?"

This was somewhat beyond his expectations.

As the type of equipment that increases stats the least in this world, Cao Xing hadn't obtained an accessory for a while.

However, although it added few stats, its benefit was that it didn't occupy an equipment slot, and everyone could equip three of them.

"Not bad, not bad, the special effect on it is quite good."

"This way, I can walk freely in snowstorms or windy weather."

He satisfiedly wore it on his chest.

The snowflake looked as if it were stuck onto the [Lich's Frost Soul Robe], appearing very natural.

Cao Xing shook his robe and then prepared to return to the Lords Castle.

Just then, a mechanical roaring sound came from overhead, as if some kind of behemoth was flying in the air and approaching rapidly.

Cao Xing turned around to look.

Under the illumination of the lighthouse, a tall figure was flying in mid-air.

The metallic silhouette shimmered with a cold light under the illumination; it was the Earth Dragon Mech.

On the mech, there were a few slender figures hanging.

Those were Elisa and Tong Chuchu and the others.

Beside the mech, there was also an Ice Crystal Magic Dragon completely covered in frost-white scales.

They all flew towards Cao Xing.

Before they arrived, their voices already reached him.

"Lord, Elisa is back!"

"Big Brother…"

"Roar—" Cao Xing smiled and shook his head, then went up to meet them.

"Boom—"

The Earth Dragon Mech flew over quickly and landed steadily on the ground.

Elisa and Tong Chuchu and the others jumped down from it, their faces beaming with excited smiles.

They came to Cao Xing's side excitedly, recounting their combat experiences outside today.

Cao Xing had a smile on his face, patiently listening to their story.

Elisa said excitedly: "In that Troglodyte cave, Bingbing didn't listen to me, insisted on rushing up by itself, and then got trapped by a trap."

"Many Troglodytes were preparing to come over and surround it, and the Troglodyte leader inside also came out."

"At the critical moment, it was Captain Elisa who took action and shot all these Troglodytes to death with one arrow."

"Hmph! I'm amazing, right!"

She said triumphantly, as if expecting Cao Xing's praise.

"Roar—!"

Bingbing, who was to the side, let out bursts of dragon roars, expressing strong protest, as if to say that things were not at all as Elisa described.

Cao Xing smiled and stroked Bingbing's head.

After feeling his soothing, this Ice Crystal Magic Dragon soon calmed down, appearing extremely obedient.

To Bingbing, Cao Xing was not just seen as its master.

At the same time, it was also because he possessed a force of ice within him, as well as the power of the Great Dragon Krakatoa.

This power made Bingbing subconsciously consider Cao Xing as its own kind, which was why it was so close to him.

Tong Chuchu, who was to the side, said: "Big Brother, by noon today, Bingbing had already reached the max level of Tier 4."

"Then I used that Expert-level Heart of Strength you gave me to let Bingbing break through to Tier 5."

"It has now leveled up to level 45."

Hearing this, Cao Xing also turned his gaze to the Ice Crystal Magic Dragon in the air.

After a whole day of fighting and leveling up, this young dragon's body seemed to have grown a bit larger.

However, it didn't look very obvious; it still maintained the form of a young dragon.

He took a look at Bingbing's attributes.

After becoming a Tier 5 creature, its HP soared directly to 1 million.

This growth rate could be said to be quite terrifying!

Cao Xing nodded in satisfaction and praised: "Well done, Little Chuchu."

"And Elisa, you were great too."

After receiving his praise, smiles appeared on both little girls' faces.

Especially Elisa, who started giggling to the side.

At this time, Tong Chuchu seemed to remember something and said: "Oh right, Big Brother, this is what we looted from that Troglodyte tribe, for you."

After saying that, she handed over a backpack.

After Cao Xing took it, he transferred all the items inside.

[Obtained: Tier 5 Troglodyte Leader Soul * 1]

[Obtained: Tier 4 Troglodyte Elite Soul * 3]

[Obtained: Viscous Object * 5244]

[Obtained: Snow Velvet Mushroom Seed (Blue) * 102]

[Obtained: White Iron Birch Seed (Purple) * 33]

[Obtained: Old Language (Book)]

[Obtained…]

Besides these, there was a whole pile of miscellaneous materials.

Cao Xing took a look; among these, the most precious were the four souls and the over one hundred magic plant seeds.

The harvest was quite good.

He put them into his backpack and looked up at the two little girls.

"Chuchu, Elisa, you go back and rest with Bingbing first."

"The day after tomorrow, you will go out with me."

"We are planning to visit another country this time."

Hearing this, Little Chuchu didn't react much, but Elisa's eyes were already shining!

She said excitedly, "Going to another country?! Is that true, Lord?"

Cao Xing nodded with a light smile, "Of course, and the place we are going to this time will be very lively, and there will be many fun things."

At this moment, Elisa was so excited she almost jumped up.

"Long live the Lord!"

"I've never left the Ice Crystal Kingdom in my life, this is amazing!"

Even Tong Chuchu, who was standing to the side, appeared very excited.

Cao Xing smiled and shook his head, saying, "For now, you should all go back to rest and wait for my orders."

"As you command, Lord!"

Elisa straightened her posture, then took Tong Chuchu and Bingbing and quickly left the area.

Watching their retreating figures, Cao Xing smiled and shook his head.

"Next, I'll hand these magic plant seeds over to Nive and Juliette to plant."

He searched around the city walls and soon found the beautiful pair of sisters, handing the seeds over to them.

After finishing this, Cao Xing returned to the vicinity of the territory's buffer zone.

He thought to himself, "Tomorrow, the lords of the Starfire Legion should be bringing their workers over."

"My territory's resources are mostly stockpiled now, which means construction can officially begin tomorrow."

"But before that, I still need the construction blueprints."

Shortly after the Blood Chaos ended, Cao Xing gathered a group of administrative personnel in the territory to discuss the city construction.

He had entrusted the task of drafting the blueprint for the entire territory to Edward.

He wondered how the painter had progressed after all these days.

Therefore, Cao Xing pressed the communication device on his ear, "Edward, come to the buffer zone."

"Bring the blueprints you've been working on these days for me to see. Our territory will begin construction tomorrow."

Upon hearing Cao Xing's voice, there was a brief silence on the other end of the communicator.

Then came Edward's slightly nervous voice, "Understood, Lord. I'll be there right away."

Cao Xing detected the unease in Edward's tone and couldn't help but think, "Why does this guy sound a bit scared?"

"Has he been slacking off for the past half-month? Did he not complete the task seriously?"

However, after thinking about it, he felt it was unlikely.

After all, this painter had always been diligent in the territory and had never slacked off.

Cao Xing shook his head, didn't overthink it, and waited quietly.

A moment later, a slightly exhausted figure hurried over.

Edward, holding a large stack of rolled-up blueprints in his arms, walked quickly to Cao Xing's side.

"Respected Lord, good evening." Edward bowed slightly, his tone filled with a trace of respect and trepidation.

Cao Xing nodded, his gaze falling on the blueprints in his arms, and asked, "How did the blueprints turn out?"

Edward took a deep breath and replied solemnly, "Lord, I have been putting all my effort into drawing the territory's blueprint for the past half-month."

"However, I encountered some problems while drawing and couldn't choose the most suitable plan."

"So—I drew a few different versions."

"Now, please make the decision, Lord, on which version to use."

After speaking, he spread out the large pile of blueprints from his arms and carefully laid them out on the ground, piecing them together.

There were sixteen blueprints in total, each depicting a corner of the complete territory.

It was like cutting a cake down the middle, dividing it into four pieces.

Then, these sixteen blueprints were combined into four different types of territory planning schemes.

Cao Xing scanned them; the layout of these four versions of the sketches was similar to what they had discussed.

The core was still the Energy Tower.

In the central area of the map, an Energy Tower stood there, with the Lords Castle and the Tree of the Firmament right next to it.

With these major buildings as the center, construction spread outwards, building rows of structures.

In total, they were divided into four ring areas.

Outside these four ring areas were large buffer zones and agricultural areas, followed by the city walls.

This was Cao Xing's current territory layout.

Then came the layout of the outer city.

Outside the inner city walls, a large number of buildings and neatly planned streets appeared.

There were numerous residential houses and shops, as well as civic squares, parks, churches, and other such places.

Besides that, one could also see the reserved agricultural and industrial zones.

Looking further out, there was the second ring of city walls, which was the outer perimeter wall.

Cao Xing took a rough look and nodded in realization.

As it stood, the planning of these four sketches was similar to what they had originally discussed.

It was just that there were some differences in the layout and some buildings.

Edward explained from the side, "Lord, these four methods each have their own advantages."

"The first version of the blueprints focuses on defensive fortifications. I strengthened the wall defenses and planned for a large number of defensive arrow towers, watchtowers, and war machines."

"Including inside the city, I also planned to build many basements to cope with future war threats."

Following his explanation, Cao Xing glanced over.

On the first blueprint, there were indeed many arrow towers, and even a site reserved for a Legendary-level defensive tower like the [Destroyer Tower].

Besides that, there were extensive underground air-raid shelters and passageways connecting to the outside of the city.

If danger were encountered, the people inside could immediately dive underground to evacuate, essentially making it a fortress city.

He nodded, "Continue."

Edward continued, "The second version centers on resource collection and large-scale production, building a large number of logging camps, ore sorting yards, and heavy industrial zones."

"My idea is that in the future, we can achieve industrial development just like the cities where those Goblins reside."

"The third version focuses on the residents' living experience and the cultivation of talent, equipped with supporting living facilities, including churches and welfare institutions."

"Besides that, there are many vocational colleges, technical colleges, and even mage academies."

"In this way, our territory can constantly be replenished with fresh blood."

Edward let out a slow breath and continued, "The fourth version leans towards a commercial city."

"The entire city is built with numerous streets, basically accessible in all directions, and includes exchanges, Mages' Guilds, Blacksmiths' Guilds, Alchemists' Guilds, and so on."

"Besides that, there are some entertainment facilities."

"If this city is built, relying on your power, Lord, we can establish our commercial status among the surrounding kingdoms in one fell swoop."

"At the same time, it can also provide technical talent for our territory."

Edward finished speaking in one breath.

Then, he looked at Cao Xing and said solemnly, "Please make the decision, Lord!"

After listening, Cao Xing frowned and began to think seriously.

Edward's four versions indeed each had their own advantages.

After thinking for a moment, he first ruled out the third version, which focused on the residents' living experience; there was no need to make the residents' living experience that good, just acceptable was enough.

Once things were truly peaceful in the future, he could consider building a livable city then.

As for the colleges and the cultivation of knowledgeable talent, the other versions could also accommodate that.

The second version: rapidly collect resources and build a large number of heavy industrial zones to implement industrial development in the future.

This was a good choice and could be tentatively set aside.

As for the first version, building it into a war city—

Cao Xing shook his head, "There's no need for that."

After all, the defensive capabilities in his territory were already strong enough.

Any random Legendary powerhouse could suppress all external enemies.

If one didn't work, bring two; if two didn't work, bring a group. No matter what kind of enemy it was, he would just steamroll them.

"So—the final choice is between the second version and the fourth version."

Cao Xing's gaze lingered on these two versions of the blueprints, his brows slightly furrowed, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

A moment later, he made a final decision, "Let's go with the fourth version. I want to build a commercial city first!"