Chapter 24: Territory upgrade, town hall.
Hao Tian arrived promptly near the Village Hall. At the cost of three thousand gold coins and three thousand units of wood, he initiated the upgrade of the Village Hall to a Town Hall. Soon, a brilliant golden light descended from the sky, enveloping the entire Golden Oasis. Everything began to transform. Trees grew rapidly, the ground expanded, and the verdant land seemed to swallow the surrounding sand dunes as if it were alive.
The most remarkable change was the expansion of Sapphire Lake. Previously only two to three hundred meters at its widest, it now stretched over a kilometer, its area multiplying several times over. This meant an abundance of water resources, enough to sustain Hao Tian's burgeoning population of over two thousand desert dwellers, along with more than a thousand desert coyotes and moose, without any concerns about water scarcity.
The lake shimmered, with silver-tailed fish leaping from its surface, tracing arcs of silver light in the air. Native lake fish teemed in the waters, and the lakebed glowed with a pearlescent light, reminiscent of scattered pearls. The scene was breathtakingly beautiful.
On the other side of the Sapphire Lake, more than two thousand desert dwellers knelt in unison, worshipping fervently. They viewed the transformation of the Golden Oasis as a divine miracle, further cementing their belief that Hao Tian was a divine messenger endowed with celestial powers. They fervently praised Hao Tian and the paradise-like land he ruled.
"Congratulations, you have successfully upgraded your core building, the Village Hall, to a Town Hall. You have completed the main quest. You have received a random Lord's Talent as a reward."
"Congratulations, you have gained the Lord's Talent: Awakening of the Ancient Bloodline."
"New main quest unlocked: Upgrade the core building to a City Hall. Quest reward: A random Lord's Talent."
"Congratulations, your side quests have been refreshed."
"Side Quest One: Eliminate or conquer the Lizardman Tribe occupying the distant sand forest. Reward: One thousand gold coins and a random building blueprint."
"Side Quest Two: Possess three advanced territory buildings of different types. Reward: Five hundred gold coins and a bottle of Animal Rapid Growth Potion."
"Special Quest: Form an army of a thousand regular troops with an average level of at least five. Reward: Lord's level increased by one (up to the peak of the King level)."
A series of notifications appeared in Hao Tian's mind. After reading through them, he eagerly checked his new Lord's Talent.
"Lord's Talent: Awakening of the Ancient Bloodline (Epic). When recruiting any unit, there is a chance to recruit a higher potential and stronger combat unit of the same type."
"Recruiting special units? Sounds promising. I wonder how high this probability is. Being an epic talent, it shouldn't be too low."
Hao Tian planned to test this after midnight, hoping to recruit some elite "special forces" within the Royal Knights. He then opened the information panel for the Town Hall.
"Town Hall (Level: Basic). Unlocked buildings: Fences, Residences, Arrow Towers, Market. Next level: Intermediate Town Hall. Upgrade requirements: Five thousand units of wood, five thousand units of stone, five thousand gold coins."
"Two new buildings unlocked. The fences have upgraded to enclosures. Although not immediately useful since there are fewer monsters in the desert compared to the Forest of Life, it might be worth considering once we unlock or find blueprints for walls. The market is new as well."
He reviewed the market information.
"Territory Basic Building: Market. Information: The market will make your territory more prosperous. Your subjects can trade materials with each other in the market. Construction requirements: Two thousand units of wood, five hundred units of stone. Special note: When you have a main city, you can mint your own currency for use in the market and collect taxes. Special note 2: The market may attract passing merchants and wanderers to your territory."
"This is great."
After some thought, Hao Tian selected a site near the desert dwellers' settlement and began constructing the market.
"Market (Level: Basic). Available shops: Ten. Trading capacity: One thousand people. Tax rate: Five percent. Special note: Market stalls can be sold or leased. Upgrading the market will increase the number of shops and the tax rate. Next level: Intermediate Market. Upgrade requirements: Twenty thousand units of wood, five thousand units of stone."
"Perfect!"
Hao Tian built the market to capitalize on the abundant resources and to attract passing merchant caravans and nearby wanderers (desert dwellers). The market also provided the pleasant surprise of stalls that could be sold or leased, offering long-term benefits.
"The stalls might not be immediately useful or sellable, but in the future, they will be invaluable."
Hao Tian never intended to indefinitely support the desert dwellers. For now, they all ate from communal supplies and remained loyal, working together for the greater good. This rapid development was only temporary. Eventually, with tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, communal living would become unfeasible. A transition to a household-based society, with individual families owning property and assets, would be necessary. This would motivate the desert dwellers to work harder. As their lord, Hao Tian could then implement taxation and other policies. A territory composed of numerous small households would flourish, elevating the civilization level and forming a kingdom. During this societal transformation, buildings like markets and shops would be essential for rapid economic growth.
Hao Tian then turned his attention to the two refreshed side quests. The second side quest was the easiest—possessing three different types of advanced territory buildings. He first focused on upgrading the existing Residences and Arrow Towers. Upgrading the three Residences and five Arrow Towers from basic to intermediate required minimal resources—just two hundred units of wood per Residence and three hundred units of wood and one hundred units of stone per Arrow Tower.
For Hao Tian, these resources were negligible. He upgraded all three Residences and five Arrow Towers to intermediate, then selected one of each to upgrade to advanced. This left him needing one more type of advanced building to complete the quest. After some consideration, he chose to upgrade the Pasture.
"The Pasture increases livestock fertility and growth rates, with a chance for bloodline evolution—very useful."
After spending five thousand units of wood, the Pasture was upgraded to intermediate.
"Pasture (Level: Intermediate). Information: You can raise various livestock, including mounts and magical beasts, in the pasture. Effects: Livestock fertility increased fivefold, growth cycle proportionally shortened, with a low chance of bloodline evolution. Next level: Advanced Pasture. Upgrade requirements: Fifty thousand units of wood. Special note: Upgrading the pasture increases the chance of bloodline evolution."
"Upgrading to advanced costs ten times more wood! But with the abundant trees since upgrading the territory to a town, gathering fifty thousand units of wood by tomorrow with the desert dwellers' effort won't be difficult."
By tomorrow, Hao Tian expected to have three advanced buildings, completing the second side quest. As midnight approached, he eagerly anticipated recruiting a new batch of Royal Knights.
Weekly Power Status
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