{Xiong clan 1 day after the meeting}
"We are weak because we were naive, but no longer will we be naive and let our enemies get away with the thievery and exploitation of our resources. no longer will we fall for their schemes and traps. We will turn the tables and become the masters of strategy and deception! We will not no longer let our kindness be abused, let us rise to a new and prosperous future!"
Throughout the clan, the elders would spread this message of animosity toward their foes, a common hatred.
⸻
Far to the south, there existed a small village whose inhabitants worked in 'harmony' and most of all unity.
To further improve progress the village also implemented a rental system for their Gu, ensuring that no Gu went to waste. Renting a Gu required payment for feeding and a monthly fee equivalent to 10% of the market price. Should the Gu be consumable, the full price would be paid after use. Moreover, one could not rent out Gu of a higher rank or rent too many Gu simultaneously.
The village deemed a significant portion of their Gu storage as useless and sold it for primeval stones. They also shared information on refinement recipes with their neighbors at a bargain.
However, the village failed to recognize that prioritizing immediate gains without considering the long-term consequences would ultimately lead to their downfall, of course, that was unless they were victorious in the war.
⸻1 month and 2 weeks since coming to this world || 1 year and 11 months till the main storyline⸻
Amidst a grueling week of enacting new laws and upholding order all for the sake of the citizens, 001 had scarcely any time to rest. But as the week drew to a close, he was finally able to rank up to rank 3. Upon returning to his quarters, he walked to his mirror and took notice of the dark circles that had formed beneath his eyes.
While most people would have retired to bed to recuperate from the exhausting process of ranking up, 001 had no interest in sleeping. Peering deeply into his own reflection, the bags under his eyes slowly faded away, he then stretched his limbs and walked outside.
First, he acquired a rank-3 Wood Storage Gu from the treasury as a reward for ranking up. With it, he unleashed carnage, dispatching lightning wolves with ease, Hundred Beast Kings with efficiency, and even executing Thousand Beast Kings by dropping entire trees on their necks.
During his hunt, he quickly took notice that making the wood sharp doesn't add any effect against the Thousand Beast king's thick hide, but that didn't stop their spine from snapping when you dropped an entire tree on their neck.
After claiming three kills, his stock of 10,000 primeval stones increased to 70,000. Of this, he spent 12,000 renting a rank-3 Mud Gu, a rank-3 Liquid Storage Gu, and a rank-3 Axe Gu.
With the remaining 50,000 primeval stones, he purchased a White Silver Relic Gu from the clan storage.
As he continued to operate, the ground in the surrounding forest grew pockmarked with newly dug earth that had been subsequently refilled. Those who were aware of the circumstances understood that the earth concealed buried wolves. However, none of them knew that the creatures had been wholly drained of their blood.
The clan as a whole was growing at a rate they had never before seen, gu masters were not only bringing in resources at an unprecedented speed because it was a lot easier as a bonus the clan was also making up for their immense cost in feeding Gu every week.
Everyone was playing their part to further grow the clan.
However, the belief that one's neighbors were richer only because they were better at scheming would eventually backfire. This would occur when there was no longer a common enemy or when the lie had become deeply ingrained in society, resulting in neighbors treating one another with contempt.
But for now, the clan's rate of growth would continue at this accelerated pace for at least a year or two.
This was the benefit of nazism as opposed to capitalism, fast growth, but a poor future.
But just as anger blinds a man, they were too blind to see what this would do to their society.
As for those who foresaw the consequences and attempted to prevent them, well, they simply didn't exist. (Evil grin)