Chapter 33: Urban Planning

Lin Mu led his men for half a day until they reached a plain in the east. On this plain stood a row of crude, ancient-style wooden fences, forming a massive circle that resembled a rudimentary camp. Of course, this camp was not inhabited by humans, but by ferocious wild dogs and wolves; it was a primary-level monster camp.

This camp had not yet undergone the territory conversion process of being destroyed or occupied.

Lin Mu had learned from Feng Zhong that the monster camps around True Dragon Village were not being converted. Instead, they only killed a portion of the monsters to prevent the camp from reaching full capacity. They planned to wait until their military strength reached the next level before taking action; destroying or occupying them now would be a waste, as it wouldn't maximize their utility.

Soon, Lin Mu and Xiao Hu’s group swarmed into the camp. In the ensuing chaos of slashing and stabbing, these level-10 monsters posed no threat to the soldiers or Lin Mu.

Lin Mu instructed them to kill as quickly as possible while safety permitted, as the monster camps further ahead were the truly dangerous ones; for now, everyone was just letting off some steam.

Afterward, Lin Mu led them to clear out the primary and intermediate camps, only partially clearing the advanced ones. Another day had passed. Upon returning to the barracks and settling the soldiers, Lin Mu hurried off to find Chang Yin.

Previously, the blueprints Lin Mu had purchased at the trading market—aside from the relatively rare [Primary Grocery Store]—were all basic territory structures. With a primary architect in the territory, these could have been built eventually, but saving construction time meant they could be put to immediate use. The time saved might allow for more production and greater profits.

The basic buildings in the territory included: Council Hall, Blacksmith, Tailor Shop, Carpentry Workshop, Mine, Quarry, Logging Camp, Infirmary, Residences, Restaurant, Livestock Farm, Pier, Shipyard, Watchtower, City Walls, Barracks, Masonry Workshop, Winery, Grocery Store, Trading Market, Graveyard, and so on.

The rarer buildings included: Private School (Academy, College), Mulberry Orchard, Weaving Workshop, Pottery Workshop, Martial Arts Hall, Alchemy Workshop, Herb Garden, Temple (Grand Temple), Animal Pen, Training Room, etc.

There were also some special structures. In his past life, Lin Mu had heard of a special territory building called the [General-Summoning Platform], though he didn't know its specific attributes.

Lin Mu hoped for rare building blueprints to appear, or even better, special structures. But in reality, everything was just beginning, and there were no good items yet.

The rare building Lin Mu wanted most right now was a private school, academy, or college—structures for teaching and cultivating talent, which played an irreplaceable role in developing the territory's potential.

Unfortunately, he didn't have one. Moreover, Chang Yin hadn't mentioned the appearance of any special "Teacher" talent among the refugees, so the private school could not be built.

Lin Mu remembered the attributes of the private school building very clearly:

Name: [Private School]
Rank: Primary
Attribute: Can cultivate various primary-level secondary talents.
Description: A sacred place for enlightening the ignorant and educating the youth. Building Requirements: Primary [Teacher], 500 units of wood, 600 units of stone, 500 copper coins.
[Teacher]: A special secondary profession. Can cultivate talent for different industries based on their level, influenced by their talent, expertise, and skill efficiency. "Respect the teacher and value the way; it takes ten years to nurture talent, but the benefits last a hundred."

In the eyes of players, a [Teacher] was a versatile talent—someone who knew everything, as if blessed by the laws of heaven and earth, knowledgeable in both ancient and modern matters.

If a [Teacher] appeared, Lin Mu could have them work with an architect to build the school. It would take a lot of time, but without a blueprint, he would have no choice but to use the most primitive methods.

Regrettably, [Teacher] was one of the rarest professions, and Lin Mu had yet to acquire such a talent.

The number of villagers in the territory was slowly increasing, as were the buildings. The size of the village-level territory was beginning to expand. Since his territory was established using a God-level Village Building Token, there was no limit on the territory's area, allowing for infinite construction—a luxury other players' territories did not enjoy.

To ensure stable development, it was best to plan the entire territory's blueprint from the very beginning.

Lin Mu and Chang Yin discussed this. Assisted by Lin Mu's modern knowledge and within the framework of the ancient rules introduced by Chang Yin, Lin Mu designated fixed locations for various industries. However, both knew this plan was only temporary, as the future was unpredictable.

With the village Council Hall at the center, the east and south were primarily designated for farmland to develop agriculture, with space reserved for a future herb garden.

The west was designated for workshops like the Mine and Logging Camp. The Blacksmith and Carpentry Workshop were also built nearby to form an industrial zone. Since the west was the source of animal hides, the Tailor Shop was established there as well.

The northwest was reserved for the barracks, with plenty of land set aside for future expansions.

The north was currently being developed as farmland, with no construction yet.

Most of the Yinglong Valley was a plain, with some rivers and lakes that Lin Mu hadn't touched yet, waiting for enough manpower to develop them.

The Yinglong Valley was divided into two parts by the Yinglong River. Lin Mu's village was located on the north bank; the south bank remained a mystery.

Piers, shipyards, and fisheries were built along the Yinglong River. Lin Mu hadn't let the villagers cross to the other side yet; he wanted to fully develop the current side and establish some military strength as a safeguard before exploring further. The land on this side of the river was enough to keep him busy for now.

Currently, the blacksmithing infrastructure included 7 primary blacksmiths, 4 intermediate, and 2 advanced. There were 5 advanced blacksmiths, 17 intermediate, and 59 primary.

As for the tailoring industry, there were 2 primary, 1 intermediate, 1 advanced, and 1 expert-level tailor shop. The expert-level shop was only possible thanks to the expert tailor Chen Hui (Chen Qingxian). Under her leadership and with the help of the territory’s architects, they met the requirements to build it, which took about 15 days.

With the experience gained from building the expert-level tailor shop, the territory's architects had made significant progress. There were 50 primary, 28 intermediate, and 15 advanced architects, though none had reached the expert level yet.

The growth of the architects led to the development of various other structures. Aside from the expert-level tailor shop, the biggest gain was what Lin Mu had requested: residential housing.

With advanced architects, they could build advanced residences, each housing 100 people, while intermediate ones held 50, and primary ones only 5. The architects were the busiest people in the territory, and their experience was growing rapidly. It seemed expert-level talents would soon emerge. This was the fastest-promoting secondary profession Lin Mu knew of, and many life-profession players chose to focus on it, as they gained a small amount of experience whenever they completed a building.

Lin Mu built these residential houses in the northeast, preparing for a future population boom.

Lin Mu and Chang Yin took this step-by-step planning very seriously. They spent two days discussing it in the Council Hall, recording detailed plans and gaining much from the process. Lin Mu absorbed Chang Yin's experience, while he was amazed by Chang Yin's erudition.

After their discussion, a system notification sounded in Lin Mu’s ear:

"——System Prompt: Lord Lin Mu, your scholar Chang Yin, after several days of in-depth discussions on construction and management experience with you, has gained some insight and acquired the primary specialty: [Urban Planning]. Since Chang Yin is a God-level strategist, the primary specialty has been upgraded to an advanced specialty."

*Damn*, he thought, I can understand you gaining a primary specialty, but upgrading it to advanced immediately is too overpowered. Is this what a God-level general is like?

[Urban Planning]: Advanced Scholar specialty. Increases territory construction speed, efficiency, and comfort by 10%.

"Congratulations, Yuanjian! To think you could master the [Urban Planning] specialty. The territory's construction will surely depend on you from now on!" Lin Mu said, feeling envious.

"Haha, to have such an opportunity is all thanks to your guidance, my Lord! I have benefited greatly," Chang Yin replied modestly, waving his hand.

"Oh, by the way, do you know what level a God-level general or strategist reaches after upgrading?" Lin Mu suddenly remembered a question and asked Chang Yin on the spot.

"Haha, that is still very far off for you, my Lord. It is too early for you to know; it would do you no good. I shall not be presumptuous—let you explore it slowly, as that will yield its own benefits!" Chang Yin said with a mysterious expression.

Watching Chang Yin’s god-like, cryptic demeanor, Lin Mu felt a headache coming on. Could you be any more evasive?

"Haha..." Chang Yin chuckled, stroking his chin as he watched Lin Mu's frustrated expression.

After discussing a few more issues, Lin Mu left the Council Hall, leaving Chang Yin to manage the villagers’ work while he acted as a hands-off lord.

Thanks to Lin Mu’s aggressive acquisition of building blueprints and sufficient funding, the territory was booming.

"Mythical Three Kingdoms" had been open for 40 days, and he had established his territory for over 30. The territory had seen substantial development.

The number of residents had reached 5,923, nearing the 6,000 mark. The village area was constantly expanding. Fortunately, his territory was God-level; if it were any other player's territory, the limited area would have made it impossible to house so many people, leading to a collapse in public order and morale. His territory, however, had no such worries.

The village's economic conditions were improving, and the residents were highly enthusiastic. Whenever a task was assigned, there was a great response from the people. Governance was smooth, and the village was harmonious and prosperous.

Walking through the village, Lin Mu could feel the vibrant energy of the place—it was the power of the masses, and it was infectious.

Most of the residents were refugees or displaced people. To have a stable environment, enough food and clothing, and a place to settle down—these were the luxuries they had once dreamed of. Now, in [True Dragon Village], led by a wise and powerful lord, everyone was extremely satisfied.

Lin Mu checked the territory's public order and morale:
Morale: 89
Public Order: 79

For someone with Lin Mu's experience in building territories, these were very high attributes.

Morale and public order affected the residents' enthusiasm and mindset. These were hidden stats that only seasoned players would notice; Lin Mu had learned this through countless lessons in the past.

In fact, many players didn't care about these stats. If they dropped, so be it. Since the system didn't give alerts or cause direct damage, they left them alone. Even those who tried to improve them often found their efforts futile.

Furthermore, many players' territories were dominated by other players, and the NPC population growth was limited to the primary refugee camps provided at the start of the village, making population growth painfully slow.

Lin Mu's development was largely due to his encounter with the Fate Merchant.

Since ordering Chang Yin to manage Yuan Zhi, he hadn't seen him again. Besides, he had no reputation points, and meeting him would only lead to sighing at exquisite items he couldn't afford. It was better not to seek him out, lest he be tempted to rob him!