Chapter 001: Development

Ever since the bonfire party, the villagers’ enthusiasm for work had soared, and their fervor showed no sign of waning. Nearly a third of them now possessed a loyalty score of one hundred, even Li He and Jin Xue, who had joined the tribe midway, had reached nearly ninety in loyalty. With such unwavering devotion, there was not a single villager idle in the tribal center; they labored tirelessly, like machines that never knew fatigue, pouring all their strength into the tribe’s prosperity and stability.

The newly produced villagers, their skill levels still rudimentary, often struggled with their assigned tasks. Yet, another boon brought by the surge in loyalty was that the veteran villagers, without needing instructions from Li Zhan or Zheng Jun, would eagerly assist the newcomers in adapting to their roles. The tribe was harmonious, united as one big family.

However, the support rating remained largely unchanged, increasing by only one or two points at most; many villagers showed no movement at all.

Five days later, Li Zhan was inspecting the stone warehouse near the lumberyard, checking the reserves. After days of quarrying, both high-quality and low-quality stone had reached about 150 units each, while medium-quality stone amounted to over 700 units. By now, the lumberjacks had cleared away the timber surrounding the stone piles, leaving them fully exposed. Li Zhan walked around the piles, examining them carefully, and discovered that in the center—once hidden from view—there were two piles of exceptionally fine stone, about four-fifths of which were premium grade, ideal for laying the castle’s foundation. Using such stone would increase the castle’s durability by five hundred to a thousand points compared to medium-grade materials.

At that moment, Zheng Jun approached from the riverside, his face alight with joy. He bowed to Li Zhan and announced, “Chief, Wang Hui has finished developing the waterwheel. It’s just been put to use. Let’s go see it together.”

Li Zhan was delighted and followed Zheng Jun down to the riverbank. The waterwheel stood at a rapid in the river, built from a wooden shed and a wheel about three meters in diameter. The wheel’s central axis extended a rotating shaft into the adjacent shed, with the lower rim submerged half a meter in the water. Over a dozen wooden paddles protruded from the outer circumference, spinning the wheel rapidly under the current’s force. Inside the rim, hollow wooden cylinders filled with river water as the wheel turned. As they rose above the surface, the water was poured into a wooden trough beside the wheel. This trough, made from thick logs joined together, stretched over a hundred meters to the tribal center, channeling river water directly into the fields.

Accompanied by Wang Hui and Zheng Jun, Li Zhan observed the waterwheel’s operation in detail—much like a leader inspecting his domain. Entering the water shed, he spotted a large stone disk affixed to the end of the wheel’s shaft, slowly rotating. He asked Wang Hui what purpose the stone served.

Wang Hui stepped forward and explained, “This boulder stabilizes and anchors the waterwheel. The current here is swift, and the force generated as the wheel spins is immense. The stone counteracts this, ensuring the waterwheel operates smoothly.”

Li Zhan nodded, gazing at the spinning stone, a sudden idea flashing in his mind. He turned to Wang Hui, “Since the waterwheel generates so much power, why not harness it? The mill requires two farmers to take turns pushing the grindstone every day—exhausting work and highly inefficient. If we use the waterwheel’s excess rotational force to power the mill, we’ll make better use of resources and spare the labor—a win all around.”

Wang Hui pondered the suggestion, then looked up at Li Zhan in excitement. “Chief, your idea is brilliant! There’s no time to lose; I’ll start designing the combined waterwheel and mill right away.”

Zheng Jun chimed in happily, “With more fields and faster work, we’re harvesting nearly a hundred units of grain each day. One mill isn’t enough anymore, mainly because manual grinding is so slow. I was considering building another, but this is perfect—if we harness the waterwheel’s power, the mill will be at least five times more efficient than one run by manpower alone.”

Developing the waterwheel had consumed two hundred units of timber and one hundred units of food—these research costs hadn’t been secretly eaten by Wang Hui, but were a fixed game mechanic designed to restrain players’ resources. Combining the waterwheel and mill, according to Wang Hui’s estimate, would require about three hundred units of timber and one hundred fifty units of food—the exact cost depended on the craftsmen’s skill level: the higher the skill, the lower the cost, and vice versa. After completing the wooden plow, Li Zhan had instructed another craftsman to begin developing a loom. For the past few days, the Yanhuang Tribe’s research work had been intense, consuming resources at a rapid pace.

The loom’s development was rather complex; after five days, they were only a third of the way through, and it was estimated they would need another five hundred units of timber and four hundred units of food to finish. Including the waterwheel-mill combination, the tribe’s resources were starting to run low. Upon asking Zheng Jun, Li Zhan learned that the tribe currently had seven hundred seventy units of timber and nine hundred ten units of food.

Food was still plentiful, but timber was becoming scarce. Furthermore, each time a field was tilled, fifty units of timber were consumed—again, a game mechanic to limit resources. At this rate, timber would run out in just a few days.

Zheng Jun suggested ramping up villager production, working day and night without pause, assigning all those with logging skills to the lumberyard. After all, the tribe’s population was still far from the Dark Age’s population cap.

Li Zhan considered the options and agreed it was the only solution.

Following the riverbank path toward the shipyard, he noticed dozens of drying lines strung across the sandy beach, covered with rows upon rows of fresh fish fillets. Six fishermen, bone knives in hand, were meticulously inspecting each piece, refining them as Li Zhan had requested. Approaching the nearest line, Li Zhan picked up a fillet. The pale yellow flesh was free of bones and scales, and splitting it gently revealed pristine white meat layered like cloves of garlic—a single glance made one’s appetite surge.

After chatting briefly with the fishermen, Li Zhan returned to the tribal center. As he pushed open the north gate, he was greeted by a chorus of exclamations. Looking up, he saw Li He and Jin Xue leading a wild ox to pull a plow. Dozens of farmers stood at the edge of the fields, watching the ox with a mix of curiosity and fear, pointing and whispering about the scene unfolding before them.