Chapter 117: New Home, New Rules, New Beginning [Four-in-One Chapter]

In fact, the moment the rodent swarm appeared on the north slope of the cliff,

the significance of the new residence had already diminished from what it once was.

Six months of preparation, nearly seven months total; vast quantities of Jinlin wood; uncounted iron ore—all but everyone in the camp participated.

With so much manpower and material invested, if Xia Hong had merely intended to improve living conditions, he would be utterly insane.

The greatest purpose of this costly new residence was to resist the expanding cold beasts from Hongmu Ridge.

According to the original design, the six-meter-thick Jinlin wood walls, reinforced with iron fittings at critical points, could withstand even the powerful impact of snowmanes—so long as fewer than a hundred charged simultaneously, there would be no risk of collapse.

The cold beasts expanding from Hongmu Ridge currently consist only of snowmanes, frost wolves, and golden sheep—meaning once the wooden house was built, even if discovered during the day, they could retreat inside and defend themselves; if discovered at night, they could even use the house’s defenses to hunt the attacking beasts.

Improving living conditions was merely incidental; compared to safety, comfort simply wasn’t a significant concern.

Unfortunately, with the arrival of the rodent swarm, Xia Hong’s carefully laid plans had completely fallen apart.

Given the rodents’ grotesque burrowing ability, that massive swarm on the north slope—whether this wooden house or even a solid iron one—Xia Hong had serious doubts it could hold them back.

Before eliminating the rodent swarm, the safety provided by the new wooden house would be negligible; of course, Xia Hong wasn’t the only one who understood this—Xia Chuan and the five Luo Yuan men all knew it too.

………

The next night, inside the temporary wooden house.

After eating cold-beast meat, Xia Hong felt the long-missed surge of heat within his body, his eyes lighting up with joy as he immediately rose and began practicing Long Fist.

Xia Hong’s base strength of over twenty thousand jin, combined with his perfected Long Fist form, could generate up to thirty percent more force—over twenty-six thousand jin.

Such terrifying power poured forth with every punch, producing continuous sonic booms; the outer walls of the wooden house trembled, and the fierce momentum of his strikes made the campfire inside crackle violently.

Today was the final day of the new residence’s completion, and there was much to do—nearly all adult members of the camp had gone to assist; inside the temporary wooden house, only about a hundred young children remained.

Harsh conditions had taught these children early the importance of strength; watching Xia Hong’s imposing fist techniques, their eyes brimmed with reverence and admiration, and some bolder ones imitated his movements, practicing earnestly.

“No wonder he’s the leader—his punches sound louder than anyone else’s.”

“Obviously—he’s the strongest in Great Xia.”

“My father’s in the hunting team—he said the leader can kill cold beasts alone. When I grow up, I’ll become as strong as him.”

“Stop bragging, Luo An—you’re not even six yet, can’t even swallow big chunks of cold-beast meat, and you want to be as strong as the leader? Hahaha…”

“Hahaha, yes yes yes, Luo An’s blowing way too hard.”

“Zou Ping, you choked on cold-beast meat yesterday—I know it. Wait till I can swallow big chunks, then I’ll be stronger than you.”

“Hmph, fine, let’s see who’s stronger!”

…………

The children’s whispered chatter, though hushed, couldn’t escape Xia Hong’s ears; hearing their childish bickering, he couldn’t help but smile.

If he remembered correctly, the two arguing were Luo An, son of Luo Yuan, and Zou Ping, son of Zou Yuankai—both still under six years old.

These children in the camp were no longer like before; after the test revealed the minimum age for consuming cold-beast meat was six, the reserve force’s age threshold was also lowered to six and above.

In other words, every child in the camp aged six or older was now enrolled in the reserve force; children under six, though unable to digest large chunks of cold-beast meat, could still improve their physique by consuming mashed cold-beast meat and crystal fruit as supplementary food.

These children under six received a monthly ration of five jin, and since their parents were at least in the reserve force, their daily meals were almost always mixed with cold-beast meat.

In just a few months, these children fed on cold-beast meat supplements had already changed: their height shot up rapidly, their bodies grew as robust as young oxen, and by frequently training alongside adults, they shed their former listless, frail appearances, bringing new vitality to the valley.

Xia Hong knew well this was only a short-term change; physique improvement was a gradual, subtle process—these children’s current transformations were merely the beginning.

Those under six already consuming cold-beast meat supplements—once they turned six and began eating real cold-beast meat, with their enhanced physique, their cultivation speed would far surpass previous generations.

And as this continued generation after generation, the physique of future generations born in Great Xia Camp would climb to an astonishing height.

Perhaps one day, all descendants of Great Xia would possess physiques far exceeding other humans—even rivaling cold beasts, immune to the strange and monstrous…

“Thinking too far ahead!”

Xia Hong chuckled softly, shook his head; the heat in his body had nearly dissipated. He walked to the strength-testing post beside the chair, tested himself, and nodded.

“Twenty thousand four hundred jin—an increase of over two hundred in one go. As expected, my progress had slowed because I’d become immune to the first three cold-beast meats; eating rodent meat restored it. I need to find ways to hunt other types of cold beasts.”

With his strength growth finally restored, Xia Hong’s spirits lifted.

He was nearing the thirty-thousand-jin limit; after Digging Level came Cold-Resistant Level—once he reached that realm, he could walk freely under sunlight.

As a normal human, only Xia Hong knew how deeply he longed for sunlight; he’d been in this world for nearly a year and still had never seen what the daytime world looked like.

“But I still know nothing about how to break through to Cold-Resistant Level after reaching thirty thousand jin. Should I scout the arrow bamboo forest ahead of time? That way, when I go to the Hive Camp, I’ll be prepared.”

Xia Hong lowered his head in thought for a moment, then suddenly realized something and sighed, tapping his own head.

“The urgent matter is the rodent swarm on the north slope; without solving that problem, all other plans are meaningless. Better not get lost in daydreams…”

Xia Hong didn’t know what strength Cold-Resistant Level entailed.

But he was certain that even if his base strength reached thirty thousand jin, facing the rodent swarm alone was utterly impossible.

“The rodent swarm needs dedicated watchers—so we’re not caught off guard by any movement. But whoever we send must be agile. Who should I assign?”

Before he’d thought long, Xia Chuan’s excited voice came from the door.

“Leader! The wooden house is finished!”

Hearing this, Xia Hong couldn’t help but feel excitement himself. He rose from his chair and followed Xia Chuan out of the temporary wooden house.

“Make way! Let the leader through!”

In the valley, a dense crowd had gathered before the massive wooden house. At Xia Chuan’s call, everyone turned to look at Xia Hong, then parted to either side, clearing a path.

As Xia Hong walked down the central aisle, he took in the excitement and joy on every face, and his own anticipation for the new residence began to rise.

At the front of the house, a five-meter-tall pale gold structure with a black-iron-framed gate came into view; standing beside the gate was Mu Dong, his expression alight with emotion.

Seeing Xia Hong approach, Mu Dong pushed hard to open the gate.

Behind the gate was a five-meter-wide corridor. As Xia Hong stepped inside first, Mu Dong followed closely behind, beginning his explanation, while the dense crowd behind them streamed in after the two.

“The two main gates are five meters high and two meters wide, each framed in black iron, with iron latches below to secure them from within. Once latched, no matter how hard outsiders charge, they can only smash the wooden parts—there’s no way they can collapse the gates.”

“Next is the first-floor corridor: five meters wide, seventy-five meters long. On both sides, wooden panels divide the space into rooms—each ten by ten meters, totaling three hundred and sixty. They’re divided into four zones—east, south, west, north—with passageways between them and numbered signs.”

“At the end of the corridor is the central hall, fifty meters long and wide, with four load-bearing pillars, and eight more scattered across the other four zones—this area is reserved for everyone’s activities.”

“Leader, look at this smelting furnace.”

As Mu Dong walked and explained, Xia Hong reached the central hall, where a smelting furnace over two meters in diameter hung from a thick chain extending upward.

Xia Hong looked up and realized the second and third floors of the house each had a five-meter-wide opening directly above the furnace—clearly designed for its vertical movement.

As expected, Mu Dong stepped forward, grabbed one end of the chain, and pulled gently—the furnace slowly rose to the second floor, where he locked it in place.

Even though the furnace had risen to the second floor, its firelight still illuminated the first-floor hall; the lighting remained unchanged, as bright as before.

“The smelting furnace isn’t just a light source—it also provides heating and smelting. Since all three floors benefit from it, and its weight helps stabilize the house, I designed this system.”

“The furnace’s chain is hooked to the cast-iron ceiling beams, which are connected to other key iron components. If the house faces external force, adding weight to the furnace greatly increases structural stability.”

Pulley system, elevator, interconnected structure, plus the earlier mortise-and-tenon joints, woodworking fittings…

How many new inventions had Mu Dong come up with?

Truly a genius!

Xia Hong’s gaze toward Mu Dong had subtly changed.

Xia Hong understood all these concepts himself—but at best, he could only offer ideas; he couldn’t possibly build them from scratch.

Mu Dong, using only the tools and ideas Xia Hong provided, had created so much—it was almost unbelievable.

Not just Xia Hong—the large group entering behind him now stared around like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden, their expressions ecstatic.

Even though most had helped build it, nearly all had only handled small parts; they knew far less about the overall structure than Mu Dong, so hearing his explanations, their shock was no less than Xia Hong’s.

“Leader, this way…”

Mu Dong gestured, leading Xia Hong and the others leftward; on either side of the hall stood two wooden staircases clearly leading to the second and third floors.

Because the staircases were centrally located, ascending to the second floor brought everyone directly into the central hall, where Mu Dong continued his explanation.

“The second floor is five meters high. Since it’s designated as the camp’s council hall, it has the most space. Connected to it are the forge, training ground, alchemy room, crafts workshop, and supply depot—all part of this multi-functional level.”

“The second-floor rooms are fewer than the first—only two hundred and eighty.”

“The first floor, being underground, has no windows for safety. The second floor is different: every ten meters along all four sides, there are windows large enough for two people—ideal for observation, archery, or throwing objects if enemies attack.”

“Also, a massive storage room is located behind the supply depot. All materials from the southern mine have already been moved in; from now on, cold-beast meat distribution will be handled here.”

After finishing the second floor, Mu Dong led everyone up to the third floor.

“The third floor is three meters high, same as the first, but the layout differs. Because it’s the highest and safest, a three-meter-wide outer corridor runs along all four sides. The internal rooms are larger—twenty meters per side—totaling only one hundred rooms.”

“Behind the central hall is the largest room—thirty meters wide. Leader, would you like to take a look?”

Xia Hong raised an eyebrow, glanced at Mu Dong, and nodded.

Clearly, this largest room was reserved for him, the leader.

Mu Dong walked to the back of the central hall and pushed open a large door.

Xia Hong stepped inside, followed by Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, Zhao Long, and several others who clearly wanted to see it too.

A thirty-meter-wide room couldn’t possibly be just one space.

What Xia Hong saw upon entering was a spacious hall of over a hundred square meters.

Around the hall, over twenty wooden shelves held iron basins, each burning with fire, illuminating the entire room brightly.

In the center stood seventeen wooden chairs; the one facing north was the custom-made seat for him, while the eight on the east and west sides were simpler but still padded with fur cushions—clearly specially made.

Behind the hall stood two massive wooden screens, three to four meters long, carved with images of three cold beasts. Beyond the screens lay the bedroom: a two-meter-wide wooden bed covered in fur, a large wooden tub filled with water, a one-meter-long reclining chair, wooden cabinets against the walls, and wooden smoke ducts lining the ceiling…

Each of these novel, elegant objects—even Xia Hong himself—was dazzled by them.

But soon, Xia Hong’s brow darkened. He turned to Mu Dong and asked, his tone serious:

“Over these past six months, you’ve made all these things?”

Seeing Xia Hong’s stern expression, Mu Dong grew slightly nervous and immediately bowed: “Leader, rest assured—except for these twenty-four fire basins, every other item here is made of wood, and I crafted them in the past few days during spare time with help from others.”

“When making large components, we had thirty-seven jin of leftover iron. Seeing no other use and since you didn’t ask for it, I privately asked Uncle Xia Chuan to forge these twenty-four fire basins for me.”

Just as before, when making his chair and clothes, Mu Dong once again invoked Xia Chuan’s name. Looking at the entire room of objects, Xia Hong turned to Xia Chuan, who was smiling at him—and said nothing.

Mu Dong made it very clear: everything was made of wood; the only iron basin was forged from leftover iron from building construction, and it weighed only thirty-seven jin.

Xia Hong did not reject comfort or enjoyment; these were basic human pursuits.

If the iron issue could be explained clearly, then he could accept all this before him.

At present, the Great Xia camp had more than enough wood; wood products were widespread, and it was not difficult at all.

The items Mu Dong had made for himself were merely slightly ahead of schedule; eventually, everyone else in the camp would use these same things.

The others inside the wooden house now looked at these objects with nothing but envy and anticipation—they clearly realized they too would one day use such things.

After inspecting the entire room, Xia Hong said nothing more, only nodded and led the group back to the second-floor meeting hall.

“Leader, can we move in tonight?”

“Can we freely choose which floor or room to live in?”

“How could that be? The leader must have already arranged everything.”

“The third-floor rooms are so large—they’re clearly reserved for the leader and a few senior officers. For the rest of us, just being able to live on the first floor would be enough.”

As soon as they returned to the meeting hall, the camp members couldn’t help but chatter excitedly, their eagerness to move in evident in every word.

After touring the entire wooden house’s structure, everyone had a general idea.

As for the third floor, with its enormous space and the specially reserved, almost luxurious bedroom, it was clearly meant for the leader; those who lived there would certainly be the camp’s most important members.

The second and first floors were planned identically, but the second floor had the meeting hall reserved, slightly more space, and also designated areas for storage, the forge, the training ground, the supply office, and more—it was clearly more fully equipped than the first floor.

Living on the second floor would certainly be more comfortable than the first.

Seeing everyone’s eyes fixed on the second-floor rooms, Xia Hong knew this level was their main target; he shook his head with a faint smile and gestured with his eyes toward Xia Chuan beside him.

After Mu Dong notified him the wooden house was nearly complete yesterday, Xia Hong had already pulled Xia Chuan and several others aside to plan the room allocation.

The hundred rooms on the third floor could wait; together, the second and first floors had six hundred and forty rooms—impossible to let people move in randomly.

Xia Chuan, receiving the signal, stepped forward. These rooms were among the camp’s resources; how they were divided naturally fell to him, as Supply Officer, to announce.

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“Comrades, this new house was not easy to build—the manpower, materials, time, coal, iron, and wood consumed were immense. You are all members of Great Xia, and each of you has contributed in some way to its construction; moving in is only natural…”

Xia Chuan paused, then shifted tone sharply, speaking solemnly: “But I must say: though we are all Great Xia members, our contributions to the camp vary in scale.”

Take the leader: since he began leading the camp from the earthen slope, every resource essential to our survival—wood, crystal fruit, cold-beast meat, medicine, coal, iron—all originated from him, and he willingly shares them with us without charge.

Without the leader, forget about breaking through to Woodcutting Realm or Excavation Realm.

Most of us would not have survived at all.

Whether it’s me or any of you, your very lives could rightly be said to have been given by the leader—do you not agree?”

Standing behind, Xia Hong raised an eyebrow at Xia Chuan’s preamble.

Objectively, he found nothing wrong with Xia Chuan’s words.

But he himself stood here, hearing others praise him to his face—no matter how he looked at it, he felt something odd inside.

“Agreed!”

“Yes! Without the leader, I wouldn’t have broken through Woodcutting Realm—back on the earthen slope, I’d have been killed by the Wood Golem Spirit. How could I be alive today?”

“Xia Chuan is right. Without the leader, I, Luo Yuan, would have died long ago to the Wood Golem Spirit—no chance to break through Excavation Realm.”

“Xia Chuan is correct. Without the leader, I, Shi Ping, would have perished on Tashan and never lived this life.”

………………

In truth, anyone slightly clever knew Xia Chuan was building up.

But his words were undeniably true.

Forget the earliest Great Xia group;

The people from Luo Ge’s camp—if not for Xia Hong—would have been slaughtered by the Wood Golem Spirit;

The people from Dashi camp—if not for Xia Hong—would have all died when Tashan fell;

The Huang Zhao and Dachuan families both owed the leader favors; the rest of the ordinary people, had they not migrated here, could never have lived this life;

The two hundred-plus people from Chen Ye’s camp? Even more so—without Xia Hong leading the rescue, none of them would have survived.

As Xia Chuan said, of the camp’s 1,095 people, without Xia Hong, the vast majority would not have survived.

Worse still, since joining Great Xia, they’ve done nothing yet received fur skirts, crystal fruit—even cold-beast meat—things they’d never dreamed of before.

Survival, full bellies, warm clothes—even the chance to cultivate.

Now, those hundred-plus Woodcutting Realm cultivators, those five Excavation Realm ones—who dares say they didn’t owe their present state to Xia Hong’s grace?

Below, over a thousand people unanimously agreed with Xia Chuan; their voices rose continuously for over ten minutes. Only when Xia Chuan raised his hand did they finally fall silent.

“Good. It’s clear the leader’s contributions are undeniable—you’re all thoughtful people.”

“Since contributions vary in scale, from now on, all camp resources and benefits shall be distributed according to contribution: more labor, more reward; less labor, less reward—everything allocated by contribution.”

“Today, with the new house built and the chance to assign rooms, I’ll tell you the leader’s new Contribution Point system—listen carefully…”

Sensing Xia Chuan had finally reached the core topic, everyone leaned forward intently—this concerned their future life in the camp.

“First, what is the Contribution Point system? Simply put: from now on, every member above Woodcutting Realm—except the leader—will have a personal Contribution Point balance at the Supply Office.”

“This balance belongs solely to you. You may spend points to commission wood products, clothing, hats, and all manner of items from the craftsmen; or exchange them at the Supply Office for cold-beast meat, furs, iron, coal, weapons…”

Xia Hong didn’t listen—this Contribution Point system was his own idea from last night, developed with Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and four others.

In short: members above Woodcutting Realm may keep all resources gathered during expeditions, bring them back to the Supply Office to convert into Contribution Points, then use those points to obtain wood products, fur products, cold-beast meat, coal, even iron ore and iron goods from other departments.

Great Xia’s population was barely over a thousand; overly complex rules wouldn’t work. But continuing the old crude management style was unreasonable too.

Thus, this new Contribution Point system was merely a simplified version.

After Xia Chuan outlined the new Contribution Point rules, he added:

“This rule currently applies only to camp members above Woodcutting Realm. In short: before you reach Woodcutting Realm, you keep the old cold-beast meat rations. But once you break through, you must spend Contribution Points to buy cold-beast meat, wood products, fur products, clothing, ironware, weapons—anything!”

Didn’t this mean the higher your cultivation, the harder you had to work?

Those below Woodcutting Realm could do nothing and still enjoy everything?

After this statement, ordinary camp members showed no reaction. But many above Woodcutting Realm wore expressions of disbelief; several clearly intended to question the rule.

Yet before they could speak, Xia Chuan added an explanation.

“Don’t rush—listen to me out. Those without Contribution Points receive only the basic cold-beast meat and crystal fruit rations. They have no right to exchange for wood products, fur products, ironware, or weapons.”

As soon as Xia Chuan spoke, many quick-witted people immediately understood: this wasn’t merely a matter of exchange eligibility—it meant those with Contribution Points were now a privileged class.

Wood products, fur products, clothing, ironware, even weapons—these would now be accessible only to the privileged.

Moreover, this new rule was still in its infancy; as the camp grew and resources multiplied, this group’s rights and resources would inevitably expand.

“Xia Chuan, could you explain how Contribution Points are earned and the prices of some Supply Office items?”

Hearing this question, Xia Chuan’s eyes lit up—he thought, finally, someone asked the right thing.

He turned and saw it was an old acquaintance.

Hong Mu, son of Hong Gang, former leader of the old Dachuan camp.

Xia Chuan smiled at him. Seeing everyone’s curious eyes on him, he no longer teased: “Alright. The hunting team is still under the leader’s command, so I’ll use the Woodcutting and Foraging teams as examples.”

Each night's expedition earns one Contribution Point. Two thousand jin of Jinlin wood equals one point. Four thousand jin of Zhushuang wood equals one point. Every fifty jin of crystal fruit equals one point. Each Blue Ning grass equals ten points. Discovering a new Bingshuo tree earns two points per tree. Discovering a new Lanyu tree earns one hundred points per tree. Other new tree species will be assessed and awarded points accordingly…

Xia Chuan detailed the methods and quantities for earning Contribution Points for Woodcutting and Foraging teams. After letting the crowd absorb it, he continued:

“At the Supply Office, cold-beast meat is two jin per point. Cold-beast hide prices vary by layer: for clothing-grade velvet hide, twenty points per meter; two-layer hide, ten points per meter; three-layer hide, five points per meter. I’ll stop here for now—details on fangs, bones, coal, iron, and Jinshuang Powder can be learned later…”

Xia Chuan paused, then added: “Note: prices will fluctuate with the camp’s stockpile. As resources grow, prices will fall—so everything depends on our collective effort.”

Xia Chuan paused, then added: “But let me clarify upfront: the price of supplies will fluctuate based on the camp’s stock—if supplies grow abundant, these items will naturally become cheaper, so everything depends on all of us working together.”

Fundamentally, they gathered raw resources from outside, brought them back to the camp to convert into Contribution Points, then used those points to exchange for finished goods the camp processed.

One point = two jin of cold-beast meat. A typical Woodcutting Realm member earned one point per night. Given their chopping ability, cutting down one Jinlin tree of four or five thousand jin per night was no problem.

That meant a guaranteed minimum of three points per night—six jin of cold-beast meat—more than their old ration!

Not just the Woodcutting team, but the Foraging team and every Woodcutting Realm member in camp calculated it: under the new rules, each night’s cold-beast meat gain would increase by one to two jin.

Not just the lumber crews or the foraging teams, but everyone in the camp who had reached the Woodcutting Realm calculated in their minds—without exception, under the new rules, each of them could now exchange for one to two catties more cold beast meat per night than before.

This was exactly what Xia Chuan expected—he and Xia Hong had designed the rules precisely for this outcome.

To make the camp accept the new rules quickly, the fastest way was to show them the new system gave them greater benefits than before.

The Contribution Point system’s most crucial point, ultimately, was that the camp needed hard currency: coal and iron were still scarce for Xia Hong, so they wouldn’t be released yet—but cold-beast meat? Absolutely.

The fact everyone immediately asked about cold-beast meat prices proved its suitability as hard currency.

Additionally, they needed to control the types of goods available for exchange and their unit prices. Resources were limited; if prices were set too low, everything would be claimed instantly, causing chaos.

All these details had been discussed by Xia Hong and Xia Chuan last night. The current prices at the Supply Office and Craftsmen’s Workshop were their overnight agreement—sufficient for now. Adjustments could come later if needed.

“Xia Chuan, how many Contribution Points does a full set of clothing cost?”

Hong Mu asked his most pressing question again. But this time, even members of the hunting team turned to look.

Clearly, this wasn’t just his concern.

“Alright, I’ll tell you: a full adult outfit requires four meters of first-layer velvet fur—eighty Contribution Points for materials alone. But you still need to commission it at the Craftsmen’s Workshop. Mu Dong, you explain.”

Seeing Xia Chuan turn to him, Mu Dong stepped forward, smiling at the crowd: “My commission prices aren’t low. A full adult outfit—top, undergarment, hat, pants, and coat—four pieces total—costs twenty, ten, fifteen, and thirty points respectively, totaling seventy-five.”

Materials: eighty. Commission: seventy-five. Total: one hundred and fifty-five.

This price immediately drew gasps.

At the typical Woodcutting Realm member’s earning rate—three to four points per night—even if they saved every single point, it would take nearly two months to afford one outfit.

Could anyone really save every jin of cold-beast meat?

Anyone who’d experienced the boost in strength could never resist the temptation of growing stronger. Especially in the Ice Abyss, everyone knew power mattered. Not exchanging cold-beast meat? Impossible.

“Enough about the new rules. Now, let’s assign rooms.”

Alright, the new rules are settled; now let’s move on to assigning housing.

Xia Chuan turned to glance at Xia Hong, received his signal, and continued speaking.

“I mentioned the new contribution point system first precisely to prepare for the housing allocation. Including the leader, the total population of Great Xia is 1,096. Many of you have formed families and have children of your own. Taking this into account, families will be given priority.”

Upon hearing this, many in the camp immediately smiled.

“In every family, as long as one member has contribution points, they may choose a room on the second floor; those without contribution points will choose on the first floor. Spouses and direct relatives may live together.”

“Unmarried individuals will be separated by gender, ten per room, assigned by number. Those with contribution points may stay on the second floor; those without, on the first floor. Specific assignments will be handled by me—I’ll announce them shortly.”

“Additionally, members of the hunting team may choose one room on the third floor.”

Everyone was not surprised by this general housing arrangement.

As Xia Chuan had previously stated, those with contribution points were all above Timber Realm, so living on the second or third floor made sense; ordinary people without contribution points could only live on the first floor.

What they hadn’t expected was that housing would be allocated by family.

This meant that as long as one member of a family was Timber Realm, the entire family could move to the second floor—no, not just the second floor; Xia Chuan had said those without contribution points couldn’t exchange for supplies, but he hadn’t said they couldn’t use those supplies.

If a family member had Timber Realm and brought back the supplies, they could use them too!

The benefits of marriage became immediately tangible.

A small number of single men and women present immediately began to think more actively.

Seeing the change in expression among these single individuals, Xia Hong felt a quiet sense of satisfaction.

His design of the contribution point system and housing allocation had been deliberately intended to encourage single people in the camp to marry and form families quickly.

Exploration beyond the camp was simply too difficult. Around Redwood Ridge, only Lu Shang’s camp remained unabsorbed. Once that group joined, it was foreseeable that Great Xia would absorb little to no new population for a long time.

Under these circumstances, the only way to increase population was through childbirth.

The camp currently had only three hundred or so women, and a portion of them were children—the gender ratio was severely unbalanced. It was even more inappropriate for those of marriageable age to remain single.

The camp’s living conditions had improved greatly; food was no longer scarce, cold was no longer an issue, and with this new rule, it was foreseeable that small family units would multiply, and the willingness to have children would gradually rise.

Xia Chuan methodically began distributing the new housing, and the entire camp began joyfully moving in.

Though it was night, everyone’s enthusiasm for relocating was high; lights blazed in the new wooden huts, and nearly every face wore a smile.

Xia Hong immersed himself in this relaxed, festive atmosphere for only a moment before he alone carried the cold beast meat upstairs to his small room.

“The rodent swarm is still out there—the threat hasn’t passed. Whether we can hold onto these houses is still uncertain. I don’t have time to waste!”

Xia Hong silently muttered, took a deep breath, assumed his stance, and began practicing fist techniques inside the wooden hut, continuously absorbing the energy stored within his body.

(End of Chapter)