Chapter 177: Fusion, Xianyang, the struggle for the Deputy position

Great Xia Year 1, March 21st.

In front of the valley, two temporary wooden houses stood.

Behind, at the location of the original wooden building, the outline of a new building, accompanied by over a thousand people moving wood and iron parts in and out, had already initially appeared.

"Five iron piles over here!"

"Four wooden tenons at the corner, and send over a large iron hammer."

"Here we need an animal hide canopy; go to the Camp Supplies Department and get one."

"I'll go get it right now."

………………

The construction noise was booming. Mu Dong took the people from the Artisan Department and wandered around the site. He left some simple places to others to be responsible for, and for the important parts, he took people to complete them by hand. Instead, he, the Deputy who should only be responsible for guiding the reconstruction, became the busiest person in the whole field.

Even the Deputy was so hardworking. Seeing this, the others' enthusiasm for work naturally rose, and the progress of the new wooden building's reconstruction also rose at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Behind the new building that everyone was building, there were two eye-catching buildings.

The appearance and style of the two buildings were basically the same. They were both square with a side length of twenty meters, and the outer walls were covered with a layer of mysterious fire cloud patterns.

The only difference was that the gate of the one on the left had a "Martial" character; the one on the right had a "Forge" character.

Anyone who was building the wooden house and whose gaze swept over those two buildings would reveal excitement and fanaticism, and their eyes would also carry deep yearning.

"You say, is our new leader a god?"

"Definitely. With a light wave of his hand, two buildings came out. I have lived so long and have never seen anyone with this ability."

"The Department Head said that practicing in the Martial Arts Hall for one day is worth three days outside. Do you say it is true or false?"

"It should be true. Didn't you see those Great Xia people last night? They were all like crazy, scrambling to go in for 50 contribution points a day. Deputy Director Yu Wen and the forty-plus lords including Hong Guang were all invited in to experience it, and they stayed in there for a whole day. If it were fake, they wouldn't have stayed so long."

"Improving practice speed is simply unbelievable. No, I must earn contribution points quickly. No matter what, I have to go in and practice. I am only a thousand-plus jin of strength away from the Earth-Digging Realm."

"Me too. As long as I can go in and practice, I will be able to break through very quickly."

"It's just that this contribution value is a bit hard to earn. Building the wooden house only gives 10 contribution points a day. It is enough to exchange for beast meat, but it is difficult to exchange for other things."

"Be content. How much did we get in Mirror Immortal before? According to Great Xia's current rules, we can exchange for twenty jin every day. In the past, we wouldn't even dare to dream of this."

"Still complaining it's hard to earn? Do you know why most of the quotas for building the wooden house were given to us?"

On the east side of the wooden building, Hong Yu was carrying an iron part and placing it on the ground. Hearing the discussion of several Woodcutting Realm members on the side, he directly inserted himself in.

Several people clearly knew him, and hearing this, they looked at him curiously.

Indeed, nine out of the one thousand-plus Woodcutting Realm members participating in the construction of the wooden building were people who had merged in later from Mirror Immortal. Some people who didn't know why had some opinions in their hearts, feeling that Great Xia was treating them as laborers.

"Great Xia?"

Several people heard this and nodded. The Camp Supplies Department needed very few people, and unless they took the initiative to recruit, they couldn't get in; the requirements of the Artisan Department were even harsher, requiring Deputy Mu Dong to personally certify that they possessed artisan talent.

So, as Hong Yu said, the vast majority of Woodcutting Realm members who came from Mirror Immortal could basically only enter the Gathering and Woodcutting departments.

Of course, it was not just them; the Woodcutting Realm members of Great Xia were the same.

Seeing everyone nod, Hong Yu continued: "Regardless of gathering or woodcutting, unless it is a special situation, such as discovering special medicinal materials or finding new types of trees useful to the camp, ordinary Woodcutting Realm members, you calculate, how much can you earn in one night at most?"

Hong Yu's question made everyone stunned.

Special situations aside, the most stable way for these Woodcutting Realm members to obtain contribution values is actually cutting trees.

Once the mining competition ended, the wood calculation returned to normal: 2,000 jin of Jin Lin for 1 point, 4,000 jin of Zhu Shuang for 1 point. The most common trees on the outer edge of Red Wood Ridge are these two types.

For the Woodcutting Realm, bringing back three trees in one night is basically the limit. Calculating a single tree at five or six thousand jin, even if they cut all Jin Lin trees, calculating this way, it is only 7 to 8 contribution points in one night.

Realizing this, everyone suddenly reacted one after another.

Hong Yu also spoke at this time, saying in a deep voice: "Department Head, isn't it because he sees that we are newcomers and don't have many contribution points, fearing that we won't even have beast meat to exchange, so he gave the quotas to us."

"That's not right, Hong Yu. I see that basically all the Woodcutting Realm members in Great Xia are wearing full sets of clothes. How did they get their contribution points?"

After coming to Great Xia last night, the first thing these Woodcutting Realm members asked about was the price of clothes. They all knew that 155 contribution points were needed to exchange for a full set of clothes. If it were as Hong Yu said, that it was so hard for the Woodcutting Realm to earn contribution points, Great Xia's clothes simply shouldn't be popularized.

And Hong Yu, hearing everyone's question, felt his heart stir slightly.

It is no wonder these Woodcutting Realm members care about the price of clothes. Although the Mirror Immortal camp's strength was stronger than Great Xia's before, the popularity of clothes was not as high as Great Xia's.

The problem still lies in the scarcity of cold beast resources.

Although clothes made of bamboo silk are exquisite and warm enough, due to the material problem, the bamboo silk needed to make a set of clothes is almost a hundred times more than a bowstring. In this way, using bamboo silk to make clothes is too uneconomical.

So before, in the Mirror Immortal camp, those who could wear clothes made of bamboo silk added up to only a dozen people; because the output of animal hides was too small, they were all worn by those in the Earth-Digging Realm. There were almost no Woodcutting Realm members who could wear a full set of clothes.

"Contribution values are not only used on oneself. If you work hard to break through to the Earth-Digging Realm and can earn more contribution points, it will be easy to get a set of clothes for your wife and children."

"Great Xia has been implementing the contribution value rule for so long. Those Woodcutting Realm members have saved enough. It's just a set of clothes; don't make a fuss!"

Suddenly, two young voices sounded on the side, answering the crowd.

Hong Yu turned his head to look, and a smile appeared on his face.

It was Meng Ao and Zhu Kang who came. Both of them were carrying a giant piece of wood on their backs, clearly just like them, they were also among the workers of the wooden building.

"You two also came. I thought you wouldn't look down on this little contribution value!"

"Go, go, how could I not come for such a good thing?"

"After a while, when the wooden building is built, contribution points won't be so easy to earn."

The three grew up together and had an extremely close relationship, and they also loved to tease each other.

Actually, to be precise, there were four people, including Director Yu Wen Dao.

It is a pity that Director Yu Wen Dao had higher talent and broke through to the Earth-Digging Realm one step ahead, and even almost reached the Cold-Resistant level, having hunting ability, so the time the four played together became less.

After the three finished teasing, they all looked toward the Martial Arts Hall intentionally or unintentionally, with a hint of yearning in their eyes.

Zhu Kang was the first to be unable to help but speak: "Brother Dao and Father and the others have already been in there for a day. Three times the practice speed is probably true. It would be great if we could go in and practice sometime."

Meng Ao nodded gently and said: "Three times the practice speed. If I could go in and practice, and the cold beast meat was sufficient, at most ten days—ten days and I should be able to break through to the Earth-Digging Realm."

"My strength is about the same as yours. It should also only take ten days to go in and practice."

After Hong Yu finished speaking, he thought of something and said: "Fifty contribution points a day. The Department Head said last night that it can only accommodate two hundred people to practice every day. I estimate that the quota for the Martial Arts Hall will definitely have to be scrambled for in the future."

Zhu Kang on the side shook his head when he heard this and said: "It won't. If it really has to be scrambled for, then it would all be used by the Earth-Digging Realm. We Woodcutting Realm members don't have as many contribution points as them, and their status in the camp is high. If we really scramble, we definitely won't be able to scramble past them."

Hong Yu immediately showed agreement and nodded: "According to Great Xia's current operational rules, the quota for the Martial Arts Hall should be the same as other things: those with high cultivation have priority, but a small portion will be reserved for those with low cultivation."

Hearing this, Zhu Kang and Meng Ao nodded slightly, all showing agreement.

They had been in Great Xia for two days. Not to mention how much the three understood, at least they were basically clear about the camp's rules and systems.

Just as Hong Yu said, the rules Great Xia is currently operating under can be summarized in one sentence: those with high cultivation have priority, but no matter what, a small portion will be reserved for those with low cultivation.

Even such important materials as cold beast meat are implemented with an equal distribution system.

Private hoarding is not allowed, and everyone can exchange according to their own needs.

Although this has a lot to do with Great Xia not lacking cold beast resources, even under the circumstances of not lacking, daring to open up beast meat supply like this is a great shock to their hearts.

After all, when they were in the Mirror Immortal camp before, every jin of cold beast meat was very precious.

The three of them, because of their fathers, had always had no problems with beast meat supply.

But what about the others?

"Just this item of beast meat supply is enough to make these people have a high sense of belonging to Great Xia. After a long time, I estimate that no one will remember the two words 'Mirror Immortal'."

"Not just Mirror Immortal, the two words 'Ning Zhou' will probably also be completely forgotten!"

As soon as Hong Yu spoke, Zhu Kang immediately added a sentence behind.

The three looked at each other, and a hint of complexity flashed in their eyes.

After the Mirror Immortal camp was destroyed, the Earth-Digging Realm and Woodcutting Realm members who ran out were actually more than half Ning Zhou old people.

Director Yu Wen Hu is dead, but Director Yu Wen Dao is still there, and their fathers, Hong Guang and the other five, are also there. Compared to merging into Great Xia, Hong Guang and the others were actually more inclined to rebuild the Ning Zhou camp with Director Yu Wen Dao.

It is a pity that the situation is stronger than the people. They five should have seen it too, so when Director Yu Wen Dao proposed merging into Great Xia, they all acquiesced.

Influenced by their fathers, Hong Yu and the three also had the idea of rebuilding the Ning Zhou camp.

But they had only been in Great Xia for two days, and they had already gradually realized that this idea was destined to never come true.

"Holding onto the two words 'Ning Zhou' is not a good thing anyway. No matter where we are, our goal is nothing more than to constantly become stronger and then live a better life. Great Xia can help us achieve it, so we will stay in Great Xia forever and become a part of Great Xia. What is wrong with that?"

Meng Ao was the first to speak and break the silence. Zhu Kang and Hong Yu heard this, and although a hint of agreement appeared in their eyes, they did not speak to respond.

"By the way, have Uncle Hong and the others formed a hunting squad?"

Seeing the two not speaking to respond, Meng Ao directly changed the subject and asked about other things.

"True Martial Squad!"

"Xuanwu Squad!"

Meng Ao smiled and said: "Heroic Martial Squad."

The fathers of the three, Meng Yi, Zhu Ling, and Hong Guang, are all Earth-Digging Realm members who have begun to reshape their skin membranes, so naturally, they have the qualifications to form a hunting squad.

"Not just them, my second uncle also formed one, called Eagle Martial Squad."

"My second uncle is the same. The one he formed is called Divine Martial Squad."

Zhu Kang's second uncle is Zhu Yuan; Hong Yu's second uncle is Hong Tian.

Hearing that the five people who came from Mirror Immortal all formed hunting squads, the three all revealed spirited expressions.

"There are a total of forty-two Earth-Digging Realm members who came together with us. According to theory, they can form eight squads. It is just that I don't know if they can talk it through."

"Brother Dao should also form one later. Currently, aside from the leader, only he has the ability to lead a team to hunt medium-level cold beasts. The leader won't go down. I heard my father say that the camp's first medium-level hunting team, barring any accidents, is definitely the one Brother Dao leads. I am just waiting to break through to the Earth-Digging Realm to see if I can enter Brother Dao's squad."

"You don't enter your father's squad but enter his—crazy."

"I don't care. This hunting squad is not hereditary. After my strength is strong, maybe I will create one myself!"

"Alright, stop babbling and hurry up and work. The Deputy Department Head is coming."

Seeing Mu Dong walking over not far away, the three immediately stopped chatting and began to work.

………………

Behind the temporary wooden house, in a room partitioned by wooden boards, Xia Hong was sitting on a chair, quietly listening to Xia Chuan's report behind him.

"Big brother, the Hunting Department's affairs are already on the right track. I went to find Director Yu Wen Dao to understand today. There are ten hunting squads currently created, and all 110 Earth-Digging Realm members in the camp are included. I have a list here."

Xia Chuan said while taking out an animal hide scroll and handing it directly to Xia Hong.

Opening the animal hide scroll, the first line was surprisingly Director Yu Wen Dao's name:

Director Yu Wen Dao, Long Wu Squad, eight members;

Xia Chuan, Cloud-horn Squad, ten members;

Luo Yuan, Tiger-leopard Squad, ten members; Yuan Cheng, Earth-dragon Squad, ten members;

Zhao Long, Lieying Squad, ten members;

Zhao Hu, Steel-ancestor Squad, ten members;

Zhao Bao, Jin Diao Squad, ten members;

Huang Yong, Zhao Long Squad, eight members;

Hong Guang, Xuanwu Squad, seven members;

Hong Tian, Divine Martial Squad, six members;

Zhu Ling, True Martial Squad, five members;

Zhu Yuan, Eagle Martial Squad, seven members;

Meng Yi, Heroic Martial Squad, nine members;

Reading the original text!

After reading the whole list, Xia Hong's brows immediately furrowed.

The number of members of Director Yu Wen Dao and the other six teams added up to exactly 42;

The seven teams on Xia Chuan's side added up to exactly 68.

"Big brother, these were all formed spontaneously. I felt something was wrong when I first saw it, but thinking about it carefully, these people from Mirror Immortal have only been here for two days, so they definitely wouldn't integrate into us so quickly."

Hearing Xia Chuan's explanation, Xia Hong's brows relaxed slightly, and he sighed slightly in his heart.

The two groups of people are not only clearly divided in their respective members, but even the names of the squads have made a very obvious distinction. This is not a good signal.

But just as Xia Chuan said, Director Yu Wen Dao and this group of people have only been here for two days, so it is normal that they haven't integrated into Great Xia so quickly.

"This time it counts. The Earth-Digging Realm members who break through later cannot continue to be distinguished like this. Whether by guidance or force, no matter what method is used, they must be disrupted to accelerate the integration progress of the upper layer."

"Understood, big brother!"

Hearing the seriousness in Xia Hong's tone, Xia Chuan nodded heavily in response.

With Great Xia's current system, it is only a matter of time before the Woodcutting Realm members and the ordinary people below integrate in. Only this batch of people with stronger strength, including Director Yu Wen Dao and Hong Guang, is not so simple if you want them to thoroughly integrate and become a part of Great Xia.

"Have you chosen the candidate for the Deputy of the Camp Supplies Department?"

"Chosen, Qiu Peng."

Qiu Peng is also one of the oldest batches of people in Great Xia.

Xia Hong nodded slightly, then looked at Xia Chuan and asked slowly: "Do you think it would be better to give up the position of Deputy of the Land Reclamation Department?"

Xia Chuan heard the meaning in Xia Hong's words almost instantly.

A hint of resistance appeared directly on his face, and he said:

"Big brother, you should know the importance of the position of Deputy of the Hunting Department. Letting Director Yu Wen Dao be it is already considered very magnanimous, and giving the position of Deputy of the Land Reclamation Department to them for nothing—how should we on the Great Xia side conduct ourselves? The brothers will definitely have opinions in their hearts."

Seeing Xia Hong not speaking, Xia Chuan continued: "Mirror Immortal was the defeated side to begin with. Not holding the previous hatred against them is already quite good. There is no need to accommodate them at all. Besides, it is not that we don't let them come to be this Deputy of the Land Reclamation Department, it is just fair competition. Who can be it in the end depends on their own ability."

Seeing Xia Chuan's resistant posture, Xia Hong shook his head slightly, directly suppressed the thoughts in his heart, then turned his head to look at him, and said with a hint of teasing:

"Fair competition? I don't think so. You gathered Luo Yuan, Yuan Cheng, and these people together today, didn't you say that you want them to work together to push Shi Ping to the position?"

Xia Chuan was stunned when he heard this, looked up at Xia Hong, and there was some bewilderment on his face.

Although he didn't speak, the expression on his face clearly said, Big brother, how could you know the content of our conversation.

"Around the wooden house, nothing you say or do can be hidden from me!"

Xia Hong smiled faintly twice, and a hint of arrogance flashed in his pupils.

After the skin membrane reshaping was completed, it was not just the basic strength that was improved; his five senses were also greatly improved. Within two hundred meters around, any movement, he could clearly perceive.

Big brother's strength has become stronger again!

Xia Chuan thought that Xia Hong's strength had improved again, and a hint of reverence rose in his eyes. Then, remembering the previous question, he said in a deep voice: "Big brother, Great Xia says there are six departments, but the Hunting and Land Reclamation departments are clearly the most important. One Hunting Department has already been handed over to Director Yu Wen Dao. The remaining Land Reclamation Department cannot be given to their people again. We must grasp it in our hands."

The people below have begun to fight for power and profit.

This thought flashed through Xia Hong's mind, and he sighed slightly.

It is said that Great Xia currently has a total of less than five thousand people, and the scale is actually very small. Aside from the title and status, he did not give any actual benefits for the positions of Department Head and Deputy of the six departments.

But it can't be helped; human nature is just like this.

"You want to fight, I don't care, but there is one rule that everyone must abide by: you are not allowed to take action against your own people. Whoever dares to violate this rule, I will definitely not let them off!"

That last sentence, Xia Hong said almost staring into Xia Chuan's eyes.

"Understood, big brother!"

Hearing Xia Hong's severe tone for the first time, Xia Chuan naturally engraved this sentence firmly in his mind.

"Go notify Director Yu Wen Dao to come here. I have something to ask him."

Xia Chuan nodded in obedience and retreated directly.

"Leader, Director Yu Wen Dao requests an audience."

Soon, Director Yu Wen Dao's voice came from outside the door.

"Come in!"

Seeing Director Yu Wen Dao walking into the room, his aura was still somewhat uncertain. Remembering that he had spent a day in the Martial Arts Hall today, Xia Hong asked with a smile:

"How is that Martial Arts Hall?"

From the moment he walked into the room, Director Yu Wen Dao's eyes toward Xia Hong were always full of reverence. Hearing the inquiry, he answered without thinking: "A strange treasure—no, strange treasure is not enough to describe it. It should be called a divine object!"

Hearing the shock in Director Yu Wen Dao's tone, Xia Hong smiled slightly.

Director Yu Wen Dao's reaction is normal. These Great Xia people, because they have been following him for a long time and are used to the magic of the system buildings, their reactions are not so big.

"The leader called me here, is it for the Hunting Department's affairs? I..."

"No, no, no. You can go discuss these things with Xia Chuan. I called you here to ask you some things separately."

Xia Hong interrupted Director Yu Wen Dao's words, then signaled him to sit down and asked:

"How much do you know about the Super-Grade Battle Body?"

When fighting against strange monsters in the Mirror Immortal settlement, Director Yu Wen Dao mentioned the Super-Grade Battle Body. Xia Hong heard it at the time.

Director Yu Wen Dao was stunned when he heard this. Seeing Xia Hong's expression of truly asking for advice, he realized that he really didn't know about the Super-Grade Battle Body, and his expression became somewhat messy.

Doesn't know about the Super-Grade Battle Body, but broke through to the Cold-Resistant level?

"Leader, you don't know that you are a Super-Grade Battle Body. Then how did you control the dosage every time you used beast blood to reshape your skin membrane before?"

Hearing this question, Xia Hong raised his brows and said casually: "I used it according to the limit. As long as I can hold on, I will keep increasing the dosage."

Gulp…………

Director Yu Wen Dao swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and his expression looking at Xia Hong changed instantly.

He was also reshaping his skin membrane, and he knew very well how painful it was to use beast blood.

As long as he can hold on, he keeps increasing the dosage.

He couldn't even imagine the price paid behind this sentence.

"Leader, what is the highest amount of beast blood you have used at one time? 10 jin, 15 jin, or 20 jin?"

Xia Hong's expression was strange, and he did not answer this question.

Director Yu Wen Dao thought he had guessed it right, so he continued to speak.

The upper, middle, and lower three-grade battle bodies were the same as what Gao Yu, or He Yuanhun, had said before when he came to Great Xia; only Gao Yu didn't mention the Super-Grade Battle Body. After Director Yu Wen Dao's explanation, Xia Hong also understood.

As the name suggests, the Super-Grade Battle Body is one level higher than the upper grade. The difference is that people with this level of battle body talent, when breaking through to the Cold-Resistant level, will have their basic strength explode to at least three manes, which is three hundred thousand jin.

"Then what is the highest?"

"I heard my father say that the highest he has seen is six manes of strength."

"He Yuanhun?"

Director Yu Wen Dao heard this name, and hatred appeared in his eyes, and he nodded.

He Yuanhun is more than six manes of strength!

Recalling the strength He Yuanhun showed when he appeared after Mirror Immortal died, Xia Hong's brows condensed slightly.

At that time, He Yuanhun's sword had at least eight manes of strength.

Clearly, Director Yu Wen Hu and Director Yu Wen Dao did not understand He Yuanhun thoroughly enough.

Seeing Xia Hong lowering his head in thought, Director Yu Wen Dao did not speak to disturb him, but just stood on the side and waited quietly.

After a long time, Xia Hong raised his head and asked again: "Do you know the cultivation level after the Cold-Resistant level?"

Director Yu Wen Dao's expression condensed slightly, and he recalled for a long time before opening his mouth:

"I only heard He Yuanhun mention it once. It seems to be called the Xianyang level."

Hearing his tone full of uncertainty, Xia Hong also gave up the plan to continue asking. Clearly, Director Yu Wen Dao only had a half-understanding.

Xianyang level?

Does it mean completely exposed under the sun?

Xia Hong's brows condensed, and he didn't continue to think about it. Looking at Director Yu Wen Dao, his face turned to rise with a hint of a smile, and he said:

"The last question, what is going on with the Ning Zhou camp?"

Hearing the two words "Ning Zhou," Director Yu Wen Dao's expression stalled instantly, and then his face changed repeatedly for a while. He knelt down directly and said: "Leader, is it that someone has been talking nonsense? Please tell your subordinate, and I will definitely punish this person severely."

This Director Yu Wen Dao is indeed smart.

He hadn't even said anything yet, just mentioned the Ning Zhou camp, and Director Yu Wen Dao could guess so many things along the way.

"Don't be nervous. I am not accusing you of anything. I just heard it by accident, so I asked you. You are a smart person. I trust you, which is why I handed the Hunting Department to you to manage. Three thousand-plus people merging into Great Xia is definitely not so smooth. You should pay more attention during this period of time, cooperate well with Xia Chuan, and let the two groups of people accelerate the integration. Do you understand?"

Hearing the heaviness in Xia Hong's tone, Director Yu Wen Dao's expression also gradually became serious. He knelt on the ground, bowed down, and responded in a deep voice: "Please rest assured, leader, your subordinate understands."

"The position of Deputy of the Land Reclamation Department, if you want to fight for it, you can fight for it, but don't make it too ugly. And remember one rule: after you go back, tell Hong Guang and the others that no matter who it is, you are not allowed to take action against your own people. This is the bottom line. Whoever dares to violate it, I will definitely not let them off."

"Yes, leader, I will definitely bring the words!"

"Alright, go busy!"

Director Yu Wen Dao stood up respectfully, saluted, and retreated slowly.

Xia Hong remained alone in the room, took out a white mirror from behind, looked at the mirror, and was thoughtful in his eyes.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 178 =====