Chapter 1384: Territory Inspection, Evolution of Order

The fact is, however—Xia Duo is already capable of crafting Spell Chips.

Although currently limited by resources, he cannot continue manufacturing them for the time being, but if someone were to come and vie for control of the Mythallar, he would not allow the control of the Mythallar to be lost, even if he had to sell everything he owns.

A chip-level Mythallar Node, even when calculated by the integration multiple of a single Energy Interaction System, possesses higher Permission Level than a standard node.

Furthermore, the integrated Energy Interaction System possesses higher efficiency and will also occupy a higher weight of Permission Level within the Mythallar.

It is just that integrated Spell Chips can almost be said to be an inevitability for the future development of Magic technology; only by continuously investing in all aspects will Xia Duo not fall behind others.

Whether it is mass-producing Magic Items to harvest leeks outside or popularizing education within the Territory, both are investments in the future.

Taking a lead while others have yet to exert their strength is called first-mover advantage, but Xia Duo is even clearer on what is most precious in the new era!

It is not this bit of first-mover advantage, but talent, and even population!

Especially the latter; as long as the population base is large enough, coupled with a reasonable system, sufficient talent can always be born. As far as the current situation is concerned, in terms of total population, even if Daxia Territory and Savile Territory were added together, they might not be a match for most lords in the north.

Therefore, population policy (encouraging childbirth, introducing foreign populations) must always be firm and must never be shaken!

While other lords have yet to realize the importance of population, population can also have a wave of first-mover advantage.

In fact, Xia Duo is already doing this in this regard; the four chambers of commerce of Savile—Hans, Silaiwen, Liadun, and Shanjin—have been entrusted by him to head north to entice the Langasi, and to scavenge for Netherese who have fallen into slavery along the way.

It is just that this method still brings people in too slowly, often calculated in units of years, and it is not certain how many can be introduced in a year.

As for encouraging childbirth, this point has a very good interpretation in the land-grant ceremony.

The amount of land granted is entirely determined by the number of people in a family; for every additional person, 10 New Mu can be allocated, while Gold Coins are linked to merit and labor—but with more people, don't the Gold Coins increase as well!

Compared to the efficiency of the Four Chambers of Commerce of Savile, the speed of "self-manufacturing" people within the Territory is currently much faster; of course, at the current stage, this has also affected the progress of pioneering to a certain extent.

However, pioneering itself can actually be considered a process for Xia Duo to shape the Territory; he does not strictly pursue the results of pioneering, and making concessions for the population is a definite choice that can be made without too much consideration.

……

The next day.

Xia Duo invited Lord Collins to Savile Territory to discuss the new situation of spice smuggling, in which he specifically mentioned Tuofu, who might be the heir of the Moon Crown Family, as well as the Elf Mage sent by Tuofu this time to discuss cooperation.

Collins replied that he would arrive at noon, so Xia Duo put this matter aside for now and continued to contact Iolum to ask about the results of his discussions with the Seven Towers.

Iolum did not reply, but Xia Duo knew from the Spell feedback of the Magic Net Background Communication that the other party had not failed to reply, but had not received the message; the other party was currently in a place that shielded Magic Net Background Communication.

"Perhaps he is still discussing something with the Seven Towers!"

Regarding this result, Xia Duo was somewhat worried, but he did not continue to send messages.

Once Iolum emerges from the place where communication is shielded, the previously sent Magic Net Background Communication, which is currently in an uncertain state, will immediately lock onto his characteristics (Magic Mark encrypted pointer) and thus be received by him.

Just wait patiently; in any case, the worst result is merely exposing the fact that he has become a Great Arcanist. Come to think of it, this is not a bad thing; on the contrary, it is incomparably glorious.

It is just that from then on, his every move will have to be watched by others.

……

Daxia Territory, Linshui Village.

Xia Duo concealed his figure and walked on the brick road between the wooden houses in the residential area; most of the bricks under his feet had already cracked. Although Daxia Territory has actually not been pioneered for many years, Linshui Village can already be considered an old community.

With people coming and going, the fact that the bricks laid in the initial phase can still be used to this day has already exceeded Xia Duo's expectations.

From the first phase eastward, some wooden houses under the new village plan have already begun reconstruction, changing from being made entirely of wood to having brick and stone walls and foundations with wooden roofs.

The footprint has also more than doubled compared to the past; such a four-bedroom brick-and-wood composite structure house is enough for a family of five to live very decently.

And the bricks used for the roads near the houses have also been changed from the earth-yellow inferior bricks of the old western district to blue-black paving bricks similar to those in Code Plaza.

Stepping on such ground, Xia Duo clearly felt a sense of solidity and weight; he stomped his feet a few times with force, and the brickwork neither subsided nor showed any damage.

This quality is a world of difference compared to the first batch produced by the Territory's brick kiln—bricks that would break in two if dropped on muddy ground and couldn't even be considered inferior.

Today's Daxia Territory, some of the residents who have been granted land have already entered the commodity society ahead of schedule. For high-quality bricks like these, for the Territory, there is only the cost of labor, but for residents with needs, they need to spend real money to buy them.

Xia Duo only saw two houses using these bricks; others probably are unwilling to spend money on house materials, mostly with the idea that "if it works, it's fine."

Continuing eastward is the commercial street at the junction of Linshui Village and Pioneer Village.

Last time, when Xia Duo came over, there was some desolation here due to the shortage of supplies; coming over this time, although it was a bit early, he did not see any desolation, but rather it was full of vitality.

He even noticed that a new barbecue restaurant had opened on this street!

The Territory Logistics Department has its own public Canteen with a rich variety of dishes; this seems somewhat redundant, but it fits the current situation of the Territory very well and has grasped the needs of the residents!

It is true that the Logistics Department has a Canteen, but most of it is mass-cooked food; although there is the bonus of the culinary arts from Xia Duo's hometown, one would eventually get tired of eating it every day.

In addition, since the number of people in the Territory has increased, the source of meat has been difficult to provide through hunting; the Logistics Department specifically fenced off a piece of land in the southeast of Linshui Village near the forest to raise some chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep.

Most of the meat in the Territory Canteen is just that, but the Territory Patrol goes out every day to clear out wild beasts and always has some gains; Xia Duo does not value these gains, and they are all handled by the Territory Guard themselves.

In the past, when there was no private property, those gains were mostly sent directly to the Logistics Department; now that many people have private property, those gains can be sold for money.

Xia Duo estimates that he will be able to see the revenue overview of the Territory Guard in the next Territory report.

Regarding such changes, he will not comment for the time being; after a period of time, if there are no obvious drawbacks, he will fix it in the form of a decree.

……

Walking all the way to Code Plaza, Xia Duo flew up directly and sat on the Code Sculpture; after laying down a layer of Warning Magic, he began his inspection of the Order Force of the Territory.