Chapter 2

With the Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence talent, it was as if he possessed population units capable of infinite growth!

And these were only the lowest-tier civilian laborers; if in the future he obtained elite units, their potential for growth would naturally be even greater.

"All laborers, immediately begin reclaiming wasteland until every last seed is used up."

"After reclamation ends, aside from tending to farmland, all free time must be spent on physical training."

"Militia units—complete one set of training, rest half an hour, then continue training. Ensure five sets are completed each day!"

"Understood!"

Now that he knew how to improve, Chen Ping naturally intended to exploit it to the fullest.

After all, these were population units exchanged from the highest dimension—absolutely loyal and incapable of rebellion.

After assigning tasks, Chen Ping returned to the lord’s hall and saw that the map had indeed refreshed.

His territory, Chaos Sea Territory No. 07, covered an area of 20 square kilometers.

Mostly wasteland, with few trees and almost no mineral deposits.

In the early stages, he could only focus on planting grain and forage, then trade weekly via the patrol trade vehicle to obtain supplies.

The patrol trade vehicle was a unique trading method specific to the Lord's Trial.

Because they were located within the Chaos Sea, this system emerged to facilitate trade between different territories.

As the first-ranked lord in the East Seven District, Chen Ping had complete mastery over all knowledge regarding lordship.

Leaving other matters aside, his previous life originated from a great Eastern nation—he was exceptionally skilled in farming techniques.

As the laborers' farming skills improved, he was certain he could harvest the first batch of crops before the first patrol trade vehicle arrived.

The planting seeds issued to all lords were standardized fast-growing wheat seeds, ready for harvest in seven days.

The Wang family and their faction had hoped to stall Chen Ping’s progress by restricting initial resources, but never expected him to find a breakthrough precisely in this area.

The sun set and the moon rose.

By the second day, all wheat seeds had been planted.

The laborers’ skill level also rose to LV3.

Chen Ping left five men to tend the fields, while redeploying the other five to search for minerals and cut timber.

These five were the same men who had previously explored the territory, possessing the Exploration Technique.

[Exploration Technique: Exceptionally sharp and perceptive in searches, may discover hidden supplies.]

With this technique as a foundation, their success in locating mineral deposits was quite effective.

Very quickly, they found a poor iron ore deposit for Chen Ping.

Meanwhile, housing for both laborers and militia was completed, eliminating the need to sleep in the wild.

Looking at neat rows of houses lined up beside, distant fields of crops, and two yellow oxen.

In front of the farmland was a leveled clearing, where grain packs covered with canvas were placed.

One standard unit of grain pack could sustain him, along with all laborers and militia, for a full day.

Due to being downgraded, the grain packs consisted of compressed rice and flour mixed with a small amount of meat shreds.

But Chen Ping wasn’t someone who demanded comfort—this hardship meant nothing to him.

Now, finally, there was a real sense of having a territory.

He began planning and designing the current territory.

A former outstanding architect in his past life, and now the top student of Sacred Academy, this posed no difficulty for Chen Ping.

A well-designed plan could accelerate the territory’s development.

It would prevent the need for later demolition and reconstruction, which would waste time.

Day after day passed.

On the fifth day, Chen Ping’s wheat field was ready for harvest, yielding a total of twenty units of wheat.

[Congratulations, you have harvested your first batch of food.]

[Territory unlocks construction planning.]

[Buildings now available: Mill, Warehouse, Laborer’s Hut, Workshop.]

[Detected 20 Laborer’s Huts constructed—automatic registration complete.]

[Requirements to upgrade to Level 1 Territory: 1 Mill, 1 Warehouse, 1 Workshop, 5 Laborer’s Huts (completed), 10 Grain Fields (completed), 10 Food units (completed).]

A string of messages appeared, and Chen Ping stretched lazily.

Excellent—target: Level 1 Territory!

04: The Owner of the Patrol Trade Vehicle

Five laborers tended the farmland.

Two laborers mined ore.

Three laborers cut wood and built structures.

After one day passed, Chen Ping’s laborers gained the Basic Mining and Basic Logging skills.

The three involved in early construction additionally acquired Building Skill.

If Chen Ping’s laborers were taken to the market now, selling each for ten gold coins would pose no problem.

After all, at the beginning, laborers were only worth about one gold coin on the market.

By the sixth day, Chen Ping completed all construction projects.

Once building permissions were unlocked in the territory, constructed buildings gained corresponding abilities.

For example, without permission, a mill could only grind flour manually and slowly.

But once territory permissions were activated, the mill automatically gained a speed boost, requiring only one person to operate efficiently.

When the final door was installed on the warehouse, the lord’s insignia tattoo on Chen Ping’s chest suddenly grew hot.

【Congratulations, you have fulfilled all requirements for a Level 1 territory】

【Territory No.07 in the Chaos Sea has officially advanced to Level 1】

【You are the tenth lord to advance to Level 1; the ranking leaderboard will now be officially released】

【Those who enter the top ten will receive rewards based on their rank】

【After advancing to Level 2, cross-territory trade will be unlocked】

【Level 2 Territory Requirement 1: Population 50, Mill ×2, Warehouse ×2, Workshop ×5, Common House ×20, Grain Field ×20, Grain ×50】

【Level 2 Territory Requirement 2: Unlock Military Division, construct Barracks ×1, Defensive Structure ×10】

【Note: Excessive grain storage will attract enemies from the wilderness. Defeating these enemies will unlock the Military Division】

Chen Ping saw the manor behind him creak and rise slightly, transforming into a two-story building.

After entering, he found the former resting room had been moved upstairs, and the entire first floor had become an office area.

"I didn't expect I was actually the tenth to advance."

Chen Ping murmured to himself, yet his mood did not seem disheartened.

He had been suppressed and had his supplies swapped out, yet still managed to make it into the top ten.

This alone was enough proof of his strength.

As long as he was given enough time, he would only grow stronger and faster.

The Heaven's Way Rewards Diligence talent was simply that unreasonable.

Chen Ping wasn't particularly surprised by the final notice regarding his territory.

He had learned about this long ago at the Sacred Academy; the solution was simple—just have the militiamen increase patrols.

The so-called enemies from the wilderness were, in the early stages, merely some wild beasts.

Their levels wouldn't be high, and with the current strength of his militia, dealing with them was more than manageable.

By killing these beasts lured in by food, he could unlock the territory's military division and begin building up military forces.

At that point, his group of militiamen could be promoted into stronger military professions.

After the territory upgraded, the appearances of buildings within also became somewhat more aesthetically pleasing.

It now looked more like a small village compared to before.

At this moment, a pillar of light descended from the sky, landing in front of the manor.

When the light faded, neatly stacked large crates were piled there.

These were precisely the rewards for Chen Ping’s advancement to Level 1 territory.

Though he ranked only tenth, there were still as many as ten reward crates.

These were rewards directly projected by the power of the highest dimension—untouchable and unalterable by others.