Chapter 122 – The Army

Chapter 122 – The Army

Yu Kai wore a foolish grin, convinced that with his current stats, he stood a decent chance against a peak Tier 1 mutated beast—especially after activating Ghost Will, which boosted his attack power to 43 points, slightly surpassing that of an average peak Tier 1 beast.

“Lord, check out my stats. Pretty impressive, huh?” Yu Kai boasted.

Cheng Yang replied nonchalantly, “I could defeat you with just two ice orbs.”

Yu Kai’s face fell. “Who compares themselves to a freak like you? Aside from you, I’m definitely the strongest in Phoenix Village right now.”

“For now, perhaps,” Cheng Yang said. “But that might change soon.”

Yu Kai immediately thought of Liu Xiyue, whose monstrous talent left him no desire to compete. If not for her being a member of Phoenix Village and their close relationship, Yu Kai might have lost sleep over her abilities.

Still, Yu Kai was an optimist. “Even if I’m not second, I can still take third place, right?”

Cheng Yang shook his head. “That depends on whether Liu Hao agrees with your assessment.”

Yu Kai was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized what Cheng Yang meant. “Are you saying Haozi might soon become a special class?”

Cheng Yang nodded. “The Black Tortoise Island dungeon is warrior-related, so there’s a high chance of warrior-type special classes appearing. Warriors naturally counter archers. If Liu Hao becomes a warrior-type special class, it’s hard to say whether you could defeat him.”

Yu Kai cursed, “That damn rat!” Despite his words, he was genuinely happy for Liu Hao. In this apocalyptic world, though they hadn’t experienced its full brutality under Cheng Yang’s protection, they had seen enough to understand. As close friends before the apocalypse, Yu Kai was thrilled to see Liu Hao grow stronger.

Cheng Yang soon dismissed Yu Kai, not caring whether he stayed in Phoenix Village or returned to East Mountain Village. With Yu Kai’s current strength, Cheng Yang had little reason to worry about his safety.

Cheng Yang then approached the territory altar to check the total spiritual energy reserves, which had reached a staggering 240,000 points. The number shocked him—was there a loophole in the system? But he quickly realized the truth: he had forgotten to set the soldiers’ salaries in his haste that morning.

The 340,000 points of spiritual energy were mostly the collective harvest of the territory’s combatants for the day. Now, Cheng Yang needed to distribute this energy to the army.

Speaking of the army, it was essential to understand the system’s military structure. The smallest unit was a squad of ten soldiers, known as a Level 1 unit. In Phoenix Village, this was referred to as a “squad.” Only soldiers with a rank of Private First Class could form such units. Higher ranks would allow for larger formations.

Currently, all soldiers in Phoenix Village were Privates, so despite having five battalions, the army was essentially composed of nearly 300 squads. This arrangement, however, wasn’t officially recognized by the system.

The soldiers’ salaries had been decided the previous night. Each soldier’s daily spiritual energy income was calculated as (Class Tier / 2 + Rank Level / 5) * 20 + 20. For a low-tier apprentice combatant with a Private rank, this amounted to 34 points per day.

While this might seem less than what they could earn through constant combat, it was their net income. As soldiers, they didn’t need to worry about purchasing equipment, potions, or even advancing their skills—all of which were covered by the territory.

Moreover, soldiers received their pay even on days without combat. However, Cheng Yang couldn’t allow such days, as the territory’s income relied heavily on their active participation. Phoenix Village hadn’t yet established a commercial system, making the soldiers’ contributions vital.

Officers received higher salaries, with squad leaders earning 100% more, platoon leaders 200%, company commanders 400%, and battalion commanders 800%. Deputies received 20% less than their superiors. For example, a deputy platoon leader earned 160% more than a regular soldier.

Currently, Liu Hao and Yu Kai, despite being Privates, held the highest salaries due to their high-tier apprentice status. Their base salary was 54 points, and as battalion commanders, they earned an additional eight times that, totaling 486 points per day.

However, their daily expenses were equally high. With fourfold cultivation speed activated for six hours, they consumed 720 points daily, leaving them perpetually short on spiritual energy. Ordinary soldiers fared even worse, as their salaries couldn’t cover the costs of accelerated cultivation. But this was temporary; as their ranks increased, so would their income.

Phoenix Village’s system heavily favored those in leadership positions, a deliberate choice by Cheng Yang. Those in positions of authority were typically more talented and capable, warranting greater investment. To ensure fairness, the village had established a promotion system based on strength, talent, rank, and contributions, preventing incompetence from taking root.

Cheng Yang distributed the soldiers’ salaries, instantly depleting 120,000 points of spiritual energy. But this was only part of the expenses. He also needed to allocate operational funds to each squad, which he set at 300 points per squad for purchasing potions and learning skills. The squad leaders would decide how to distribute these funds.

Each military unit had two accounts: one for the 300-point operational fund, and another for a portion of the spiritual energy earned during missions. The latter couldn’t be withdrawn or used for purchases but was reserved for upgrading the unit’s level and skills. Thus, a unit’s strength was directly tied to its combat experience.

Cheng Yang sighed as he looked at the remaining 80,000 points in the altar. Spiritual energy came and went quickly. Of this amount, over 10,000 had been saved by the territory that day, with the army contributing a surplus of just over 60,000 points.

Cheng Yang couldn’t use this surplus for himself, nor did he intend to. Instead, he decided to construct a special building: the Bank.

He had long wanted to build this structure but lacked the necessary funds. Now, with the army system in place and spiritual energy reserves growing, the Bank became a priority. In an instant, a grand building appeared near the alchemy shops, its sign reading “Phoenix Bank.”

Wang Lu, the designated Bank manager, sensed its completion during her cultivation and hurried over. She met Cheng Yang at the entrance.

“Lord, you’ve built the Bank! Are we starting operations now?” Wang Lu asked excitedly, eager to put her talents to use.

Cheng Yang nodded as they walked inside. “Yes, I’ll transfer some spiritual energy to you. We can begin lending operations tomorrow.”

Wang Lu hesitated. “Lord, if the funds are too large or there are too many borrowers, I might not be able to handle it alone.”

Cheng Yang smiled. “Don’t worry. The Bank is a functional building of the territory and has its own support system. You’ll only need to manage the data, set necessary parameters, and handle special cases.”

“That simple?” Wang Lu asked, surprised.

“Did you think it would be complicated?” Cheng Yang replied.

PS: Seeking subscriptions and monthly tickets. The subscription numbers are making me want to cry… (To be continued. Please search for more updates!)