Chapter 26 – Territory Upgrade (Seeking Favorites)

Chapter 26 – Territory Upgrade (Seeking Favorites)

Cheng Yang not only brought back food from Huimin Town but also managed to procure some timber. Transporting the logs back was no easy feat—they were carried entirely by newly-transformed warriors using their shoulders. Most of their day was spent on this task, yet by nightfall, they had only managed to gather a little over forty cubic meters of wood.

Compared to the meager income of the territory, Cheng Yang’s personal gains were substantial. His total spiritual energy had reached 1,439 points. Even if he used quadruple cultivation speed tonight, his reserves wouldn’t drop below 1,000.

Meanwhile, the territory’s spiritual energy had surpassed 800 points. Over 200 of these came from the twenty newly-transformed individuals repaying their debts, while the rest were earned by Niu Bing and others hunting monsters around Luofeng Village.

The territory was now only 150 points short of upgrading. Cheng Yang had no choice but to wait. He led his team out of the settlement again, despite the darkness. With torches in hand, they could still hunt monsters. Now that their team included a priest, even the occasional ambush by one or two monsters wasn’t a major concern.

Cheng Yang wasn’t the only one venturing out. Two other teams were also active, while one remained to guard the settlement, and another retreated to their quarters for cultivation.

Four hours later, Cheng Yang returned to the settlement and checked the territory’s attributes. To his delight, the spiritual energy had surpassed 1,000 points. Even in his past life, he had never heard of anyone upgrading a territory to level 2 in just two days.

Territory upgrades weren’t based on population but on the efficiency of spiritual energy acquisition. Luofeng Village’s rapid progress was due to the high monster respawn rate and the presence of the Bloody Church dungeon. These factors combined allowed it to meet the level 2 village upgrade requirements in record time.

Without hesitation, Cheng Yang initiated the upgrade.

A voice echoed in his soul:

Unlike the first time he claimed Luofeng Village, there was no divine light curtain this time, as no new buildings were automatically constructed.

Cheng Yang immediately accessed the territory’s attributes through the altar:

The upgraded Luofeng Village’s attributes were far more complex, and the list of buildable structures had expanded significantly. Beyond the Level 2 walls and houses, all other buildings were essential. The sheer amount of wood required made Cheng Yang’s head spin.

Fortunately, the carpentry workshop could now be built, allowing villagers to learn logging as a secondary profession and purchase logging tools.

Cheng Yang was particularly excited about the five new buildings. Their importance rivaled that of the profession statues. Combatants would not only purchase equipment and potions here but also learn secondary professions.

In both main cities and controlled outposts, shops only sold basic equipment. To obtain better gear, people had to craft it themselves. Secondary professions, like primary ones, had level restrictions. With sufficient skill and quality materials, high-grade equipment could be produced.

In his past life, Cheng Yang had known a Journeyman Blacksmith in Luofeng Village who could craft Apprentice-level Black Iron equipment. His status was second only to the village’s ruler, and everyone treated him with respect.

Mastering a secondary profession wasn’t easy. It required significant resources, effort, and patience. Not everyone succeeded. By gaining early access to these shops, Cheng Yang could cultivate top-tier secondary professionals sooner, boosting Luofeng Village’s combat strength.

These shops also marked the beginning of a commercial system within the territory. Trade would flourish once more, with the territory automatically collecting a 5% spiritual energy tax on all transactions, including shop sales.

The taxes weren’t for the lord’s personal gain but were converted into territory spiritual energy. However, as lord, Cheng Yang now had access to a new privilege: “Fiefdom.”

In ancient times, a fiefdom allowed nobles to collect taxes from their lands. Here, it worked similarly but with added benefits. Cheng Yang could now claim a portion of the daily spiritual energy gains as his own and appoint officials with salaries.

As a Level 2 village, Luofeng Village only had three official positions: a Martial Instructor overseeing transformations, a Civil Administrator managing shops, and a Guard Captain protecting the lord. These officials could access relevant building attributes and receive a daily salary of up to 10 spiritual energy points.

Cheng Yang’s personal tax share was far greater—5% of the daily spiritual energy gains. At present, this amounted to nearly 100 points per day, a figure that would grow as the territory expanded.

Upgrading to a Level 3 village would be far more challenging. The four main profession statues would take considerable time to upgrade, and the required 10,000 spiritual energy points wouldn’t be easy to accumulate.

Still, Cheng Yang was satisfied. The Bloody Church dungeon had given him a significant advantage in spiritual energy acquisition. Even if others established territories later, they wouldn’t match his current pace.

With that, Cheng Yang opened the fiefdom interface and began appointing officials. Li Wanshan was an obvious choice for Martial Instructor, given his innate talent. His current ability to increase transformation quotas by 3% would only grow stronger as he advanced.