This world was never short of gossip-watchers at any time, and least of all did anyone expect Jiang Xiaowen to curse Han Huohuo nonstop on the public channel for three whole months.
Han Huohuo went viral!
The kind of viral so notorious it turned purple!
The whole network knew Han Huohuo was lecherous but refused to take responsibility — and wouldn't even spare old ladies.
It left Han Huohuo not daring to open the forum lightly.
The moment he opened it, a barrage of romance gossip hit him in the face, along with the scandalous news about a supposedly eighty-year-old granny.
No telling how it spread; Jiang Xiaowen probably wasn't even old, so how had she become an old granny?
Can't yours truly just not look!
Snap! He closed the forum.
Face dark, he built the Herb Garden beside the Main Base, then planted the herb seeds.
There was no apothecary in the camp, but luckily a Lord was an all-rounder, so Han Huohuo could stand in for an apothecary himself — he just lacked an apothecary's bonus to cultivation.
So much for never doing labor till death!
Han Huohuo discovered to his dismay that this really couldn't be done. But growing a few flowers and herbs counted as cultivating one's character — that didn't quite count as labor, did it?
He kept comforting himself: this wasn't breaking his rule.
Seeing Han Huohuo doing the work himself, Liu Qiang came over to help, and in the end watered it all with a big bucket.
Once all the seeds were planted —
Liu Qiang suddenly asked, "Chief, isn't this the wrong season? I've never heard of planting in autumn. In a few days, once winter sets in, won't these herbs all freeze to death?"
Han Huohuo thought about it — that really did make sense!
His face went dark in an instant.
He glared at Liu Qiang. "Then why didn't you say so earlier? Why wait till I'd finished planting?"
Liu Qiang's little face went pale, and he explained quietly, "Chief, I only just thought of it too!"
The more Han Huohuo thought, the more wrong it felt. This really was a big problem. He hurried to dig a seed back out of the Herb Garden, and found that in just this little while the seed had already sprouted!
He was dumbstruck.
That fast?
Screwed — the seed had sprouted, so naturally it couldn't be put back!
No helping it. He replanted the sprouted seed in his hand. So be it — live or die as you please! Damn it, yours truly won't bother with it.
It was a fulfilling day; the third day passed amid a string of mistakes.
The fourth day!
Cloudy, light breeze.
It seemed the calm before the storm. With the seventh-day Judgment Day drawing ever nearer, everyone was preparing for battle.
Traps, barracks, arrow towers, spiked barricades — every kind of defensive installation grew ever pricier.
Han Huohuo got up, washed, ate breakfast, then went straight to the Herb Garden. He found that in just one day the herb seedlings had already broken through the soil — a delightful sight!
There's hope! Before winter comes, maybe he really could grow a crop of herbs.
The plants here grew far too fast!
Gou San was out of bed, exercising his body — looked like he'd recovered quite well.
"Morning, Chief!"
"Not bad, Gou San. You're recovering nicely."
"Chief, of course! I'm exercising so I can help you carve out a great big realm."
"Then carry on!"
This Gou San was useless at everything — whether gathering or physical fitness, he was worse than the refugees Han had recruited. At least the refugees were at a normal level; Gou San's stats were all in the negatives. Han Huohuo couldn't figure out what work to give him, so he simply let him be.
Liu Qiang ran up from behind and reminded him, "Chief, your resources are enough. You can upgrade to a Tier-4 Main Base now!"
Han Huohuo nodded.
He had a huge number of mechanical workers now, and resources came in fast. The only resource bottleneck was still that black stone was too scarce, making it impossible to scale up the Floaters.
He could now nearly manage it: without major buildings eating resources, his Ancient-Era Main Base could go up a tier in a single day.
【Confirm upgrading the Main Base? Requires 10,000 wood, 5,000 stone, to upgrade the Main Base to Tier 4.】
"Confirm!"
This time the Main Base barely changed — each room's space grew a little larger, and the central courtyard expanded to over 30 square meters.
【Main Base】: Tier 4, an Ancient-Era building.
【Population Cap】: 400 (including workers and troops)
【Buildable】: housing, market, warehouse, beast pen, Tier-4 farmland, Tier-4 wooden wall, recycling furnace, smithy, well, Catapult Barracks, Cudgel Barracks, workshop, gate, Apothecary.
【Upgrade】: the next tier requires 10,000 wood, 5,000 stone, and at least eight Ancient-Era buildings.
A few new buildings had been added — a gate, an Apothecary, and so on.
Looking at the rickety stronghold gate at his door, he could finally replace it now.
The old gate had no defensive power at all; the only way to block the doorway had been with soldiers' flesh and blood.
Han Huohuo immediately built the gate.
【Tier-1 Gate】: once closed, has 1,000 health of defensive capability.
【Build】: 100 wood
The new gate was much thicker — a huge wooden door. Compared to the wall it was still a bit weaker, but far better than that old door that toppled in the wind.
Whoever wanted to break through the gate would first have to take several baptisms of Floater firepower.
He'd just finished building the gate when Liu Qiang came again.
"Chief!"
"What now?"
"Chief, the prey near the black stone mine is all gone, and the giant mechanical wolves are idle now. Should we send them to hunt elsewhere?"
"No need. Have those giant wolves hold the black stone mine for me. That place absolutely cannot be lost. No need to hunt."
"Yes!"
The black stone stockpile was now over a hundred, and the iron ingots were over a thousand. The smithy was busiest now.
No shortage of iron — still stuck on black stone.
Han Huohuo wavered again.
Keep expanding production?
Or add troops?
At a full count there were still three days left. If he saved all the black stone for troops, by the seventh day he could make nearly twenty more Floaters.
If he expanded production now, he'd have a third fewer Floaters by the decisive battle! But the Main Base could go up another tier.
Very conflicting.
Unless!
He went and seized another black stone mine!
Han Huohuo hurried to spread out the map and study the location of the second-nearest black stone mine.
It was a bit farther, separated by four or five peaks. The key problem was that between that mine and his place lay a river.
From the map he couldn't tell the river's depth, nor whether his team could cross it — but there certainly wasn't a bridge over it.
The map wasn't all-powerful either! Without seeing the spot in person, there was no knowing the situation.
"Liu Qiang, go invite General Hua over for me."
"Right away, Chief!"
Before long, Liu Qiang brought Hua Mulan back.
"How is the General's health?"
"My Lord, your subordinate is fully healed and ready to march at any time!"
"Come scout the terrain ahead with me. I want to see how deep that river is."
"As you command!"
Han Huohuo decided to go see the river in person, but being afraid of death, and knowing Hua Mulan's martial skill was formidable, having her at his side was surely safer.
He brought along two Floaters as well.
Only then did he feel at ease.
"Let's go!"
Out of the stronghold, past the bustling logging yard and quarry, where the workers toiled day and night without pause, the group didn't stop, heading down the slope.
This time it was the opposite direction from the original black stone mine.
Hua Mulan walked at the very front with her spear. Her mount-wolf had died in the last battle, so Hua Mulan was now a foot-soldier general, striding ahead at the lead.
The wild wolves along the way saw Hua Mulan and tucked their tails, dodging away from afar.
Hua Mulan's aura was powerful, and the barbarians' distinctive air of fierce valor made all beasts feel fear.
In nature, animals were far more sensitive than humans.
Han Huohuo walked in the middle, two Floaters behind him keeping him well protected.
Walking mountain roads by day was far easier than by night.
Avoiding other Lords' strongholds and mining spots, near noon they finally reached the riverside.
A surging great river blocked the way before Han Huohuo.
One look and the guy's heart sank dead.
Never mind mechanical workers — even a Mammoth Beast couldn't wade across this great river. It was at least a hundred-some meters wide and several meters deep!
But the scenery here really was fine!
Hua Mulan actually knew this river. She bent down and quietly introduced it to Han Huohuo. "This river is called the Tongtian River. Follow it upstream and you reach the barbarian king-city; follow it downstream and you arrive directly at Wanqing City's wharf."