Before nightfall, the composting plant was completed.
Upon constructing the first building in the territory, two new attributes—[Health] and [Sanitation]—were added to the basic information of the territory.
[Baiye Village]
Lord: Baiye
Current Population: 9
Population Attraction: 10% base attraction + 8% environmental attraction + 15% title bonus
Buildings: Composting Plant x1
Health: 100
Sanitation: 95
Happiness: 80
These two new attributes are interconnected. Sanitation naturally represents the cleanliness of the residential area within the territory. If sanitation falls too low, it will lead to a decrease in the territory's health, potentially resulting in the spread of large-scale epidemics. At that point, if the territory lacks medications or medical buildings, villagers infected with diseases will simply suffer continuous health loss until death.
The newly built composting plant serves as both a public toilet and a landfill, slowing the decline of territory sanitation. Once technologies such as [Bathhouse] and [Sewer] are unlocked in the future, the sanitation level can be maintained at a high standard.
Additionally, sanitation is part of the environmental attraction. Over the past three days, the removal of trees and rocks around the territory has increased the current environmental attraction bonus from 3% to 8%.
Any territory's development hinges on population growth. After two more in-game days, on the fifth day of territory construction, the second wave of refugees will arrive. The level of population attraction will determine the number of newcomers in this second wave.
Upgrading from a Level 0 village to a Level 1 village isn't particularly challenging in terms of building requirements for Ye Bai, but the most difficult criterion to meet is reaching a population of 25.
Ye Bai's current plan is to upgrade the territory to a Level 1 village by the tenth day, when the third wave of refugees arrives.
Normally, according to the typical pace of territory development, upgrading to a Level 1 village is usually considered around the 20th or 30th day, or even later, when the fourth or fifth wave of refugees arrives. After the second month of territory establishment, the frequency of refugee arrivals will stabilize to once a month, with the number determined by the territory's level and population attraction.
It is due to these various advantages that Ye Bai is able to achieve this feat.
On the third night, as usual, Ye Bai continued to work overtime, focusing all labor on the field near the composting plant.
By the fourth day, a usable field had been successfully cultivated.
Ye Bai assigned one villager to work at the composting plant, two to gather berries and mushrooms, two to continue collecting resources, and the remaining three, including herself, worked on planting crops.
When the [Farming] technology was initially unlocked, it came with 100 starter seeds, randomly generated as 'unidentified seeds.' Villagers responsible for gathering resources also have a chance to find these seeds in the wild. Without a [Botanist] profession, it's only through planting that one can discover what crops will grow.
Thus, the first planting isn't about reaping a full harvest but rather about identifying and screening seeds. Only with the second batch of planting can food production be truly scaled up.
Midway through Ye Bai's farming, she suddenly received a system notification:
[Source Energy Crystal Mine (Basic) has been completed.]
Ye Bai was delighted. With source energy crystals, the territory's construction speed could be doubled!
She immediately assigned a villager to work at the source energy crystal mine and checked the mine's building information.
[Source Energy Crystal Mine (Basic)]
Building Level: Basic
Mining Efficiency: 10%
Output Quality: Poor-Ordinary
Current Workers: Carrie, Holmes
Though the mining efficiency was pitiful and the output quality low, it was more than sufficient for the early stages, far exceeding the use of firewood or coal.
Ye Bai opened her talent page. Over the past few days, she had been using her Spirit Protection on villagers and had also leveled up to Level 12, saving one talent point without using it.
Seeing the source energy crystal mine completed, Ye Bai immediately assigned this talent point to the [Dexterous Hands] talent.
A familiar feeling of blood rushing through her veins struck, accompanied by visions of crafting items and using weapons with her hands. Ye Bai instinctively moved her hands, feeling their extraordinary dexterity. Both hands now had the same flexibility, perfectly coordinated.
Having experienced the 'Rolling' skill carrying over into reality before, Ye Bai knew this feeling wasn't just a game effect this time.
[Dexterous Hands]
Unique Passive: Collecting and crafting efficiency +10%; Two-handed coordination;
Upon unlocking the talent, a series of system notifications appeared:
[You have mastered the crafting method for basic tools.]
[You have mastered additional weapon usage methods.]
[You have mastered basic embedding techniques.]
The passive effects were one thing, and though the Dexterous Hands talent didn't have an active skill like Rolling, it compensated in other ways. First, it allowed direct crafting of basic tools. Second, mastering more weapon usage methods meant Ye Bai could employ various attack forms when using basic weapons, rather than just simple basic attacks.
For example, a shield could be used for [Hand-Raised Block] to defend against attacks, while weapons like long swords, axes, and wooden clubs could use [Charged Heavy Strike].
Talents are also layered. The next-level talent after Dexterous Hands, [Weapon Mastery], could unlock more weapon usage methods, including crucial combat skills like [Shield Counter] and [Combo].
However, for Ye Bai at the moment, the most critical aspect was the final skill—basic embedding.
[Basic Embedding] is commonly referred to as 'drilling holes' into items and embedding various gems to grant additional effects.
Not only weapons and armor could be embedded, but tools could as well.
This is the charm of a fantasy world. The idea of a combustion engine plow Ye Bai mentioned earlier wasn't a joke.
In the real world, harnessing the power of a combustion engine requires supporting industrial infrastructure to produce corresponding complex machinery. In the Ethereal World, this lengthy middle step can be bypassed.
Ye Bai immediately went to the stockpile, picked up two stones, and a piece of wood.
[Will you craft a 'Stone Axe'? This will consume 5 stamina points.]
[Yes]
[Will you perform 'Basic Embedding' on the 'Stone Axe'? This will consume 10 stamina points.]
[Yes]
After unlocking the Dexterous Hands talent, Ye Bai could craft basic tools like axes, pickaxes, and hoes without needing a dedicated blacksmith's workshop. However, it consumed a significant amount of stamina, something only someone with Ye Bai's experience reserves could afford.
After crafting the stone axe, Ye Bai picked up a source energy crystal that had been mined recently and embedded it into the newly made axe, causing its attributes to change instantly.
[Stone Axe]
Level: Ordinary
Attack Power: 2
Work Efficiency: 100% (+500%)
Durability: 100%
Embedded: Source Energy Crystal (Poor)
A standard-quality source energy crystal can drive a golem, so embedding it into such a basic tool is akin to using a cannon to kill a mosquito. Even the lowest-quality source energy crystal more than quintupled the tool's work efficiency.
What could this quintupled work efficiency achieve?
Ye Bai found a fully grown tree with the stone axe and struck it once.
"Bang... Crash!" With just one strike, the tree fell.
Previously, chopping down such a tree would have cost 4 stamina points and consumed 2% durability. Now, Ye Bai only used 1 stamina point and only 0.5% durability was consumed. Added to the time saved from not having to strike as many times, the difference was significant.
This strategy was foolproof!
Ye Bai immediately took out the remaining tools from the Primordial Tree. Over the past few days, villagers had been working overtime, leaving only a handful of new tools left.
The current yield of source energy crystals was three per day, with qualities ranging from poor to ordinary. Ye Bai prioritized embedding the newly collected ordinary-quality source energy crystals into pickaxes, replacing those of Carrie and another villager, Holmes, instantly boosting their collection efficiency to eight per day.
That afternoon, Ye Bai stayed by the mine entrance, embedding a new pickaxe with each crystal mined.
After dinner, she rallied the entire village workforce to 'overtime' at the source energy crystal mine.
By the fifth morning, Ye Bai's backpack was completely depleted of fluorescent stones, but at the makeshift stockpile, thirty tools with embedded source crystals were neatly arranged. Alongside these tools, the first batch of new refugees seeking refuge in the territory appeared.
【8 refugees wish to join your territory. Do you accept?】
【Yes】
Not long after, the eight new villagers arrived at the territory: “Greetings, Lord.”
“Welcome! You’ve arrived at just the right time.”
Ye Bai immediately stepped forward, and with incredible enthusiasm, led them toward the makeshift stockpile.
“Come, come, I want to show you something… a real treasure.”
