Chapter 16: Surveying the Map, Comprehensive Upgrades

Ignoring Xia Rong’s pestering, Yang Jie simply blocked her. Even so, he had gleaned a wealth of useful information from her: first, that the southern part of the Norsen Plains was a vast expanse of the Chakalk Steppe. According to Xia Rong’s intel, once the protection period ended and they survived the first wave of dinosaur sieges, a protracted war would inevitably erupt across the steppe. So, for now, any plans for southern expansion would have to be put aside…

On the left side of the Norsen Plains lay the endless Tam River, which not only provided the tribe with precious water but also served as a natural geographical barrier. At this stage, any attempt to cross such a wide river was sheer fantasy. Opening the system map, Yang Jie saw that, thanks to the scouting party led by One-Eye a few days prior, the northern and eastern regions of the Norsen Plains were gradually becoming clear, and the fog of war was being lifted.

From the map, it was evident that to the east, the Norsen Plains bordered a hilly region cloaked in dense forests—the Fagon Forest. The reports brought back by One-Eye’s group indicated that traces of civilization could be found everywhere in Fagon Forest, and some pointy-eared folk were especially xenophobic, greeting outsiders with marked hostility. Yang Jie knew these so-called pointy-eared people were elves, but the elven race itself encompassed many branches—gray elves, night elves, blood elves, and so forth. For more precise information, Yang Jie would have to see for himself.

As for the deeper details of Fagon Forest, Yang Jie remained in the dark. With the protection period ending soon and the elves so fiercely protective of their territory, One-Eye’s party had been forced to return early.

Heading north along the Norsen Plains, after traversing the Norma Corridor for nearly a thousand kilometers, one would glimpse in the distance a chain of snow-capped peaks, their summits rising at least three thousand meters above sea level—far loftier than the plains. This was the Saintis Mountain Range. Given the gradually rising terrain to the north, it was clear that this awe-inspiring range was the source of the Tam River.

With the final piece of the map revealed, the entire region centered on the Norsen Plains unfolded before Yang Jie’s eyes: to the north, the Saintis Mountains winding down; the Tam River linking the Norsen Plains and the Chakalk Steppe; to the east, the endless Fagon Forest; and to the west, the Tam River cutting off the whole section from the rest of the world.

What Yang Jie did not know was that some three hundred kilometers upstream on the opposite bank of the Tam River, a group of human laborers in coarse linen were working day and night on a riverside construction project. On the embankment, a human dock was nearing completion.

Just then, the system notification sounded:

Congratulations, Lord. Technology [Trigger] has been completed.

Congratulations, Lord. Technology [Production Line] has been completed.

New buildings unlocked: Archer Training Ground, Arrow Tower.

Chain technologies unlocked: [Crossbow], [Finger Ring], [Fletched Bolt].

Chain technology unlocked: [Manufacturing Industry].

With a series of quick actions, Yang Jie placed the necessary buildings and set the technologies to research. He knew that with [Trigger] plus [Intermediate Woodcraft], he could unlock the highly accurate ranged weapon, the [Crossbow]. Once [Crossbow] was completed, he could use the Archer Training Ground to mass-train ratman archers—the basic ranged unit. Though their effective range was only fifty meters, a massed group of ratman archers would still be a formidable force.

The [Finger Ring], as the name implied, was a ring worn on the finger to increase the rate of fire for crossbow bolts. Far from being a mere ornament, it was designed for the trigger finger; anyone with experience knew that repeatedly pulling the trigger could be harsh on the finger over time, and the ring’s purpose was to mitigate that. For now, their civilization could only produce crude wooden rings.

As for [Fletched Bolt], the principle was simple enough: by applying aerodynamic knowledge, it increased the bolts’ range. Instead of fifty meters, the effective range could now reach sixty to seventy meters. The low range was due not only to the ratmen’s small stature and thus the small size of their crossbows, but also to the fact that their civilization had yet to reach the Bronze Age; all their arrowheads were still wooden.

The ratman settlement’s population now stood at 2,863. Yang Jie decided that, once the training ground was complete, he would train one hundred crossbowmen and fifty spearmen—a process that would take about a week. Including the fifty newly recruited stone axe, sword, and shield ratmen, he would have a fighting force of two hundred. The reason for the lower number of spearmen was that they required superior physical and technical skills compared to archers, and thus cost more resources to train.

[Production Line] was self-explanatory: essentially an early Stone Age “workshop,” it would allow for the batch production of more complex items.

After changing into the linen clothing his servant brought him, Yang Jie felt invigorated—relieved at last to shed his filthy animal pelts. Everything was finally on track, except for one weak link: the economy. He still had no clues there, not even the shadow of a mine had been found.

“Let’s take a look at the regional forum,” he murmured to himself, opening the system’s interface. A new forum icon had appeared at the bottom right of the region channel. Yang Jie knew that once a tribe’s population exceeded a thousand, the [Centurion] achievement was unlocked, awarding five hundred technology points and access to the system forum. Without hesitation, he entered.

[Only two days left in the newbie protection period, and I’m still in the Stone Age. What do I do?]

[Anyone up for a party in the Samdo Desert? Feels like I’m playing a single-player game.]

[Island lords near the Cairn Archipelago, look here! I’ve just founded a guild, “The Great Route.” Anyone want to join forces?]

[Just how big is the Despair Jungle? I’ve explored nearly two hundred kilometers and still can’t see the end.]

[In-depth analysis of the Chakalk Steppe situation!]

“Chakalk Steppe? Isn’t that right beneath my location?” As Yang Jie scrolled through the forum, he suddenly found a hot topic related to him, posted by a lord named Zhang Xuewen. Without further thought, he clicked in.

...

The Chakalk Steppe is one of the most fertile grassland wetlands in the southern part of the Lox Continent, naturally making it a battleground for lords. According to my information, more than a hundred lords have now set out to develop on the Chakalk Steppe, and over eighty percent have reached the Dark Age. The steppe’s rich resources can evidently support so many lords developing at once.

Of course, wherever there are people, there are rivalries, and wherever there are rivalries, alliances are formed. At present, these hundred-plus lords are split into three main factions. The strongest is the Western Alliance’s leading contender, Qian Hao, lord of the Centaur Tribe, whose guild “Chakalk Western Alliance” now boasts forty lord members.

His main rival is Wei Xiong, lord of the Gnoll Tribe, who has formed the Eastern Alliance, “Steppe Avengers,” which now has thirty-two lord members—standing toe-to-toe with the “Chakalk Eastern Alliance.”

The third force consists of other lords scattered across the southern Chakalk Steppe, most of whom remain on the sidelines for now, but I believe it’s only a matter of time before they too form an alliance.

Reading this, Yang Jie couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement. He had imagined the steppe’s situation was already chaotic, but the reality was even more so. Besides the native inhabitants, there were many other lords, like himself, watching the steppe from outside.

All things considered, he was even less inclined to move south. Yang Jie’s intentions were clear: you can fight, you can squabble, but as long as you don’t leave the steppe and come here, we can still be friends.

For now, his priority was to lay low—at least until his force reached a full two hundred and had some ability to defend itself. Only then would he consider other matters.

With this resolve, Yang Jie tossed back his straw bedding and stepped out of the rat hole, heading for the western defensive line of Horseshoe Mountain Heights.

It was time to inspect the progress on the fortifications.