Volume One, Chapter Six: Yang Yingying

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[Basic Barracks]: Capable of training basic infantry.
[Training Cost]: Five hundred copper coins, twenty units of grain, ten units of iron ore.

In Lin Village, Lin Xuan stood before the Basic Barracks, gazing at the information displayed on the virtual panel with a complex expression.

It was not that he found the cost of training soldiers exorbitant, but rather... he had forgotten to buy grain in Jiyin City today!

"I remembered to buy daily necessities, so why did I forget the grain?" Lin Xuan was truly speechless at his own oversight.

He could hardly blame himself, though. Initially, Lin Xuan had figured that since Jiang Feishang could hunt, and there were nearly ten units of grain stored in the spatial inventory provided by the virtual panel, they should be able to hold out for a few days. By then, once he conquered the bandit stronghold, he expected to be able to scavenge some grain.

However, it never crossed Lin Xuan's mind that training soldiers would require grain as well! If that was the case, he couldn't train his troops, let alone have any hope of taking down that bandit stronghold.

Lin Xuan let out a long sigh and muttered, "It looks like I’ll have to make another trip to Jiyin City tomorrow."

There was no other way; he had to train soldiers regardless. Whether it was to attack the bandit stronghold or to defend against unknown dangers, training troops was an absolute necessity.

"Feishang, while it’s still early, take them out to gather wood once you’ve finished eating. If you happen to spot any food on the way, bring that back too."

With that, Lin Xuan instructed the only female villager in the village to prepare a meal.

The virtual screen indicated that it was already past three in the afternoon, yet Lin Xuan and Jiang Feishang hadn't even eaten lunch. Naturally, Lin Xuan wouldn't make them head out to forage immediately. Besides, looking at how listless the villagers appeared—as if they hadn't eaten in days—he had to ensure they were fed before putting them to work.

After the meal, Lin Xuan watched the group depart from the village before returning to the Village Chief’s Hall to open the regional chat channel.

"I wonder how the others are progressing?"

Lin Xuan was curious to see if he was the first to construct both the barracks and the refugee camp.

Opening the channel, his eyes immediately caught the population count, which had dropped from 98,531 to 96,428.

Over two thousand people had perished!

Lin Xuan felt no surprise at this.

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Based on the information Jiang Feishang had gathered on the first day, Lin Xuan surmised that the mysterious entity responsible for bringing them to this world seemed intent on thinning their numbers.

Whether it was the tiger or the bandit stronghold, he suspected that if he hadn't drawn the "Lucky" talent, his own fate would likely have been no better than those who had fallen.

Setting aside the bandit stronghold, even that tiger was, according to Jiang Feishang, something that an average one- or two-star general would struggle to handle. It was evident that surviving in this world was by no means as simple as one might imagine.

The other transmigrators seemed to be slowly realizing this as well.

"It’s so hard. I went out exploring today and ran into a black bear. I almost died."

"A leopard broke into my village. If my two-star general hadn't fought it off at the cost of his own life, I’d be gone by now."

"I have it worse. I went exploring today and found out there’s a wolf pack near my village!"

Many people had begun to encounter various difficulties. However, some were faring better.

"Oh my, are you guys all having such a rough time? Why haven't I encountered any wild beasts? There’s nothing near me except for a city."

The person who spoke was Yang Yingying, the one who had mentioned yesterday that she had drawn the "Midas Touch" talent. Judging by the name, she appeared to be a woman.

Lin Xuan was astonished. Was her luck really that incredible? Not only did she start with a cheat-tier talent, but her village was also located right next to a city!

At an opportune moment, Lin Xuan posed his own question. "By the way, has anyone managed to build the Basic Barracks and the refugee camp yet?"

"Are you kidding? Building a refugee camp requires five hundred copper coins, five hundred units of wood, and five hundred units of iron ore! We only start with one hundred copper coins and ten units of wood and iron. What am I supposed to build with that?"

"It’s not too bad. There happens to be an iron mine near my village, and there’s plenty of wood. Plus, I found another village nearby; after trading with them today, I’ve gathered enough copper coins. I expect to have the refugee camp built by tomorrow!"

"You lucky bastard! Why is it that you have iron mines, wood, and other villages nearby, while I’m stuck keeping company with a pack of wolves?"

"It’s just an iron mine. You guys don't even know—I found a cave near my village that actually had a treasure hoard inside! So much money! And weapons! I feel like I’m wealthier than a kingdom!"

"Damn, a bunch of lucky bastards. Why? This is so unfair!"

"Oh ho, getting triggered already? You’re just jealous, aren't you? Hahaha."

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"You piece of trash! Go to hell!"

Soon, the chat channel devolved into a flame war.

Lin Xuan couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy. The joys and sorrows of humanity were never truly shared; some were living with wolf packs, while others had a city next door or had discovered hidden treasures at the very start!

However, he couldn't be bothered with other people's affairs. Regardless of how lucky or unlucky they were, what did it have to do with him? He just needed to take care of himself.

After closing the chat channel, Lin Xuan stepped out of the Village Chief’s Hall.

With a few hours left before dark, he decided to do some exploring himself. Grabbing the heavy broadsword he had bought in Jiyin City, he set out from the village.

Since he had instructed Jiang Feishang to explore to the south before the group left, Lin Xuan headed directly in that direction after exiting the village.

Directly behind Lin Village, to the south, lay a gentle slope about sixty meters high.

After climbing over it, a dense thicket of vegetation appeared before him. The brush was not particularly tall, consisting mostly of shrubs and weeds tangled together. Following the path cleared by Jiang Feishang’s group, Lin Xuan gripped his sword and proceeded cautiously and slowly.

He didn't know how long he had been walking when he suddenly came to a halt.

"Feishang!"

Seeing the group ahead, Lin Xuan hurried toward them.

"Lord Village Chief, what brings you here?" Jiang Feishang turned around upon hearing the voice behind him, looking somewhat surprised to see him.

"You all left, and I was the only one stuck in the village. It was too boring!" Lin Xuan replied.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Feishang frowned deeply. "Lord Village Chief, it’s too dangerous here! You should return immediately!"

Hearing this, Lin Xuan looked at Jiang Feishang and only then noticed several wounds on the latter's arm.

They looked like... sword cuts!