The sun had already set by the time Wang Yi returned to his territory.
He hadn't found anything else after opening the Treasure Chest in the wild, but he was still returning with a full haul.
"Big Head, call everyone over. They've been working since early this morning, and that's long enough. We're not Slave Lords here—no exploitation, no oppression!"
Wang Yi walked into the Chaos Warehouse courtyard as he spoke. He planned to pay the workers their wages—in roasted chickens.
A moment later, a crowd of villagers assembled in front of the warehouse. Their faces were beaming, and they craned their necks, eyes full of anticipation.
"Zhang Dashan, fifty roasted chickens and fifty cups of Vegetable Soup! Come and get them!"
Wang Yi called out. The roasted chickens and Vegetable Soup were ready, and Man Datou was in charge of distribution.
"Here!"
Zhang Dashan answered and hurried forward, waving his wife over.
The couple cheerfully collected fifty bags of roasted chickens and fifty cups of Vegetable Soup. A large crowd of villagers immediately surrounded them, making for a lively scene as if they were dividing up spoils on the spot.
Zhang Xiaohu ran out from the crowd and kowtowed to Wang Yi. "Immortal Master, Immortal Master! We dug three baskets of wild vegetables today! Also, my grandpa said you're a rebel leader. Should we tie him up so he doesn't go to the County Yamen and report you?"
"This kid... you deserve a reward!"
A smile touched Wang Yi's lips. 'This little brat is a professional at selling out his own grandpa.'
Hearing this, Man Datou tossed Zhang Xiaohu a bag of roasted chicken, and the boy danced with excitement.
Yang Qingniu also stepped out of the crowd, pulling Zhang Lengzi and three other young villagers with him. He bowed and said, "Sir, these are the men I picked for the militia: Lengzi, Fenqiu, Mazha, and Dazhuang. I've already spoken with my brother-in-law. Starting tomorrow, they'll leave the Production Team and join my Civilian Militia!"
Wang Yi narrowed his eyes. "Alright. For today, I'll give each of you a roasted chicken. From now on, you'll get your meals from Big Head. You need to understand that your job is security—to protect me, to protect everyone, and to protect the territory's resources. You'll enjoy better treatment, but you'll also have to face greater dangers. When trouble comes, you can't be cowards. You have to step up!"
"Don't worry, Sir! There are no cowards among us. We are willing to lay down our lives for you!"
Yang Qingniu promised, slapping his chest. Silently, he added in his heart, 'As long as you feed us every day!'
Wang Yi grunted and nodded. Man Datou then handed five bags of Golden Roasted Chicken to Yang Qingniu.
Yang Qingniu leaped into the air with excitement. He turned to Yang Wanli and yelled, "Old man, you're going to be living the good life thanks to me!"
Yang Wanli just shook his head, saying nothing.
The crowd remained boisterous, not leaving until the sky had grown completely dark.
Wang Yi took stock of the warehouse supplies, wolfed down some roasted chicken and crab sticks, and then got busy again.
First, he moved the lumber and food ingredients into the Chaos Warehouse's Storage Compartments. This was simple, requiring only a thought.
Next was processing the Vegetable Soup.
The three baskets of wild vegetables yielded a total of 366 cups of Vegetable Soup!
After that, it was time to use the Fertile Land Deed.
This item didn't have to be used within the territory's borders. Wang Yi studied it for a moment before finally using it about a li south of his territory, in a spot closer to the Jade River.
The deed vanished after he used it, and a great swath of light descended upon the ground. The land visibly and rapidly flattened as weeds, rubble, and the like automatically disappeared.
After about five breaths, a system notification sounded, informing Wang Yi that he had created five mu of fertile land.
Wang Yi didn't know the first thing about farming, so he couldn't tell good land from bad. All he knew was that the field before him was level, the soil was loose, and it was pleasing to the eye.
'Roasted chicken and crab sticks are great, but they're not staple foods. I'll get tired of eating them every day. Planting some proper crops is essential. Still, a mere five mu of land won't feed very many people, will it?'
Wang Yi rubbed his chin.
The Jade River Valley was vast and had a decent climate. Logically, it should be possible to cultivate a lot of farmland. But in his two days of exploring the area, he hadn't seen a single proper field.
Wang Yi figured the reason probably had to do with the lack of tools.
The production capabilities in Stone Village were extremely primitive. Iron tools were rare. Forget farm implements like sickles and hoes—they barely had any kitchen knives or iron pots. There was only a single chopper for firewood.
'If the villagers here want to farm, they'd have to clear the land by hand. I should recruit a few farmers tomorrow. I'll start by planting one mu of wild vegetables and figure out the rest later... Looking ahead, I'll probably need to organize a workforce to clear land and create new fields!'
After pondering for a moment, Wang Yi returned to his territory to build the Beast Cage.
The Beast Cage was a functional structure and could only be built inside the territory.
Wang Yi's territory was currently only ten meters in radius, so it wasn't very spacious. It already contained the Chaos Warehouse and the Gourmet Processing Plant. Adding a Beast Cage would make it feel even more cramped.
The Beast Cage didn't take up much space, though. It looked quite crude: just a circle of man-high, sharpened wooden stakes with a simple roof built over it. That was all. It probably took up only forty or fifty square meters.
But despite its crude appearance, the Beast Cage was a genuine functional structure. It could be used to tame Pet Beasts, and if damaged, it could be repaired with Chaos Energy.
'I'll use it as a chicken coop for now!'
Filled with curiosity, Wang Yi put the Crispy-skinned Chickens Boss Li had brought over earlier into the Beast Cage. There were fifteen in total, all of them listless and droopy, looking half-dead.
"Ding! The Beast Cage currently has no Chaos Energy and cannot initiate automatic taming. Please provide Chaos Energy!"
"Ding! You have deposited 3,000 points of Chaos Energy. Automatic taming has begun. Current taming target: Crispy-skinned Chicken."
"Ding! Reminder: Chaos Energy deposited in the Beast Cage will be consumed automatically. The taming log is displayed on the Beast Cage's information panel. Please explore the details on your own."
Wang Yi listened to the system prompts and checked on the Crispy-skinned Chickens in the Beast Cage, but he couldn't see any change.
'Oh well, let the taming happen slowly. I'll check on you all again in the morning... Tomorrow's going to be a busy day.'
Wang Yi looked around. The moon was hazy, and it was getting late. He thought that once he had the means, he should set up a night watch. His territory was still too primitive. Out here in the wilderness, with the long night stretching ahead, he couldn't help but feel a little vulnerable.
The night passed without incident. The next day, before the sky had even begun to lighten, Wang Yi was jolted awake by the sound of "CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK!"
"What the hell is that? Are the Crispy-skinned Chickens crowing? Don't they know people are trying to sleep!"
Annoyed, Wang Yi yawned and ran over to the Beast Cage. He glanced inside and was stunned. The fifteen half-dead Crispy-skinned Chickens from last night were now bursting with vitality. They held their heads high and puffed out their chests, clucking even more energetically as they rushed toward him.
"Shoo, shoo! I'm not here to feed you!"
Wang Yi waved his hand dismissively and checked the Beast Cage's taming log.
"...Taming of Crispy-skinned Chicken successful. It has transformed into a Combat Chicken. Physique has been enhanced. It can patrol the territory, fight automatically, and forage for food automatically. A total of 21 Chaos Energy has been consumed. Healing was administered. The Crispy-skinned Chicken is now in a healthy state and can be released from the cage."
"Continuing taming..."
"Taming of Crispy-skinned Chicken successful. It has transformed into a Combat Chicken..."
"All 15 Crispy-skinned Chickens have finished taming and meet the conditions for release. Total time elapsed: eight hours and forty-five minutes. Total Chaos Energy consumed: 315. Current Chaos Energy remaining in the Beast Cage: 2,685 points!"
Wang Yi stared blankly.
'What did they turn into?'
'Combat Chickens?'
'They're all Combat Chickens!'
'They can patrol the territory?'
'And they forage for themselves, so I don't have to feed them?'
"Interesting. Well, what are we waiting for? I'm releasing you all. Go on, find your own food!"
Wang Yi opened the gate of the Beast Cage, and the fifteen chickens flapped their wings and rushed out cheerfully. Then, miraculously, they formed a line. "CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK!" They marched in step, looking exactly like a patrol squad.
"Lining up and marching in step... so badass!"
Wang Yi found this incredibly novel. He followed the squad of Combat Chickens for a while, thinking, 'Letting this Combat Chicken squad roam free in the territory is actually pretty interesting.'