Chapter Two: Such Remarkable Efficiency

Sun Li found the cost of thirty units of wood for a residence acceptable, but when he saw that a single peasant required one hundred units of meat, he was utterly taken aback.

“What kind of peasant is this, costing more than a house? Little White, are you embezzling, hmm?”

“Since all troop units are conjured from thin air, while buildings are constructed using local materials from this plane, the cost of personnel is comparatively higher. In fact, buildings could have been conjured directly for enormous resource costs, but the rules of this world do not permit it, so only local resources can be used for construction. However, since individual units are small, they can bypass the world's laws and be created out of nothing.”

“All right then, looks like I’ll have to pursue a strategy of elite soldiers, since people are simply too expensive.”

“Commander, there’s no need to worry. Peasants are pricier because they possess abilities far beyond the norm for this era—such as increased construction speed. The cost of regular combat units may actually be lower than that of peasants. I hope, Commander, that you will cherish every system-generated peasant. They are truly the most precious resource of the Imperial System.”

Helplessly, Sun Li accepted Little White’s explanation and continued to browse the construction information:

Peasant: Cost—100 units of meat; construction time—1 minute. The foundation of any great enterprise; without them, nothing can be accomplished.

Residence: Cost—30 units of wood; construction time—1 hour; health: 900; defense: 0; each can house ten units.

Outpost: Cost—30 units of wood; construction time—3 hours; health: 500; defense: 0. A fixed lookout point, allowing early detection of nearby enemy movements to prepare for defense.

Town Center: Cost—600 units of wood and 100 gold coins; construction time—1 day; health: 2400; attack: 5 (requires one unit to garrison); defense: 3; range: 6; attack speed: 47. Produces villagers and stores all resources. Advancing through the ages enhances technology for villagers and buildings. When under enemy attack, the town bell can be rung to bring villagers inside for protection, or to convert peasants into militia. Each Town Center supports 10 population units, and can garrison 15 villagers or soldiers, who receive protection and medical treatment. Garrisoned units can fire arrows at the enemy. This is the final bastion of the base and the key to the rise of any power.

Mining Camp: Cost—100 units of wood; construction time—3 hours; health: 1000; defense: 0. Stores valuable metal resources such as gold and iron ore.

Lumber Camp: Cost—100 units of wood; construction time—3 hours; health: 1000; defense: 0. A storage site for wood.

Mill: Cost—100 units of wood; construction time—3 hours; health: 1000; defense: 0. Stores food. Farms and markets can only be built after constructing a mill.

Farm: Cost—60 units of wood; construction time—1 hour; health: 480; defense: 0. Provides food and can be replenished repeatedly. Due to rapid food production, soil fertility declines quickly and, when it falls below a certain threshold, additional resources are required to restore it.

Barracks: Cost—200 units of wood; construction time—12 hours; health: 1200; defense: 0. Produces various infantry units, with more types becoming available as ages progress.

Dock: Cost—150 units of wood; construction time—6 hours; health: 1800; defense: 0. For building ships and researching naval technology, as well as trading with other civilizations. Fishing boats also store goods here.

Wooden Wall: Cost—2 units of wood per meter; construction time—1 hour per 100 meters. Effectively prevents enemy raids, though its defense is not high, so one should not expect too much.

Blacksmith: Cost—100 units of wood; construction time—3 hours; health: 1000; defense: 0. Produces and repairs era-appropriate weapons, consumes only gold coins. One of the guarantees for sustained warfare.

Tailor Shop: Cost—100 units of wood; construction time—3 hours; health: 1000; defense: 0. Produces and repairs era-appropriate armor, consumes only gold coins. Another guarantee for sustained warfare.

There wasn’t even a stable—so much for the so-called Nomadic Age. Not even a single cavalry unit. For now, he decided to build five peasants, assigning them all to gather wild berries for food, continuing until the tenth peasant was produced.

If enemies appeared, they could always take shelter in the Town Center. Increasing productivity was paramount. Sun Li pondered strategies for rapid development.

While the peasants worked, as a commander with lofty ambitions, Sun Li certainly wouldn't just find a comfortable spot to nap. Instead, he was patrolling his territory—scouting the terrain.

This place was truly excellent. A small river flowed nearby, ensuring water supply; the land was flat, perfect for establishing a village. A kilometer away lay a vast forest, solving the timber problem, and ten kilometers to the west, a small iron mine. Of course, the system had revealed this—no one should expect their commander to have expertise in geology. That was not his specialty.

Yes, quite promising: iron to the west across the river, jungle to the southeast, grasslands to the northwest—who knew if there were coyotes lurking there.

“This place is perfect for development! My luck must be extraordinary. Could I truly be destined to be a king?” A certain homebody once again revealed his true nature, indulging in wild daydreams.

Ten peasants were now available: four were sent to chop wood, one to build three residences, and the rest continued gathering food and producing more peasants.

At this point, Commander Sun Li noticed something odd. Residences could be built in just one hour—wasn’t that a bit too quick, even for wooden structures? Could these buildings be truly habitable, or were they shoddy constructions? It turned out he had only been reading the first line of each description.

“Please rest assured, Commander. Anything produced by the system is of the highest quality. Test it yourself once construction is complete,” Little White explained.

“Wait a minute, I didn’t say anything—how did you know what I was thinking?”

“The system is bound to the commander’s soul and automatically interprets your thoughts to provide answers.”

“What the—! I didn’t expect you to be a mind-reader. From now on, I order you absolutely never to read my thoughts—absolutely not!”

“As you command, Commander.”

After a few more tests, Sun Li found that Little White really did stop ‘eavesdropping,’ and felt relieved.

When the first residence was finished, Sun Li tried it out, then hopped on one foot and exclaimed, “The quality is indeed excellent—ouch, that really hurt!”

Aside from the pain, this was undoubtedly wonderful news. It seemed his mission would soon be accomplished. He was about to graduate from novice to conqueror, realize his grand ambitions, and perhaps even marry a rich and beautiful woman. The very thought sent a thrill through him.

Thus, Sun Li’s first day in this strange world was spent in excitement and industrious progress.