C141 Buildings!
The village buzzed with jubilant cheers, the air pulsated with the beat of drums and the crackle of firecrackers, banners fluttered, and a throng of people filled the streets.
Chen Guo was swept up in this fervent atmosphere, yet he chose not to join the villagers in their revelry. His reluctance wasn't about keeping up an air of detachment, nor was it a sign of him being antisocial. The simple truth was that Chen Guo was swamped with work.
While the average villager had access to a single village interface, Chen Guo had the added responsibility of managing a village leader interface. He was engrossed in mastering its array of features. Within this interface, there were two main channels: the creation channel and the exchange channel. Chen Guo dove into the creation channel first.
The creation channel laid out all the details of the village with crystal clarity:
Village Name: Flame Dragon Village!
Village Level: 1
Village Chief: Chen Guo (The Strongest War God)
Village Population: 6,643
Public Buildings: 0
Beyond simply presenting the village stats, the creation channel's sole function was to facilitate the upgrade of the Beginner Stone House. Chen Guo could invest a sum of money to elevate the Level 1 Beginner Stone House into a Level 2 Beginner Mansion.
"Level 1 Beginner Stone House: A modest stone abode, free from shortcuts in its construction, yet plain and unembellished. Residing in the Level 1 Beginner Stone House boosts the regeneration rates of health, mana, and stamina by 50%!"
"Level 2 Beginner Mansion: A dwelling with one bedroom, a living room, and its own bathroom. Far from opulent, but it meets all the standards for comfortable living. Occupying the Level 2 Beginner Mansion doubles these regeneration rates, increasing them by 100%!"
[Tip: Upgrading from the Level 1 Beginner Stone House to the Level 2 Beginner Mansion earns you an achievement reward—a 300-point boost in your basic attributes!]
"Moving forward, each upgrade comes with an achievement reward, and the attribute bonus from these rewards will double with each level. For instance, upgrading from the Level 2 Beginner Mansion to the Level 3 Newbie Villa will net you a whopping 600 points in basic attributes!"
Chen Guo was well aware that appointing a village chief and rebuilding the Beginner Village would yield great results, but he never imagined they would be this impressive. The fact that upgrading buildings also came with substantial attribute rewards was an unexpected bonus.
Moreover, each reward of attribute points was subject to doubling. Initially, the attribute points felt like a mere trifle to Chen Guo, but as they continued to double, they became a considerable boon.
Adding to this, Flame Dragon Village was currently under the potent buff of "Fortune's Favor," lasting an entire week and doubling all rewards. With the rewards from upgrading buildings already doubled, another doubling effect made the gains not just significant, but downright game-changing.
Chen Guo was ecstatic.
Yet, a subsequent system alert tempered his excitement, reminding him that endlessly farming attribute points was off the table. His role as village chief granted him some modest privileges, but nothing more.
"A Level 1 Beginner Village allows ordinary villagers to upgrade their Level 1 Beginner Stone Houses to Level 2 Beginner Mansions. Further upgrades must wait until the village ascends to Level 2."
"The village chief, however, enjoys a special privilege, being able to elevate his own Level 1 Beginner Stone House to a Level 3 Beginner Villa! Any further enhancements must also await the village's rise to Level 2."
Clearly, the role of village chief was not without its perks!
While ordinary villagers could only take their dwellings from a Level 1 Beginner Stone House to a Level 2 Beginner Mansion, Chen Guo had the extra privilege of upgrading to a Level 3 Beginner Villa.
The sensation of wielding such privileges was undeniably thrilling.
Still, Chen Guo wasn't rushing to upgrade. He was keen to discover the process for elevating the Beginner Village and the criteria for doing so. A Level 3 Beginner Villa was far from quenching his grand ambitions.
The prerequisites for advancing the Beginner Village to Level 2 were as follows:
- The population of the Beginner Village must reach 5,000.
- The village chief's fighting capacity must hit 200,000.
- The village must have successfully completed a storybook adventure.
- At least 500 Level 2 Beginner Mansions must exist within the village.
- A minimum of 100 trial challengers of Level 30 or above must be present in the village.
"The cost is 10,000 gold coins and 10,000 construction points!"
Chen Guo had already met the first three conditions with ease.
The fourth condition was also well within reach.
The fifth condition, however, posed a challenge, as it wasn't something Chen Guo could accomplish on his own—it required a collective effort from all the villagers.
Despite Chen Guo having reached level 51, and the village boasting a number of trial challengers above level 30, they had yet to hit the hundred mark.
The divide between elite trial challengers and their ordinary counterparts had grown significantly.
Elites were in the minority, while the ordinary challengers made up the bulk of the population. The fifth requirement called for the majority of the villagers to level up.
But upon reflection, this made sense. The village's development and construction were a communal affair, not reliant on just a handful of individuals.
This requirement likely served as a prompt from the system for the village chief to focus on enhancing the village's collective strength.
The sixth requirement was ripe for fulfillment.
The Beginner Village's level was destined to rise.
A level 1 Beginner Village was unable to activate the Gate of Myriad Realms or construct many useful buildings, such as a defensive altar, a blacksmith shop, a bakery, a tavern, or a clothing store.
Each of these buildings had unique, powerful effects that provided various attribute boosts and facilitated activities for the trial challengers.
However, only a level 2 Beginner Village had the privilege to erect these structures. A level 1 Beginner Village simply didn't qualify.
Thus, Chen Guo needed to find a way to expedite Flame Dragon Village's upgrade from a Level 1 to a Level 2 Beginner Village.
"First, let's figure out how to upgrade the stone house. It's hardly imposing, and the stones are chilly to the touch. It's time to consider transforming it into a villa! After all, if you're going to battle monsters, why not do it in style and comfort?"
With that in mind, Chen Guo focused his thoughts and reviewed the requirements for upgrading the stone house. Once he knew a better abode was within reach, the level 1 stone house no longer appealed to him.
Just as no one fusses over sesame seeds when there's watermelon to be had, the same applied here.
To upgrade from a level 1 stone house to a level 2 novice villa, the following conditions had to be met:
"I need 20 pieces of Level 1 lumber, which means I've got to chop it down!"
"I need 20 units of Level 1 stone, which I'll have to gather!"
"I need the pelts of 5 ferocious beasts, which I'll also have to collect!"
"And I need 50 gold coins!"
Out of these four requirements, only the gold was readily available. Chen Guo, after all, was the pioneer of the Beginner Village, amassing a substantial fortune. To him, those 50 gold coins were a mere trifle.
The real challenges were the wood, stone, and beast pelts, though they weren't too much of a hassle.
The village was home to 6,043 residents at present. While the 1,000 NPCs could construct their own abodes, Chen Guo was tasked with upgrading the dwellings for the remaining 5,000.