Chapter Forty-Four: This Nail, Does It Absorb Essence?

Moreover, the territory was rich in resources. At the current rate of gathering, it would take only a few more days to establish a water-rich supply area. “The wellhead is exposed; I’ll need to build a shelter over it,” Mu Chen mused. But that was not something to be rushed.

Upon returning to the rooftop of the base, Mu Chen watched the construction of the surrounding buildings and the busy servants coming and going. Satisfied, he nodded. At last, the place was beginning to look like a true domain.

Mealtime had arrived. Everyone’s stomachs were rumbling, especially the newly recruited servants, who were already famished. “Dinner time! Bring back the resources you’ve gathered and call it a day!” Mu Chen called out to Number One, who was dragging back a log, while Ivy had already led the others back outside the courtyard.

“Long live the master!”
“Glory to the master!”
The servants cheered in unison, returning to the courtyard with their gathered resources.

The collective effort had yielded a bountiful harvest. Aside from the buildings constructed that day, over 650 units of timber remained. When Ivy placed the stones back into the base’s storage chest, Mu Chen’s heart surged with excitement—there were a full 1,300 units.

After working so hard for so long, Mu Chen felt fatigue creeping in. There was still an hour and a half left before the first-level cottages were complete. He decided to have the three servants take a break; after dinner, all the servants could build together, which would be much faster. As for Mu Chen and Ivy, being the main defenders of the territory, they would be on guard duty during their rest.

“It’s time to cook,” Mu Chen said, taking out the workbench and beginning to prepare a simple meal. Though the workbench made the process convenient, preparing food for so many still took considerable time.

Four wooden tables were pushed together, as they chose to dine as one rather than separately. Before each person sat a chicken leg, bread, and a side dish. The hearty meal made the servants swallow involuntarily; Mu Chen was generous with food, knowing that their strength determined how much they could gather.

Ivy, seated to his left, pressed her hands in prayer, while Mu Jiu’er on his right secretly took out a snack from her pack and set it aside.

“Let’s begin, this is the food you’ve earned today!” Mu Chen declared, sending a wave of excitement through the servants, who expressed their gratitude for his generosity.

Not a scrap was left on the table; only then did this pleasant dinner come to an end.

...

After the meal, Mu Chen laid out the remaining tasks for the day.

“Sade, lead all the servants and finish building the two cottages I’ve marked. Once construction is complete, everyone may collect a daily supply kit from the base hall.”

“At your command!” Sade replied, his simple and honest demeanor putting everyone at ease.

“Lilian, tidy up all the rooms inside the base.”

With these basic instructions given, the servants set about their chores once more. Two hours later, when everything was finally complete, everyone could rest.

There were fourteen servants in total. Four rested in each cottage; of the remaining six, Sade and Lilian, due to Mu Chen’s special arrangements, each took a separate room on the base’s second floor. The other four male servants shared the innermost room on the same floor.

“The housing is just barely enough. It seems I’ll need to build another cottage tomorrow,” Mu Chen mused, looking at the newly assigned quarters.

The ever-clingy Mu Jiu’er and Ivy chose the last room on the second floor, leaving Mu Chen alone in the first-floor lounge, where he sat and pondered his plans for the next day.