A Civilization Gradually Rises
The former Duchy of Merrick has now become the capital of the ruling planet of the Merrick Civilization.
The city was renamed City of Merrick.
With the establishment of the new government, the office space in the original council hall in the capital was no longer sufficient.
The Federation Government's offices for connecting with civilizations, strength testing, and resource exchange are insufficient, not to mention the Merrick Government's own office needs.
A new round of construction is underway, and the inner and outer cities, originally in the form of a duchy, have been completely demolished.
The area is divided into various zones, and a new council hall is under construction, located not far from Merrick Castle.
Of course, the temporary government offices are still crammed into the original lobby.
As Lister stepped inside, the crowded councilors around him stepped back and made way for him.
After he passed by, they bowed with exceptional respect.
At the far end of the hall, countless decrees were piled on Quint's table.
Even though the civilization chips have been fully manufactured and distributed, the administrative system has not yet been transformed.
Especially at the grassroots level, government orders were mainly issued in paper and parchment scrolls.
"Lister? You've finally arrived."
As he approached, Quint immediately threw down the documents he was holding.
He had taken off his original combat uniform and replaced it with an administrative uniform made of silk.
Even though they haven't fully integrated into the Galactic Federation yet, their clothing already bears the Federation's style.
"Besides our ruling planet, here's the situation for the other eight life planets and the proposed new names. Would you like to take a look?"
"I'm not going to concern myself with the new naming, but have any high-potential talents been discovered on these life-bearing planets?"
"If so, make arrangements to give them the quota for the Merrick Civilization in advance."
The Merrick Civilization system comprises three star systems and nine inhabited stars.
Of course, only those on their ruling planets actually have the status of belonging to a civilization; the life forms on the other eight life-bearing planets are merely subordinate and do not possess citizenship of the Merrick Civilization.
Essentially, it is the private property of the Merrick Civilization; even the desire to change one's fate by becoming an undocumented person can only be fulfilled within the Merrick Civilization.
"According to the Galactic Federation's combat strength standards, there are no personnel above Grade B as you mentioned."
Quint immediately shook his head, dashing Lister's hopes.
Since the strength testing chamber purchased by the Federation was delivered to the Merrick Civilization, everyone has gained a deeper understanding of the Galactic Federation's strength assessment criteria.
Quint finally realized just how vast the gap was between himself and Lister.
"The life forms on these life-bearing planets are generally below the sixth rank, and there's a lack of even those with combat power reaching the C rank, so there's no need to recruit them."
Indeed, he shouldn't have had any expectations.
If there were a more powerful life form nearby, the Yalan Civilization would probably have hired them long ago; there wouldn't be a need for them now.
"The prototype of the teleportation array you ordered is basically complete; however, you may still need to make a trip there in person to complete the final version."
"Yes, I'll be going there in the next few days."
How many people in our civilization currently meet the required standards?
"It's still far from meeting the standards for Level 3."
"However, after recently establishing a friendly and allied relationship with the Arcane Civilization, they agreed to promote and recruit for our civilization, which should be more effective."
The standard for advancing to a third-level civilization naturally requires combat strength of at least the Third Advancement.
There's nothing Lister can rush in this regard.
Even if the players are considered a supplement to high-end combat power, even if the server opens now, it will only be Act 5, with a level cap of 100, and there will be no chance for the Third Advancement.
This is also why he continuously recruits low-level potential talents from other regions and trains them himself.
In fact, the help from the Arcane Civilization was a crucial factor.
After all, the Arcane Civilization is already an established Tier 3 civilization, and it doesn't lack Third Advancement Class Holder.
It has long since stopped using its own cultural prestige to attract talent from other countries.
Only high-combat-power Class Holder have already Fourth Advancements, or those with the potential to Hegemon, will be given a separate spot.
This has led to a large number of promising but low-level talents clustering in the areas under the jurisdiction of the Arcane Civilization.
Moreover, the number and quality of these talents far exceed those of the remote Merrick Star Region, a conclusion that can be drawn solely from Lister 'Arcane Recruit Camp.
"Then you should pay more attention to negotiations with the Arcane Civilization, and try to expedite recruitment to meet the standards within ten years."
In the Galactic Federation's timeline, ten years is but a blink of an eye.
After giving some instructions, Lister finally left.
A year has passed in the blink of an eye.
After continuously recruiting talent from outside, the Merrick Civilization is gradually gaining fame.
In particular, the name of Lister Merrick, a Quasi-Hegemon, became known to civilizations in nearby star systems.
In this remote star system, a civilization about to advance to level three is attracting widespread attention.
And once the advancement is complete, the Merrick Civilization will inevitably become their superior civilization in this star system.
This has led to a continuous increase in the daily flow of people visiting the Merrick Civilization.
With infrastructure development accelerating, land prices, housing prices, and the pressure to survive are all soaring!
As lower-ranking citizens of the Merrick Civilization began to migrate to other lower-level civilizations, and even undocumented immigrants gradually emerged, their survival also began to rise.
Everything is rapidly transforming in the direction of a higher civilization.
Meanwhile, the Yalan Civilization enjoyed a peaceful and prosperous era.
Powell's "Blacksmith's General Store," in particular, remained deserted.
It seems they adhere to the business philosophy of "not opening for three years, then making enough to live off for three years."
"My lord! Thank you for taking care of Hunter's matter!"
Powell, however, was not engrossed in Galaxy's holographic entertainment today.
I saw him early on and got up to greet him from outside the shop.
"Your son is much more honest and reliable than you. Arranging this for him isn't because of you; it's because his own talent for forging is worth nurturing."
Although they are father and son, Hunter was not greatly affected by the social upheavals due to his secluded living environment.
He was simple and honest in character, completely different from his unscrupulous businessman father, and therefore more worthy of Lister's cultivation.
Ultimately, Tim arranged for him to work in the new government's logistics and equipment department, where he was responsible for receiving and maintaining weapons, and occasionally needed to go out on field missions to integrate and collect resources.
The main reason was Hunter's forging talent; the entire logistics and equipment department was also considering the future Merrick Civilization Army.
"That's all thanks to you, sir!"
"Otherwise, how could that kid have such good fortune?"
Powell couldn't be happier with the current arrangements for his son.
The logistics department is definitely a lucrative unit. Even though my son is just a lowly soldier now, with him keeping an eye on things with Lord Lister in the future, who knows how far he might go?
Not to mention, he can also make good use of his son's forging talent.
Powell now feels that he made a brilliant move!
Where is the equipment I requested?
The long holiday is almost over.
While Captain Boren was urging everyone to assemble, Lister himself was busy accumulating military merits, striving to build Civilization Army.
Let's get straight to the point and save time.
"Oh, sir, don't worry! I've already prepared everything!"
As soon as he entered the store, Powell handed over the items.
[Merrick's Tyranny Bracers (S-Rank) (Level 130 and above): Increases all four main attributes by 45 points and physical attack by 45% for 60 seconds. Cooldown: 5 days.]
The dark blue wrist guards also feature some silver inscriptions, making them feel more comfortable and secure when worn on the palm.
Of course, Lister didn't care about appearance or feelings; what he was most satisfied with was the improvement in his four main attributes and burst damage, including the reduction in cooldown time.
Upon receiving the Jiji, Lister's brow furrowed involuntarily.