The first week after the lord returned was relatively leisurely. The intelligent system handled the planning, so all he had to do was observe the results. Although he had bought a huge amount of supplies, the player population had not yet expanded, so most of them were just being stockpiled. It was not yet time to put them to full use.
The biggest problem Xi Ye faced now was how to expand his population!
The current population of ten thousand was already the limit for the base. To recruit more people, he first had to expand the base itself. That was not much of a problem. He had bought enough large Base Vehicles from Wine Immortal Lord, and three billion credits' worth of supplies were more than enough for him to establish several sizable cities on Mars!
However, several problems were involved. The first was the lack of instructors. Even the players currently in the base were struggling to reserve instructors. The newly recruited instructors had to work at least twelve hours a day. Although teaching was relatively easy work, it clearly exceeded the Federation's regulated working hours. Since he had not even mentioned overtime pay, this would inevitably wear down the employees' enthusiasm if it continued for long.
If he wanted to recruit more citizens, he first had to recruit more tutors. Otherwise, there would not be enough educational resources. However, it was troublesome for a newly established lord like him to recruit people. He had posted on the Talent Network for a week, but not even a fart had come of it. It seemed he could only keep an eye on the website to see whether it organized any other job fairs.
The intelligent system's suggestion was to establish a points-and-level system first. New players would have to work more than two hundred hours before they could apply for lessons like the veteran players. This method could indeed solve the urgent problem, but it was not a long-term solution. Recruiting people was thus an urgent matter.
Another problem was the issue of D Planet Federation surveillance devices and exploration vehicles on Mars.
Xi Ye had chosen a location that none of the Federation's countries had explored. However, once large-scale construction began, they would inevitably be discovered. How to avoid those people was another problem.
With the level of technology he carried, blocking the exploration vehicles and surveillance was not difficult. But what if humans landed on Mars?
The D Planet Federation's technology had already reached the point where it was capable of leaving the Solar System. According to the data the intelligent system had secretly gathered, more than thirty countries had the ability to land on Mars. The intelligent system had suggested causing accidents when they landed, but Xi Ye did not really approve.
Xi Ye, who regarded everyone on D Planet as his private property, did not want to lose even one future golden citizen—especially not an elite capable of becoming an astronaut.
In a civilization at this stage of development, anyone capable of becoming an astronaut was usually outstanding in every aspect, including their knowledge, practical abilities, and overall qualities. They also possessed exceptional physiques with high adaptability. Combined with the qualities they developed later in life, they were extremely valuable talents to him. Naturally, he did not want any of them to be lost.
Unless he could cause an accident and capture them. However, that would be difficult. He would have to create an accident convincing enough for the D Planet communications station to believe it was an ordinary aviation disaster, then rescue everyone aboard the spacecraft immediately after its signal was cut off. It would require an extremely meticulous plan.
If the players completed the mission to prevent the virus outbreak successfully, he could try having them organize this mission later!
Speaking of missions, Xi Ye suddenly remembered that less than a week remained before the mission began. He wondered how the players' training had gone.
Xi Ye had initially planned to look directly at the test data provided by the intelligent system, but after thinking it over, he felt that data only showed the surface. To truly understand the players' progress, he still had to ask the instructors. With that thought, Xi Ye hurried toward the Main Training Field.
The Main Training Field had been built on open ground not far from the Main Base. Since he had to begin teaching quickly, Xi Ye had purchased several fully equipped training grounds in advance. That way, the highly paid employees would not arrive only to have nothing to do.
The training ground was F-grade, but it was more than enough to train a group of Level One Lifeform youngsters. As for the equipment, Xi Ye had bought only high-end goods... at least, that was what the goblin had told him.
The training ground was enormous, with three floors above and below ground and an area of nearly tens of thousands of square meters. It was made of Level Three Black Cloud Steel, which had an excellent texture. The floor was paved with seamless Crystal Cloud Tiles, all treated with the Bronze Clan's professional Rune Tempering Technology. They were sturdy and beautiful, and they felt wonderfully comfortable beneath one's feet.
At least on the surface, the money had been well spent... He probably had not been swindled... Xi Ye thought to himself.
The first-floor hall was mainly for the numerous Titans to conduct strength training. Exercise equipment for building physical strength and muscle stood everywhere.
In the hall, Chief Instructor Zanda was solemnly teaching a group of new Titans standardized exercises.
Xi Ye did not disturb them. Instead, he waited quietly to one side. He knew the instructor was busy, and the citizens had spent points to apply for lessons. They certainly would not want to be disturbed.
He stood there quietly for nearly half an hour. Only after Zanda announced that they could train freely did he slowly walk over.
Zanda hurriedly straightened up and said respectfully, "My lord!"
Zanda's respect came from the bottom of his heart. One reason was that he was very satisfied with his current job. The quality of these Green Titans far exceeded his expectations, and they were extremely easy to teach. Moreover, it was not just one or two of them who were outstanding. He was certain that with a little polishing, every one of these Green Titans would become a capable fighter in the arena!
The second reason was these highly talented citizens' obedience to their lord. Honestly, this was the first time he had seen citizens so enthusiastic about both work and training. If it was not because these natives were overly simple and honest, then it could only mean that this lord was exceptionally capable at management.
Either way, it represented a new force with a promising future!
"How does it feel, Zanda? Are you getting used to it?" Xi Ye asked gently.
"I'm used to it, I'm used to it!" Zanda nodded with a foolish grin. The environment here was not as bad as he had imagined. The climate and temperature fluctuations were far better than those of ordinary Level 8 Stars. Although he did not understand much about construction, he knew that with a little modification, a planet with such an environment could easily become a habitable Level 7 Star. Moreover, both the base facilities and the training ground's facilities were excellent, so the working environment was not bad. The only drawback was the food. Everyone was still consuming Nutrient Solution. Although its quality was not low, neither its taste nor its long-term effects on the body were very good.
"How are these little fellows training? Are any of them particularly outstanding?" Xi Ye asked with a smile.
Although he could not see the lord's smile, Zanda could hear that the lord was in a good mood. He grinned and said, "They're all outstanding. Every one of them has developed excellent muscles, and none of them has shown any deformation. The potential of their active cells is tremendous. These past few days, I've only helped them release those cells a little, but their growth has taken off like a spaceship. Honestly, at first I thought the few you brought last time were special examples. Then I discovered that all your citizens are at that level. These natives' adaptability is probably no lower than fifteen percent, right?"
Heh... Xi Ye smiled faintly but did not answer.
Zanda did not mind that the lord refused to answer. Instead, he brought up the issue of food.
"My lord, you need to prepare a large amount of fresh meat as soon as possible. Once these children's cellular activity is released, their bodies will have enormous nutritional needs. Relying solely on Nutrient Solution will seriously affect their future growth."
Xi Ye nodded solemnly. Fresh meat was indispensable to cultivating warriors. Moreover, cultivating high-quality Green Titans required high-quality meat. It seemed he would have to visit the Advanced Farm he had just bought later.
Before that, however, he had to ask about the specific cultivation progress of several high-ranking Green Titans.
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