Foundation

Time passed day by day.

Five days had passed since Soren arrived, and the camp was completely different from when he first came. Outside the camp was a five-meter-high fence, with a simple Arrow Tower every hundred meters—the kind you had to climb a ladder to reach. The camp had four main gates: the east gate was where Soren lived, the west gate was where the other pirates lived, the south gate was a warehouse storing large quantities of supplies, and the north gate housed a considerable number of Slave.

The campsite was laid out in a square, with drainage ditches dug along both sides of the road, and even toilets built on all four sides.

This was something the other pirates couldn't quite understand!

Because this era was inherently dirty and chaotic, even in developed coastal cities, dedicated toilets were rare. Many people would simply crawl into alleys to relieve themselves. However, this was crucial for Soren. Although he had previously lived in Slums, when he had the opportunity to plan ahead, his first order was to build toilets. From this day forward, no one was allowed to urinate or defecate anywhere in the camp. Anyone who needed to relieve themselves had to use a designated toilet. Anyone caught urinating indiscriminately in the camp would have their "tools" (toilet tools) chopped off!

Environmental sanitation is the top priority.

The environment of the Overseas Islands is prone to breeding mosquitoes, and if diseases were to spread, it would be something Soren definitely didn't want to see. Besides, no one likes to accidentally step in someone else's excrement on their own turf. Although Soren wasn't a germaphobe, he still valued this point quite a bit.

Looking down from the sky right now.

The camp was a somewhat irregular square, resembling a town or village from ancient Greece, with a large central square for gathering people. It was divided into four sides by two intersecting streets. The ground was leveled, and although the roads were all dirt, ditches had been dug around the perimeter, and several wells had been dug nearby to drain wastewater. Many houses were under construction within the camp, but most were still unfinished. The only completed structure was the warehouse.

This is mainly because I'm afraid of rain!

The warehouse must be completed immediately; it's even more important than the house where Soren stayed, because many supplies cannot be exposed to rain.

The food reserves are enough for more than three months of consumption, but it's better to keep the grain in the warehouse. Smoked Meat is fine, but other items will quickly mold if they get damp.

Two crosses also stand where the Slave toiled.

The corpses above were almost reduced to bones. The whole process was incredibly Cruelty, and many Slave were too terrified to look at it, even today. The two wooden stakes would remain erected for another two days, and in those seven days, they would attract numerous vultures and Raven, these Scavenger Birds openly pecking at the corpses. Just watching it made many people's scalps tingle. The torture was undoubtedly effective; at least for the time being, the Slave were quite well-behaved.

Furthermore, since Soren had instructed the pirate henchmen not to whip them too harshly and to provide them with ample food, the Slave, despite their hard work every day, had at least been able to fill their stomachs. And yesterday, because Throat Cutter had spontaneously gone fishing, the sharks they caught were so meaty that they couldn't finish them all; they only took the fins and other parts, and the Slave all enjoyed a hearty meal of fish and fish soup.

This place is actually quite nice!

Although primitive and desolate, with many dangers and annoying mosquitoes, the resources here are indeed abundant. Some Slave even caught a kind of plump field mouse while working, which the native Slave ate raw, while other Slave took it back and cooked it over a fire. They actually ate better here than before, with occasional meat and fish, mainly because the nearby waters were not yet much developed, and large crabs could be found on the beach.

In some ways, this place really does have that feeling of the rugged, wild northwestern China.

Slave are people who have nothing, so their demands aren't high. Being able to fill their stomachs while working hard, and occasionally having a little meat, is enough to keep many from having any impure thoughts. After all, Soren had clearly told them that the consequences of escaping and being caught would be dire, and even death wouldn't bring easy release. Moreover, some Slave still believed Vivian's words that Soren would grant freedom to some of those who worked diligently when the time was right.

Inside the large central tent.

Soren frowned as he scribbled on a piece of white paper. He looked up at the sky and muttered, "Judging by the time, they should all be back in Port Tyler by now. It'll probably take another half a month for them to come back. They should be able to bring back what they need by January, and then we can start the next step of the plan."

"It's almost the end of December! Looks like the Lunar New Year is just around the corner, right?"

Soren stepped out of the tent, silently calculating in his mind, and realized that the New Year was indeed just a few days away.

This world doesn't have such strong New Year celebrations, but the tradition of preparing for it is still there. Soren arrived in mid-December, and now it's late December, so the New Year is just around the corner. The New Year itself isn't too bad; what this world values most is the [Harvest Festival], which is the grandest celebration of the year. This festival is common to most deities; in the south, they worship the Goddess of Agriculture, in the North, the Goddess of Ice and Snow, and in coastal areas, the Goddess of the Sea.

Even the Drow pray to the Spider Queen for a bountiful harvest during the annual Harvest Festival, since filling one's stomach is the most basic and important thing for any race.

Soren glanced outside and then walked towards the sea.

He ordered his pirate captains to take two ships away, but some Warship remained outside. The Chamber of Commerce's cargo ships also returned; Soren's order was for a large quantity of supplies, which they would deliver in batches over the next three months, in portions every two weeks. The most important resource was Slave. Soren needed labor to grow and expand. Making the pirate henchmen work for a short time wouldn't cause a backlash, but if they were truly treated as laborers, the pirates would be full of complaints.

at present.

They mostly knew that since the base camp had just been established, no one could avoid hard work. Once the camp was fully established, these pirates wouldn't be so diligent.

On the other side.

Vivian's petite figure squatted beside a mud puddle, her small, white hands playing with a pile of mud, as if she were molding clay figures, shaping it into various forms. The little girl seemed to have been playing by the mud puddle for a long time, even her snow-white princess dress was covered in mud. After about ten minutes, she shaped the mud into what looked like a square block, and then raised her small palm to begin casting a spell.

--"Transmute Mud to Rock!"

A faint Spell Aura appeared, and the soil in front of them gradually turned into rock, but it didn't seem solid; it looked like it had been weathered.

The little girl seemed a bit annoyed, kicking the mud away and muttering, "It's so hard!"

Why are Spell above the fifth ring so difficult?

"Fourth-circle Spell were pretty easy, so why did the difficulty increase so much once we entered the fifth circle? Lillian, why do you think we haven't been able to master this Spell?"

A brief silence.

Then Lillian's somewhat matter-of-fact voice rang out. "I don't need to go through all that trouble to learn Spell! Anyone who needs to learn Spell isn't a true genius! Hmm!... That's right!...

Needless to say.

Vivian knew she had asked in vain.

The little girl stood up, snapped her fingers, and a faint Spell Aura appeared, instantly cleaning her. Vivian clapped her hands, straightened her skirt, and prepared to go back to sleep. But just then, she heard a commotion coming from the bushes in the distance, followed by a figure rushing out. It was an ugly man with a tattoo on his face, ears covered in earrings, and a scar on his skull.

This is a pirate.

Soren's men included many oddballs, but very few were presentable and handsome.

He was a sentry sent out to monitor the surrounding area.

Vivian showed no panic. Although she was just a little girl approaching nine years old, she was remarkably calm. She approached slowly, carefully observing her surroundings. She spotted a Blowgun on the back of the pirate sentry before her—a weapon as thin as a needle, usually coated with potent poison, either capable of killing instantly or quickly Antiaris Toxicaria and rendering the victim unconscious. The little girl cautiously drew closer, having already cast several Spell upon herself.

The grass in the distance rustled.

However, no one chased after him. When Vivian arrived, the pirate wasn't completely unconscious yet, and he said in a somewhat broken voice, "M- Young Miss!... Native... Native!..."

After saying that, he immediately fainted.

It appears that the Blowgun contained a nerve anesthetic rather than a Antiaris Toxicaria poison.

These things are all very troublesome.

They would have to withstand a mandatory Constitution Saving Throw, and Soren might have a higher chance of passing it, but other pirates would find it much harder to resist.

Vivian reached out a finger to check his breath, and after confirming that he wasn't dead, she ran towards the camp.

Indigenous people have appeared!

We must tell my brother immediately, because the natives are very xenophobic and might launch an attack!

...(To be continued~^~)