Negotiation

After two Plot Kills, the family quickly returned to peace, with no more disturbances.

Mixi looked thoughtfully at Li Wei, then at Phila and Penny, and smiled. She roughly understood that family elders were exempt from ordinary Plot Kills.

That was fine then.

This night, only Lyon tossed and turned, unable to sleep alone, achieving the "He's the Only One Hurt" achievement.

There were no further developments, because these three days were a period of free activity for everyone.

Phila continued to gather and fish, accumulating personal wealth.

Penny continued to hammer away in the Blacksmith Shop, using the remaining iron ingots to forge various tools and weapons, such as the iron arrowheads she promised Li Wei.

Li Wei had helped her smelt Iron Ore for a whole day before; she hadn't repaid that favor yet.

Similarly, Mixi had swung the hammer for her for a day and needed to reciprocate. As for the newcomer Lyon, since there was no monthly family Main Quest, he naturally got to freeload.

Li Wei, on the other hand, seized the opportunity to cultivate farmland in suitable areas around the camp. However, his tools were still not ideal. The surface carburized Shovel's hardness was still insufficient, making it difficult to dig quickly in soil with dense grass roots.

So, Li Wei borrowed Penny's pickaxe. Yes, she had forged it for herself at some point, and it was also surface carburized. It was quite hard and very useful for digging.

He would first dig out pits on the ground, remove stubborn plant roots, and then use the Shovel to dig up the soil.

This way, the efficiency was much higher.

He had plenty of strength now; he could cultivate half an acre of land in three days.

And during these three days, Mixi had gone hunting with the Hunting Bow Penny had made for her, carrying iron spears. So, was her first profession Tailor and her second Hunter?

But as expected, during these three days, Mixi caught nothing but a dozen loaches and about a hundred grasshoppers. Oh, wait, she also picked up some mushrooms of unknown toxicity, some pretty little flowers, and a pile of Wild Fruit.

Her attitude was quite good.

Li Wei focused entirely on cultivating the farmland, even skipping his usual evening archery practice. He worked in the dark, as if desperate.

Because these were three days of freedom, any land cultivated during this period belonged to oneself. Even if it was later donated to the family, it would yield a large amount of Family Contribution Points.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed, and the month ended.

Li Wei successfully cultivated half an acre of land, and then he decisively chose to donate it to the family. Since he hadn't planted anything and hadn't harvested, the Family Contribution Points he received were only five. But it didn't matter at all, because what Li Wei wanted was for the Winter Wheat planting next month to be on a large scale.

Those One-star quality seeds now belonged to the family. He couldn't plant them on his private land; this was a red line of the rules, something he had to understand.

There was also another reason:

Now that the family had two acres of land, the Winter Wheat planting had to be arranged as part of the family Main Quest, and the quota would be heavier. And who was most suitable to undertake this task? Naturally, only Li Wei himself was the most suitable.

This indirectly avoided the Head of the Family assigning too many other Main Quests to him, interfering with his personal development path.

Tonight's dinner was a bit lavish. Phila pan-fried some dried fish with oil, even sparingly sprinkling some salt grains on it, making their mouths water. There was also vegetable and mushroom soup, and some ripe Wild Fruit.

The family of five ate happily together, but after finishing, except for the unknowing Lyon, everyone else had solemn expressions, waiting for that moment to arrive.

Soon, a line of information appeared before everyone.

[As the Professional Craftsman *** has the highest Family Contribution Points, she will continue to serve as Head of the Family. She will continue to be responsible for managing and releasing the family's Main Quests for the next month.]

Li Wei, Phila, and even Mixi were very calm about this, as it was destined. Even if Penny hadn't donated anything this month, her Family Contribution Points would start at 140, making it impossible to catch up.

It's worth mentioning that Phila also didn't donate any supplies to the family this month, so her Family Contribution Points were at most around 80, while Li Wei reached 83.

Mixi had only single digits left, and Lyon had zero.

This brother was incredibly shocked at this moment, likely realizing he had been completely freeloaded this month. But there was nothing he could do. As the family became more established, the exploitation of newcomers would become increasingly standardized and refined.

"Next month, I plan to focus on primitive steelmaking. I want to modify and expand the blast furnace. We need steel tools and steel weapons; that's where our advantage in foreign trade lies."

Penny spoke slowly at this point, full of confidence, looking around like a powerful figure.

"However, to complete the small steelmaking blast furnace, I need everyone's support, such as mining Iron Ore and transportation issues, and logging Oak to make charcoal. I can't do it alone."

"Also, once the small steelmaking blast furnace is ignited, it's best to ensure continuous operation for more than twenty days. Therefore, we must standardize this matter. Not just next month, but every month from now on, we must ensure the daily operation of the small blast furnace! After all, a sudden shutdown would result in huge losses and be very dangerous."

"And speaking of this, we must mention the overall planning of our family camp. The simple iron-smelting furnace can be placed within the camp, but the small steelmaking blast furnace must be placed far from residential areas and farmland water sources. Therefore, building a larger wall can be put on the agenda."

"Now, I need someone who can manage the small blast furnace regularly. They don't need to be responsible for other family affairs, just take care of the blast furnace. Who will do it?"

"I'll do it! I'll take responsibility!"

Lyon was the first to raise his hand, which basically confirmed his first profession was Craftsman.

"Good. Next month, you will build the small blast furnace with me, as well as the surrounding supporting structures. Once the furnace is lit, you and I will manage it in rotation. At the same time, the work in the Blacksmith Shop will also be shared by both of us."

Penny decided calmly, likely very happy in her heart. This newcomer Lyon had, to some extent, become her natural ally.

As for Phila, she had given Lyon a Two-star Fisherman card for free, only to end up with nothing.

"The current problem is that Lyon and I cannot spare the time and energy for Logging and making charcoal, as well as mining and transporting ore. These two tasks are very important. Of course, I can take on the charcoal-making part, but Logging and splitting the Oak into properly sized Firewood requires someone to be responsible."

Penny didn't directly assign it, but simply presented the task. This was the monthly Main Quest, with the highest priority. If this wasn't completed, nothing else could be considered.

"Sigh, I'm old. I only know how to gather and fish. After all, people have to eat. Also, I will still guarantee one meal of Mushroom Meat Soup every day."

Phila began to play the age card, and indeed, no one could replace her. For example, those One-star quality mushrooms could only be found by her, and they were the key to making Mushroom Meat Soup. Meat, on the other hand, was irrelevant, whether it was wolf meat or fish.

In fact, last month, Phila had even used rat meat a few times as a substitute, and they had all eaten it with gusto.

Penny didn't expect anything from her, nodding. "Okay, Mother, you've already worked hard. But it would be great if you could find some salt during your foraging. Of course, I'm just saying if."

Then, she turned her head to look at Li Wei.

"So, George, what about you?"

"I need to prioritize planting Winter Wheat this month. It might take a few days," Li Wei considered.

"Alright. After you finish planting the Winter Wheat, how about you take charge of felling Oak and splitting it into Firewood? My requirements aren't high; you just need to supply the Charcoal needed for the blast furnace each month."

Penny was quite fair this time, but this was precisely a manifestation of her ambition. She wanted to establish order within the family, rather than people messing things up, playing schemes, and gaining small benefits at the family's expense!

Although, she was an expert in that regard.

In short, she wanted to go straight!