The Lair (Seeking Collection and Recommendations)

Finally leveling up, Zhao Fu felt a surge of joy. After returning to Great Qin Village with his men, he handed the iron armor stripped from the Tiger Village bandits and Deng Li over to Wang Dawu, instructing him to carry out simple repairs.

The Blacksmith Shop and Tailor Shop were currently severely understaffed. The various weapons recovered from the Great Rift that had been handed over earlier were still awaiting repair, and now, with the addition of the iron armor, Zhao Fu had no choice but to assign more manpower to assist them.

Afterward, Zhao Fu re-established Tiger Village on the west side of Great Qin Village and dispatched a few people to manage it. He then headed to the Great Qin Village administrative hall to check the attributes of the intermediate village.

Village Name: Great Qin Village (Legendary)

Level: Intermediate (24/30,000)

Village Area: 5 square kilometers

Village Territory: 250 square kilometers

Residents: 465/6,000 | Soldiers: 216/2,400

Public Order: 80

Special Attributes: Territory crop yield +40%, territory crop growth time -40%, population and troop capacity +20%, resident attributes +2 (random), soldier attributes +2%, population attraction rate +30%, high-potential resident attraction rate +30%.

Affiliated Villages Allowed: 8

Affiliated Villages Owned: Rogge Village, Jie'en Village, Duolun Village, Li Family Village, Dire Wolf Village, Tiger Village.

In terms of attributes, most had increased by 10%. It was an expected improvement, so Zhao Fu wasn't particularly surprised. However, the number of affiliated villages did catch him off guard; he suddenly had eight slots available.

Yet, population remained the biggest bottleneck. There were only 465 people currently, while Great Qin Village's capacity had reached 6,000. Aside from Great Qin Village, the other villages hadn't reached saturation either—especially Dire Wolf Village and Tiger Village, where, after Zhao Fu transferred the previous residents to Great Qin Village, the combined population of both was less than 20.

The Li Family Village had reached saturation previously, but since Zhao Fu had brought two-thirds of them to Great Qin Village, it was also suffering from a population deficit.

This made Zhao Fu sigh, but one cannot get fat from a single mouthful. Village development relied on the accumulation of time to slowly grow strong. At the very least, with all villages combined and the Great Qin Village attribute bonuses, they could generate over 40 new residents a day.

As for the bottom of the Great Rift, Zhao Fu did not intend to continue exploring just yet. Instead, he planned to organize two special teams specifically for that purpose.

First, Zhao Fu intended to form a mage unit. Because magic-type skills were rare, they could become a very powerful means of attack. Therefore, he planned to take men to hunt magical beasts. He also wanted to help tame some large wild animals, such as oxen, pigs, and horses. Zhao Fu had yet to form a cavalry unit due to the lack of horses.

As the most mobile troop type in the age of cold weapons, cavalry was indispensable. Once he had horses, he wouldn't need to run everywhere on foot.

After spending some coins to acquire the Taming skill without performing a Class Transfer, Zhao Fu once again set out with Bai Qi, Old Rogge, 10 spearmen, 10 swordsmen, and 10 archers. Liu Mei insisted on coming along, and after a moment's thought, Zhao Fu agreed.

Great Qin Village was currently located on the outermost edge of the Terror Forest. As they moved deeper into the forest, the number of magical beasts should increase, so Zhao Fu led his group toward the west.

Along the way, the trees grew taller and taller, their canopies seemingly piercing the clouds. The light in the surroundings was somewhat dim, and the trees took on strange shapes. Occasionally, a few wild rabbits would dart past, startling the group and creating some noise.

Ignoring this, Zhao Fu led his men forward. Before long, they discovered a sow leading eight piglets out to forage.

Wild boars were creatures that lived alone once they reached adulthood, making them difficult to catch. Unlike other herd animals, which could be captured in large numbers, it would be better if they could find a den.

The function of a den was similar to a village refreshing its population; it would also refresh the same type of wild beasts. However, dens were not like villages; they were rare and always guarded by beasts, ranging from a few hundred to tens of thousands.

They were already quite far from Great Qin Village, and it was impossible to turn back for just one sow and a few piglets, so Zhao Fu let them go.

Continuing forward!

At this moment, Zhao Fu stopped in his tracks. Beside a small stream, he spotted over a dozen Green Oxen. Their hides were a pale green, and their two horns possessed a metallic luster.

If he could capture these Green Oxen, he wouldn't need people to spend time and effort plowing fields or transporting iron ore. Zhao Fu immediately turned his attention to the herd.

However, these large beasts were not easy to catch. If Zhao Fu led his men to charge, and the Green Oxen went berserk and charged back, Zhao Fu would have to avoid their brunt; his ten shield-bearers definitely couldn't withstand the impact of a dozen Green Oxen.

He couldn't use archers to attack either. The Green Oxen might take a few arrows, but if the arrows didn't hit their vitals, they would run. How could a person outrun a provoked ox? Furthermore, if the herd was startled and scattered, it would be even harder to manage.

Perhaps he could have the archers shoot the oxen in the legs to injure them so they couldn't run, but that might leave them crippled. The thought of a dozen crippled oxen plowing fields and transporting ore didn't seem right.

Using traps was the best method. Zhao Fu turned and explained his plan to Bai Qi and the others. They nodded in agreement and began setting traps to the north of the herd.

Zhao Fu, Bai Qi, and Liu Mei divided into three teams, each leading a group of men. As for Old Rogge, because of his age and the fact that he was a Goblin who couldn't run fast, he was left behind to control the field, using Fireballs to ensure the herd was driven into the traps.

The operation began. Zhao Fu, Bai Qi, and Liu Mei approached the herd from the southeast, west, and south respectively. As they drew closer, the Green Oxen sensed danger, stopped grazing, and raised their heads to observe their surroundings.

At this point, the three groups charged out. They didn't attack, but instead shouted loudly or struck their shields with their swords, creating a harsh, piercing sound to display their strength. This prevented the oxen from attacking and instead made them feel fearful, causing them to choose flight.

As the three teams charged out, Liu Mei was undoubtedly the most excited, laughing as she brandished her whip and rushed forward. Startled by the three groups, the herd had no choice but to flee toward the north.

The three teams converged and gave chase. If any ox veered off the path toward the traps, Zhao Fu would order his men to use their bows to shoot and nudge them back into line.

Soon, the Green Oxen charged into the traps. The next moment, ropes were looped around their legs.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The Green Oxen were tripped one by one, hitting the ground with dull thuds and kicking up clouds of dust. They quickly scrambled to their feet, trying to continue their escape, but they couldn't break free from the ropes around their legs.

The ropes were nearly as thick as two fingers pressed together and were tied to trees a meter thick, so no matter how hard the oxen struggled, they couldn't break free.

Once they were exhausted, Zhao Fu and his group stepped forward and began using the Taming skill. They easily successfully tamed all 16 Green Oxen.