Work Points

The frenzy of victory was like a Colchis summer downpour, arriving with fierce intensity and vanishing just as quickly. When the crude banner symbolizing the New Covenant and Earthly Heaven fluttered above Ralte City, when the mountain of enemy corpses before the Southern Highlands began to exude the sickly sweet stench of decay, an unprecedented, heavy, complicated reality silently coiled around every survivor's ankles like a sandworm creeping through the depths of the desert.

For the Southern Settlement, taking Ralte was undoubtedly a glorious, historic victory. Its immediate gains were so abundant that even Zhou Beichen, who had initially only wanted to preserve his life and profit from scarcity, felt dazzled.

First came the explosive population growth. The refugees, craftsmen, and even some lower-class civilians in Ralte City and its surrounding dependent territories—people who had never held much loyalty toward the Covenant Church—began, after their initial panic and hesitation, to flow toward the name of Earthly Heaven like streams joining a river. Rough estimates showed that the newly added population was more than five times that of the Southern Settlement's original population. That meant more labor, more potential skilled workers, a broader market, and... deeper manpower reserves.

Better still, their resources and technology had leaped forward. As an important Covenant Church stronghold in the south, Ralte's accumulated wealth far surpassed anything the Southern Settlement possessed. Its warehouses were piled with metal ingots, rare minerals, bundles of leather, and cloth that had once required exhausting trade or dangerous expeditions to acquire. More importantly, there were fully established workshops: the blacksmiths had water-powered hammers capable of mass-producing standardized weapons; the pottery kilns were large enough to meet the needs of an entire city; there was even a small but fully equipped chemical laboratory dedicated to studying certain Covenant Church ritual implements. Such equipment and techniques were beyond anything Zhou Beichen could achieve through improvised imitation and small-scale handcrafting.

Their military forces also needed to be integrated. Besides the force Lorgar had brought back, built around the former propaganda department's core members and the uprising's civilians, there were surrendered soldiers gathered from the battlefield and Ralte City's original guards. Their morale might have been low and their beliefs confused, but most had received basic military training and possessed standardized equipment. They were a considerable armed force that urgently needed reorganization.

The gift of victory was enormous and sweet, but claiming it would not be easy.

The first problem lay with the settlement's original administrative team, which had been efficient but limited in scale. Almost overnight, Lavoisier and his assistants discovered that the volume of work they had to handle had exploded exponentially. Registering and resettling the population, counting and distributing old and new resources, taking over and restarting workshops, maintaining public order, even basic food rationing and disease prevention... countless matters, like invisible hands, clamped tightly around the administrative system's throat. Orders that had once been clear and direct became distorted and delayed as they passed through layer after layer of transmission and execution. Lavoisier's eye sockets had sunk deep. The radiance rekindled by his renewed faith was once again buried beneath exhaustion and anxiety. Like an old goat roasting over a fire, he desperately burned through what little energy he had left, trying to keep the suddenly expanded system from collapsing.

"Pastor Beichen, this can't go on!" During an emergency meeting late one night, Lavoisier's voice was hoarse with despair. "The paper needed just to record the new population and supplies has already filled three rooms! We don't even have enough hands for copying and verification, much less effective management and distribution! Chaos... chaos is growing!"

Zhou Beichen listened in silence, his fingers tapping unconsciously against the table. How could he not know? An extreme shortage of administrative resources meant inefficiency, unfair distribution, breeding grounds for corruption. It meant that the reputation and cohesion of Earthly Heaven, which he had worked so hard to build, might begin crumbling from within. That was far deadlier than threats involving open blades and guns from outside.

Yet administrative pressure was still an internal contradiction. A sharper conflict, one thick with the smell of gunpowder, soon erupted between the old and new residents.

The conflict centered on the local soldiers absorbed from the Larte Crusade Army.

To the Southern Settlement's original residents, these "former enemies," who had recently held weapons and shouted "purge the heretics" as they attacked their homes, had more or less stained their hands with the blood of their relatives and neighbors. Nearly every family had paid a price in that brutal Highlands defense battle, losing fathers, sons, and brothers. Such bone-deep hatred did not fade easily simply because the enemy had surrendered or because Lorgar had offered "Forgiveness."

"Why?!" A Faith Guard member who had lost an arm in the defensive battle roared at a former Ralte soldier responsible for distributing newly delivered grain from Ralte's stores. "Grain I defended with my blood and my life has to be shared with these bastards who wanted to chop us to pieces just days ago?! Do they deserve it?!"

"Exactly! The Son of God was merciful and gave them a way to live. They should be grateful, doing the dirtiest, hardest work to atone! But now they want to eat the same food as us?" Someone immediately echoed him, the hostility in his eyes nearly solidifying into blades.

The absorbed soldiers were equally aggrieved and resentful. Most of them had originally been forcibly conscripted farmers and craftsmen, with little loyalty to the Covenant Church's upper ranks. On the battlefield, they had been treated as cannon fodder. After the uprising, their homes changed hands, and they surrendered partly because circumstances forced them to, but also because they had been drawn to the vision painted by Earthly Heaven. When Lorgar announced that they would be given a chance for "atonement and integration," they had thrown themselves into the hardest and most dangerous postwar work with the relief of people who had survived a disaster—clearing battlefields and burying corpses, repairing fortifications and houses destroyed by war, hauling heavy supplies...

They did the filthiest and hardest work, ate the lowest-grade rations, and had to endure the Southern residents' cold stares, cutting remarks, and even the occasional shove or insult. A sense of injustice—We're risking our lives to work and atone, and you still want to trample us underfoot—rapidly accumulated among them.

"We're following the orders of the Son of God and Pastor Beichen too!" A former soldier, his face still bearing a cut from hauling supplies, could not help retorting. "We cleared Ralte's warehouses, repaired the roads, and buried the corpses... all those corpses! We didn't attack you on the battlefield, and now we're doing everything we can to become part of this place. What more do you want from us?!"

"What do we want? Blood for blood!" The one-armed Faith Guard member lunged forward with bloodshot eyes, only to be held back by the people around him.

Similar clashes played out endlessly in every corner of the settlement: at supply distribution points, construction sites, even in the newly built temporary residential areas. Between the old and new residents stood an invisible wall, cold enough to pierce the bone. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder. One spark could ignite an unpredictable internal bloodbath.

Zhou Beichen and Lorgar had their energy dragged in every direction by these endless conflicts, rushing about like firefighters.

Lorgar relied more on his growing prestige and personal charisma to soothe people. Whenever he appeared at a conflict site, he did not need to say much. A sweep of his calm yet powerful gaze was enough for the restless crowd to gradually quiet down. He expressed understanding and mourning for the grieving Southern residents, while also emphasizing Earthly Heaven's inclusiveness and the value of the former soldiers' work to those who felt wronged. His words were like warm spring water, temporarily easing the dryness and cracks in isolated places.

"Hatred blinds the eyes. It cannot build heaven," Lorgar said to Zhou Beichen, a trace of barely noticeable weariness in his violet eyes. "But Father's concerns are right. Understanding and comfort cannot eliminate conflicts of interest or the barriers within people's hearts. We need something... more fundamental."

Zhou Beichen sank into deeper thought. He clearly understood that personal charisma and temporary mediation could only address the symptoms, not the root cause. The bloated inefficiency of the administrative system, the lack of trust and competition for resources between old and new groups—at their core, they were all systemic problems. He needed a new order that could quantify loyalty, measure contribution, and allocate resources relatively fairly on that basis. He needed an incentive mechanism that could guide everyone's actions toward the shared goal of building Earthly Heaven.

He recalled a great man from his previous life who had, under extreme hardship, successfully united vast and complex forces and built an entirely new nation. In that magnificent stretch of history, there had been a system that played an immense role in uniting and motivating people during an era of scarce resources and complicated social backgrounds...

"Work points..." Zhou Beichen stood before the command post window, looking out at the settlement beyond, somewhat chaotic yet brimming with life, and murmured to himself. The words were like a bolt of lightning through the darkness, instantly illuminating his muddled thoughts.

That's it! A work-point system!

Quantify loyalty and contribution through cold, objective numbers!

No longer rely on vague "trust" or controversial "backgrounds," but use actual actions and results to earn the right to survive and prosper within this new system!

His mind began racing. The scattered knowledge he had learned in his previous life about work-point systems collided with his current circumstances, merging and evolving into something improved.

Several days later, a general assembly jointly chaired by Zhou Beichen and Lorgar was convened in the newly cleaned and repaired Ralte Lord's Hall. All settlement administrators and several resident representatives attended.

The atmosphere in the hall was solemn. Old and new faces gathered together, and the divide between them was impossible to miss.

Zhou Beichen did not beat around the bush. He directly pointed out their central difficulties: low administrative efficiency and escalating internal conflict. Then he unveiled the solution he had been preparing.

"Everyone, the foundations of Earthly Heaven are fairness, order, and hope. But now our management cannot keep pace with our development, our distribution has bred resentment, and cracks have appeared within us." Zhou Beichen's voice was clear and calm as it echoed through the hall. "To resolve these problems and allow our cause to truly grow stronger, I hereby announce that, effective today, the 'work-point system' will be implemented on a trial basis in every region controlled by Earthly Heaven!"

He explained the entirely new system in detail:

First, a Contribution Assessment Committee would be established, with Lavoisier in overall charge. Its members would include representatives from administration, technology, the military, and the residents to ensure relative fairness in assessments.

Second, all work would be divided into different levels and assigned base work points according to the skills required, the hardship involved, the danger level, and the degree of contribution to building Earthly Heaven. For example, participating in dangerous military operations, completing difficult technical breakthroughs, or undertaking extremely arduous physical labor would earn high work points. Daily farming, basic handicrafts, administrative paperwork, and similar tasks would earn moderate points. Those who loafed or violated discipline would not only receive no points but would also have points deducted.

Third, work points would be directly linked to all living supplies, promotion opportunities, educational placements, and even future housing allocation. Whether one was an original resident of the Southern Settlement, a newly joined resident of Ralte, or an absorbed former soldier, everyone would be treated equally. If someone wanted better food, more comfortable conditions, and a brighter future, the only standard would be how many work points they had contributed to Earthly Heaven.

Fourth, additional "loyalty contribution points" would be established. Those who actively maintained settlement stability, reported acts of sabotage, made reasonable suggestions that were adopted, or displayed exceptional loyalty at critical moments could receive bonus work points. This connected the difficult-to-quantify quality of loyalty with tangible benefits.

"In other words," Zhou Beichen said, sweeping his sharp gaze over the crowd, "from this day forward, in this new world, a person's value will not be measured by their past, their background, or even entirely by their current ability. It will be measured by how much they are willing to give to Earthly Heaven, and how much they have actually given! Everyone can earn their own place and dignity through their hands and their loyalty!"

The hall fell silent. Everyone was digesting this unprecedented, cold, rational system.

Lavoisier's clouded eyes grew brighter and brighter. He was the first to understand the system's immense value in resolving the current administrative chaos and unfair distribution. It reduced complicated management problems to the recording, calculation, and exchange of work points, greatly improving efficiency while reducing room for human manipulation and disputes.

Hope appeared on the faces of the wronged former soldier representatives. If distribution truly followed work points, then the value of the dirtiest and hardest labor they performed would be recognized, and they would have a fair chance to compete with the original residents. They could use work points to wash away their past "sins" and earn standing in the future.

Some Southern resident representatives still felt uneasy about "enemies" receiving equal opportunities through work points, but they could not refute the system's relative fairness. After all, they themselves could also earn more work points through hard work and maintain their advantage. More importantly, the system explicitly rewarded "loyalty," which somewhat soothed their resentment over the deaths and injuries suffered by their loved ones.

Lorgar watched Zhou Beichen silently, complex emotions flickering in his violet eyes. He understood and supported the necessity of this system in solving practical problems. It could twist everyone's strength into a single rope. Yet deep within, the part of him that pursued sacred order and pure faith instinctively recoiled from turning everything into something with a clearly marked price. It seemed to differ subtly from his ideal nation, one founded on belief and devotion.

But he did not speak in opposition. He knew that in the desert of reality, one sometimes had to lay down a cold, solid foundation before building the ideal temple.

"Father's wisdom has once again shown us the way." Lorgar finally spoke, his voice steady and powerful, setting the tone for the meeting. "Let numbers bear witness to devotion, and let work points measure value. Perhaps this is the method that can best unite our strength at present, and the most... fair one."

The Outline for Trial Implementation of the Work-Point System was quickly printed and distributed. The new Contribution Assessment Committee immediately began its work, drafting detailed work-point standards for every type of labor. A relatively independent system for recording and calculating work points was established to ensure its fairness.

The tide of change began washing through every corner of Earthly Heaven. Arguments and conflicts did not disappear at once, but they were brought within the framework of the new rules to be resolved. People began focusing more on what they could do and how many work points they could earn, rather than obsessing over one another's pasts.

Zhou Beichen stood on the observation platform of the governing hall, watching the settlement and city below gradually recover order and begin operating according to the new rules. The work-point system was like an invisible rein, beginning to harness this wild horse that had grown so suddenly and become somewhat uncontrollable.

He knew this was far from perfect, and new problems and loopholes would inevitably emerge in the future. But at least he had found a tool that, during this early period of limited resources and absent trust, could maintain order, encourage production, and promote integration.