Industrial Zone

At the Clan Meeting.

Chen Zhi was drenched in sweat. He discovered that compared to the Old Clan Leader, who paid no heed to mundane affairs, the Young Clan Leader Chen Daoxuan exerted an even greater pressure on him.

At the very least, when the Old Clan Leader managed family affairs, he did not question every matter so thoroughly.

Questions such as the population structure of ordinary mortals and the allocation of fertile clan fields were things Chen Xianhe never concerned himself with.

In Chen Xianhe's eyes, the most important goal of the Chen Clan of Twin Lakes Island was to nurture a Spirit Vein that belonged to the Chen Family itself.

Only then

could the Chen Family freely devote itself to training its younger descendants and expanding the family's cultivator ranks.

Otherwise, even if they discovered younger descendants with spirit roots, the Chen Family would have no way to set them upon the path of cultivation.

The family currently possessed only a single Spirit Eye, which simply could not support any more cultivators in their training.

The Chen Family had over three thousand clansmen. Based on the probability of spirit roots appearing among mortals, roughly one out of every hundred mortals possessed a spirit root.

In other words, the Chen Clan currently had at least thirty cultivation seeds with spirit roots hidden among them.

Yet for lack of spiritual energy, they could not be set upon the path of cultivation.

Even if they were forcibly placed on that path, their final outcome could only be to betray the family and become Rogue Cultivators.

After a long while.

Chen Daoxuan spoke, "Three matters."

He raised three fingers. "First, have the County Yamen immediately investigate the family's detailed population structure. I want to know the number of children under ten, the number of able-bodied adults between ten and forty, the number of middle-aged and elderly people between forty and sixty, and the elderly population above sixty.

"Also, thoroughly investigate how many fertile couples there are in the family and how many unmarried male clansmen there are."

At those words, Chen Zhi nodded like a pounding garlic pestle.

"Second. Who is responsible for public construction in Changping County?"

"Reporting to the Young Clan Leader, this subordinate is the Director of Works responsible for civil construction in Changping County."

Behind Chen Zhi, an elderly man nearing sixty stepped out with trembling legs and replied nervously.

"Very good. Take this down. Starting today, investigate Twin Lakes Island's land area, as well as the approximate distribution of freshwater resources and mineral resources. Draw up a detailed map and submit it."

"This subordinate obeys!"

After the old man withdrew.

"As for the third matter..."

Chen Daoxuan glanced at the Director of Works, who was preparing to retreat. "It is still your task!"

The old man's body, which had just shrunk back, instantly froze. He then stepped out from the ranks again and bowed as he waited for instructions.

"How many craftsmen does the family have in total now?"

"Reporting to the Young Clan Leader, the family currently has 271 craftsmen of various kinds: 184 construction craftsmen, 26 carpenters, 41 blacksmiths, and 20 other craftsmen."

When it came to the clan's craftsmen, the elderly Director of Works recited the figures as if counting treasures in his own home.

Hearing that there were 184 construction craftsmen, Chen Daoxuan's expression finally improved somewhat.

"Very good. This third matter is that the family will build an Industrial Zone."

Chen Daoxuan had first conceived the idea of the Twin Lakes Island Industrial Zone five years ago.

It was simply that the Spirit-Melding Furnace had not yet been developed by him at the time.

Moreover, the primary source of power in this world was cultivators. Chen Daoxuan could not possibly abandon the root to chase the branches and have the Chen Clan industrialize step by step, starting with steam engines.

Besides, even if he could establish the industrial achievements of his previous life, who knew how many centuries it would take?

By then, Chen Daoxuan, who had thrown himself heart and soul into it, would have long since turned cold. How could he still have the energy and time to cultivate?

He had not forgotten what was most fundamental to him.

Besides inheriting the aspirations of the Chen Clan's forebears, another important reason Chen Daoxuan sought to develop and strengthen the family was to provide the resources necessary for his cultivation.

As everyone knew.

The further cultivators progressed in cultivation, the more enormous the resources they consumed became.

Wealth, companions, methods, land.

Summed up in one word: resources.

"Industrial Zone?"

The old Director of Works was stunned. It was another term he had never heard before.

Chen Daoxuan had no way to explain what an Industrial Zone was to him, so he merely told him the land-use requirements for one.

As someone who had transmigrated, Chen Daoxuan understood clearly.

Establishing an Industrial Zone was no simple matter.

It required every sort of condition to be ripe before it could be achieved.

First of all, an Industrial Zone needed a leading industry to drive the other upstream and downstream industries within it, forming a complete industrial chain.

Chen Daoxuan could fulfill this condition.

The Artifact Factory that was soon to be built would be precisely such a leading industry.

In addition to a leading industry, establishing an Industrial Zone also required policy support.

For Chen Daoxuan, who held absolute authority, this condition was no problem either.

As for industrial land, a complete social service system, workshop construction, and the rest, these were likewise no great problems for the Chen Clan, which could concentrate all its strength.

The only problem now was this.

The Chen Family had no qualified industrial workers!

Although the Artifact Factory soon to be built would merely be a tiny workshop, no bigger than a sparrow,

Chen Daoxuan estimated that at least twelve to fifteen skilled Spirit-Melding Furnace operators would be needed to work with him in order to produce Magic Artifacts at maximum efficiency.

Thinking of this,

Chen Daoxuan waved his hand. "Chen Yuancao and Chen Liangyu will remain. Everyone else may withdraw for now."

The crowd glanced at Chen Daoxuan, then exchanged looks before saying, "Young Clan Leader, this subordinate takes his leave."

After everyone departed,

only Chen Daoxuan, Chen Liangyu, and the unnamed old Director of Works remained in the Council Hall of the Ancestral Hall.

Chen Daoxuan glanced through the County Yamen officials' roster and found the old Director of Works' name: Chen Beiwang.

As the Mine Overseer of the Red Copper Mine, Chen Liangyu was the person in the entire family most familiar with Chen Daoxuan.

This was not only because Chen Daoxuan had been responsible for inspecting the Red Copper Mine's output every year, but also because Chen Daoxuan often ran short of Red Copper Mine ore while refining artifacts and went to the mine to mooch a little.

Over time, the two had grown relatively familiar.

Of course, that familiarity was only what Chen Liangyu believed.

In Chen Daoxuan's heart, this Mine Overseer was not much different from any other Chen clansman.

It was only that, with the Red Copper Mine having undergone rapacious extraction during this period, the Red Copper Vein had been completely exhausted.

Chen Liangyu, the Mine Overseer of the Red Copper Mine, had also lost his former standing.

Although he still stood shoulder to shoulder with Chen Zhi, the County Magistrate, at the Clan Meeting,

Chen Liangyu knew in his heart that after losing the status of Mine Overseer of the Red Copper Mine, he could no longer be mentioned in the same breath as Chen Zhi.

Chen Daoxuan had no mind to care about Chen Liangyu's thoughts. Instead, he turned his gaze to Chen Beiwang.

"Chen Yuancao, did you understand the Industrial Zone site selection I just described?"

"This subordinate understood."

Chen Beiwang, whose temples were streaked with gray, nodded repeatedly.

"Besides the Industrial Zone site selection, there is also the construction of the workshop buildings."

As he spoke, Chen Daoxuan took out a stack of blueprints from his Storage Bag.

These were the Workshop Structural Blueprints he had painstakingly drawn over five years.

As an old craftsman, although Chen Beiwang found the design blueprints novel, he quickly understood the workshop buildings depicted on them.

He immediately nodded. "If the workshop buildings are constructed in this style, our craftsmen will certainly have no problem."

Hearing this assurance, Chen Daoxuan's mood brightened.

"How long will you need to finish this workshop building at the soonest?"

"Six months will suffice."

Chen Daoxuan frowned at those words. "Why does it take so long?"

"Young Clan Leader, according to the material requirements on these blueprints, constructing the workshop building will require high-quality Blue Stone Material. But the family has few stonemasons, and polishing the blue stone may be somewhat slow."

By the end, Chen Beiwang's voice had grown softer and softer.