12: Upgrade to Advanced Divine Kingdom

Shen Xiaochuan tightly gripped the black stone, his knuckles turning white from the force. He stood there, his gaze slowly sweeping across the crowd.

"Pour the soup into the bucket."

He said, "Leave the bowls."

No one responded. Several children silently put down their bowls, while the adults lowered their heads in silence. An old grandmother held her grandson, gently patting his back.

Shen Xiaochuan turned and walked into the kitchen, saying to the cook in a deep voice: "Brew another pot! Use new water and a new pot!"

"Lord God... can the previous soup still be drunk?"

"No."

He walked out the door and raised his voice: "Everyone listen up, tonight's soup is cancelled. Tomorrow night, I will send out a new bowl."

People below whispered among themselves.

"Didn't we agree on one bowl per person?"

"The Lord God wouldn't lie."

"But what about the person who just fainted?"

Shen Xiaochuan raised his hand, and the crowd immediately quieted down.

"He had this on him."

He held up the black stone. "This thing is related to the Altar. The soup we brewed is clean, but I cannot take any risks."

He paused: "Tomorrow, I will personally supervise the soup brewing. Anyone is welcome to watch."

After saying that, he put away the black stone and turned to leave.

The next evening, the area in front of the stove was already crowded. Shen Xiaochuan stood by the pot and personally sprinkled the salt. Chen Yan stood guard nearby with twenty warriors.

"You may begin distributing it," Shen Xiaochuan said.

The lid was lifted, steam rose, and the aroma wafted far and wide.

The queue formed a long line. As each person received their bowl, Shen Xiaochuan would nod in acknowledgement. Children crouched by the roadside, drinking mouthful after mouthful.

A small child walked up to him, his bowl already empty.

"Lord God, can I become a warrior?"

Shen Xiaochuan smiled: "We'll talk about that when you grow up."

"Then I'm going to drink ten bowls of soup!" the child shouted loudly.

The people around burst into laughter, and Shen Xiaochuan laughed out loud as well.

Afterward, he walked to the center of the plaza and struck the bronze bell. As the echoes of the three rings faded, everyone's eyes turned toward him.

"We have survived."

He said, "Yesterday there were demon wolves, today there is the black stone. But we are still here."

"The miners have returned, the night watch hasn't closed their eyes, and the cooking stoves have remained warm. You are all persisting."

His voice grew stronger: "I don't just want to keep you fed. I want to build a city—it will tower into the clouds, its lights will illuminate the horizon; the houses will be uniform, the roads flat and wide; children will be able to go to school, and the elderly can bask in the sun."

"I call it—Skydome City."

The crowd was silent. A few seconds later, someone softly repeated: "Skydome City?"

Shen Xiaochuan raised his hand, and a basket of White Flour Buns suddenly appeared in his palm. He waved his hand, and the buns flew toward the crowd.

Some people caught them, while others looked up in wonder. One bun landed on the ground and rolled twice.

The entire field was silent for a moment.

Then, with a collective rustle, everyone knelt on the ground.

"True God!"

"The Lord God bestows food!"

Shen Xiaochuan looked at his hands, filled with emotion. This was the first time he had taken a physical object out of the Faith Mall.

The incense value climbed rapidly.

At 9:17 PM, a prompt popped up from the System:

[Cumulative incense value have reached 218. Would you like to upgrade to an Advanced Divine Kingdom?]

Shen Xiaochuan clicked confirm.

[Upgrading, please do not interrupt]

[Estimated time: six hours]

[combat power will decrease by 10% during this period]

"Chen Yan!" Shen Xiaochuan shouted.

"Present!" Chen Yan immediately ran over.

"Implement martial law across the territory; you are in charge of deployment. Focus on defending the mining area and the eastern valley. If anyone approaches the direction of the Altar, intercept them without exception!"

"Understood!" Chen Yan responded crisply.

"Chen Yan!" Shen Xiaochuan called out again.

"Present!"

"Notify all captains that there will be double-post rotations tonight. Without my order, no one is allowed to attack on their own initiative!"

"Yes!" Chen Yan answered loudly.

Shen Xiaochuan walked toward the core of the Divine Temple. There was a stone chair there that he had ordered to be placed. He sat down and closed his eyes.

His consciousness spread like a tide, covering the entire Divine Kingdom.

He knew the positions of the patrol teams, could see Lolia sitting at a table in the Blacksmith Shop, and could hear the bleating of lambs in the sheepfold.

Time passed quietly.

In the third hour, movement appeared in the western border. A Scouting Spirit discovered two wanderers approaching the boundary.

Chen Yan took men to question them, and after confirming they were harmless, settled them in an empty house in the East District.

In the fourth hour, the miners changed shifts. New people entered the mine, holding lamps designed by Lolia.

In the fifth hour, a clanging sound came from the Blacksmith Shop. Old Li led the Artisans in tuning the machinery, preparing to start work the next day.

Shen Xiaochuan opened his eyes, touched the bronze gear on his cuff, and then closed his eyes again.

As soon as the sixth hour arrived, the System prompted again:

[Advanced Divine Kingdom upgrade complete]

[Unlocked Super Faith Mall]

[Existing faith points successfully retained]

Shen Xiaochuan stood up and walked out of the Divine Temple.

Outside, the sky was not yet bright. There were still lights in the camp, but it was quieter than usual.

He was about to look for Chen Yan when he suddenly heard a sound from the Blacksmith Shop.

Walking closer, he saw Lolia standing at the door, holding a bowl of soup, her eyes slightly red.

"Lord God."

She said softly, "I heard... you didn't let everyone drink the soup last night."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded.

"You also brewed another pot and personally supervised the distribution," she said.

"It's what I should do," Shen Xiaochuan replied.

"That's not what I wanted to say."

Lolia's voice trembled slightly, "I fainted at the mine and held back the team. I thought... you wouldn't want me anymore."

"You are the Technical Officer; you are vital."

Shen Xiaochuan said seriously, "You repaired the Mining Machine, doubling the mineral output. Your contribution outweighs that of many warriors."

Lolia lowered her head, a teardrop falling into the dust.

She knelt on one knee.

"I, Lolia, swear by my Artisan's heart to follow Shen Xiaochuan for the rest of my life!"

She looked up at him, her gaze firm, "I will forge the strongest weapons and build the sturdiest city!"

No one spoke. Inside the Blacksmith Shop, several Artisans walked out one after another and stood behind her.

One person raised an iron hammer and smashed it heavily onto the anvil.

Clang!

Another person swung their hammer down.

Clang! Clang!

A dozen iron hammers struck in unison, the sound waves making the very air tremble.

Shen Xiaochuan looked at them, said nothing, but gave a solemn nod.

After returning to the Divine Temple, he opened the Faith Mall.

The interface was already different. New options appeared:

[Super Technology]

[Heroic Spirit Reinforcement]

[Divine Domain Buildings]

[Strategic Supplies].

He scrolled down and saw a prompt:

[Limited Time Event: Upon entering the Super Mall for the first time, you can claim a basic resource pack for free]

He clicked to claim it.

[Obtained: Elementary Food Production Module × 1 (Can produce 500 standard rations daily)]

Shen Xiaochuan immediately deployed it on the east side of the camp.

System prompt: [Module activated, first production will be completed in eight hours]

He breathed a long sigh of relief.

At this time, Chen Yan arrived.

"The registration for those two wanderers in the East District is complete."

Shen Xiaochuan said, "One knows how to farm, and the other understands woodworking."

"Arrange it," Chen Yan said.

"Have them report to the agricultural district tomorrow."

Shen Xiaochuan added, "Also, notify the logistics group that starting tomorrow, meat soup will be distributed every three days, with priority given to the mining team and the night watch."

"And one more thing."

Chen Yan paused, "The warriors received extra wind wolf meat last night and were very happy. Everyone is saying... following you gives them hope."

Shen Xiaochuan stood at the entrance of the Divine Temple, looking at the distant lights.

The lights in the Blacksmith Shop were still on. Lolia had not returned; she was drawing blueprints under the lamp.

"Find another open space."

Shen Xiaochuan said, "I want to draw the first planning map for Skydome City."

Chen Yan was about to leave.

"Wait, bring the Record Board. I want to record today's events."

Chen Yan handed over a wooden board and a charcoal pencil.

Shen Xiaochuan took the pen and wrote:

Divine Kingdom Era, Year One, Day Three. Today, we promoted to an Advanced Divine Kingdom, built a food production module, and established the construction plan for Skydome City.

Lolia swore her loyalty, and the loyalty of the entire territory has increased. Tomorrow, work officially begins!

He put down the pen.

A rooster crowed in the distance. Dawn was coming.

Inside the Blacksmith Shop, Lolia stood up and pressed a new blueprint under a stone. She looked at the morning light gradually outlining the horizon and whispered softly:

"I will make sure your city never loses a single brick."