145: Chapter 145 Summoning Resource Island, Lower City Unlocked!

Looking at the supplies offered by his vassals, Xu Xuan was quite satisfied.

The clever vassals had not only brought meat and livestock but also delivered crates of eggs and fruits.

Some vassals even brought various vegetable seeds, potatoes, and the like before Xu Xuan.

Looking at this group of people, Xu Xuan knew his Floating Island truly needed these vassals to farm, mine, and provide resources for him.

If he were to truly drain these vassals dry, there would be no one left to provide him with so many supplies in the future.

We people of Great Xia all know an idiom: draining the pond to catch all the fish.

To keep these vassals providing him with supplies, he had to arm them and improve their combat capabilities.

Thinking of this, Xu Xuan snapped his fingers.

"Consume 2,000 low-level spirit mines, generate two Resource Islands!"

[Starting to generate Resource Islands, randomly extracting two pieces of land from a world rich in Spiritual Qi and sending them to your location.]

[Note: The minerals that appear on the Resource Islands are random; they include gold, iron, spirit mines, and other minerals. In the worst-case scenario, you are guaranteed to mine at least 1,000 units of low-level spirit mines.]

The Resource Islands were like a lottery. Xu Xuan needed to spend a large amount of manpower to mine them, and what could be mined was random, but he would definitely not lose out.

Watching Xu Xuan summon two massive Floating Islands out of thin air, the vassals kneeling before him were clearly stunned.

Xu Xuan then rewarded a few who had performed well in front of everyone.

"Yamamoto Chizuru, Tokugawa Mio, Tokugawa Yoshiko, as well as Lee Yoo-jin and Jung Jae-soo, these two Resource Islands are gifted to you. Whatever you mine belongs to you."

"For those who perform well, I will also provide rewards."

When these five people heard that Xu Xuan had gifted them the two Resource Islands, they immediately knelt on the ground, expressing their gratitude.

Jung Jae-soo, in particular, was overjoyed.

He sneered inwardly, wondering if those who looked down on him knew better now.

Being a dog for the Sect Master truly could earn one rewards!

Seeing these few receive rewards, the other vassals cast envious glances.

They felt a bit annoyed, wondering why they hadn't been more proactive in trying to make a good impression on the Sect Master.

It was a pity...

Regret was useless now. Jung Jae-soo, Lee Yoo-jin, Yamamoto Chizuru, Mio, her mother, and the others divided the two Resource Islands among themselves.

As for the remaining supplies, they were naturally accepted by Xu Xuan.

On the Floating Island, Su Daji covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. Watching the people below, she couldn't help but sigh.

"My King, you truly have excellent methods. You took all their spirit mines, only to take a portion from them to reward a few, and look how moved they are."

Grand Preceptor Wen stroked his beard, a smile on his face.

"This is the art of a monarch. One cannot just be tyrannical; one must also practice the way of the king."

Blind tyranny will only exploit those below to death.

What Xu Xuan wanted was not to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs; he wanted a flock of docile sheep that could continuously provide him with resources for him to shear.

Moreover, these sheep needed to have the ability to protect themselves at critical moments, so he also had to train a few sheepdogs from among them.

To make Jung Jae-soo, who liked to show off, act as a sheepdog, he had to give them a little sweetness.

You couldn't be like some black-hearted bosses who wanted the horse to run without feeding it grass, treating employees like mere beasts of burden.

Xu Xuan distributed a portion of the gathered supplies to these sheepdogs working for him.

When they received the rewards, they were moved to tears.

The other lords also realized that only by pleasing Xu Xuan could they gain benefits, so they would surely find ways to offer even better things in the future.

Isn't that a virtuous cycle right there?

Jung Jae-soo, Chizuru, Mio, and the others began calling the people from their own territories to start mining on the Resource Islands.

At this moment, the loyal Jung Jae-soo wore a fawning expression: "Sect Master, if I mine spirit mines, should I turn them over to you?"

"No need. I gave you the resources so you could use them to upgrade."

Upon receiving Xu Xuan's reply, the five of them were all overjoyed.

They could also upgrade to the early stage of Spiritual Qi Recovery, at least having the ability to protect themselves in future wars.

Takeshita Asuka and the others nearby were already full of regret.

Takeshita Asuka even wanted to slap himself; why did he have to open his mouth to ask?

If he hadn't said that, Xu Xuan might have rewarded him too.

Now it was too late; Takeshita Asuka could only watch as others received resources while he could only stare helplessly.

Watching the different reactions of the people before him, Xu Xuan knew that his carrot-and-stick policy had been very successful.

Since the resources were in hand, it was time to start upgrading the Floating Island.

He opened the virtual screen, which only he could see.

He opened [Floating Island Construction].

Xu Xuan clicked [Unlock Lower District, consume 1,000 low-level spirit mines!].

In an instant, 1,000 spirit mines flew into the air, transforming into a long dragon that coiled beneath the Floating Island.

As the transformation began, this energy excavated a portion of the stone beneath the Floating Island, carving out a dozen levels of basements under the island.

[Lower District construction complete! It can currently accommodate up to 300,000 people.]

[Lower District unlocks brand new functions.]

[Underground Shelter: Free.]

[Spiritual Qi Cellar, 10 units of low-level spirit mines, can store 100,000 units of food. (Food can be stored inside, extending the shelf life significantly to over 1 year.)]

[Lower District Transport Lift: Large mechanical lift, consumes iron ore and wood. It can hold up to 1,000 people at once, facilitating the transport of supplies and population.]

[Floating Island Engine: 100 low-level spirit stones per engine, can provide power for the Floating Island to move forward and ascend, increasing movement speed and raising the Floating Island's altitude.]

[Divine General Island: Allows Divine Generals to station on the island, triggering their unique abilities. Construction cost: 1,000 mid-level spirit mines.]

Looking at the various new things unlocked, Xu Xuan realized he had to hurry up and mine.

"Chi You, gather manpower immediately. I want to summon 4 Resource Islands. We need to hurry and get the resources up within these 7 days."

7 days.

These 7 days should be calm, with no foreign invasions for the time being.

Therefore, Xu Xuan planned to seize this seven-day window of peace to quickly arm his Floating Island.

By the way, he would also arm his underlings; if his underlings could become stronger, he should give them a hand.

After all, investing in them was for the sake of bringing him returns in the future.

The vassals were like the chickens he kept, chickens that laid golden eggs.

While construction was in full swing on Xu Xuan's side, a figure appeared on a distant mountain.

Miyamoto Takeshi stood more than ten kilometers away, watching Xu Xuan's Floating Island.

A trace of worry flashed in his eyes: "Lord Ghost Emperor, Xu Xuan is currently strengthening his power."