6: While others are still starving, Mo Yan has already developed technology

Mo Yan scanned the message feed in the group, and a sales inquiry caught his attention.

"Selling an Icefield Topography Exploration Log, which records several small resource points and a marked dangerous area nearby. Only exchanging for 1000 wood, urgent, private message me!"

Exploration Log?

Mo Yan's gaze instantly sharpened.

Could this thing provide clues about Origin Stones?

1000 wood was merely a few hours of his automatic production, almost negligible.

He didn't hesitate at all and immediately used the group function to send a private message to the Lord with the ID Xie Yufeng.

"I'm interested in your Icefield Topography Exploration Log."

The other party replied instantly, his tone urgent: "Big shot, do you really want it? 1000 wood, and the log is yours. I urgently need wood to reinforce my defenses; I might not be able to withstand the next wave of monsters!"

"Okay."

Mo Yan's reply was concise.

"That's great! Big shot, how do we trade? I don't dare to go too far from my territory..."

Mo Yan pondered for a moment; offline transactions carried unknown risks.

"Tomorrow at noon, due south, there's the tallest isolated ice hill. We'll trade there."

He named a relatively open, easy-to-observe area with some buffer distance from his own territory.

"Come alone."

He didn't forget to add.

"Okay, no problem, big shot. See you tomorrow at noon, I'll definitely be on time!"

The other party quickly agreed, afraid Mo Yan would change his mind.

...

The morning in the icefield had no sun.

There was only eternal gray-white and the never-ending howling cold wind.

The strong wind carried snowflakes, hitting the walls of the Ice Crystal Cabin with crackling sounds.

Mo Yan woke up inside the Ice Crystal Cabin. It was warm inside, a stark contrast to the freezing world outside.

He stretched, moving his body.

The first thing he did was habitually open the Lord panel.

After a night of continuous Lv2 automatic production, the reserves of various resources had reached astonishing numbers.

wood had Broken through five thousand, stone was close to three thousand, iron ore also exceeded two thousand, and gold coins had accumulated to over four thousand.

Looking at these continuously growing numbers, the tension in Mo Yan's heart finally eased, and a sense of security arose.

This was the foundation of his strength and the confidence he had to conduct offline transactions.

He had to make thorough preparations before setting off.

He needed to use the resources he had to reinforce his territory well, laying a good foundation for his upcoming actions.

He opened the building list.

A building icon that was previously unbuildable due to insufficient Materials was now emitting an inviting glow.

【Technology Research Institute】

Type: Building

Requirements: wood x1000, Stone x400, iron ore x250, Gold Coin x600.

Construction Time: 30 minutes.

Introduction: Unlocks Lord Technology and development, Prosperity + 10

"Build!"

As the command was issued, the Warehouse resources decreased proportionally.

In the open space of the territory's central area, light gathered.

Soon, a small building with a mysterious metallic luster and unique shape rose from the ground, with faint energy streamers flashing across its surface.

【Prompt: Technology Research Institute construction complete, territory technology research and development function unlocked!】

Mo Yan's heart stirred, and he immediately opened the Research Institute's interface.

A light blue screen popped up.

At the top were several clear category tabs: Military, Development, Economy, System.

Under each tab, there were densely listed technology items.

Most of the items were dim gray, and the icons had a small lock symbol, clearly indicating an unlocked state.

Only a few of the most Elementary technology items were lit up and could be researched.

【Elementary Physical Training I】

Requirements: food x200, Gold Coin x100,

Research Time: 1 hour

Introduction: All Soldiers' stamina increases by 1%.

"Better than nothing, let's research it first."

Mo Yan casually clicked on Physical Training I, and the Research Institute began to hum.

He didn't stop, immediately moving on to construction.

【Weapon Workshop】

Type: Building

Requirements: wood x600, Stone x350, iron ore x200, Gold Coin x500.

Construction Time: 25 minutes.

Introduction: Produces, repairs, and strengthens different weapons, Prosperity + 10.

【Armor Workshop】

Type: Building

Requirements: wood x550, Stone x400, iron ore x180, Gold Coin x450.

Construction Time: 25 minutes.

Introduction: Produces, repairs, and strengthens different armors, Prosperity + 10.

"Build Weapon Workshop, Armor Workshop!"

These two buildings, with their rugged style, full of the aura of iron and fire, stood quietly on either side of the Research Institute.

However, after opening their interfaces, Mo Yan found that these two workshops could not operate yet.

【Prompt: Weapon Workshop requires at least one craftsman with forging skills to operate.】

【Prompt: Armor Workshop requires at least one craftsman with tailoring skills to operate.】

"Do I still need special professional talents?"

Mo Yan frowned.

He subconsciously scrolled through the building list, his gaze fixed on the Tavern icon.

【Tavern】

Type: Building

Requirements: food x2300, wood x1500, Stone x800, Gold Coin x5000, Origin Stone x10.

Introduction: Can refresh the recruitment page daily by consuming Gold Coins to recruit professional talents.

There was indeed a Tavern in the building list.

But seeing the high resource requirements, especially the glaring Gold Coin x5000 and Origin Stone x10.

Mo Yan could only reluctantly give up for now.

He was still short on gold coins, but more critically, Origin Stones; he hadn't even seen a shadow of them yet.

Whether it was the Butchering Platform or the Tavern, he couldn't bypass the hurdle of Origin Stones.

This made him look forward to the Icefield Topography Exploration Log even more for noon.

Mo Yan turned his gaze to the outer perimeter of his territory; the current defenses were not enough.

"Build a circle of Simple Wooden Walls around the core building area!"

He consumed a large amount of wood and stone.

Buzz—buzz—

The ground vibrated slightly, and sections of roughly processed logs and stones emerged from the Void Realm, quickly joining together.

Soon, a mixed wood-and-stone wall, about two meters high, slightly crude but sturdy enough, rose from the ground.

It initially enclosed the core building complex, including the Ice Crystal Cabin, Warehouse, Barracks, Research Institute, and workshops, instantly providing a full sense of security.

"Finally, build a Basic Arrow Tower on each side of the wooden wall's entrance!"

【Basic Arrow Tower】

Type: Building

Requirements: wood x300, Stone x200, iron ore x60, Gold Coin x50.

Construction Time: 20 minutes.

Introduction: An Arrow Tower constructed from sturdy wood and stone, with a basic automatic target acquisition device at its top.

Capable of locking onto and continuously firing arrows at hostile targets within a 100-meter range, providing ranged firepower support.

Prosperity + 3