Chapter 251: No Wonder, No Wonder!
“Understood! I will carry out your orders!”
Seeing that Storm didn’t ask unnecessary questions, nor did he display any curiosity, but simply followed instructions, Yu Luo felt slightly relieved.
For the rest of the day, most of the time was spent transporting supplies. Meanwhile, Yu Luo led Storm and Zhang Hu to inspect the breach in the city wall.
This breach connected to the direction of the Lan Yue Kingdom, specifically toward Jiuzhong Mountain. The very place where Storm and his men had arrived was one of the breaches.
The breach was long, stretching across rolling hills, partially hidden by the terrain. But there were still several miles that needed to be fully restored, something that could not be completed overnight.
“This… this is a city wall?!”
“I’m establishing a base here; it’s as simple as that. From now on, this land belongs to us. That stone mountain is also enclosed within this territory. Your task is to separate the stone house occupied by Lan Yue Kingdom’s guards, connect the two breaches, and construct a gate that cannot be easily breached.”
Looking at the massive stones piled up at the breach, Storm could hardly imagine where these precisely chiseled stones had been transported from.
There might be similar stones in the wilderness, but extracting them and shaping them into uniform blocks would require an unimaginable amount of manpower and resources.
Yet, despite such large-scale efforts, why had no kingdom taken notice? Was it truly possible that they allowed someone to claim this land for themselves?
And to think that the person claiming this territory was just a young girl—it made the whole situation even more astonishing for Storm.
“Miss… constructing a city wall and fortifying an impenetrable gate is no small project. Even with these stones, we still need bricks, lime, and sticky rice mortar. Manpower is not an issue, but if we have the necessary materials, I guarantee that the work can be completed within a month.”
A month?
Hearing Storm’s confident promise, Yu Luo silently repeated it to herself.
If nothing disrupted their progress within a month, and if Feng City remained unaware of their actions, then everything would proceed smoothly. But what if Feng City or other kingdoms discovered them?
“How many men are you counting on for that one-month timeframe? I still need a large number of workers to cultivate farmland, plant crops, and raise livestock. This city must be self-sufficient for those who live here in the future.”
Upon hearing this, Storm was once again shocked.
“Miss, you have such grand ambitions? But do you realize that this place is only two hundred miles from Feng City? If everything is built as you intend and Feng City takes over, you won’t just be doing all this for their benefit—you might lose your life in the process.”
Storm’s words made Yu Luo look him in the eye more seriously.
Of course, she was aware of this.
She still didn’t fully understand why the system was pushing her in this direction. However, since all the necessary conditions had aligned—time, location, and manpower—she had no choice but to go all in.
If the worst happened and they couldn’t hold the city, all her efforts would be wasted. But taking her life? That would be more difficult. At worst, her family could retreat to her mother’s hidden clinic and lay low for a while.
As for the people living in this land, they could always submit to Feng City. After all, a city this vast, along with the farmlands she had cultivated, would require many people to maintain it.
Yu Luo turned to Storm, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
“I know. Just do your part. Tomorrow, start constructing the lime kiln. I’ve found a fuel source to replace wood, so we’ll be able to fire bricks as well. Within half a month, construction should be in full swing. Meanwhile, the remaining workers need to focus on opening farmland. I expect the first batch of rice seedlings to be planted by the end of May, and within a month, all vegetables and grains must be sown.”
Seeing the determination in Yu Luo’s eyes, and hearing that she had even found a fuel source, Storm’s gaze flickered with surprise.
This woman truly was a mystery.
Ever since her arrival, the so-called barren wilderness had been transformed. The land, which had long suffered drought, suddenly experienced torrential rain for over ten consecutive days, completely altering its geography.
And now, even in this resource-scarce wasteland, she had found a new source of fuel.
Returning to the mansion, after a quick meal, Yu Luo and Yu Haojie gathered Zhang Hu, Luo Yi, and Storm to plan the future development of the wilderness.
Aside from the hundred or so people who had originally been exiled with them, Yu Haojie divided the nearly seventeen thousand men brought by Storm into multiple groups, each assigned to specific tasks.
One group continued reclaiming farmland in the Stone Mountain area, where roughly 3,000 acres of rice paddies and 5,000 acres of dry land could be cultivated.
Meanwhile, the northern region of the city, with its relatively flat terrain, could yield over 10,000 acres of rice fields and countless acres of dry farmland.
In fact, this area was even easier to cultivate compared to Stone Mountain.
Not only was the terrain flat, but after being nourished by ten days of rain, the soil had become softer, with fewer rocks.
Some parts of the land could be directly planted with corn, vegetables, and various melons after simple digging. Only the rice paddies required proper irrigation and drainage planning, making their preparation slightly more complex.
Thus, Yu Haojie allocated 5,000 workers to immediately begin planting.
Crops such as sweet potatoes and corn, which were essential for winter survival, were prioritized. Out of the 5,000, 3,000 focused on planting staple crops and vegetables, while the remaining 2,000 worked on preparing additional fields.
Meanwhile, Yu Luo purchased a massive amount of grass seeds, which Storm’s men—those skilled in light-footwork techniques—scattered across the lands within a hundred-mile radius of the city.
Stone Mountain’s soil was more suitable for brick-making. So, another 3,000 men were assigned to excavate clay in preparation for the first batch of coal extractions, which would then be used for firing bricks and lime.
Xiao Yi led a team to mine for coal, tirelessly digging every day.
And when Storm and his men first witnessed coal being unearthed from the ground, they were completely dumbfounded.
“So, the fuel Miss was talking about… is the coal hidden underground? No wonder… No wonder!”
Storm murmured to himself in astonishment, unable to contain his excitement.
“Storm, looks like we haven’t escaped our fate of digging in the mines after all,” Chen Yu joked, his face full of amusement. “Judging by this land, there’s probably plenty more to be found! But discovering such a resource in the wilderness is a rare stroke of luck. This means we won’t have to suffer through freezing winters anymore.”
Wang Xiao nodded in agreement. “That’s right. It seems Miss knew about this coal deposit all along. That must be why she’s so confident in building a city here in the wilderness.”
