It was ten days later by the time the demi-humans finished building all their dwellings.
The two simple log cabins built on the first day provided them with temporary shelter. Over the next four days, house frames began to rise across the meadow. By the seventh day, mud walls had been plastered onto every frame. After another two days of stripping tree bark to lay the roofs, the tenth day arrived, and the demi-humans began moving their belongings inside—which in reality was just a few bundles of hay spread on the ground for beds, along with one or two clay pots.
Having fled for so long, the tribe had finally solved their housing problem in the Forest of Death, and the magical plants in the garden provided them with a stable source of food.
At this moment, the demi-human village had truly taken root near the apartment.
The dozen or so small log cabins that had cropped up next to the apartment made the place look like a small village.
As for the two sisters, Luolin and Miya, they still lived in the apartment. In her spare time, Luolin would explain to the villagers the growth cycles and harvesting methods of the various magical plants in the garden.
While the demi-humans were building their houses, the vegetables continued to grow and ripen. At Luolin's suggestion, a warehouse for storing magical crops was built near the apartment.
Chen Mian carved a ring of runes on the inner walls of the warehouse and embedded a high-grade ice-attribute magic core he had dug out from his storage space in the center.
The moment the door closed, the temperature inside the warehouse plummeted to the point where moisture began to frost.
Luolin walked in wrapped in a coat, her breath instantly turning into white mist. It had clearly become a makeshift cold storage.
“The mana in the magic core is enough to last two or three years,” Chen Mian said, leaning against the doorframe. “I'll replace it when it runs out.”
Thanks to the regular harvesting and storing by Luolin, Melo, and the villagers, a large amount of magical vegetables was quickly accumulated in the warehouse.
On the twelfth day of the demi-humans' arrival.
Luolin stacked the latest harvest of golden tomatoes into the cold storage. She looked down and flipped through the wooden tablets she used for record-keeping, then hesitated before saying, “Mr. Chen Mian, the warehouse will run out of space before long.”
Even with the food consumption of nearly twenty people, the output of the rapidly growing magical crops still far exceeded their consumption.
Chen Mian looked at the neatly stacked wooden crates in the warehouse. “Looks like we need to find a place to sell them.”
However, the Forest of Death was isolated from the world. Over the past few days, he had been building a two-way teleportation array directly to Linyu Port. The reason it took so much time was that Chen Mian, considering the safety and privacy of the apartment after he left, had added an identification function to the magic circle. Only those whose life aura had been recorded could use the array to teleport.
For this, he had even consumed a void crystal core from his collection, along with a massive amount of mana.
If it were solely to sell the crops, this would definitely be a losing business.
But he didn't really care. Although such things were precious, he still had quite a few on him.
Building the teleportation array was highly necessary; otherwise, once he left, everyone would be trapped here, completely cut off from the outside world.
In addition, many lambs, as well as cotton and hemp, had been added to the apartment's Magic Ranch.
Although there were more things, Chen Mian didn't need to worry about managing the ranch.
He was gradually becoming a hands-off boss.
Before heading out, the issues of water supply and sewage disposal also had to be resolved. When they previously lived in the apartment heavily modified by the system, they didn't have to worry about these things. However, it was highly inconvenient for the demi-humans; fetching water required a round trip of nearly a kilometer at the very least.
As for sewage, in this otherworldly setting, relieving oneself directly in the street gutters was very common, but... as expected, he still needed to set up a simple water supply and drainage system.
Drawing upon his past knowledge, Chen Mian drafted a simple set of drainage blueprints.
Chen Mian stared at the engineering blueprint and fell silent for a moment.
He had lived on the Continent of Cecia for fifty years. During his most passionate days, he had slain demon generals, thrashed a bratty female demon king, raided dragon nests, and dismantled dungeons without missing a beat. But designing a drainage system like this was truly a first.
Yet, as a way to pass the time, it was surprisingly fun. After all, many years ago in another world, when he stayed up late modifying blueprints, he had wanted to physically fight his clients every other minute.
“What are you drawing?” Loviki leaned over, her black hair brushing against his shoulder as her beautiful eyes stared at the squiggly lines on the parchment. “A dungeon map?”
“Sewers.”
“Are you planning to take on another slime quest?” Loviki looked at him with a subtle expression.
“A drainage system designed for the houses.” Chen Mian spread the blueprint on the table and pointed to several key nodes. “We'll dig a reservoir here, run pipes from here to each log cabin, and discharge sewage and waste into a collection pool downstream.”
Loviki blinked, her expression turning peculiar. “So, you're studying how to unclog toilets?”
“It's a drainage system.”
“Is there a difference?”
Chen Mian didn't bother arguing with her. He picked up his quill and began marking the dimensions on the blueprint.
“Mr. Chen Mian knows how to do this too?” Flora rested her chin in her hands and leaned in curiously to look at the drawing.
“Yeah, I learned a bit of it in the past.”
In the afternoon, Chen Mian began construction.
First, he selected a high-ground location on the northern side of the village. Using his mana, he excavated a ten-meter-square underground reservoir. He then reinforced the walls with mana, sintering them until they took on a smooth, ceramic texture.
Next, he retrieved a roll of water pipes purchased from the System Shop and buried them underground along the planned route, extending them all the way to the side of each log cabin.
Now that Flora and Loviki's Sense of Belonging had both reached Level 3, combined with their Wishlist points, he steadily generated 500 Points daily even without doing any Interaction Quests. Unless he was funding major projects like upgrading the apartment, the Points were more than enough.
Under the influence of mana, a massive pit was instantly formed. The density of the pit's walls rapidly increased under earth magic, which was then baked by high-temperature fire magic to quickly form a glazed surface layer—more than sufficient to hold water.
Next was connecting the river to the reservoir using pipes.
The demi-humans gathered around to watch. Under his control, the water pipes burrowed into the ground on their own and emerged at the designated spots, with metal faucets attached to their ends. The entire process took less than an hour.
With the project complete, the reservoir quickly filled with water via the inlet pipe.
“From now on, just turn this when you need water.” Chen Mian turned the faucet outside one of the log cabins. A stream of clear water poured out, splashing onto the ground in tiny droplets.
Melo squatted next to the faucet and caught a handful of water, her eyes shining. “It really gives water with just a turn!”
“No need to ration it. Once the reservoir is full, the excess will automatically overflow back into the river,” Chen Mian said.
Sari stood by, looking at the brand-new faucets outside each house. He walked up to Chen Mian and bowed deeply. “Mr. Chen Mian, on behalf of everyone in the village, thank you.”
“No need,” Chen Mian waved his hand. “Just make sure to take good care of the garden and ranch from now on.”
“That goes without saying.” Sari stood up straight and thumped his chest hard.
The drainage system was slightly more troublesome.
Chen Mian buried a sewage pipe behind each log cabin, connecting them to the downstream area of the village, and dug a purification pool. The purification pool was divided into three compartments.
“Don't worry about the first compartment,” Chen Mian said, pointing to the three sections. “Plant some water-purifying moss in the second and third compartments. The water in the third compartment can be used to water the vegetables.”
Melo stood next to the purification pool, her expression highly serious.
“Also, the water-purifying moss needs to be replaced regularly. If it dies, it won't work anymore.”
“I'll take charge of that!” Melo raised her hand.
Chen Mian nodded, then demarcated an area at the edge of the village, using his mana to dig a simple waste disposal pit.
“Dump your garbage here and burn it regularly. For things that can't be destroyed, leave them in a designated spot, and I will handle them periodically.”
Listening to these unprecedented rules, not a single demi-human found them troublesome.
To them, these rules signified a stable, long-term home. Since Chen Mian had given them everything they had now, it was only right to abide by his rules.
Chen Mian spent another afternoon paving a stone pathway between the apartment and the village.
The stone slabs were hauled from the riverbank, cut into neat rectangles using mana, and embedded into the soil one by one, with the gaps filled with gravel.
Once paved, the entire vibe of the village transformed, making it look like a true settlement.
The sky gradually darkened.
Plumes of kitchen smoke rose from the village, carrying the warm scent of daily life.
Someone was stewing vegetables, while another was baking bread. The air was thick with the aroma of food and the scent of burning firewood.
Standing by the window of his room on the second floor of the apartment, Chen Mian looked out at the distant lights.
Having more people around didn't seem so bad after all.
Tomorrow, the teleportation array would be complete. Before heading to the dungeon, he should probably take Luolin, Melo, and Sari along to establish some sales channels for the magical crops, and look for a way to trade for ironware.
It was also necessary to buy some rice seedlings.
Once those matters were settled, it would be time to set off for the dungeon.
Although the system quests had no time limit, he was still interested in leveling up, unlocking subsequent functions, and finding the so-called ghost tenant.
He might as well bring Loviki along; conquering a dungeon was on her wishlist.
He would take Flora too, otherwise there would be no delicious food to eat.
Fifty years after transmigrating, coupled with the boosts from the system rewards, a situation where he couldn't even protect his own teammates would never happen again...
Rate on N.U.
