"I don't know...this is also the first time I've heard of it."
"Maybe to celebrate the war wave."
"possible."
The village of the Frostspear clan.
In the patriarch's house.
The men sat cross-legged in front of the clan leader, talking to each other about the upcoming celebration, and discussing whether to imitate those in blue coats and put up red stickers and notes in the village.
It is said that doing this can bring prosperity and good luck.
Although I don’t know the principle behind it, since it is the experience of the blue coats, there is probably some basis for it.
After all, they are all so smart.
The clan leader, Frost Spear, did not speak, but was seriously considering the clansmen's suggestions in his heart.
Celebrations are the most important event in the tribe. A lively celebration is often the beginning of prosperity. His eldest son Shuang Lu found a good match at the New Year's Day celebration. His second son Shuang Shi just came of age this year.
It’s time to start a family.
Half a year ago, they moved here to avoid the war in the north, and they lost too many young and middle-aged people. Now is the time to recuperate and recuperate.
but……
It costs a lot of money to hold a celebration.
Unlike the Iron Ax tribe who ran textile factories, his neighbors arrived early and coincided with the restoration of trade routes. They made a lot of money from the textile business and every household in the village built brick houses.
On the other hand, most of the houses here are made of brick and wood.
Frost Spear also wants to lead his tribe to prosperity, but it is useless to just think about it, he must take action.
After pondering for a moment, he spoke.
"We will discuss the celebration later, but now there is something more important waiting for us to make a decision."
The people surrounding the clan leader fell silent, waiting for him to speak.
Frostlance paused and continued.
"A few days ago, the manager summoned me to discuss that he planned to allocate about 1,000 acres of wasteland north of the brick factory to us."
"I'm going to open a ranch."
This is also what the managers mean.
Hunting is no longer enough to fully meet the residents' demand for meat, especially eggs and milk, both of which are difficult to obtain by hunting.
The residents of those shelters have an amazing obsession with food.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this persistence that they were able to clear out the large wasteland on the north shore of Linghu Lake in such a short period of time before spring plowing.
Hearing the clan leader's words, many people had surprised expressions on their faces.
A thousand acres of land!
It’s equivalent to one kilometer long and six to seven hundred meters wide!
Although it is uncultivated wasteland, this land is close to Linghu Lake and has sufficient water sources. Not only that, it is also protected by long-term farms and shelters, so there is no need to worry about intrusion by large alien species and predators.
This kind of pie-in-the-sky good thing sounds like a dream to them.
"Praise to the manager!"
"Is he really going to give us that land?"
"Are there any other conditions? If it's a matter of betraying my family, I won't agree!"
This surprise was so sudden that no one could believe it.
Frostspear understood their surprise.
Because he was the same in the beginning.
"There are no conditions. If the land is leased to us, the rent will be exempted for two years. After two years, as long as we can ensure that the ranch can produce an average of 100 cows per month, the land rent for the current year will be exempted. If the monthly slaughter can reach 200, he will also
Promised to allocate us a larger pasture."
In managers’ parlance, this is called “agricultural subsidies.”
However, in exchange, the agricultural products they produce cannot be sold to outside traders. They can keep up to 20% of the products for collective village consumption or retail to nearby local markets. The remaining 80% are all sold at the purchase price set by the warehouse.
After the long-term farm is approved, the purchase will be unified.
There are no restrictions on what breed of cattle to raise, after all, no one can say what you can buy.
However, Shuangmai heard from his daughter Shuanghe that there are many cattle farmers in Jinchuan Province in the south, not only the two-headed cattle that bring goods, but also beef cattle that sell quickly and dairy cows with high milk production.
It just so happened that the outpost seemed to be planning to set up a trade union recently, and he planned to hire a caravan to try his luck there.
In addition to cattle, other livestock such as pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks, and geese also have similar subsidy policies.
The older man pondered for a while and said.
"But we can't afford cattle..."
"The generous manager is willing to lend us five hundred thousand silver coins to purchase livestock and feed."
"Half a million?!"
The elder was immediately shocked and looked at the patriarch in disbelief, "Master Manager, he... is really willing to lend us so much?!"
Even if you sell them, you won’t be able to raise 500,000 yuan!
Everyone was whispering, with expressions of disbelief on their faces.
Frost Spear nodded seriously and said.
"I believe that the manager is not looking for fun with me. He is a very serious person. I asked my daughter who works at the trading post that you can buy a cow from merchants for about 4,000 silver coins. If you bring some here
Specialties can be bought directly from the south. I heard they can be cheaper, and five rifles can be exchanged for one from the farmers there."
Five rifles cost only 1,000 silver coins even if purchased at the retail price. I heard that you can get a 10% discount on bulk purchases from the factory.
After looking around at everyone, Frost Spear stated his plan seriously.
"Each of our families will contribute some manpower to build this pasture first. I will try to contact the farms in the south to see if I can exchange weapons for one or two hundred cows from them. If conditions permit, we can build another one.
Raise some sheep and pigs."
"With cattle and sheep, our lives will be much better next year!"
After hearing the patriarch's words, everyone's faces showed expressions of excitement and yearning.
They have obtained a stable residence and can exchange labor for food from the local lords. But if possible, they would also like to become as wealthy as the next village and live in houses made entirely of bricks.
However, while everyone is optimistic, some also express concerns.
"Half a million silver coins is too much...if it's not enough, I'm worried that the managers will be angry with us."
"Yes...even if the manager doesn't punish us, I'm afraid they will expel us from here."
A young man working hard for a month can only earn three to four hundred silver coins, and working without food or water for a year can only earn about 5,000 silver coins.
Tens of thousands of silver coins.
For them, it is already an astronomical sum of money.
Presumably, for the administrator, hundreds of thousands of silver coins must be a considerable amount of money.
Seeing the worry on the faces of the tribesmen, Frost Spear smiled and said.
"I have also worried about the things you are worried about. The manager specifically asked me not to put too much psychological burden on ourselves, just let go and do our best. If it is not enough, Jiujiu Farm will transfer the pasture and
The debt takes over and he won't blame us."
certainly.
No one wants to actually get to that point.
Frostspear knew very well that if he really went to the stage of filing for bankruptcy, even if the benevolent administrator would not blame him, he would be completely disappointed with the incompetence of him and his people.
This money is not a small amount of money.
If there is a similar opportunity again, they will definitely not be able to share it.
Frost Spear has already made up his mind in his heart and must get this matter done.
After hearing the manager's promise that they would not be held accountable, the elderly man finally relaxed his brows.
He said nothing more and just sighed sincerely.
"...Thank you for your kindness, sir."
For a dying old man, it doesn't matter whether he has money or not. Watching his children grow up and comfort him is the greatest blessing.
Looking at those energetic and hopeful faces, the old man really couldn't bear to let them live a wandering life again.
It was such a hard life.
Young people are not interested in the matters discussed by their elders, and they rarely discuss most matters in the village with them.
In contrast, they are highly curious and are most interested in celebrations, work, new things, and topics between men and women.
In the wooden house next door.
Shuang Ye and Shuang Xue were dragging their sister back from Changjiu Farm, listening to her talk about what happened at work with great interest.
The work at the trading post is very busy, working six days a week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with only a one-hour lunch break in between.
It costs 2 silver coins to take the shuttle bus back to the outpost. In order to save money, she usually lives in the staff dormitory of the trading post and only takes the bus back on Saturday nights.
Every time she came back, she and her two sisters had endless things to say, especially when she was looked at by those two pairs of shining eyes, she instantly felt that all the fatigue in her body was healed.
After listening to her sister talking about the interesting things and interesting people she met at the trading post, Shuang Ye, who was dragging his chin with his hands, suddenly spoke.
"When are you going to take your brother-in-law home?"
Shuanghe smiled and touched her little head.
"You have to be talented."
Shuangxue, who was sitting aside, asked curiously.
"Wouldn't you meet a lot of people there?"
Shuanghe made a helpless expression.
"Those are all merchants and mercenaries...it's impossible to find them."
Shuangxue seemed to understand and nodded.
"Oh, forget it then."
A businessman.
That's not a good family.
Although they have not come into contact with many businessmen, they still have some impressions of this profession, although they are not good impressions.
Walking in the desolate wasteland, there are few kind-hearted and kind people. Hongshang is worried about being robbed by the poor and crazy refugees, so he usually does not do business with them. The refugees are also afraid of Hongshang and his guards, and rarely take the initiative
Get closer to the past.
These people may have some money in their pockets, but few people envy them. Not only are these people rude, they seldom bathe, and they simply don't stay in one place for long.
Not to mention mercenaries.
Maybe there are good people.
But there are not many good people.
In Shuanghe's opinion, the person who can be her husband must at least have a stable job nearby.
Of course, it would be better if he was a handsome and handsome shelter resident.
It's a pity that those people's words are really difficult to understand.
Shuang Ye sighed softly and muttered something in a low voice.
"That's great...I want to go to work too."
The eldest brother Shuangluo and the second brother Shuangshi work in the Hunter Guild and can earn more than 300 silver coins a month. They can occasionally bring some prey allocated by the union back to the village.
Their brave sister Shuanghe went to work at the trading post. Although the basic salary was not high, she was responsible for two meals a day, and I heard that there was a commission on the items sold.
Shuangye also wanted to go to work, but she was not old enough.
Although according to tribal practice, adults are considered adults at the age of 14, the shelter forced them to raise the adult standard by two years and required all men and women under 16 to receive at least 6 hours of language and arithmetic literacy education every day.
Shuang Ye didn't quite understand why there was such a strange rule. In short, according to her father, she was an adult last year and became a child again this year.
"Speaking of which, it seems that a new trade union has been established in the outpost recently, and they are recruiting people now." Seeing the envious expressions on his sisters' faces, Shuanghe's heart moved slightly, and he suddenly remembered this matter.
Shuangxue immediately asked curiously.
"do you have any requests?"
Shuanghe pursed her lips and thought seriously.
"Field staff are required to be on duty for 6 months every year and are required to have rich experience in wilderness survival. Those who have already started a family will be given priority. Internal staff are mainly clerks and tellers, and they need about 20 people. The basic requirements are literacy and arithmetic.
Bonus points are youth, good facial features, good image, patience, gentleness and generousness..."
"Young and with good facial features, good-looking and patient...and gentle and generous," Nuonuo, the youngest Shuang Ye, muttered, suddenly her eyes lit up, and she looked at the second sister sitting beside her, up and down.
Look at.
Shuangxue's cheeks turned slightly red when her sister looked at her.
"What do you see me doing?"
"I also think snow is the most suitable!"
Immediately understanding what the little sister meant, Shuanghe put his arms around Shuangxue's shoulders and encouraged him with a smile.
"Give it a try. How will you know if it works if you don't give it a try? And I heard that the Merchant Guild is an organization that the manager is directly responsible for, and it is at the same level as the Hunter Guild!"
"Excellent performance will definitely be reused!"
If she hadn't been working at the trading post for a while and didn't want to change jobs frequently, she would have wanted to give it a try!
Shuangxue's cheeks felt a little hot.
She thought again of the embarrassing incident at the last New Year's Day party.
At that time, under the instigation of people, she also took the initiative, mustered up the courage to step forward, and invited the manager to dance with her.
Dear manager, he is really a kind-hearted person and approachable. He is so gentle even when he refuses an appointment.
Even so, she was still depressed for a while...
"Oh! The manager will take responsibility!" Shuangye, who only listened to half of what was said, looked at the second sister Shuangxue in her sister's arms with shining eyes, and said encouragingly, "Sister, go quickly, come on!
"
Shuangxue couldn't care less about her image, and rushed forward with a red face to pinch her sister's creaks.
"You kid...what are you talking about?"
Shuang Ye was made to giggle.
The commotion continued until evening, when the eldest brother and the second brother came back with a wild boar on their shoulders, and the three of them went over with their sister-in-law to help handle the prey.
In the evening, Shuangxue thought for a long time, and finally plucked up the courage to go to the recruitment point on North Street before eight o'clock to fill out the registration form.
Probably because her handwriting was good and her temperament was not that barbaric compared to other nomads and refugees, her name appeared on the recruitment list the next day.
There were ten people in the first batch of announced lists, all of whom were internal staff, and she was assigned to the front desk.
The daily salary is 13 silver coins, which is slightly higher than that of the Hunter Guild. The working hours are the same as those of the bank, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The address of the Hong Merchants Guild is located at the outpost, near the north entrance. It is a three-story building that has been repaired before, and the sign has not been put up yet.
With excitement and anxiety, Shuangxue came to the Hongshang Trade Union for induction training under the instructions of the staff at the recruitment point.
However……
When she arrived, she didn't see the manager.
Except for the other nine colleagues who came from Beit Street, Changchun Farm or the next village, there was only one old man here who looked like he couldn't walk very smoothly.
Looking around at the faces full of energy and excitement, old Charlie, with his hands behind his back, pondered for a while and coughed lightly.
After everyone calmed down, he said in a calm voice.
"From today on, you are employees of the Hong Merchants Union."
"What you have to do is very simple, that is to open up sales for our factories and open up invisible territories wherever we can see."
"I know you may not understand what I say, but don't worry, I will explain to you the specific things to be done soon."
"Now I need you to remember to always smile at work, always stay optimistic in the face of difficulties, complete everything seriously, and ensure that every chapter you write is worthy of your conscience."
"Your performance will be recorded in the file through the VM on your arm. Those who work conscientiously and are excellent and reliable will be promoted soon. But if you accept bribes, practice favoritism or play tricks, we will soon see him in the labor camp.
.”
"This is a task handed down personally by the manager. I hope you can understand the weight of this sentence."
…
The Hongshang Guild plays a very important role in Chu Guang's layout of the B-round test, even more important than the Hunter Guild.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have left it to old Charlie.
The new mayor of Beit Street is voted by the town's own people and selected from candidates nominated by the street office. Those who can be nominated are all people with management experience. A mature model has been formed there. Who is elected?
The problems are not big.
Old Charlie cultivated many management talents during his tenure.
Perhaps because he had guessed that one day he would be transferred, he even arranged for a teacher to take his place in the literacy class.
At present, with the continuous efforts of players and indigenous people, the industrial zone of the outpost has evolved from a single industry chain model of "centered on the No. 81 Steel Plant and driving the development of many small weapon workshops" to a "multiple industrial chain model".
A new model of pillar industries driving the comprehensive development of small and medium-sized factories.
Industrial areas continue to expand northward.
With the continuous input of external resources and the high enthusiasm of players for production, the population in the northern suburbs alone is no longer enough to digest all the products of the industrial zone.
Although foreign traders can take away some of the goods, they cannot always wait for them to come to the door. The caravans in the shelter must also hold a flag and take a few steps out.
There are many survivor settlements in the wasteland.
Many small settlements like Beit Street can't even produce bullets. They still use bows and arrows, steel forks, iron pipe rifles and even front-loading muskets.
Some larger survivor settlements, due to insufficient inheritance of pre-war inheritance, may be ridiculously strong in some areas, but in some areas they have degenerated to pre-industrial revolution or even primitive society.
Using androids to plow fields, cloning human beings as slaves, trebuchets to launch micro nuclear warheads, using black boxes as miracles... there are too many similar things.
The products produced by Shelter 404 may not be the most advanced, but they are definitely the most cost-effective. When bringing goods outside, you can also export a little bit of conscience from the northern suburbs and take advantage of mankind's common yearning for a better life.
at dusk.
Chu Guang, who returned from Changjiu Farm and inspected the base, happened to see old Charlie who had just completed induction training for the employees when he passed by the entrance of the Hong Merchants Union.
"How's it going?"
"I have selected all available people between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five who have received literacy education. I estimate that I can recruit thirty or forty people." As he spoke, old Charlie sighed softly and complained softly.
He said, "We were established too late, and all the talents were picked up by other places."
Chu Guang: "Thank you for your hard work!"
Old Charlie shook his head.
"Hard work is not to be mentioned. Being able to do something meaningful in the last few moments of my life is an unexpected surprise for me, a fallen wastelander. Although I don't have high hopes,
…Maybe you’re different from us and everyone else.”
After a pause, the old man continued in a joking tone.
"Everyone is very disappointed that they didn't see you. I feel that many people came here because of you. Do you really want to show your face?"
Chu Guang said helplessly.
"It doesn't look like I'm very free. I've been busy since morning, and I only have a little time after dark."
Most people can just worry about the work in hand.
But as the manager of Vault 404, he has to take care of the affairs of two worlds at the same time, constantly switching between planning and NPC identities, trying to accommodate the different demands of two completely different groups as much as possible.
It's like being a father and a mother at the same time.
Thanks to the twenty points of intelligence, the players he personally selected made him worry-free, otherwise Chu Guang doubted that he would really be able to do this job.
He was so busy that he didn't even have time to collect materials.
"understand."
Old Charlie nodded slightly and continued, "But with all due respect, you may need to consider the future path more than the details of how to take each step."
This sentence was so cryptic that Chu Guang was not sure whether what he understood was the same as what he wanted to express.
"for example?"
"You led your people to defeat barbarism, and then defeated the wave that was considered invincible. In your opinion, this may be just a trivial thing, or something that comes naturally, but I can see the turmoil in people's hearts.
You created miracles with them."
Old Charlie said softly.
"From the market of Long-lasting Farm to the alleys of Beit Street, people are talking about your achievements, talking to everyone about the manager, and feeling extremely lucky, proud and proud to live under your protection.
.”
This flattery caught him off guard, and even someone with a face thicker than the door of the shelter couldn't help but cough lightly.
"Thank you for the compliment."
"You may think I'm flattering you, but I'm serious about this."
Old Charlie paused and continued with a serious expression.
"Your residents are very proud, but also very distressed. They don't know what to call themselves... The people in Boulder mock them as hillbillies in the northern suburbs, rats scurrying in the ruins. They know they are not, but they don't want to
What do you mean if you come out?"
"Some people live on Beit Street, some live in the outpost, and some live in the industrial area, or in the village at the west entrance of Longji Farm... They have never been to a shelter, and of course they cannot be counted as shelter 404.
residents.”
"When facing a common crisis, people will naturally unite together, but they must have a name to continue to unite."
Chu Guang said thoughtfully.
"I probably understand what you mean."
In fact, he has been thinking about this matter for a long time.
The new version is not only a new version for the players, but also a new page for the survivors in the northern suburbs.
Old Charlie nodded.
"Whether you plan to be the emperor of the empire or the chief of the alliance, it is best to think of a name or title for yourself."
"People need a name to unite with and a legitimate identity. No matter what it is, it is better than nothing."