TPWBI Chapter 120

Another harvest season had arrived. Yang Yi’s table was filled with all kinds of fruits.

The fruit trees he had planted in previous years were now all bearing fruit. Whenever the harvest season came, the entire orchard would be covered with a colorful abundance of ripening fruits.

Nowadays, there is no shortage of fruit throughout the year, but no season could compare to the harvest season in terms of variety. There were so many that they couldn’t possibly eat them all. Quite a few had to be made into dried fruit.

“This year’s grapes grew really well. The wine we brew should definitely taste better than last year’s.”

Yang Yi picked up a grape and popped it into his mouth. His eyes immediately curved into slits.

Sweet! So sweet!

Last year, there had been too much rain, which caused the grapes to lack sweetness. The wine brewed from them hadn’t tasted nearly as good.

This year’s weather has been excellent. The fruits were clearly much more flavorful.

“When the Harvest Festival comes in a couple of days, let’s go pick more grapes to make wine. We can brew a larger batch this year. The meteorology department predicted that next year’s weather probably won’t be as good as this year’s.”

Weather was one of the most important factors affecting agriculture, so the Spark Tribe had established a meteorology department made up of people with natural talent for reading the weather.

Not only did they provide daily forecasts, but they also predicted long-term climate trends.

Their accuracy was remarkably high enough to make even Earth’s modern technology envious.

“It’s not going to be another rainy season, is it?” Yang Yi frowned. Last year, there had been far too much rain, which had severely affected the crop yields.

If they had relied solely on nature’s mercy, last year’s harvest wouldn’t have been enough to meet everyone’s basic needs.

“At the moment, it’s still impossible to make a precise prediction. I’ve already given instructions for every city to take precautions against both flooding and drought.”

“The drainage channels in the city also need to be cleared out. We can’t let it get flooded again.”

When Yi City was first built, they had no experience and were in quite a rush, so many of its facilities were far from perfect. As the population grew, the problems became increasingly obvious.

For example, the drainage system was rather weak. A large portion of the city didn’t have underground water channels, only a network of crisscrossing ditches.

Normally, they could handle everyday drainage. But last year’s rainfall had simply been too heavy. Torrential rains came often and lasted a long time, putting tremendous pressure on the city’s drainage system.

At its worst, the low-lying areas were flooded up to people’s calves, even knees.

“After the previous round of repairs, it should now be able to handle last year’s rainfall. But to be safe, I’ve already instructed the municipal department to conduct another inspection, and to prepare for the demolition and reconstruction of those mud houses.”

Currently, most of the Spark Tribe members in Yi City live in adobe-tile houses. But the old mud-and-thatch huts from the early days were still kept, mainly to accommodate merchants and travelers from afar.

Not all tribes or merchant caravans were willing to stay in the more comfortable houses. Many preferred their own tents or chose to rent those simple mud huts.

However, last year’s heavy rain had caused many of those already fragile houses to start collapsing, making them unsafe.

“Let’s rebuild them but still keep the thatched style.”

Though these houses might sound crude, they were actually considered quite good in this world, especially when newly built, they could still shield from both wind and rain.

Even on Earth, some primitive tribes still lived in such houses. Many of those were even more rudimentary.

So, for many of the merchants who came here, being able to stay in such houses was already quite a good thing.

Quite a few tribes even learned how to build them. The Spark Tribe generously shared their construction methods.

Keeping a portion of these houses was also a way to meet different people’s needs.

Now, as more and more tribes and travelers came and went between the Spark Tribe, Yang Yi and Hei Lie had even built a road connecting the area of the Black Forest to the Spark Tribe, making it more convenient for everyone to pass through.

Beyond the Black Forest, the main paths leading to other places had also been gradually trodden into proper roads. The area was no longer as desolate as before, and the number of wild beasts nearby had decreased greatly.

That, too, was thanks to the Spark Tribe. Though they hadn’t directly built those roads, Hei Lie had led the hunters to clear the way as they went.

It not only provided more food for the tribe and trained their combat skills, but also ensured the safety of those traveling back and forth.

Because of this, more and more people were willing to come here for trade. It also made it easier for the Spark Tribe’s caravans to venture out and do business elsewhere.

Hei Lie nodded. “We’ll just re-plan the layout. Everything else stays the same.”

“The older houses also need reinforcement, including our temple. I’m afraid it needs repairs, too.”

Last year’s heavy rains had revealed many hidden issues. Buildings that had looked sturdy on the surface had begun to crack.

Back then, they had lacked experience. Yang Yi wasn’t trained in architecture, and everyone was new to construction. Although their work had seemed decent at the time, now, eight years later, many of those problems had begun to surface.

The temple, once grand and solid, now showed signs of decay in many places and no longer gleamed with its former splendor.

Especially when compared with the newly built cities, the contrast was stark.

Yi City, once awe-inspiring in its grandeur, now carried the air of an old city, one that had fallen behind the times.

Over the years, everyone’s skills had improved at an astonishing pace. Their construction techniques had become increasingly advanced. Buildings were not only sturdier but also full of distinctive styles and character.

Yi City, on the other hand, had been built with efficiency as the top priority back then, leaving little room to consider aesthetics.

At the time, it hadn’t seemed like a problem. But once compared to the newer cities, the difference was painfully obvious.

The appearance wasn’t the main issue. Yi City still had its own kind of beauty. But whether it was strong enough had become a serious concern.

Hei Lie looked around the room. Though it was still beautiful and tidy, full of memories and sentiment, he had to admit that it no longer met their current needs.

“It’s time to build another new city.”

Yang Yi was taken aback. “You can’t be serious! The last new city was just started not long ago. This pace is way too fast!”

At present, the Spark Tribe has five cities across the Eastern Continent: Yi City, Rong City, Yang City, Lie City, and Port City.

Yi City served as the capital, the political, cultural, and economic center. The schools and the best hospitals were located there, major tribal meetings were held there, and it remained the main hub for trade and commerce.

Including visiting merchants, the population could reach a peak of around 130,000 to 140,000, making it the most populous city of them all.

Rong City, thanks to its geographical location, mainly handled agricultural production and processing. It also served as a temporary settlement for new members who had just joined the tribe.

Once they passed the evaluation and officially became part of the Spark Tribe, they would be reassigned and relocated accordingly. At present, Rong City has around 80,000 people.

Yang City had been built upon the site of the old workshops, so it mainly focused on light industry and manufacturing. Almost all large-scale production facilities had been relocated there. It now had a population of over 30,000.

Lie City was the most concealed and heavily guarded among them. Outsiders were not allowed to enter.

It served as both the armory and the production center for various metal tools and agricultural implements. Its level of secrecy was extremely high. It also functioned as an important military training ground.

If the trained warriors were included, the total could reach up to forty thousand people.

Next was the newly established Port City, the city closest to the waters of the Wasteland.

After years of hard work from everyone, they had finally built sturdy ships capable of carrying heavy loads and sailing across the waters.

At the beginning of the year before last, Han Bing began sailing with the large ships and discovered that the waterways could lead to many different places, making it far easier to reach various tribes compared to traveling by land.

Traveling overland was always rough and bumpy. Without horses or other means of transport, the amount of goods that could be carried was extremely limited.

Even with carts, since the roads weren’t properly built, it was difficult to haul much. Moreover, fragile goods like porcelain were easily broken.

This was also why items such as porcelain became many times more expensive once they reached other places.

No matter how carefully they were packed or handled, damage was almost inevitable.

However, if they took the water route, the journey would be much smoother. Although there were many fierce fish in the water, as long as the ships were sturdy enough, most of them wouldn’t actively attack.

Overall, the water conditions were quite good. Small boats tended to have problems, but large ships were much safer.

Not only that. When Han Bing made a full circuit, he discovered that it was actually possible to sail all the way to the Western Continent!

And this route was shorter. Under smooth conditions, the voyage would only take a month, nearly cutting travel time by half compared to the overland route.

However, the point of contact wasn’t one of the major cities of the Western Continent. It still belonged to the wild and untamed regions. It was extremely dangerous and rather remote.

Morri, who was in the process of searching for a new site to build his own city, learned of this and immediately began discussing it with Lan Jian and the other members of his think tank. In the end, after much deliberation, they finalized their decision to establish the new city right there.

Morri had now carved out a place for himself on the Western Continent. Although his actions seemed somewhat unconventional and defiant, he had already gained recognition from the royal court.

However, his way of doing things was still rather unique. As a newly risen noble, he inevitably faced exclusion and opposition.

At present, he had been granted the right to acquire more fiefs. But obtaining land was no easy matter. If he chose a location that was too good, it would inevitably draw the covetous eyes of others.

Yet if he chose a barren and remote area, he might not be able to ensure the proper functioning of his city.

Because of this, Morri had been deeply troubled for quite some time. He never expected that such good news would arrive just then.

“The gods always favor me! The Spark Tribe is my true home!” Morri had exclaimed, kneeling directly toward the east.

Although he was still a man of the Western Continent, his soul belonged to the Spark Tribe.

And so, Morri began building a city by that stretch of water, while the Spark Tribe also established a city and port in the area closest to the Wasteland Waters.

It could be foreseen that in the future, Port City would become a vital hub of trade between the Spark Tribe and the Western Continent.

Although it had not been long since construction began, ships had already started passing through one after another. The population there had now grown to over ten thousand.

Morri’s city was developing even faster, which was also thanks to the many people the Spark Tribe had sent to assist him.

To protect Morri’s fief, it was essential to ensure that the border defenses were strong. Otherwise, once others realized the potential of this land, this piece of “fat meat” could easily be devoured.

Both Yang Yi and Hei Lie took the matter very seriously and invested heavily without reservation.

Building two cities at the same time placed an enormous strain on the Spark Tribe. They had only just begun to recover, and now another city was being built. No wonder Yang Yi was so astonished.

“Yi City will remain an important center of trade. Many tribes and merchant caravans will continue to choose the land routes, so the population won’t decline drastically. But right now, it’s shouldering too many responsibilities. It’s time to start sharing the load.”

After his initial shock, Yang Yi gradually calmed down.

“You’re right. Yi City really is under too much pressure now. It’s the oldest city, yet it has the largest population.”

Although there were currently five major cities, in truth, aside from Rong City, which had been built specifically to accommodate more people, the others had all been established naturally as part of administrative expansion.

Because of their unique roles, it wasn’t practical to relocate the cultural and political centers to those cities to share the burden.

“Besides, Yi City’s location isn’t ideal anymore. If we move here, we’d be surrounded by the five cities, each about the same distance away. It would be much easier to oversee and manage them all.” Hei Lie said as he pointed to the center of the sand table in the study.

The establishment of these cities had indeed been planned, but ultimately still followed the lay of the land. There had been overall coordination, yet not much deliberate fine-tuning.

Coincidentally, the five cities now formed a pattern resembling a five-pointed star, leaving an open area right in the middle.

Yang Yi pondered for a moment and said, “If no one has any objections, then let’s begin preparations to build a new temple and establish a central city.”

“The blueprints for the new temple are already finished. Take a look and see if you have any suggestions.”

Then, with a motion as swift as performing magic, he reached out into the air and produced a scroll in his hand.

“When did you even finish drawing that?!”

Yang Yi was completely stunned. Though he no longer oversaw every little detail in the tribe as he once did, as the Divine Envoy, he still paid close attention to all major affairs.

After all, this was the tribe he had built with his own hands. There was no way he could truly bear to completely let go while he was still here.

He would simply leave himself some time to rest, to walk around, and see the world a bit. The distance wasn’t far, but it was still much better than being cooped up in one place all the time like before.

“I hope you’ll like it.” Hei Lie spread open the blueprint.

Yang Yi was utterly stunned when he saw the temple design on it. “This is way too beautiful!”

The temple was grand and magnificent. Just one look at it filled people with awe.

In only a few short years, their sense of aesthetics had improved tremendously. Not only that, they were even able to express it so well. It was truly amazing.

Yang Yi couldn’t stop exclaiming in admiration, feeling that it was absolutely perfect. He had no objections at all.

“This one’s just for others to see. This is for us.”

Hei Lie said, pulling that sheet of paper away and handing Yang Yi another one.

“This is…”

When Yang Yi saw the new blueprint, he was completely taken aback. His eyes couldn’t help but turn red.

Drawn on it was a villa surrounded by a garden. The design was exactly the same as his home.

“When did you draw this?”

In Yang Yi’s spatial storage, there weren’t any blueprints or photos of his villa back home. He had only mentioned it to Hei Lie from time to time.

Like where he used to do certain things—just small, trivial details. Occasionally, he would describe what the house looked like, but never deliberately or in detail.

But he hadn’t expected that Hei Lie had gathered all those bits of information and even drawn them out.

Even though he had never seen it, he was still able to draw a house that looked so incredibly similar.

“Do you like it?”

“This is the best gift I’ve ever received!”

Yang Yi hugged Hei Lie tightly, unable to hide the excitement surging in his heart.

Back on Earth, he hadn’t lived together with his parents. In fact, he hadn’t spent much time in that villa at all.

But because his parents lived there, it had become the most deeply imprinted place in Yang Yi’s heart.

Even the apartment he had always holed up in couldn’t bring him that same feeling.

The longer he stayed here, and the better life became, the stronger his longing grew.

Although he didn’t usually show it, there were always those moments when the feeling would suddenly surge up—an overwhelming wave of yearning.

Yet he couldn’t go back now. Hei Lie could sense his emotions.

“I’m sorry I can’t take you back to your old home for the time being. I can only bring you to a place that feels familiar.”

Yang Yi smiled. “This is already more than enough.”

He did miss home, but he had accepted his current situation. He didn’t see coming here as some unbearable suffering, nor did being unable to see his family make him despair.

Of course, those feelings were inevitable. But more than anything, he had accepted the fact that he was here now.

After all, it wasn’t something he could control. Rather than dwell on it, it was better to face it with an open mind. Constant negativity wouldn’t change a thing.

Besides, he had someone he loved here, too. He couldn’t always cling to the past and forget to cherish the present.

But Hei Lie was always so attentive, always wanting to give him the very best.

With someone like that by his side, how could Yang Yi possibly think of himself as unfortunate?

“When the time comes, we’ll grow vegetables and fruit trees. We should put a swing in the yard, too.”

“Alright.”

“And over here, we’ll build nests for Little Gray and Little White. They won’t have to squeeze inside the house with us anymore. They’ll be able to run around freely.”

Yang Yi pointed to an open space as he spoke.

The moment Little White heard that, it flapped its wings happily. A strong gust of wind rushed toward them. If Hei Lie hadn’t quickly stepped in front of Yang Yi, he would’ve been blown over.

“If you don’t learn to control your strength, I’ll clip your wings!” Hei Lie threatened.

Little White meekly ran off. Though it was already a grown goose, it was still just like when it was little. Except when it was protecting Yang Yi, it was always carefree and thoughtless.

Yang Yi laughed and shook his head. “Looks like Little White’s never going to grow up.”

“You’ve spoiled it too much,” Hei Lie said disapprovingly.

Little White was actually very intelligent, no less than Goose King.

But Goose King was doing extremely well these days. During the regular assemblies, it always had to be present.

Now it carried itself with the air of a true leader. Its presence was commanding, and it had become a very proud goose.

Even though there were now plenty of geese stronger in combat than it was, none could shake its status.

Little White, on the other hand, was still like a child. It was completely clueless about what it meant to be steady or composed, and often got into trouble.

Yang Yi didn’t argue. How could anyone not spoil such a beautiful and powerful little creature?

Over the years, Little White had protected him several times. After all, Hei Lie couldn’t stay by Yang Yi’s side every single moment, so that responsibility naturally fell to Little White.

Animals were probably born more sensitive than humans. Several times, Little White had sensed something wrong before anyone else did and successfully averted danger.

The proposal to establish a new central city was quickly approved. As always, the Spark Tribe’s efficiency was unmatched. Construction on the new city began immediately.

Although Yang Yi had only just seen the blueprint, the relevant teams had already started designing long before that.

Everyone felt that Yi City could no longer represent the image of the Spark Tribe. They hoped to build a larger, more complete city to move the temple and the divine envoy there.

However, this was a sacred undertaking and couldn’t be done hastily like before, so much more time was spent perfecting the design.

With the experience gained from building other cities, they aimed for it to be even more logical in layout and even more magnificent in scale.

Yang Yi didn’t put too much thought into it. He firmly believed that everyone could handle everything well. This time, all he needed to do was look forward to the result.

The establishment of Port City made the connection between the Spark Tribe and the Western Continent much closer.

It not only attracted more and more trading caravans from the West, but the Spark Tribe’s own caravans also began to take the initiative to head into the Western Continent to conduct trade.

It was the very first time that a trading caravan from the Eastern Continent had entered the Western Continent, causing quite an uproar there.

“You all are truly incredible. It hasn’t even been that long, and you’ve already reached this level,” En said in amazement.

Yang Yi smiled and said, “It’s all thanks to your support that things have gone so smoothly for us.”

That wasn’t just polite talk. When the Western Continent first received a trading caravan from the East, their attitude was rather uncertain.

No one really knew what this meant, but there was a vague sense that it might not be a good omen, so most people remained cautious and skeptical.

Even so, some cities wanted to build good relations with the Spark Tribe, so they expressed their welcome, making things much smoother for the caravans.

“If you really want to thank us, then how about giving us a few more mirrors this time?”

At present, the glassmaking techniques have improved dramatically. They could now produce transparent glass. However, production was still limited.

Most of the transparent glass was used to make mirrors. Those mirrors sold externally were extremely refined and exquisite.

The mirror frames were made of silver, inlaid with pieces of multicolored glass. It was luxurious and expensive, yet always in short supply.

Back when Han Bing had explored the Eastern Continent, he had discovered a silver mine. Now, the Spark Tribe’s silver reserves were abundant. Silver was frequently used to craft luxury goods and also circulated as currency.

From the moment mirrors appeared, they became immensely popular. The Green Python Tribe alone had placed a great number of orders.

The mirrors Yang Yi had gifted them in the past had long since broken. For those who had once owned one, losing it and returning to life without a mirror felt almost torturous.

So when the Spark Tribe began producing mirrors again, Chief Jin Huan personally came over, choosing the largest one herself.

“We were already planning on it. Now that we have a water route, it’s much safer than before. You can take a few of the larger mirrors with you.” Yang Yi said with a smile.

En was intrigued. “Larger mirrors? How big are we talking?”

The mirrors they’d made before had all been quite small. The largest ones were only about the size of a head.

Just then, two people carried in a large object. When they pulled off the cloth covering it, a magnificent full-length mirror was revealed.

“I’ll take it! However many you have, I’ll take them all!” En exclaimed, afraid that if he hesitated even a second, there wouldn’t be any left.

The cost of making mirrors wasn’t actually very high, but the profit margin was enormous.

The more finely crafted the mirrors were, the more popular they became. The buyers acted as if money meant nothing. No matter how expensive, they still scrambled to get their hands on them.

At present, the Spark Tribe can already mass-produce small mirrors. The output wasn’t extremely high, but it was enough that mirrors didn’t have to be reserved solely for nobles.

However, Lan Jian had previously written a letter advising that they must not mass-sell mirrors yet, nor produce cheaper versions.

The Western Continent had a very rigid class divide. Nobles always wanted to distinguish themselves from commoners. If mirrors became widespread and affordable, the nobles would be displeased.

So, before large mirrors could be produced in sufficient quantity, treating them as luxury goods actually fit better with the local market mindset.

Once they were capable of producing large mirrors, they could then separate the product lines, selling in bulk later on. For now, it was better to make a hefty “special profit” first.

Previously, the Western Continent’s trading caravans had also bought goods from the Spark Tribe at intentionally limited and inflated prices. Even if the goods were cheap when purchased from the Spark Tribe, they would still be resold at much higher prices until more and more caravans gained access, gradually stabilizing the market.

Since someone had to earn that money, it might as well be the tribe.

Sure enough, these expensive mirrors became even more sought after because of their price.

After En received the answer he wanted and left in high spirits, Yang Yi couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

“The people of the Western Continent are really rich, huh? They can actually accept a price like this.”

Just one large mirror could feed and provide for over a thousand people for an entire year, yet these people didn’t seem to know the meaning of restraint.

As the exchanges between the two sides grew deeper, Yang Yi’s curiosity about that mysterious land—the Western Continent—only grew stronger.

Hei Lie looked at him and asked, “Do you want to go see the Western Continent for yourself?”