Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Clang… Clang… Clang…

The third day after moving into the new residence, inside the smithy on the second floor.

Xia Hong, stripped to the waist, continuously hammered a massive piece of iron in front of him.

The massive iron was semi-circular on both sides, with a radius of about seventy-five centimeters, and a round piece of iron in the middle, estimated to be ten centimeters thick. The edges on both sides were hammered very thin, clearly indicating they were blades.

Below the furnace, there was also a two-meter-long black iron rod with a groove at the top, which clearly matched the middle part of the massive iron being hammered.

Xia Chuan and Yuan Cheng hurried over together. Seeing the massive iron taking shape on the furnace, a glint of excitement appeared in both their eyes.

Seeing Xia Hong continuing to forge, the two didn't disturb him, but just stood and waited.

Sizzle…

Only after Xia Hong finished forging and submerged the massive iron into the prepared water next to him, causing a burst of white smoke, did Xia Chuan approach and begin to speak.

"Big Brother, everything has been arranged. The current total population of the camp is 1096. There are 642 adults over fifteen years old; 322 between six and fifteen years old; and 132 under six years old.

Only 182 households have been assigned houses, accounting for 70% of the total population, roughly 702 people. Among them, there are 7 households on the third floor, 92 on the second floor, and 83 on the first floor.

The remaining 394 people include 293 adults and 101 minors.

Among the adults, there are 204 males and 89 females. There are not many lumberjacks in this group, only 16 people, 12 males and 4 females, all assigned to the ten-person rooms on the second floor; the rest are all assigned to the ten-person rooms on the first floor.

As for the minors, as you instructed, Big Brother, the 52 children under six years old, who are unable to care for themselves, have all been assigned to the lumberjack families for adoption; the 49 children over six years old, who have some self-care ability, will be arranged for adoption if they are willing, and those who are unwilling will all be assigned to the ten-person rooms on the first floor to live together.

Currently, on the third floor, excluding your room, Big Brother, a total of 8 rooms have been allocated, seven single-family rooms and one five-person room, leaving 92 rooms.

On the second floor, 95 rooms have been allocated, including 92 single-family rooms and 3 ten-person rooms, leaving 185 rooms.

On the first floor, 111 rooms have been allocated, including 83 single-family rooms and 28 ten-person rooms, leaving 249 rooms."

Although Xia Hong was focused on polishing the massive iron in his hands, he listened to every word Xia Chuan said.

Hearing Xia Chuan report the numbers one by one in an orderly manner, a hint of admiration arose in Xia Hong's eyes.

Reciting these numbers is easy, but figuring them out must have taken a lot of time for detailed investigation.

With the system, he always knew the total population of the camp, but the population structure, how many adults and minors there were, still had to rely on Xia Chuan to lead people to identify and differentiate.

"What do you estimate is the maximum number of people this wooden house can accommodate?"

Xia Hong suddenly asked. Hearing the question, Xia Chuan pondered for a moment and immediately gave the answer.

"Less than a third of the camp's rooms have been allocated so far. Based on the current use of space, the population this wooden house can accommodate, under normal circumstances, should be at least five thousand. If we pack them in tightly, it's estimated that we could double or triple that without any problem."

If packed tightly, let alone twenty thousand, even forty or fifty thousand wouldn't be a problem, but life would be very cramped and uncomfortable.

Until the problem of the gnawing rat swarm is resolved, the population of the Great Xia Camp should not experience a surge for a long time.

The current wooden house is enough for them to use for a long time.

Although the appearance of the gnawing rat swarm made the significance of the new residence less significant than previously thought, after half a year of preparation, Xia Hong still breathed a sigh of relief as it was finally completed and resolved.

If it can't defend against the gnawing rat swarm, it can defend against other cold beasts!

"The new contribution point rules have also been officially implemented. All members of the camp above the lumberjack realm have been registered. The camp's logistics department has now been expanded to ten people, and someone is specifically responsible for recording everyone's contribution points every day. From tonight onwards, those above the lumberjack realm who want cold beast meat and other supplies must exchange them with contribution points."

Hearing that the new contribution point rules were officially implemented, a smile appeared on Xia Hong's face, and he asked, "Have you calculated whether the camp's consumption of cold beast meat has increased or decreased compared to before after the new rules were implemented?"

Xia Chuan had obviously considered this question and replied with a smile, "Logically speaking, it should increase, but based on the situation in the past two days, it should decrease."

The previous quota for lumberjacks was five pounds per day. According to the current new rules, as long as they don't slack off, it's easy to earn three contribution points every day, which translates to six pounds per day. Allowing them to exchange for cold beast meat freely, according to normal calculations, the overall consumption of the camp should definitely be more than before.

But Xia Hong immediately understood what Xia Chuan meant.

"In the past two days, many people have been asking Mu Dong about the prices of various wooden and iron products, as well as custom clothing, in the craftsman's workshop. I've observed that these are almost all married people who have a great demand for various items. I heard that Luo Yuan's wife is forcing him to buy a piece of ready-made clothing. We couldn't stop laughing when we heard that."

"Hahahaha…"

Hearing about Luo Yuan's embarrassment, Xia Hong burst into laughter.

Women are naturally unable to resist clothes.

It's not that they are vain, but mainly because the camp now has the conditions. The new contribution point rules are intended to allow them to have a normal way to enjoy these materials by contributing to the camp.

Since contributions are large and small, the emergence of classes and comparisons is inevitable. Stimulating these people to make greater contributions to the camp in this way is the original intention of this system.

"However, we still need to make it clear to them that strength is fundamental. Without sufficient strength, no matter how well you dress, how well you eat, or how well you use things, it's just a reflection in the mirror, a waste of effort."

Hearing Xia Hong's slightly serious tone, Xia Chuan agreed with him completely:

"Of course, that's right. In my opinion, it's just that the new rules have just been implemented, and many people are just looking for novelty. In a few days, they should come around and understand this principle."

Xia Hong nodded. The cruelty of the Ice Abyss World is not only understood by him. His reminder is actually a bit superfluous. The importance of strength is known not only to Luo Yuan, but even to the children under six years old in the camp.

As Xia Chuan said, the current upsurge is just a period of novelty.

When this period passes, they will naturally understand what is most important.

"Chief, is this giant axe the new weapon you forged?"

During the conversation just now, Xia Hong's hands had never stopped.

Seeing him embed the polished fan-shaped giant iron onto the two-meter-long black iron rod next to him, Yuan Cheng, who had been staring at it for a long time, finally couldn't help but ask.

In Xia Hong's hand, a two-meter-long double-edged giant axe appeared. Ten silver forging patterns on the axe body were clearly visible; the axe blades on both sides faintly revealed a silver cold light, and they had already been sharpened.

Whoosh…

Xia Hong raised the giant axe and casually waved it in front of him. Instantly, the wind howled, and even he was carried a few steps, showing the weight of the giant axe.

Seeing the undisguised look of love in Yuan Cheng's eyes as he looked at the giant axe, Xia Hong chuckled twice and taunted, "What, you like it?"

Yuan Cheng subconsciously wanted to nod. He did prefer heavy weapons, but thinking that this giant axe was so big, it must have consumed a lot of iron ore, and Xia Hong personally forged it, so it must be of great use, so he shook his head.

Xia Hong naturally saw through his thoughts, laughed, and said, "If you like it, I can't give it to you now. I have a great use for it. Besides, even if I gave it to you now, you wouldn't be able to wield it at all with your strength."

Xia Chuan was stunned when he heard this, with a strange look on his face.

Yuan Cheng also showed a strange expression and smiled, "Chief, don't underestimate me. How about I try?"

He even has a temper?

Xia Hong couldn't help but want to tease Yuan Cheng, so he nodded and handed the giant axe to him with a smile.

Yuan Cheng reached out and grabbed the handle of the giant axe. The moment Xia Hong let go, he stumbled forward, staggering one or two meters before finally stabilizing himself. After raising his head, his flushed face was full of horror.

"Chief, this giant axe is too heavy, isn't it?"

"Hahaha, two thousand eight hundred pounds, how is it, can you wield it?"

Hearing Xia Hong's teasing, Yuan Cheng showed a disapproving look, then took a deep breath and stood firm. He lifted the giant axe in one go and actually gritted his teeth and swung it a dozen times.

Bang…

By the time Yuan Cheng's hands were exhausted and he put the giant axe on the ground, Xia Hong was completely stunned.

When Yuan Cheng first took the axe, his stumble was of course not because he couldn't lift it, but just because he was careless and didn't expect the giant axe to be so heavy.

Xia Hong also knew this. The basic strength of the lumberjack realm was five thousand pounds, so it was certainly not a problem to lift this two thousand eight hundred pound giant axe.

But lifting it and wielding it are two completely different things.

The weight of a weapon has a lot to do with the user's basic strength.

If the weapon is too light, the kinetic energy will be insufficient when used, not only will the lethality be greatly reduced, but also the user's strength will be too great, making it easy to break; if the weapon is too heavy, it will increase the user's burden, which will greatly affect speed and flexibility, and in severe cases, it may even lead to exhaustion, making the battle very dangerous.

Xia Hong had tested before that if you want to use a weapon normally, the weight is best controlled at one-tenth of your basic strength.

The giant axe he forged was basically forged according to the limit of the earth-digging realm's strength. It was very difficult for him to use, and it was absolutely impossible to swing it more than a dozen times in a row without more than ten thousand pounds of strength.

The thought popped into Xia Hong's mind, and when he saw the smile on Xia Chuan's face next to him, he immediately realized it and suddenly turned to look at Yuan Cheng.

"Good kid, you broke through?"

"Leader, I originally planned to tell you this as soon as I came in, but I didn't get the chance."

"Hahahaha, good, you kid gave me a big surprise!"

Xia Hong felt cheerful. Recalling the eager look Yuan Cheng had when he saw the giant axe, a sense of heroic spirit arose in his heart, and he said loudly:

"When your strength exceeds twenty-five thousand pounds, this giant axe will be yours."

Hearing Xia Hong's words, a burst of joy erupted in Yuan Cheng's pupils, and his expression became extremely excited as he bowed to Xia Hong.

"Thank you, Leader, Yuan Cheng will definitely cultivate diligently from now on!"

The seventh Earth Piercing Realm cultivator turned out to be Yuan Cheng.

This was indeed far beyond Xia Hong's expectations.

When the hunting team was first formed, it must be said that the strength of the eight people from the former Rogge camp was significantly higher than the others. Later, Luo Yuan and the Zhao brothers took the lead in breaking through to the Earth Piercing Realm, which also confirmed this point.

Xia Chuan was able to rise suddenly and break through before Luo Yuan because he obtained the Wooden Puppet inheritance, but Yuan Cheng did not.

Xia Hong originally expected that the next to break through should still be the people from the former Rogge camp, but he did not expect that Yuan Cheng would actually get ahead of them.

"Big brother, this giant axe is for hunting Tengjiao, right?"

Seeing that Xia Chuan guessed the purpose of the giant axe at once, Xia Hong did not hide it and nodded lightly.

The Tengjiao he saw last time was more than thirty meters long and sixty to seventy centimeters thick, even larger than the largest Golden-Eyed Magic Goat he had encountered before.

Moreover, because its body was too long, and the trees in Redwood Ridge were large enough, the Tengjiao could also walk around trees by winding itself around them. Despite its large size, it was extremely agile.

More importantly, there was the poisonous fog.

Due to the existence of the poisonous fog, the time to hunt the Tengjiao was only half an hour at most. If it could not be killed within half an hour, it had to retreat. If the situation of being chased instead of hunting successfully was also taken into account, the time would be even shorter.

The larger the size, the stronger the vitality; the higher the flexibility, the harder it is to chase; the hunting time must be controlled very short.

Combining these three characteristics, if you want to successfully hunt the Tengjiao, you can't delay, you must cause the greatest damage to it in a short time.

The broadswords and bows and arrows currently used in the camp are obviously a bit unsuitable.

"Even the broadswords are too light and too small, not to mention bows and arrows. Even if you use pure iron arrows, it's probably only enough to tickle the Tengjiao. It depends on whether this giant axe can play a role."

As Xia Hong spoke, he picked up the broadsword next to the stove, which was the Frostshock Blade he had personally forged before.

The Frostshock Blade is one and a half meters long, including the blade and handle. The back of the blade alone is twelve centimeters thick and weighs six hundred and twenty pounds.

If an ignorant bystander heard Xia Hong say the words "too light and too small", they would probably think he had gone mad.

But the actual situation is indeed the case.

Too light and too small, it depends on who you compare it to.

Compared to Snowmane, Frost Wolf, and Magic Goat, the broadsword is certainly not small, nor is it light, but in front of the Tengjiao, the evaluation of these four words is absolutely fair.

Seeing the Frostshock Blade, Yuan Cheng's eyes lit up.

Xia Hong hadn't forged any new weapons during this period.

Currently, the camp still only has five broadswords.

The Frostshock Blade is naturally in Xia Hong's hands. The other four were originally in the hands of him, Luo Yuan, Zhao Long, and Hong Gang.

However, as Zhao Hu and Zhao Bao broke through to the Earth Piercing Realm, the two broadswords in his and Hong Gang's hands naturally went to those two.

If he hadn't had it in the first place, Yuan Cheng wouldn't be so eager. The key is that he had it and then lost it, which is very uncomfortable.

During this period, his efforts to break through to the Earth Piercing Realm were partly due to regaining the right to use the broadsword.

Originally, he wanted to get back the original broadsword, but when he saw the Frostshock Blade in Xia Hong's hand, Yuan Cheng immediately changed his goal.

This sword was personally forged by Xia Hong, and he had used it for a period of time. Not to mention that it was the first weapon of the Great Xia Camp, which was of great significance and much more precious than the original one.

If he could use it, that would be too…

Xia Hong, who had already noticed the eagerness on Yuan Cheng's face, deliberately swung the broadsword a few times to tease him. Seeing Yuan Cheng's eyes following the broadsword, he immediately laughed a few times and threw the Frostshock Blade directly to him.

"Alright, alright, I know you want it. You can use this broadsword for now. I'll use this giant axe during this period."

Yuan Cheng took the Frostshock Blade, and although his face was full of joy, after thinking for a moment, he quickly raised his head again, with a hint of hesitation on his face, and handed the sword back again.

"Leader, this giant axe was just forged, you probably don't know how to use it yet, right? Why don't you use the Frostshock Blade first, and I'll use this broadsword after you're familiar with the giant axe."

Xia Hong raised his eyebrows slightly, shook his head, and did not take the sword.

"Don't worry about me, you guys come with me to the mine first!"

After saying that, Xia Hong took out a long goat horn chisel from behind the stove, led the two of them directly downstairs, and then walked towards the south mine.

The supplies in the mine have all been moved to the warehouse on the second floor of the wooden house, and it is much more spacious now.

Clang… Clang… Clang…

Before the three of them had walked five or six meters inside, rhythmic chiseling sounds came from inside, along with the chatting voices of Luo Yuan and the other four.

"Luo Yuan, how many pounds is your piece?"

"It should be more than sixty pounds."

"So much, my piece just now was only forty pounds."

"Sixty pounds for one piece, that's a profit. Six contribution points can be exchanged for twelve pounds of cold beast meat. If I get another piece today, I can exchange for more than twenty pounds of cold beast meat."

"How can I exchange all of it for cold beast meat? There's no furniture in my house right now, and my wife is arguing with me. A wooden bed, wooden bucket, chairs, and other things, a full set adds up to 75 contribution points. I have to save up first and exchange them all together after a while."

"That's right, my wife is the same. She took the child to the craftsman's workshop to see the wooden bed, and immediately came back and argued with me to get it. It costs 25 contribution points, and I have to dig for two or three days to exchange for one."

"It's expensive, but it's comfortable. The wooden bed is equipped with a beast skin pad, which is soft to lie on. It's much more comfortable than sleeping on the ground. Not to mention women and children, I want it too after trying it."

"The logging team, gathering team, craftsman's workshop, and camp supply office all have their own channels for obtaining contribution points. Only our hunting team is missing. The leader doesn't know when he will announce it. The logging team gets one point for each outing. How about we get two points for each outing?"

"It must be higher than them, but I don't know how to divide it specifically. The leader should allocate it according to the role each person plays, and we'll know when the time comes."

"I'm just waiting for the leader to announce it, so I can quickly go out hunting to earn contribution points. Every day when I get home, my wife and children tell me that they lack this and that, it's annoying!"

"There's no way, cold beast meat definitely can't be cut off. If you want to exchange for those things, you can only earn more contribution points."

"Hahahaha, there are indeed many things in the craftsman's workshop. Mu Dong doesn't know how he figured them out. Women and children can't move when they see them, and they just come back to torture us."

… … … …

Hearing the content of the four people's conversation, Xia Hong couldn't help but chuckle a few times.

Interestingly, among the current seven Earth Piercing Realm cultivators in the camp, only he, Xia Chuan, and Yuan Cheng are not married. Luo Yuan and the Zhao brothers all have wives and children.

Moreover, in addition to Luo Yuan, who is an only child, Zhao Hu and Zhao Bao each have two sons. The oldest, Zhao Long, is even more exaggerated. His wife gave birth to four, three sons and one daughter.

Launched in sync with the new contribution value rules was the official division of households in the camp on a family basis, accompanied by the launch of various wooden products, leather products, and tool customizations by the craftsman's workshop, as well as the material exchange at the camp supply office. These families have a great need for contribution points.

Currently, because of the shortage of materials and the shortage of craftsmen, the prices of various items are still set very high. Even Luo Yuan and Zhao Long find it a bit difficult to exchange for them, let alone other Lumbering Realm families.

However, as materials become more abundant and there are more craftsmen, the prices of these materials will definitely gradually decrease, and the degree of popularity will naturally increase. The era when everyone can use them will come sooner or later.

"Leader, you're here!"

"Greetings, Leader."

Seeing Xia Hong coming in, Luo Yuan and the other four quickly stopped talking, put down their goat horn chisels, and bowed to him.

Xia Hong nodded slightly, took out the goat horn chisel in his hand, walked to the rock wall, found a place that had not yet been mined, and began to dig.

Ding… … …

As soon as the first chisel was made, Luo Yuan and the other four who heard the sound, as well as Xia Chuan and Yuan Cheng who followed Xia Hong in, were immediately stunned. Immediately afterwards, the eyes of the six people all gathered on the goat horn chisel in Xia Hong's hand.

"Why is the sound of this chisel so crisp?"

"Is that chisel not made of iron?"

"It really isn't, it's white, isn't that…"

"It's the teeth of the Gnawing Rat!"

The sharp-eyed Xia Chuan was the first to see it.

The remaining five people immediately reacted.

The stick of the goat horn chisel in Xia Hong's hand was still made of iron.

But the head was actually made of the Gnawing Rat's teeth that he had brought back earlier.

Ding… … … Ding… … … Ding… … …

The six people did not disturb Xia Hong, but continued to watch, noticing that Xia Hong only chiseled a hundred times, and the iron ore on the rock wall began to shake. The faces of the six people suddenly burst into a strong look of joy.

Clang… … … …

Half an hour later, as the iron ore fell to the ground, Xia Hong also breathed a sigh of relief and released the goat horn chisel in his hand.

"Leader, can this rodent tooth also be used for mining?"

"With ordinary iron picks, it would take us at least two hours to dig one piece. With this iron tooth, the efficiency has directly doubled?"

Xia Hong paused for a moment, then picked up the iron ore from the ground, his face filled with joy.

When he fought the gnawing rat earlier, he noticed that the hardness of its gnawing teeth was harder than iron, and he had already thought that it could be used for mining, but he didn't expect the effect to be so good.

It actually doubled the output.

A single Earth-Digging Realm cultivator can mine up to four hundred catties of iron ore a day, and if it's coal, it can reach eight hundred catties!

"Leader, can these gnawing teeth be used to make weapons?"

"Too light, definitely not suitable for making weapons, and the bones of cold beasts are brittle and cannot be shaped at all. Once the tip is worn, it's permanent. At most, they can be used as disposable bone tools. Only using them for mining maximizes the benefits!"

Before Xia Hong could speak, Xia Chuan immediately answered Luo Yuan's question.

Xia Hong also nodded. The few types of cold beast bones he had come into contact with could only be used as disposable bone tools, or ground into bone powder for medicinal purposes. He had yet to encounter anything that could be smelted like iron.

"A gnawing rat has two gnawing teeth, and four are needed to make a chisel. We killed four earlier, so we can make another one. In the future, the camp will use these gnawing teeth chisels for coal and iron mining."

Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and the other six people's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

Using a ram's horn chisel, they could mine at most a hundred catties of iron ore a day, which translates to ten contribution points; if they used this gnawing teeth chisel, it would be forty contribution points a day.

"There are only two for now, so you'll have to take turns using them. Once we kill a few more long-tailed gnawing rats, we can make more!"

Xia Hong naturally understood what they were thinking.

After speaking, looking at the iron ore in his hand, Xia Hong sighed slightly again.

"It's a pity that the Wood-Felling Realm still can't participate in mining!"

Although the gnawing teeth chisel can improve mining efficiency, it still cannot reduce the rebound force from the ore. In other words, without a basic strength of over ten thousand catties, one cannot withstand the rebound force when chiseling, and naturally cannot mine.

Xia Hong shook his head slightly. He had been trying to find a way to allow the Wood-Felling Realm to participate in mining.

"Is it the material rules? No wonder it's called the Earth-Digging Realm. Unless you reach this cultivation realm, you cannot excavate underground resources."

At this moment, he completely extinguished the idea in his heart.

"Alright, all six of you are here. Prepare yourselves, and after nightfall tomorrow, follow me to the inner perimeter of Redwood Ridge to hunt Flood Dragons!"

The six people's expressions lit up upon hearing this.

Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan had both seen Flood Dragons before. Although Flood Dragons looked intimidating, the two had a certain understanding of their strength, so their faces were not only without fear, but also full of eagerness to try.

As for the Zhao Long brothers and Yuan Cheng, they were ignorant and fearless, purely curious, not only about the new species of Flood Dragon, but also about the inner perimeter area beyond five hundred meters of Redwood Ridge, which they had never set foot in.

Please give me monthly tickets, I feel like there's a chance to get on the list and get more exposure, thank you!