The aftershocks of the miracle transformed into an unprecedented construction frenzy in the days that followed.
The morale of the entire team was raised to a peak.
The initial resentment and exhaustion from the heavy workload were replaced by a fervent emotion.
They no longer saw themselves as performing hard labor, but as participating in a sacred and glorious cause.
"Build roads for the leader!"
"Let our loyalty pave every inch of the land leading to the future of the empire!"
Such slogans can be seen everywhere on the construction site.
People spontaneously extended their working hours, and even during breaks, they would gather together to loudly praise the leader's achievements.
Tang Bao's Ministry of Civil Affairs even had to issue regulations mandating that all workers get six hours of sleep to prevent anyone from dying suddenly on the construction site due to excessive enthusiasm.
Driven by this sentiment, the project progressed at breakneck speed.
The road, at a visible speed, was stretching frantically toward the first important resource point marked on the map—the freshwater lake to the west.
This is a standardized highway that is 20 meters wide. The roadbed is made of a mixture of gravel and soil, which is repeatedly compacted.
Lin Feng referenced the road-building techniques of the Romans on Earth and designed a sophisticated drainage system.
Along both sides of the road, every kilometer there was a sentry post guarded by the Ironblood Army. These sentries, like sturdy teeth, firmly protected this artery of the empire.
The area through which this road passes truly embodies Lin Feng's concept of a "purification corridor".
Qin Lan's iron-fisted army, like a sharp scalpel, thoroughly examined everything within a five-kilometer radius on both sides of the road.
All aggressive alien creatures were ruthlessly wiped out.
Their corpses were skillfully decomposed by the logistics department of the vast ocean.
The meat became food; the hide became armor material; and the poison sacs and claws were sent to the research and development department to try to develop new weapons or tools.
One month later.
When the last handful of soil mixed with sweat was compacted onto the roadbed, a flat, solid gray dragon finally snaked its way from the foot of the shelter to the shore of the freshwater lake on the west side.
"It's open! The entire line is now open!"
Cheers resounded through the sky.
People threw down their tools, embraced each other, and wept with joy. This was more than just a ten-kilometer-long road; it was the first mark of civilization they had etched on this desolate land with their willpower and sweat. This was their first step in conquering this planet.
Standing by the lake, everyone was awestruck by the sight before them.
It was a vast, boundless lake.
Under the twinkling sun, the lake water took on a sky-blue hue, crystal clear. A gentle breeze rippled across its surface.
In the distance, where the water meets the sky, several strangely shaped, pelican-like alien waterbirds glide gracefully across the surface of the water.
The air was filled with moist and fresh moisture, which contrasted sharply with the dry dust of the wilderness behind them.
"Water...so much water..." A laborer couldn't help but kneel down and put his hands into the lake water, feeling the refreshing coolness.
Pang Dahai was so excited that his entire body of fat was trembling.
His eyes were fixed intently on the water below. In the clear water, schools of brightly colored fish swam leisurely.
One type of fish has a slender body and a warm, milky white color throughout, with faint gold tinges on the edges of its fins, as if it were carved from jade.
Pang Dahai named it "Jade Fin Fish". Another type is round and plump, like a chubby baby, with scales that reflect seven colors in the sunlight, which he nicknamed "Rainbow Snapper".
"Quick, get a net! No, just a bucket will do!" Pang Dahai shouted impatiently to the people around him.
Soon, a wooden bucket was dipped into the water, casually scooped out, and when it was lifted up, it was found to be full of lively rainbow bream.
These fish, once out of the water, merely wiggled their tails listlessly, appearing unusually docile.
"My God!" Pang Dahai exclaimed, holding a plump rainbow bream, his mouth practically watering. "This isn't a lake, it's an open-air, inexhaustible soup pot!"
However, what drove the vast sea even crazier was not the fish in the lake, but the scenery on the opposite shore and the vast plains surrounding it.
On the eastern shore of the lake, there grows a strange forest.
The trees in the forest have dark brown trunks, but their crowns are unusually large, like a giant open umbrella.
It was daytime, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but according to the scouts' nighttime reports, these enormous canopies emitted a soft, warm orange-yellow glow at night and continuously radiated heat enough to dispel the chill of the wilderness.
"Sunwheel wood".
Wang Jianguo adjusted his glasses, his eyes gleaming with fascination: "I've seen reports about this. It's an incredible plant that stores daytime sunlight in its leaves through a process of photosynthesis that we don't yet understand, releasing it slowly at night. If we could grasp its principles, our energy system would undergo a revolutionary change. Even if we couldn't, the value of this natural, pollution-free, and maintenance-free light and heat source alone would be immeasurable!"
The scenery is even more spectacular on the vast plains to the west and south of the lake.
On the vast grassland, thousands of black dots were slowly moving.
Through the binoculars, it was clearly visible that it was a huge flock of sheep, composed of giant sheep covered in thick black curly wool.
These giant black sheep, nearly twice the size of the sheep on Earth, have thick limbs and appear docile and slow. They graze with their heads down on a purple grass, creating a tranquil and bountiful pastoral scene.
"Meat...it's all meat!"
Pang Dahai was already incoherent: "And that fur coat, if made into an overcoat, we'll never have to worry about winter in the shelter again!"
What caught Qin Lan's eye even more was that, on the outskirts of the black giant sheep herd, dozens of agile, horse-like creatures were also roaming.
They are larger than the horses of Blue Star, with smooth and explosive muscle lines. When they run, their hooves collide with the stones on the ground, producing a series of crisp metallic clanging sounds, and you can even see faint sparks in the sunlight.
"Iron-hoofed horses." For the first time, Qin Lan's voice carried a hint of longing: "If we can tame them and equip them to the Ironblood Army's scouts, our reconnaissance range and mobility will increase by an order of magnitude. A charging force entirely composed of Iron-hoofed horses will be the nightmare of all enemies."
Lakes, fish, forests, giant trees, plains, flocks of sheep, wild horses...
A vast scroll, brimming with endless treasures, was thus unfolded before everyone's eyes.
Everyone's breathing became heavy, and their eyes were filled with greed and possessiveness.
But they all tacitly turned their gaze to Lin Feng, who was standing at the very front of the group.
These are all gifts from God. And only God has the authority to decide how to distribute and enjoy these gifts.
Lin Feng didn't speak; he simply observed everything before him calmly. His vision extended further than anyone else's.
What he saw was not fish, not wood, and not sheep.
What he saw was a territory centered on a freshwater lake on the west side, radiating outwards for tens of kilometers.
Shelters solved the problem of "survival".
And here, the issue of "development" will be addressed.
An abundance of food will free up more labor to engage in more advanced production activities.
The sun-wheel tree will completely transform the shelter's energy structure, making the night as vibrant as the day.
The giant black sheep and the iron-hoofed horse provided endless possibilities for the empire's animal husbandry and military power.
“This place can no longer be called the West Freshwater Lake.” Lin Feng spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone’s ears.
"From today onwards, it will be called the 'Lake of Hope'."
"Centered on Lake of Hope, extending east to the Forest of the Sun, west to the Black Sheep Plain, south to the Red Hills, and north to the purification corridor beneath our feet, this land spans thirty kilometers in radius,"
Lin Feng stretched out his arm and drew a huge circle in the air with an unquestionable gesture: "From this moment on, everything belongs to the Sanctuary. It will be the first directly subordinate county of our empire—'Kaiyuan County'."
"Qin Lan."
"exist."
"I'm giving you an order." Lin Feng's eyes sharpened. "I need you to use your Ironblood Army to build an invisible but absolutely solid fence around my 'Kaiyuan County.' I want you to raise the Black Dragon Flag on the border of this land. I want every creature that steps onto this land, whether human or beast, to know whose territory this is."
"I want you to start the real 'land grab'!"
An excited smile appeared on Qin Lan's face.
She suddenly knelt on one knee, her voice firm and resolute:
"Your will is my blade! Where the Black Dragon Banner flies, that is the territory of the Empire!"
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