Chapter 62 The First Five-Year Plan Caravan of Hope Town Departs...
Before the dust had even settled on the departure of the caravan, Hope Town was plunged into an unprecedented frenzy of sudden wealth.
When twenty heavy gold coins and several large boxes of brand-new tools and cloth were carried into the warehouse, the whole town erupted in excitement. People lined the warehouse entrance, standing on tiptoe and craning their necks, eager to catch a glimpse of the legendary, glittering wealth. The cheers of children and the suppressed gasps of adults mingled together, sweeping away the fatigue and unease of the past few days.
This is the first time that Hope Town has earned its first substantial sum of money from the outside world through its own wisdom and hard work.
However, Lin Yue remained unusually calm. That evening, instead of holding a celebratory banquet, he summoned all the core members—Stonefist, Gray, Elder Falador, Old Bard, Hunter Barton, Aunt Lydia and Mia, the new generation of backbone members Amu, Kaylan, Ella and Norm, and even the old beaver who had been specially promoted by Lin Yue as a material appraisal consultant because of his extensive knowledge—to the main house.
On the square table in the center of the room, there was no lavish food, only a grease lamp emitting a dim yellow light, and a pile of account books. Of course, these were account books engraved on a stone slab.
“I know everyone is very happy today, and so am I.” Lin Yue’s gaze swept over everyone present. “However, in our joy, we must first do some calculations, calculations that concern the future of all of us.”
He picked up a charcoal stick and pointed to the samples of supplies on the table that were presented as spoils of war.
“These things didn’t fall from the sky, nor did we dig them out of the ground.” His voice wasn’t loud. “They were obtained by trading our unique refined snow salt, the starlight wheat flour that can help people sleep peacefully, and the celadon ceramics that represent our highest pottery-making skills. They were even obtained by trading the white throne that represents our highest level of technology and civilization.”
“They eat a little, and there’s less of them; they use a piece, and there’s less of them. Our specialties, whether it’s salt refining or the cultivation of star wheat, all require time, manpower, and luck that depends on the weather. So we must be more careful with our resources than ever before.”
His words instantly extinguished the unrealistic hopes of getting rich overnight in everyone's hearts.
“More importantly, there’s intelligence.” Lin Yue’s expression became even more serious. He picked up another stone slab and drew a small dot on it to represent Hope Town.
“Although Fernando is a shrewd businessman, he has inadvertently revealed a lot of information. The fact that the Golden Scales Merchant Guild was able to find us means that our secret outpost hidden on the edge of the Cursed Land is no longer a secret.”
He used a charcoal stick to draw several crooked symbols representing different forces around the small dot, and then added a series of big question marks.
“They are merchants, driven by profit and bound by rules, which is why we can do business with them. But what if the next group to come are mercenaries blinded by the blood of war? Or a band of robbers even more ruthless and larger than the Blackrock Gang? Or even a lord who has become greedy after hearing that we can produce salt and grow miraculous crops?”
"At that point, they won't sit at the table with us and politely haggle over the price."
A strong sense of crisis, like an icy tide, instantly swept over everyone present.
"We must be soberly aware that we are now like a child carrying a gold nugget walking in a bustling city, who may be targeted and robbed at any time. Development is not just about living a better life, but also about survival and protecting everything we have worked so hard to build."
These words shattered the last shred of blind optimism in everyone's hearts. They finally understood that the heavy gold coins and mountains of supplies brought not only wealth, but also unprecedented danger.
The next morning, Lin Yue led his core team to the makeshift animal pen. The two giant beasts, each the size of a small mountain, were lazily lying on the ground, slowly chewing on a mixture of moss and a small amount of mineral powder. They looked listless, their eyes cloudy, completely lacking the imposing presence of the other beasts in the caravan.
"I was completely blinded by greed back then, dreaming of breeding a whole army of lizard beasts and forming our heavy cavalry regiment," Lin Yue said with a wry smile, looking at the two giant beasts that resembled veteran cadres. "Now it seems that old fox Fernando was truly cunning to the core. I bet these two were definitely the oldest and weakest in their caravan, nearing retirement. Otherwise, why would they willingly exchange them for a toilet that, while novel, wasn't particularly useful for the time being?"
Upon hearing this, everyone wore expressions that were both amused and exasperated.
Old hunter Barton stepped forward and, after obtaining Lin Yue's consent, carefully pried open the mouth of one of the lizard beasts. He examined its enormous teeth, which were as large as stone rollers, and touched the deep wrinkles on its skin and the thick, almost worn calluses on its feet.
After a long while, he straightened up and nodded solemnly to Lin Yue: "Sir, you are right. Although the skeletons of these two lizard beasts are still intact, their teeth are severely worn and their skin has lost its luster. They are indeed middle-aged and old. It is probably hopeless to let them reproduce. Moreover, they have a huge appetite and must be fed with a mixture of special mineral powder and grass, just like now, to ensure their basic strength."
Lin Yue patted the lizard's rough, rock-like skin and concluded, "The breeding plan is on hold for now. But even as they approach retirement, their value remains immeasurable. The combined strength of the two of them far surpasses that of dozens of strong laborers. Whether it's clearing wasteland, transporting heavy loads, or in the future, pulling stone mills and driving waterwheels, we can rely on them. We must take good care of them so that they can contribute their utmost to Hope Town in their limited lives."
The repositioning of their value has once again commanded everyone's respect for these two rock-walking lizards.
Having gained a clear understanding of the internal and external situation and his own resources, Lin Yue knew it was time to formulate a more pragmatic and operational long-term development plan.
"Ladies and gentlemen, given the internal and external pressures we are currently facing, I have decided to make a major adjustment to our previous plans."
"I call this new plan the first five-year plan for Hope Town."
"Our primary goal for the next five years is not expansion or enjoyment, but survival."
"Therefore, the construction of city defenses must be the top priority. I hope that within the next two years, we must complete the construction of a solid brick and stone main wall surrounding the entire core residential and agricultural area. All manpower and resources should be directed toward this goal."
“The second objective is food security,” he said, gesturing to the distant farmland. “We need to ensure that no one in town goes hungry in any extreme weather or under siege. Old Bud, I need you and your agricultural team to precisely calculate the minimum grain yield required to feed the town’s two hundred people for a whole year, and based on that, rationally plan the planting area for stone-skin potatoes and starlight wheat, as well as explore and cultivate more varieties of other crops. At the same time, we must immediately begin constructing a large, dry, insect- and rodent-proof strategic grain reserve. Our goal is to have enough grain to feed the entire town for at least six months within three years.”
“Third, industrial goals.” His gaze turned to Stone Fist. “Uncle Stone Fist, the core task of your blacksmith shop and kiln for the next three years is to serve the two major goals of city defense and agriculture. We need a sufficient number of sturdy and durable iron farm tools, iron spearheads and iron arrowheads to equip our guards, and tens of thousands of red bricks and cement to be used for building walls.”
"Finally, let's explore the target." Lin Yue looked at Gray. "Until we are strong enough to protect ourselves, we will temporarily suspend our active exploration of the depths of the Cursed Land. But intelligence work cannot stop. Gray, your patrol team's mission is to expand the reconnaissance range as much as possible, draw more detailed maps of the surrounding area, monitor any threats that may approach our territory, and find new and safe resource points, while ensuring their own safety."
This more pragmatic and demanding five-year plan put immense pressure on everyone present, but it also revealed a clearer and more definite direction forward.
However, having a goal is not enough; there must also be an efficient organizational structure to achieve that goal.
He took a deep breath and unveiled his most daring institutional reform plan, which he had been brewing for a long time.
"In order to better achieve this goal, I have decided to abolish the previous system of verbally appointing ministers who had the final say and instead establish a more flexible and competitive system of production team responsibility."
“From today onwards,” Lin Yue clearly listed the core industries of Hope Town on the stone slab, “we will establish the following independent production teams: an agricultural planting team responsible for grain planting and management; a livestock breeding team responsible for caring for the lizard beasts and other livestock that may appear in the future; a construction team responsible for building houses and repairing city walls; a mining team responsible for mining and quarrying; a brick-making workshop responsible for firing bricks, pottery, and cement; a woodworking workshop responsible for making furniture and building materials; a blacksmithing workshop responsible for forging and repairing tools; a logistics support team responsible for food processing, sewing, and sanitation; and a patrol and guard team responsible for vigilance and patrols.”
“Each group needs a leader, that is, a group leader.” Lin Yue looked around at everyone, his eyes shining with an unprecedented light. “But this group leader will not be appointed by me, but will be openly competed for by everyone’s own ability and prestige.”
"Now, anyone who is willing and confident in leading a group can step forward. Then, you can introduce your abilities and plans to the whole town, and all the townspeople can freely choose the team members who are willing to follow you. The team that receives the most support and is most trusted by the people will be officially established, and you will be the leader."
This brand-new system, full of competition and opportunities, instantly ignited everyone's enthusiasm.
“However,” Lin Yue emphasized, “the team leader position is not for life. We will conduct a public evaluation of the output and contributions of all teams every quarter. The evaluation criteria are the quantity of materials submitted by your team, the quality and progress of the completed projects, and the average work points earned by your team members.”
"The team with the best evaluation results will receive additional supplies and work points as rewards, and will have priority in exchanging for new furniture and even priority in being allocated new houses."
"For groups that rank last in the evaluation twice in a row, if everyone feels that the person in charge is not capable, they can hold a vote at any time to elect a new, more capable person to replace him. If the person in charge is found to have embezzled materials or deducted points from group members, he will be dismissed immediately and punished in accordance with the town's rules."
At this point, Lin Yue looked around at everyone, his tone becoming more solemn and serious than ever before:
"This rule applies to everyone, including me, Lin Yue."
“From today onward, Hope Town will no longer be a place where I make all the decisions. Any major decisions concerning the fate of the entire town, such as going to war with foreign powers, admitting new large-scale members, or amending the fundamental laws we have jointly formulated, must be discussed and decided by our core meeting. In the future, they may even require the consent of all town representatives before they can be implemented.”
“If one day I make a wrong decision that harms the interests of Hopetown, or if I become lazy, muddle-headed, and no longer care about everyone, all of you have the right to stand up against me and even remove me from my position as mayor.”
"Because Hope Town is a home that belongs to each and every one of us."
Everyone stared at Lin Yue in shock. They never expected that Lin Yue, the one who built Hope Town, would entrust everything about Hope Town to them to share.
"Don't all look at me! Let's start the selection of group leaders for Hope Town now!"
Li Ge was the first to step forward. He patted his muscular chest and roared in a deep voice, "Me! I want to be the captain of the construction team. I promise I will lead the brothers to build our city wall as quickly as possible!"
A chorus of support immediately rose up behind him, with Amu and Tie Niu being the first to stand beside him.
Kailan stepped forward with a smile. Unlike Li Ge, he didn't shout loudly, but calmly addressed the crowd: "Wood has life. I... and my people... are willing... to use our hands... to give them a second life. I hope... to become... the head of the woodworking workshop."
Old Bud, this highly respected old farmer, unsurprisingly became the undisputed head of the agricultural planting group. Several refugees with planting experience immediately expressed their willingness to follow him and learn how to grow those magical mutated crops.
Mia and Aunt Leah exchanged a glance, smiled, and stepped forward. They decided to join forces to take charge of the most complex and important logistics support team. Their management skills and meticulousness had already won everyone's approval.
Uncle Stone Fist snorted, looked around with a "who dares to compete with me?" look, and finally said in a muffled voice, "The forging workshop and the firing workshop are both under my management! But I don't have time to be some lousy foreman, I'm only responsible for the technology. You need to find me a few reliable guys who aren't afraid of hard work to be foremen and help me manage the daily chores."
Ella smiled and stood beside Stonefist. She bowed to Stonefist and said, "Master Stonefist, your...fire control...skills...are truly admirable."
Immediately afterward, Norm and several other young people who were passionate about the firing technique volunteered: "Uncle Stonefist! We'll work for you. Although you scold people fiercely, what you teach is really effective."
After spending so much time together, the residents of Hope Town have long since transformed their initial vague rejection and fear of this hot-tempered but highly skilled dwarf master into heartfelt respect and trust.
Gray silently approached several of the most agile and composed Silent Speakers and young humans, his eyes seeking their consent. Soon, a well-trained, mixed patrol team assembled around him.
A more dynamic, efficient, and equitable community management system is quietly taking shape.
From this moment on, Hope Town truly possessed a self-driven and self-developing spirit.
[System Notification: The community management system has undergone a major upgrade, and the [Production Team Responsibility System] has been successfully established. Community cohesion, production enthusiasm, and resource utilization efficiency have significantly improved, management skills and experience points have exploded, and the achievement [Cornerstone of Hope] has been unlocked.]
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