Chapter 1207, It Is Time to Draw Things to a Close

Translator: Silavin

 

Ever since the Flame Dragon Tribe decided to expand outward, every single person in the Tribe had begun to stir into motion.

 

The strong and able-bodied were tasked with felling the trees. Those with less physical strength worked together to haul the cut timber to a designated area.

 

Then, with the Warriors lending their hands, pit after pit was dug out across the ground. The whole scene was extremely lively.

 

The wide road leading out from the Flame Dragon Tribe’s main gate had already been completed. What remained now was to begin constructing houses along both sides of it.

 

Su Bai came from the Yong’an Building to the forest with Ye Jiu escorting him, wanting to see how the works were progressing.

 

“Shaman, the foundations should all be ready before the rainy season arrives.” Sha Lan looked out over the now-unobstructed forest as she spoke.

 

In only a single month, starting from the Flame Dragon Tribe as the centre point, roughly the equivalent of fifty football fields worth of forest had been levelled into flat ground.

 

On average, two to three football fields’ worth of forest were being cleared each day. It was, by any measure, an exceptionally fast pace.

 

Then again, with every person in the Tribe mobilised and other Tribes lending their help as well, it would have been strange if things moved slowly.

 

Felling the trees, dragging them aside, then beginning to dig the foundation; it all flowed as one continuous effort.

 

The sight of over a thousand people working together at once was a lively one indeed, and progress moved quickly.

 

“That should be about right. Once the rainy season passes, construction on the houses will begin. With some luck, a whole new district will be finished before the snow season ends.” Su Bai gave a satisfied nod.

 

He had, in effect, redirected every available hand toward developing the forest. If such numbers still could not get the job done, then the fault would lie entirely in his own planning.

 

“Shaman, at this rate, one could say our Tribe will be the largest there is.” Sha Lan could not help but give a sigh of wonder.

 

The Flame Dragon Tribe had already been like a Medium Tribe before. What was now being developed outward was four or five times the size of the original settlement. Even the largest of ordinary Tribes amounted to no more than three of the old Flame Dragon Tribe combined. Thus, the scale of what was being built was not difficult to imagine.

 

“More or less. You’d need at least this much land before it could be called a city, wouldn’t you?” Su Bai smiled faintly.

 

He actually thought the area was still a touch small. Back in the modern world, a patch of land this size would at best qualify as a small county town.

 

But these things had to be done step by step. One could not swallow something whole in a single bite. Su Bai understood well enough that he had to start somewhere before he could plan for what came next.

 

“Shaman, I’ve noticed that quite a few areas have strips of land set aside between them. Are those for paving cement roads later on?” Yan Hua asked, blinking her scarlet eyes.

 

“That’s right. The streets will all need to be properly planned out. They must be orderly and well-organised. That is the most important characteristic of a city. It also makes management far more convenient.”

 

Su Bai walked along, taking in the surroundings, and continued, “Eventually, every building will need a number, and every unit within it will have a door number as well. I intend to develop a food delivery system in the future.”

 

In his mind, a city had to be neatly laid out: houses in proper rows, every street connecting back to the main road. That was what a city was supposed to feel like.

 

And once door numbers were in place, developing other kinds of business would follow naturally.

 

Take deliveries, for instance, or food deliveries. With door numbers, goods could be brought right to the doorstep.

 

“What is a food delivery?” Yan Hua asked curiously.

 

“You’ll understand when the time comes. It’s a bit too complicated to explain to you right now.” Su Bai did not intend to rush into it.

 

Besides, it was still a long way off. There was no possibility of making it happen any time soon.

 

For food delivery to function, there would need to be some means of communication first. Without that, how would orders be placed? How would a runner know where to go?

 

It was the same problem with general deliveries. If someone had not purchased something through a platform, how would goods be sent to their door?

 

“All right.” Yan Hua was clearly curious, but she just nodded.

 

“By the way, how is the development of the steam carriage coming along? It has been over a year now, actually closer to two years.” Su Bai asked.

 

He had begun working on the steam engine quite a long time ago.

 

He wanted to see a steam carriage in this Primitive Era.

 

As for steam trains, he had set that idea aside for the time being. With the resources available in this Primitive Era, manufacturing a train was simply a step too far.

 

“I asked over at the workshop. They said that in a little while, Shaman will be able to come and inspect the results.” Sha Lan replied at once.

 

She had been keeping a close eye on this matter herself. Ever since hearing of the steam carriage plan, she had been looking forward to the day it would be completed.

 

After all, there was not a person alive who could resist the pull of an iron box that moved on its own, especially not someone from a Primitive Era.

 

It sounded so extraordinary. The impact it would carry was certain to surpass even a carriage pulled by Ferocious Beasts.

 

“Good. Once this is developed, our Tribe’s progress will have made a genuine leap in quality.” Su Bai said with satisfaction.

 

He was already impatient to see the steam carriage. He wanted to ride it out to visit other Tribes as well.

 

Riding a flying Ferocious Beast or a swift one on land was perfectly fine, of course, but nothing from this world carried the same sense of familiarity as something from the modern world.

 

“Shaman, there has been no news from Spotted Deer for a while now. The snow season ended over a month ago. The Dark Scorpion Tribe will likely make their move soon.” Yan Hua said, worry plain in her voice.

 

Yan Hua had watched the Tribe grow more prosperous with each passing day, and that only deepened her worry about the Dark Scorpion Tribe.

 

After all, until that matter was settled, it would remain a problem. That Tribe had become something like a festering wound on this part of the land.

 

It was also the single greatest obstacle standing in the way of the Flame Dragon Tribe’s continued growth. It had to be removed, one way or another.

 

“It should not be long now. Barring anything unexpected, news will arrive within the next day or two. Then our Tribe can begin to prepare.” Su Bai said evenly.

 

In truth, the closer this day drew, the calmer he felt. There had perhaps been a flicker of tension before. Now that feeling was completely gone.

 

“Shaman, our Tribe will absolutely be victorious, won’t it?” Yu Ying asked, her voice dropping to a small murmur.

 

She had been quiet the whole time, listening without a word while the others spoke.

 

But when the Dark Scorpion Tribe was mentioned, Yu Ying’s worry surfaced at once.

 

“Don’t worry. With me here, nothing will go wrong for our Tribe.” Su Bai ruffled her hair gently.

 

He glanced toward the distance, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. He felt that it was time to draw this particular matter to a close.