The next day, a system announcement resounded throughout the world.
"World Announcement: Congratulations to player Jack Dawson of the United States for becoming the second Lord to be promoted to Marquis in the world. You will be given the title of Liberty Marquis, and you will be rewarded 15,000 reputation points. You will be rewarded accordingly in your city."
After Ouyang Shuo, there was finally a second Lord in the world who was promoted to Marquis. This meant that the fight for the number one county was no longer a one-man show for Ouyang Shuo.
Shanhai County had yet to be promoted, giving Jack Dawson's Liberty County a chance.
If Jack Dawson did not care about the completion rate and hurriedly completed the two missions, he might very well take the honor of being the world's number one county before Shanhai County.
Ouyang Shuo could not be sure if Jack Dawson would disregard everything for the honor of being the world's number one county. After all, Jack Dawson had lost a county at the county level even though he had the upper hand. Now that he had lost, his desire for victory must be even stronger. He could not tolerate another loss.
Ouyang Shuo was the world's number one county. The Western Lords had been suppressing their anger for a long time. They swore to regain their right to speak and not let Ouyang Shuo's Eastern Territory outshine others.
If Jack could take the title of world's number one county, then all the gloominess would vanish.
For a moment, Ouyang Shuo was in a dilemma.
Should he pursue a 100% completion rate, or should he choose to preserve the honor of being the world's number one county?
Regarding this question, the Alliance of Mountains and Seas was divided.
Siege Lion, Suan Ni, and Song Wen supported preserving the honor. The reason was that it would increase the sense of honor and help raise the prestige of the Alliance of Mountains and Seas in the China region and even the world.
More importantly, Ouyang Shuo had taken the world's number one town and the world's number one county. If he did not continue to work hard and take the honor of being the world's number one county, it would easily cause criticism.
This was how people were. When you won glory for the country, they would naturally be full of praise and would want nothing more than to praise you to the heavens. At the same time, they were also forgetful. Once you lost glory, then criticism and abuse would come like a tide, drowning you, pulling you down from your pedestal, and wantonly whipping you. They would not care about the glory you had won before.
Although Song Wen and the others' understanding was biased, it was still very profound and not without reason.
Bai Hua, Feng Qiuhuang, and Dragon Seeking Acupoint all supported the idea that completing the quest was their number one priority. Honor was just an empty title. Obtaining a tangible reward was the wisest choice.
After all, Shanhai County had already made a name for itself in the world. The honor of being the number one county in the world wouldn't add much to Shanhai County's glory. Why should they give up the real benefits for the sake of fame?
Both sides had their own arguments, causing Ouyang Shuo to be placed in an even more difficult position.
Frankly speaking, Ouyang Shuo naturally hoped to achieve three consecutive championships in one go. But rationally, he was more inclined to agree with Bai Hua and the others.
In his previous life, he had never heard of a lord completing four quests at the same time and achieving a 100% completion rate. Thinking back to the village building mission that he had just entered the game, it was not hard to imagine that the mission reward would be very generous. There might even be some hidden unique reward. How could he not be tempted?
The only variable was the mission to recruit historical figures. There were simply too many uncertainties.
Ouyang Shuo firmly believed that with the characteristics and popularity of Shanhai County's territory, it was impossible for it to not attract historical figures to join it.
The key was time.
Ouyang Shuo had to make a decision. He could not have his cake and eat it too.
In the end, Ouyang Shuo decided to ignore Jack Dawson and focus on completing his own quest. Just as Ouyang Shuo decided to give up on the fight for glory, the system played a huge joke on him.
On the 5th day of the 12th month of the first year of Gaia, only two days had passed since Jack Dawson was conferred the title of Marquis of Liberty. Wei Ran and her daughter, Wei Lan, arrived at Shanhai County through the Shanhai County office in Xianyang City.
Who was Wei Ran? She was a veteran of three dynasties in the Qin Kingdom and the Lord of Martial Peace Bai Qi. When she heard that Bai Qi had become a general in Shanhai County, she specially came to seek shelter. Firstly, she wanted to become an official in Shanhai County. Secondly, she wanted to help her daughter, Wei Lan, reunite with her husband.
There was no doubt that historical figures had their own relay system with the support of Gaia. Otherwise, with all the players' territories being built in the wilderness, without accurate information, how could these historical figures choose where to become officials? They could not just let a blind cat run into a dead mouse!
The popularity of the territory came into play through this hidden relay system. The higher the popularity of the territory, the faster the information about the territory would reach the ears of the various historical figures.
Wei Ran was a person with a strong desire for power. After the Battle of Changping, she automatically joined the game process and descended to the Main Plane. Previously, he had been gathering information from all sides, preparing to find a good next target.
Bai Qi was placed in an important position in Shanhai County. Finally, Wei Ran made up her mind to become an official in Shanhai County. Coupled with his daughter, Wei Lan, there was no reason not to choose Shanhai County.
[Name]: Wei Ran (King Level)
[Title]: Duke of Rang
[Dynasty]: Warring States (Qin)
[Identity]: Official of Shanhai County
[Occupation]: Civil Official
[Loyalty]: 75
[Commander]: 50 [Martial Power]: 48 [Intelligence]: 72 [Politics]: 75
[Specialty]: Proficient in both literature and martial arts (increases security of the territory by 25%), Discerning Eye (increases talent development rate of the territory by 10%), Assessing the situation (increases work efficiency by 15%)
[Evaluation]: The Marquis of Rang is wise and adaptable. He relied on the Empress Dowager internally and assisted Prince Zhao externally. Four times he ascended to the position of Prime Minister, and then he was conferred the title of Governor. Destroy Qi, scratch Chu, break Wei, besiege Liang. Once a man speaks, he dies of grief and indignation.
Wei Ran's arrival made Ouyang Shuo ecstatic, sweeping away the haze in his heart.
The scene of Bai Qi and Wei Lan's reunion was not as sentimental as he had imagined. Bai Qi was an iron-blooded man. Even though he was reunited with his wife, he could not lose his usual calmness.
Upon closer inspection, a trace of tenderness could be seen in Bai Qi's eyes.
With Zi Su's help, Wei Ran lived in the official district, which was next to Bai Qi's General's Mansion. As for the official positions, they would have to wait until the territory was promoted to the next level.
Under Ouyang Shuo's instructions, there were only three or four outstanding scholars who had migrated to Shanhai County from Quanzhou for the Mazu Temple Fair. Under the instructions of Ouyang Shuo, the Administrative Office did not assign specific positions to them.
After settling everything, Ouyang Shuo rushed to the Conference Hall to prepare for the promotion of the territory.
Ouyang Shuo opened the control panel of the territory and clicked on the promotion of the territory. He heard the sound of a system notification.
System Notification: Congratulations to player Not Say You Have Clothes. All four promotion tasks have been completed. Do you want to promote the territory?
"Yes!"
The territory's stone tablet rose, and a golden ray of light soared into the sky. It exploded in the sky, turning into a golden halo that spread in all directions. The halo extended to the new border of the territory before disappearing again.
System Notification: Congratulations to player Not Say You Have Clothes for promoting the territory to a Level 1 County City. The county-level Lord's Mansion has automatically been promoted to a County Lord's Mansion. Please check for yourself!
At the County City, there were no more basic buildings for the Lord to randomly select. Everything was built by the territory itself.
Immediately after, a series of system announcements rang.
"System Announcement: Congratulations to player Not Say You Have Clothes for becoming the first Lord of the China server to promote to a Level 1 County City. The reward is 4,400 Merit Points!"
…
The Merit Points reward at the County City stage was double that of the County Lord stage. However, for Ouyang Shuo's noble title, it was just a drop in the bucket.
As soon as the announcement was made, the China server was in an uproar. All the players were witnessing another highlight of the China server.
As expected, right after the system announcement, the World Announcement rang out.
"World Announcement: Congratulations to player Not Say You Have Clothes for becoming the first Lord of the China server to promote to a Level 1 County City. The reward is 8,000 Merit Points, 10,000 Reputation Points, and the title of the Number One County in the World for the Shanhai County!"
…
"World Announcement: Congratulations to player Not Say You Have Clothes for completing the four territory promotion quests. The completion rate is 100%. The reward is a special building — a library!"
…
At this point, Ouyang Shuo was lucky enough to win three championships in a row, becoming the undisputed overlord of the entire world.
As soon as the World Announcement was made, the whole world fell silent.
The Western world was dead silent. Ouyang Shuo's strength made the Western Lords feel suffocated. No one paid attention to the library. Everyone's eyes were focused on Ouyang Shuo's grand achievement of three championships in a row.
Jack Dawson shouted in the World Announcement, "Congratulations to Not Say You Have Clothes!" To be able to become a feudal lord, there was no one who was narrow-minded. Even if they lost, they had to lose with grace.
"Thank you!" Ouyang Shuo replied in a friendly manner.
After dealing with the miscellaneous matters, Ouyang Shuo finally had time to check the territory's stats.
[Territory]: Shanhai Territory
[Lord]: The Marquis of Lianzhou, Not Say You Have Clothes (Second Rank Marquis)
[Title]: World's Number One County (Increases territory popularity by 50)
[Title]: The Land of Martial Arts (Increases the physical fitness of territory residents by 20)
[Governing Place]: Shanhai City (Level 1 County City)
[Governing Population]: 100,000/500,000
[Refugee Respawn Rate]: 500 (1 + 50) = 750 refugees per day
[Territory Area]: 50000 square kilometers
[Territory Characteristics]: Slight
[Political Index]: 75/100 (Determines administrative efficiency, relates to popular sentiment)
[Economic Index]: 68/100 (Determines trade prosperity, relates to tax revenue)
[Cultural Index]: 70/100 (Determines education development, relates to the quality of residents)
[Military Index]: 78/100 (Determines military strength, relates to stable relationships)
[Subordinate Counties]: Beihai County, Qiushui County, Youyi County
[Financial Institution]: Four Seas Bank
[Territory Chamber of Commerce]: Cui's Chamber of Commerce, Hequan Chamber of Commerce
[Territory Association]: Textile Association, Fishery Association
[Territory Special Products]: Lianzhou Three Flower Wine, Colorful Silk, White Tea
[Special Building]: Library
[Hidden Building]: Mazu Temple, Recruitment Hall, Yellow Emperor Temple
List of Basic Construction Buildings:
[Barbican]: One of the main defensive facilities of the city, a small semi-circular or square city built outside the city gate for protection. Construction Requirement: 50000 units of green bricks, 10000 units of stone materials. Construction Time: 20 days
[Art Academy]: The official office in charge of painting. Apart from painting all kinds of paintings, it is also responsible for the identification and arrangement of paintings, as well as the training of painting students. Construction Requirement: High-level painter, architectural drawings of the Art Academy, 10000 units of wood, 10000 units of green bricks, 8000 units of stone materials. Construction Time: 15 days
[Distribution Center]: The central area where goods are distributed and gathered. Construction Requirement: 20000 units of wood, 40000 units of green bricks, 20000 units of stone materials. Construction Time: 15 days
Compared to the county city, there were some new changes in the territory attributes interface of the county city.
Firstly, the territory and the administrative center were separated, and the two were no longer mentioned together. After the county city, the territory management would become more complicated. The focus of management would no longer be limited to the headquarters, but the construction of the subsidiary territories was equally important.
The administrative center was where the territory capital was located.
In the case of the Shanhai Territory, apart from the administrative center, Shanhai City, there were eight counties under the Blind Prefecture, which far exceeded the size of Shanhai City. Therefore, it was somewhat inappropriate to use Shanhai City to represent the territory.
As the pace of territory expansion accelerated, this situation would become more and more obvious.
Secondly, the three attributes of [Blind Prefecture County], [Financial Institution], and [Territory Chamber of Commerce] were added, which meant that the territory management had entered a higher level.
The upper limit of the population of a first-class county city was directly increased by five times, reaching 500,000. Even with the strong territorial characteristics of Shanhai City, it would take a year and a half to reach the upper limit again.
What did this mean? It meant that after the county city, if the territory wanted to achieve rapid development, it would have to plunder people from outside. It would take a long time to rely on refugees.
It was precisely because of this that Ouyang Shuo implemented the strategy of "breeding poisonous insects" in the Lianzhou Basin. The purpose was to store enough population in the Lianzhou Basin in preparation for the promotion of the territory.
Along with the upper limit of population, the territory area also increased. It occupied a fifth of the land in the Lianzhou Basin, which meant that Yongye County, Guangshui County, Yishui County, and Gushan County would officially be under the jurisdiction of the territory.
After the county city, the number of basic buildings decreased abruptly. There were only a pitiful three new basic buildings. Among the three buildings, the barbican was a necessary facility for the construction of the outer city wall.
The art academy was also simple. Just like the chess academy, it could be built directly in the Southwest University China Hall. The only condition was that one had to spend 2,000 gold coins to purchase a blueprint of the art academy.
Of course, the prerequisite was that there must be at least one high-level painter. This was easy. Among the scholars who immigrated from Quanzhou, there were ready-made painters, so Ouyang Shuo did not need to worry.
Lastly, the distribution center symbolized the transformation of Shanhai City from a self-sufficient city to a central city. Its influence began to spread to the surrounding prefectures and counties.
Finally, there was the library rewarded by the system.
The library was designated by Ouyang Shuo to be inside the Southwest University China Hall. It would serve as the library of the Southwest University China Hall. As for the specific attributes, Ouyang Shuo did not have the time to check them.
In any case, it must be extraordinary for the system to take it out as a reward. (To be continued.)
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