The morning sun peeked through the thin veil of clouds as birds chirped carelessly above the dusty wooden rooftops. Yang Xu stood in front of a crooked wooden board hastily hammered onto a pole, with characters scrawled in a mix of proper script and chicken-scratch handwriting:
"Great Tang Model County... Construction Underway... All Complaints, Bribes, and Ghost Sightings, Report to the Head!"
"Good. Very proper. Very cultured," Yang Xu muttered, admiring his own masterpiece while scratching his neck.
Behind him, the so-called "model county" was still half a forest with barely cleared roads, one creaky bridge, and a cluster of shacks pretending to be administrative buildings. From afar, it looked like a group of squatters had taken over a piece of imperial land and were hoping no one would notice.
Old Zhao stood nearby, squinting at a pile of hay meant to serve as roofing.
"Master Yang… are we truly calling this a model county?" he asked, adjusting his sleeves, which were fraying again. "Wouldn't that be a bit… misleading?"
Yang Xu gave him a side-eye. "Zhao Bo, you're being too realistic. It's called marketing. You don't tell people 'Hey, this is a mess and we're building as we go'. You tell them, 'It's a visionary project with rustic aesthetics'..."
Old Zhao blinked slowly. "…What's a marketing?"
Before Yang Xu could reply, a soft chime echoed in his mind.
Ding! Infrastructure milestone triggered. Basic administrative zone formed. Reward: Agriculture Module Upgrade – Level 1 unlocked!
Details: You may now view seasonal planting forecasts, optimal crop zones, and soil fertility reports via the system panel.
Yang Xu's eyes lit up.
"Zhao Bo! From this day on, we will no longer throw seeds randomly and hope for miracles. We're about to farm... scientifically."
Old Zhao frowned. "Do you mean… no more praying to the wind god for good harvest?"
Yang Xu clapped him on the back. "Only during festivals... We still respect the gods... But let's also use that southwest field for soybeans. The soil acidity there is low and moisture retention's solid."
Old Zhao stared at him like he'd seen a reincarnated agricultural immortal.
Within hours, word had spread through the village-turned-county.
"The Lord knows how to talk to the soil!"
"The Lord speaks to invisible spirits that give farming advice!"
"We're rich!"
Yang Xu rubbed his temples as a woman offered incense to him, begging for good yam harvests.
"Please stop. I'm not a land god, I'm your magistrate."
"Land god magistrate! Accept our prayers!"
The system dinged again.
Ding! Morale in county has increased by 11%... Hidden Achievement Unlocked: "Farm Deity in the Flesh." Reward: +5 points to Administration Skill.
Yang Xu chuckled bitterly.
"Fine, fine, believe what you want... Just plant those damn yams where I told you."
Later that week, construction had somehow progressed. A shallow trench network was dug, which Yang Xu grandly called the "proto-drainage system." Villagers just thought it was a place to dump dishwater.
Yang Xu stood proudly atop a bamboo scaffold, overlooking the organized chaos.
"We need a livestock area next," he muttered. "But where do I even find pigs? The bandits took half the wild boars..."
Old Zhao walked up, looking particularly pleased.
"We've captured three escaped goats from the nearby forest, Master Yang."
Yang Xu's eyes gleamed. "Perfect. Train them. No... feed them. Then breed them."
"…We don't know how to train goats, Young Master."
"Exactly. This is your training arc too..."
By the end of the month, the county... if one could still call it that... had changed. It still looked rough and half-finished, but there were visible zones now: an agricultural field sprouting soybeans and yams, a muddy central path dubbed "Main Road," and a square that housed both the office and the village meeting spot.
Yang Xu leaned against a pole, sipping hot yam soup, watching children roll in the dirt as if it were gold dust.
The county wasn't much... but it was alive.
And for now... that was enough.
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[System Prompt: Crop Selection – Yam]
Yam selected as staple root crop.Native to the region. Grows well in poor soil. Stores long. Tastes decent when you're starving.Bonus: Recognized in traditional medicine for boosting energy—no magical qi nonsense, but your villagers might believe it.Sweet potatoes are not given as it is not found in tang dynasty and this almighty system doesn't like sweet potato.
go ahead and report this almighty system if you can, Hmph! .