“By the way, Future Commander,” Wang Yuexi said, “the first step of clearing the silt for the irrigation works is almost complete. A preliminary canal has also been dug. However, we’ve yet to make any progress on our plan to procure the crop seeds.”
Wang Yuexi and the others had planned the irrigation works with a three-step approach. The first step would be to clear the silt and dig up the sand to clear the old rivers that had dried up or diverted in the past. Then they would only proceed after a new river basin was formed in the vicinity of Stronghold 144.
At that point, they could start reclaiming the land. Although it would still be very difficult for them to fetch water for farming, they could at least start working.
The second step was to build a reservoir and sluices to drain the river. Now was the time to complete all the irrigation infrastructure in case another flood suddenly arrived during the coming year and ruined all their efforts.
The third step was to finalize the layout of the irrigation canals so they would be more effective and allow the people to farm more efficiently.
With the full cooperation of the Northwest Chamber of Commerce, the first step was completed very quickly. But if there were no seeds, it would be impossible to continue.
Ren Xiaosu was thinking of a solution when Zhang Xiaoman suddenly ran over and said, “Future Commander, a Qing Consortium merchant caravan has arrived from the South. They said that they wanted to see you. Their leader calls himself Xu Man!”
Ren Xiaosu was taken aback for a moment. Then he led everyone out of the stronghold. Xu Man was an old acquaintance of his and could be considered Qing Zhen and Luo Lan’s trusted aide.
When they arrived outside the stronghold, everyone saw a long convoy of trucks parked in the empty space outside the city. Xu Man was waiting there.
“Why didn’t you enter the stronghold?” Ren Xiaosu asked curiously.
Xu Man smiled and said, “I have other matters I have to attend to, so I’m gonna leave after I see you, Future Commander.”
Honestly, Xu Man also felt a little emotional. When he first met Ren Xiaosu, Ren Xiaosu was just a normal refugee. But now, he had become the future commander of the Northwest.
Ren Xiaosu said to Xu Man with a smile, “It feels like you’re always very busy. Every time I see you, you have to leave in a hurry.”
“There’s nothing I can do about that. There’s things that need to be seen to.” Xu Man said, “Mr. Qing Zhen asked me to deliver the seeds here. They’re all loaded inside the trucks behind me. On top of that, I’ve also brought a sales agreement that covers a year of low-cost food supplies. Although the Wang Consortium is unwilling to sell food to the Northwest, our Qing Consortium is.”
“Only for a year?” Ren Xiaosu asked.
“Yes. Mr. Qing Zhen said that if you all can survive this year, you won’t have to buy any more food from the Qing Consortium in the future,” Xu Man said.
Ren Xiaosu felt a little emotional. Perhaps saving Luo Lan from the Experimentals back then was his wisest decision.
“But Luo Lan previously mentioned that he wanted to come and visit the Northwest. Why isn’t he here this time?” Ren Xiaosu asked.
Xu Man’s expression turned strange. “Boss Luo is currently trying to lose weight.”
…
To be precise, Luo Lan was not trying to lose weight. Instead, he had a very specific goal of training his body and willpower. He hoped to use this training to quickly raise the level of his superpower and mental strength.
This was hellish training that would last for half a year, and Zhou Qi was appointed as his instructor.
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At this moment, Zhou Qi was lying on a recliner in a valley in the Southwest and eating some freshly ripened peaches with a hint of smugness. He was wearing a pair of sunglasses that covered half his face and a checkered shirt with a pair of loose-fitting shorts. He resembled a rich man from before The Cataclysm taking a vacation at the beach.
Next to Zhou Qi was a pool where a sparkling waterfall cascaded down from a hundred-meter cliff.
Meanwhile, Luo Lan was shirtless and doing a horse stance under the waterfall.
Zhou Qi took a bite of the peach and said leisurely as he chewed, “I’ve been through the same training as well. Don’t worry, it’ll definitely work. But you have to persevere. If you want to raise the level of your superpower, you’ll have to train until you’re exhausted each time. Otherwise, it won’t be effective.”
Luo Lan could not hear what Zhou Qi was saying at all under the waterfall. He only knew that the bastard was probably gloating at his suffering.
In the past, Zhou Qi would have to be paid for anything he was asked to do. But this time, Zhou Qi did not even ask for a single cent for being his trainer. In fact, he even enjoyed it.
Some military tents had also been set up not far away from the shore. Some soldiers on the inside were busily preparing dinner for Zhou Qi. In fact, they were extremely well-equipped for this expedition into the mountains.
When the water falling from the cliff hit Luo Lan, he bitterly kept his eyes closed while trying to bear the crushing weight. Honestly, he was very determined. When he performed the horse stance at the bottom of the waterfall for the first time, the duration he lasted went beyond Zhou Qi’s expectations.
Initially, Zhou Qi thought the lazy fatty would go back on his word and slack off. After all, the man was never one to sit down if he could lie down.
Before Zhou Qi came into the mountains, he had said to Luo Lan, “I wonder what’s gotten into you. You’re actually insisting on putting yourself through training? It would already be quite good if you could last for three days based on the intensity of this training.”
But to Zhou Qi’s surprise, Luo Lan had already persisted for half a month.
Moreover, Luo Lan even managed to endure the waterfall for an hour during his first training session. Now that half a month had passed, the man could endure the waterfall for six hours.
Every day, Luo Lan would exhaust himself until he nearly vomited blood. This made Zhou Qi, his instructor, extremely bored. He was deriving absolutely no sense of pleasure from torturing him.
In Zhou Qi’s words, “I didn’t accept any money to be your trainer because I wanted to tell you off when you were slacking. If you can bear it so well, I’ll have to start charging you…”
But Luo Lan did not care about that. Sometimes, after soaking in the pool for too long, he would realize he had not reached his limits yet after he got ashore, so he would even carry a full combat load and start running long distance.
At this moment, Zhou Qi shouted towards the waterfall, “It’s already been six hours. Come on out. Your body won’t be able to take it if you stay any longer.”
As he spoke, the waterfall was parted by Zhou Qi’s water-manipulation power. It was as though someone had lifted a roller shutter.
Luo Lan wiped his face and walked ashore with some water still dripping down his face. He said to a soldier, “Bring me a full combat load. I haven’t reached my limits yet. I have to train for a bit longer.”
Zhou Qi was taken aback. “Fatty, what’s wrong with you? Why have you suddenly become so motivated? Did someone provoke you? You don’t usually have to take part in battles, so why are you working so hard?”
“As if you’d understand.” Luo Lan wiped his body down with a towel and said, “I can only keep training myself to strengthen my willpower. Only then can my comrades in the Martyr’s Palace get summoned out more often. Think about it, if my mental strength is enough for them to remain outside for 24 hours a day, they won’t have to endure the darkness inside the Martyr’s Palace anymore.”
Zhou Qi was stunned. “It’s just that? Weren’t you trying to become stronger to unify the Alliance of Strongholds or something?”
“What’s the point of unifying the Alliance of Strongholds?” Luo Lan said disdainfully, “I’m only doing it for my own objective, is there a problem?”
“No problem.” For once, Zhou Qi did not continue ridiculing Luo Lan any further.