Ethan immediately asked, a bit puzzled, "What happened? Why are you so excited?"
The Earth Dragon Laborer explained with evident delight, "After we went to the orc camp, we found a whole warehouse of food reserves. We have no idea why the Orc Dark Lord was storing so much food, but for us, it's a good thing!"
Ethan nodded, then opened the system interface to find that his food storage had jumped to 2352.
He was taken aback by the significant increase not just in food but also other resources.
After a moment of contemplation, Ethan wondered...
Had he stumbled upon a path to riches?
If things continued at this pace, just a few more attacks on Dark Lord camps would ensure he wouldn't lack resources.
Even now, without further resource gathering, his current stockpile could sustain him for quite a long time.
This provided a basis for protracted battles.
Moreover, the Earth Dragon Laborers would no longer need to farm or gather resources, freeing them up to explore unknown areas.
The more Ethan thought about it, the more he hoped for more short-sighted Dark Lords to cause him trouble.
He then turned his attention to the various flashing buttons on the system interface.
He hadn't opened the system for several days and was surprised to find so many new features.
He first opened the construction panel.
Many buildings had been unlocked: Hunter's Cabin, Fishing Grounds, Processing Factory, and Training Ground. Ethan inspected them one by one.
The Hunter's Cabin, true to its name, allowed followers to be stationed there, capturing game from the surrounding forest with minimal impact on the environment.
The healthier the environment, the more game they could catch each day.
A Hunter's Cabin required 60 units of wood and 30 units of iron.
The Fishing Grounds could only be built near a lake, much like the Hunter's Cabin.
It maintained the surrounding environment while catching fish.
The larger the lake, the more fish could be caught.
Compared to the cabin, the Fishing Grounds required less wood but more iron: 40 units of wood and 50 units of iron.
The Processing Factory was where food could be processed, turning various types of meat into dried or smoked food.
This significantly extended the food storage time and increased food efficiency.
For instance, a piece of raw fish that previously only counted as one unit of food could, after processing, count as two.
The Processing Factory was just as expensive as the Blacksmith's Shop, requiring 200 units of wood, 100 units of iron, and some wood as fuel.
The Training Ground had to do with soldiers, enhancing their morale and slightly increasing their physical fitness.
Although it wouldn't influence their specialization, it would improve their judgment in war.
For example, orc warriors who would surrender as soon as their lord died would, after training, fight to the death—better to shatter than to remain intact but inferior!
The Training Ground only required 100 units of wood and 50 units of iron, making it the cheapest building.
After inspecting the different buildings, Ethan decided to first build a Processing Factory since most of the food obtained from the Orc Dark Lord was meat.
Next would be the Training Ground to strengthen the warriors' morale and slightly enhance their physical fitness, which would also boost their combat effectiveness to some extent.
Ethan summoned all the Earth Dragon Laborers, except for the four still at the farm, to the camp.
He opened the mini-map and decided to place the Processing Factory diagonally opposite the warehouse, making it convenient to transport food back and forth.
If the factory caught fire, he wouldn't have to worry about the safety of the warehouse.
He subsequently placed the Training Ground on a patch of open ground, devoid of any buildings.
Sixteen Earth Dragon Laborers set to work right away, and a countdown timer popped up on the mini-map.
The Processing Factory was due for completion in 32 hours, while the Training Ground would be ready in just 10 hours.
Next, Ethan summoned an additional 10 Earth Dragon Laborers to join the construction crew.
The construction time for the Processing Factory dropped to 20 hours, while the Training Ground would be ready in just 3 hours.
Ethan nodded in satisfaction.
His present self could be described as "rolling in dough", the resources he had captured were simply too many.
His message box was filled with information about various types of resources and food.
After arranging for the buildings, he turned his attention to the troops.
As expected, an update was available.
Ethan's gaze hardened as he realized that to unlock new troops, he had to own at least one of each type of troop previously unlocked.
Ethan turned to the description of the new troops.
The newly unlocked troops took him by surprise.
[Divine Dragon Defender], a C-grade monster, with a summoning cost of 100 food, 50 wood, and 200 iron.
Description: The strongest tank in the early Dragon Clan, holding a surprising wide iron shield in both hands, it can defend against most physical attacks. However, it is slightly slow and has a slow attack speed.
[Divine Dragon Angel], a C+ grade monster, with a summoning cost of 500 food, 200 wood, 300 iron, 100 energy powder, and a pair of White Phoenix feathers.
Description: A powerful warrior of the early Dragon Clan. Although very strong, the summoning conditions are stringent. It has a short flight capability and a short-term healing skill, but low defense.
[Divine Dragon Apothecary], a D-grade monster. Summoning cost: 200 food, 100 wood, and 50 energy powder.
Description: Can adjust various kinds of herbs to make potions with different effects. It can work in the Processing Factory but will lose its potion-making ability. Add a new term: Five-star chef. The drying of meat strips becomes extremely simple, with a 50% reduction in the failure rate.
Without hesitation, Ethan summoned the Divine Dragon Apothecary.
After a flash of white light on the altar, a dragonborn of average height appeared, draped with a belt full of various bottles and cans.
Immediately after, the status panel of the Divine Dragon Apothecary floated in front of Ethan.
[Name: Divine Dragon Apothecary]
[Intelligence: Adult Male]
[Strength: D grade]
[Special Ability: Potion Adjustment (Forcefully concentrate your mind to speed up the potion adjustment process, improve the quality of potions, and reduce the materials consumed. Can only be used once a day.)]
[Enhancement Direction: Divine Dragon Potion Master, Perfect Chef]
[Holy Light Power: Provides a 30-second BUFF. The potion made within 30 seconds will provide an additional 50% effect (can only be used once every three days)]
Looking at the Divine Dragon Apothecary, whose eyes were full of reverence for him, Ethan said, "You can change your title now and become the first worker in the Processing Factory."
The Divine Dragon Apothecary nodded and was immediately enveloped in holy light.
In a moment, a dragonborn wearing a turban appeared in front of Ethan.
The biggest difference from before was that the Divine Dragon Apothecary was now more muscular and even his temperament had changed, becoming a bit more sunny.
Ethan let the Divine Dragon Chef wait by the side of the Processing Factory for the time being, and then called over Whitty.
After a long discussion, he managed to acquire some of Whitty's feathers for the cost of 300 berries.
However, Ethan felt somewhat apprehensive.
He wasn't sure whether Whitty, having undergone bloodline evolution, was still a purebred White Phoenix.
If Whitty's feathers didn't work, he might need to "borrow" some from Baymax.
Ethan's thoughts stirred and the altar sparkled in response.
The White Phoenix feathers he had held in his hand disappeared, and with a flash of white light, a Divine Dragon Angel with small white wings and a long sword in each hand appeared before Ethan.
The Divine Dragon Angel, although female, had a heroic countenance that made her as formidable as her male dragon counterparts.
Ethan was amazed, and he opened the status panel of the Divine Dragon Angel.
[Name: Divine Dragon Angel]
[Intelligence: Adult Female]
[Strength: C+ grade]
[Special Ability: Divine Dragon's Retribution (Can be used in battle, invoking heavenly thunder to bring down the wrath of the ancient Divine Dragon Clan. Extremely powerful, it can also affect nearby allies. Upon using this ability, the angel's wings will be destroyed and need 2 days to regrow.)]
[Enhancement Direction: Divine Dragon Archangel, Advanced Divine Dragon Healer, Divine Dragon Priest]
[Holy Light Power: Guide heavenly thunder through the body, greatly enhancing physical responsiveness (can only be used once per battle)]