Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely-Chapter 85: Team and New Home

"Four sheep horn chisels, ten saws, five mallets, three iron knives."

The sheep horn chisel for mining, saws for logging, mallets for forging tools and building houses, iron knives for daily cutting of Cold Beasts. The four tools laid out before him, Xia Hong’s eyes immediately flashed with a hint of brightness.

Previously, when he first used the polishing stone to forge tools, he had thought of making some practical tools for the camp. The problem was the limited iron ore, so he could only prioritize weapons.

Iron tools may seem like trivial things, but using them is not easy; let alone making them common, which is even more difficult.

Rogel Camp has had mining capabilities for more than a decade, yet there are only these twenty or so small tools, which already say a lot.

Next to the pile of twenty or so small tools was a neat stack of 3000 pounds of iron ore and 4500 pounds of coal stone. After contemplating for a moment, Xia Hong turned to Xia Chuan and spoke:

"Chuan, notify all the people from the Logging Realm in the camp to come over."

"Yes, leader."

Having everyone move the coal stone and iron ore to the Iron Melting Furnace, Xia Hong fed in the coal stone and placed the iron ore on top to start melting. Then he took the polishing stone, sat beside it, and read the Cold Beast Scroll given by Luo Ming while waiting for the iron ore to melt.

Meanwhile, everyone from the Logging Realm in the camp gradually arrived.

Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, Yue Feng, Lin Kai, Qiu Peng, Lu Yang, Xu Ning, Xu An, Liu Yuan, Li Yuankun, the ten original members of Great Xia stood on the left side.

As the fifteen members from Rogel Camp on the right side gathered, with Xia Chuan’s introduction, Xia Hong came to know their names: Luo Yuan, Cheng Feng, Bai Wuting, Bai Dongying, Tong Xinglong, Li Yun, Li Pingkai and Li Longkai brothers, Zou Yuankai, Ying Xuan and Ying Yi brothers, Zhao Long, Zhao Hu, Zhao Bao, and Lu Sheng.

Among the fifteen on the right side, Xia Hong immediately recognized Luo Yuan standing at the front. He was the one who had previously questioned Xia Hong’s ability to implement the meat distribution rule.

Luo Yuan and the Zhao siblings all carried machetes and bows. Additionally, the Li and Ying siblings also bore bows, with the final bow on Zou Yuankai.

The positions of the remaining fourteen were all a step behind Luo Yuan, clearly indicating he was the leader. Xia Hong’s mind stirred with slight interest, raising an eyebrow.

"Everyone, have a seat for now!"

Seeing the twenty-five people seated on the ground, Xia Hong fiddled with the iron ore on the Iron Melting Furnace as he spoke: "According to the previous rules, only those from the Earth-digging Realm can join the Hunting Team. But it’s clearly not feasible now, so I will select a few of you to join the Hunting Team first..."

He paused for a moment before continuing:

"Members of the Hunting Team will receive a daily portion of ten pounds of Cold Beast Meat."

Upon hearing Xia Hong’s words, the breathing of Xia Chuan and the other ten on the left immediately grew heavier, their eyes burning with desire;

However, the fifteen on the right led by Luo Yuan clearly didn’t believe Xia Hong could hunt so many Cold Beasts and reacted with more indifference.

Xia Hong understood what Luo Yuan and the others were thinking; he didn’t explain but continued: "I will announce the specific selection method in three days. On the evening of the day after tomorrow, Xu Ning, Qiu Peng, Luo Yuan, Zou Yuankai, the Zhao brothers, the Li and Ying brothers, as well as... Xia Chuan, these twelve will go out hunting with me." free𝑤ebnovel.com

Upon hearing the names of the eleven people before Xia Chuan’s, neither Luo Yuan nor the others showed any surprise. Not to mention the machetes on them and the Zhao brothers, there were currently only eleven bows in the entire camp, which were held by the eleven people Xia Hong named.

Only when they heard Xia Chuan’s name at the end did they show a bit of surprise, but after glancing at Xia Chuan and remembering his relationship with Xia Hong, they said nothing, just lowered their heads silently.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Yuan Cheng, Yue Feng, and the others, who were not selected, all showed anxious expressions.

Noticing the urgency on Yuan Cheng and the others’ faces, Xia Hong lightly waved his hand:

"Don’t rush, Huang Zhao and the people from Da Chuan Camp haven’t arrived yet. This is not the final list. In three days, once everyone is gathered, I will hold a fair and just selection. Whether you can make it in will depend solely on your abilities."

After saying this, Xia Hong turned his gaze towards Luo Yuan and the others:

"However, regarding weaponry limitations, let me be clear upfront. The camp has a total of five machetes and eleven bows. Aside from the knife in my hand, the other thirteen weapons are only available to those who join the Hunting Team!"

Upon hearing Xia Hong’s statement, Luo Yuan and the others’ expressions changed in unison.

Luo Yuan even took a step forward, seemingly wanting to say something, but upon meeting Xia Hong’s gaze, he lowered his head without speaking.

Communal resources with no private ownership is the norm in any camp, including Rogel Camp previously, especially concerning precious resources like iron weaponry.

The weapons left behind by Luo Ming weren’t meant for them.

Luo Yuan and his people privately claimed these weapons, which Xia Hong didn’t point out, but he certainly wouldn’t indulge them by allowing it.

"The remaining members from the Logging Realm will temporarily be counted as part of the Logging Team. While we are out hunting, logging must not stop, and in the future, the task of picking Crystal Fruits will also belong to the Logging Team. You will also be part of the selection process in three days, where a leader will be chosen based on strength. The leader will then organize logging and fruit picking, enjoying the same benefits as a Hunting Team member."

The resource gap in the system’s construction has always existed, and accumulating timber certainly cannot stop. The same goes for coal and iron mining.

The coal previously mined by Rogel Camp was in Redwood Ridge, and its location is clearly marked on the map Luo Ming provided; iron mining is even more convenient, located in the cave on the south side of the valley. With sheep horn chisels available, these two resources should not be neglected.

The issue is, at present, Xia Hong is the only one in the Earth-digging Realm, tasked with forging tools, hunting, and all matters, big and small, in the camp, leaving him too stretched to handle coal mining and iron digging. Even his own training has become difficult to balance.

One person can’t do it all alone, so he has to prioritize what’s most important first.

Having boasted in front of everyone in the camp, hunting is the foremost task. Otherwise, when the people from Huang Zhao and Da Chuan camps arrive, if the Cold Beast Meat supply can’t keep up, it would be a disgrace to himself.

"In the short term, improving hunting ability through training is unrealistic; I can only try to find a way with iron tools."

Looking at the iron ore on the furnace, which was about to melt, Xia Hong considered for a moment, then took the polishing stone in his hand and began shaping it according to his ideas.

Before long, Luo Yuan led someone over to him.

"Leader, this is Mu Dong!"

Xia Hong looked up to see a middle-aged man in his forties with an honest face step out from behind Luo Yuan and bow respectfully.

"Mu Dong greets the leader."

Not knowing why the two sought him, Xia Hong’s eyes showed slight confusion.

"Leader, Mu Dong is currently the only remaining woodworker in our camp. He mentioned there’s an issue with this wood house and wishes to discuss it with you."

A woodworker?

Hearing Luo Yuan’s words, Xia Hong’s eyes immediately lit up, his gaze toward Mu Dong growing much more enthusiastic.

"Leader, this wooden house was hastily built as a temporary measure after a disaster, prioritizing speed over stability and concealment. The wood used was randomly selected. Over time, even if not discovered by Cold Beasts from the mountain, it could be crushed by accumulated snow, making it unsuitable for long-term residence. A new house needs to be built soon."

Xia Hong nodded. He had already noticed the issue with the wood house earlier, but with limited timber, he planned to wait until there was more before addressing it.

"Apart from building wood houses, what else can you do?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Dong appeared a bit embarrassed, explaining: "Leader, you must be joking. I don’t even have the strength of the Logging Realm, unable to carry the trees, how could I build a wood house? I’ve only learned some wooden house structures from following a woodworker master for a while."

Seeing the confusion on Xia Hong’s face, Luo Yuan quickly explained: "Previously, Rogel Camp had three woodworkers in the Logging Realm. Two died during the Wooden Puppet Monster incident, one of whom was Mu Dong’s master."

Xia Hong didn’t need to ask to know that the other one must have left with Luo Ming. After contemplating, he addressed Mu Dong: "Starting today, you will join the Logging Team, and your treatment will be the same as other members. Until you break through to the Logging Realm, stay in the camp. Regarding the wood house, I’ll first tell you my ideas..."

Hearing his inclusion in the Logging Team, Mu Dong was already elated. The prospect of not having to go out until breaking through to the Logging Realm made him even more excited. He quickly perked up his ears, attentively listening to Xia Hong’s subsequent words.

For the camp’s new residence, Xia Hong had long thought about it, only plagued by the lack of a professional to oversee it, while he was drowning in affairs himself. Now that he finally had a half-expert, he would make sure to utilize him effectively.