The First Foundations

Once Phong Van Tu truly took over most of the instruction of the alchemy students, Hao Nhien was finally able to spend longer periods away from the alchemy hall without constantly returning to check every furnace.

The first thing he did was not inspect the unfinished section of the wall, nor did he visit the medicinal garden as he had on previous days. Instead, he personally made a full circuit of the entire Hoa Van Forward Camp.

From the tent district of the Hoa Ky Tribe and the temporary dwellings of the nomadic groups to the granaries, wells, roads used to transport stone and timber, and the newly established patrol posts along the outer perimeter, people were working everywhere. At a glance, the forward camp had become far more crowded than when he first arrived, but the more closely Hao Nhien observed it, the more clearly he saw a problem he had never had enough time to address properly.

Each group functioned reasonably well when dealing only with its own responsibilities, yet there was still no sufficiently clear common system for coordinating between them.

The people of the Hoa Ky Tribe were accustomed to taking orders from Luu Thanh. The nomadic groups still listened to their old leaders. The construction crews answered only to those overseeing their projects, while the supply warehouses were managed by Luu Tan. As long as a task remained within the boundaries of a single group, there were few problems. But the moment two groups needed the same transport carts, the same water point, or manpower for urgent work at the same time, disputes appeared almost immediately.

Hoa Van already had people, resources, and increasingly distinct responsibilities for each part of the settlement. What it still lacked was a set of rules simple enough for everyone to understand and follow.

That afternoon, Hao Nhien summoned Luu Thanh, Luu Tan, the people in charge of construction, storage, and patrols, as well as the representatives previously chosen by the various groups.

The meeting was held inside the central tent. There was no elevated seat of authority and no elaborate ceremony. Only a large map had been spread across the middle, clearly marking the residential areas, warehouses, medicinal garden, roads, and the sections intended for future expansion.

Hao Nhien did not begin with a long speech. He simply pointed to three areas on the map.

“Starting today, those working for Hoa Van will temporarily be divided into three categories. We will try this system for ten days first. If anything proves unreasonable, we will adjust it according to the actual results.”

He swept his gaze around the table before continuing.

“The first category is the standing force. Those in this group will receive regular allocations of supplies according to their duties, but in return they must remain available whenever the settlement issues an alert, suffers an unexpected shortage of manpower, or needs important positions protected.

“The second category is task-based personnel. They will not be bound to regular duty, but every assignment they accept will earn merit according to how well it is completed.

“The final category is independent labor. They may accept work from the mission board, and once the agreed task is complete, so is the arrangement. No one is allowed to force them to continue working.”

A nomadic leader seated near the far end of the table frowned.

“What if my people do not want to join the standing force?”

“They will not be forced.”

Hao Nhien answered without hesitation.

“To live and trade in Hoa Van, they only need to obey the laws of the settlement. But if they do not join the standing force, they will not receive the resources reserved for that force. Merit earned through assignments will still be recorded normally. Those who contribute more to a task will receive more from its reward, but no one will receive supplies simply because they belong to a certain tribe or once followed a particular person.”

The man considered this for a while, then asked nothing further.

Luu Thanh studied the map.

“What about military affairs?”

“The military will continue operating under the existing defensive command structure and will not be mixed into ordinary civil work,” Hao Nhien replied. “Anyone who has not passed the necessary checks will not be allowed near military stores, the core formations, or important transmission lines. But road construction, ditch digging, cargo transport, caring for spirit beasts, protecting the medicinal garden, and escorting merchant caravans do not all need to become military orders.”

He circled an area to the east with one finger.

“This district will eventually be reserved for merchant guilds and caravans. It is close enough to the center for trade to be convenient, but it must remain a safe distance from the military warehouses and the main defensive formations. Merchants who come to Hoa Van have no need to know how our defenses are arranged, and the people responsible for security cannot use that responsibility as an excuse to interfere arbitrarily with trade.”

The meeting lasted nearly half a day because not everyone immediately accepted the new arrangement.

Some of the old group leaders worried that their authority to mobilize their own people would weaken. Others feared that a merit system would encourage younger members to disregard traditional commands. Those in charge of the warehouses were concerned that the records would become too complicated.

Hao Nhien did not try to force everyone into agreement in a single meeting.

The points they could agree on were written down as temporary rules, while the uncertain matters were placed into the ten-day trial period. Only after seeing how many people participated, how many disputes arose, and how effective the system proved would they make further changes.

By the end of the meeting, a large sheet of beast hide had been hung outside the central tent.

Twelve initial assignments were written on it, ranging from digging irrigation channels, transporting stone, and constructing three wooden houses to protecting the medicinal garden, caring for the spirit beasts that pulled carts, and inspecting the eastern road.

Each assignment clearly listed the number of people required, the expected duration, the person responsible, the merit reward, and the conditions required for the task to be considered complete.

A large crowd gathered in front of the mission board, but at first no one stepped forward.

Part of that hesitation came from unfamiliarity. In the past, work like this was normally assigned directly by a group leader, and very few people had ever chosen their own tasks.

After a while, a young man from the Hoa Ky Tribe stepped out. He read the irrigation assignment again, then placed his hand on the confirmation seal.

A second person chose stone transport, while a young man from one of the nomadic groups registered for medicinal garden duty.

Within less than two hours, eight of the twelve assignments had been claimed.

Hao Nhien watched from a distance without interfering.

From that day onward, merit would begin to reflect what a person actually did rather than depend entirely on tribe, personal connections, or who they had once fought beside.

The settlement would still provide a basic survival ration so that no one would fall into starvation simply because they had not accepted an assignment. However, additional resources, healing medicine, the right to exchange for certain supplies, and other priorities would gradually become tied to accumulated merit.

It was only the first step, but Hoa Van had finally begun to develop a set of rules that belonged to no single group.

Three days after Phong Van Tu formally took over the instruction of the alchemy students, a party from Thien Bao Pavilion appeared east of Hoa Van.

There was no long-distance teleportation formation stretching directly across the Western Wastes, nor was there any method capable of turning the entire transport route into something convenient overnight.

The first thing to emerge through the blowing sand was a medium-sized transport flying ship. Its hull was covered in formations designed to reduce resistance and protect cargo, while a convoy of wagons followed behind after being escorted through the more dangerous stretches of the route.

The moment the flying ship descended, people throughout the forward camp gathered to watch.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Thien Bao Pavilion had arrived earlier than expected.

Luu Van was the first to step down.

He no longer wore the broad robes he had favored in Thanh Van City. Instead, he was dressed in practical travel clothes, with an authority token hanging at his waist, three rolled maps in one hand, and a stack of jade slips in the other.

Behind him came a group whose responsibilities had already been clearly divided: one senior formation master with two assistants, three master builders, twelve construction workers, four carpenters, a warehouse manager, two people responsible for trade routes, six guards, and the first group of employees assigned to the branch.

Every wagon in the convoy was covered by thick cloth, preventing outsiders from seeing the full contents.

The moment Luu Van saw Hao Nhien, he smiled.

“Young Master Hao, this old man brought the first team ahead of schedule.”

Hao Nhien glanced at the flying ship behind him and raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Thien Bao Pavilion is faster than I expected.”

Luu Van stroked his beard.

“If one wants to move ahead of others, sometimes one has to use a more expensive method. But Young Master should not assume that our trade routes will rely on something like this in the future.”

He looked back at the flying ship.

“It works for urgently transporting personnel and construction materials, but if we used transport flying ships every day for ordinary goods, the spirit stone consumption alone would exceed the profit. A permanent trade route will still have to depend on ground caravans, rest stations, and relay warehouses.”

Only then did Hao Nhien nod.

“That makes sense.”

“Have you prepared the site?”

“Follow me.”

Hao Nhien led the group toward the eastern section of the planned central district.

The location lay between the future administrative quarter, the residential district, and the road intended to connect with the trade route. It was close enough to the wells for daily use, but still kept a safe distance from the military warehouses and the settlement’s primary defensive formations.

Once outside merchant caravans began entering Hoa Van, most of them would pass through this area before being permitted any farther inside.

Luu Van needed only a short time to examine the prevailing wind, the ground, the water source, and the routes available to wagons before understanding the reasoning behind the layout.

“An excellent position. Convenient for trade, easy to regulate the flow of people and goods, yet still separated from the core areas.”

He looked at Hao Nhien.

“When did Young Master begin planning this section?”

“When I first started drawing the settlement map.”

Luu Van laughed.

“Most people wait until merchants arrive before deciding where to put them. Young Master prepared the space before this place had even taken shape.”

“I simply do not want to tear everything down and rebuild it later.”

Standing beside them, Luu Thanh studied the map for a long moment before nodding.

“If most caravans enter through this side, the district will eventually become crowded. I will add more patrol points, keep a mobile squad farther inside, and clearly separate the road into the merchant warehouses from the route leading toward the military district.”

Luu Van looked slightly surprised before nodding in approval.

“That would be very good.”

Hao Nhien said, “Luu Thanh will coordinate security with Thien Bao Pavilion.”

Luu Thanh immediately became more serious.

“I understand. Outsiders may enter to trade, but convenience cannot become an excuse for them to wander into places they have no reason to see.”

The two sides quickly settled their respective responsibilities.

Thien Bao Pavilion would handle the commercial buildings, warehouses, preservation formations, lodging district, the branch’s internal communications, and the first experimental trade route.

Hoa Van would provide the land, water access, settlement security, basic labor, and the road connecting the district to the eastern gate.

Military affairs would remain entirely under Hoa Van and its security forces. Thien Bao Pavilion would not interfere with the patrol system, although its guards would naturally retain the right to defend the branch and its merchant caravans if attacked.

After hearing the arrangement, Luu Thanh said only:

“I will establish another outer patrol circuit and place a watch post near Thien Bao Pavilion’s warehouses. My people will not interfere with commerce, but we must ensure that no one uses the trade route to scout a path into the inner district.”

Luu Van nodded.

“The clearer the responsibilities are now, the fewer disputes there will be later.”

Everything they had agreed upon was written into two copies of an agreement. Both sides checked every clause before leaving their confirmation seals.

Hao Nhien handed Hoa Van’s copy to Luu Thanh.

“You have final responsibility for security related to this district.”

Luu Thanh accepted it with both hands.

“I will not allow this trade route to become a road for outsiders to reach places they should never touch.”

Once the agreement was completed, Luu Van asked:

“When does Young Master want the trial trade route to begin?”

“As soon as possible, but the first shipment does not need to carry expensive goods.”

Hao Nhien answered without hesitation.

“For now, bring grain, cloth, production tools, common medicinal materials, and the things people here actually need. On the return journey, you can take a portion of the ore, Western Wastes medicinal materials, spirit beast hides, and other products that already have stable sources.

“First, we need accurate figures for travel time, escort costs, losses along the route, and the dangerous sections. Only after at least three stable journeys should we begin increasing the proportion of high-value goods.”

Luu Van smiled.

“I thought Young Master would immediately put high-grade pills on the market to build a reputation.”

“No.”

Hao Nhien shook his head.

“A reputation that grows too quickly can attract more people than Hoa Van is currently capable of receiving. High-grade pills can be used as strategic goods or to establish credibility, but first the settlement must be capable of surviving on ordinary things.

“If one day Hoa Van has no supreme-grade pills to sell, this place must still continue functioning.”

Luu Van watched him for several breaths before slowly nodding.

“Chief Steward Lang truly has a good eye for people.”

Hao Nhien did not ask what Lang Tuyet had told the old man.

It was enough that Luu Van had begun to understand that Hoa Van was not being built merely to sell a few varieties of pills.

Over the following days, the eastern district changed rapidly.

Foundations were dug deep into the ground, refined stone was set at the major load-bearing points, and the first timber pillars were raised. The formation masters from Thien Bao Pavilion continuously planted small formation flags to measure the flow of spiritual energy, moisture, and underground fluctuations before deciding where the preservation formations should be established.

The carpenters built temporary warehouses. Members of the Hoa Ky Tribe accepted assignments transporting earth and stone. The nomadic groups hauled timber from the collection points, while the team from the Quan Clan, which had recently arrived, began constructing the transmission line.

They selected a low hill north of the administrative district, erected the first transmission pillar, then positioned three formation plates in a linked configuration.

This was not a direct communication line stretching thousands of miles. It was only the first node in a three-stage network connecting Hoa Van, Tam Thanh, and Thanh Van City.

After repeated adjustments, the spiritual light on the transmission pillar finally stabilized.

The jade token in Hao Nhien’s hand trembled slightly.

A line of text appeared.

The Quan Clan has received the signal.

Hao Nhien stared at those words for a long time.

From that day forward, communication between Hoa Van and the Quan Clan would no longer depend entirely on people carrying jade slips across vast distances. Once the northern relay station was completed and connected to Tam Thanh’s communication network, transmission times would shorten even further.

If Quan Nha appeared at any node within the Quan Clan’s network, Hao Nhien would have a much better chance of receiving news quickly.

His fingers tightened slightly around the jade token before he put it away.

Not far away, a group of alchemy students were raising a wooden sign in front of the new medicinal garden district.

Four large characters had been carved into it:

Hoa Van Medicinal Institute

Below them was a smaller line:

In Cooperation with Medicine Peak

Phong Van Tu himself had insisted on that wording.

When someone asked why the name of Medicine Peak had not been written more prominently, the old man merely stroked his beard.

“The medicinal institute stands in Hoa Van. Medicine Peak is only the one planting the seed. What the tree eventually grows into will depend on whether the people here can keep it alive themselves.”

The mission board outside the central tent was no longer empty as it had been on the first day.

Those who completed assignments brought their tokens in for verification. Their merit was recorded in the internal ledgers and could then be exchanged for approved supplies, ranging from additional rations and healing medicine to certain tools and priority access to new assignments.

No one received more simply because they belonged to the Hoa Ky Tribe, and no one received less merely because they had come from a nomadic group.

Individually, each of these changes seemed small.

Together, they were gradually drawing people who had once lived under entirely different customs into a shared system.

On the seventh day after Thien Bao Pavilion’s team arrived, the first main pillar of the branch was raised.

There was no grand ceremony, no fireworks, and no special guests. There were only shouted rhythms from the workers, ropes pulling taut, and the deep grinding sound of a massive timber column slowly settling into its stone socket.

When the pillar finally stood upright, the people around it broke into applause.

Across the road, smoke continued to rise steadily from the alchemy hall. Farther away, rows of young medicinal plants swayed gently in the wind, while on the northern hill the transmission pillar flashed once again.

Along the edge of the forward camp, groups of workers continued hauling earth and stone to complete the unfinished walls.

Hao Nhien stood atop a low rise and looked over everything below.

Tieu Lan stood beside him.

She watched the newly raised pillar for a long while before asking softly:

“Young Master.”

“Mm?”

“Is this place Hoa Van Town now?”

Hao Nhien did not answer immediately.

Judging only by appearance, it was still far from being a complete town. The walls had not yet fully closed. The roads were still rough with loose stone. There were more tents than wooden houses, no true marketplace had formed, and not a single merchant caravan had yet completed a full journey along the new route.

But Hao Nhien could also see things that had never existed here before.

The medicinal institute had people working inside it.

The first medicinal sprouts had taken root.

The first pills had been entered into the warehouse records together with the name of the person who refined them, the source of their ingredients, and the date they were completed.

People now came to the mission board and chose work for themselves.

The transmission pillar had lit up.

The foundations of Thien Bao Pavilion had been laid.

Members of the Hoa Ky Tribe, nomadic groups, disciples of the Tieu Dao Sect, people of the Quan Clan, and merchants from Thien Bao Pavilion were now working on the same stretch of land—a place that, only a few months earlier, no one would have called a town.

A town was not created by walls and houses alone.

It was also formed from connections, shared rules, and the moment when people who came from different places began placing their work, their interests, and a part of their future upon the same piece of land.

Hao Nhien looked at Tieu Lan.

“Not completely.”

She tilted her head slightly.

He turned back toward the structures gradually rising beneath the evening light.

“But it has begun to live.”