As Zhang Chen walked out of the building, he saw the central area of the black market street ablaze with lights and filled with noise.
Driven by curiosity, he slowly strolled over.
Even though it was late at night, the black market was still bustling. People walked to and fro on the streets, and vendors tirelessly promoted their wares.
Continuing forward for a while, he suddenly realized the building that had been blocking his view was gone.
In its place was a plaza, with a large number of workers diligently toiling away.
They were carving massive stone blocks, seemingly working on a colossal sculpture.
If this sculpture were completed, it would undoubtedly be more majestic than the one of Tang Houde in the Pioneer Square of the second walled city.
Beside them, a line of True God Cult followers, all clad in red hooded robes, stood supervising.
One of them, with sharp eyes, spotted Zhang Chen and quickly called out to the others to come and pay their respects.
Before long, Zhang Wenwen also arrived with a smile.
"Wenwen, you're here too? You're not resting at this late hour?" Zhang Chen asked curiously.
"Now that the first dynasty has been established, with the True God concurrently holding the position of Emperor, this is a momentous occasion that needs to be announced far and wide, for all generations to know of this glorious moment," Zhang Wenwen explained with a smile. "Therefore, the cult has decided to work through the night to create a sculpture of the True God to inspire everyone."
"Oh..."
Zhang Chen initially wanted to suggest that such ostentatious displays were unnecessary and that they should prioritize strengthening the defenses of the various cities.
However, seeing how enthusiastic the cult followers were, he didn't want to dampen their spirits, so he simply uttered an "Oh" and remained silent.
"Additionally... True God, if you have time, you should also attend to your own matters!" Zhang Wenwen suddenly said with a smile.
"Hmm?" Zhang Chen was surprised by Zhang Wenwen's apparent nosiness.
"It would be greatly beneficial for the improvement of the human race if the True God were to bestow favor upon more excellent women!" Zhang Wenwen continued softly. "I think... Zhao Xiyue is quite good. She already knows the True God and has a pure and kind disposition. Only when the True God's harem is stable can everyone live and work in peace and contentment."
"Currently, most people are unaware of the issue regarding procreation. They simply believe that the rings are restricting their fertility," Zhang Wenwen whispered. "I believe you should have another child, so that everyone can see hope!"
"Oh, you're talking about this matter. I've already tasked Xu Ruina with it," Zhang Chen replied with a smile. "She has also found many excellent scientists, and I believe this issue will be resolved soon!"
"I also believe this problem will be solved, but time is the biggest issue!" Zhang Wenwen stated with a serious expression. "Now that we have established a dynasty, everyone is jubilant, feeling that a new life has begun. This is because they mistakenly believe that eventually, the True God will be able to resolve the issue of the rings restricting fertility, just as you solved the problem of the natives weakening us through the rings."
"If they knew the truth, that without descendants there is no hope, then everything we are doing now, including the universities, the sculptures, the compilation of combat methods, monster compendiums, and so on, would become meaningless."
"This would trigger a despair-inducing impact, no less severe than the despair brought by the apocalypse."
"Moreover, even now, some discordant voices have begun to emerge," Zhang Wenwen added. "They say that even without the rings' restraint, humans are still unable to reproduce, not just the轮回者 (Reincarnators), but even the natives."
"So, I was thinking that while the True God is expanding his harem, he could also set an example and give everyone hope."
"I see..." Zhang Chen nodded.
Although he usually had nothing to do, with such a large camp and so many survivors, it was impossible for everything to run without a hitch. It was precisely because Zhang Wenwen, Zheng Hao, and the others handled these matters that he was able to remain untroubled by such trivialities. After all, managing the ideas and interpersonal relationships of the camp's survivors was a troublesome affair. With people from various countries, various camps, and different generations of轮回者 (Reincarnators) gathered together, friction was inevitable.
One couldn't simply kill their own people like dealing with heretics or stubborn enemies. One couldn't just kill someone for speaking a few truths; if that were the case, this camp would be no different from the apocalyptic world.
"I understand your point, and I will consider it!" Zhang Chen nodded and said.
Good heavens, in the past, fighting monsters was the main task. Now, the focus had suddenly shifted to expanding the harem. The change in focus was so rapid that Zhang Chen found it a bit difficult to adapt.
After bidding farewell to Zhang Wenwen, Zhang Chen wandered aimlessly through the city for a while and, without realizing it, had left the black market. He had arrived on the other side of the canal.
This was the residential area of the Wolf Fang camp. Perhaps due to Zhao Longchuan's militarized management, the residents here had already gone to bed early. The entire street, except for a few occasional streetlights, was completely dark.
"Hmm... Excellent!" Zhang Chen nodded with satisfaction. This was more energy-efficient!
The defensive facilities, water supply, and electricity of the entire walled city were maintained by the crystal core energy conversion stations located underground, which consumed crystal cores. Previously, only the black market street needed power, and since the black market was flush with wealth, the crystal core consumption was negligible. Now, with the population having increased tenfold, the electricity consumption had risen to a terrifying number. In the future, there would be even more people and more cities... Therefore, energy should be conserved whenever possible.
Zhang Chen enjoyed the tranquility of the night on the quiet street. Suddenly, he noticed a room with its light still on in the distance. Curious, he walked over.
It was the third floor of a restaurant at a crossroads. The entire private room was brightly lit, and Wolf Fang camp guards stood at the entrance. Upon seeing Zhang Chen, they all saluted.
"What is this place?" Zhang Chen asked.
"This is the camp's administrative center. Miss Zhao is holding a meeting with the administrative team!" a soldier replied quickly.
"Miss Zhao? The administrative team? Is it Zhao Xiyue?" Zhang Chen nodded, surprised by the swift action of the camp leaders in establishing the administrative team. He walked directly to the door of the conference room on the third floor.
He could hear Wang Hai'an speaking: "With His Majesty the Emperor present, our walled city is certainly safe, but there are still millions of survivors scattered across the entire planet of Water Blue!"
"And as time goes by, their numbers will continue to dwindle, and in camps lacking resources, people will increasingly lose their humanity."
"Since we are establishing a dynasty, I suggest we send elites to bring in people from those large camps and manage them uniformly."
"The more people our dynasty has, the faster we will develop, and human civilization can continue to flourish, can't it?"