The morning sunlight finally pierced through the continuous wind and snow, casting fragmented spots of light onto the window lattice of the boss's wooden house.
Kurzadh sat up from the plank bed covered with thick goat hides, rubbing his throbbing temples—last night, he had discussed housing issues with Dragu and Wreelx until late, and his mind was still filled with numbers concerning wood, thatch huts, and population growth.
He casually grabbed the dried squig meat from the bedside, chewing it heartily as he walked to the window, pushed open the wooden slit, and looked down upon the entire tribe.
The scene below was vastly different from a month ago: the massive statue of Gork and Mork stood in the center of the tribe, its bluestone slab base gleaming coldly, the tusks on the statue's head sharpened, and a string of ratman skulls hung around his neck, swaying gently in the breeze.
The shed at the large Lumber Yard had been expanded threefold, its roof covered with thick thatch, and lumber piled half a person high outside the entrance.
The pit at the large quarry had been dug several feet deeper, and newly chiseled bluestone slabs were neatly stacked nearby, radiating a moist sheen.
Most noticeable was the large mushroom field, where more than a dozen burlap sheds were connected together, faint steam drifting from their roofs, and the figures of hobgoblin Laborers could vaguely be seen moving inside.
"Finally, all the basic structures have been upgraded," Kurzadh said, a smile curling his lips as he chewed the squig meat.
Just last night, the system prompt was still echoing in his ears—[Congratulations host on completing all basic building upgrades. Blackrock Clan has officially upgraded to a Level Two Village].
This meant the tribe had finally shed the rudimentary structure of a "Small Village" and gained the foundation to develop on a larger scale.
He opened the system panel, his gaze falling on the "Territory Data" section: [Category: greenskin Level Two Village]
[Faction: Blackrock Clan]
[Population: 673 (hobgoblins X109, goblin X564)]
[Obedience: 102 (Normal)]
[Resources: Teeth X1087, Wood X132, Stone x119, Iron X0]
[Constructed: Boss's Wooden House, Large mushroom field, Lumber Yard, Quarry, God Idol, Latrine, Hobgoblin Training Grounds (spearmen Camp, archers Camp)]
[Available for Construction: Watchtower, Tavern, Fighting Pit, Squig Pen, junkyard, Tusk Hut, Hunting Grounds, Mine]
[Recruitable: Goblin, Hobgoblins]
[Assessment: A greenskin tribe favored by Gork and Mork!]
Growing by nearly two hundred people in one month, this speed far exceeded Kurzadh's expectations.
Over the past three weeks, the large mushroom field consistently produced 10 goblin Boyz and 3 hobgoblin Boys weekly, totaling 30 goblin and 9 hobgoblins over the month.
Although the hobgoblin output was low, it was the tribe's first stable source of "self-produced troops." They no longer had to rely on raiding or capturing, allowing them to slowly accumulate core fighting power.
What surprised him even more was the change in the proportion of hobgoblins—soaring from an initial 2% to 18%.
Aside from the self-produced hobgoblin Boys and a small number of captured hobgoblins, the "epic victory" over the ratman tribe last time brought 87 points of reputation, attracting 20 wandering hobgoblins to voluntarily join.
Most of these wandering hobgoblins had experience in combat; some knew how to use axes, and others could draw a bow.
With minimal training, they could be incorporated into the spearmen or archers squads.
Now, the Blackrock Clan had 45 elite spearmen and 38 elite archers alone.
Combined with over 40 combat-capable hobgoblin Boys, Kurzadh was fully confident he could defeat a greenskin tribe of comparable size, even without external aid.
But the joy did not last long before a new problem came into view.
On the open ground west of the tribe, dozens of goblin were squeezed into dilapidated tents.
Some tents had large holes, allowing the cold wind to sweep snow pellets inside, causing the goblins to huddle together and shiver.
Some hobgoblins had simply built temporary thatch sheds outside the wooden houses, relying only on bonfires for warmth at night.
With the population explosion, the tents and wooden houses that had barely sufficed were now completely inadequate.
The winter wind was growing fiercer, and if the greenskins continued to freeze like this, they would eventually fall ill, potentially affecting morale.
"We must build new housing quickly." Kurzadh closed the panel, stuffed the last piece of Squig meat into his mouth, and rapidly descended the wooden house stairs.
He summoned Dragu, Wreelx, and Scarface, and explained his idea for "constructing greenskin thatch huts": "The huts must be sturdy, able to shelter from wind and rain.
Each one should house 2 hobgoblins or 20 goblin, and they must also increase Obedience by 3 points—only when the greenskins live comfortably will they be willing to work hard for me."
Wreelx scratched his head: "boss, how much wood does a thatch hut require? Although the Lumber Yard has become a wood processing site, the recent heavy snow has slowed down wood collection."
"Each hut costs 10 units of wood and takes 3 days," Kurzadh had already calculated.
"We'll tear down the old tents first, use the salvaged wood for the base, and draw the rest from the Lumber Yard if necessary.
Scarface, take all the hobgoblin Laborers and prioritize the construction of the huts.
All other tasks are to be postponed."
Scarface immediately straightened his back: "Don't worry, boss! We'll get it done fast!"
The efficiency of the hobgoblin Laborers far exceeded expectations.
These "evolved" laborers were sturdier and more obedient than ordinary goblin; 10 of them could complete the work previously done by 30 hobgoblin slaves.
They first used axes to dismantle the old tents, organizing the usable wood.
Then, following the blueprints Kurzadh had drawn, they used new lumber to build the framework for the huts—thick logs for the uprights, smaller logs for the crossbeams, and then a mixture of thatch and yellow mud was plastered into the gaps, providing both warmth and rain protection.
Dragu was responsible for supervising the wood allocation, ensuring that enough lumber was transported from the yard every morning so that no construction site ran out of materials.
Wreelx, meanwhile, led several hobgoblin Boys to inspect the quality of each hut.
If the thatch plastering was found to be insufficient, he ordered the hobgoblin Laborers to repair it.
As the greenskins watched the huts rise from the ground one by one, looks of anticipation appeared on their faces—they would no longer have to crowd into leaky tents or be too cold to sleep at night.
A month later, 49 greenskin thatch huts were neatly arranged on the north and west sides of the tribe, their bluish-grey thatched roofs glowing softly in the sunlight.
The goblins were the first to move into the huts.
20 goblin crowded into one room; although it was tight, it was very warm.
The hobgoblins, meanwhile, occupied two per room, and the space could still accommodate a simple wooden bed and chest, making it much more comfortable than before.
Whenever night fell, bonfires lit up inside the huts, and the laughter of the greenskins echoed, giving the entire tribe a cozy atmosphere.
However, Kurzadh's brow was not entirely smooth.
He opened the system panel and looked at the "Wood Inventory" section—[Current Wood Stock: 17 units, Daily Output: 10 units (Lumber Yard production), Daily Consumption: 8 units (Routine maintenance + remaining hut construction)].
Although the large Lumber Yard had been upgraded to a wood processing site, 50 hobgoblin slaves working there could stably produce 10 units of wood daily, which was significantly faster than before.
However, the construction of 49 huts had exhausted the previously saved wood, and coupled with the impact of winter snow, the wood processing site occasionally had to halt operations due to heavy accumulation, leaving the wood inventory in a perpetually "precarious" state.
What was more troublesome was that the remaining constructible buildings—such as the "Screamer Hut," which could train Squig, and the Blacksmith Shop, which could forge ironware—were temporarily unable to start due to prerequisite limitations.
The Shaman Hut required 200 units of wood and 150 units of stone, plus 10 units of iron plates.
The Blacksmith Shop was even more demanding, requiring 300 units of wood, 250 units of stone, and 50 units of iron plates.
Currently, let alone iron plates, they didn't even have enough wood and stone.
Kurzadh walked to the side of the wood processing site, watching the hobgoblin slaves haul wood against the cold wind, considering his countermeasures.
Winter had not yet passed, and the speed of wood collection could not be increased in the short term.
He could only ensure daily maintenance and the construction of the remaining few huts.
As for the Shaman Hut and the Blacksmith Shop, he would have to wait until spring, when the weather warmed up and the wood processing site and quarry could operate at full capacity, allowing him to slowly accumulate materials.
"Slowly, no rush," Kurzadh patted a wooden pillar beside him, his gaze falling on the massive statue of Gork and Mork in the center of the tribe.
Although there were currently housing and wood problems, the tribe had already upgraded to a Level Two Village, possessing stable troop sources and productivity.
As long as he maintained the pace, these troubles would eventually be resolved.
The sun gradually rose higher, driving away the last trace of coldness.
The greenskins lit bonfires beside the huts, roasting mushrooms and dried meat, their laughter echoing throughout the entire tribe.