Chapter 111 - 110: Bathing Together

Chapter 111: Chapter 110: Bathing Together

All the Positions had been assigned.

The only vacant Position, however, was that of the Militia Team Leader.

This Position was originally held by Tang Ruan.

But now that Tang Ruan had been promoted to a Hero and the Vice Village Chief Position was open, it was only natural for her to take it.

As for the remaining Female Militia, none had any outstanding Attributes.

’I’ll discuss it with Gu Qing and the others later to see who would be the best fit.’

While Zhao Chi was still pondering, Gu Qing and the others had already gathered around him.

Besides Tang Ruan, there were Li Zhu, Ding Dang, and the others—nine women in total.

The delighted surprise was still evident on their faces.

Zhao Chi was just about to ask what was going on.

He saw Gu Qing dip into a slight curtsy.

"Thank you for your trust, my Lord. I will do my best as Vice Village Chief and ease your burdens."

Tang Ruan followed suit with her own curtsy.

"Thank you for appointing me as Vice Village Chief. I will also give it my all to repay you."

Next was Li Zhu.

"Thank you, my Lord, for promoting me to Woodworker Team Leader. I will lead the other female Carpenters to work diligently and complete our daily tasks."

After her came Ding Dang, Feng Xiu, and the others, each offering a curtsy and their thanks in turn.

’So it was about the promotions.’

But the smiles hadn’t left their faces for a while now, and Zhao Chi was finding it hard to tell what exactly was making them so happy this time.

’It was a good sign that they were all doing well.’

"No need for thanks," Zhao Chi said with a smile. "You all earned these Positions through your own Abilities. Let’s work together and build a good home."

They all nodded in agreement.

"My Lord," Tang Ruan said, pointing behind her, "the hot spring is finished. And its name has changed to Carefree Spring."

"That’s a pretty name," Gu Qing said with a smile. "I’m just not sure how ’carefree’ it will be. My Lord, will you be joining us for a little ’carefree’ time later?"

"Of course," Zhao Chi nodded. "I need a soak too, to restore my Energy and Physical Strength."

"The spring is still dry at the moment," Tang Ruan said. "It’ll take some time for the new water to fill it up. Shall we eat first?"

Zhao Chi was a little surprised. "You haven’t eaten yet?"

"That’s right," Gu Qing said with a laugh. "Everyone saw you were busy in the Tailor’s Building, so no one wanted to eat before you. We set aside some grilled meat for you."

Zhao Chi shook his head.

"Gu Qing, you’re a Vice Village Chief now. When they don’t eat properly, it affects their Physical Strength Recovery. From now on, no matter what they say, I need you to help me make sure they eat and rest well."

"Did you all hear that?" Gu Qing laughed. "The Lord is worried about us! From now on, I’ll be watching you, and you’ll watch over our other sisters. We all need to take good care of our bodies so we can work more for our Lord."

The female Team Leaders all answered in unison.

"Alright, all of you go rest and eat," Zhao Chi said.

"Yes, my Lord."

’Zhao Chi might be tired, but the women hadn’t had it easy either.’

They had also worked for the better part of the day.

’Even with high Attributes, they still got tired.’

Gu Qing led them away to start a fire and prepare a meal.

Zhao Chi, on the other hand, went to the edge of the Carefree Spring.

There was still very little water in the spring.

It was steadily welling up through the cracks in the stone slabs at the bottom.

Aside from being larger, the Carefree Spring’s layout of surrounding stone slabs and steps was also more logically designed.

The exterior was still enclosed by a stone wall about half a person’s height.

However, this wall was quite wide, about a meter or so.

Its edges and surface were exceptionally smooth, as if they had been deliberately polished. It felt silky to the touch and wouldn’t scrape the skin.

Furthermore, the base of the wall connected to the spring’s interior, allowing the heat to transfer through and turning it into a heated wall.

You could sit on it to rest, or even lie down completely.

Inside the stone wall was a ring of stone platforms, also perfect for resting or sunbathing.

These platforms were also warm—even warmer than the wall itself.

Just past the stone platforms was the entrance to the spring.

The spring itself was divided into three sections: shallow, medium, and deep.

The water in the shallow section only came up to the knees.

You could grab a stone pillow and lie back, making for a very relaxing experience.

The water in the medium section came up to the navel.

You could sit and soak in the spring.

This section would be perfect for soaking and chatting.

The water in the deep section was shoulder-high.

If you stood on your tiptoes, your chest would be out of the water.

You could even swim in it, though the water was warm.

But regardless of the section, the water was clean and crystal clear, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Zhao Chi could hardly wait to take a dip.

The Bonus from the Carefree Spring was very high. He figured he’d feel exceptionally comfortable after a good soak.

Especially for the women; their work Efficiency would be greatly enhanced after a bath.

After Zhao Chi’s promotion to Junior Lord, the detailed information for each Building had been unlocked.

He had glanced at it briefly before.

But now he examined it again.

The detailed information was mostly similar across all Buildings, so he decided to use the Blacksmith’s Shop as a point of comparison.

[Building Information Details]

[Name] Blacksmith’s Shop

[Level] Small

[Personnel] 10/10

[Efficiency] 47%

[Environment] 21%

[Mood] 33%

[Duration] 18 Hours

[Output] Iron Spears: 8

[Consumption] Iron Ore: 8, Coal: 8

This was the data from before the initial test.

After all, since the test, all the Female Craftsmen had been busy building the hot spring and hadn’t returned to their regular duties.

This conveniently gave Zhao Chi a baseline for comparison.

This wasn’t just for jobs with dedicated Buildings; the same applied to those without.

For example, the Hunting Team, Construction Team, and Logging Team all had a similar work Attributes interface.

In the days leading up to the test, Zhao Chi had pushed the women to work overtime to meet the deadline.

Combined with the Effect of the Basic Energy Pills, their workdays stretched as long as eighteen hours.

They had been utterly exhausted back then.

As a direct result, the Female Craftsmen’s Mood was low, averaging only 33%.

’That was already quite unhappy.’

Moreover, the working environment in the Blacksmith’s Shop was rather poor.

It was scorching hot inside due to the smelting of Iron Ingots.

Plus, the process generated large amounts of choking fumes, which made the overall work environment terrible, rated at only 21%.

This made it even harder for their Mood to improve; in fact, it caused it to drop rapidly.

At the same time, a poor Mood also led to low work Efficiency.

The Blacksmith’s Shop’s work Efficiency was only 47%, which was actually pretty good considering the circumstances.

Work Efficiency directly impacted output.

If work Efficiency could reach 100%, the daily output wouldn’t be eight Iron Spears, but sixteen to eighteen.

However, work Efficiency was determined by more than just Mood.

For example, the ’Efficiency’ Attribute that Zhao Chi had enhanced for them could raise this work Efficiency.

Their individual Professional Skills also contributed to work Efficiency.

Working eighteen hours a day was simply too long.

It caused their Energy and Physical Strength to drop, which in turn lowered their work Efficiency.

It was a bit complex, but it was all information that could be figured out with common sense.

Zhao Chi understood it all at a glance.

Once he had finished noting down this information, he went to find Gu Qing and the others.

The boisterous dinner soon came to an end.

The women had eaten through their entire stock of food.

The bones and meat scraps were all fed to the Harpies and the dogs.

The Nagas, starving, lay sprawled on the ground.

Smelling the fragrant aroma, a few of them indeed had their Obedience Level increase by 1 point.

’Looks like hunger really is effective.’

’When we go hunting tomorrow, I can feed the ones whose Obedience Level has increased first.’

’That should deal a psychological blow to the disobedient ones and make them submit faster.’

"My Lord, come on, let’s go soak in the spring!"

Gu Qing invited him enthusiastically.

"My Lord, let’s go together," Tang Ruan added.

"There’s no need," Zhao Chi said with a laugh. "You all go ahead. I’m covered in dirt and sweat from working on the Carefree Spring. I’ll wait a bit."

"What are you waiting for?" Feng Xiu said. "The Carefree Spring is big enough to fit all of us now."

"Are you shy, my Lord?" Li Zhu chuckled.

"What’s there to be shy about?" Ding Dang shook her head. "Besides, our Lord already saw everything when we first arrived."

"It’s fine," Fang Li chimed in with a giggle. "We all got a good look back when you were sleeping in the spring this morning, tee-hee."

"Come on," Gu Qing said, pulling Zhao Chi to his feet. "Nobody minds. We’re not afraid of you looking, so why should you be afraid of us looking?"

Zhao Chi was surprised to find how bold these women were becoming.

’When they were Newborn, they were all so shy and modest.’

’And now they were inviting him to join them in the hot spring.’

’The Carefree Spring Water was crystal clear; nothing would be hidden.’

’Of course, Zhao Chi himself wasn’t afraid.’

But even if these female Team Leaders didn’t mind, he worried the new female villagers might.

’It wasn’t worth risking their Loyalty over something like this.’

But to his surprise, even the women who had just arrived today were covering their mouths to stifle giggles, joining in on the teasing.

’It seemed that starting with 6 Loyalty points really did make a difference.’

’In that case...’

’Then it was settled. Time for a soak!’

Zhao Chi stood up, full of enthusiasm.

The system’s notification sound rang out.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

’Who the fuck is it now?’

’A voice call at a time like this?’

It was his cousin, Zhao Huai, again.

Zhao Chi sighed. He already had a good idea what this call was about.

Zhao Huai: [Zhao Chi, come to the clan’s public house. The Clan Leader is calling a meeting for us to confirm the Magical Beast quotas.]