Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Tap… Tap… Tap…

Xiang Liang stepped into the silent hall. The only sound he heard was the echo of his own footsteps. The solemn atmosphere undoubtedly made him increasingly nervous.

Bypassing the three-legged round cauldron, he finally saw the five people at the back of the hall.

"Just as I thought!"

Xu Ning, Lin Kai, and Lu Yang were all standing at the very bottom; Yuwen Tao, who had displayed great power outside and killed the flying beast, stood in front of them.

And in front of these four, there was also a young man in black, with a kind face, facing the entrance, staring at him with a smile.

Although the young man's clothes were also black, they were different from Yuwen Tao's close-fitting attire. His were slightly looser, with long, large sleeves, tied at the waist with a vermilion sash, and topped with a beast bone carved hairpin crown, shaped like white jade, which made him look even more refined and composed.

"Little one, Xiang Liang from the Hufeng camp, greets Lord Secretary!"

Seeing the magnificent and exquisite golden chair on the high platform behind the five people, Xiang Liang immediately guessed the black-clothed man's identity, and without a second thought, he knelt down to him, bowing respectfully.

"You do have some discernment. Get up, and let me see the Frost Marrow Iron."

Seeing the surprise on the faces of Xu Ning and the others, Xia Chuan immediately understood that Xiang Liang had guessed his identity purely through observation, and praised him with a smile.

Xiang Liang immediately opened the wooden box and handed it upwards.

Xu Ning immediately took the wooden box and handed it to Xia Chuan.

Xia Chuan took the wooden box and carefully examined the Frost Marrow Iron inside.

Lin Kai, thinking of something, quickly trotted out and soon brought back two wooden basins, one large and one small, from outside the hall.

The large wooden basin was about half a meter in diameter and contained a dark green liquid, which was obviously low-level beast blood; the small wooden basin was only twenty centimeters in diameter and contained a scarlet liquid.

Remembering the color of the blood that had spilled out when Yuwen Tao had killed the flying beast outside, Xiang Liang immediately understood that this scarlet liquid should be the blood of an intermediate-level frost beast.

Xia Chuan came back to his senses from his examination, picked up all five pieces of Frost Marrow Iron, and threw them into the large wooden basin.

Sizzle…

The beast blood in the basin immediately boiled, and it rapidly decreased at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just over ten minutes, the blood in the wooden basin had actually decreased by more than half.

Xia Chuan's eyes instantly lit up, as did Yuwen Tao's.

Even Xu Ning and the others, who had seen it once before, were no exception.

The beast blood they had used in their previous experiments was not as much as this.

After waiting for a while, the blood in the wooden basin had completely disappeared, and Xia Chuan and the others approached to take a look. At this sight, the expressions of the five people all changed slightly.

The Frost Marrow Iron, which had originally been the size of a fist, had actually all grown larger.

Xia Chuan picked up one of them, weighed it for a while, and then squeezed it hard. Seeing that the Frost Marrow Iron did not undergo any deformation, his brow furrowed slightly.

"The volume has changed, but the weight and hardness have not…"

Xiang Liang, who had been watching for a long time, mustered up the courage to speak at this time.

"Lord Secretary, I remember that when this Frost Marrow Iron was first dug out, it was this size, but we ground it down a lot. Later, we kept trying to nourish it with beast blood, but unfortunately, we were never able to restore it to its original state."

Hearing his words, Xia Chuan immediately understood.

Xu Ning had just said that when the Hufeng camp previously forged weapons, they would mix in the powder ground from this Frost Marrow Iron. It seemed that the Hufeng camp's hunting ability was limited, and the amount of beast blood they obtained was not enough, so it had never been restored.

Xia Chuan pondered for a moment, picked up a piece and put it into the other small wooden basin.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle…

Including Xiang Liang, the faces of the six people present changed instantly.

The reaction produced when the Frost Marrow Iron came into contact with the scarlet beast blood was even more intense than before. In just under three breaths, a small basin of intermediate-level beast blood was almost completely absorbed.

Moreover, the Frost Marrow Iron obviously produced a violent high temperature, even burning through the bottom of the wooden basin and emitting a wisp of flame.

"The higher the level of the beast blood, the stronger the reaction of this Frost Marrow Iron. If that's the case, these five pieces of Frost Marrow Iron are really not simple…"

Yuwen Tao's words made the eyes of Xu Ning and the others light up.

The higher the level of beast blood, the stronger the effect.

Wouldn't the weapons forged from Frost Marrow Iron be the natural enemy of frost beasts?

Just imagine, if you used it to pierce through the body of a frost beast, it could instantly drain the blood from its body…

Xia Chuan looked at the Frost Marrow Iron in the wooden basin, which was originally dark green, and after absorbing the intermediate-level beast blood, the outer layer was slowly turning red, and a hint of excitement rose on his face.

"Good stuff. What's your name… Xiang Liang, right?"

Hearing Xia Chuan's slightly surprised tone, Xiang Liang's heart also stirred with excitement, and he quickly nodded, answering: "Little one is called Xiang Liang."

"Whatever you want, just say it. For the sake of these five pieces of Frost Marrow Iron, as long as I can satisfy you, I will try my best to do so."

Xiang Liang's face was full of joy, and he quickly bowed and spoke to plead for the Hufeng camp.

After listening to the situation described by Xiang Liang, Xia Chuan turned to Xu Ning to confirm and talked for a while. After learning about what had happened between the Wuyuan and the four camps before, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Pardon all the people in the Hufeng camp? You dare to think!"

Xia Chuan whispered, glancing at Xu Ning with the corner of his eye, his brow slightly furrowed.

According to the current regulations of the camp, the twenty-nine Digging Realm members of the Hufeng camp all belonged to Xu Ning's Black Arrow Squad. As it concerned the interests of Xu Ning's squad, he naturally could not easily pardon them.

"Lu Yang, according to the regulations of the Camp Needs Department, how should the more than five thousand people from the four camps north of Wuyuan Mountain be dealt with this time?"

Lu Yang, who held a position in the Camp Needs Department, was naturally very familiar with these matters and replied without thinking.

"There are 124 Digging Realm prisoners and 182 Lumbering Realm prisoners from the Flying Tiger, Yang Ping, Moon Cry, and Hufeng camps, for a total of 306 criminals who have attacked us.

The main offender, Wang Lie, is stubborn and refuses to listen to reason. According to regulations, he should be sentenced to three years of corvée labor; the thirty-three Digging Realm members under his command, whose circumstances are slightly more serious, should be sentenced to one and a half years of corvée labor according to regulations; the 182 Lumbering Realm members, who are also from the Flying Tiger camp, should be sentenced to one year of corvée labor according to regulations;

In addition, the leaders of the other three families, He Feng, Liu Qing, and Xiang Ping, are considered accomplices and are sentenced to two years of corvée labor according to regulations. The total of 87 Digging Realm members under their command should be sentenced to one and a half years of corvée labor according to regulations.

In addition, the direct relatives of these criminals, excluding overlapping portions, a total of 572 people, will also be sentenced to half a year of corvée labor, which will be added to their sentences."

The rules for prisoners have been in effect for more than two months, and the details in all aspects have naturally been supplemented quite completely.

Attacking the people of Great Xia is subject to the rules for prisoners, so those who have not attacked are naturally not subject to them, which is also a more humane clause in this rule.

Almost all ordinary people in the camps have no say, and whether or not they attack Great Xia is not up to them, they can only be instructed by their leaders. Since this is the case, Great Xia will naturally not pursue their faults.

But the direct relatives of these criminals are different.

Since they have been supported by these criminals on weekdays, they must naturally be implicated when something happens, so they will be sentenced to half a year of corvée labor.

Of course, there are very few people with Digging Realm strength among these people, so the corvée labor will be added to the criminals themselves.

This is a restrictive clause, mainly aimed at those criminals who are unwilling to mine honestly in the mines.

The father is an accomplice, with two years of corvée labor, plus half a year each for the mother, younger brother, and younger sister, which adds up to a total of three and a half years of corvée labor.

Hearing this sentence, Xiang Liang, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly looked nervous.

His father, Xiang Ping, was already thirty-nine years old. According to the average lifespan of forty-something in the Ice Abyss World, he himself did not have many years left to live. After serving three and a half years of corvée labor, whether he could walk out of the mine alive in the end was another matter.

He wanted to plead for his family, but the solemn hall put too much pressure on him, and with Yuwen Tao and the other four all silent, he did not dare to speak.

After thinking for a while, he could only lower his head and lightly knock it against the floor.

Bang…

Xia Chuan's thoughts were interrupted by the sound. He looked down at Xiang Liang and slowly said:

"It is definitely impossible to pardon everyone in your camp. How about this, in view of your meritorious service in offering the treasure, I will take the liberty of exempting your family of four from corvée labor."

Xiang Liang's expression was first stunned, then he repeatedly kowtowed, excitedly saying: "Little one, on behalf of my father and family, thanks the Lord for his grace."

Xia Chuan nodded with a smile, just about to speak.

Dong…

A huge drum sound suddenly resounded from the sky above the valley.

The sound of the drum was earth-shattering, and not to mention the wooden buildings, the entire valley seemed to tremble with it.

Xiang Liang, who was kneeling on the ground, staggered and almost fell. Feeling his heart trembling in the same frequency as the drum sound, he thought that some terrifying frost beast was attacking the valley and was immediately terrified.

However, when he looked up, he saw that Xia Chuan and the other four looked extremely relaxed.

Not only relaxed, but the five even showed some smiles.

"Is it time?"

"Hahaha, it should be, Yue Feng's side has started."

"The first Frost Origin Festival needs to be a sensation."

…

As the five people finished talking, the drum sound rang again.

Dong… Dong… Dong… Dong…

The interval between each drum sound was very long, about three breaths. Xiang Liang felt his heart beat with the drum sound, and a solemn and sacred feeling arose from the bottom of his heart, and his mood became inexplicably excited.

Dong… Dong… Dong… Dong…

A total of nine earth-shattering drum sounds finally ended.

The entire valley also fell silent and quiet.

The main building, which had been somewhat noisy, instantly became quiet.

The entire Great Xia Valley was silent, and even the subtle sounds of wind and snow became exceptionally clear.

If Xiang Liang could walk out of the main hall, he would find that everyone in the main building had come out. All the Great Xia people in the valley had also left their wooden houses and stood on the three main roads, their eyes turned towards the main building, their faces filled with reverence and anticipation.

“Great Xia, Year Two, Cold Origin Festival, Leader's Decree…”

A massive voice echoed from the sky above the valley.

“Someone will be here soon, you should go down first!”

Kneeling on the ground, Xiang Liang quickly thanked Xu Ning and stood up, listening to the voice in the sky as he walked towards the entrance of the main hall.

Before he even stepped out of the hall, a rich fragrance wafted in from outside.

Immediately afterward, a large group of people carrying wooden tables and chairs walked in. On these tables were delicacies and fruits he had never seen before, and each also held a wooden pot, filled with something unknown.

Xiang Liang, inhaling the intoxicating fragrance, widened his eyes, his pace slowing considerably, almost blocking others.

“First day of the first month, the auspicious hour has arrived, a new day begins, the city gates are closed, the valley lanterns are lit, the grand banquet begins, all people receive the decree, universal celebration!”

Just as Xiang Liang walked out of the main hall, the voice in the sky finished speaking.

The entrance of the main hall was right next to the west corridor on the top floor.

Xiang Liang looked up and saw a scene he would never forget.

Boom…

A drum sound rang out, followed by the sound of countless flames igniting.

Boom… Boom… Boom…

The tops of thousands of houses within sight instantly lit up with bonfires simultaneously.

Tens of thousands of bonfires also lit up simultaneously on the stone walls on both sides of the valley.

The top of the main building where Xiang Liang was standing rose with a fierce flame, soaring twenty to thirty meters into the air.

The entire Great Xia Valley instantly felt a warm current, as bright as day.

“Beginning of the New Year, Cold Origin Peace!”

“Beginning of the New Year, Cold Origin Peace!”

“Hahaha, it's Great Xia Year Two, set up the tables, set up the tables.”

“We don't have to go out for fifteen days, we must rest well.”

“Beginning of the New Year, Cold Origin Peace!”

“Quickly set up the tables, let's eat, let's eat.”

The people on the three main roads, after congratulating each other, quickly set up round tables, filling the entire street, and the crowd sat down nearby.

The five or six thousand people in front of the wooden building had now been taken elsewhere, replaced by round tables and seated Great Xia people.

“Beginning of the New Year, Cold Origin Peace!”

Those who sat at the tables all congratulated each other with smiling faces.

Plates of cold beast meat, various fruits, and many foods Xiang Liang had never seen before were brought to the tables.

The entire valley was instantly filled with fragrance and laughter.

Xiang Liang no longer had time to worry about why Great Xia dared to illuminate the valley to this extent on such a night. The countless and inexhaustible beast meat and various delicacies on the tables below were enough to make his breath catch and his expression numb.

How could Great Xia be so rich!

Did their food, by any chance, fall from the sky?

“Beginning of the New Year… Cold Origin Peace…”

Xiang Liang, looking at the dreamlike scene of the valley before him, murmured these eight words. A strange emotion suddenly arose in his heart, and a fiery and unspeakable expectation rose in his eyes.

“Who's standing there?”

Suddenly, a rough voice came from the side.

Xiang Liang quickly turned his head and saw that three people had come up from downstairs at some point. The one speaking was the most burly of the three.

As the three approached, seeing that the clothes they were wearing, like Yuwen Tao's, had a flowing light, Xiang Liang's expression immediately became tense.

“I'm asking you a question, you can't just come up to the third floor, don't you know?”

The burly young man in the middle, seeing that Xiang Liang hadn't answered for a long time, took a few steps closer, while also releasing some aura.

This aura was stronger than Xu Ning's…

Xiang Liang quickly lowered his head, about to answer.

But before he could speak, another of the three spoke.

“He's the person Xu Ning brought back from Wuyuan. He seems to be someone who wants to present a treasure to the Leader. He probably just came out of the main hall.”

“Present a treasure to the Leader…”

Hearing Qiu Peng's words, a strange look appeared on Yuan Cheng's face. The four camps north of Wuyuan Mountain were pitifully weak. In his opinion, what good treasure could such a camp have?

To present it to the Leader was even more of a joke.

“Don't linger on the third floor if you have nothing to do, go down!”

“Yes, sir.”

Hearing Yuan Cheng's words, Xiang Liang quickly turned around and walked down the stairs.

However, at this moment, a large group of people were walking up the stairs.

Xiang Liang quickly retreated to the side of the staircase, lowering his head and waiting for these people to come up.

“Hey, why is there a young man?”

“He doesn't seem to be from our camp.”

“He's here to present a treasure, Xu Ning brought him from Wuyuan.”

“Oh, oh, oh, I see, Xu Ning is in the limelight this time.”

“More than five thousand people, more than a hundred Earth-Digging Realm prisoners, the Black Arrow Team probably won't have to enter the mine for several years.”

“After the Cold Origin Festival is over, I have to find him to buy a few.”

After everyone had passed, Xiang Liang slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with horror.

“Hundreds of people…”

Although he didn't feel the aura on these people, just from the content of their conversation, Xiang Liang could basically judge that these people's status was definitely similar to Xu Ning's.

Strength is equal to status, it's the same in any camp.

That is to say, even if not everyone who came up just now was stronger than Xu Ning, at least they wouldn't be too different from him.

Gulp…

Xiang Liang swallowed his saliva and quickly walked downstairs.

At this moment, the voice that had just announced the decree sounded again.

“First Cold Origin Festival, Leader's decree, amnesty for all convicts, three months of corvée labor, to demonstrate the benevolence of my Great Xia.”

Amnesty for all convicts for three months of corvée labor?

Xiang Liang, who had just walked down the main building, paused, a look of ecstasy on his face.

Although his family of four had been exempted from corvée labor, the remaining Earth-Digging Realm members of the He Feng camp had not, and still had to serve a year and a half of corvée labor. Reducing it by three months at once, equivalent to one-sixth, was already a lot.

“Long live the Leader, long live Great Xia!”

“Long live the Leader, long live Great Xia!”

“Long live the Leader, long live Great Xia!”

The crowd outside the main building let out round after round of shouts.

“Long live the Leader, long live Great Xia!”

Xiang Liang couldn't help but be infected by this emotion, looking up at the top floor of the main building, clenching his fist, and shouting along.

Just as Yue Feng shouted out the last amnesty decree.

Inside the main hall on the top floor, Xia Chuan and the others who had already taken their seats were first stunned, then all turned to look at the back of the hall, their faces showing joy.

“Big Brother has come out of seclusion.”

“The Leader has come out of seclusion.”

“It's been almost four months, he's finally out of seclusion.”