Outside the wooden palisade of the Blackrock Clan, the snow had yet to completely melt. Kurzadh returned grandly with the greenskin Army, followed by the excited night hobgoblins.
Just as he stepped into the camp, preparing to gather the Orc Boyz and hobgoblins to announce the good news of subjugating the Green Poison tribe and finding the iron mine, the system prompt suddenly rang out in his mind:
[Congratulations, host, for successfully subjugating the Green Poison tribe, establishing a second territory, and unlocking the "Province System."]
[Please name the two major territories. After naming, the Territory Management Panel and Resource Interoperability functions will be activated.]
"Province System?" Kurzadh paused, then realized this meant his tribe was no longer a single camp, but a "Province" that could govern multiple territories, making future expansion much more convenient.
He looked at the familiar main camp of the Blackrock Clan before him, then thought of the night hobgoblins' tribe in the mine, and quickly came up with an idea.
"The main camp will be called 'Blackrock Spire'!" Kurzadh silently decided. The common greenskin currency was teeth, and "Blackrock Spire" (Capital) suited his style and symbolized that this was the core of the tribe, the place for gathering wealth and strength.
Next, he looked toward the mine: "The territory by the mine will be called 'Stonewatch'!" Iron ore was the core resource there, and the name "Stonewatch" was both direct and simple, highlighting the strategic value of the territory.
[Territory naming successful! The Province System is officially activated. Current Province Name: Blackrock Province (Governing Blackrock Spire and Stonewatch).]
[Unlocked Functions: 1. Territory Resource Interoperability (Allows allocation of supplies and troops between the two territories); 2. Territory Management Panel (Real-time view of population, production, and construction progress in both territories); 3. Province Missions (Completion grants additional Waaagh! value and special rewards).]
Kurzadh nodded in satisfaction. The activation of the Province System made tribe management more organized, and he wouldn't have to run himself ragged allocating resources anymore.
He immediately began assigning troops and tasks: "Bone Tree! You take 100 Orc Boyz to Stonewatch and oversee the iron ore mining!"
Bone Tree immediately stepped forward, pounding his chest to guarantee: "Don't worry, boss! He used to work in human mines, he knows mining work well! He guarantees he'll dig up lots and lots of iron ore!" He was the only greenskin in the tribe who understood mining, making him the perfect choice to manage Stonewatch.
"Keziaz, you take all the night hobgoblins to Blackrock Spire. For now, get familiar with the environment, help look after the arachnari giant spider egg, and learn the rules of Blackrock Spire," Kurzadh said to Keziaz.
Night hobgoblins excelled at sneak attacks and underground activities. Keeping them in Blackrock Spire would protect the core camp and help them adapt to a new way of life.
Keziaz quickly nodded, filled with anticipation he had long wanted to see what Blackrock Spire looked like. He had heard Bone Tree mention that Blackrock Spire had many "novel things," and now he finally had the chance to see them.
After assigning the tasks, Bone Tree led 50 Orc Boyz, carrying axes, iron chisels, and torches, toward Stonewatch.
Keziaz, meanwhile, led 210 night hobgoblins, riding Death Crawlers, and followed Kurzadh into Blackrock Spire.
Upon entering Blackrock Spire, the night hobgoblins were stunned by the sight before them, their mouths hanging open.
The greenskin tribes they knew were typically filthy and chaotic, littered with feces and trash, and the air was thick with foul odors.
But Blackrock Spire was completely different: the ground was covered with smooth stone slabs, and every few steps there was a wooden trash can, the garbage inside neatly cleared; the thatched huts lining the roads were tidily arranged, the snow swept clean from the roofs; there was even a dedicated latrine built with wooden planks, lined with dry grass, and dug deep, exactly like the latrines in the human world.
"This... Is this a greenskin tribe?" a night hobgoblins whispered, unable to believe his eyes.
Riding on his spider, he carefully avoided the stone slabs on the ground, afraid of dirtying the environment here.
Keziaz was also stunned. He walked to the latrine, looking at the simple drawing on the wooden sign (greenskins are illiterate, so symbols mark functions), and then at the clean surroundings, feeling immense admiration: "The boss is truly formidable, to be able to manage the tribe so well!"
The night hobgoblins also worshipped Gork and Mork. Seeing that Blackrock Spire was both clean and orderly, they quickly accepted the environment in their view, only such a tribe was worthy of a powerful leader.
Kurzadh smiled contentedly, watching the reaction of the night hobgoblins.
He instructed a hobgoblin scout to take the night hobgoblins to familiarize themselves with the thatched huts and the camp layout, while he headed toward the lumberyard he still needed to check the infrastructure progress and solve the iron ore transportation problem.
Meanwhile, at Stonewatch, Bone Tree had already started "Hot digging" with the Orc Boyz.
Inside the abandoned dwarf mine, the light of torches illuminated the massive tunnel. The Orc Boyz were split into two teams: one team, armed with iron chisels and stone hammers, frantically chipped away at the rock face where the iron ore was located, the sound of "Clink-clank" echoing through the mine; the other team was responsible for hauling the extracted iron ore, bundling it with vines, carrying it on their shoulders, and transporting it to the mine entrance.
"Keep chipping hard! If anyone slacks off, he'll throw him into the deepest part of the mine to feed the spiders!" Bone Tree, bare-chested, held an iron chisel and smashed it fiercely against the rock face, causing a fist-sized chunk of iron ore to fall off.
When he was a slave in human mines, he had to dig for over ten hours every day, giving him a complete mastery of mining techniques he knew exactly where the ore was densest and what force to use for the most efficient extraction.
Although the Orc Boyz didn't understand mining, they had plenty of strength.
Under Bone Tree's guidance, they quickly grasped the basic technique: first, using a stone hammer to drive the chisel into a crack in the rock, and then prying it forcefully to chip off entire chunks of iron ore.
Some orcs, finding the speed too slow, simply rammed the rock face with their shoulders. Although it made them wince in pain, they still managed to knock down a good amount of ore.
The faint glow of phosphorescent moss deep within the mine illuminated the sweaty figures of the Orc Boyz.
In less than half a day, a small pile of iron ore had accumulated at the mine entrance. The dark brown ore shimmered with a metallic luster under the green light, a truly exciting sight.
"If the boss sees this much iron ore, he's definitely going to reward us with beer!" an Orc Boyz said excitedly while wiping away sweat.
The other orcs chimed in agreement, their motivation increasing for greenskins , the boss' approval and beer were the best incentives.
Simultaneously, a burst of cheerful shouting erupted from the lumberyard in Blackrock Spire.
As Kurzadh walked over, he saw Dragu leading several hobgoblins, excitedly discussing a strange wooden tool they were gathered around.
The tool looked like a small wooden cart. The body was made of hardwood, with two wooden wheels underneath, which were wrapped in a layer of iron sheeting (acquired from the human camp); two wooden shafts extended from the front of the cart, tied with vines. Most notably, there was a "pump" made of wood and rope in the middle of the cart body, and several hobgoblin laborers were gathered around it, poking it curiously.
"Boss! You're finally here! We succeeded!" Dragu immediately ran over when he saw Kurzadh, his face beaming with pride. "This is the 'goblin pump pump cart' we invented! It's specifically for the goblin to use!"
Kurzadh walked over to the pump pump cart with great interest and examined it closely.
Dragu explained: "The pump pump cart doesn't need livestock to pull it. You just need the goblin to sit in the front and step on the pedals below, which drives the pump in the middle, making the wheels turn! Normally, it can be used to transport wood and ore, carrying over a hundred pound of goods at once. If we go to war, we can also mount axes or shortbows on the cart body and use it as a war chariot the faster the goblin pedals, the steadier the cart runs, absolutely useful!"
To prove his point, Dragu asked two hobgoblin laborers to try it out.
The goblin squeezed into the seats at the front of the pump pump cart and stepped on the pedals. The pump in the middle started making a "Creak-creak" noise, and the wheels indeed began to turn. The pump pump cart moved slowly forward, its body very steady; not even the few rocks placed on top fell off.
"This is great!" Kurzadh's eyes lit up, his heart filled with pleasant surprise.
After the iron ore was mined at Stonewatch, the biggest problem was transportation Orc Boyz were inefficient carriers and tired easily. Now, with the goblin pump pump cart, this trouble was solved perfectly! Moreover, the pump pump cart could also be used as a war chariot, killing two birds with one stone.
"Dragu, you've rendered a great service!" Kurzadh patted Dragu's shoulder excitedly. "This goblin pump pump cart must be mass-produced! Take the hobgoblins immediately and use the lumberyard materials to build fifty more! If necessary, add more manpower, but make sure it's done quickly!"
"He understands!" Dragu's face was flushed with excitement. He nodded quickly. "He'll go arrange it now! He guarantees fifty pump pump carts will be built within three days!" He had long wanted to popularize the pump pump cart, and now that he had the boss' approval and the ability to mass-produce it, he was happier than anyone.
Kurzadh watched Dragu leading the hobgoblins as they got busy, then looked toward Stonewatch, his heart full of anticipation.
With the Province System, Blackrock Spire and Stonewatch could share resources; with the goblin pump pump cart, the iron ore transportation problem was solved easily; and with the night hobgoblins and Orc Boyz performing their respective duties, the development speed of Blackrock Province was bound to accelerate.
In the plaza, the night hobgoblins were familiarizing themselves with the environment of Blackrock Spire. Some watched the Orc Boyz training in the Fighting Pit, while others peered curiously outside the green mushroom tavern; in the lumberyard, the hobgoblins were busy constructing the goblin pump pump carts, the sound of "Clink-clank" incessant; and in the Stonewatch mine, the Orc Boyz were still digging frantically, the pile of iron ore growing higher and higher.