Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 7 The Rules of the Game

"I think I'm starting to understand the rules of this mission."

Standing by the stream, Li Weiyi, carrying an axe, searched for trees to cut down while pondering.

"First of all, in terms of plot setting, the three of us players play a family that has fled from disaster. The core theme is harmony, unity and love. For example, I can't take an axe and chop Penny up."

"Secondly, the development of the plot actually includes the family's subsequent choices, just like a role-playing game. But the plot is not fixed. For example, if Penny decides to build a house three days ago, then it is in line with the logic of the plot. At that time, I had to go to cut wood to cooperate with her and could not raise any objections or say that I wanted to build a wall."

"Now that the house structure is complete, we can naturally start the next part of the story. So Penny is going to build the stone wall, and I can gather firewood and hunt during this time."

"If I hadn't said anything just now, I might have missed this part of the story. Now I'm basically in the middle of the wall-building part."

“Phila and Penny would definitely object, but given their roles, they couldn’t object, because as long as it fits the plot logic, they can’t object.”

"If Penny finishes building the house, it will definitely open up a new storyline. Because the family has limited manpower and material resources, once that's decided, I won't be able to open up a new storyline."

"Her profession is that of an apprentice craftsman, so she will definitely be heading in this direction."

"My profession is that of an apprentice farmer, so I must strive for a career in farming."

"If I don't fight for it, then I probably won't be able to make a difference in my profession as a farmer until I'm eliminated."

"This is a bit like a farming and management game, except there are three people giving orders."

"Unless the three of us compete to become the head of the family, and the orders are issued in that capacity, the effect will be different."

After thinking it all through, Li Wei was no longer confused; he knew what he had to do.

Now, his task is to gather firewood, hunt, cut down trees, and build a wall, a task that must be completed before Penny finishes building the house.

Looking back, sure enough, Penny was like a human miniature engine, frantically moving stones.

Then there's nothing more to say, just do it.

Li Wei first used a long stick to tap along the edge of the forest to drive away at least three or five poisonous snakes. Then he dismantled the branches and tree crowns that had been cut down a few days earlier and carried them all to the camp to dry.

Although these branches have a high moisture content, they are still standard firewood as long as they are exposed to the sun continuously.

After fussing around for half the morning, he moved all the branches to the campsite, and almost at the same time, he received a message.

[Without a head of household assigning you tasks or any related storyline events, you obtained one unit of firewood and gained one gathering experience point. Whether you donate it to your family or not will grant you one family contribution point.]

[Friendly reminder: Family contribution points will increase your status within the family and, under certain conditions, qualify you to initiate a vote for a plot-driven death, or you can expend enough family contribution points to avoid a plot-driven death.]

You choose to donate one unit of firewood to your family, and you will gain one point of family contribution. Your current total family contribution is one point.

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I see, I'm so happy!

Li Wei laughed inwardly three times, but did not continue collecting firewood. He was certain that Penny would receive more family contribution points once the house was built.

So, let's chop down trees. That way, we can gain both logging experience and construction experience.

Now his hands are covered in calluses, and when he raises the axe and chops down heavily, it's already quite smooth and effortless. His body has gradually adapted to this kind of physical labor.

So, quite easily, they felled two trees around noon, gaining two logging experience points. When they went back for lunch, the three of them remained silent, because whenever the three of them were together, it was easy to trigger a plot event.

After dinner, Penny went back to moving stones, acting like a madwoman.

It's clear that she felt threatened by Li Wei.

Li Wei did the same, but instead of rushing to cut down trees, he went to the edge of the forest and used his short knife to continue harvesting the lush wild grass. This was to drive away the poisonous snakes as much as possible and expand his range of activity.

The lawn mowing incident also served as a reminder to him.

Now we can't preserve the grass we cut, but when the rains decrease in autumn, we can cut grass on a large scale, dry it, and store it. Now, that old cow can eat the green grass all over the mountains and even eat the withered grass in winter. But what if the mountains are blocked by heavy snow?

These dried and properly stored hays are the old cow's life-saving food.

It's good to be prepared.

Of course, before that, Li Wei had to build a hay shed to store hay.

Just as the supplies on the oxcart were Fira's personal property, so too would this hay be his personal property.

I mowed the lawn for an hour straight, which gave me a much larger area to move around in.

While harvesting wild grass, he also picked a few handfuls of ripe berries.

After eating it, it actually gave him 10 points of stamina.

This forest is a treasure trove.

After resting for a while, Li Wei picked up an axe and started chopping down trees. By evening, although he was still quite tired, he successfully felled three trees and gained three points of logging experience.

By this point, he had accumulated 10 points of logging experience, 1 point of gathering experience, and 6 points of construction experience. After deducting 2 points of experience for today's food expenses, he was still making a profit, provided that those two bitches stopped causing trouble.

Fortunately, at dinner time, the family of three quietly drank the wild vegetable soup, and no one said a word.

After dinner, Penny and Li Wei continued to sleep by the fire, while Fila was responsible for keeping watch and adding firewood.

If I'm not mistaken, you can also earn experience points.

In short, from a plot logic standpoint, Fila, as a mother, would never allow her child to get cold at night or be bitten to death by a poisonous snake.

After a good night's sleep, Li Wei even got used to the mosquito bites.

After breakfast, Penny continued moving stones. She needed to build a stone wall, which required a lot of stones. In Li Wei's opinion, it would take three to five days to complete.

Therefore, both sides are in a hurry.

Li Wei walked around the house and roughly determined the extent of the wall, feeling fortunate that he had chosen the right direction for the plot.

The house is surrounded by soft soil, which is easy to dig. Now all that's needed is to determine the style of the wall to be built.

Thinking this through, he walked into the forest, routinely tapping the surroundings with a long stick to avoid being killed by poisonous snakes, before he began to chop wood.

(End of this chapter)