We now have a Blacksmith’s Shop, a Tailor’s shop, a Woodworker’s Shop, and a barracks.

The most basic Buildings are now all in place.

However, we’re still missing an apothecary, a clinic, more Wooden Houses, a warehouse, a well, a latrine, a bathhouse, a kitchen, and other such Buildings.

But these Buildings can be a lower priority for now.

Gu Qing can handle Treatment, and we can wait until after the school entrance exam to start making medicine.

We don’t have enough Wooden Houses, but they can stay in the Lord’s House. Zhao Chi didn’t mind living with them.

The kitchen, bathroom, and latrine in the Lord’s House can serve as communal facilities for the time being.

To get water, they’ll just have to run a bit farther to the river.

We can basically manage without those Buildings for now.

We’re not short on food for the moment, either.

So, time to start training!

"Gu Qing, let’s start training."

Gu Qing nodded. "Alright. Should we use those Wooden Spears?"

She pointed to the captured Goblin Wooden Spears nearby.

They were filthy.

It was impossible to wipe them completely clean.

Zhao Chi shook his head. "Forget it. We’ll use tree branches as substitutes for Wooden Spears for now. But we don’t have any Shields. I’ll go tell Li Zhu to make a batch of wooden Equipment."

Gu Qing smiled. "No need to go all the way over there. Watch me."

She cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone.

"Li Zhu!!"

Her voice was loud and clear.

"Whoa—!"

Zhao Chi jumped in surprise.

Although her voice was very pleasant—a sultry, mature woman’s voice—

he still flinched instinctively at her sudden shout.

Li Zhu poked her head out of the Woodworker’s Shop. "Huh? What is it, Sister Gu?"

"Make a batch of Wooden Shields, and some Wooden Spears, too. We need them."

"How many should I make?"

Gu Qing looked at Zhao Chi.

Zhao Chi said, "Make 20 for now. The Shields first, then the spears."

"Okay, I’ll get right on it."

Li Zhu ducked back into the Woodworker’s Shop.

Zhao Chi looked at the ten women before him.

"Alright, let’s go. Time to start training!"

The barracks came with its own 1,000-square-meter field.

It was a square field with sides just over 30 meters long.

Roughly the area of two and a half basketball courts.

For Zhao Chi and his small group, a training area this large was more than enough.

The field was made of hard, yellow earth.

It felt very flat and even underfoot.

The women stood on the training field, all looking at Zhao Chi.

Zhao Chi said:

"Training is a long and tedious process.

"During training, it’s very likely you’ll get injured or feel extremely tired. You need to be mentally prepared for that.

"I’m a man, so I don’t really understand the psychological state of you women.

"But if you start feeling down or lacking in confidence, you can come to me. I can use the Encourage Skill to help you."

"Previously, Tang Ruan fought alongside me while in the Newborn State.

"She should be able to share some of her experiences and what she learned."

Tang Ruan nodded.

But she was a little confused.

"My Lord, that feeling is hard to describe. It’s a mix of excitement, confidence, happiness, and passion.

"It’s somewhat similar to our Fearless Talent, but also very different.

"Words really can’t fully describe it.

"Besides, our Fearless Talent is already effective. If you use the Encourage Skill on us again, will the Effect be impacted?"

The other women didn’t understand what they were talking about.

They all looked at Zhao Chi and Tang Ruan in a daze.

Only Gu Qing seemed to be in deep thought.

Zhao Chi nodded and smiled.

"Good question, Tang Ruan. The same goes for the rest of you. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me.

"Morale is Morale, and your Talent is your Talent. They are completely separate and not the same thing.

"Your Fearless Talent means you are unafraid of anything and will fight to the death without retreating.

"You won’t be intimidated by any enemy.

"But Morale affects your proactiveness.

"Even with Fearless, when your Morale is low, you still won’t be afraid to die, but you won’t fight very proactively either.

"Ordinary people don’t have Fearless, but if their Morale is high, they will attack proactively and fight with all their might, even if they’re afraid of the enemy.

"That’s the difference.

"Morale is proactiveness!"

The women nodded.

They all understood the difference now.

Tang Ruan asked, "Morale affects proactiveness, so if we raise the Morale of the Craftsmen, will they work more proactively too?"

"Correct. Think of it as giving them a shot of adrenaline."

"Oh, haha, I get it," Tang Ruan chuckled lightly.

In the system, he could see their current Morale.

Gu Qing’s was 81%.

Tang Ruan’s was 86%.

The other Female Militia members were all around 70%.

This wasn’t a real battle.

They were in a calm state of mind, so their Morale hadn’t been mobilized yet, and their proactiveness was at a normal level.

In a real battle, they would get serious, and their Morale would rise a bit.

Normally, 100% Morale is the point where one can exert their full Ability.

But Morale can exceed 100%.

It can even go far beyond 100%.

For example:

If another invader dares to trespass in our home.

Zhao Chi spoke fluently and at length.

He lectured them for a solid hour.

It was all about various points to keep in mind.

He also shared many of his own insights and experiences.

Zhao Chi himself had 10 points in Swordsmanship, so he was more experienced with blades.

But after some consideration, he still decided to have these Female Soldiers use spears.

In close-quarters combat, a spear might be at a disadvantage. After all, with its long shaft, it’s less flexible than a sword or blade.

But in team-based combat, spears could be incredibly effective.

They have long shafts, a long attack range, and they aren’t at a disadvantage against cavalry.

You can even attack through the gaps between allies in front of you.

These were all advantages.

The Female Soldiers nodded repeatedly as they listened.

Once the explanation was over, it was time for practical application.

The women all held tree branches, standing face-to-face in two rows.

Gu Qing suddenly asked, "Lord, should we take off our clothes before training? We’re all wearing new clothes, and they’re white, so they’ll get dirty easily. Plus, we’ll sweat during training, and our clothes will stink afterward."

Tang Ruan subconsciously nodded, thinking it made sense.

The other Female Soldiers couldn’t help but nod as well.

But after they processed it, their expressions became hesitant.

Zhao Chi was silent for a moment.

’This Gu Qing...’

’She sure knows how to make suggestions.’

But there was no way Zhao Chi would agree.

Training was a serious matter; there could be no distractions.

Not all the women had her kind of personality.

Zhao Chi shook his head. "No. You must be completely focused during training. Even though we’re practicing with spears, there are also a lot of leg-lifting movements. I wouldn’t mind, but you all would definitely be self-conscious, and it would affect the training’s effectiveness."

Gu Qing laughed. "I never said to take everything off. Don’t we have those short tank tops and shorts? We can just wear those. Plus, they’re easy to wash and dry."

"Oh... That would be acceptable."

They changed their clothes.

The training began.

The first practice session was chaotic, without any real form.

It was just a flurry of wild strikes.

For a moment, screams filled the air.

Red welts, clearly visible, appeared on the Female Soldiers’ skin where they were hit.

Gu Qing and Tang Ruan faced off.

Both of them possessed great Power. After just one clash, both of their tree branches snapped.