Chapter 161: Promotion, Salary Increase, and Housing All at Once

He Lingchuan chuckled, "Still playing coy with me?"

"It's not about being coy; it's genuinely hard to describe, sigh," Hu Min lamented. "I'm not well-read, so I lack the words."

Given this, He Lingchuan didn't press the matter. As Hu Min said, if he were to enter the Coiling Dragon Dreamscape again in the future, he would eventually meet General Hong, so there was no need to rush.

His drinking companion then chuckled, "More than half of new recruits ask that very question. Some even join the army specifically because of General Hong's reputation."

"Where exactly did General Hong come from?" He Lingchuan asked, picking up the last piece of pork crackling. "Don't tell me you don't know again?"

"Only Commander Zhong probably knows the answer to that mystery."

They chatted freely and laughed boisterously, as the entire tavern was equally noisy.

In this dream, He Lingchuan found himself shedding his protective facade, feeling as if he had returned to his student days of boasting, drinking ice-cold cola, and eating skewers—talking about anything and everything, truly unburdened and at ease.

It had been a very long time since he had felt such comfort and freedom—

Ever since he had become He Lingchuan.

After eating and drinking their fill, Hu Min stood up, burped, paid the bill, and then pulled He Lingchuan outside.

Due to his leg injury, he found a donkey cart to take them to the Merits Department.

On the way, Hu Min explained to He Lingchuan, "The Merits Department is responsible for recording and distributing merits, and it's one of Coiling Dragon City's most important institutions. It's divided into two bureaus: Military Merits and Civilian Merits. Since we're claiming military merits now, we'll go to the Military Merits Bureau."

He Lingchuan felt like a country bumpkin in the city. "It's easy to understand that you get military merits for fighting. But how do civilians earn merits? Is it for exceptional logistical support on the battlefield?"

"No, that's not it. Anything related to combat falls under the Military Merits Bureau; even if a civilian discovers a spy, they can earn military merits. 'Civilian merits' refers to citizens performing corvée labor, contributing extra grain, or expanding commerce outside the city. These accumulated merits can be exchanged for things that money can't buy or that are extremely expensive, such as houses, cultivation techniques, medicinal ingredients, and servant quotas."

He Lingchuan was stunned. "Even servant quotas require merits?"

"Of course," Hu Min chuckled. "In Coiling Dragon City, finding someone to serve you isn't as simple as them agreeing and you paying. The merits required to exchange for a fourth-class residence are equivalent to purchasing one servant quota."

"That... that difficult?" He Lingchuan thought of Liu Baobao from Blackwater City, a mere merchant's son whose family had three concubines and twelve servants.

Luxuries easily obtained by the wealthy outside were incredibly difficult to acquire here.

"What does 'expanding commerce outside the city' mean?"

"It means leaving Coiling Dragon City to deliver messages or conduct business elsewhere," Hu Min explained. "Did you see any caravans before entering the city?"

"Yes, quite a few," He Lingchuan replied. He then looked at the shops lining both sides of the road, realizing their thriving trade far surpassed that of Blackwater City.

Foreign trade, like water, nourished the city. Without external goods, Coiling Dragon City likely wouldn't be able to operate so prosperously.

He even saw playhouses, red-light districts, and gambling dens...

Everything was orderly and vibrant. It was hard to imagine this was inside a city perpetually shrouded by the shadow of war.

Shouldn't war-torn areas be desolate, with people displaced?

"The Coiling Dragon Wasteland is constantly embroiled in conflict, which makes expanding commerce outside the city very challenging and worthy of commendation," Hu Min said gravely. "The Baling Kingdom has blockaded our trade routes several times, aiming to trap Coiling Dragon City, and those battles were incredibly fierce."

He then added, "In the past, these efforts weren't well-managed; the motherland didn't even know that the Coiling Dragon Wasteland had become an isolated enclave in the west. Commander Zhong, having learned from those painful lessons, is determined to ensure we are no longer isolated."

At this point, Hu Min suddenly winked. "Ever since servant quotas could only be acquired with merits, the number of newborns in Coiling Dragon City has suddenly surged. Everyone's just having children at home for fun, which has delighted the higher-ups! I wonder if it counts as an unexpected bonus."

When it comes to warfare, the primary factor is undoubtedly people. For a city like Coiling Dragon City, which endures constant conflict, finding ways to boost the population is paramount.

He Lingchuan was momentarily taken aback. "Huh? Is there a connection?"

"Of course there is," Hu Min chuckled. "Think about it: since you can't hire people and there's a lot of work at home that you can't possibly finish by yourself, what's the most economical solution?"

He Lingchuan said uncertainly, "Have children?"

"Exactly! Have a few children and raise them until they're seven or eight; then you'll have extra hands, won't you? And they're free; you don't even need to pay wages, just feed them. They're better and more obedient than livestock. When they're a bit older, they can go out and work for you, and the money is yours. Isn't that great?"

"..." He Lingchuan rolled his eyes. "Since that makes so much sense, how many have you had?"

"Me... not yet." Hu Min's face flushed slightly. "What's the rush?"

"You're living with your head on the line; aren't you in a hurry?" He Lingchuan eyed him askance. "Don't tell me you don't even have a partner."

"Haven't found the right one, haven't found the right one," Hu Min quickly pointed ahead. "Look, we're here! Let's get off!"

The Merits Department was the largest building complex on the street, situated by the lake. It featured green walls, gray tiles, upturned eaves, and a three-bay entrance, with many people entering and exiting. Passing through its six black-lacquered gates, one entered a corridor that branched into two paths, leading to the Military Merits Bureau and the Civilian Merits Bureau respectively.

Hu Min naturally led him towards the Military Merits Bureau.

The deeper they went, the more detailed the building's divisions became. He Lingchuan learned that beneath the Military Merits Bureau were various sub-departments, such as the Supervision Department, which was responsible for overseeing troops behind the front lines, executing deserters, and recording military achievements during and after battles to serve as a basis for rewards and punishments.

And the Pengcheng Department, where He Lingchuan was headed, was where military merit awards were issued.

This was a twenty-square-meter room with three people seated behind three desks. Cabinets lining the walls reached the ceiling, filled with various documents and ledgers.

Hu Min walked to the desk closest to the window and chuckled, "Officer Liu, I've brought my brother here to claim his merits."

Officer Liu put down his pen. "Name?"

Hu Min rattled off the details: "He Lingchuan. On the third of last month, he covered the retreat in Xi-Qing River Valley, helping civilians from Wei City evacuate to Coiling Dragon City, under the command of Lieutenant Xiao Maoliang."

Only today did He Lingchuan learn that Commander Xiao's rank was Lieutenant.

Officer Liu, highly efficient, searched through a cabinet in the back, quickly retrieved a ledger, and opened it. "Hmm, He Lingchuan, not a local?"

"From Tusu, fled here with others," He Lingchuan replied without a blush or change in his heartbeat.

"Your evaluation notes that you are courageous in combat and clever. Your team fought with few numbers, eliminated many enemies, carried out a difficult mission with minimal civilian casualties, and General Hong personally signed off, so your merits are considerable. Hmm, by group merit calculation, you are awarded one wooden house, thirty taels of silver, one set of chain light armor, five jin of cheese, five taels of chewing tobacco, and two mu of medium-grade paddy fields in Qingniu District."

Officer Liu recited these items fluently. "If you don't need the house or armor, you can exchange them for other goods."

He Lingchuan beamed. "I'll take everything, no need to exchange! Thank you!"

Hu Min accompanied him out of the Merits Department, and they got back into the original donkey cart, heading towards He Lingchuan's newly acquired house.

The rewards He Lingchuan received were all convenient: the house and fields were just two land deeds, and he immediately put on the newly acquired light armor. The thirty taels of silver were a godsend; otherwise, he would have been penniless and helpless in Coiling Dragon City, and he wouldn't have had the nerve to constantly sponge off Hu Min for food and drink.

The term "wooden house" didn't merely refer to the building material being wood; it was the name for one of Coiling Dragon City's nine residential grades, listed from highest to lowest as "Silver, Bronze, Iron, Tin, Lead, Water, Fire, Wood, Earth."

"Who came up with these ridiculous grade names?" he thought, wanting to complain.

Nevertheless, for He Lingchuan to skip over the lowest "earth house" and obtain a "wooden house" with just one military merit was already quite good.

Especially for an outsider.

However, he had risked his life last time just to achieve this much, which showed that earning military merits in Coiling Dragon City was not easy. It also indirectly reflected that battles in the Coiling Dragon Wasteland were intense and frequent, and one or two military merits would not guarantee a life free from worry.

To provide a better life for themselves and their families, soldiers had to fight bravely.

Qingniu District was quite remote, and the donkey cart moved slowly, causing Hu Min to yawn incessantly and even doze off twice. He Lingchuan, however, dared not close his eyes, fearing that he might exit the dream in his grogginess, and then who knew how long it would be until he could enter again.

After more than an hour, they finally arrived.

The moment he stepped off the donkey cart and stood at the entrance of the wooden house, He Lingchuan had a fleeting thought that he had returned to his home in another world.

It was a cramped civilian district with uneven roads and uniform, low-slung houses. Your wall was right against my yard, and two houses across the street even shared a partition wall. At night, if a couple got intimate, or a neighbor spanked their child, it was all live broadcast, every detail crystal clear.

The wooden door of the house assigned to He Lingchuan was sturdy enough, but the lock was a bit problematic; sometimes it would open, sometimes it wouldn't.

The two walked inside and found the layout very simple: just two rooms, a larger one for sleeping and a smaller one for cooking, plus a tiny yard—

It was more like an airshaft than a yard, a quadrilateral with a corner taken by each of the two neighbors, at most five square meters in area—not even enough space for an extra water bucket—with other people's homes all around it.

"So this is a wooden house?" He Lingchuan found himself feeling rather nostalgic. Before he became He Lingchuan, he had lived in a small rental apartment in a big city, not much larger than this. "What must an earth house be like then?"

Hu Min pointed to the water vat in the yard. "An earth house is just one room, without even this yard."

"Alright," He Lingchuan corrected himself, "an earth house would be even more like the place I lived in my previous life."

Hu Min then advised him, "Cheese and chewing tobacco are sought-after goods in the market; if you don't use them, you can exchange them for money. As for the paddy fields, if you don't want to cultivate them yourself, you can rent them out to others. The profits will be split 40/60, with you getting 40%, but Coiling Dragon City levies an additional 10% tax, which you're responsible for. If your land holdings exceed thirty mu, the tax rate will increase to 20%. To lower it back to 10%, you can use military merits to offset it."

"Use military merits... to offset it?" He Lingchuan gave a wry smile. "Who came up with all these complicated schemes?"

"Commander Zhong," Hu Min said with a light cough. "Merits are good things. The more you use them, the more you'll realize how scarce they are. You'll understand soon enough."