Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Chapter 1720: Chapter 545: Qingtan Village, Su He – Forced Labor and Reunion

In the year 300 of Cai Qiu, on the second day of the first month, at night

South of Qinghua City in Bai Shui County, deep within Evergreen Valley, in Qingtan Village

“Sir, including the village chief, thirteen Cold Resistance Level individuals and six hundred twenty-nine Earth-digging Realm individuals have all been dispatched. The village really cannot spare any strong men now, we don’t even have hunters, relying on gathering alone cannot fill our stomachs. The remaining grain in the village is scarce; if this continues, I’m afraid people will starve to death!”

The village chief of Qingtan Village, Su Lie’s youngest son, the forty-three-year-old Su He, was hunched over in servitude, standing obsequiously before the five armored soldiers, with a bitter expression, apologizing with folded hands. Even though the soldiers hadn’t looked at him directly the entire time, he could only smile placatingly, adopting an extremely humble demeanor.

Though Evergreen Valley is part of Cai Qiu’s territory, Cai Qiu has never paid attention to this land. The entire Evergreen Valley covers an area of approximately 8,000 square kilometers, with a population exceeding 1.2 million. However, those who have obtained citizenship number less than 6,000.

Excluding seventy to eighty thousand individuals of Slave Status and lowly status, the remaining over one million people are all undocumented individuals.

What is an undocumented individual?

It means having no legal identity, no qualification to enter the major cities governed by Cai Qiu, and restrictions on moving freely within the territory. Hunting and gathering can only be done in surrounding areas, and must be done clandestinely. If discovered by citizens, they are justified in killing you on the spot.

In essence, Evergreen Valley is a region abandoned by Cai Qiu.

And the reason, linked closely to Evergreen Valley’s geography, cannot be ignored.

Evergreen Valley is located on the northern side of Moao Mountain. Normally, being close to such a resource-rich treasure as Moao Mountain, Evergreen Valley should be of great importance, but unfortunately, its eastern and western sides are fault zones.

What is a fault zone?

It is the sudden collapse of a mountain range, offering no buffer whatsoever. Moao Mountain is a majestic peak; its collapse naturally shakes the heavens and earth.

The mountain walls on the eastern and western sides of Evergreen Valley are at least ten thousand meters high. Slightly higher ones reach twenty or thirty thousand meters tall, with the highest point unknown to anyone. Such terrifying fault geography results in over 8,000 square kilometers of the valley lacking a single entrance to the mountain.

Inside Evergreen Valley, there are mountains and water, there are Cold Beasts and various plant resources. The issue is that compared to Moao Mountain, they are vastly inferior.

Cai Qiu’s domain spans 120,000 square kilometers with numerous resource-rich locations. A mere Evergreen Valley, were it not for the Bone-Eroding Path connecting to the Southern Slope Territory, would likely never garner attention.

Neglect results in the absence of powerful figures’ assistance.

The survival and development of the Ice Abyss People’s Camp’s underlying logic is essentially the strong leading the weak. Without a powerful figure to guide and secure top-tier resources for the camp, ordinary people, regardless of their number or talent, can at best achieve Cold Resistance Level.

Evergreen Valley is probably in this situation.

Due to Cai Qiu’s disregard, the valley’s population exceeds a million, but citizens number only around eighty thousand, over ninety percent of whom are of Slave Status or lowly status, rendering development unlikely.

For years, Cai Qiu has virtually left Evergreen Valley to fend for itself, entirely delegated to Bai Shui County’s Qinghua City for management.

Qinghua City virtually ignores governance as well, only establishing Slave Villages in the largest zones of the valley. Other areas are entirely neglected.

It’s understandable, as Cai Qiu is a feudal town with high productivity levels and abundant resources. Why would they bother with Evergreen Valley, a region relatively resource-poor and populated with lower-quality inhabitants?

The undocumented individuals of Evergreen Valley don’t really live poorly, given that no governing body means relatively high freedom. Although deprived of Cheng Town’s various precious resources, as long as they tend to their own small piece of land, they may not see great prospects but at least will not go hungry.

However, in recent years, things have started to change.

Feudal town dignitaries frequently need to travel south via the Bone-Eroding Path, allegedly to the Southern Slope Territory. Initially, Su He was quite pleased, as consistent visits by dignitaries might mean Evergreen Valley would attract attention from higher powers.

Yet before any attention from town’s high officials could arrive, disaster struck first.

Rumor has it that a powerful, deceitful monster known as the Black Wind General resides within Bone-Eroding Path. Anyone wishing to pass through must pay a toll to him, and the toll is human lives.

Deceitful monsters’ lust for slaughter is no secret in Cai Qiu, so once the rumor spread, the people promptly believed it seventy to eighty percent.

Combined with the fact that in recent years, whenever dignitaries arrive, batches of young individuals are recruited from villages supposedly for long-term labor in the County City but none have ever returned, this rumor is virtually confirmed.

Those dignitaries clearly deceived young villagers, using them as toll payment to the monster.

This news only spread thoroughly at the end of last year, and when Su He and his father Su Lie first heard it, they fell silent for nearly half a day.

The reason is simple: four years ago, their village experienced such an event too. Several County Guard Army soldiers came to recruit 500 individuals under the age of 25 for long-term work in the County City. The villagers were overjoyed upon hearing this, and the 500 spots were quickly filled.

Of those five hundred individuals, a small number managed to escape and recounted the events within Bone-Eroding Path that year, so both Su He and his father Su Lie have actually known about it since four years ago.

But knowing doesn’t help!