Heilong-kou (Black Dragon-Mouth/Pass)
Heilong-cheng (Black Dragon-City)
Censorate (Supervisory Court)
Yuling City (Jade City)
Jingui Town (Golden Turtle Town)
Xuanwu City (Black tortoise City)
…
The Daily Chemical Factory presented a prototype of the soap they had produced. It was ugly, lacked fragrance, and looked more like plain soap.
Yin Jixue pondered how to improve it. Among the seeds provided by the system, there was mint. She had already scattered the seeds, and a small patch had grown in the back garden.
"Try adding mint leaves to the mixture. The soap will then have a refreshing mint scent. In the future, you can incorporate other fragrant plants as well."
The craftsmen nodded repeatedly and jotted everything down in their notebooks.
"Also, about the shape and packaging — the soaps must be uniform in size. You can make a fixed mold. Later on, you can even imprint various patterns on the molds. The more variety in appearance, the more appealing the soaps will be. As for packaging, that needs to keep up too. I'll give you the initial concept, but from here on, you'll need to use your creativity and imagination."
Yin Jixue sketched out the simplest design: a soap dish with a hollow base and a patterned lid — the most basic kind found in modern times.
After the craftsmen from the Daily Chemical Factory left with their materials, Yin Jixue tidied up her desk.
The scorched lands of the Demon Race were unsuitable for farming, but the system-enhanced seeds grew incredibly fast once planted. Now, vegetables were being delivered to the palace daily. Before long, even off-season fruits might be available.
But a new problem had emerged: there were more and more vegetables, but the demon citizens didn't know how to eat them.
Yin Jixue could tolerate a meal of boiled greens, but eating nothing but boiled vegetables and raw lettuce every day was starting to make her feel like she was turning green herself.
When it came to recipes, she had more than enough.
With her points piling up, she finally indulged a little and purchased two cookbooks on home-style cuisine.
She handed them to the palace chef and instructed him to learn the recipes first, then teach the cooks at several of the city's communal canteens. As for seasoning, they could harvest fresh ingredients from the back garden.
If there was one thing the back garden wasn't lacking, it was chili peppers — several varieties. Yin Jixue liked spicy food but didn't eat it often. Still, she planted so many peppers because Black Dragon City was on the colder side, and spicy food helped dispel internal dampness.
Vegetables alone weren't enough. For staple foods, they couldn't keep relying solely on sweet taro and the millet and wheat from the Winged Tiger Tribe.
Yin Jixue flipped through an encyclopedia, muttering to herself:
"These demon crops seem pretty resilient. Feels like grain seeds might sprout too. Wheat's usually planted in April... if the temperature's suitable, it might work, right?"
She went ahead and made a chart listing all the vegetables and fruits suitable for planting.
She gave herself a light slap on the forehead. "So careless — I should've planted strawberries last winter."
But it wasn't too late to start now. Strawberries, cherries, loquats — all of these could be planted.
After weighing her options, she chose a site at the foot of the mountain behind the palace, an area only patrolled by the palace guard.
The garden had already turned into a vegetable plot, leaving no extra space for fruit. Still, she had managed to plant over a dozen fruit trees, though it was unlikely they'd bear fruit this year.
That very day, after receiving the cookbook, the palace chef went above and beyond expectations. The custom-made iron wok finally came in handy, and two stir-fried dishes appeared on the table.
Even if it was all vegetables, life had to go on.
At midday, Tengshe returned to the palace. He had scouted up to 10,000 kilometers away from Black Dragon City and discovered a lower-level demon tribe along the way, numbering a little over 200.
"These demons rely on hunting and rudimentary farming. They've managed to carve out half an acre of land. Only the young and strong do the hunting — even the females. There's just one elderly demon and over a dozen children."
Although the deeper parts of the Black Dragon Forest had arable soil, it was practically useless — that land belonged to high-level beast territories. These demons were trying to carve out a home right under the noses of apex predators. One slip-up and they'd become emergency rations.
Wasn't this exactly the kind of labor force she needed?
Tengshe hesitated. "With the king away, they might be difficult to manage. Wild demons have high attack power. Their hands and teeth are their tools — good for both hunting and labor. Their bite force is strong enough to kill low-level beasts. That's not an exaggeration."
"It's fine. If they're willing to come, let them settle outside the city — the houses are already built. Let them start with mining work to feed themselves. That wild nature will be worn down in time."
She wasn't recruiting palace guards. As long as these demons worked diligently and followed the rules of Black Dragon City, they'd receive the same treatment as the locals.
Tengshe nodded. "I'll bring them back as soon as I can. But it may take some time, given the distance." He could fly back alone in two days, but with a group that large, they'd have to walk.
Yin Jixue considered this. "Is there a route that trade caravans use in that direction?"
Tengshe caught on to the Queen's train of thought.
"There is. But these demons live deep in the forest, practically neighbors with the beasts. We'll need a driver."
That was easy. The workers at the Mechanical Factory all knew how to drive.
"Rest up first. I'll have the Mechanical Factory produce a bus by the end of the day."
Since there were more than two hundred demons, Yin Jixue sent word to the Mechanical Factory, asking Old Mo to finish the two remaining buses.
He would personally build one and let Tiesheng learn by helping with the other.
The bus materials were valuable, but this task reward had only dropped once. No more bug exploits to farm materials.
However, the system gave her a consolation prize — a Real-Time Image Transmission Device.
She could install a "camera" inside the bus to monitor live footage via the system. The footage could also be projected anywhere, like using a projector.
There were five full sets.
Yin Jixue planned to install one in each bus, one at the main city gate, and save one for the aircraft.
Speak of the devil — just then, a soldier reported that the aircraft had returned.
Yin Jixue immediately lifted her skirts and rushed out, realizing only now that it hadn't even been a full month yet.
Only Da Gui disembarked from the aircraft, along with a group of skin-and-bones demon civilians — they looked like they might fall apart with a gust of wind.
"Your Highness, the King instructed me to bring these twenty back so they can recover here and learn within Black Dragon City."
These emaciated demon citizens from Heilongyuan looked at her with pitiful eyes. Yin Jixue instructed the soldiers to fly them out of the city for a proper meal before settling them down.
Da Gui pulled a thin sheet of paper from his robes.
"The King wrote you a letter. They've already reached Black Dragon Ridge. Only Black Dragon Bay remains before they return."
Da Gui didn't stay long. After the aircraft was sent back by the soldiers, Yin Jixue installed the transmission device above the cockpit — it looked just like a camera.
"This device records the inside of the aircraft. You can also turn it outward to monitor the surroundings. I'll be able to see everything from here."
Da Gui nodded fervently, memorizing everything. The Queen is impressive. She even built a magic device just to stay connected with the King!
He flew off again in the aircraft, leaving Yin Jixue a little empty inside.
She missed her boyfriend.
That night, Yin Jixue couldn't sleep. Dressed in casual clothes, she headed to the Mechanical Factory to check on their progress.
Fengxiu followed her nervously. This was the first time the Queen hadn't gone to bed on schedule — it needed to be recorded.
The Mechanical Factory was brightly lit.
Old Mo beamed. "One bus is already done. The other will be finished by morning. My apprentice's not bad — he built half of it himself. When he heard it was meant to transport a large number of demon civilians, he even started modifying it on his own. You'll see the results tomorrow morning."
In the depths of the Black Dragon Forest, there was arable land — but it was like planting a cornfield at the mouth of a wild boar's den. Unless you chased the boars away, it was pointless. But even if you chased them away, more would come. If you had the power to drive them off, you might as well hunt them — but hunting required tools, which they didn't have.