106: Chapter 106 Scale Expanded, Strength Increased

The doors of the West Side Courtyard of the Dispatch Yard had just lit up, and ten new faces were already standing at the entrance.

When Chen Wuwang arrived, the sun had only just climbed onto the eaves of the main building.

He didn't take the main entrance but walked through the side corridor; his footsteps were not heavy, yet every step landed precisely on the sensory nodes of the surveillance Formation.

His Mechanical Prosthetic Eye scanned the terminal screen—the resource verification progress bar was stuck at sixty-seven, and the data formats of the three small clans were still a mess, looking like misaligned circuit boards.

"Not synchronized yet?" he asked.

The Dispatch Deacon didn't even look up: "The Dongling Wen Family uses old-fashioned Jade Slips for records, which require transcoding to read; the Nanqiu He Clan directly carves data on wooden tablets, so we have to input it manually."

Chen Wuwang gave an "en" in response, neither getting angry nor rushing them. He walked to the door of the first room and saw a middle-aged man in a coarse hemp robe staring blankly at a communication terminal, his finger hovering in the air, unsure of where to press.

"Are you the He Family Liaison?"

The man looked up sharply, nearly jumping out of his chair: "Yes, yes! The Clan Head personally instructed me to come... My name is Li Sanshi."

"Li Sanshi," Chen Wuwang repeated, noting it down. "The branch map of the mineral veins you sent has an error of more than two inches. How was it measured?"

Li Sanshi's face turned red: "It was measured with a rope ruler... a method passed down from our ancestors, it has never failed before."

"It's wrong now," Chen Wuwang interrupted directly. "The data you brought has seven items that do not conform to the Alliance's standard format. I'll give you two choices: either learn to use the terminal to upload standardized reports before noon today, or go back and have someone else replace you."

Li Sanshi's lips moved, and finally, he gritted his teeth and nodded: "I'll learn."

In the second room, the Liaison for the Beipo Liu Clan was a young woman, currently looking down and copying the operation manual.

Chen Wuwang scanned her progress chart; she had already mastered seventy percent of the basic alert procedures.

"How long have you practiced the Light-body Technique?"

"Since childhood, for twenty years."

"Good." He turned to the Dispatch Deacon and said, "Bring up the patrol route optimization module and let her participate in the calibration."

Starting from the third room, he listened to the reports one by one.

Some brought mountain path maps, some handed over labor lists, and some came empty-handed with nothing but their mouths, saying things like, 'Though we are poor, our loyalty is clear to see.'

After listening, Chen Wuwang only replied with one sentence: "Loyalty is worthless; only being able to do the work counts."

When he returned to the dispatch hall, the old members were already whispering.

"These people can't even distinguish Spiritual Qi fluctuations; how are they supposed to guard the Signal Towers?"

"If we let them touch our System, what if there's a leak?"

"A three-month Trial Alliance? I think trouble will break out in three days."

Chen Wuwang ignored them and pulled up the domain data panel. With a swipe of his finger, he forcefully enabled the Level 3 priority channel. All the data from the new clans began to automatically clean and unify in format, and the progress bar started moving again.

"From now on, all resource registration must use a unified template," his voice was not loud, but the entire Dispatch Yard heard it. "Those who don't know how, learn from the technicians. Those who can't learn, withdraw from the Trial Alliance."

No one spoke again.

Just after noon, all ten Liaisons completed their first-day check-in process.

Chen Wuwang decided on three mechanisms on the spot: the Joint Defense Shift Schedule—two clans on duty daily, responsible for boundary early warnings; the Resource Exchange Pool—each clan can declare idle materials to be unified and distributed by the Dispatch Yard; and the Emergency Response Code—once a crisis is triggered, the ten clans will simultaneously receive instructions under the operation code name 'Iron Spine.'

"Iron Spine?" someone asked.

"It means loose sand cannot build a wall; only iron bones can support the heavens," he said, then turned and entered the Central Dispatch Hall.

The conference table was surrounded by people. Five senior deacons, ten Liaisons, and representatives from several old clans were also squeezed into the back row to listen.

Just as he sat down, the representative of the Nanqiu He Clan stood up: "Clan Head, since we've joined the Alliance, can you deploy two Patrol Mechas to guard our village entrance? There are too many demon wolves at night, and the people can't sleep peacefully."

"No," Chen Wuwang answered flatly.

"But you said resource sharing..."

"Resources can be shared, but armaments cannot be mobilized." His gaze swept across them. "Did you forget the three red lines set in the previous chapter? The first is 'Do not mobilize Chen Family Armaments without authorization.' If you want safety, provide your own people to guard; we will provide training and equipment support, but mecha remote control permissions are not within the scope of the Trial Alliance."

The man wanted to argue further, but the woman from the Beipo Liu Clan spoke first: "We don't want mechas; we only want access to view the alert System so our scouts can detect movement in advance."

"That won't work either." Chen Wuwang shook his head. "The core alert network involves the coordinates of the technology zone; non-formal members are not allowed access."

"Your scouts can join the joint patrol team and be trained by our leaders. After three months, if the evaluation is passed, then we can discuss the issue of permissions."

There was a low murmur below.

Some felt relieved, some frowned, and some Liaisons lowered their heads to take notes.

Chen Wuwang tapped the table: "I know you want to get benefits as soon as possible. But trust isn't a matter of words; it's built up by following the rules time and time again."

He paused and announced the establishment of the "Coordination Committee"—five deacons and five Liaisons would take turns presiding, changing shifts every week, responsible for resource allocation suggestions, collaborative task releases, and daily communication and coordination.

"There is no final say, but your voices will be delivered directly to my desk," he said. "Do well, and you'll be formal members in three months; do poorly, and I won't kick you out—I'll just cut off your supplies."

The meeting ended, and order began to be rebuilt.

Early the next morning, a situation arose on the outskirts of the Alliance.

The Nanqiu He Clan was assigned to guard the Psionic Signal Tower, but they mistook the equipment for a lookout tower and sent an old hunter up there to stake it out.

That person didn't know how to operate it and didn't answer the communication, resulting in a monitoring blind spot that lasted for two full quarters of an hour.

A low-level Yao Beast took the opportunity to sneak across the border and gnawed half an acre of the Medicinal Field before the patrol team discovered it.

News reached the Dispatch Yard, and many were waiting to see Chen Wuwang lose his temper.

But he only called the He Clan Chief over and asked, "Do you know where you went wrong?"

"...Didn't understand the purpose of the equipment."

"It's more than just that." Chen Wuwang stared at him. "It's that you think as long as you've come, you can directly use our things. But what we give is never charity; it's an opportunity."

He ordered the launch of the "Cross-Clan Rotation Training Program"—three people from each clan would be led by Chen Family technicians for on-site teaching of the basic operations of Signal Towers, energy piles, and communication networks.

Unexpectedly, on the third day, the Beipo Liu Clan proactively approached the Dispatch Deacon and handed over a Light-body Technique crash course training method, specifically used to improve the night-time reaction speed of scouts.

"We practice this; children start at age six," the woman said. "Teaching it to your people now will save them from three years of stumbles."

The Dongling Wen Family was not to be outdone; they sent people to run along the ridge line for three days and re-marked a more concealed patrol route, avoiding wind erosion areas and saving forty percent of physical exertion.

"Before, it was us hiding from Yao Beasts," the Wen Clan Chief grinned. "Now it's their turn to hide from us."

Changes spread bit by bit.

On the seventh day, the Dispatch Yard data showed that eight out of the ten clans had completed the first round of resource testing, the labor allocation rate had increased to eighty percent, and the joint patrol coverage had expanded outward by thirty li.

Chen Wuwang stood on the high platform of the main building, his left Mechanical Prosthetic Eye continuously scanning the data stream below.

In the square, the new Liaisons were lining up to receive communication bracelets, and children gathered around the newly erected stone monument, pointing and whispering.

The clan crests of the ten clans were carved on the monument, and below them was the full text of the 'trial alliance covenant.'

He didn't have anyone set off firecrackers or hold a ceremony; he just watched quietly.

On the distant ridge line, an unfamiliar flag loomed indistinctly, flashing and then vanishing.

Without showing any emotion, he ordered a domain-wide broadcast: "From today, the Alliance will announce resource balances and safety indices every morning at dawn and open limited consultation channels."

In less than an hour, the number of nearby requests for help tripled.

Small villages reported Yao Beast harassment, isolated clans asked if they could exchange medicinal herbs, and even wandering Cultivators inquired if they could join the patrol team in exchange for a meal.

The Dispatch Deacon laughed while recording: "Clan Head, this doesn't look like building an Alliance; it's more like opening a black market."

"Even a black market must have rules," Chen Wuwang said calmly. "Incorporate the 'Child Emergency Channel' plan into the daily inspection routine, and raise its priority to Level 2."

He still stood on the high platform, his position unchanged and his gaze unwavering.

Below, the Dispatch Yard was brightly lit, and all ten rooms in the West Side Courtyard were illuminated as the Liaisons worked overtime to verify data.

His hand rested on the dagger at his waist; another scratch had been added to the hilt.

The wind blew through the pillars, stirring his silver-white hair.

The sound of hammers from the Weapon Forging Field below had not ceased, the progress bar of the Alchemy Workshop was still climbing, and the child by the Medicinal Field had finally fallen asleep, his small face pressed against the side of the stove, a smile still lingering on his lips.