Many children, many blessings; a stunningly beautiful wife is given to you right from the start.

The hustle and bustle at the East Gate Square continued, but Lin Mo had already entered his spiritual world.

On the system panel, the number in the "Public Sentiment" column was no longer a glaring red negative number, but a steady, clear number: 1.

The inhumane debuff of infrastructure construction has finally been lifted!

Lin Mo couldn't wait to open the "Mountains and Rivers Domination Map".

My gaze instantly locked onto Iron Wall Pass.

And on the other side of Iron Wall Pass, there is the canyon exit that leads to the heart of the Great Xia Dynasty, but is now barren and undefended.

This place is like a back door that's not properly closed; a few "friends" might slip in at any time to visit.

"This is it."

Lin Mo pressed his finger heavily on the canyon entrance.

A huge, phantom-like building appeared out of thin air at the mouth of the canyon on the 3D map.

[Ding! Target location detected as a strategic point; "Fortress" type buildings can be constructed.]

Please select an architectural blueprint.

Without saying a word, Lin Mo directly chose the [Iron Wall] blueprint he had just acquired.

[WARNING: Building the new "Iron Wall Pass" requires a massive amount of resources. Confirm?]

[Required Resources: 500000 Hegemony Points, 50000 Wood, 80000 Stone, 30000 Iron Ore...]

Looking at that long string of zeros, Lin Mo felt like his kidneys were being squeezed.

I feel like I'm going to use all the resources I've painstakingly accumulated!

His heart was bleeding.

But looking at the unobstructed canyon entrance on the map, I imagined the scene of the Xia Dynasty's army suddenly emerging from there.

"put up!"

Lin Mo gritted his teeth and clicked the confirmation button.

[Domination Points - 500000]

[Battle Points Balance: 935700]

[Ding! Construction of "Iron Wall Pass (South)" has begun. Estimated time: 1 second.]

The next second, the landscape of the map changed dramatically.

At the canyon's exit, the earth shook violently.

Countless golden streams, like surging magma, erupted from the ground.

The earth was torn apart and then rebuilt.

A magnificent and imposing pass, just like the Iron Wall Pass to the north, or even more so, rose from the ground!

The obsidian-like city walls soar into the sky, blending perfectly with the mountains on both sides.

On the surface of the wall, countless mysterious golden patterns flashed by and eventually disappeared into the wall.

City gates, arrow towers, barbicans, horse ramps...

Everything was completed in just one second.

Thus, a brand-new natural barrier facing the heart of the Great Xia Dynasty was born.

From then on, Tiebi Pass was no longer a one-way barrier against the barbarians.

Instead, it became a veritable impregnable fortress.

A two-way tollbooth where everyone, no matter where they come from, has to ask the city lord for permission first...

Looking at the two strategic passes, one to the south and one to the north, on the map, Lin Mo felt an instant surge of security.

"Perfect."

He clapped his hands in satisfaction.

"Now, no matter who comes, if they want to enter my territory, they'll have to ask me first."

……

Meanwhile, inside a cave on Wanren Mountain.

The campfire flickered, but the atmosphere was somewhat somber.

The events that occurred inside the Iron Wall Pass have been relayed back word for word by their spies planted within the city.

"Sister Yan, that Lin Mo... he's been giving out money and grain, and now he's even exempted us from all taxes!"

"The rice is the finest white rice, and the money is real silver!"

Cui'er was very excited, gesturing wildly to indicate her name.

"And just now, a wall suddenly appeared out of nowhere at the mouth of the canyon on the other side of the pass!"

"It's like divine magic! Now everyone in the city is saying that Lin Mo is a living god!"

The women inside the cave immediately started talking amongst themselves, and the place erupted in a frenzy.

"Really? A wall growing out of thin air? That's too unbelievable!"

"It's true that they're giving out money! I went to check it out myself; everyone received money and food, and there was even meat porridge! It smelled amazing!"

"Then...could he be a good person? He killed that beast Wu Zhong, and now he's so kind to people..."

A young woman said softly, a hint of longing on her face.

"A good person?"

In the corner, a blind woman gave a cold laugh with a gloomy expression.

"Flower, have you forgotten how your sister died?"

"Wasn't he just sold to Wu Zhong's henchmen by some so-called good guy, a passing chivalrous hero, for a few taels of silver?!"

"In this world, there are no truly good people! The more they give, the bigger their ulterior motives are!"

"That's right! When Wu Zhong first arrived, didn't he also pretend to be a good person for a while?"

"And the result? They still drove people to their deaths!"

"I think he's like a weasel paying respects to a chicken—he's up to no good! He's nice to the people now, but once he's in power, he'll be even more ruthless than Wu Zhong!"

The atmosphere inside the cave instantly shifted from excitement to vigilance and suspicion.

They were all heartbroken people, harboring a natural hostility and distrust towards anyone in power.

Shangguan Yan sat on a rock deep inside, silently adjusting the bowstring in her hand.

She listened to her sisters' argument, her aloof face remaining unchanged.

Distribute money and grain to win people's hearts.

This is a common tactic used by those in power, so it's not surprising.

But... how could a pass be built out of thin air?

This unprecedented method filled her with deep apprehension.

If this is true.

So what does someone with such unfathomable power want?

Power? Wealth?

These are probably within his easy reach.

She doesn't believe in unprovoked kindness in this world.

and many more.

On the other side of the canyon... a pass?

He wants to...

Shangguan Yan's heart suddenly sank.

"Sister Yan, we..."

Cui'er interrupted her thoughts and looked at her cautiously.

Shangguan Yan remained silent for a long time.

She has over a hundred sisters under her command, and over a hundred mouths to feed.

The food reserves in the mountains won't last much longer.

The bait Lin Mo threw out was equally deadly to them.

"Let's wait and see."

Finally, Shangguan Yan uttered four words.

"No one is allowed to go down the mountain or collect the food until we have figured out his background."

"His killing of Wu Zhong and construction of the pass means... he wants to rebel against the Great Xia."

Shangguan Yan's gaze swept over all her sisters.

"Therefore, joining him means making an enemy of the entire Great Xia Dynasty."

Are you all ready?