7. The Grain Crisis Temporarily Eased

When Zhan Xiaobai arrived at the fence on one side of the small village, he discovered that Sword Tyrant, Ah Fei, Spring-Autumn Young Hero, and Autumn Water were already there, cursing angrily. As he reached the fence, he saw a wounded, enraged wild boar had already knocked down a five-meter section of the fence and was continuing to batter another part.

"What happened?" Zhan Xiaobai demanded furiously. Wild boars wouldn't attack a fence for no reason—unless someone had provoked them.

Sword Tyrant explained, "We just found out ourselves. Most likely, a player deliberately enraged this wild boar and lured it here to destroy the fence. We haven't discovered who did such a despicable thing."

"Why are you all standing here doing nothing? Shouldn't you drive it away? The fence is about to be demolished!" Zhan Xiaobai scolded, brandishing his sword, ready to charge at the wild boar.

Sword Tyrant and the others hurriedly pulled him back, preventing him from approaching the wild boar.

"Don’t go near it—that boar is level seven, its attack power is high enough to kill with a single charge. I almost got hurt just now," Sword Tyrant warned.

Zhan Xiaobai immediately calmed down. It wasn’t their fault; their highest level was only three, with too little health—a single hit would be fatal. Quickly, he devised a plan and turned to Li Asan, saying, "Go and bring five of the villagers with the highest health to drive the wild boar away."

Li Asan rushed off to fetch the villagers. Watching the wild boar wreak havoc, Zhan Xiaobai, who rarely lost his temper, felt a surge of anger. In less than three days, someone had already come to cause trouble. If he didn’t put a stop to it, things would only escalate and spiral out of control.

Sword Tyrant saw the fury in Zhan Xiaobai's eyes and, trying to placate him, said, "Xiaobai, a group of idle players have gathered around the village. Sooner or later, something like this was bound to happen. Let's focus on how to resolve it."

Spring-Autumn Young Hero shook his head. "All these players are strongly demanding to join the village, and their numbers are growing—nearly a hundred now. We can’t afford to offend them, nor do we have a good way to appease them. Even if we let them join, a mere hundred slots aren’t nearly enough."

Ah Fei suddenly spoke up, "I have an idea to make them give up."

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

Ah Fei fetched a wooden board and scrawled crooked words across it, "This village does not accept new members—only NPCs allowed." He declared proudly, "Done! Stick this outside the gate, and the problem is solved. No one will clamor to join anymore."

Zhan Xiaobai couldn’t help but laugh, "Alright, go post it. Let’s see what happens."

Ah Fei ran off to post the notice, and everyone watched.

Five minutes later, Ah Fei returned, crestfallen, covering his face. "I can't show my face anymore!"

Zhan Xiaobai glanced behind him and saw a player following, with "I am an NPC" written above his head. The player called out joyfully, "Little brother 'I am an NPC' greets all the elders. To be specially chosen by you all to join Xiaobai Village is the greatest fortune of my life!"

Zhan Xiaobai rolled his eyes. Damn, Ah Fei's lousy idea had led to this outcome.

...

A different solution was needed.

Autumn Water said, "Not all players harbor hostility toward us. If we use some favorable policies to win over the majority of friendly players, separating out the few with malicious intent, and most players stand with us, then our village's safety will be assured."

Zhan Xiaobai nodded silently. The logic was sound. The player issue needed a permanent solution. As early as yesterday, when five or six players had come seeking refuge and he refused them, he realized trouble could arise. He hadn’t expected it to come so soon, leaving him no time for a thorough plan. He had only a vague idea: players were crucial to Xiaobai Village. Even if they couldn’t become villagers, he needed to win their hearts.

Li Asan arrived with five villagers, driving away the frenzied wild boar. Zhan Xiaobai asked him to start repairing the fence, then the five of them headed to the east gate where players gathered.

Because Xiaobai Village offered shady shelters for rest, tea, and welcomed various player activities, the east gate had become a meeting point. Players from dozens of miles around came here to exchange information, trade goods, and socialize. It was bustling.

Noticing Zhan Xiaobai and his group, excited players quickly surrounded them, demanding to join the village.

Zhan Xiaobai, with the village's four founding members, squeezed onto a high spot and shouted, "Everyone, please quiet down! I am the village chief, and I have a few words to say."

The players immediately quieted, over a hundred pairs of eyes fixed on them.

Zhan Xiaobai declared loudly, "I know many of you wish to join the village and become official villagers, but our population cap is only one hundred—far too few. However, to grant some of you the chance to join, I’ve decided on a management plan: 1. In the first phase, ten slots will be offered for players to become official villagers. As the village upgrades, more slots will become available. 2. All players will be categorized as: Official Villagers, Honorary Villagers, Friendly Players, Neutral Players, Hostile Players, and Enemy Players. Official Villagers enjoy all benefits. Honorary Villagers have priority to join. Friendly Players may freely act within the village. Neutral Players may stay in the trade zone for free trade. Hostile Players are asked to leave at once. As for enemy players who cause destruction—no mercy. The detailed rules will be posted at the gate soon. Please support us!"

The players erupted in cheers.

"As long as we can become Honorary Villagers, we have a chance to join? Wonderful!"

"Boss Bai, how can we become Honorary Villagers? Tell us! I can't wait!"

"When will the first phase be fulfilled?"—that player was sharp; Zhan Xiaobai hadn’t intended to distribute the slots so soon.

Zhan Xiaobai stepped down, squeezed through the crowd with Sword Tyrant and the others, and smiled, "Anyone who contributes to the village can become an Honorary Villager. Don’t worry, everyone has a chance. No rush—the details will be posted tonight. Meet the requirements, and you’ll be Honorary Villagers. We’ll select the ten most outstanding contributors to become villagers."

Sword Tyrant praised, "Nicely done, Xiaobai. With a single move, you’ve won over the crowd. Most players will be interested in Honorary Villagers. Best of all, you don’t need to fulfill your promise immediately—no need to recruit players right away. Truly ‘cunning’."

"Hey, it’s not cunning—it’s strategy," Zhan Xiaobai laughed. "Now most players are at ease; even if someone tries to incite trouble, it won’t be easy. Let's discuss the official villagers. More players will join later, but the five of us are the founders, so our status must be settled first. I’m the chief; you four are elders, second only to the chief in authority. As the village grows, positions will be distributed by contribution. What do you think?"

Sword Tyrant nodded in agreement.

Autumn Water smiled, "Big Brother Bai, you’re winning hearts! Little sister understands. Looks like I’ll have to contribute more in the future."

Ah Fei declared, "I support Big Brother."

Spring-Autumn Young Hero said, "Big Brother Bai is capable and takes care of us. If we work together, we’ll achieve great things."

That night, the five of them worked late to draft the village regulations—primarily the Honorary Villager policy—and posted it at the east gate.

This measure promptly quelled the restless agitation among players. No one clamored to join anymore. To join, it was simple: contribute, become an Honorary Villager. The top ten Honorary Villagers would join the village. The Honorary Villager ranking would be updated every three days, and players could check it themselves.

In fact, whether to accept players had long been a headache for many villages in the game. Once Xiaobai Village’s "Honorary Villager" policy was released, it drew widespread attention and was reposted across forums, becoming the most popular method for recruiting players. This game rule became known as the "Xiaobai Rule".

The shabby wooden notice posted on Xiaobai Village’s east gate became the most famous signboard in the game.

With these matters settled, the first five days of the "Rise of Cities" public test drew to a close.

This also meant the agricultural season had officially ended.

In the administrative hall, Zhan Xiaobai summoned Old Li to inquire about the villagers and farmland.

Old Li replied, "Master, our village currently has four thatched cottages, one craftsman’s hut, thirty villagers, one carpenter, and about fifty acres of farmland cultivated. In a month, we can harvest 1,750 pounds of grain."

"Thirty villagers? That’s quite a lot!" Zhan Xiaobai was surprised.

One villager consumes one pound of grain per day, which means in the next twenty days, at least 600 pounds will be consumed, but the village only has less than 500 pounds stored. How will they hold out until harvest? If grain runs out and morale collapses, it’s over. (Days 1–5, sowing; Days 6–24, agricultural downtime; Days 25–30, harvest.)

Old Li explained, "I have good news, Master. When I led the villagers to dig fertile silt by the river, I discovered the fish there are delicious and can serve as partial food without lowering morale. So I took the initiative to recruit more villagers. Please don’t blame me."

Zhan Xiaobai was delighted, patting his shoulder. "How could I blame you? I can’t praise you enough! You’ve done excellently. Our village is in a tight spot for food, and you’ve expanded sources and recruited more villagers—that’s a major achievement. When I have time, I’ll watch you fish and personally grill some for you as a reward."

Old Li beamed with joy. "Yes, Master!"

"Ding!" System prompt: Xiaobai’s deputy, the level ten celebrity Li Asan, has been commended sincerely by the chief for outstanding assistance, resulting in improved mood, level up by one, and loyalty increased by five.

Now Old Li smiled even more broadly, filled with pride.