I became a god by treasure hunting after arriving 500 years early

Lu Yuan halted his advance and suddenly realized his current form... was perhaps not very friendly?

On the side of the Tree of Life, a Cannibal Flower had grown that spoke in human language.

"Friends, there's no need to be afraid... I am the Great Commander of Sky City, Lu Yuan. I am inside this tree, severely injured, recuperating; this tree is under my control, and it is my... war pet."

"As you have all seen, the main culprit has been eliminated, the Painted skin is dead, but the Mandala Empire is mostly desolate, with over half of its population dead—it's very difficult to restore its former glory."

"May I ask what plans you all have for the future?"

The crowd hid behind rocks, cautiously sizing things up.

The eldest of the Guo Family hurriedly said, "Both of us brothers are Innate Grandmasters, possessing seven martial arts. We wish to travel to Sky City and submit to the Great Commander's orders, even if it means being ordinary citizens..."

"We just want to live a peaceful life."

The rest responded one after another.

"The Mandala Empire no longer exists... it's no longer possible to rebuild."

"The new dynasty replaces the old; it's the natural order of things. We'll comply with whatever Commander Lu arranges!"

"Commander Lu!" A man, who seemed to be a general, cupped his hands and reported, "The Royal Family has accumulated wealth over the years, a lot of hidden treasures underground."

"I know several treasure vault locations and am willing to lead you, Commander, to claim these fortunes..."

But for them, seeking refuge in Sky City was indeed the best possible outcome.

After all, everyone was human, sharing a common language, and you could even find a wife here.

Could you really live alone amidst the ruins of the Empire for a lifetime?

Impossible.

Those who had survived to this point were clever folks, quickly realizing what was at stake and starting to showcase their value for united action.

The faster they sought refuge, the higher their value would be!

The Guo Brothers boasted, "Great Commander, we Guo Brothers are proficient in Acupuncture Guidance, which can speed up cultivation! This is a secret technique unique to the Guo Family, never taught to outsiders!"

"I am an expert in medical arts! Regrowing limbs is not a problem."

"I am skilled in the art of forging... once forged an Extraordinary Artifact!"

Lu Yuan was speechless, wondering why they sounded like sycophants...

He coughed loudly, "Cough cough... Let's talk about these matters later. How many survivors are there in total?"

Everyone made a quick count.

There were eighty-nine people standing here, plus a few family members hiding in cellars.

"Maybe a little over a hundred, not more than two hundred."

Under normal circumstances, the addition of this group of experts would undoubtedly have caused a lot of trouble.

The pursuit of power is a human instinct.

In Sky City, aside from Lu Yuan, the strongest beings were only three Level Four Worm Kings, which might not necessarily beat them.

Captain Sha Kan'er, who was just a Level three warrior, stood even less of a chance.

Among this group, there were even Level Six super experts!

If power was disproportionate, wouldn't that breed trouble?!

But after this battle, they were all meek and compliant.

Kidding aside, who would dare to act up in front of a terrifying existence that had killed a Painted skin?

No matter what your background was, a punch would kill you on the spot!

Having realized this, Lu Yuan slowly said, "Bring out your relatives and take them back with you."

"Let me be clear, you must abide by our laws and regulations! No misbehaving, or you'll be expelled from the city!"

The crowd agreed in unison.

Those with families gathered them, and then in a long line, they set out mightily toward the direction of Sky City!

...

...

A day later, a group of over two hundred people, along with a large tree, finally returned to Sky City.

This place too had endured a fierce war.

A large number of monster corpses lay scattered around the lake.

Almost every man, woman, and child was cleaning up the battlefield—after all, the clear water of the lake was for drinking; an epidemic caused by corpse contamination was not a welcome prospect.

Even the Insect Soldiers, with their bottomless stomachs, were stuffed to the brim, lying lazily on the ground, resting.

Upon hearing the "rumbling" footsteps, people couldn't help but lift their heads to glance at the Tree of Life, noticing Old Cat on it, and the group of people following behind.

"Mr. Cat!"

"Ah, everyone has worked hard." Old Cat jumped back to the ground.

"Survivors from the Empire?" The people noticed those following behind in the Empire's attire and began discussing.

"To think there are still people alive, all of them experts..."

"Ah... such a large country, and only so few are left."

Thinking of their own circumstances, being alive indeed felt incredibly fortunate.

Lu Yuan's voice came from the tree, "The main villain has been vanquished, the war is over."

"These are the survivors of the Mandala Empire, they're all human."

"Sha Sanli, please welcome them and introduce them to the way of life in Sky City. These are the Jin Family's five brothers, and these are the Guo Brothers—they have contributed to the war efforts."

Sha Sanli was stunned for a moment.

The name of a man casts a shadow over the tree.

The likenesses of several Innate Grandmasters were widely known across the country, and he had certainly seen them!

The result was that when they encountered living people this time, they couldn't have been more excited!

However, these Great Grandmasters, their faces white as sheets, acted as meek as cats, continuously grinning sheepishly and murmuring "dare not, dare not."

Nobody knew what had happened in between.

"I must have confidence!" Sha Sanli mumbled to himself and stepped forward to meet them.

…

"As a technological civilization, we must adopt a scientific attitude towards science and pursue truth with the spirit of truth, unwaveringly uphold the comprehensive leadership of the Great Commander, keep pace with the times in order to control our own destiny," he proclaimed.

"In addition, it is important to note that Mind Science, as long as it can be reproduced, is still science, understand? Through scientific research, we gradually unveil the mysteries of nature and apply scientific knowledge to improve life and drive social progress."
Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire

Sha Sanli was truly remarkable with his words, a torrent of speech that didn't leave out a beat in a single second.

The people behind him were directly dumbfounded.

What are you talking about?

Is this some kind of tongue twister?!

First, he took everyone to visit the magnificent Opium poppy. When they saw the massive plant, everyone was indeed shocked.

He also let everyone experience the "Green Grass Paradise" (educational version).

Lastly, he took them around to visit the supermarket, power station, smart farm, and so forth.

This is really nothing like the Empire, completely different.

"Hmph... What's the use of being powerful if you behave just like country bumpkins?"

Seeing everyone with their gobsmacked expressions, Sha Sanli's confidence soared, and he smiled and said, "If you have demonstrated bravery in battle, the arrangements to come will be much easier for you."

"We have certain policies for those who have made contributions, such as providing larger living spaces and one-time allowances."

"But the allowance is just that, an allowance. If you want to find work, you must pass an examination."

The five brothers of the Jin Family and the two brothers of the Guo Family looked at each other in bewilderment.

The Jin Family brothers had saved some babies, and the Guo brothers had thrown a few smoke bombs; do these count as contributions?

They should... count, right?

"What kind of exam?"

"Of course, a Chinese language exam. You don't think you can participate in work if you can't even speak the language, do you?"

With just one sentence from Sha Sanli, everyone was choked up.

…

…

The post-battle cleanup following that didn't require too much worry.

Since Lu Yuan had lost his human form and it was troublesome for him to show up, Old Cat took charge of the subsequent work.

He had people move all the babies from the "Sky Fortress" down for the time being. Most of these children were hungry, their tears dried up, too exhausted to cry.

It wasn't a long-term solution to have the Sky Fortress, a massive creature, comfort them.

The sheer number of these pitiful infants, the oldest being but one year old, caused a great deal of concern for everyone.

There were over fifty thousand of them.

The original eighteen civilizations of humanity had only about ten thousand people!

How to care for the children was a significant problem.

Old Cat was truly vexed and for the first time in a long while began scratching his neck: "Ah, let's first feed the children, then put them to sleep inside the buds."

"Mothers who have milk, try to spare a bit. We can give some allowance."

"Quickly claim the inheritance of the Mandala Empire, especially livestock like dairy cows. There should still be some. Hurry up and figure out a way to bring them over."

"I'll send someone immediately!"

"The nuclear radiation range is within 20 kilometers, select dairy cows from outside that area!"

"Got it!" Several soldiers drove the "Sky Fortress" in search of dairy cows.

"Feed those creatures' corpses to some logistics insects first."

"Leviathan and Mammoth, send them out to graze. Don't cause trouble here anymore."

Urged by several Worm Kings, Leviathan and Mammoth left the Sky City. Their strides were heavy, their expressions appeared somewhat resentful.

During the battle, they were treated sweetly, but now that the war was over, they had turned back into ordinary herdsmen.

They arrived at the valley where the Royal Tomb was located.

In just one day, under the effect of the blood from the Painted skin, many mutated weeds had already sprung up.

The nuclear radiation didn't have much of an effect on them, as these kinds of Insects had a structure somewhat similar to silicon-based life and could even consume nuclear fuel as food.

And so they happily started munching on the grass.

…

Old Cat had limitless energy and a sharp wit, organizing small and big tasks in an orderly fashion, and the society was quickly up and running smoothly.

One could see that the civilian response was extremely positive!

Young mothers continually provided breast milk. Soldiers and workers ran around with their respective tasks.

"Found a patch of pasture, cut some to bring back."

"The electric grid in the east is badly damaged, restore power and communication as quickly as possible."

"Netted some fish, we can have an extra meal."

"The casualty count is out... 38 dead, 189 with minor injuries, and about 72 with serious injuries, some with arms or legs severed."

The war indeed caused some casualties, but for those who were accustomed to life and death, resolving such a huge crisis with so few losses was a stroke of tremendous fortune, one for which they could only be profoundly grateful!

They felt a deep sense of belonging to this land, to this city.

…