Abandoned by my stepmother in the desert, I relied on systematic potato farming to survive for the first time.
Wells were dug, fields were plowed, walls were built, and when the first green patches appeared on the desolate sand dunes, refugees came to the door—deserters, craftsmen, and orphans whose families had been exterminated.
"If you want to stay, you have to obey the rules."
I took out the militia manual and used modern management methods to build a team that dared to fight and fight hard. I defeated the horse thieves and recaptured the robbed grain trucks.
The system mall unlocks "cement formula" and "simple lathe". We rammed the earth into a city, dug canals to divert water, and built the desert into a granary.
The news spread, caravans crossed the threshold and exchanged salt and iron for food; down-and-out nobles came to surrender with their books, hoping to use my city to avoid disaster.
But the dynasty did not allow the existence of the "outer land" and sent a large army to encircle and suppress them: "You are so reckless, how dare you proclaim yourself king?"
I stood at the top of the city, with more than a thousand militiamen behind me, and thousands of troops in front of me: "My city will not obey anyone's orders."
In a bloody battle, we defeated the many with less, but attracted more terrifying opponents - alien tribes who controlled firearms.
At a critical moment, the proton whom I had rejected suddenly changed sides and sent me firearms blueprints; the leader of the caravan revealed his hidden identity and turned out to be a general of the former dynasty, willing to help me defend against foreign enemies.
Trade lines stretched for thousands of miles, connecting surrounding tribes and city-states; classes were held in the city's schools, and the sound of children reading drowned out the sounds of fighting.
Some people covet my city, some want to win me over, and some hope for my downfall.
Conspiracies, betrayals, and wars never stop, but in my paradise, everyone has food, clothing, and dignity.
From a potato to a royal city, from an orphan girl to a city lord, this paradise in troubled times is the barrier I built with my blood and sweat——
