The spy and the hunt
It wasn't until three days later that the patrol guards brought in five unconscious body forging realm bandits and a bonded spy,to camp.
The spy had lead his two companions in the general direction of Zach's settlement,as he had to report on the current state of the bandits lair. On the second day,he had met up with the tailor's husband as he was on his way to their rendezvous point,there he and his companions had planned on ambushing him,but the guards overwhelmed the three,this was mostly because of the spy holding back,as his plan was to let the guard take out his two companions.
The tailor's husband had asked the spy to follow him back to the settlement,after he heard of the lair's developments.
Zach wasn't surprised by the Mamba Bandit's leader breakthrough,he had anticipated for it. What he was more interested in were the cultivation resources. For a normal cultivator,it took years for a single stage breakthrough after entering the foundation establishment realm due to lack of resources,or the extreme high cost of cultivation pills.
If it was not for his mysterious knowledge,Zach was not certain of producing all the cultivators he had, currently he had sixty-five guards, fifty-nine of them being at the spirit qi gathering realm,and amongst them,three were close to breaking through into the foundation establishment realm.
The speed at which he increased his men cultivation was mind boggling.
"So there are eleven units out there..."
"Yes sir..."
The spy bandit replied. He had been brought into the settlement hall for interrogation.
The room they were in was a conference room used by the settlement higher-ups. This group consisted of the six division heads,the agricultural division head,the transport and logistic division head, the labour and regestration division head,the finance division head,the affairs division head, the trade division head and the security representative.
The lieutenant held the position of the security representative, while the other six positions were held by civilians. The seven, together with Zach,made up the settlement council.
Under each of these division heads were department heads. The department heads run the different sectors that made up each division.
Under the agricultural division,there were several department. The crop farming department,the livestock department,the beast rearing department, the mining department and the forestry department.
The agricultural division had the highest number of department as compared to the rest.
The labour and regestration division had two departments,one that dealt with distribution of labour and tasks,while second dealt with regestration of residents.
The transport and logistic division had three departments,one dealt with supply, distribution and movement of materials, resources and people,the second dealt with warehouse management, while the third saw to the expansion and construction of roads.
The affairs division had two departments,one oversaw matters pertaining internal affairs while the second dealt with foreign affairs.
The finance division had two departments that oversaw the financial planning and taxation, while the other managed the treasury,that dealt with minting of coins and managing the flow of coins.
The trade division was made up of three departments,the craft department that oversaw the regestration and regulations of independent craftsmen,the pricing department and the trade department,that oversaw the general trade of goods and services within the settlement.
As for the security representative,she was in charge of the guards and providing security to the settlement.
As for Zach,he headed the council. Since the formation of the council, this was the third time he was attending one. The first was when he elected the six division heads and the second was when the six division heads introduced the department heads to him.
He had laid out plans to be followed for the next six months by each division, excusing himself from the mundane task of running the settlement. The only matters that he dealt with were those of most concern,like meeting up with delegates from other settlements and villages,who had yet to appear or any other emergencies,like the current development within the Mamba Bandits.
But this did not mean that he was not keeping up with the ongoings and decisions made by the council,as he had Timothy attend the previous meetings on his behalf, taking notes and making records for him.
"Do you have a map to your lair?"
Zach inquired from the spy,who pulled out a sheepskin map from his satchel.
"Here it is my Lord..."
Zach went through the map as he planned on his next move. Half an hour later,he looked up.
"Division Head Deva,have your division lend the guards the spirit boat."
"Yes my Lord."
Division Head Deva,was in charge of the transport and logistic division. She was the second female member of the council.
"As for you Lieutenant Sarah,have thirteen of the mid stage and two of the high stage spirit qi gathering realm guards read in an hour..."
The lieutenant saluted as she left to gather the guards,she had already broken through into the low stage of spirit qi gathering realm six days ago,and was the first female cultivator in the camp.
As for the transport and logistic division head,she sent her secretary to have the spirit boat retained, luckily for Zach,it had brought in stones from the quarry some twenty minutes ago. The two guards in charge of flying it had gone into the cultivation hall to replenish their spirit qi for their next trip.
"We are going out on a hunt..."
Zach said to the council as he put away the map. His plan was simple,head towards the Mamba Bandits region and hunt the eleven units of bandits.If he was lucky,those were sixty-six extra strong labourers.
He had been forced to send more residents to work in the iron mine and quarries,as to meet the required amount of construction resources, reducing the manpower input on the clearing and establishment of the farms,due to the weak state of his residents. But with the bandits,who most were at the second and third stage of body forging realm,he could compensate quantity with quality.
The work done by a body forging realm practioner was twice or thrice what was done by a normal mortal. The body forging realm practioners had more stamina, strength,high agility and were able to endure harsher conditions.
Having them work in the mines and quarries will lead to an increase in the mining speed and probably an increase in units mined per day.
Using the spirit boat would reduce the time taken to travel towards the Mamba Bandits region by close to two days,as compared to travelling on foot.
As Zach waited for the lieutenant to return,he discussed other matters with the council.