Chapter 588 - 1: Change
Kilian used his extraordinary courage and adventurous spirit to open up the first route in the world to "Paradise Island".
Shiploads of coal and various minerals were sent to the secluded islands overseas, and Kilian’s fame grew with the transport of these raw materials.
The improved matchlock gun, enhanced farming tools, and a special tool called a lathe that helps people quickly produce high-quality parts...
The world viewed Kilian as a late-blooming inventor, but only Kilian knew where his "wisdom" truly came from.
This distant and isolated island was like an endless treasure, where even a hint of its treasure’s luster could lead those basking in its glory to the pinnacle of power.
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With the influx of vast quantities of materials, the construction on the island gradually became a hive of activity.
In less than a year, all the natives around the Big Island were completely swept away, and after three months of training, they directly joined this brand new big family.
Meanwhile, the island’s first batch of newborns were being born one after another.
They were far happier than their parents, as they didn’t have to endure hunger or engage in bloody conflicts to obtain food through labor that harmed their bodies.
Precious grains, shelters against wind and rain, a harmonious atmosphere, and even knowledge—these resources, ahead of the entire era, they could enjoy from birth.
Of course, due to the lack of developed healthcare conditions on the island, there were always cases of difficult childbirth, but most were successfully managed with the help of medicine provided by Chen Zhou.
As for serious childbirth accidents caused by severe bleeding or malposition, Chen Zhou was powerless.
Watching helplessly as infants or mothers died was a torment for him; as the island’s leader and the "Celestial God" in the hearts of all the islanders, he was both respected and responsible for taking care of these people.
Even though the deaths from difficult childbirth were not his fault, witnessing all this still made Chen Zhou feel guilty.
Sometimes he wished he were a doctor, capable of establishing a comprehensive healthcare system on the island.
But human energy is limited, and medicine is closely linked to human life. Not only did he lack the knowledge, but even if he knew a little, he couldn’t perform a caesarean on a living person.
Fortunately, the surviving natives had excellent physical qualities, thanks to natural selection, and only a small portion died from difficult childbirth; most newborns arrived smoothly in the world.
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The tender voices of children learning to speak added a unique vitality to the island.
Sheep milk and cow milk now had new uses; previously, dairy products were not favored by the islanders.
After all, they had plenty of grain to eat, and if they wished to change flavors, the fish in the sea were more tempting than dairy products.
Only middle-class people, represented by the zebra, liked to brew a pot of hot cocoa or salty milk tea when entertaining guests to show their appreciation.
Now, as fathers, if their wives had insufficient breast milk, islanders purchased large amounts of fresh sheep milk and cow milk.
The island’s livestock industry was managed solely by Niu Yang.
From shepherding natives who fainted from hypothermia in the rain after losing sheep, to the "livestock manager" transporting dairy products to factories by ox cart, to now managing over a dozen shepherds, specializing in treating and delivering calves and lambs, Niu Yang’s path was arduous.
Every step he took was slow but steady, with each footprint on the mountain soaked in his sweat.
Before the wave of births, Chen Zhou sent people to instruct Niu Yang—
"You cannot hike up the price of cow milk and sheep milk just because babies are born. The fresh milk produced daily should be sold first to those who truly need it, not to those who offer a higher price, especially not to those like zebras who fancy show projects.
At the same time, the supply to factories can be reduced or even cut directly. Management won’t die from drinking one less glass of milk, but the children urgently need the milk."
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Human reproduction cycles are very long, requiring at least fifteen to sixteen years for a child to grow into a usable workforce.
In comparison, animals grow much faster.
Once the artificially-raised sheep population expanded on the island, Chen Zhou cleared all wild goats on the island, leaving only ten or so strong breeding rams, while the rest were hunted with traps or bows and arrows.
To handle this large batch of mutton, the island specially hosted a "Barbecue Festival".
The wine sent by Kilian paired with various spices, matched with the aroma of charcoal, roasted the skewers of mutton till they were glossy and deliciously savory.
From elderly islanders close to fifty to little ones three or four years old, all indulged in the joy that food brought them during this feast.
Although the "Barbecue Festival" was a temporary event planned by Chen Zhou to handle the mutton, islanders remembered this impressive festival, and over the following years, they organized it themselves, forming a unique island tradition.
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Once the goat population became too large, the damage to vegetation was severe. To protect the grasslands, Chen Zhou limited the number of sheep and began to transfer the livestock industry to the Archipelago.
For this reason, some experienced shepherds with families left their homes again, returning to the now deserted Archipelago, taking care of sheep with their wives and children on the islands.
Every month or two, they had a ten-day holiday when they could return to the Big Island with their families to avoid psychological problems from being isolated for too long.