《Territorial Ruler: The Plants I Planted Are Alive!》 Chapter 1 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation ¡°Welcome Lord of Survival! You are one of the one billion transmigrators on Earth, serial number 29548. Whether you want to live or die, please remember the following rules: 1. There are all kinds of creatures living here. Through the territory channel, you can check the map within five kilometers of your territory. 2. In the world you live in, there are all kinds of forces and monsters. Please be careful when you go out. 3. The development of your territory depends on yourself. Please remember that the strength of your territory is the foundation for you. 4. We have prepared the initial materials and personnel for you. The novice protection period is seven days. During this period, your territory is indestructible. After 30 days, you will encounter the first wave of monsters. 5. Try your best to plunder as many materials as possible. Every inch of land here may be filled with dangers and opportunities. 6. If you accidentally encounter other races and your own kind, then congratulations. Perhaps you will be able to form an alliance and make a trade. Or perhaps, you will be robbed by the other party. 7. The Lord System is bound to you. It will only be checked by individuals. Once you activate your thoughts, the system will activate. 8. There are days and nights here. There are also four seasons. 9. If you do not have the corresponding strength, try your best not to go out. There might be unknown dangers hidden within. They might kill you at any time. 10. There are many good things hidden around the territory. There are resources and water sources that you need. At the same time, there are all kinds of treasure chests. There might be surprises in the treasure chests, or it might be Pandora¡¯s Box. 10. Open the panel and examine it carefully. There are many more functions waiting for you to explore on your own. Finally, please enjoy yourselves! .. Jiang Chen¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. Rows of small characters appeared before his eyes on a translucent panel. A trace of doubt flashed across his handsome and resolute face. ¡°This is¡­ the transmigration of the entire population!¡± Jiang Chen shook his head. He clearly remembered that he¡¯d slept at home. How did he wake up in such a strange place. He was lying under a thatched shed. Only four pillars supported the thatched shed on top, and the wind was leaking from all sides. A gust of cold wind brought Jiang Chen back to his senses. This sense of reality was absolutely not a dream! Jiang Chen looked around and saw that there was a one meter tall earthen wall surrounding the thatched shed. There seemed to be a mountain forest further away, and he couldn¡¯t see the scene in the distance clearly at all. ¡°A survival game for all the Lords?¡± Jiang Chen muttered to himself. He had already realized that he had been transmigrated. Combined with the sounds he had heard at the beginning, it was possible that he wasn¡¯t the only one who had transmigrated. ¡°I¡¯ll figure out what¡¯s going on first.¡± Jiang Chen focused his attention and silently read the game board. A translucent board appeared before his eyes once more. The options were in front of him : Chat, Trade, Auction, Manufacture, Build¡­ Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze fell on the chat option. The page changed. Instantly, a few options appeared before Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes. They were World Channel, Regional Channel, Friendship Channel, and Territory Channel. There was actually a chat function. He entered the World Channel first. ¡°What the hell is this place? I was on a date a second ago. How did I end up in this shabby hut?¡± ¡°I just walked out when a wild beast suddenly bit at me. I was so scared that I quickly hid back. My hand is injured. Could it be an infectious disease?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too scary. I just heard a wild beast roaring outside. Someone save me.¡± ¡°Whoever can bring me home, I¡¯ll give you whatever you want. Ten million isn¡¯t a problem!¡± ¡°You upstairs, do you think we can go back? !¡± ¡°I¡¯ve found two pieces of wood, but how am I supposed to start a fire? It¡¯s so cold at night, I¡¯m freezing to death.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The World Channel kept refreshing with all sorts of content. Most of them were in the face of unfamiliar fears and cries for help. Jiang Chen noticed the small horn pattern at the bottom right corner. There was also a number 1 at the back. ¡°Small horn: in the early stages of the game, you can post a message in the world channel every day. If you want to chat freely, you can enter the Regional Channel.¡± There was only one small horn every day in the early stages. It was definitely not used to cry for help and say these useless words. Jiang Chen averted his gaze. It looked like everyone had been transported here at the same time. The beginning had been a straw shed with a leak. ¡°We can only rely on ourselves. It¡¯s useless to rely on others right now. If we don¡¯t exchange useful information or survival experiences, it¡¯s just a waste of time.¡± The entire world had most likely become a completely new system. He had to quickly accept and adapt! Jiang Chen exited the world channel. He entered the regional channel to take another look. The number of members was displayed in the Regional Channel. Jiang Chen saw that there were a total of a thousand members in his region. It was similar to a chat group. The members¡¯ faces were all photos of real people, and their nicknames were a combination of name and height. ¡°Is anyone there? I¡¯ve been shouting loudly just now. If anyone can hear me, please reply.¡± ¡°I think this place is a cliff. My straw hut is on top of the cliff. What should I do?¡± ¡°I think this place is an abandoned residential area. It looks like a city, but it doesn¡¯t seem like one.¡± ¡°I envy you, big brother. Quickly find out if there¡¯s anyone nearby. If you find a police uncle and ask him to come and save me, he¡¯ll definitely give you a heavy reward.¡± ¡°I only know how to sob, and now he¡¯s actually calling me a survivor from another world. Sob, sob, sob¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The number of people chatting in the area increased. However, Jiang Chen didn¡¯t have the time to pay attention to these things right now. He exited the interface in disappointment. Each and every one of them was filled with negative emotions. There wasn¡¯t much useful information at the moment. Jiang Chen had originally wanted to see if anyone had obtained anything outside of the territory, but who knew that no one would dare go out. The system had notified him earlier that there was a crisis outside of the territory, but there were also resources. It was just like a great adventure. No one knew what was guarding outside. Whether it was resources or monsters! Therefore, he needed a guinea pig. After that, Jiang Chen looked at the trading and auction functions. The trading platform provided the barter function, and it could also auction any item. The transaction amount was set by the owner. ¡°Open the construction interface.¡± Jiang Chen looked at another function. There were three categories on the left side of the interface: industrial buildings, agricultural buildings, and civil buildings. All types of buildings had different uses. Jiang Chen clicked to view the most basic buildings. ¡°Tent: wood * 10, wood and grass * 10 Stove: wood * 20, stone * 30, iron * 5 Tailor shop: wood * 30, stone * 30, iron * 10 Blacksmith shop: wood * 50, stone * 40, iron * 20.¡± Jiang Chen looked around. Each building required different materials to be synthesized. It was obvious that gathering materials and making them were especially important in this world. Jiang Chen finished studying the game interface. He couldn¡¯t help but look outside. ¡°Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s anything useful around here.¡± He wanted to see the situation outside the straw shed. Just as Jiang Chen stepped out of the straw shed. A mechanical voice sounded in his ear, ¡°Host detected. Binding plant life system.¡± What the hell was a plant life system? My goldfinger? Immediately after, the mechanical voice sounded again saying, ¡°Host, please find a plant seed as soon as possible and plant it yourself, bestowing life and strength to the plant. The seed that takes root and sprouts will communicate with the host..¡± Chapter 2 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The system¡¯s voice disappeared after it finished speaking. At this moment, Jiang Chen was a bit puzzled. ¡°Planting seeds¡­ become a hardworking farmer?¡± He was a bit speechless. He truly found it hard to imagine how a seed could establish itself in this world. Even if food could be grown, the growth cycle of a plant was relatively long. After the seven-day novice protection period, in order to survive, he would have to go out and search for resources. The rules were that there were all sorts of different races and cruel monsters in this world. Would he kill them by planting a pile of flowers? Or would he kill them by planting a pile of potatoes? ¡°No, since it¡¯s goldfinger, it¡¯s definitely not that simple!¡± Jiang Chen thought carefully about the system¡¯s voice earlier. After a while, he suddenly raised his head, his eyes beginning to shine. ¡°Giving life to plants, this is a bit like¡­ a game of plants versus zombies.¡± Jiang Chen continued to ponder. ¡°So, I should find a seed as soon as possible now. I still need to wait for the planting to succeed before I know anything.¡± At this moment, a sound came from outside. Jiang Chen followed the direction of the sound and looked over stiffly. Then, he was greatly frightened at first glance. A pair of scarlet eyes that were glowing with light suddenly appeared in his field of vision in the fog. Jiang Chen took a closer look and could faintly see a large wild wolf with pointy ears and abnormally well-developed, unsteadily approaching his territory. Although he had seen quite a bit of the animal world before. But the moment he truly faced a wild wolf, Tao ran realized. He really couldn¡¯t be as calm as he was watching television. The Wild Wolf noticed Jiang Chen and immediately ran towards him. Two fangs protruded from the corners of his mouth. Jiang Chen seemed to be able to imagine the scene after he¡¯d been bitten. There was absolutely no way he¡¯d survive. But just as he was two meters away from the earth wall. He crashed into an invisible barrier. ¡°Bang!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Wild Wolf had started running too fast and had been knocked into a bit of a daze. After half a day, it bared its teeth at Jiang Chen. ¡°Eh, is this the so-called beginner¡¯s protection period?¡± Jiang Chen muttered. ¡°It really looks indestructible.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, this barrier can only last for seven days.¡± After a moment, Jiang Chen no longer paid attention to the situation outside. The Wild Wolf was at its wits end and left on its own. ¡°The game system mentioned earlier that the initial materials and personnel were distributed. Where are they?¡± Jiang Chen looked around, but his surroundings were incomparably empty. He didn¡¯t find anyone. ¡°Open the interface.¡± Jiang Chen checked the game system again. As expected, there was an email icon in the lower right corner. He clicked to view it ¡°Starting personnel: free quota, no consumption required. can recruit 10 ordinary migrant workers and two soldiers, daily consumption of food 12x times.¡± ¡°Starting resources: gold coins 10x, wood 100x, stone 100x, and food 100x. Are you sure you want to accept it?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Then, Jiang Chen saw that his gold coins had increased from 0 to 10. Then, he clicked open the territories in the page and entered the administrative center. People could be recruited in the administrative center. The key to developing territories was population. The key to recruiting people was food! Therefore, food was the most important at this stage. The only soldiers that the administrative center could recruit were civilians and soldiers. Although civilians didn¡¯t have much fighting power, they were the most versatile types of jobs. They were skilled in gathering, farming, mining, logging, construction, and other skills. They were extremely important to the development of the territory. There were a total of twelve free spots, ten farmers, and two soldiers. Jiang Chen had recruited them all. A screen of light appeared on the territory, and then disappeared. Two figures appeared before his eyes first, their bodies tall and straight. There was a group of people behind him, exactly ten people, no more, no less. ¡°Respected Lord, subordinates Carl and Cado greets the Lord!¡± One knee on the ground! The two soldiers spoke in unison: ¡°Greeting the Lord!¡± The ten migrant workers behind them also knelt on the ground in unison. Jiang Chen nodded unnaturally. He sized up these people with his gaze. The two soldiers were dressed in light armor and had sharp iron swords at their waists, looking well-trained. The migrant workers were all dressed in plain clothes, and their bodies were all quite well-built. It was obvious at a glance that they were skilled workers. Mm, although they were rewards, they were still quite reliable! Just as he was about to inquire about their identities, the system interface appeared. A few lines of small words appeared above each person¡¯s head; ¡°Name: Karl. Occupation: Soldier. Potential: 3 stars. Loyalty: 70¡± This was the information of the leading soldier. Jiang Chen then looked at another soldier. ¡°Name: Cado. Occupation: Soldier. Potential: 3 stars. Loyalty: 70.¡± Following him were the migrant workers and the others. ¡°The potential of both these soldiers is three stars, not bad. They¡¯re characters that can be nurtured in the future.¡± This was because when Jiang Chen turned his head to look at the ten migrant workers, almost all of them had potential of one star, the best being two stars. ¡°Everyone can grow and evolve through learning. Potential value represents individual talent!¡± Jiang Chen understood in his heart. After that, Jiang Chen thought about it. ¡°Twelve people, including me, consume thirteen portions of food every day. The hundred portions of food in my backpack can barely last for seven or eight days.¡± The most important thing now was to gather food, gather resources, and strengthen the territory. Jiang Chen then gave orders to the ten migrant workers to gather all the resources in the vicinity. When the migrant workers received the order, they immediately began to work. ¡°You¡¯ve obtained a portion of wood.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve obtained a portion of wood.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve obtained a portion of hay.¡± The notifications kept coming in. The migrant workers ¡®work efficiency was quite high. Jiang Chen had other arrangements for the remaining two soldiers. He began to think about how to search for the seeds. Jiang Chen had asked the migrant workers to gather resources first because he wanted to see if he could find them. If there weren¡¯t any, then Jiang Chen could only search outside. After waiting for half an hour, there was still no system notification that he¡¯d found the seeds. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t want to wait anymore. He could only start searching outside now. After observing, Jiang Chen discovered that he was in a valley. The fog in the valley was quite thick, and he couldn¡¯t see his direction clearly at the moment. The two armed soldiers were just right for him to go in and explore. There was a period of newbie protection around the territory now. As long as he didn¡¯t go too deep, he wouldn¡¯t encounter any danger. ¡°The two of you go out and explore with me. Remember to follow closely and don¡¯t go too deep. If you see any danger, immediately retreat!¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord!¡± After that, the two soldiers protected Jiang Chen as they slowly walked out of the wall. He could only see things within five meters of him in the fog. They were all trees, bushes, and the like. Half an hour had passed. Jiang Chen hadn¡¯t discovered anything. He could only sense that there seemed to be some creature staring at him from further away. It was very uncomfortable. Jiang Chen saw a faint light and walked in to take a look. There was a wooden chest quietly placed in the middle of the grass. It was actually a treasure chest that was shimmering with a faint light. At this moment, the system¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°A wooden treasure chest has been detected. Would the host like to open it?¡± ¡°Open!¡± Jiang Chen chose to open it without hesitation.. Chapter 3 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Opening the treasure chest could be a useful resource, or it could be an unknown danger. But Jiang Chen could only take a gamble at this time. ¡°System reminder: iron block + 2. System reminder: 400ml drinking water + 2 System reminder: wooden treasure chest + 1.¡± Two of the items were automatically sucked into the system¡¯s backpack. ¡°System notification: wooden treasure chest can be broken down into four parts of wood. Do you wish to break it down?¡± ¡°System notification: two bottles of drinking water can be broken down into 80ml of water and two bamboo tubes. Do you wish to break it down?¡± Jiang Chen calculated in his heart and muttered, ¡°The wooden treasure chest will be broken down. Water will not be broken down.¡± ¡°System notification: wood 4+¡± ¡°My luck is not bad. This treasure chest actually has water resources.¡± Although Jiang Chen was a bit disappointed that there were no seeds, water resources were another pleasant surprise. Water was scarce no matter where it was, not to mention that the current situation was even more abnormally precious. A thought flashed through Jiang Chen¡¯s mind. ¡°Fetch a bottle of drinking water!¡± His hand sank. A bamboo tube filled with water fell into his hand. It was like an interspatial ring. ¡°With water, I can live for a few more days even if the food runs out first.¡± ¡°According to the initial hints, there should still be something to gather here. I wonder if I can find the seeds I need¡­¡± Jiang Chen continued to lead two soldiers to explore the area. They began to circle around the area of their territory in search. ¡°Starbeck: inedible. When you reach out to touch them, their leaves will shrink and wrap themselves around them. They¡¯re common plants in the foggy continent.¡± Jiang Chen crouched down and began to gather. Half a minute later, he had completely gathered everything. Jiang Chen thought to himself, ¡°Perhaps the plants will produce seeds when they mature. I¡¯ll gather them first. They might be useful in the future!¡± ¡°System reminder: mimosa 10+¡± Then, Jiang Chen continued to search in a carpet-like manner. In the tree hole, under the rocks¡­ Two hours later, Jiang Chen had almost gathered all the resources around his territory. He didn¡¯t even let go of the roots of the trees. Jiang Chen had already changed into a leather armor. This was when he¡¯d come across another treasure chest while he was collecting resources. There were also two pieces of bread and props that had been extracted from it. However, there were no seeds of any plants. This caused Jiang Chen to feel somewhat distressed. ¡°Could it be that I have to go further away to look for them?¡± Jiang Chen looked at the forest in the distance. There were definitely seeds that the plant life system needed in the forest, but the question now was, could he have the ability to protect himself after entering the forest? ¡°The answer is no!¡± Jiang Chen thought to himself. The hints from the beginning of this world had indicated that there were wild beasts and powerful creatures in the outside world. He didn¡¯t have any ability to escape from danger at the moment. Although he hadn¡¯t found the seeds he needed, Jiang Chen had collected quite a few good things during this period of time. They were basically all building materials like stones and iron blocks. ¡°I won¡¯t think about it for the time being. The most important thing now is to build the territory first.¡± Yes, Jiang Chen¡¯s territory had nothing at all. There was only a leaky straw shed, and more than ten people who needed to support themselves. Food was enough for the time being, and housing was the first problem to be solved. After two hours of searching, the migrant workers had also gathered enough basic materials like wood. He returned to the courtyard and began to inspect the territory¡¯s board. He then opened the ¡®Building¡¯ option. ¡°Inspect the tent!¡± ¡°Elementary tent. Requirements: wood * 10, wood grass * 10. Area: 4 square meters. Capacity: 2 people. Effects: recover 1 point of stamina per hour.¡± Then he looked at his current backpack. ¡°Wood 143x, stone 160x, water 171,400 ml, iron 13x, bread 2x, flint 12x.¡± Jiang Chen had a rough idea after reading through it. The most important thing in expanding a territory was undoubtedly the population. It wasn¡¯t just migrant workers, more professionals were needed as well! As the population grew, there were bound to be more problems to be solved, such as safety, housing, eating, drinking, leisure, etc. . There were even long-term developmental goals such as education! ¡°Those are still far off. Let¡¯s solve the housing and other problems for now!¡± Jiang Chen thought silently in his heart. ¡°Build ten tents.¡± ¡°System notification: the construction of the basic tents has begun. Countdown: 2 hours.¡± Then there was the issue of recruiting talents. After Jiang Chen had observed the entire panel, he discovered that if he wanted to recruit special talents, apart from some special recruitment scrolls, he could also recruit them through the union. The union could recruit all kinds of talents, but only if the level of the union was sufficient. The higher the level of the union, the more capable the talents they would recruit. Based on the resources available at the moment, Jiang Chen could only build a level one union at most. ¡°Let it be level one then. We can¡¯t just sit around and wait for death no matter what.¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s idea was very simple. The task of gathering resources would be handed over to the migrant workers, and the two soldiers could barely serve as guards. He still lacked specialized jobs¡­ With skilled jobs, there would be production. He would use the union to recruit special talents, and then distribute the work according to the profession of the person he recruited. This way, he wouldn¡¯t be stuck at a standstill. Jiang Chen once again clicked to start building the union according to the system¡¯s panel. ¡°System notification: Level One Union has begun construction. Countdown: 3 hours.¡± Following that, a few building phantoms appeared, and Jiang Chen understood. After assigning the tents and the construction site of the Union, Jiang Chen confirmed in his heart that the shadows were sitting in the position that Jiang Chen had chosen. The few migrant workers didn¡¯t need Jiang Chen¡¯s reminder. They felt as if they had received an order and began to move the materials and build the tents. It was almost afternoon. Jiang Chen looked at the countdown on the screen. ¡°I can finish building the tents before nightfall. Very good, I finally have a place to rest that can barely shelter me from the wind and rain.¡± After thinking for a bit, Jiang Chen started observing his surroundings once more. Five hundred meters in front of the valley was the forest, and the roars of wild beasts could be heard from that direction from time to time. This was also the reason why Jiang Chen didn¡¯t want to enter now. Behind the territory was a plain that seemed to be descending, and Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t see the end of it clearly. But he still wasn¡¯t prepared to take the risk. No one knew what would be on the other side of his line of sight. The current situation wasn¡¯t clear. Everything had to be done slowly. Jiang Chen thought for a while and thought about the other lords. He also didn¡¯t know how they were progressing.. Chapter 4 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation He opened a chat channel. First, he went to the World Channel to take a look. ¡°There are actually goblins outside my territory. I accidentally lost three migrant workers, and even my soldiers were seriously injured.¡± ¡°Someone save me, Mom, I want to go home!¡± ¡°I¡¯m panicking right now. There are fierce beasts outside, I don¡¯t dare to go out at all¡­¡± ¡°Do all of you have migrant workers at the start? Why don¡¯t I have any?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t the person upstairs read the territory¡¯s mail? I really pity you¡­¡± ¡°Sigh, my initial soldier is a golden gnome. When he matures, he can freely travel underground, but I don¡¯t think he knows anything other than digging.¡± ¡°F*ck, could it be that the person upstairs is a Versailles Grandmaster? My soldier is an earth giant. Right now, he¡¯s still too small and is only three meters tall. When he grows up, he¡¯ll probably be dozens of meters tall. Sigh, he really eats a lot!¡± ¡°F*ck, you¡¯re the real Grandmaster of Versailles¡­¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve found a world that belongs to me. This is called the child of the plane!¡± ¡­ Jiang Chen looked at the speech in the World Channel. Some of the lucky ones were speaking so arrogantly. He ignored them. In fact, he¡¯d had a premonition from the start that the system would assign different locations and initial resources to each lord. This meant that everyone¡¯s starting point wasn¡¯t necessarily the same. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know what advantages the other lords had, but he knew that his greatest advantage right now was the plant life system. Finding the first seed was his only choice at the moment. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t envy or sympathize with the suffering of others, with the mention of gnomes, giants¡­ these types of soldiers didn¡¯t necessarily mean that they were absolutely powerful in his eyes. At this moment, someone spoke in the World Channel again. ¡°Brothers, do not leave the safe zone of the territory. The outside world is too dangerous.¡± ¡°My soldiers just went out to collect stones when they were killed by a male lion!¡± ¡°There are strange birds flying above my head. Compared to them, they have their eyes on me. What should I do? They won¡¯t be guarding me forever, right¡­¡± ¡°Sob sob sob sob sob, I¡¯m a cute girl. Macho big brother, come and save me!¡± ¡°Enough, leg picker, stop pretending!¡± ¡­ Jiang Chen shrugged as he looked at these chat messages. The chat channel was very lively. It was the same when Jiang Chen opened the regional channel. Some people were injured, while others were lucky enough to collect good things. There were even people in positions of self-destruction, hoping that someone could form a team. What were the consequences of self-destructing? They might meet good people and help each other out, but it was also possible that¡­ ¡°Even if we¡¯re both lords now, there¡¯s a high probability that we won¡¯t choose to help each other out in the end. Human nature is the scariest thing.¡± Jiang Chen smiled and murmured softly. He silently exited the chat channel, deep in thought. There were two things that were most important to him right now. The first was to find the seed. The second was to explore the surrounding environment. He flipped open the trading panel again. Many people had already started bartering here. Most of them were trading for water, food, or weapons with the most information. ¡°Other than water, the most common are metal minerals.¡± Jiang Chen felt relieved after thinking about it. Comparison was a game of survival. Water was the most scarce right now! There were also weapons that could protect oneself. And metal minerals were the necessary materials to make weapons. Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Just because I can¡¯t find the seeds doesn¡¯t mean that other people don¡¯t have them!¡± Jiang Chen thought for a moment, then took out a few pieces of iron and hung them up. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t plan to trade water resources for the time being. After all, he also needed them very much. But even if he were to hang up and sell the iron, it was still a scarce resource compared to the current situation. The seeds weren¡¯t of much use to others, and if they were seen by others, they would definitely trade with him. In the trading channel. ¡°Seller: Jiang Chen. Item: Iron 2x. Requirement: 50 seeds (any seed will do). Quantity, 2x.¡± Jiang Chen had barely published the post about the item when the chat channel immediately exploded. ¡°Holy shit, someone¡¯s trading iron.¡± ¡°Why are they trading seeds? What kind of godly operation is this? Could it be that he¡¯s a farmer?¡± ¡°Haha, this person might be mentally ill. What can seeds do? They can¡¯t be used as food for a short period of time, nor can they resist wild beasts.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense upstairs. He might be being kind. I have to find out if there are any seeds around me and trade the iron.¡± ¡°Iron is the most important material to make weapons. I haven¡¯t seen it in the trading market today. This person is actually willing to trade. If there isn¡¯t a mine in the territory, then it must be a brain.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense here. I still want to secretly trade with this big shot.¡± Everyone was shocked. This shock was a mixture of ridicule and confusion. The lord had only been alive for one day and Jiang Chen had already started trading iron nuggets. The most important thing was that his demand was actually a seed without any actual use. What was this? Was this showing off? No one could understand it at the moment, but this didn¡¯t affect everyone¡¯s mood to trade. Almost everyone was discussing. On the other side, Jiang Chen received a large number of private messages one after another. Someone sent a private message to Jiang Chen through the trade channel. ¡°Brother Jiang, can I exchange ten units of stones for your iron ore?¡± ¡°Big Brother, would you like wood? I¡¯ll exchange it all for iron ore. I want to forge a weapon for self-defense!¡± ¡°Big brother, can you give me the iron ore? It¡¯s so dangerous for me to be alone. I beg you¡­¡± ¡°Brother Jiang, give me the iron. I¡¯ll give you ten million in return when we return to the world of the willing!¡± .. Not a single person had seeds. There were countless private messages from all sorts of people. Some of them included celebrities, the richest people, and officials that Jiang Chen was familiar with. There were requests, promises, temptations, and so on. But Jiang Chen didn¡¯t care about that, nor did he care about the ridicule in the chat channel. Everyone was equal here. Without what he needed, he could forget about exchanging for it! Who knew if they could return to their original world, or¡­ live! Jiang Chen looked at the abundance of private messages. Not a single one was what he wanted, nor did he have any special resources. Fortunately, the system¡¯s functions were more complete and had an automatic filtering function. Jiang Chen had set up the keywords for the seeds. Unless there was a need for them or a special resource, they wouldn¡¯t disturb him. He closed the chat channel and took the opportunity to rest for a while. After about two hours, no one traded. At this time, the sky was already approaching dusk. ¡°The tents are basically finished, and the union is almost done. We¡¯ll be able to recruit special talents in a while.¡± After a while. The system notified him that the construction was complete. Jiang Chen looked ahead and saw that a few tents were located outside the courtyard, where the migrant workers could rest. A separate tent had also been built within the courtyard. This was of course Jiang Chen¡¯s own. Another flat building appeared before his eyes. This was the union. It was finally completed! Jiang Chen silently read out the panel. The panel appeared at random. ¡°Union level: Level One. Functions: five people can be recruited per week. The type of recruitment can not be specified.¡± ¡°Conditions: five gold coins per recruitment.¡± Jiang Chen pondered. ¡°It can not be specified¡­¡± This meant that the talents and skills that were recruited could not be controlled by Jiang Chen. It would be fine if they were able to recruit those that were useful at this stage. If they were to recruit someone who wasn¡¯t useful, then it would be a waste of food and shelter.. Chapter 5 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation However, there was nothing he could do now. The union was only at level one at the moment. Perhaps he would be able to choose his targets once he reached a higher level. ¡°I currently have ten gold coins, and all the recruitment conditions have been met.¡± After a moment¡¯s deliberation, Jiang Chen began to think about his next development. ¡°I was lucky enough to find a lot of useful resources around the territory, but as I searched, the limited resources became fewer and fewer. I¡¯ll inevitably have to go out in the future.¡± ¡°If you want to obtain more resources, you can¡¯t avoid going out. You must first have the ability to protect yourself.¡± He realized that the territory was most lacking in armed forces. Although there were two soldiers, their strength was only slightly stronger than ordinary migrant workers. Looking at the detailed introduction of the union, Jiang Chen made a decision in his heart. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t disappoint me and issue a recruitment order!¡± Just as Jiang Chen was about to recruit members again¡­ ¡°System notification: the first union has been detected. You are rewarded with three special recruitment privileges. Recruitment order has also been issued. Cost: 5 gold coins.¡± It was the voice of the lordship¡¯s system. Jiang Chen was startled and quickly opened the chat channel. It was almost dark now, and these people were still chatting fervently. Jiang Chen had been peeping at the screen for half a day talking about matters related to the union, and even the content of the special rewards. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s because I was the first Lord to establish the union that I received this reward. Not everyone will receive it.¡± Jiang Chen immediately realized that this was unique to him, and a wave of wild joy swept through his heart. Special recruitment meant that the people recruited were definitely rarer and more powerful than normal recruitment. Although he didn¡¯t know what they would recruit, there was no doubt that it wouldn¡¯t be too bad. After some thought, Jiang Chen decided to start recruiting now. Right after Jiang Chen made his choice, a yellow notice materialized out of thin air and flew towards the center of the union. It suddenly dispersed in the center of the union, disintegrating into powder and falling to the ground. Following that, a hexagram of light lit up together. A wave of spatial distortions appeared within, gradually becoming larger and larger, turning into an enormous beam of light. After the ray of light had taken shape. A streak of white smoke continuously billowed up before gradually dissipating. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, this special effect!¡± Jiang Chen praised. When Jiang Chen opened his eyes again, the white smoke had completely dissipated. A farmer with tanned skin and a thin and weak figure appeared before his eyes. He wasn¡¯t wearing any clothes and was wearing a pair of pants that could cover the lower half of his body. It was a bit eye-piercing. ¡°I, Wang Ergou, pay my respects to your Lordship.¡± The farmer walked over and immediately bowed to Jiang Chen, his face full of respect and politeness. At the same time, Wang Ergou¡¯s information panel appeared before Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes. ¡°Subject: Wang Ergou. Occupation: builder, level: LV4, potential: 2 stars, stamina: 95/95, loyalty: 70, talent: construction, hence time taken by construction workers can be reduced by 20%.¡± ¡°His abilities aren¡¯t bad!¡± Although he¡¯d been prepared, he couldn¡¯t help but be ecstatic when he saw Wang Ergou¡¯s information. This meant that the early stages of the territory¡¯s construction could greatly reduce the time needed for growth and win them more construction opportunities. In addition, Jiang Chen had learned a lot from the previous guide. If the loyalty was below 50, the subjects might rebel. And according to his understanding, the physical strength of an adult male should be around 80, but Wang Ergou had a score of 95. Not only was he a special talent, but his physical strength was also higher than that of an ordinary person. At this moment, the mechanical voice spoke again: ¡°You have two more special recruitment opportunities. Would you like to use them?¡± Jiang Chen didn¡¯t think too much about it and spoke without hesitation: ¡°Recruitment!¡± The white fog rose once more, just like what had just happened. In less than a minute, a tall figure walked out from the union. ¡°Humble servant Tie Dan greets the Lord.¡± He half-knelt in front of Jiang Chen after speaking. Tie Dan¡¯s information also appeared before Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes. ¡°Subject: Tie Dan, occupation: blacksmith, level: 4, potential: 3 stars, stamina: 150/150, loyalty: 80, talent: Hundred Times Critical Strike. Only used to smelt metal and forge weapons.¡± ¡°Holy sh*t!¡± Jiang Chen almost jumped up when he saw Tie Dan¡¯s information and cursed out loud. Hundred Times Critical Strike, a hundred times reward! If shortening the construction time of the territory¡¯s buildings was what was needed right now, then this hundred times critical strike was a greater gift! Although it could only be used for smelting and forging, it was still quite heaven-defying. In other words, as long as Tie Dan forged one unit of metal in the future, he would be rewarded with ten units of metal in return! This talent was simply too strong. Before Jiang Chen could put away his excitement. White light lit up once more. A figure even taller and stronger than Tie Dan walked out of the door and stood in front of Jiang Chen without moving an inch. The person in front of him had thick limbs and bulging muscles, as if they were about to explode. The most eye-catching thing was the mount this person was riding, a tall and fierce giant wolf. Suddenly, this giant figure split into two. The cavalry soldier on top, who was about 1.8 meters tall and seemed to weigh at least 80 kilograms, stepped off the back of the giant wolf beneath him. He brought the giant wolf to Jiang Chen¡¯s front. ¡°Roar!¡± After the wolf howled, it was the powerful voice of the cavalry soldier¡¯s turn. ¡°Cavalry soldier Parker reporting for duty!¡± ¡°Great Lord, may you prosper!¡± Jiang Chen nodded nervously. His gaze sized up the giant wolf. It was a giant wolf that was about three meters long and 1.2 meters above the ground. Just its size alone was two-fifths larger than the wolves on Earth. Its large mouth was interlaced with canine teeth, and its sharp fangs were enough to make one shudder with fear just by looking at it! This was an absolutely stunning beast! Then look at that soldier Parker. He was a typical brawny man, and on his determined face, there were black tattoos. He looked brave, determined, and good at fighting! He was only wearing a simple fur vest, and his lower body was also wearing very primitive fur shorts and fur shoes. His entire body was full of muscles, and he was full of explosive power. He wore a round helmet with metal spikes on his head. The spikes on the top of the helmet had been broken and worn a lot. One could even see the marks of knives, axes, and chisels on the edges of the helmet. A saber was hung on both sides of his waist. There were cyan-black mottled marks on the body of the saber, but the edge of the saber was shining with a silvery-white cold light. On his back, he also carried a leather short spear bag with ten short spears inside. These were his throwing weapons. There was also a net hanging from his back. The tip of the spear was cold and sharp, looking extremely lethal. It was both near and far, and had such a fierce giant wolf mount. It was simply invincible. The more Jiang Chen looked, the more he liked it in his heart. Parker still maintained the position of kneeling on one knee. Jiang Chen hurriedly patted his broad shoulders. ¡°Get up, Parker.¡± ¡°Welcome to the team!¡± Parker nodded in greeting, then stood up and pulled the giant wolf a few meters back. He patted the giant wolf¡¯s head, then turned around and mounted it. Jiang Chen stood where he was and began to check Parker¡¯s stats. ¡°Subject: Parker, occupation: wolf cavalry, level: 6, potential: 4 stars, stamina: 220/220, damage: 65, defense: 38, loyalty: 80. Skill: Machete Slash (attack, chop, damage stacked by 1.5, additional wolf mark, 5 stacks of explosive damage + 10).¡± ¡°Adult wolf, name: Fenrir, level: 6, race: beast, bite damage: 45-51, hp: 335, defense: 35..¡± Chapter 6 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The system notification this time was very detailed. After looking at the wolf cavalry¡¯s attributes, Jiang Chen could feel his entire body relax. The initial loyalty of the wolf cavalry was much higher than that of the people in the territory. Most importantly, this Parker had made up for Jiang Chen¡¯s shortcomings in battle. This could make the division of labor in the entire territory clearer, and could also effectively eliminate some possible dangers. It would greatly increase the efficiency of development. Now that the population had increased, they couldn¡¯t possibly be allowed to rest in the open at night, right. Jiang Chen immediately ordered the migrant workers to speed up the collection of resources. ¡°Gather the surrounding wood and hay and set up a tent for a place to rest. It must be completed before nightfall.¡± The few of them nodded in agreement. The tent was set up two hours later. With the addition of the construction workers, the construction time was much faster. Jiang Chen felt the chill of the night wind. He immediately ordered the few of them to build a pile of wood blocks, took out the flint they¡¯d collected, and lit the hay. Everyone surrounded the fire to warm themselves. Right at this moment. ¡°System notification: your transaction has been successful.¡± Jiang Chen was overjoyed. This meant that someone had found the seed and completed the transaction with him. Immediately, Jiang Chen opened the system to take a look. ¡°System reminder: four portions of iron have completed the transaction, potato seed + 100.¡± ¡°Potato?¡± Jiang Chen was a bit confused when he saw the seed he¡¯d obtained from the transaction. Even if he urgently needed the seed to verify his own cheat system, what use could this potato seed be. But he didn¡¯t have the right to be picky about anything right now. He immediately thought of something. A large sack appeared in his hand, and within it were 100 sets of potato seeds. Right at this moment. The sound of the plant life system finally rang out once more. Right at this moment, the plant life system issued a notification. ¡°Ding! The host has been detected to have 100 D-rank potato seeds. The host can choose where to plant them!¡± ¡°Why are they D-rank seeds?¡± Jiang Chen looked at the potato seeds in front of him with doubt. ¡°D-rank potato seeds. Description: plants that contain rich energy. Mature potatoes can become explosive potatoes. Their power is comparable to a bomb, and their growth cycle is short.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± ¡°This¡­ seems pretty good!¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s heart stirred when he saw this description. Exploding potatoes! The growing period of potatoes was usually 60-100 days, and the collective time was related to the variety. If the potatoes were picked and placed in a suitable environment, wouldn¡¯t they be like landmines! They could even be used as hand grenades! ¡°Looks like the plug-ins are really different. Could it be that they¡¯ll have corresponding special effects when they encounter other seeds in the future?¡± Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t help but be filled with motivation to search for seeds when he thought of this. The voice hadn¡¯t stopped at this moment and continued. ¡°Open the tool store. The host can purchase it with gold coins.¡± ¡°What does this system store sell?¡± Jiang Chen thought this in his heart and then opened the store¡¯s panel. There were only a few things that could be purchased on the store¡¯s page. And below each item was the words LV1. It seemed that purchasing items in the store was limited by level. The store was divided into two sections, one for auxiliary tools and the other for editing. There were only two items under the auxiliary tools interface. Jiang Chen hurriedly looked at the two items. After scanning through them all, he took a deep breath. ¡°What a fellow! You can even play like this?¡± The items that were open in the shop were all related to farming, such as: ¡°D-rank phosphate fertilizer. Description: phosphate fertilizer contains many nutrients that plants need. It can increase the fertility of the soil and speed up the growth of plants.¡± He looked at the next one. ¡°D-rank hoe, description: it can speed up the cultivation process.¡± ¡°If I can exchange it for these things, it¡¯ll be a godsend!¡± Jiang Chen nodded in satisfaction when he saw the phosphate fertilizer and hoe. Jiang Chen hadn¡¯t even found any seeds in the vicinity of his territory, let alone items that could increase the speed of plant growth. The growth of plants needed to absorb nutrients on one hand, and besides the necessary conditions such as light and water, the most important source of nutrients was the soil and fertilizer. In this world of Lords, the outside world was fraught with danger, and there wouldn¡¯t be a large amount of fertilizer. When the novice protection period ended and the wild beasts attacked, the vast majority of people wouldn¡¯t be able to block the attacks of the wild beasts. Not to mention searching for fertilizer outside. Jiang Chen being able to obtain fertilizer that would speed up the growth of plants was undoubtedly a huge advantage. This would at least allow Jiang Chen to develop some defensive and even offensive methods to alleviate the pressure brought about by the invasion of wild beasts. The price of d-rank phosphate fertilizer was two gold coins per set, and the same was true for d-rank Hoes. Jiang Chen looked at his own gold coins. He had used five gold coins to build the Union before, and now he had five left. It was enough for him to buy a set as well. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to work hard to earn money!¡± Jiang Chen sighed in his heart when he thought of this. In the time that followed, Jiang Chen picked up the hoe and prepared to dig up the soil and plant plants. As for the function of editing the seeds, Jiang Chen prepared to study it later. According to Jiang Chen¡¯s plan, he planned to plant the bomb potatoes at the edge of the territory¡¯s safety zone. This way, the territory would have sufficient self-protection when the spirit seeds matured. Jiang Chen carried the grade D Hoe purchased by the system and arrived outside the territory. He started digging pits in a certain order. Judging from the thick fog in the morning, it was impossible for rain to fall here in the short term, so water resources were abnormally precious. Jiang Chen took out the seeds he¡¯d prepared beforehand from his backpack and threw them into each pit. After working for a while, Jiang Chen finally put the potato seeds into the small pit. He also put in the purchased phosphate fertilizer at the same time. Jiang Chen added a layer of soil to the two items after they were put into the small pit. After more than half an hour of being busy, Jiang Chen finally finished burying the potato seeds. There were a total of 100 potato seeds in the bag of transactions. Jiang Chen had only bought a portion of the phosphate fertilizer that was only enough for 20 seeds in the pit. However, in order to divide them equally, Jiang Chen was also careful not to waste the slightest bit. He divided them into a hundred portions and placed them in each pit. If he wanted more phosphate fertilizer, he could only work hard to earn money. After burying the potato seeds, Jiang Chen took out a bamboo tube from his backpack. Jiang Chen carefully watered the potatoes. Water resources were exceptionally precious, so Jiang Chen didn¡¯t dare waste even the slightest bit. His every move was extremely careful. After Jiang Chen watered the potatoes, he looked at the potatoes and a progress bar appeared in front of him. ¡°D-rank potatoes, time of ripening: 10 days, 11 hours, 21 minutes.¡± Every potato planted had a progress bar. Since the fertilizer Jiang Chen applied and the water he watered were similar, the time of ripening for these potatoes was about the same. ¡°Not bad! This growth cycle is indeed short!¡± ¡°The shortest period of ripening for a normal potato is around 60 days.¡± ¡°But the phosphate fertilizer purchased by the system can mature in less than eleven days! This saves more than half of the time!¡± Jiang Chen smiled as he looked at the hundred little mounds in front of him, feeling that the future was full of hope. But he immediately remembered that the Lord¡¯s novice protection period was only seven days, and suddenly felt nervous.. Chapter 7 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation ¡°Next, I should go out and try to find resources to exchange for more gold coins and buy a large amount of fertilizer to increase the ripening period of the potatoes!¡± ¡°Done!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all done this time!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been tired for half a day. It¡¯s time to rest and eat something.¡± Jiang Chen took out food and water from the system¡¯s backpack and prepared to eat. After he was done with all this, Jiang Chen returned to his tent. He lay on a simple wooden board covered in straw. A bonfire was lit outside. He read out the lordship system and flipped to the chat channel. A pile of private messages and friend requests popped up the moment he opened the chat box. Some of these requests were names that Jiang Chen had heard of before, and some that he didn¡¯t know. Looking at the situation before him, these people had probably seen him sell iron ore resources in exchange for seeds, and then wanted to look for him to continue buying. Looking at these friend requests, Jiang Chen thought about it and agreed to them all. ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll be useful at some point.¡± Jiang Chen agreed to all of these with this thought in mind. But at the same time, he also automatically blocked their messages. Because he didn¡¯t have enough resources at the moment, Jiang Chen would naturally check them one by one when he needed them. Opening the world channel, Jiang Chen saw quite a number of people chatting inside. ¡°I caught a stray rabbit today.¡± ¡°Wow, the big boss is drinking beer, and I¡¯m still eating dirt.¡± ¡°I met a gray wolf in the afternoon and a few civilians were bitten. What should I do? I don¡¯t even dare to go out now!¡± ¡°I¡¯m even worse. I drank a few mouthfuls of water from the stream. I¡¯ve had diarrhea since noon. Can I still be saved?¡± ¡°Stupid! I strictly forbid civilians from drinking raw water. I have to boil it and drink it. However, not only did these guys secretly drink raw water, they even lost their loyalty after a few words of scolding! Damn it! Damn it! Stupid!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so hungry. The food for the initial supplies is too terrible to eat. It¡¯s simply hard to swallow. There are also civilians who need to consume my food. I shouldn¡¯t have recruited civilians.¡± ¡°Now their eyes are green when they look at me!¡± There were not as many messages as there were during the day. When it came to recruiting people for the construction union, there was not a single one. Other than those who were pretentious. Those who pretended to be miserable. And those who were really miserable. There were also many people who were looking for help. There was no lack of rich people, officials, and celebrities. They made promises. However, the only communication between the Lords now was the chat channel. At most, it was the help of information. Who could he blame if he didn¡¯t work hard and didn¡¯t fight? Jiang Chen thought for a moment and sent a message. ¡°The union can recruit special talents.¡± He disappeared. It wasn¡¯t that he was being kind, but it was possible for him to provide some help with a lift of his hand. But it was impossible for him to lower the price and deliver the resources. He said this in the hope that the lords with ability would seize the time to recruit more people and search for the resources. He would also be able to obtain more and more comprehensive seeds through being traded. However.. ¡°What is a Union? The boss actually recruited special talents!¡± ¡°Special talents? What kind of luck is this!¡± ¡°Tears of the non-ruler.¡± ¡°Is this a problem of luck! I also saw the construction conditions of the union, but there are no materials to build at all. This is enough to build several tents!¡± ¡°Besides, I can¡¯t find any stones or iron blocks nearby.¡± ¡°Big brother, take me with you.¡± Jiang Chen:c¡±¡­¡± The current Lord really couldn¡¯t do it. He disappeared. In the night, ¡°AWOOO ~ ~ ~¡± The howls of wolves rose and fell. Jiang Chen, who was lying on the grass in a deep sleep, opened his eyes. He shook his head violently. He walked out of the tent. The tent of the subjects not far away. Parker led the giant wolves out at the same time The other subjects followed closely behind. They appeared very flustered. Especially the weak commoners. ¡°A pack of wolves, it must be a pack of wolves!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t panic, judging from the sounds, the pack of wolves is still very far away from us,¡± Parker said. His robust figure was filled with strength and it carried the power to calm people¡¯s hearts. In an instant, the flustered subjects calmed down. Parker saw Jiang Chen and said, ¡°Your lordship, I¡¯ll be in charge of keeping watch for the second half of the night.¡± Jiang Chen nodded. He called Tie Dan over again. Tie Dan¡¯s physical strength far surpassed that of an ordinary person because he was a blacksmith. Jiang Chen instructed the two of them to take turns keeping watch for the night. After a series of operations, Jiang Chen also felt a bit tired. He decided to take a good rest for a while and explore and search for resources as soon as dawn broke. He especially searched for seeds and minerals that could be exchanged for gold coins. In addition, the territory had to be upgraded as soon as possible. They were currently living in tents, and it would be very cold when they left the bonfire at night. There were also all sorts of buildings. Everything was still too simple and crude, and there wasn¡¯t even a basic sewing shop. Looking at all the subjects in the territory, they were basically only wearing pants, and some of them were especially bald. If the number of subjects increased later on and the territory still hadn¡¯t been upgraded, then it would really become a situation where there was a man on top of a man. .. The night passed without a word. When Jiang Chen opened his eyes, the azure blue sky was before him. His body was covered with a few pieces of coarse cloth. He¡¯d accidentally fallen asleep. He opened the chat channel. ¡°I haven¡¯t slept all night, and the wolves¡¯ howls are incessant. How annoying!¡± ¡°My place is even more terrifying. It seems that there are brown bears moving around here. My commoners are so scared that their loyalty has dropped and are unwilling to leave the thatched cottage. But what can I do? Don¡¯t tell me that I have to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the brown bears!¡± ¡°Lou can slide over with a slide shovel and feed the brown bears¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a fierce person in our district who can kill a wild wolf alone!¡± ¡°What is this? Can he take on the entire situation by himself? Have you forgotten that boss Jiang Chen can even set up a union to recruit special talents? The resources he has won¡¯t be simple either.¡± Jiang Chen glanced at the lack of useful information and came to the market to take a look. Whoa. There were many more commodities being sold in the trading hall at this time! Most of them were basic resources such as wood and grass. There was also food. Wolf meat, snake meat, wild boar meat, fruit. It was quite the array! ¡°That¡¯s true. Never underestimate the strength of others. It¡¯s already been a day. It¡¯s very reasonable for someone to sell some beast meat.¡± There was still a market for wolf meat and the like, but the prices kept dropping as they competed with each other. Jiang Chen no longer paid attention to the chat channel. He tidied up his thoughts after shutting down the system. Jiang Chen slowly called over his tent. Everything outside gave him a feeling of rebirth. He roughly inspected the nearby territories. Although he didn¡¯t find any water resources, there was a forest that was rich in wood resources. ¡°Wang Ergou, lead five migrant workers to gather some grass and wild fruits nearby.¡± ¡°Tie Dan, take five people with stone axes to cut down the trees.¡± ¡°Parker, go and see if there¡¯s any prey around you. Also, check the situation around you. Report back immediately if there¡¯s any danger.¡± After speaking, Jiang Chen handed the two stone axes in his hands to the subjects. The stone axes had been made through the system last night. A total of twenty stones had been consumed. ¡°Yes, my Lord!¡± Everyone immediately carried out their tasks after hearing Jiang Chen¡¯s orders. Their loyalty was above 70, so Jiang Chen wasn¡¯t worried that they would betray him.. Chapter 8 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After distributing the tasks, Jiang Chen went to the place where the potatoes were grown and checked the condition of all the seeds. ¡°Mm, the conditions are all normal. It looks like there won¡¯t be any problems as long as it¡¯s time to mature.¡± Parker returned half an hour later. There were still a few wild rabbits tied to the giant wolf¡¯s body. It looked like they were the wild animals that Parker had hunted on the way out. After seeing Jiang Chen, Parker got down from the wolf¡¯s body and walked in front of Jiang Chen, bowing: ¡°Sir, your subordinate has explored about a thousand meters nearby and hasn¡¯t found any danger for the time being.¡± Jiang Chen nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Very good. Parker, you go and rest. We¡¯ll set off in a while to search for resources.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± He turned around and returned to his tent after speaking, while the giant wolf lay on the ground and took a nap. Half an hour later, Jiang Chen gathered with Parker and two other soldiers. Parker had gone out to explore the terrain before and spoke at this time: ¡°My lord, there are a total of six areas that border our territory.¡± The territory was about the size of a football field, and each border was connected to an area. There was a limited amount of manpower at the moment, so they could only focus on exploring a certain area. ¡°The north is mountainous, the east is forest, and the other areas are mostly plain terrain.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need to go deeper to find out more details.¡± Wood resources were very important in the early days. According to Jiang Chen¡¯s plan, he planned to cut down enough wood to build the territory¡¯s buildings. Jiang Chen thought for a moment and said, ¡°Let¡¯s start from the east.¡± He ordered iron egg to pick up a stone axe, and the other two soldiers to each have one. The stone axe could also be used as a weapon, and Jiang Chen prepared a standard longsword. After making sufficient preparations, Jiang Chen led a group of people towards the east. .. Within the forest. The light was much dimmer, and the scene a few meters away was mostly blocked by trees or weeds. As a result, the scenery further away couldn¡¯t be seen clearly. Parker ordered the giant wolf to scout ahead and acted as a scout. Tie Dan and Parker walked in front. Jiang Chen followed closely behind, with two soldiers protecting him from behind. Parker and Tie Dan¡¯s vision was quite strong. They could see everything clearly even in such a complicated environment like the forest. ¡°My lord, there are twenty to thirty trees in this area.¡± ¡°My lord, there are quite a few fruits growing here.¡± The fruit was bright red and looked a bit like an apple. It looked particularly alluring. Jiang Chen picked one of the fruits and couldn¡¯t help but want to take a bite. However, Jiang Chen was unable to determine whether it was poisonous or not. After all, many things in this world might be different from the world of wishes. The path in this area wasn¡¯t difficult to traverse, and he basically didn¡¯t encounter any danger. Suddenly, the Lordmaster¡¯s system reminded him. [ system notification: Do you wish to include this area in your territory¡¯s return? ] [ the first time you expand an area, you will need to spend 50 units of basic resources (food, grass, wood, iron, etc.)] Jiang Chen shook his head. He was poor. A territory the size of a football was enough for him now. ¡°Your lordship, we¡¯ve found a treasure chest!¡± Iron Egg hurriedly called out. It was a wooden treasure chest located under a tree that was over ten meters tall and required four or five people to encircle it. Iron Egg climbed up the tree and wanted to take the treasure chest down, but the treasure chest didn¡¯t budge at all. ¡°The treasure chest is completely fixed in position?¡± ¡°Open it directly.¡± Iron Egg obeyed and opened it with force. The wooden treasure chest still didn¡¯t open. Even if he took out a dagger to pry it open or a stone axe to chop it, it would still be of no use. The rules dictated. The LORDMASTER system gave a hint. [ only lords or heroes can open the treasure chest. ] Jiang Chen understood and climbed up the tree to open the treasure chest. [ system reminder: Level One residential blueprint ] [ system notification: Iron Block * 3] [ system notification: Eat Berries * 10] ¡°Accommodation blueprint, with this, I can finally build a real house!¡± Jiang Chen hadn¡¯t thought that a wooden treasure chest would be able to open up a building blueprint, and he was extremely happy. Jiang Chen had also wanted to build a house with the wood resources available, but the building channel had provided the most basic tents that could be built directly from materials. The rest of the higher-level ones required design blueprints. Jiang Chen immediately looked at the detailed information of the accommodation blueprints. [ level 1 accommodation: wood/50, iron/15, Stone/30] [ description: Accommodation is the best place to provide shelter from the wind and rain. It can recover 3 points of stamina per hour ] ¡°I need a lot of materials, but it¡¯s worth it!¡± Jiang Chen waved his hand, and the few items in front of him turned into specks of light and were stored into the system backpack. Jiang Chen realized that the more items he stored, the smaller the backpack¡¯s capacity became. Jiang Chen thought to himself that in the future, apart from the particularly valuable items, the rest of the items would be stored in his territory. Otherwise, it would be too much of a waste of space. Then, Jiang Chen took a bite of the berry. It tasted quite good, sweet, and full of juice. Jiang Chen then gave each of them a few. ¡°I¡¯ve been out since early morning. Let¡¯s eat something first.¡± The berries were bright red. Jiang Chen still had quite a few in this forest. ¡°I¡¯ll collect the berries later, cut down the trees, and transport these to the perimeter of the territory.¡± ¡°Parker, continue to explore the perimeter.¡± Jiang Chen took a few berries and returned to the perimeter of the territory. Only after he put them down did the amount of resources the territory possessed change. ¡°It¡¯s troublesome without storage space.¡± Wang ergou and the two loggers were also very inefficient. Jiang Chen waited for a full half an hour before each of them carried a log and placed it beside the thatched cottage. [ hint: Wood + 2] [ hint: Wood + 2] It was too slow. He even asked Iron Egg to join the ranks of loggers. As a blacksmith, Iron Egg¡¯s body was a bit stronger, and he lopped wood faster. It was about¡­ three units of wood in half an hour. ¡°The population is still too small.¡± ¡°We need to recruit more civilians.¡± ¡°Priority is to gather berries.¡± As for the soldiers. ¡°Their mission is to protect their territory. They need to conserve their strength and guard against possible wild beast attacks.¡± Jiang Chen hadn¡¯t seen any wild beasts yet. Parker had shot two little rabbits. But at night, he could hear the roars of wild beasts coming from afar. He opened up the chat channel and flipped through it. A Day had passed, and there were already quite a number of people exploring outside the territory. Within the regional channel. There were a thousand lords in total ¡°Fuck, even the weeds outside are as tall as I am. I even sprained my ankle and fell if I wasn¡¯t careful. What¡¯s there to explore? !¡± ¡°Let your commoner subordinates take the lead.¡± ¡°Those civilians can¡¯t do it. They feel even more afraid than me. If they shout too much, their loyalty will drop. How the F * ck are we going to play this!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ve been walking around outside for more than ten minutes, but I seem to have gotten lost in the forest¡­ without the navigation, I don¡¯t know which direction is my territory. I didn¡¯t even make a mark when I came!¡± ¡°Help! I think I heard a wolf howl!¡± Was there anyone who didn¡¯t know that the system had a map? That¡¯s right, even if they knew the map, it might not be useful. The map would only clearly show the situation inside the territory. Outside the territory, it would only show a rough area, and for areas that had not been explored, it would be even darker. He thought for a moment, then recorded the situation of the ¡®system map¡¯and sent it. This was not some high-value information. He believed that quite a few people would be able to tell. He could use this to build a good impression¡­ although it might not be useful. Jiang Chen asked about the wolf howls again, then closed the chat channel.. Chapter 9 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation He could not read too much of these things. Otherwise, he¡¯d become addicted just like water. He clicked on the ¡®make¡¯ column. ¡°Wood 2x, thatch 1x.¡± Jiang Chen clicked ¡®make ¡®and three barrels were made in an instant. He mainly used them to store berries. With the wooden barrels, the commoners of the territory would be able to gather berries much faster. Round trip transportation. They had been busy the entire morning. When they were tired, they would randomly pick and pull two mouthfuls of berries to fill their stomachs and replenish water. Everyone¡¯s enthusiasm for work was quite high. ¡°Berries 216x obtained.¡± It was equivalent to 54 units of food. Jiang Chen was only prepared to start building lodgings after eating dry rations and berries for lunch. He first checked the material situation. ¡°Wood 153x, stone 120x, hay 240x , water 400mL, iron 26x, bread 2x, and flint 10x.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s build two lodgings first. We¡¯ll expand them when we have enough resources in the future.¡± He did as he was told. ¡°Are you sure you want to build a level one lodgings?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± In the same pattern as before, the shadow of a building appeared before his eyes. Jiang Chen first placed one in the middle of the territory, and then placed another nearby. The one in the middle was naturally Jiang Chen¡¯s own, while the one next to it was used as a backup. It could also be used to store some valuable things. After that, Jiang Chen assigned them to work in the eastern side of the Berry Forest. He brought Parker into the southern area to explore. This area bordered the east and was even larger. It was the largest area of the territory¡¯s border. It was twice the size of the territory. Parker walked in front while Jiang Chen walked behind with his sword in hand. This time, he didn¡¯t ask anyone else to come along. It was too time-consuming. What¡¯s more, Parker was a powerful cavalry soldier with a wolf and wasn¡¯t afraid of ordinary wild beasts. With the giant wolf around, he wasn¡¯t worried about getting lost, but he was still careful with his tactics. He mainly explored the outer regions. Once he encountered danger, it would be easier for him to run back to the safe zone. Suddenly, the giant wolf in front of him let out a gritting sound. Parker crouched down and said in a low voice, ¡°Your lordship, I¡¯ve discovered wolf paw prints. There might be wild wolves roaming around this area.¡± Jiang Chen tightened the sword in his hand. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a little nervous for someone who hadn¡¯t even fought in his past life. He felt uneasy when he thought of how close this place was to the fruit forest and how there were wild wolves roaming about. No, he had to get rid of this wolf today! He continued to grope his way forward. There were quite a few trees in this area as well, and it was generally a bit more open. He¡¯d found some stone resources here. Not bad at all. The vegetation and hills drew his attention. Jiang Chen climbed up to the small hill and saw a small stream in the distance. There was only a small section, and even more were hidden within the hill. ¡°There¡¯s actually a small stream nearby. If I can draw a stream to my territory, then the growth rate of that plant might be much faster!¡± Before Jiang Chen could think too much, a gray wolf appeared in his field of vision. It let out a low growl and moved slowly, its eyes emitting a fierce light. It was a lone wolf. Seeing Jiang Chen, the lone wolf was a bit apprehensive, but he still couldn¡¯t resist the temptation of food and pounced fiercely. Parker pulled out his saber and swung it. The unexpected thing was that it missed. The lone wolf nimbly jumped backwards and circled to the side to pounce and bite again. It was very slow. The lone wolf¡¯s movements seemed to have been slowed down in Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes. Jiang Chen followed his instincts and unsheathed his standard longsword. He took a few steps forward and blew up the dust. When the lone wolf pounced and bit into the air, he suddenly thrust his sword out and pierced through the wolf¡¯s abdomen. Rip! Dark red blood spurted out. Jiang Chen had long since dodged to the side. It was only now that Jiang Chen realized that his physical fitness seemed to have changed quite a bit after transmigrating. His overall strength had also increased quite a bit. ¡°I wonder if the others have also improved, or if it¡¯s different for each person.¡± Jiang Chen thought that if the others had also received improvements in their physical abilities, then the early stages of exploration wouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem. However, he discovered through the chat channel that many people had still encountered danger. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be for everyone. Perhaps it¡¯s related to the construction of the territory.¡± However, now wasn¡¯t the time to think about this. Jiang Chen looked at the lone wolf, who had been fatally struck by him. The lone wolf howled and struggled, its sharp claws clawing everywhere. The pool of blood under its body continued to expand. Before long, it gradually stopped moving, and had already begun to howl. A pale white shard condensed next to the gray wolf¡¯s corpse. ¡°Soul Shard: a special material. Explore its specific uses on your own.¡± ¡°It can drop items when fighting monsters!¡± Jiang Chen held the Soul Shard in his hand as if it were nothing, and then put it into his backpack. He had Parker cut the skin and cut the meat. ¡°System notification: wolf skin 2x, wolf meat 20x, wolf bone 3x, wolf fang 3x.¡± He explored his surroundings himself. He didn¡¯t find a second wolf, and the hare found one, but it ran a bit fast. It ran far away with a whoosh. He didn¡¯t chase after it. His main goal was to find valuable resources and treasure chests. Then, half an hour passed. ¡°This area is large enough, but there¡¯s nothing here.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only some forest and stone resources.¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t that many people mining right now.¡± ¡°The most important thing is that there aren¡¯t any treasure chests!¡± ¡°It looks like not every area has a treasure chest.¡± After drinking two mouthfuls of spring water to replenish his strength, Parker and the giant wolf continued to scout ahead. Jiang Chen would occasionally glance through the chat channel to gather information. He would open the system map from time to time to observe the area he was exploring. He would also patrol the territory to prevent wild beasts from attacking. When the Sun gradually set, the six areas that bordered the territory had all been lit up. The area to the north wasn¡¯t small, but it was mountainous. Not far ahead was a cliff that towered like the clouds. There was no way to find a mountain path at all, and there were no resources at all. The northeast and northwest regions were both very ordinary. A corner of a river could be seen on the southwest and south borders. The exploration of these four regions didn¡¯t encounter any wild wolves again. But the resources were also far inferior. The fruit forest area to the east was the richest, followed by the south. And the land to the south was relatively flat, suitable for building. Only one treasure chest had been found in the four regions, and it was still the lowest grade wooden treasure chest. Jiang Chen¡¯s luck was better this time. ¡°System notification: normal saber blueprints obtained, beast trap 2x obtained, grade two barracks building blueprints obtained. Barracks: wood 40x, thatch 55x, stone 38x. A single soul fragment can train a commoner into a soldier and give him basic battle experience.¡± ¡°To think that a Soul Shard can have such an effect.¡± Jiang Chen looked at the current state of the territory. ¡°Population: 15. Basic resources: food 174, wood 48, thatch 36, stone 46, iron 26.¡± As the territory¡¯s buildings were used up, the materials were also slowly used up, but there wasn¡¯t much of a problem. There were stones to be harvested in the southern area. Jiang Chen forged five pickaxes in one go. ¡°Pickaxe: wood 2x, iron block 1x.¡± There were ready-made areas to gather stones. The barracks could be built, but the battle sabers could only be used to forge one at most. There weren¡¯t enough resources for iron blocks. ¡°Wait¡­¡± Jiang Chen thought about it. He only had one soul fragment right now, and could only train one soldier. ¡°What a pity!¡± Jiang Chen sighed helplessly.. Chapter 10 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation At this moment, there was a commotion behind him. Parker rode the giant wolf and quickly ran over. He immediately said, ¡°Lord, I found a ruins ahead!¡± ¡°But there are a few wolf packs waiting there.¡± Parker ran over hurriedly, his body covered in sweat. ¡°Come, take me to have a look.¡± ¡°Wait, we¡¯ll call for more people.¡± The ruins were located south of the southern area. It was the seventh area and had just been lit up. Parker, Tie Dan, Wang Ergou, and two sword-wielding soldiers, a total of six people ran towards their destination. At this moment, the sun was setting and the ground was dyed in a faint yellow. Jiang Chen jogged to the seventh area. He slowed down his footsteps, climbed to the top of a tree, and looked into the distance. About ten meters away, there was the remains of a building. Only a few broken stone pillars and broken high walls were left. Green vines covered all four sides. More than a dozen gray figures strolled within¡­ there were a total of twelve gray wolves! ¡°This is a bit tricky.¡± There were six people on their side, and it was impossible to deal with a wolf pack that was twice as large. There was no medicine for injuries right now, and injuries in the wild could have a fatal effect. ¡°If we give up now, we can only wait for tomorrow.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t rule out these wild wolves attacking the territory at night.¡± Jiang Chen had a vague guess in his heart, and he didn¡¯t have the time to verify it at this moment. He summoned the system interface in his heart. ¡°Expand the area of the territory!¡± ¡°Please select the area to be included in the territory.¡± The system territory appeared before Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes, and he clicked to confirm the area on the map. ¡°System notification: basic resources-10, the southern region is included in the territory.¡± ¡°Basic resources-20. The southeastern region has been incorporated into the territory.¡± Expanding an area would cost 10 units of basic resources and expanding an area for a second time would cost 20 units, and so on. Jiang Chen had originally wanted to incorporate three areas. But now, clearly he didn¡¯t have enough basic resources. The area of the territory expanded. As the territory expanded, Jiang Chen felt a warm current run through his entire body. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is!¡± Let¡¯s call it the strength of a Lord for now. It turned out that an increase in the number of buildings within the territory, or an increase in the size of the territory, could strengthen this strength and turn it into the possession of a Lord! When he¡¯d been building the union and other buildings before, it might have been because this strength had been too smiling, and Jiang Chen had been wholeheartedly focused on the territory and searching for seeds, so he hadn¡¯t noticed it. Now that he¡¯d expanded the territory of two regions in an instant, this power seemed to be incomparably surging. The Lord¡¯s power within his body became even more surging. It was about twice as strong as before. ¡°I¡¯ve become stronger!¡± Jiang Chen raised his sword and his figure elongated in the dim yellow sunset. A few gray wolves sensed the enemy and bared their sharp teeth as they pounced fiercely. Whoosh¡­ The speed of the gray wolves was very slow in Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes. He stabbed his sword through the wolf¡¯s mouth. This time, it was even more decisive and clean. The edge of the sword brought up a pool of fresh blood. The gray wolves that pounced fell to the ground and rolled. He had already turned his body away. He raised his sword and blood dripped out. More gray wolves pounced from all directions. Parker and the others also quickly joined the battle. What if there were more enemies? A tactical retreat! They split up and turned around to run, their speed much faster than the gray wolves. This was the Plan Jiang Chen had laid down earlier, and now it had a use. Three gray wolves chased after Jiang Chen. Under deliberate control of his speed, Jiang Chen suddenly turned around and struck out with his sword at the closest gray wolf. He slashed out with his longsword, leaving a hideous wound on the gray wolf¡¯s body. Fresh blood splattered again. Then, he continued to turn around and flee, fleeing into a small forest not far away. The two gray wolves were enraged when they saw their companions being ambushed and killed by humans, and they howled. One in front and one behind, they pursued relentlessly. But the rhythm of the battle at this moment was already firmly controlled by Jiang Chen. ¡­ Within the ruins. PFFT! Tie Dan darted out from the forest, wielding a stone axe that had been sharpened to the point of sharpness, and slashed down heavily. A terrifying wound appeared on the gray wolf¡¯s waist. He heavily smashed the gray wolf to the ground. The two soldiers at the side were also dealing with a gray wolf together. One man and one sword slashed down with a swipe! His flesh and blood were a bloody mess. The valiant soldier Parker rode the giant wolf and was incomparably fierce! The gray wolves in the ruins slowly showed signs of weakness. The remaining three gray wolves turned around, their eyes fierce and fearful. PFFT¡­ Jiang Chen slipped out from the shadows. His sword slashed out, becoming more and more crisp and clean. Triple kill! ¡°Whew¡­¡± The stench of blood entered his nose. Jiang Chen took two deep breaths. This was the first time he¡¯d experienced such a bloody battle, but he was completely unaccustomed to it now. The world was the rule for the survival of the strong. His current physical fitness was far greater than before, and his breathing was purely nervous. ¡°Hint : Soul Shard 12x.¡± The battle over at the ruins had also ended under Parker¡¯s lead. Jiang Chen returned to the ruins. He left Wang Ergou and the three soldiers to cut up the wolf meat. Jiang Chen walked into the ruins and circled around a broken wall. Entering the ruins. He discovered that there were pieces of iron here. This was a scarce resource at the moment! ¡°Gou Dan, pay attention. If there are pieces of iron, collect them.¡± The entire ruin wasn¡¯t big, but the environment was rather complicated. Jiang Chen circled around and finally found a treasure chest in a corner. It was black and suffused with a metallic luster. Black iron treasure chest! It was a level higher than a wooden treasure chest! Jiang Chen suppressed his excitement and clicked open the treasure chest. ¡°System notification: iron 4x, mithril 3x, pea seeds 50x, ordinary arrow blueprints 1x.¡± The blueprints were entered into the system. The materials were directly stored in his backpack. ¡°I¡¯ve unexpectedly obtained some new seeds!¡± Jiang Chen was overjoyed. He walked around the ruins two more times and collected another 21 pieces of iron, but found nothing else. ¡°The harvest is already quite bountiful.¡± The sky was about to darken, and he couldn¡¯t stay in the wilderness for long. Jiang Chen planned to return. ¡°Triggered building discovered, can be activated (one-time use).¡± Jiang Chen didn¡¯t understand. He lowered his head. He kicked away a few pieces of rubble and used his longsword to push away some vines and fallen leaves. He discovered that there was a circular plate that looked like an altar beneath his feet. It was about a meter or two in diameter and wasn¡¯t very big. The surface was extremely dilapidated, and one could only barely make out that it was a circular stone platform from the outline of its edges. Jiang Chen wasn¡¯t in a hurry to activate it. He pondered over what exactly this circular stone platform was. He was certain that it was extremely precious. The system prompt was that it was a one-time use item, so he¡¯d better see what it was first. However, the stone platform was too dilapidated, and he couldn¡¯t find any valuable clues around it. Jiang Chen thought for a moment and touched the altar with his hand. Right at this moment. ¡°Magic summoning altar: able to summon an apprentice mage. Currently damaged and unable to operate.¡± ¡°Activation requirements: wood 20x, stone 20x, iron 20x, mithril 2x, soul fragment 3x, crystal 1/3x.¡± Jiang Chen was silent. He could only use it once. Did he need so many materials?! Although his heart ached, Jiang Chen still decided to give it a try. A mage! Although he was still an apprentice, it would be different when he grew up in the future. ¡°Activate!¡± ¡°Ding! The magic altar has been successfully activated¡­¡± In the dark ruins, on the dilapidated altar. A purple light quietly bloomed. Then, a figure slowly walked out from the purple light. She was wearing an old gray mage robe. In her hand was an ancient tree root-shaped staff that was taller than her. She walked forward and knelt on one knee. ¡°I have been summoned.. Are you my Lord?¡± Chapter 11 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Jiang Chen blinked as he looked at the cute and silly girl in front of him. He then came to his senses and looked at her detailed stats. ¡°Subject: Lucy. Level: apprentice mage. Potential: 4 stars. Strength: 15. Agility: 14. Spirit: 26. Talent: nature¡¯s grasp. Description: has an extremely high affinity with nature. Talent evolves with one¡¯s own strength. Abilities: healing at LVL 1, ice crystal at LVL 1, thorn at LVL 2. Loyalty: 80.¡± ¡°My physical fitness is average, but my spirit power is truly strong!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe that you have such great potential and even know how to heal. I Won¡¯t have to worry about simple injuries in the future!¡± Jiang Chen smiled at this newly summoned junior sister and nodded: ¡°Welcome aboard, Lucy.¡± Lucy was a bit shy and nodded with her head lowered. Jiang Chen instructed everyone to gather useful supplies before returning to the territory. When they came out, there was one more Lucy. When they returned to the vicinity of the territory, the entire sky was already completely dark. Bonfires had been set up outside, lighting everyone¡¯s faces bright red. There were now 17 people, which was the entire population of the territory. Including Jiang Chen himself. The dinner had been harvested not long ago, and was completely fresh gray wolf meat. It was a pity that this world didn¡¯t have seasonings, or else it would taste even more delicious. It was very dangerous in the Wild at night. Not to mention wild beasts, it was very easy to get injured while working in a situation where one¡¯s vision was inconvenient. Not to mention that these commoners were all living people and would be afraid. If one wasn¡¯t careful, one might even lose their loyalty. At present, only Jiang Chen himself was staying in the lodgings, while the rest were still sleeping in tents. Jiang Chen immediately decided. ¡°In order to have a good place to rest at night, we must build some lodgings.¡± This was called making full use of time. The bonfire lit up the surroundings and dispelled the panic. Tie Dan and the others, who had just finished eating and drinking, started working without any resistance. The Lord of the territory gave them food and drink. There was wolf meat and sweet berries. What reason did they have to slack off. ¡°Work!¡± ¡°Heya!¡± Jiang Chen opened the Lord¡¯s system. He checked the available resources first. There was no problem! Although the lodgings required quite a bit of materials, the wood that the laborers had gathered today, along with what he¡¯d obtained from the ruins, was enough. It was enough to construct a few lodgings. When the time came, the subjects would be able to sleep together, and the size of the houses would be enough. ¡°Construct the lodgings!¡± Jiang Chen pulled up the map of the entire territory, and the entire area of the territory appeared before his eyes. The core, the south, and the southeast. These were the three areas currently owned by the territory, the construction of buildings could only be carried out within the territory. A translucent shadow of a lodgings appeared. After Jiang Chen had settled in,. Wang Ergou, the construction worker, led a few migrant workers to pick up their tools and hammers, and walked up the mountain to strike. Two level one lodgings were also constructed after two hours. The standard equipment could accommodate two people, so three or four would be fine if they squeezed together. Jiang Chen wasn¡¯t lacking in this bit of wood right now. He waved his large hand and directly built two more lodgings. Parker and the giant wolf shared a room, and the migrant workers also needed one. Master Lucy was staying in a single room. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t mind if Lucy wanted to squeeze in with him. Jiang Chen glanced at the sky after the lodgings had been built. It was already evening. Jiang Chen recalled the black iron treasure chest he¡¯d opened earlier and pulled out a blueprint. ¡°Second rank barracks blueprint: wood 40x, thatch 55x, stone 38x.¡± The wood territory wasn¡¯t lacking at the moment. There was a large pile of thatch. There were still stocks of stones. He waved his large hand and created! Wang Ergou led a few men and picked up their tools and hammers as they began to forge. Jiang Chen sat on the lawn and looked up at the starry sky. He bit into a mouthful of berries and ate a mouthful of roasted meat. The life of a Lord was so simple and unadorned. The area of the barracks was sixty to seventy square meters, much larger than a hostel. But it was also very simple and crude. The logs were set up on a shelf covered in grass. ¡°You can spend one soul fragment to train a commoner into a soldier and give him basic combat experience!¡± Jiang Chen had obtained a total of 12 soul shards and a total of 10 commoners in his territory, but he didn¡¯t intend to spend them all. He swept his gaze around and called out to the three strongest men. Jiang Chen arranged for them to enter the barracks and used up three soul shards. ¡°Training time: three hours. Countdown begins.¡± ¡°Alright, it¡¯s getting late. Everyone get ready to rest. We¡¯ll take turns keeping watch later.¡± Just like that, Jiang Chen returned to his room. He laid down on his bed as soon as he entered, and opened the trading channel. ¡°Trading hall.¡± All the items that the lords were selling were listed on it. But there wasn¡¯t a single item that had any practical use on the trading hall. ¡°There are so many lords, doesn¡¯t anyone have any rare materials or blueprints?¡± Jiang Chen thought about it and decided to put up the wolf meat. ¡°Seller: Jiang Chen, item: wolf meat 5x, requirements: 6 iron blocks and 1 mithril.¡± ¡°Remarks: collect all kinds of seeds, bring the seeds and chat privately.¡± Jiang Chen walked back to the thatched cottage. He waited for half an hour. There was no private chat. No one bought the wolf meat either. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t continue to pay attention and fell into a deep sleep. He still had to plant the newly obtained pea seeds tomorrow. It was another day of hard work. The night was silent. When Jiang Chen opened his eyes, the sky had already begun to light up. He opened the system. He went to the market to take a look. The wolf meat had already been sold! ¡°System notification: iron 30x, mithril 6x.¡± In the morning, Jiang Chen arranged for a few civilians to continue collecting berries, cutting down trees, and collecting stones and other tasks. He then had Parker prioritize exploring the northwest and southwest. The north side was backed by mountains, and it was easy to find iron and stone resources by exploring the west along the mountain walls. There was a small river in the southwest corner of the map. He wanted to first light up the map around the river so that he could lead it into the river. ¡°Lucy, you¡¯ll have to work hard for a while.¡± ¡°These farmers need protection. Please patrol the area they¡¯ve gathered outside the small courtyard.¡± Jiang Chen instructed Lucy. ¡°Yes, my liege!¡± Lucy didn¡¯t complain in the slightest. She put a fist to her chest and bowed to Jiang Chen. Then, her petite figure slowly walked out of the small courtyard. After arranging the tasks one by one, Jiang Chen arrived at the planting area. He first scanned the growth of the potato seeds. ¡°Ripening time: 8 days, 9 hours, 31 minutes.¡± ¡°Mm, everything is normal!¡± ¡°Next, let¡¯s see what special abilities the pea seeds can acquire.¡± With a thought, a heavy bag appeared in Jiang Chen¡¯s hand. There were a total of 50 seeds in it. ¡°Ding! E-rank pea seeds. Description: can become a pea shooter when it matures. Effective long-range attack range 400 meters.¡± ¡°Hiss¡­ a pea shooter in a battle between plants and zombies?!¡± Jiang Chen understood in his heart and couldn¡¯t help but laugh lightly. Jiang Chen immediately picked up the hoe and began a new wave of planting.. Chapter 12 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After more than two hours of hard work, he finally finished planting all the peas. Jiang Chen had some plans for this time¡¯s planting. He didn¡¯t plant them all together, but rather arranged them in a row and distributed them around the territory. When they matured in the future, the pea archers would be able to maximize their attacks. ¡°Plant wars against zombies aren¡¯t for nothing!¡± ¡°But it actually takes so long to mature!¡± Looking at the progress, the pea seed actually took thirty days to take shape. This wasn¡¯t Jiang Chen¡¯s ideal time, but he didn¡¯t have enough gold coins to buy fertilizer to shorten the ripening time. And if he wanted to obtain gold coins, apart from the system¡¯s trading hall, he could only mine mineral materials and exchange them from the system. There were no such minerals in the current resources either. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to go out and continue to search for more resources!¡± Just as Jiang Chen was about to leave, he suddenly had an idea. He took out the soul shards from the system space. At this moment, the sound of the plant life system rang out. ¡°Ding! The host has a Soul Shard. Use it to increase the quality of the seed.¡± ¡°Hmm? A Soul Shard can also increase the quality of the seed¡­¡± ¡°Use it!¡± Jiang Chen took out all the soul fragments at random. There were nine in total, and each was given to the soil where the nine peas were planted. ¡°Quality increased to D-rank! (upper limit reached).¡± ¡°Time of maturity: 24 days, 23 hours, 34 minutes.¡± ¡°The ability will change as the quality increases. I didn¡¯t think that I¡¯d be able to shorten the time by a bit. Not bad!¡± Jiang Chen nodded in satisfaction. Relying on the system to plant seeds with special abilities was Jiang Chen¡¯s biggest goal at the moment. If he wanted to develop his territory, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do so without a population. However, the prerequisite was that he had enough strength. Jiang Chen had only seen the tip of the iceberg in this world, and it was still unknown how much danger lay outside. When more seeds were slowly produced, his territory could develop even better. There wasn¡¯t a single plant that had matured yet, so Jiang Chen needed money. He needed large amounts of gold coins to buy fertilizer to shorten the time for the seeds to mature. Otherwise, he¡¯d be in trouble once the novice protection period was over. Jiang Chen shook his head. He¡¯d only transmigrated for less than three days, and he¡¯d already developed to his current level. He was already ahead of most of the Lords. As he thought about how to earn gold coins, he arrived at the center of the territory. As he thought about this, Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze moved slightly. He looked at the busy crowd in the territory, especially the berries that were being picked back and forth. After a simple estimation, the berries picked over the past two days were around four hundred sacks. The berries in the fruit forest were large in size and had a high yield. Sitting on a simple wooden chair, Jiang Chen opened the chat channel. The chat channel was very lively. Everyone couldn¡¯t leave the chat channel during this period of time. This was everyone¡¯s only form of entertainment. In the chat, there were those who shared the fruits of their labor, as well as all sorts of complaints. There was a lot of variety in the content. But there weren¡¯t many who traded. Compared to the third day, very few people would directly sell their goods. Jiang Chen read for a while and immediately posted a post for sale, along with a picture of the berries. ¡°Natural and harmless berries, delicious but not expensive. Ten gold coins, three sacks of berries of good quality and quantity guaranteed, speed required!¡± The chat channel instantly became lively. ¡°Holy shit, this big brother is awesome. This is good stuff, not only can it satisfy hunger, but it can also replenish water!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been eating dry rations for the past two days, and my mouth is fading. I¡¯ll hurry up and buy two sacks to try.¡± ¡°Big brother Jiang is amazing, he¡¯s already put a lot of good stuff up for sale.¡± ¡°Big brother, why don¡¯t you impart some experience? Do you have any strategies?¡± Jiang Chen smiled lightly as he looked at these, but didn¡¯t respond. There were many posts, and many people who wanted to buy, but most of them were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. Soon, the system reminded someone to add a friend to a private chat and noted the identity of the buyer. It looked like a woman, so she directly expressed her intention to buy. ¡°Can you check it first?¡± ¡°No problem!¡±Jiang Chen agreed readily and directly traded a few pieces of jam. He wasn¡¯t worried about others buying for free, since it was a no-cost transaction to begin with. Besides, the first transaction was very important, and he wasn¡¯t afraid that no one would want it if he made a public statement. The other replied in a short while. ¡°I¡¯ll take whatever you have!¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s heart shook. A big client! ¡°I don¡¯t have much in stock either. I can give you three hundred sacks.¡± The other didn¡¯t think twice before putting in a trade request. Jiang Chen was a bit shocked in his heart. There was actually someone who was so rich in such a short amount of time. It looked like there was no lack of amazing talents among the lords this time. There were many lucky people in this world to begin with. There were also quite a few talents with particularly strong personal abilities. These people had come to this continent where the strong preyed on the weak and were the true dragons returning to the sea. He absolutely couldn¡¯t be too arrogant! Jiang Chen secretly encouraged himself. Of course, everyone had their own opportunities. Jiang Chen wasn¡¯t envious, but he felt a bit of pressure in his heart. He directly traded the three hundred sacks of berries and counted them to a total of one thousand gold coins. ¡°System reminder: you have successfully traded the three hundred sacks of berries. You have received one thousand gold coins.¡± The transaction was completed! Seeing that his gold coins had finally become abundant, Jiang Chen was greatly moved. He didn¡¯t hesitate to exchange all these gold coins for fertilizer to shorten the ripening period. Jiang Chen opened up his gold coins and saw that there were a total of 1,001 gold coins. According to the prices in the plant life system store, D-rank phosphate fertilizer was 2 gold coins per serving. It was enough to exchange for 500 servings of phosphate fertilizer now! He would go and ripen another wave later. This amount of fertilizer was enough to shorten a lot of time. Time didn¡¯t wait for anyone. After exchanging for 500 servings of phosphate fertilizer, Jiang Chen immediately brought five migrant workers to the planting grounds. Jiang Chen was required to personally plant the potatoes when planting them, but he could leave the rest of the work to his subjects. This would also save time faster. Jiang Chen decided to prioritize the cultivation of exploding potatoes. Under Jiang Chen¡¯s instructions, a few portions of phosphate fertilizer were thrown into the pit one by one before they were buried in some soil to cover it up. The strength of numbers was greater. It didn¡¯t take long for the 100 portions of potato seeds to be fertilized. There were still 200 portions left from the 500 portions of phosphate fertilizer. It wasn¡¯t that Jiang Chen didn¡¯t want to continue, but that the system had notified him when the third portion of phosphate fertilizer was thrown into each potato. ¡°Phosphate fertilizer saturation 100%. Ripening time: 2 days, 4 hours, 21 minutes.¡± ¡°It looks like I can¡¯t add an unlimited amount of phosphate fertilizer to achieve rapid ripening, but the ripening time has been reduced from the original eight days to two days. It¡¯s already greatly exceeded my expectations!¡± Seeing the remaining 200 portions of phosphate fertilizer, Jiang Chen didn¡¯t hesitate at all as he poured them all into the pea seeds. The pea seeds were slightly more saturated than the potatoes because the quality of the seeds was different, which determined the upper limit. The pea shooter¡¯s ripening time had also been reduced to half now. He only needed 15 days. In a short while, the phosphate fertilizer had been completely used up, and the gold coins had also been used up. Jiang Chen shook his head. He was now back to before liberation! It was already noon. ¡°Awooo!¡± Suddenly, a melodious wolf howl rang out. ¡°AWOOO¡­.¡± Chapter 13 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation ¡°Howl¡­ howl¡­¡± Following that, wolf howls could be heard coming from the plains, loud and tremulous. Howls could be heard in broad daylight. It was like a giant mouth of the abyss that could devour everything. ¡°Howl!¡± ¡°Howl!¡± ¡°Boom!¡± After the wolf howls, another wave of wild beast howls could be heard. These howls and howls echoed in the air, and it was impossible to tell the exact location. All the farmers had expressions of terror on their faces as they huddled together in unison. Jiang Chen focused his gaze on the outside. He could sense that there seemed to be many hidden gazes watching from afar in the territory. At this moment, an enormous figure slowly appeared in the distance. Two figures slowly appeared in front of everyone. The mage Lucy had already tightened her grip around her staff. Jiang Chen had also taken out his sharp iron sword. He was on full alert! The figure¡¯s speed wasn¡¯t slow. It was equivalent to an old stallion running at full speed, so it quickly arrived at the edge of the territory. A name suddenly appeared above the black figure¡¯s head in Jiang Chen¡¯s field of vision. Jiang Chen let out a sigh of relief and waved his hand as he spoke to Lucy and the others. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re on the same side.¡± In the next moment, Parker, who was riding the giant wolf, arrived outside the territory. He gradually slowed down and arrived in front of Jiang Chen. He flipped over from the back of the giant wolf and knelt on one knee. ¡°Lord, Parker has returned!¡± Jiang Chen looked at Parker and the giant wolf and narrowed his eyes slightly. There was a sharp arrow stabbed into Parker¡¯s shoulder and a knife wound on his right hand, dripping with blood! Fortunately, the blood had already stopped flowing from the wound, condensing into a blood scab. Parker was actually injured! The giant wolf¡¯s body was also covered in densely packed wounds. Its thick fur had been directly split open, revealing the bright red flesh within. Jiang Chen focused his attention and checked their attributes. Parker¡¯s own health was left with two-thirds. The giant wolf called Fenrir was the same, losing about a third. One had to know that Fenrir¡¯s armor was as high as 35 points, and its HP was also as high as 435. It was an out-and-out blood bull and meat shield. To be able to cause it to lose more than a hundred HP, it was enough to show just how intense the battle had been. ¡°What¡¯s with the injuries on your bodies?¡± Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes and asked in a serious tone. ¡°My lord, I¡¯ve made a few major discoveries during this exploration!¡± ¡°As for the injuries on my body, they came from a goblin tribe in the forest eighty miles north of my territory!¡± ¡°That goblin tribe is very large in scale. A sentry tower has been built outside, so I can¡¯t observe it closely!¡± ¡°In addition, there are also experienced scouts in this goblin tribe.¡± ¡°When I was wandering around the periphery, I was discovered by the scouts. Then, I was surrounded and attacked by the goblin archers, goblin axe throwers, and goblin mages in the tribe.¡± ¡°I immediately chose to ride Fenrir and hide in the woods. After wandering around for a while, I finally escaped their pursuit.¡± ¡°To be on the safe side, Fenrir and I took a long detour before we made our way back to the territory.¡± ¡°These injuries were left behind in a mere exchange of blows¡­¡± Parker knelt on one knee and lowered his head, appearing somewhat dejected. Jiang Chen nodded and extended his hand to pat his shoulder. This time, Parker was also following orders and had explored a greater distance. The wolf cavalry soldier¡¯s speed was indeed very fast. ¡°Get up and go to your room. You can slowly recover your strength there.¡± ¡°Lucy, come with me and treat Parker¡¯s injuries.¡± Lucy immediately followed into the territory when she heard this. The farmers also consciously gave up their seats. Jiang Chen led Parker and the giant wolf into the straw hut. Resting in the lodgings and recovering two health points per hour was better than nothing. At this moment, Lucy raised her staff that was even higher than hers and prepared to chant a healing spell. ¡°Ancient god of life, please listen to my prayers¡­¡± A wave of magic language slowly chanted, and a soft green light slowly emitted from Lucy¡¯s hand, wrapping around Parker¡¯s injured area. Jiang Chen saw that Parker¡¯s injuries were slowly recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye. After a short while, the green light slowly disappeared. Lucy said softly, ¡°Your lordship, the level of my healing spell isn¡¯t high, so I can only treat the superficial wounds on his body for now. The rest can only wait for him to recover on his own.¡± Jiang Chen nodded, indicating that this was already quite good. Parker¡¯s health had already recovered by half after this treatment. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You¡¯ve done well. You¡¯re a very powerful mage.¡± Jiang Chen stroked Lucy¡¯s head and smiled: ¡°Do you think you can heal the giant wolf as well? He¡¯s Parker¡¯s loyal companion.¡± Lucy¡¯s face was flushed red as she nodded and said yes. She then proceeded to cast a healing spell on the giant wolf as well. Jiang Chen took out another 100ml of water. He had installed some by the stream and river earlier. No matter how precious water resources were, they couldn¡¯t compare to a subordinate who was incomparably loyal to him. Parker was a qualified soldier. He¡¯d been injured in order to complete the exploration mission he¡¯d given him. Therefore, Jiang Chen wouldn¡¯t mistreat a loyal warrior. Parker received the water with great gratitude. But he didn¡¯t drink it. Instead, he fed half of it to his mount, the giant Wolf Fenrir. A mage was indeed miraculous. The healing effect was almost immediate. The wounds on the giant wolf¡¯s body began to close up at a speed visible to the naked eye. At this moment, Parker pulled out the wolf rider machete from his waist and chopped off the arrowhead of the arrow that had already pierced through his shoulder. He then gritted his teeth and put down the machete. His other hand grabbed the tail of the arrow and pulled the broken arrow out of his muscles with great force. A gush of blood instantly shot out. Parker¡¯s arm exerted a bit of force as his muscles closed together, forcefully blocking the wound. Only now did he pick up the bamboo tube and drink up the remaining water in one gulp! ¡°What a werewolf, a tough man!¡± Jiang Chen was dumbstruck by what he saw. Parker¡¯s healing methods were too hardcore. And he didn¡¯t even let out a cold grunt or moan the entire time. He didn¡¯t even frown once. His face was like it had been carved out of stone, tough, strong, and brave! After he finished healing. The giant wolf lay on the wooden floor of the straw shed and fell into a deep sleep. Parker sat cross-legged. Then, he began to report the results of today¡¯s exploration. ¡°My Lord!¡± ¡°Apart from that goblin tribe, I also found some relics.¡± ¡°In the northwest, in the dense forest by the path into the mountain, I found an abandoned temple.¡± ¡°In the middle of the forest, it was completely covered by vines and moss. I saw two treasure chests among them. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn¡¯t open them or take them away.¡± ¡°In addition, there was an abandoned sentry post with a watchtower at the top of the mountain on the northwest path. The sentry post was occupied by a group of traveling merchants.. I didn¡¯t have any contact with them for the time being Chapter 14 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Pausing for a moment, Parker continued: ¡°There¡¯s a mine in the northeast between the mountains and the grasslands. We might be able to make use of it, but there¡¯s a five meter long bristled wild boar wandering around outside the mine. That seems to be its territory.¡± ¡°As for the goblin tribe, they¡¯re in the depths of the mountains due north. They¡¯re also very well hidden. I¡¯ve alerted them this time. I wonder if they¡¯ll send someone to explore this grasslands.¡± Parker said with some worry. Jiang Chen nodded and waved his hand carelessly. ¡°Parker, you¡¯ve done well.¡± ¡°As for the goblins, they should be fine for now. The distance of over eighty Li isn¡¯t short. Even if the goblins send out scouts, it¡¯ll take them a few days to discover this place.¡± ¡°As long as it¡¯s not a large army, we¡¯ll be able to deal with them.¡± ¡°Hmph, when the territory becomes stronger, we¡¯ll have to find these goblins to kill them.¡± Jiang Chen waved his fist, his tone cold. Damn Goblins, they actually dared bully their own subordinates! It looked like that group of goblins seemed to have occupied the mountain range to the north. As the saying goes, one mountain can not accommodate two tigers. As the territory gradually expanded, they would face each other sooner or later. If they discovered it early, they would be able to prepare early! Jiang Chen had already silently included the Goblin tribe as a target of hostility. His acceptance of this world was growing higher and higher. In a world where wolf cavalry soldiers and mages could appear, the appearance of goblins wasn¡¯t a big deal. Goblins were a type of legendary humanoid creature, covered in green skin who looked similar to orcs and goblins. They all had long pointy ears. Alien races were often filled with hostility towards humans. At this moment, the farmer in charge of lunch had also finished making the wolf meat. There was no need for him to worry about cooking on the stove. As long as he provided the ingredients and chose the items that could be cooked, he could choose one person to finish it automatically. Lucy brought in a few bowls of wolf meat from outside. Jiang Chen handed Parker a piece and left behind a bucket of water and a piece of jerky. This was prepared for Fenrir. ¡°Parker, you¡¯ve done well. Rest well today.¡± Jiang Chen consoled Parker. Then, he walked out of the lodgings and prepared to distribute food. At this moment, a notification for the loyalty update appeared. Parker¡¯s loyalty skyrocketed to 90 points. Jiang Chen glanced at it and waved his hand to close the notification. He left a piece of roasted wolf meat for himself. He also gave Lucy a piece of wolf meat and a bowl of meat soup. Jiang Chen distributed them one by one. Tie Dan, Wang Ergou, and the remaining farmers all ate steaming hot lunches. The loyalty of the farmers who received the meat increased by five points. These farmers were truly very realistic! After all of them had been distributed. Jiang Chen left a wooden bucket of water for them to divide by themselves. He returned to his room. Jiang Chen then opened the chat channel. ¡°Brothers, we ran into goblins this morning. These filthy monsters are truly despicable. They actually ambushed me and caused me to lose two soldiers.¡± ¡°I¡¯m even worse off. I drank a mouthful of water from a pond near my territory this morning and still have diarrhea even now! My farmers have all betrayed me and run away!¡± ¡°Lord, please give me some food! The initial food is not enough to eat.¡± ¡°Ten farmers and two soldiers set up a trap. It¡¯s enough to hunt! Even if I encounter powerful beasts, I still have the small courtyard of my territory as a way out.¡± ¡°Haha, my luck is really good. I found an altar near my territory. It can make my farmers into powerful warriors!¡± ¡°I found a village of aborigines. After talking to the aborigines in the village, I can use gold coins to buy food and supplies from them!¡± ¡­ The world channel was still lively. Although each person could only send one sentence a day. However, the huge population base of billions of people still determined the liveliness of this channel. There were also lords who had shown that they were in the lead in terms of strength. Some of them even met with different levels of danger. However, those who could still speak in the channel now at least meant that they were still alive. Jiang Chen looked around and pondered for a moment, but didn¡¯t say anything. Then, he opened the regional channel. According to the prompt, this was a square area of 200 by 200 kilometers. This area was indeed not too small. A number was marked on the top of the panel. ¡°886/1000.¡± This was the number of lords in the area and the total number of lords in the area when they landed! The number was cold, but the reality was cruel. Jiang Chen¡¯s area had a total of 1000 lords, but there were less than 900 now. Of course, the number of deaths in Jiang Chen¡¯s area alone didn¡¯t represent anything, because it didn¡¯t have a general pattern. Perhaps there were more deaths in some areas, and fewer deaths in others. But this was enough to show the cruelty of living in this world. Death was close at hand, and could come at any time. The area channel was also very lively. Many people were resting in the afternoon. As a result, they all chose the water chat channel here. ¡°Su Yi : we must unite and get through the difficult period at the beginning. Only then will we be qualified to face a brand new challenge.¡± ¡°Liu Chen : makes sense. After gathering wood for the whole day, I still need a lot of resources to train the farmer into a level 1 infantryman. I even need an infantryman training book.¡± ¡°Lemontov : friends, the area we¡¯re in right now seems to be half grassland and half forest. I¡¯m quite close to the forest here. I discovered a few giant footprints not far from my territory today. I don¡¯t know what unknown creature they belong to!¡± ¡°Liu Xin : We¡¯re all in the same area. Don¡¯t attack each other if you meet¡­¡± ¡°Wang Dajun : I agree!¡± ¡­ Jiang Chen thought for a moment before editing a message and sending it out. ¡°Jiang Chen : Don¡¯t go near the middle of the largest mountain forest. There¡¯s a ferocious and powerful goblin tribe there.¡± The chat channel instantly became more active after Jiang Chen uploaded this message. ¡°Is this news¡­ true or false?¡± ¡°It¡¯s indeed true! After I established my territory, I¡¯ve carefully investigated and found that there is indeed a kobold gathering place a kilometer away from my territory! This brother is telling the truth, there really is a foreign tribe!¡± ¡°Damn it, I originally thought that monsters that appear and disappear mysteriously were scary enough. There¡¯s even a horde of foreign tribes? Are they going to let me live?¡± ¡°To be able to discover so much useful information in such a short period of time, just who is this big brother Jiang?¡± As Jiang Chen¡¯s message was sent out, the messages in the channel began to roll around in quick succession not long after.. Chapter 15 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation He closed the interface after sending it out, and counted every reminder he could get. No matter who the Goblin tribe was, they¡¯d all be ¡°Dead¡±. A tribe that could injure the Wolf Cavalry Parker in a single blow was no weakling. At the same time, Jiang Chen¡¯s name gradually became famous among these lords. He¡¯d managed to discover so much useful information in just over a day. Then who was he himself? ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look at the exchange market.¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s thoughts turned, wanting to see if there was anything good in the exchange market. He opened the exchange market. A large amount of listing information immediately refreshed. Although there weren¡¯t any particularly powerful lords appearing now, there were still tens of thousands of lords amongst the billions that had displayed decent advantages and resources. Most of the items on sale were very monotonous. Most of them were food and wood. There were basically no blueprints, weapons, or special materials. Jiang Chen would occasionally see one or two items that were valuable, but the prices for them were also sky high. For example, they actually needed 500 pieces of wood or 50 beginner soul shards. They were simply snatching people. Another example was the skill books, which were also a massive amount of resources at a price. No one could afford them in the short term. ¡°I¡¯m also very short of resources at the moment, so I won¡¯t be selling basic resources for the time being. I¡¯ll go out and explore later to find new resources!¡± An hour later, Jiang Chen brought Lucy and the others with him. Jiang Chen and Lucy formed a team, while tie Dan led two soldiers to form another pair. They split up to explore today. He was prepared to explore the second circle in the southwest. He had only taken a quick look at the area before and hadn¡¯t explored it properly. Parker had also inspected the area before, and there wasn¡¯t much danger there. Only a small number of wild beasts had gathered there. Jiang Chen felt that with his current strength and the long-range mage Lucy, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for him to go there. .. It wasn¡¯t an easy thing to explore the map. Especially in the second circle, there might even be a herd of wild beasts. The speed of exploration wasn¡¯t fast. If he discovered any special places or fought with monsters, he would have to spend more time. After four hours, the exploration during this period was relatively smooth. Of the two maps Jiang Chen explored, only one was in danger. It was five gray wolves gathered together. Lucy chanted the fireball spell. With a wave of her staff, the gray wolves were all burnt to a crisp. Jiang Chen had barely made a move, and the gray wolves were all dead. [ system notification: Soul Fragment * 5] After that, they encountered two more green-skinned lizards. These kinds of monsters were slightly stronger than gray wolves. Especially in the forest, their concealment abilities were strong. It was like a killer. ¡°Left, second tree.¡± Jiang Chen gave the command. Lucy chanted silently and activated strangle Thorn. Two thorny vines emerged from under the forest and instantly bound and strangled the lizard. Green blood flowed out. This trainee mage had gone from being shy in the beginning to cooperating with him now. He was even more adept in battle. Lucy chanted another spell. A fireball flew out and accurately hit another green-skinned lizard. The red flames exploded. This one died on the spot. The remaining one was quickly shot to death as well. [ hint: Soul Fragment * 2] Jiang Chen had discovered a total of two treasure chests in these areas. One was black iron rank. One was an ordinary wood rank. Treasure chests could only be opened by a Lord. Jiang Chen stepped forward and opened them one by one. [ open the wooden treasure chests. ] [ hint: you have obtained dry rations * 20] [ system hint: you have obtained spinach seeds * 30] [ system hint: you have obtained an intermediate craftsman skill book. ] This skill book could be given to tie Dan, and he could build a blacksmith shop when he returned. As the population grew, the armed forces of the territory were also indispensable. .. [ open the black iron treasure chest ] [ system notification: obtained crystal * 3] [ notification: obtained talent recruitment scroll (Green) . ] [ advanced talent recruitment scroll: able to recruit civilians with greater potential after use. ] This was a good item! Jiang Chen met up with Tie Dan and the others after opening the black iron treasure chest. The two of them walked towards the south in an imposing manner. ¡°Your Lordship, this area is a swamp. There¡¯s a silver treasure chest in the middle.¡± ¡°However, there are two crocodiles hiding in the swamp. If you want to open the treasure chest, you must first deal with these two crocodiles.¡± Each of these two crocodiles was several meters long, and they were also in a swamp environment. Even if five or six soldiers were present, they wouldn¡¯t be able to gain any advantage. Jiang Chen had already planned this long ago. Whoosh! He threw out a large stone. It hit the crocodiles. The stone didn¡¯t deal any effective damage to the crocodiles, but it made the two crocodiles go a little crazy. The two crocodiles didn¡¯t hesitate to rush over in the face of this human who was challenging their territory. The two crocodiles crawled over at high speed. Jiang Chen maintained his calm. When the crocodiles got a little closer and opened their mouths. A fireball that had long since been prepared shot out. Boom! The fireball shot through the crocodile¡¯s soft mouth. The crocodiles cried out in pain. It continued to struggle and the swamp water splattered everywhere. Tie Dan and his soldiers continued to attack the crocodile. They were all aimed at the crocodile¡¯s vital parts. Before long, the two crocodiles completely whimpered. [ hint: Soul Fragment * 4] The stronger a beast was, the more soul fragments it would drop. Jiang Chen looked around and confirmed that there were no other crocodiles before he arrived at the center of the swamp. A Silver Treasure Chest quietly landed in the center. This was the first time Jiang Chen had seen a silver treasure chest. He had to admit that tie Dan¡¯s luck was truly good. He¡¯d been able to find a silver treasure chest just like that. He extended his hand. ¡°Open the Treasure Chest!¡± A burst of green light emerged. [ system notification: obtained mithril * 2. ] [ system notification: obtained Rice Tree * 2. ] [ system notification: obtained Elemental Crystal * 2. ] [ system notification: obtained winter clothing blueprints. ] [ system notification: obtained grade two civilian residence blueprints. ] [ system notification: obtained territory upgrade scroll. ] Jiang Chen quickly picked up the scroll. It was also a sheepskin scroll. There were complex patterns on it. [ territory upgrade scroll: can be used to upgrade a beginner¡¯s territory. ] [ upgrade requirements: Wood/200, grass/200, stone/200, iron/100, soul fragment/20. ] [ level 2 House Blueprint: higher-level houses, can be upgraded at the basic level of level 1 houses. ] [ elemental crystal: a necessity for building high-level buildings such as elemental type. ] [ rice tree: planted in the field, when it ripens, it will produce crystal-clear rice. ] ¡°Good stuff! These are all hard goods!¡± ¡°Especially this elemental crystal. It¡¯s definitely the hard currency of the later stages of the Lords!¡± Jiang Chen collected all of them. The conditions for upgrading the territory had been met by Jiang Chen. He wanted to return immediately and upgrade the territory. But looking at the sky, there was still quite a bit of time. The upgrade could be left at night. There¡¯s no rush. At least we¡¯ll have to thoroughly explore the surrounding area. A search of the swamp didn¡¯t find any valuable resources. It¡¯s pretty barren.. Chapter 16 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Jiang Chen hurried to the next area. There was a small forest next to the swamp. There was no danger here, nor were there any treasure chests. But¡­ ¡°There are quite a few stone mines here.¡± The territory¡¯s basic resources had been expanded again. After taking a stroll, the team hurried to the third area that Tie Dan had developed. This area was even further away from the core of the territory, and was already the third map. It took up a larger area, and it was crisscrossed with hills. It was even more troublesome to explore. ¡°Your Lordship!¡± A soldier made a discovery. Jiang Chen circled around a hill and saw some remains of buildings before his eyes. His eyes lit up. He had always liked these things! Where there were buildings, there were always good things! He searched with his eyes bit by bit. Suddenly, he found at the end of the hill, near the mountain wall, there was an intact building. The building looked like a four to a five-story tall tower. The silver-white bricks and tiles were covered with green vines. They were filled with the corrosion marks of time. Even so, the tower still did not collapse. At this time. ¡°System notification: a special structure ¡®tower¡¯ has been discovered in the wild. It can be occupied and detailed information can be checked after occupation.¡± Jiang Chen: ¡°?!¡± A structure in the wild can be occupied? It had to be occupied! ¡°My Lord, what do you think that is?¡± He was just about to step forward when Lucy beside him noticed something and spoke to Jiang Chen. He saw a brown figure lying on the top of the tower. It had the head of an eagle and white wings, the lower half of its body was the body of a lion and a pair of sharp claws. It was a griffin! It was another creature that stood above wild beasts. This griffin seemed to treat the watchtower as its own territory, its gaze sharp as it surveyed its surroundings. Jiang Chen was still far away, and there were trees separated by his figure, so he hadn¡¯t been discovered for the time being. But if he wanted to take over this tower, he wouldn¡¯t be able to hide from this griffin. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know how strong the griffin is.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°With the strength of a suzerain, I shouldn¡¯t need it to be weak.¡± ¡°The only trouble is that it can fly.¡± However, there was a long-range attacker right next to Jiang Chen. That was the mage Lucy. He immediately summoned Tie Dan and the others. Lucy held her staff and was already on standby. There were also two soldiers holding stone axes. Steady! ¡°Bang, bang!¡± Tie Dan was the first to charge out, throwing stones at the Griffins on the top of the tower and taunting them. Because Jiang Chen was worried that the battle would damage the tower, he had to lure the Griffins out. Powerful creatures couldn¡¯t stand being provoked in their territory, and the Griffins were indeed fooled. With a flap of its white wings, its brown body swooped down. It stirred up a gust of wind. It stretched out its sharp claws and clawed at Tie Dan, whom immediately raised a shield to block. Dang¡­! The Griffin¡¯s sharp claws clawed down, causing sparks to fly. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Tie Dan slashed out with his sword. White feathers and fur fell to the ground. Tie Dan¡¯s strength was not to be underestimated. This strike would definitely be able to kill an ordinary beast. Although this strike also injured the griffin, it did not stop it. The griffin flew up shakily. It did not dare to dive down rashly and seemed to be afraid of being hit. Although Tie Dan was stronger than it, he could not do anything to the griffin flying in the air. Boom! A huge fireball flew over and directly hit the shaking griffin. It exploded violently. A charred black figure fell from the sky, its body still covered in orange flames. It gave off a faint smell of meat. Jiang Chen¡¯s nose twitched. [ hint: Complete Soul * 1] Complete Soul? [ complete soul (white) : a special material that can be used for a variety of building materials. It can also be used to increase strength. There are many more uses to be developed. ] [ remark: the higher the target¡¯s attributes, the higher the success rate of the increase. The increase is greater. The basic success rate is 30% . ] It went without saying who this complete soul would be given to. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t have a profession of his own. He could use it to increase his strength a little, but it would be too much of a waste. Not to mention that the strength he currently possessed wasn¡¯t bad. The failure rate of giving it to others would probably be higher. Jiang Chen felt that even if he allowed a certain soldier in his territory to increase another level, the increase wouldn¡¯t be much. In comparison.., not only did Lucy have extremely high potential, apprentice mages were also a rare profession. ¡°Use!¡± The target was Lucy. A ball of light enveloped Lucy¡¯s body. Her long black hair fluttered in the wind. Her injuries were filled with a dreamy aura. Streams of elemental aura revolved around her. [ system notification: Apprentice Mage Tian Lin has broken through and is currently at the Mage Level ] [ system notification: Subject Lucy¡¯s Loyalty + 5, loyalty has reached 85. ] Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t wait to check Lucy¡¯s stats. [ subject: Lucy ] [ level: Mage ] [ potential: 4 stars ] [ strength: 25] [ agility: 24] [ spirit: 40] [ talent: Nature¡¯s grasp ] [ description: has an extremely high affinity with nature. Talent evolves with one¡¯s own strength ] [ abilities: Healing Spell Level 2, Ice Crystal Spell Level 2, Spike Spike Level 3, Energy Shield Level 2] [ loyalty: 85] ¡®damn.¡¯. Lucy¡¯s various attributes had increased by a large margin. All her spells had also risen by a level. She¡¯d comprehended a new spell at the same time as her level had risen. Was this her four-star potential? She was indeed outstanding. Lucy¡¯s long black hair fluttered down slowly. Her appearance hadn¡¯t changed much, only that she appeared to be more elegant. She took a few steps forward, her figure seemingly slow but actually fast. She arrived in front of Jiang Chen in an instant and knelt down on one knee. ¡°Thank you for your nurturing, my lord. Lucy will follow you to the end of her life.¡± ¡°Mm, get up. You deserve this.¡± Tie Dan and the others walked towards the Griffin of death, ready to collect the meat source. Jiang Chen walked towards the tower. The bricks and tiles of this tower were old, but they were still magnificent. [ system notification: a ¡®tower¡¯has been discovered in the wild. Do you wish to occupy it? ] ¡°Occupied!¡± ¡°Ding! Successful occupation of a building in the wild. Tower: a recruitment-type building. 1 soul fragment consumed. Spear soldiers can be recruited here. Spear soldiers: a normal soldier-level soldier with a normal long spear. Each person will consume 20 food per week. Remarks: number of recruits (0/7) . This number will be refreshed once per week.¡± ¡°Seven spear soldiers recruited.¡± Jiang Chen didn¡¯t hesitate. The key was to increase his strength. ¡°Hint: food-140. Hint: Soul Fragment-7.¡± More than half of the territory¡¯s food had been consumed this time. But there were still two crocodiles, two lizards, and five gray wolves waiting for him to attack. He couldn¡¯t go hungry no matter what. Within the tower, a beam of white light shot out. Spearmen walked out one after another. They wore gray light armor, helmets, and held a two-meter-long spear in their hands. The spearhead was cold. The spearman in the lead was slightly taller. He took two steps forward and knelt on one knee. The other spearmen also knelt. ¡°Greetings, Lord..¡± Chapter 17 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation ¡°Subject: Zhang Fei, occupation: Spearman, level: LV5, potential: 3 stars, strength: 56. Agility: 46, spirit: 26, ability: basic marksmanship LV5, combat skill: spear thrust, loyalty: 85.¡± Not bad! He was a spearman with quite the potential. The other spearmen did not show their potential, and their strength and agility were slightly weaker than Zhang Fei¡¯s. However, their various foundational qualities were still stronger than those of the soldiers who had been promoted from the civilian class. Their basic spear techniques were generally at LVL 2 to LVL 3. They weren¡¯t the white board LVL 1 that Jiang Chen had expected. The overall strength of these spearmen wasn¡¯t weak. He had the spearmen head to various regions and bring the corpses of wild beasts back to his territory. He finally saw a scroll placed on the first floor of the tower and picked it up to take a look. [ system notification: Excellent Long Spear Blueprint obtained. ] He opened the crafting pane. [ excellent long spear blueprint: Wood/5, Iron Block 6, mithril/1] [ attributes: Sharp 13, Armor Penetration + 3] This was just right, they could change their equipment for the spearmen. They were all wearing ordinary equipment that didn¡¯t even enter the grade. After this blueprint had been successfully crafted, it still had the armor penetration attribute, far exceeding Jiang Chen¡¯s expectations. ¡°I¡¯ll have to get Tie Dan to start forging weapons when I return!¡± After carefully searching through this area and finding some resources,. Jiang Chen returned home. When he returned to the territory, the sky had already begun to darken. Jiang Chen summarized his gains for today. He now had many buildings that he could build. Farmland, Smithy, armory. Level two residences, including territory upgrades. And so on! There were many of them. But the daily consumption of resources in the territory was also very high. In comparison, the increase in basic resources wasn¡¯t much after a day. It might not be enough to build all these buildings and upgrade the territory. But in a single comparison, the resources Jiang Chen¡¯s territory received every day were much more than the other lords! ¡°Strengthen the armed forces of the territory, expand the development of the territory¡¯s map, increase the collection of resources, and recruit more people to put into mining.¡± This would form a virtuous cycle! ¡°The union must build again, and the farmland must be built first.¡± ¡°With recruitment-type buildings, the use of food will be much greater than before.¡± ¡°And in the trading market, the price of food is much more expensive than wood or stone. It¡¯s even more impossible to buy it in large quantities.¡± Many lords still didn¡¯t have enough to eat. Many lords still relied on chopping down trees every day, picking up some basic resources, and buying food from the market to survive. Jiang Chen opened the Lords system and looked up the current resources. [ food 68, Wood 366, grass 553, Stone 333, iron 142, copper 13, mithril 9] [ crystal: 3, Elemental Crystal: 2, Soul Fragment: 22] [ spinach seed: 50, rice tree: 10] These were the resources he had at the moment. After returning to the territory, Jiang Chen ordered people to bring the berries in barrels. He hung up the ¡®berries¡¯ one by one on the exchange hall. This time, he only exchanged them for food, wood, and stones. He sold the three in a flash. He went to the thatched cottage and took out the territory upgrade scroll. ¡°Territory upgrade scroll: Wood/200, thatched grass/200, stone/200, iron/100, soul fragment/20.¡± He had enough resources. With a wave of his hand, he leveled up. The sheepskin scroll in his hand flew up into the air and started to burn. A beam of light shone down. The entire center of the territory immediately changed. The surrounding walls also became one meter tall walls. The gates of the territory slowly rose up. It was a magnificent sight. The area continued to expand. Pieces of bluestone and brick walls were erected one after another, and the scenery around them slowly changed. In a few minutes, Jiang Chen¡¯s lodging house had transformed into a small two-story building. It was like a small villa. [ level 1 territory: Manor House ] Jiang Chen pushed open the door and walked in. What greeted his eyes was a large hall with an area of seventy to eighty square meters. It was carpeted, and there was an office stone platform in the middle. There were also a few large wooden chairs, covered with animal skin. They carried a bit of a luxurious temperament. Jiang Chen walked around inside and out. The living room, dining room, and one bedroom were on the first floor. There were four bedrooms on the second floor. There was also a large bed in the master bedroom. And there was a bathroom! There was a large wooden bucket in the bathroom. There was also a drainage facility. In front of the manor¡¯s small building, there were stone slabs that spread out to form a small square. The civilians that had been recruited would appear here. ¡°Calm down, calm down. This is only a first level territory.¡± ¡°The life of a great lord has only just begun.¡± ¡°How can I indulge in enjoyment!¡± He looked at the changes after the territory¡¯s upgrade. ¡°System notification: the territory¡¯s upgrade has been completed. Currently, it is a level 1 territory.¡± ¡°System notification: after the upgrade, when the territory¡¯s buildings recruit civilians, there is a small chance of recruiting civilians with potential.¡± ¡°System notification: after the upgrade, the construction time of the new buildings has been greatly reduced.¡± ¡°System notification: after the upgrade, the territory has obtained a level one protection system. It can be activated throughout the day and consumes 1 soul fragment per day.¡± ¡°System notification: after the upgrade, the level of exploration required to open the map has been reduced by 10%.¡± ¡°System notification: after the upgrade, the storage area of the Lord¡¯s small building has been expanded.¡± ¡­ Every item was quite useful! Jiang Chen opened the recruitment column. ¡°Lord¡¯s Small Building/Watchtower. They were all in a bright color. He could directly recruit spearmen here.¡± But there was no rush. The other subjects moved the materials to the surroundings of the Lord¡¯s small building. ¡°The materials are all here.¡± Jiang Chen swept his gaze over them and walked north. He wanted to build the farmland. Planting rice trees in the farmland needed to depend on a place with sufficient water. He couldn¡¯t choose a terrain that was too steep. All he had were construction blueprints, not complete buildings. He still needed to build. ¡°This is it.¡± He chose a small ravine on the northeast side. This place was connected to a small river. He opened the building column and chose ¡°Farmland¡± to place. ¡°System upgrade: Stone-50, rare earth ¨C 50, Crystal-1, Elemental Crystal-1.¡± In an instant, an enormous shadow of a building appeared on the hill. Jiang Chen gathered his subjects to begin construction. He now had a population of 19. Eighteen of them were male subjects. The vast majority of them, yes, were soldiers. Five soldiers, five spearmen. One builder, one craftsman. There weren¡¯t many civilians left. They were usually transport workers. Of course, the soldiers could also cut wood and build things, or even faster. At this time, they took off their weapons, picked up their tools and hammered. After dinner, they would rotate with the construction team.. Chapter 18 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Today¡¯s dinner was still the gray wolf kebabs. But there was an additional piece of crocodile meat. As for the green-skinned lizard¡¯s meat? Jiang Chen indicated that he couldn¡¯t eat it just by looking at it. He could only drag it away as a recruitment resource. As a Lord, Jiang Chen naturally ate the most sumptuous food. The most delicious parts of every Beast¡¯s body entered his mouth. He realized that his appetite was getting bigger and bigger. The second richest was Lucy. Lucy was not only a mage with a noble status, her strength had also completely subdued Parker, iron egg, and the others. The Bonfire was flourishing. .. The farmland was one of the living buildings that could only be unlocked after the territory was upgraded. It was much more difficult to build than the barracks. The spearmen turned into builders and took a full hour to draw in the water from the river. Jiang Chen once again arrived at the Northeast region. The subjects held torches in their hands and lit up their surroundings. He raised his head to look. This was a huge garden. The fields were shimmering with water. Jiang Chen opened the recruitment column. [ Lord¡¯s Small Building/Watchtower ] ¡°We¡¯re recruiting five civilians.¡± A screen of light fell in front of Jiang Chen. Five muscular figures appeared. He swept his gaze over their numbers. He compared them and estimated. Their attributes were much stronger than the civilians they¡¯d recruited before, and they also had more potential. But they were weaker than the spearmen. Jiang Chen returned to his territory with the new subjects. ¡°We¡¯ve added quite a few new people today. The subjects are willing to build a few more.¡± ¡°Mm, the level one houses are too shabby. If we can gather enough resources, we¡¯ll try our best to upgrade them all to level two.¡± A residence with a good environment could increase the subjects¡¯loyalty and sense of belonging. Of course, the subjects under Jiang Chen¡¯s command were all very loyal. He wasn¡¯t worried about this aspect. But a shabby residence could result in insufficient rest and recovery. It would affect the stamina of the next day. Construction, it had to be built! There were currently six grade one residences, and Jiang Chen had upgraded all of them to grade two. The resources he spent were to make up for the difference in price between grade one and grade two residences. The construction team continued with their construction. Bam Bam Bam ¡ª The construction this time was much faster than before. One grade two residence was quickly upgraded. The exterior was directly upgraded to a wooden house. There were also three wooden beds inside. Although it was far from being comparable to a lord¡¯s small house, it was still countless times stronger than the shabby house from before. After all the upgrades, the territory¡¯s basic resources were almost completely used up. Jiang Chen¡¯s hanging market was also gradually reaching a bottleneck. There were only a few lords who had the money to buy, or were willing to buy. If he continued to hang it up for sale, he would naturally be able to sell it. However, the speed at which they were being sold slowed down. ¡°It¡¯s still the other lords who are too poor.¡± After thinking for a while, Jiang Chen decided to sell his equipment. He opened up the list of equipment blueprints. The equipment blueprints he currently had were: Fine Spear (green) , ordinary saber (white) , ordinary arrow (white) , and ordinary leather armor (white) . He wasn¡¯t planning on selling fine equipment. He wasn¡¯t sure if the relationship between the Lords. Was it a competition or if they were on the same side. Normal equipment wouldn¡¯t be a problem. ¡°Selling this kind of equipment won¡¯t threaten me.¡± ¡°And other lords with weapons and equipment can hunt wild beasts and gather more resources¡­¡± ¡°I can only sell more things in the market.¡± A perfect strategy! Of course, before selling equipment. First, he had to forge five long white spears for the five spearmen. ¡°I¡¯ll leave this mission to you, Iron Egg.¡± Jiang Chen gave iron egg the craftsman skill book that he¡¯d prepared earlier, allowing him to comprehend and level up. ¡°Yes, I will not let you down, my Lord!¡± Iron Egg felt as if he¡¯d been enlightened after learning the skill book, and the muscles of his entire body had become much more refined. He raised the black tool hammer, his bare body covered in muscle stripes. He started forging with a clang. At this moment, the voice of the Lordship¡¯s system appeared. [ territory upgrade complete, Lordship¡¯s strength upgraded! ] Pitter-patter ¡ª Before he had time to react, Jiang Chen¡¯s tendons and bones suddenly rang out in unison, and power began to grow within his body. Both his strength and speed had doubled. At the same time, Jiang Chen felt that he could control the slightest bit of change in his territory at any time. Jiang Chen opened his eyes and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve become stronger.¡± He walked out of the manor and fumbled about. When he arrived outside. The Iron Hammer had already forged five fine-grade spears. Jiang Chen immediately had Zhang Fei and the other spearmen change to new weapons. Jiang Chen was prepared to sell the five ordinary spears he¡¯d exchanged at the exchange market. It was precisely today that many people¡¯s territories had been attacked by wild beasts. Weapons and equipment were selling exceptionally well. They were almost sold the moment they were hung up. The five spears Jiang Chen had put up for sale were sold out in less than a minute. Spear-type weapons were suitable for a siege. A few soldiers holding spears could surround and kill some troublesome wild beasts without injury. Someone asked in the chat channel. ¡°Boss Jiang, do you still sell weapons?¡± ¡°Weapon, I didn¡¯t get it if I was too slow.¡± ¡°Boss Jiang, for the sake of the same area, let us know when you¡¯re going to sell weapons and equipment.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, good things come to good people, Boss.¡± Jiang Chen indicated that there was no problem. He was selling who he was selling. Of course, it was impossible to lower the price. He waited for the blacksmith¡¯s hammer to forge another batch of equipment. Jiang Chen then made an announcement in the regional channel. After that, he hung up on this batch of equipment. Twenty wooden shields. Twelve ordinary sabers. ¡°Eh, that¡¯s not right. Big Brother, this price of yours¡­ ?¡± ¡°The ordinary long spears were still on the market just now. Why has the price suddenly risen? It¡¯s gone up by 50% !¡± ¡°Even if the weapons are selling like hotcakes right now, we can¡¯t just sit here and raise the price like this!¡± .. ¡°Wait a minute, look at the stats of the equipment that the big boss is selling.¡± ¡°How can there be any stats for unranked equipment¡­ wait a minute, the sharpness of a battle Blade + 1? !¡± ¡°Even wooden shields have a defense + 1. What¡¯s going on? Don¡¯t only fine equipment have stats?¡± ¡°Holy shit, they¡¯re all sold out! A bunch of people don¡¯t have any morals!¡± Jiang Chen smiled without saying a word. This was of course all thanks to Iron Egg. After upgrading to an intermediate craftsman, the equipment and weapons made by iron egg, even if they were at the normal level, would also have an additional attribute value. If they were put on the market, they¡¯d be snatched up in an instant. A batch of equipment had been sold. The territory¡¯s stock of wood, stones, and other basic resources had finally been enriched. Including Jiang Chen¡¯s gold coin balance, he had also harvested 500 pieces. ¡°I can continue buying fertilizer again! I¡¯ll try my best to plant the exploding potatoes as soon as possible!¡± Jiang Chen had a faint feeling that a storm was coming. The stronger he was, the more he could experience the terror of this world. The various lords were developing very quickly now. Did this mean that the dangers they faced would become greater and greater once the novice protection period was over! He also took a look at the chat channel. This wasn¡¯t a chat group. How could gathering information be called a chat group.. Chapter 19 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In the regional chat channel. ¡°The barracks have finally been built today, and two more swordsmen have been promoted. This is going to be great.¡± ¡°Young miss is so powerful!¡± ¡°Apart from big brother Jiang Chen, young miss mu is the strongest in our region, right?¡± ¡°I think so. I heard that young miss came from a martial arts background and was able to kill gray wolf single-handedly before changing classes. Now¡­¡± ¡°According to my estimation, little sister has opened more than six maps.¡± ¡°I heard that there are soldiers with special classes who can fight two or three wolves by themselves. I¡¯m so envious. I was worried about the beast attacks.¡± ¡°I heard from the world channel that there is a lord named Lu En who has a class change altar and a team of lancers.¡± ¡°Not only that, Lu En also owns three flying griffins. He was able to develop so quickly all because of the three griffin-summoning scrolls he obtained at the beginning.¡± ¡°I heard that he¡¯s already opened the tenth piece of the map. I wonder who¡¯s faster compared to big brother Jiang.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. I¡¯m stronger than big brother Jiang, but opening a map isn¡¯t something that can be done quickly just because you¡¯re strong.¡± Jiang Chen did some calculations. Mm, he had already opened up fifteen maps. Six in the first circle. Eight in the second circle. One in the third circle. Five of these maps had already been included in the territory. If they continued to be included, the resources consumption would be a bit too great. The main thing was that there were too many things that needed to be built at the moment. Money had to be spent on all sorts of places. ¡°The more you develop, the poorer you get!¡± Everyone in Jiang Chen¡¯s territory was bustling about. The manufacture of weapons. The construction of buildings. The spearmen and soldiers patrolled the surroundings. Jiang Chen, on the other hand, was rather idle. He returned to the manor¡¯s small building. At this moment, the large wooden buckets in the bathroom of the small building were already filled with heated water. This water had come from a small river a few hundred meters to the south. The small river a few hundred meters to the south wasn¡¯t dangerous, and the water source for drinking in the territory didn¡¯t come from there either. There were a few commoners bathing in the small river. The conditions were acceptable. The temperature wasn¡¯t too cold now either. The farmers in charge of logistics boiled the water. They poured it into the wooden tub in the bathroom. This tub of warm bath water could be said to be a luxury that many lords couldn¡¯t imagine. Their territory had already begun to take shape. As a Lord, he still had this bit of privilege. Jiang Chen walked into the bathroom. ¡°I can finally take a good bath.¡± He sat in the wooden tub and began to wash his body with a slightly coarse linen cloth. Four days! Do you know how he spent these four days? ! Alright, compared to the other lords, Jiang Chen¡¯s life these two days was like that of an immortal. He lived better than others. He ate better than others. He didn¡¯t fight much either. Most of the time, he commanded others or ran around to open treasure chests. However, running in the wild and living in the open all the time was quite taxing on his body, and his body had long since been covered in mud. It had long since been unbearable. However, he hadn¡¯t had the conditions before, and could only wash his face and simply wipe his body. ¡°I feel great now.¡± ¡°Not only is the water temperature just right, but I¡¯m also in the Lord¡¯s small building. There¡¯s no need to worry about danger.¡± This was the most relaxed moment Jiang Chen had ever been in this world. He soaked too comfortably and stayed there for more than half an hour before he got up. He was dressed in simple linen clothes. He had just finished washing, and he didn¡¯t want to wear leather armor that reeked of sweat. ¡°AI, there¡¯s still a lack of people specifically responsible for washing clothes.¡± He also knew that this was too extravagant. There were only a dozen or so individuals in the entire territory. Take it slow, this was only the beginning. The subjects began to rest. There were no clanging sounds, and the night became very quiet. Only the bonfires were burning. He could faintly see the figures of the soldiers standing guard in the distance. Jiang Chen walked out of the small building, the wind blowing. He suddenly noticed that not far away, Lucy wanted to speak, but hesitated. ¡°Lucy?¡± ¡°Aye! Lord.¡± She jumped in fright, as if she wanted to say something, but was too embarrassed to say it out loud. She only lowered her head and looked elsewhere. Jiang Chen was at a loss. Wait. He recalled that Lucy had helped out when the aunties were boiling hot water just now. She seemed to be¡­ ¡°You want to take a bath?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Her voice was so low that it was as soft as a mosquito¡¯s. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Jiang Chen¡¯s physical fitness had improved and his hearing was extraordinary, he might have overlooked it. But at this time, the subjects had already begun to rest and wanted to boil another bucket of bath water. It wasn¡¯t very realistic. ¡°I haven¡¯t emptied the water in the tub yet, if you don¡¯t mind¡­¡± ¡°No, no, no¡­ I don¡¯t mind.¡± The night was a bit dark. But Jiang Chen could also see that Lucy¡¯s face was flushed red, as if steam was constantly rising from it. As a clean-loving mage who ran in the wild every day, she¡¯d long wanted to take a bath. But to take a bath by the river? This was absolutely impossible for her. Fortunately, the Lord.. Mm, the Lord was an extremely good lord. ¡­ Within the small building, Jiang Chen sat in the chair in the living room, somewhat distracted. Even though the bathroom door was closed, his ears could hear the movements within. Such as, such as. And such as¡­ Being too powerful was really troublesome. Otherwise¡­ it was as if a demon was trying to seduce him in his mind. 80 loyalty was rounded up, which was equivalent to 100 intimacy. He could do something about it. ¡°No.¡± An angel appeared in his mind, allowing him to maintain his rationality. God River Crab was watching from the sky. The little lord didn¡¯t dare to court death. Furthermore¡­ Lucy was one of the two great experts under him. He couldn¡¯t affect her fighting strength at this time. There were still many days left. Jiang Chen felt that the angel Lord was right. He only allowed Lucy to stay in the small lord¡¯s building. There were five bedrooms in the small building. As a lord, it was quite reasonable for him to have someone close to him to protect him. He lay on the large bed and fell into a deep sleep. Lucy lived next door and tossed and turned. ¡­ The sun shone through the window. Jiang Chen got up from the large, soft bed. He opened the door and saw Lucy outside. ¡°Good Morning, Lord.¡± ¡°Good morning, Lucy.¡± Jiang Chen looked at her. After washing up in the morning, it was even more difficult for Lucy to hide her beauty. Her fair skin and elegant cheeks. It was just that she seemed to have dark circles under her eyes. ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep well last night?¡± Jiang Chen felt that it was strange. The resting environment of the manor was clearly much more comfortable than that of a second class residence. Why didn¡¯t she sleep well instead? He shook his head. Women were strange.. Chapter 20 - Parker Had Been Tracked Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Jiang Chen walked out of the manor. Everyone knew what they wanted to do without Jiang Chen¡¯s supervision in the morning. They¡¯d long since been engrossed in their day¡¯s work. Parker walked over at this moment. The Giant Wolf Fenrir was still asleep. ¡°Lord¡­¡± Ah Ke bowed to Jiang Chen. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you resting?¡± Jiang Chen looked at Parker¡¯s resolute face and asked with concern. He saw Parker shake his head. ¡°Your Lordship, I have an uneasy premonition in my heart.¡± There was a worried expression on his face. ¡°Why? Is it because of the Goblin tribe during the day?¡± Jiang Chen asked with concern. Parker nodded. ¡°This goblin tribe is very powerful. Although I was able to shake off my tail when I escaped, I still felt as if I was being watched¡­¡± ¡°This feeling lingered in my heart and made me restless.¡± Jiang Chen also furrowed his brows when he heard Parker¡¯s words. ¡°Could there be something wrong with Parker¡¯s body?¡± He began to think that Parker¡¯s strength was strong, and there was no doubt about it at the present stage. Generally, people like him had a sense of danger. Parker, who had been through countless battles, was definitely not speaking without reason. There had to be a reason behind it. Jiang Chen suddenly remembered that he¡¯d seen a tool in the system before. It was called the eye of truth. Jiang Chen had only seen it briefly and hadn¡¯t paid much attention to it, because the use of the eye of truth was truly of little value. Jiang Chen opened the suzerain¡¯s system and found the eye of truth. [ eye of Truth: a microscopic object that is difficult to discover. ] In Jiang Chen¡¯s understanding, this might be similar to the function of a magnifying glass. But now, Jiang Chen didn¡¯t think that way anymore. Perhaps he could use the eye of truth to check if there were any problems with Parker¡¯s body. Having made up his mind, he immediately spent ten gold coins to buy the eye of truth. ¡°Investigate!¡± Jiang Chen activated the effect. [ Parker has been placed with a tracking beacon by a Goblin Wizard. This kind of beacon will continuously locate his position for a day. The tracking beacon can only form a vague direction in the caster¡¯s mind. ] In the next moment, a piece of information emerged. Jiang Chen¡¯s expression also became grim. The Goblins had placed tracking beacons on Parker¡¯s body. They were definitely trying to trace the source and eliminate the root of the problem. His territory might have already been exposed. He had to make plans as soon as possible. ¡°Parker, a tracking beacon has been placed on your body.¡± ¡°It¡¯s very likely that the goblins have already discovered the location of our territory.¡± ¡°Leave the camp immediately and advance forty to fifty miles north. Wait for me there. I¡¯ll meet up with you after daybreak.¡± ¡°We have to keep moving to confuse the goblins.¡± Jiang Chen Thought for a moment and thought of an idea. According to the information from the eye of Truth, a tracking beacon, as a magic beacon, would only form a vague position in the caster¡¯s mind. In essence, it wasn¡¯t a very clever tracking spell. Therefore, as long as the position was kept moving, stopping, and constantly changing, it would have the effect of confusing the caster. It was six o¡¯clock in the morning. The Sky in the East had already turned white, and the darkness around them had gradually dissipated. It was estimated that in another hour or two, the sky would be completely bright. Outside the territory, the excited wild beasts that had been howling for half the night had also disappeared without a trace. There were dense footprints all around the territory. Hearing Jiang Chen¡¯s words. Parker didn¡¯t dare delay. He hurriedly roused the giant wolf fenrir. He mounted the giant wolf and was about to leave the territory. Jiang Chen took out two portions of jerky from the warehouse and handed them to him. They were to be used as rations for the road. Parker took the jerky and bowed once more before riding the giant wolf Fenrir towards the north. Jiang Chen watched Parker leave. Lucy came to Jiang Chen¡¯s side. Jiang Chen turned his head with a faint smile on his face. Wasn¡¯t this world just like that? It was filled with dangers and opportunities. Only by constantly exploring and constantly becoming stronger could one resolve the dangers one faced. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to sleep a bit more?¡± Lucy shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve already advanced to become a mage. I can recover my energy by meditating. I don¡¯t need to sleep too much.¡± ¡°Lord, do you have any plans for today?¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze looked towards the north of the territory. After the grasslands had spread for over a hundred Li, there was a stretch of low mountains. Hearing Lucy¡¯s question. He only spoke two words slowly with a deep gaze. ¡°March North.¡± ¡°Today¡¯s goal is to explore the north of the territory, especially that mountain forest.¡± Jiang Chen pulled out his sword and pointed. Lucy seemed to have sensed something as well. Then, Jiang Chen spoke again. ¡°Lucy, your mission today is to protect the territory. I¡¯ll bring Zhang Fei and a few spearmen north to meet up with Parker first.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be in charge of supervising these farmers in the collection of resources. You¡¯ll need all the basic resources.¡± ¡°At the same time, help me keep an eye out for the conditions of the plantation. No one is allowed to set foot on it.¡± The exploding potatoes would ripen in one day. If anyone were to recklessly barge in, they wouldn¡¯t even know how they died. At the same time, that was also one of Jiang Chen¡¯s trump cards. It was fine if the goblins didn¡¯t come, but if they did, they would definitely face a nightmare. Jiang Chen gave some instructions. He left behind a dozen or so pieces of fresh wolf meat. He called over the leader of the spearmen, Zhang Fei, and brought along the two strongest spearmen. Each of them held a piece of jerky as they headed north of the territory. .. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t rest during this period of time. It was as if the Japs had entered the village along the way. He dug to the east and took a look to the west. He really did pick up a few things. The vast majority were all sorts of money bags, copper coins, and so on He picked up eight or nine hundred in all sorts of ways, and there were about seven or eight gold coins in total. It was better than nothing. He walked and stopped along the way. An hour later, Jiang Chen saw Parker resting under a large tree in the north. At the same time, Parker also noticed Jiang Chen. ¡°Parker, is there anything unusual?¡± Jiang Chen came to Parker¡¯s side and asked. ¡°Your lordship, everything is normal!¡± ¡°Where are we going next?¡± Parker bowed. ¡°Let¡¯s go northwest. Take Me to see the ruins of the temple in the forest that you discovered yesterday.¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s goal was very clear. According to Parker, he¡¯d found an abandoned temple in the northwest of the territory. He¡¯d found an abandoned temple in the dense forest by the path into the mountains. There seemed to be two treasure chests inside. There was nothing more pleasant than opening a treasure chest. ¡°My Lord, please follow me..¡± Chapter 21 - Encountering the Mist Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Parker was a qualified soldier. After yesterday¡¯s exploration, he knew all the routes like the back of his hand. He led Jiang Chen and the others directly towards the northwest. From this position. Jiang Chen could already faintly see that at the end of the vast meadow, there was a mountain range. It was like a thick and large snake that had split the meadow in half. They continued to advance northwest. The grass here grew more and more luxuriant. It had almost reached the knees of a few people. No one knew what was hidden in the grass. But with Parker leading the way, Jiang Chen wasn¡¯t worried. It was just that the group¡¯s speed was much slower. The clothes and leather armor on their bodies were covered in grass from top to bottom. They advanced for another hour or so. The five men and one wolf had finally completely passed through the meadow. Along the way, Jiang Chen had thought that they would be attacked by wild beasts, but he realized that he¡¯d been overthinking things. Those wild beasts seemed to only go wild at night. What Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know was that. Those wild beasts could sense danger as well, and their senses of danger were even sharper. Whether it was Jiang Chen or Parker, they were both extremely dangerous existences to the wild beasts. They wouldn¡¯t take the initiative to provoke them. Of course, this was only one of the reasons. Think about it. The sudden appearance of thousands of lords and subjects within a forty thousand square kilometer area was like a buffet for the wild beasts that lived here. Ten thousand portions of food that could move suddenly appeared. These people were able to attract these wild beasts to head over. This would cause them to scatter even more. This made Jiang Chen, who had wanted to slaughter a few wild beasts along the way, a little disappointed. What were wild beasts? That was a moving material! Not only could they explode souls, but they could also dissect fresh meat and fur materials. Jiang Chen and the other two passed through the grasslands and entered a slightly desolate area. The soil on the ground was covered in white spider web-like patterns. Wisps of mist were emitted from the ground. This was supposed to be the intersection of the mountain forest and the grasslands. But it had become such a godforsaken place. The strangest thing was that within this strange piece of land. There were some undulating terrains and dense white bones that were exposed. These white bones appeared to be of a jade quality, and no one knew how long they had been buried here. ¡°Something¡¯s Not Right!¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Jiang Chen waved his hand to stop the two. He began to observe this piece of land. ¡°Parker, what¡¯s Going On? Why is there suddenly such a large amount of fog here?¡± The surrounding fog was thick and heavy, and the group couldn¡¯t see the scene in front of them clearly at all. ¡°My lord, when I came here before, this place didn¡¯t have such a thick layer of fog.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on either.¡± Parker replied. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t say anything more. ¡°My lord, we hear the sound of water flowing!¡± ¡°Could there be a river course around here?¡± The few of them slowly groped their way forward. After walking about a mile or so, the sound of flowing water slowly came from not too far away and entered the three¡¯s ears. When he heard the sound of flowing water, Zhang Fei immediately spoke excitedly to Jiang Chen. One of their main goals for coming out this time was to explore the ruins. Since they had heard the sound of flowing water, would they still be far from the river? As long as there was a river, it meant that they were about to pass through the fog. Jiang Chen was also somewhat happy when he heard Zhang Fei¡¯s excited voice. He hadn¡¯t thought that the fog that wasn¡¯t quite right just a moment ago would be so smooth now. However, Jiang Chen faintly felt that something wasn¡¯t quite right. He hadn¡¯t encountered a single wild beast in this fog after walking for such a long time, so it was a bit illogical. ¡°Hiss Hiss ~ ~¡± ¡°HMM?¡± Jiang Chen raised his brows as he carefully listened to the sound of flowing water from afar. He cast a puzzled glance into the distance. His strength and five senses had increased after his lord had leveled up, so Jiang Chen could hear another faint sound amidst the splashing water. It sounded more like the cry of an animal. Although the people next to him weren¡¯t weak, they weren¡¯t as fast as Jiang Chen, so their physical senses were far inferior. This strange hissing sound was concealed under the sound of the gurgling water. If it wasn¡¯t for Jiang Chen¡¯s careful attention, he probably wouldn¡¯t have heard it clearly. ¡°Wait!¡± Jiang Chen hurriedly took a step forward and extended his hand to stop Zhang Fei, who was about to take large strides towards the source of water ahead. ¡°Don¡¯t rush, there¡¯s something wrong ahead.¡± Jiang Chen gripped the iron sword in his hand tightly as he looked at the hazy mist ahead and spoke with a somewhat serious tone. ¡°Your lordship, have you discovered something?¡± Parker restrained his excited expression when he saw Jiang Chen¡¯s taut figure and spoke with some doubt. ¡°Calm your heart first and listen carefully to the sounds coming from not too far ahead. See if there are any other sounds mixed within, such as the cries of animals.¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s deep voice rang out, and the few of them became somewhat wary. Could it be that the Lord had discovered something? At this moment, their hearts trembled. The five of them had been walking along the north for quite some time now, and hadn¡¯t encountered any special situations. This also caused their originally tense emotions to gradually relax a little. However, Jiang Chen¡¯s words once again made them wary. This wasn¡¯t a good place! The skeletons they¡¯d seen earlier weren¡¯t simple places. This place was filled with dense fog and was likely filled with danger. A monster could appear from any corner and die if they were slightly careless! The three stopped in their tracks. Parker could faintly sense that something was wrong in this silent environment. He pressed down on the enormous wolf and controlled his body. ¡°I seem to have heard the hissing sounds of some animals under the sound of the current?¡± After a while, Parker lowered his voice and spoke with some uncertainty. Although he didn¡¯t dare be certain, with his experience of surviving in the wild, Parker was already seventy to eighty percent certain that there was indeed something ahead! ¡°It looks like we haven¡¯t encountered any monsters after walking for so long. It¡¯s probably due to our good luck.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to avoid them now.¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s expression was a bit solemn as well. If they¡¯d discovered the oddities of the fog earlier, Jiang Chen might have left with them earlier. But now that they were deep in the forest, who knew what they¡¯d run into if they changed directions. ¡°Everyone pay attention. We¡¯ll slowly grope our way through the ancient trees in the forest.¡± ¡°Remember not to make too much of a ruckus, lest we alarm the monsters that might be ahead!¡± Jiang Chen took a deep breath and took a light step forward, taking advantage of the dense forest to slowly walk forward. He was exceptionally careful with every step, afraid of making even the slightest movement. The fog gradually dispersed, and the scene in front of them gradually appeared before their eyes. One meter¡­ five meters¡­ ten meters¡­ With the cover of the trees, Jiang Chen and the other two walked very cautiously with each step. They walked for dozens of meters just like that, completely unraveling the fog in this area.. Chapter 22 - The Murloc Tribe Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation ¡°As expected!¡± They saw a small stream flowing at the end of the forest. The clear spring water and the incessant sound of flowing water were exactly what Jiang Chen and the others had heard earlier. However, there was a small camp standing at the side of this stream. ¡°A¡­ a monster!¡± Zhang Fei¡¯s pupils constricted. Following his gaze, he saw the monster standing at the outermost side of the camp. It was clad in scales and had a tail behind it. It was holding a pitchfork in its hand as it leaned against the bonfire in the camp, quietly warming itself. Jiang Chen had vaguely heard the occasional hissing sound coming from the monster¡¯s mouth! ¡°Don¡¯t panic!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s observe here first and see just how many monsters there are in this camp!¡± Jiang Chen held his breath and tried his best to keep his voice low as he stared intently at the humanoid monsters in the camp. His footsteps were extremely light as he slowly moved. His eyes were slightly solemn. Jiang Chen had bought ten copies of the Eye of truth in one go. He¡¯d also discovered that the eye of truth could see some information about the outside world. ¡°Power: a camp of grey-scaled Murlocs. Description: a gathering place established by a different race. It is extremely close to the territory.¡± The introduction of the eye of truth was extremely short. It was almost impossible to capture the specific information of the other party¡¯s strength. However, Jiang Chen pursed his lips tightly at this moment. His dark eyes were filled with solemnity. ¡°The distance between this place and the territory is only about forty kilometers. As long as these grey-scaled Murlocs explore the south, it won¡¯t be long before they discover the territory!¡± Thinking back to the goblins that Parker had met earlier and the foreign races that humans had encountered, Jiang Chen deeply understood just how terrifying they were! ¡°Those who aren¡¯t of my race must have a different heart!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll scout ahead first. If I can find an opportunity¡­¡± The fog was still there, and the surroundings were shrouded in gray. While the Murlocs guarding the camp were napping, there were a few figures hiding behind the trees. The longswords in their hands emitted a cold light, and a trace of killing intent was revealed in their eyes. ¡°Eye of Truth, investigate!¡± ¡°Name: Maka, race: the Murloc (merfolk) race, level: LV6, skills: iron arm pitchfork and water arrow.¡± ¡°Description: this is a tribe of gray-scaled Murlocs. They specialize in underwater battles.¡± ¡°With my current strength, I should be able to kill this monster if I launch a sneak attack when it¡¯s not paying attention.¡± Raising the iron sword in his hand, Jiang Chen weighed the dozing gray-scaled Murlocs and silently considered the difference in strength. ¡°What I need to explore now is just how many gray scale Murlocs are there in this camp.¡± ¡°If there aren¡¯t many, then I can completely exterminate this tribe after I kill this Murloc first and eliminate any future trouble!¡± Leaning against the tree, Jiang Chen stared intently at the dozing Murloc, Maka, not far away. His eyes shone with sharpness. After Parker was injured and even cast a tracking spell, Jiang Chen understood one thing. Pity was useless in this world, especially when it came to dealing with foreign tribes and enemies. If he chose to retreat today and let go of the ambush on this Murloc camp, the Murloc tribe might not let him off when they discovered his territory one day in the future! This was a true battle of life and death, there was no need to hesitate at all! Under such circumstances, he¡¯d rather kill by mistake than let go! Bending his back, Jiang Chen turned his head to look at Parker and Zhang Fei, who were leaning against a large tree behind him, and raised his arm to make a hand gesture. This was what they¡¯d discussed beforehand, and meant that the two of them should carefully follow up. Seeing Jiang Chen¡¯s hand gesture, Zhang Fei and Parker¡¯s spirits were immediately roused, and they slowly walked up with light steps. Jiang Chen looked closely at the campsite that wasn¡¯t too far away and lit up with flames. ¡°Sir, there¡¯s only one Murloc guarding this campsite. In my opinion, there shouldn¡¯t be many monsters here. Why don¡¯t we¡­¡± Parker spoke to Jiang Chen beside him in a low voice, his gaze overflowing with killing intent. This campsite was located forty miles away from the territory. They would definitely meet again in the future. At that time, the Murloc tribe might not be able to be merciful. ¡°Of course it¡¯s to kill!¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze was calm as he spoke in a low voice that was filled with killing intent. ¡°I¡¯ve been sizing up this place for a long time. Other than this gray-scaled Murloc who¡¯s dozing off with a steel fork in his hand, the rest have disappeared.¡± ¡°I think they¡¯re resting in the camp.¡± After slowly recounting the results of his observation for quite some time, Jiang Chen stared intently at the grey-scaled Murloc sitting on the ground and continued to make his judgment. ¡°If this grey-scaled Murloc tribe has a large number of people, it¡¯s absolutely impossible that there¡¯s only one merman guarding outside!¡± ¡°Its strength isn¡¯t strong. A sneak attack can kill it in one hit!¡± Jiang Chen stood up as he spoke and gathered all the strength in his body. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to flatten this small gathering place.¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze was fixed on the gray-scaled Murloc¡¯s camp not far away as he thought of this. He also raised the iron sword in his hand and prepared to attack. ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead first.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll strike at its vitals and catch it off guard. I¡¯ll kill this Fishman directly, then you¡¯ll charge straight into the camp and exterminate all the remaining monsters. Finish the battle quickly and be careful!¡± After he finished speaking, he took advantage of the dense fog to step forward and raise the iron sword in his hand to stare intently at the gray-scaled Murloc not far away! Whoosh! At this moment, his thin figure shot out like an arrow released from a bow in the blink of an eye. By the time they recovered, Jiang Chen, who had been carefully bending his back, had already moved ten meters away. ¡°Die!¡± Blood and Qi surged, and a red light appeared in Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes, which had erupted in an instant! Jiang Chen¡¯s movements woke up the Murloc, who had been dozing off on the ground. A trace of panic flashed through the Murloc¡¯s human-like eyes as it saw Jiang Chen, who was only a dozen steps away from it, sprinting over from afar. It gripped the Pitchfork in its hand tightly and was about to hurriedly stand up to defend against the enemy when it saw a streak of sword light flash past! It finally stood up when Jiang Chen was within three steps of the Murloc and wanted to raise the Pitchfork to defend. Unfortunately, it was already too late. The edge of the sword was raised, and strength far surpassing that of an ordinary person gathered in the sword in Jiang Chen¡¯s hand. Even though it had already reacted quickly to defend, its arm was still chopped off by Jiang Chen¡¯s sword! PFFT! Fresh blood sprayed out! Clang! ¡°Roar!¡± The Pitchfork fell in response. The Murloc cried out in pain and took a few steps back. A trace of viciousness flashed through his eyes before it turned into fear. Where had this powerful human come from?! Noon was the time when the fog here was at its peak, and also when the Murlocs were resting. To think that they¡¯d run into a human at this time. Looking at the steel fork that had fallen to the bottom of the human¡¯s feet, its eyes were bloodshot as it roared at the wooden house, as though it was sending a message to its comrades. Kacha! A few of the grey-scale merfolk who were sleeping soundly in the camp heard the urgent call from their comrades and woke up.. Chapter 23 - Subordinate Territory Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Before they could completely recover from their shock, they saw two figures suddenly break through the door and take their lives with a raise of their hands! Fresh blood flowed all over the ground as their companions fell to the ground and convulsed. The remaining three murlocs had finally woken up and were in a hurry to search for weapons. However, under Parker and the others¡¯ well-prepared attacks, it was all in vain. The slaughter only lasted for an instant. The Murloc clan leader, whose arm had been severed by Jiang Chen, continued to roar, but the traces of life of the five gray-scaled Murlocs in the encampment had already come to an end. They laid in pools of blood. ¡°Human, I want you dead!¡± The gray-scaled Murloc clan leader clutched his arm. He was also a level six existence and was on par with Jiang Chen¡¯s strength. It was impossible for him not to know what was going on in the camp. It was precisely because of this that he had gone completely mad. Fresh blood continued to drip down from his arm, but the originally dispirited Fishman had suddenly become irritable! Not only that, his originally thin and weak body had also begun to gradually swell up and become bulging muscles. His body was more than two meters long! His scales emitted a jet-black light and seemed to be even sturdier than before. Normal metal weapons wouldn¡¯t be able to cause any effective damage when they struck them. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t retreat. Instead, he chose to take advantage of the situation and continue to attack. I¡¯ll take your life while you¡¯re weak! The iron sword stabbed out, and Jiang Chen directly slashed at the Murloc¡¯s head! PFFT! The sound of the longsword slicing through the air rang out, bringing with it a wave of the smell of blood. This time, the iron sword had successfully chopped off the Murloc¡¯s head. As the head rolled down and blood covered the ground, the Murloc¡¯s vision turned completely black, and its life force completely vanished. The Murloc camp had been completely annihilated! Seeing the head of the Murloc tribe leader roll down not far away, Jiang Chen took a slight breath and completely relaxed. The battle had finally ended. In the midst of the intense battle, that intense desire to survive made Jiang Chen abandon his fear and become extremely calm. But when the battle ended, the image of the battle with the Murloc surged into his mind again, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel some lingering fear in his heart. The overall strength of this Murloc tribe wasn¡¯t weak. If they hadn¡¯t been caught off guard, perhaps none of the people present would have been a match for their combined strength. ¡°System notification: Complete Soul obtained 6x.¡± ¡°Slaughter and conquer!¡± Jiang Chen could already imagine what the world would be like in the future. It would be fine if they hadn¡¯t attacked the other camp factions. Everyone would be able to live in peace. However, once a faction learned that they could plunder other territories and even plunder everything in these territories, Jiang Chen had no reason to believe that the world would return to peace. ¡°It looks like it won¡¯t work if I want to live a peaceful day of development.¡± Jiang Chen raised his head slightly as he looked at the Murloc tribe that had completely disappeared before his eyes. His eyes, which were covered by black hair, revealed a sense of calmness. This was the real world. There might be even more terrifying monsters in the world of humans and other races. Jiang Chen gazed at the Murloc territory that still had bonfires burning not too far away. He thought deeply for a long time before slowly walking over. Jiang Chen could still smell the stench of blood as he walked into this small camp. ¡°System notification: you have defeated the Murloc camp for the first time. Congratulations on activating the mission of the subsidiary territory. You have received the Camp Establishment Order 1x.¡± ¡°Camp Establishment Order: you may place this under the jurisdiction of your own territory.¡± The Camp Establishment Order appeared in Jiang Chen¡¯s hand. As a golden light rose, the entire Murloc territory instantly changed its appearance. The bloody scent had disappeared, and the Murloc corpse that had been lying inside the wooden house had also turned into nothingness. The golden light gradually disappeared, and Jiang Chen could vaguely feel that he had suddenly come into contact with this small camp. This feeling was the same as when he¡¯d been in the territory. He could detect changes in the territory at any time. ¡°Congratulations on occupying a new territory! Territory: Riverbank Valley. Affiliation: Jiang Chen. Self-contained buildings: two houses, able to recruit twenty farmers, training grounds, farmlands, barracks, and special buildings: Sacrificial Altar.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Jiang Chen was slightly startled when he saw the notification from his territory. He shifted his gaze to the simple altar at the side of the camp. This altar wasn¡¯t big, and its front was covered by a wooden house. In addition, Jiang Chen¡¯s attention had been focused on the Murloc leader¡¯s body previously, so he hadn¡¯t noticed it all along. Only now did he see the appearance of this altar. It looked like it was carved out of nature, mysterious and simple. The round altar gave off a faint light, causing one to feel a little mesmerized. ¡°Special building: Sacrificial Altar. Description: sacrificial 1 complete soul. Randomly summons a subject of a special occupation. Maximum ten subjects. The stronger the sacrificial soul, the stronger the subject it summons. Highest level is LV6.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s heart was greatly shaken when he saw the sacrificial altar¡¯s description. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that the Murloc tribe was wiped out in advance and didn¡¯t have the chance to develop and grow¡­¡± Jiang Chen heaved a sigh of relief with some lingering fear. If he allowed the Murloc tribe to summon even stronger strength, then he would probably be the one who would be sad in the future. Jiang Chen¡¯s heart palpitated slightly as he looked at the altar that was carved with ancient patterns on the marble and was emitting a mysterious radiance. ¡°Begin the summoning of six complete souls!¡± Jiang Chen offered up all the souls he¡¯d obtained from killing the Murloc. Rumble! Intense tremors were produced from the altar itself, affecting the surrounding land. A streak of golden light flashed past, and a sturdy figure that looked like a small mountain appeared in front of Jiang Chen! ¡°Name: Herculean King. Race: Titan. Level: LV6. Vitality: 120. Loyalty: 80. Ability: great strength, Earth protection. Description: Titan is a life-form personally created by the goddess of Earth. It possesses a portion of the goddess of Earth¡¯s divine power and is good at gathering and planting!¡± From the perspective of ability, not only was titan powerful, it could also be seen as a god-level farmer. The Titan king was wearing a simple flaxen-colored costume. His skin was bronze-colored, and there was an earthy yellow mark on his forehead. He looked very healthy and strong. According to the information in the introduction, the Titan King was a life created by the Earth goddess herself! He also possessed a portion of the Earth goddess¡¯ divine power! And the Titan king was at rank six! Rank six was the strongest strength in Jiang Chen¡¯s territory at the moment! Jiang Chen didn¡¯t stop and immediately began recruiting again! .. A total of six Titan kings filled the entire camp. ¡°Greetings, esteemed Lord.¡± The six Titans bowed respectfully to Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen nodded in satisfaction and gave the order: ¡°Go gather resources nearby. Remember not to leave the territory too far. If there¡¯s any danger, hurry back!¡± Although the Titans were Level Six soldiers, Jiang Chen was well aware of the dangers of the outside world. The Titans¡¯ attribute panel emphasized that they were skilled in gathering and planting After all, they were logistics soldiers responsible for production, not specialized combat soldiers. It was better to be more cautious. In order to be on the safe side, Jiang Chen specifically instructed the Titans to run to their territory if they encountered any danger. After that, Jiang Chen took out tools from his system backpack and gave them to the Titans. He assigned them tasks one by one.. Chapter 24 - Titan Members Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation One Titan went to the nearby area to search for food and water while the other went to explore the surrounding environment and report back when they were on alert for danger. One guard was in the territory. The remaining three Titans went to the nearby area to gather resources. They gathered everything they could, with the emphasis on resources like wood and ores! The Titans spoke in unison: ¡°Yes, your Lordship!¡± With that, they all held their tools in hand and left the territory according to Jiang Chen¡¯s orders, heading off to work. Jiang Chen sat in the wooden house and summoned the lordship¡¯s system, opening up a page of the building. ¡°We have to build the basic buildings first. As a subsidiary territory, this place is like a clone of the territory. We have to have everything we need!¡± He opened up another page of the creation page. He¡¯d made quite a few tools in one go. Jiang Chen wasn¡¯t worried. He¡¯d observed before that there were quite a few resources like wood and stones scattered throughout the forest. There was no lack of such things in the forest at all. It didn¡¯t take long for Jiang Chen to hear heavy footsteps from afar. Jiang Chen stood up and looked curiously behind him. In the end, he saw that the Titan he¡¯d sent out to search for food had returned with a giant yellow ox. ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Jiang Chen sucked in a breath of cold air. Only now did he realize that his initial worry was unnecessary. The Titan placed the Yellow Ox in front of the wooden house and reported to Jiang Chen, ¡°Lord, I¡¯ve found food. With this unicorn, we can eat for five to six days.¡± Jiang Chen looked at the unicorn¡¯s corpse, its body as big as a small truck. Titan was indeed worthy of being a sixth rank soldier. Its strength was boundless and Intrepid! ¡°Lord, please take a seat. I¡¯ll go look for a water source now!¡± Titan had just hunted a horned yellow cow and didn¡¯t stop. Instead, it picked up the wooden bucket and prepared to search for a water source. Jiang Chen asked with concern, ¡°Do you want to rest for a while before going?¡± To kill such a large prey so quickly, Jiang Chen thought that Titan must have experienced a fierce battle! It had expended quite a bit of stamina. Therefore, Jiang Chen wanted him to rest for a while before going back to work. But he didn¡¯t expect Titan to smile honestly: ¡°Thank you for your kind intentions, my lord. Although our Titan clan isn¡¯t good at fighting, we only casually killed a single-horned cow. It can only be said that we exercised our muscles and bones. I don¡¯t need to rest.¡± Jiang Chen looked at the Titan¡¯s stamina and discovered that he had hunted such a large prey! He¡¯d only lost five stamina points, and his stamina was now 115. It was just as the Titan had said. Hunting a single-horned yellow cow was just a slight exercise of his muscles and bones. ¡°Then you go. Remember not to run too far.¡± Jiang Chen was relieved after understanding the Titan¡¯s strength. He didn¡¯t have to worry about the Titans being ambushed and killed by the demonic beasts after they left the territory. After the Titans left with their wooden barrels. Jiang Chen felt that he didn¡¯t have to worry about the food problem in this territory anymore as he looked at the unicorn¡¯s corpse. As long as they weren¡¯t too strong enemies, they could live like fish in water here! The problem of food was now easily solved. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t plan to build a barracks or anything like that. After collecting the soul shards, Jiang Chen was prepared to go and see how the resource gathering was going. What surprised Jiang Chen was that in less than an hour¡¯s time. The three Titans that Jiang Chen had sent out to gather resources were collecting 500 pieces of wood, 700 stones, and 1,200 pieces of grass. The farmers in the main territory could only collect 10 units of wood in an hour, and seven units of stones. For every unit of resources that they gathered, the ordinary farmers would consume 1 point of stamina. An ordinary farmer could only gather up to 80 units of resources in a day, while five farmers could gather up to 400 units of resources in a day. Not only was Titan¡¯s combat strength outstanding, more importantly, but the number of resources it could gather was also more than ten times stronger than the ordinary farmers! One could completely view Titan as a god-level farmer. Although Titan, who possessed a portion of the Earth Goddess¡¯s divine power, wasn¡¯t very good at fighting, logging, mining, and other things that were closely related to the earth were their specialties. Jiang Chen was very satisfied with the Titan¡¯s efficiency. With these resources, Jiang Chen could continue to expand his main city. What he needed to expand his main city: 1,000 pieces of wood, 500 pieces of stone, 300 pieces of grass, and 20 pieces of twine Jiang Chen first used the grass to make 20 twine ropes. This way, he would have all the materials needed to upgrade his main city. He took out the book of Lords and chose to upgrade his main city! He used 1,000 pieces of wood, 500 pieces of stone, 300 pieces of grass, and 20 pieces of soul fragments. A large amount of resources disappeared in an instant. The cabin was enveloped in a ball of white light, and before Jiang Chen knew it, the cabin¡¯s upgrade was completed in less than two minutes. A cabin that was twice the size of the previous one appeared in front of Jiang Chen. ¡°Level 2 territory, the main city. Population: 23/10 full. Storage: 4,481/10,000. Available for recruitment: peasant (free) and ordinary soldier. Materials required for leveling up: Level 3 territory leveling scroll.¡± ¡­ ¡°Congratulations to Lord Jiang Chen, the first person in the world to level up to a Level 2 city! One set of random building blueprints and one set of random equipment blueprints will be awarded!¡± Suddenly, the sound of a notification rang in everyone¡¯s ears. All the Lords of the world were instantly stunned. ¡°This can¡¯t be real. It¡¯s only been less than a week since he transmigrated! He actually leveled up! Where did he get so many resources?¡± ¡°I only managed to build a small wooden house up until now!¡± ¡°This guy can¡¯t be cheating, right? Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to level up to a main city so quickly!¡± ¡°Upstairs, are you playing the game like a fool? This is reality, how can anyone cheat!¡± ¡°Please take me with you, big shot!¡± .. For most of the lords, gathering all the resources needed to upgrade a city in less than a week was an impossible task for them. One had to know that upgrading a city not only required resources but also scrolls! Based on their farmers¡¯ gathering speed, it would take them at least a month to upgrade a city. Jiang Chen had completed the second-level main city in less than a week. All the Lords of the world were shocked! There were also quite a few people who had added Jiang Chen as a friend and sent him private messages, hoping to receive Jiang Chen¡¯s experience in leveling up so quickly. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t pay any attention to the messages sent by these people and had already been automatically blocked. What kind of experience could he impart? Could everyone be like Jiang Chen? Turning off the channel, Jiang Chen¡¯s attention was quickly attracted by the rewards. ¡°Purple quality blueprints obtained for Judgement Tower! Purple quality blueprints obtained for the Mist Spear! Judgement Tower: stone 1000x, mithril 50x, Elemental Crystal 30x, Judgement Stone 1x. Mist spear: refined iron 10x, obsidian 3x, wind elemental crystal 10x.¡± The Judgement Tower and Mist Spear that had obtained dark gold grade blueprints. Jiang Chen was delighted at first, but the joy on his face immediately turned into a wry smile when he saw the materials needed to build them. Refined iron, mithril, elemental crystal, obsidian, and wind elemental crystal? These things either didn¡¯t exist, or there weren¡¯t enough of them. This made Jiang Chen very depressed. He only had the most basic resources at the moment, which meant that Jiang Chen could only stare blankly at the purple quality blueprints, unable to do anything at the moment. He sighed helplessly. Jiang Chen had recorded the two purple blueprints into the lordship¡¯s system and would talk about it when he had the resources in the future.. Chapter 25 - Simple Second Territory Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In the next few hours, the Titans frantically mined for resources. Large amounts of wood, stones, and grass were neatly stacked around the small wooden house. With so many resources, Jiang Chen also built the barracks and residences. After choosing a good location, Jiang Chen clicked on the Lord¡¯s system to confirm the construction. A portion of the resources piled up like a small mountain around the main city had disappeared. An hour later, the first-grade barracks and first-grade residences were completed. Jiang Chen could see the properties of his buildings from the suzerain¡¯s book. The exterior of the barracks was as simple as the interior of the main city. It occupied an area of about ten square meters. The size of the residences was about the same as a wooden house. Although they looked simple, they were very sturdy. At the very least, he didn¡¯t have to worry about leaking wind or rain. The residence was meant for farmers and soldiers to live in. They couldn¡¯t possibly let the Titans sleep in the wilderness, right. Jiang Chen chose to recruit ten militia members to work together here. Not long after, the Titan responsible for searching for water also returned. The wooden bucket in his hand was filled with clean water. The water source was several kilometers away from the territory. Although it was a bit troublesome to fetch water normally, it could at least be considered to have solved the most important water source problem. After perfecting the population strength of the subordinate territories, it was time to continue exploring. Jiang Chen packed up his things and continued to set off with Parker and the others. After leaving the territory, he felt the light around him suddenly dim. There was also a dense forest by the side of the road. Emerald green vines, with boulders covered in moss. Jiang Chen also saw many remains of buildings among them. It was indeed very likely that there were ruins in such a place. Jiang Chen followed Parker through the thistles and thorns along the way. They advanced along the path for about ten minutes. Parker stopped. ¡°Your Lordship, this is the place.¡± He pointed to a place by the side of the path that was covered with shrubs and vines. Jiang Chen looked inside and didn¡¯t seem to have any traces of ruins. Parker pulled out his dual blades and opened up a patch of bushes, revealing a path that was barely enough for a person to walk on. This was the path he had opened up during his exploration yesterday. He had covered it up again when he left. ¡°Lord, please follow me. The ruins are just ahead!¡± Parker spoke in a meticulous manner. He was the first to enter the path, the blades in his hands continuously slashing at both sides. He cut down those brambles and widened the path for Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen walked in the middle of the group. This was the safest position in the entire group. Zhang Fei pulled out the twin daggers at his waist and followed closely behind, in charge of holding the line at the back. The terrain here was relatively narrow. If he really encountered any danger, the long spears wouldn¡¯t be of much use. Two spearmen were in charge of vigilance. The five formed a simple exploration formation. They continued to advance. After traveling for five or six minutes, the terrain suddenly descended. They arrived at a small depression in the mountains. This place was either surrounded by dense forests or cliffs covered in moss. But it was a place isolated from the outside world. Parker was truly skilled to be able to find ruins in such a godforsaken place. Even experienced scouts might not find it easy to find this place. The main reason was that Jiang Chen lacked a powerful mount. Parker¡¯s giant wolf was both capable of battle and agile. Jiang Chen was rather envious as he watched Parker ride the giant wolf and constantly move about. On the other hand, Jiang Chen and the others. Trudged through the forest path with great difficulty. Infantrymen couldn¡¯t experience the joy of cavalry. When they arrived at the depression, they finally saw the ruins Parker had mentioned. It was a bit like a temple. They could faintly see statues of gods within the crevices of the vines. However, these statues all looked very fierce. Some had two horns on their heads, and some had several different heads. There were even fleshy wings on their backs and burning footprints beneath their feet. They looked like statues of demons. Jiang Chen stood outside the temple. The entire temple was completely wrapped in vines, like a giant green cocoon. ¡°Parker, be careful!¡± Jiang Chen reminded him. He felt that there was something strange about this place. Parker, who didn¡¯t speak much, dismounted the giant wolf and began to hack at the vines blocking his way with his twin blades! The sharp blades cut the vines into pieces like they were cutting vegetables. Finally, the entrance to the temple was revealed. It was a cave entrance. Jiang Chen walked in slowly. He saw many strange patterns carved into the stone floor at the entrance. These patterns depicted a long and drawn-out battle, and the most eye-catching one was a very unique figure. It was a great demon with two horns on its head and two wings on its back, but it had long pointy ears that were unique to the elves. There was a large moon behind it. Jiang Chen raised his head and looked at the temple, using the eye of truth. ¡°Rebel bearing a misunderstanding. This was once the temple of the demon hunters. Ruins status: abandoned.¡± ¡°Demon hunters?¡± ¡°Powerful demon hunters hunt for demons. They¡¯re all great warriors.¡± Jiang Chen had a general understanding of this place after reading the information provided by the eye of truth. This was an ancient ruin and power that belonged to this continent. Parker had already opened up a path that led directly to the interior of the cave entrance. Jiang Chen waved his hand, and the few of them slowly entered the cave entrance. ¡­ On the other side, a young man dressed in black armor, wearing a rhinoceros horn helmet, and carrying two one-handed swords on his back was riding a gray heavy horse and wearing leather boots. He stopped beside a few large trees two kilometers away from Jiang Chen¡¯s territory. His appearance was also that of an Easterner. But his appearance was very ordinary. However, what was worth paying attention to was his gaze. His sharp eyes, like those of a falcon, sized up Jiang Chen¡¯s territory in the distance. ¡°Selena, is this the territory you discovered yesterday?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not bad indeed. The construction is perfect.¡± The man¡¯s voice was faint and extremely cold. As soon as he finished speaking, a slim figure wearing a tight black leather suit and a veil appeared. She held a pair of snake-shaped daggers with green blades in her hands and bowed respectfully to the man. ¡°Sir, it¡¯s here¡­¡± ¡°How many soldiers are there?¡± ¡°How strong is the Lord?¡± The man nodded and asked repeatedly with a bit of urgency. His gaze had always been set on Jiang Chen¡¯s territory. In his eyes, this was already his private property! He would be the new owner of this place. ¡°This territory has no less than ten professional warriors.¡± ¡°The Lord¡¯s strength is also very strong. He can easily wipe out a pack of prairie wolves.¡± The masked woman called Zelena said. This time, the man frowned. ¡°It¡¯s a bit tricky¡­¡± ¡°However, he will always be alone.¡± ¡°Zelena, I order you to closely monitor this territory. Tonight, I will bring the others to deal with the other Lord.¡± ¡°After we are done, we will come and meet you.¡± ¡°There are three more days until the novice protection period ends, and it is time for us to make our move.¡± ¡°Kill him, this is our new territory, our new home¡­¡± The man said in a sinister tone, not concealing his intentions. ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± The man in black armor looked deeply at Selina, reaching out his hand to caress the undulations of her body. Then, with a chuckle, he turned his horse and left. He left towards the west of the grasslands. On the spot, Selena was expressionless and quietly hid.. Chapter 26 - The Battle at the Entrance of the Ruins Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation On the other side, Jiang Chen and the others entered the entrance. The space inside was very large, and it was a square-shaped entrance with a height and width of more than ten meters. One could see that the mining tracks extended from the inside, and were already rotten and damaged. The entire interior was completely pitch black. There were still some remains and ancient traces outside. All kinds of vegetation grew on the ground, giving off a strange sense of beauty. Everyone stopped inside and lit the torches on the walls. At this moment, two gasps sounded from the cave. In the next moment, a huge black shadow slowly moved out, causing some light and shadow changes to appear in the pitch-black cave, as the black shadow approached, everyone could see its full appearance. It was a huge tiger-like creature that was more than five meters long. It had a pair of sharp and curved blood-red fangs that were one meter long. Its fur was also red as if it were covered in lava. It stared at the bell-sized eyes. It looked at these uninvited guests in front of it with great agility. Its two nostrils continuously exhaled turbid and heavy breaths. However, this big fellow didn¡¯t act rashly and launched an attack. It actually revealed a cautious expression in the face of Jiang Chen and the others. This was an intelligent creature. ¡°Good fellow, this tiger is quite smart!¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes narrowed as he began to observe this fellow¡¯s attributes. ¡°Name: blood-fanged tiger, level: LV7, race: demonic beast, health: 600, armor: 400, magic resistance: 20, skills: blood-fanged bite, raging blood rage.¡± What a fellow. It was actually a type of demonic beast, even more advanced than a wild beast. Moreover, this fellow clearly possessed quite a bit of intelligence. It was probably even more difficult to deal with than any wild beast Jiang Chen had ever encountered. As the saying went, the first to strike is the strongest, and the second to strike is to suffer. Jiang Chen had figured out the background of the blood-fanged tiger and decisively began to deploy. ¡°Parker, arrange for the net to be thrown twice in a row. When it¡¯s over, begin to spread out and use the terrain to dodge the Blood Tiger¡¯s counterattack.¡± ¡°Zhang Fei, go around to the side and don¡¯t attack for now. Wait for this fellow to counterattack before you attack from the rear.¡± ¡°The two of you, move with me and assist me in battle.¡± Jiang Chen quickly made his arrangements. The blood-fanged tiger¡¯s sharp gaze locked onto him. It slightly bent its body, its front hooves facing forward, ready to strike at Jiang Chen¡¯s position. This was the premonition that an attack was about to be launched. ¡°Net toss!¡± Jiang Chen shouted loudly. The wolf cavalry soldier Parker decisively activated their net toss skill. They bound the blood-fanged tiger to its original position. Following that, Jiang Chen immediately drew his sword and slashed out, striking it on its body. A series of sparks exploded. The red fur on its body was like steel needles. Even when the iron sword struck it, it was unable to cause any effective damage. Unexpectedly, the net trap skill didn¡¯t bind it for three seconds. In less than two seconds, the blood-fanged tiger broke free. It seemed that the control effect of the net skill was also related to the target¡¯s size, strength, and so on. However, just as the saber-toothed blood tiger broke free, a new net was thrown at its face. Parker was very experienced, so the net quickly followed. Zhang Fei also chose a suitable position and stepped on the stone pillar while leaning against the cliff. He took out a long spear and aimed at its bell-like eyes. ¡°Long spear assault!¡± He shouted and the long spear in his hand was instantly activated, emitting a sharp air-piercing sound. The sharp long spear shot towards the door of the blood-fanged tiger. ¡°Oof!¡± A muffled sound was heard as if a rubber ball had been poked and exploded. A cluster of blood mixed with turbid liquid flew out The saber-toothed blood tiger struggled with all its might in the net, letting out a heart-wrenching roar. A long spear had been stuck in its left eye! The tip of the long spear was still trembling slightly, ¡°Pah!¡± ¡°Pah!¡± Another two loud bangs rang out as Jiang Chen and the two spearmen beside him seized the opportunity to raise their weapons and stab them into its neck. The blood-fanged tiger was heavily injured by three streaks of damage. The blood-fanged tiger had suffered several waves of long-range attacks in a row and was injured by an arrow in its left eye, causing it to feel unbearable pain. Wildness had finally won over wisdom. Its first target had always been Jiang Chen. Even if Zhang Fei had shot through one of its eyes, this target hadn¡¯t changed. It aimed in Jiang Chen¡¯s direction and directly activated its bloody teeth. Red light flickered off its pair of ferocious fangs, as if it could pierce through absolutely everything. At the same time, its four limbs began to emit red light as it exerted all its strength and ran forward. Its speed was very fast, and when paired with its large body, it was like a red pickup truck that had lost its brakes as it crashed head-on. He clenched his fists, and when he was still five or six meters away, Jiang Chen suddenly jumped into the ruins at the side. The blood-fanged tiger missed its target and crashed directly into the short wall behind it. ¡°Bam!¡± ¡°Crash!¡± The short wall was directly knocked down, burying half of the blood-fanged tiger¡¯s body underneath. Dust rose up in an instant. Jiang Chen pointed at the saber-toothed blood tiger. ¡°Cut it!¡± Jiang Chen was the first to rush over. Parker and the others quickly surrounded him as well. Jiang Chen raised his iron sword and chopped down in a wave of two. Because it had been strengthened and forged by iron egg, Jiang Chen¡¯s weapon had an extremely high level of sharpness and armor-piercing damage. It had caused three deep wounds. Perhaps it was because of the pain, or perhaps it was because its health was continuously decreasing. The Blood Tiger began to struggle with all its might. It hadn¡¯t even waited for Jiang Chen to launch a second round of attacks before it had completely eviscerated all the rubble that had smashed into it. It suddenly erupted and knocked Jiang Chen flying. Fortunately, the armor on Jiang Chen¡¯s body was highly defensive and didn¡¯t cause much damage. After it sent Jiang Chen flying, it shot a fierce glance at Jiang Chen. In the end, it didn¡¯t take advantage of the situation to pursue him. Instead, it moved its limbs and tried to escape towards the mine. Although this fellow was enormous, its speed wasn¡¯t slow at all, and its health was rapidly recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye. A smile of a pearl of wisdom appeared on Jiang Chen¡¯s face. He¡¯d long since been prepared for this. ¡°Cast the net!¡± ¡°All of you, go up and suppress this big fellow.¡± Jiang Chen stood up and gave the order. This big fellow was very clever. It wanted to run away after suffering a loss. Therefore, Jiang Chen needed to decisively change his tactics and strategies at this moment. The opponent had made him cower. If this big fellow ran away, with its recovery ability, it probably wouldn¡¯t take long for its health to recover. Then all the previous efforts would be in vain! When Parker heard the order, he immediately threw out the trap, once again enveloping the saber-toothed blood tiger. Following that, everyone rushed forward. They surrounded the blood-fanged tiger and began to attack crazily! Chapter 27 - Subduing a Pet Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Jiang Chen¡¯s heart stirred as he looked at the blood tiger that had almost been subdued. He took out a hemp rope and walked forward to tie one end of the rope to its four limbs, while the other end was tied to the remains of a nearby building. He could barely suppress it. Jiang Chen tied up the four limbs of the blood tiger. No one could guess what Jiang Chen was thinking right now. It seemed that he had other intentions and wasn¡¯t planning on killing this big fellow. ¡°Heh heh.¡± Jiang Chen rubbed his hands together as a smile appeared on his face. His expression when he looked at the blood-fanged tiger also held some ill intentions. The blood-fanged tiger¡¯s body had already been slashed open. Fresh blood dripped down its large head onto the ground one drop at a time. It caused the ground below to turn bright red. As its life points flowed, it had already begun to become on the verge of death. It looked pitifully at Jiang Chen with only one intact eye left. Transparent tears dripped down from the corners of its eyes, sliding past its bloody head and dropping to the ground. It looked rather pitiful. However, Jiang Chen was unmoved. He summoned the suzerain system in his heart and searched endlessly. Barely a minute later, he stabbed the guard¡¯s sword into the ground by his feet and took out a dark yellow piece of kraft paper with a flip of his hand. The kraft paper was densely packed with treaties written in mysterious words. It turned out that Jiang Chen had just purchased a prop from the system. ¡°Pet contract (Green). The success rate of the contract will fluctuate according to the condition of the contract target. The worse the condition, or even the state of near-death, the higher the success rate of the pet contract.¡± ¡°Little tiger, do you want to live? Or do you not want to live?¡± ¡°If you want to live, then obediently become my pet. This is your only chance.¡± Jiang Chen said unhurriedly as he placed the pet contract in front of it and waved it. The blood-fanged tiger looked at the contract with one eye, then looked at Jiang Chen, and humphed in a very human manner. ¡°You¡¯re quite tactful.¡± The will of the contract¡¯s target could also determine a portion of the success rate. Jiang Chen nodded. It was the right time, the right place, and the right tiger. Now, he¡¯d have to rely on his own luck. If he was lucky, he¡¯d bring the tiger home. If he was unlucky, he¡¯d bring the tiger meat home. ¡°Sign the contract!¡± Jiang Chen chose to use it. The pet contract in his hand instantly turned into an illusory chain, one connected to the blood tiger and the other to Jiang Chen. A special connection was gradually being established, and the chain was also becoming more and more solid. This process lasted for a full ten minutes, and no accidents occurred during the entire process. The signing was successful! The chain disappeared after the contract was completed. He felt the connection in his heart. Jiang Chen waved his hand to disperse the people around him. Then, he waved his sword and cut off the hemp ropes on the blood-fanged tiger¡¯s four limbs. The blood-fanged tiger¡¯s entire body was wrapped in a ray of light. After the light had dissipated, all of its injuries had healed, and even the sharp arrows that had shot out its eyes had disappeared. It was as if its state had been reset. It lay in front of Jiang Chen respectfully. Its head was pressed to the ground, expressing its submission to Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen nodded in satisfaction. The blood-fanged tiger¡¯s attributes were still the same as before. It didn¡¯t shrink just because it had become a pet. It could also be upgraded and nurtured. ¡°Blood tiger pet (unnamed), race: magical beast, aptitude: 3 stars, level: LV7, attributes: (click to expand). Hunger: 80, loyalty: 80.¡± ¡°Not bad, let me change your name.¡± ¡°You can call yourself Red Tooth from now on.¡± Jiang Chen rubbed his chin and conveniently changed its name. Parker and the others walked up. They all knew that this blood tiger that wasn¡¯t to be trifled with had now become the Lord¡¯s pet. Jiang Chen patted Red Tooth¡¯s large head. He looked at its broad shoulders at the back of its neck and wondered if he could ride on it. He grabbed the tiger fur on Red Tooth¡¯s back and climbed up agilely. He rode on Red Tooth¡¯s back. It didn¡¯t have to be said that he could really ride on it. It was also very spacious. The mane at the back stood up like a backrest. He didn¡¯t even need a saddle. It was even more comfortable than riding a horse. Paired with Red Tooth¡¯s magnificent body and fierce teeth, it was quite impressive. Red Tooth didn¡¯t have any objections to this. As a pet with an initial loyalty of up to 80, it was extremely loyal to Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen patted its head lightly and pointed to the cave ahead. Red Tooth instantly understood its master¡¯s intentions and slowly stood up, walking steadily towards the depths. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s set off.¡± Jiang Chen turned his head and said. Everyone followed Red Tooth into the mine. A foul stench assailed their faces from within. There was the stench of rotting corpses and the stench of feces. The corpses were almost piled up at the entrance of the cave. These were obviously the handiwork of Red Tooth. The mine was pitch black and didn¡¯t have any light sources. However, there were torches on both sides of the walls at intervals. Zhang Fei took the initiative to collect five or six torches and lit them up, illuminating the mine. Everyone¡¯s figures were elongated by the flames and projected onto the walls behind them. Jiang Chen took a glance at the torches and furrowed his brows, as if he¡¯d discovered something suspicious. These were all ordinary torches. They weren¡¯t made of any special materials, nor were they considered props. Logically speaking, they shouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the erosion of ten thousand years. However, these torches were also covered in dust and had slight signs of decay. It was obvious that they were quite old. Then who had brought these torches here? In other words, in the past, some factions had once organized exploration teams in an attempt to reopen this mine. There was no use thinking about this now, so Jiang Chen continued to give the order. Everyone walked towards the interior of the mine. The road in front of them was slowly descending. The torches¡¯ light could only illuminate an area of more than ten meters, leaving only constantly changing shadows in the distance. There were many transportation tracks along the way. There were also many damaged metal ore carts piled up on both sides of the mine. Most of the carts were empty. However, there were still some carts that were filled with ore. It was obvious that a great battle had broken out before they could be transported out. The mine had stopped, completely abandoned. It seemed that the temple outside was only a disguise, but this was actually a mine. Jiang Chen rode Red Tooth to a mining cart filled with ores. He waved his hand and actually managed to collect them. ¡°System notification: obtained iron block 37x, obtained copper 12x, obtained mithril 6x, obtained primary elemental crystal 3x, obtained primary earth elemental crystal 3x, acquired stone 86x.¡± What a comfortable batch! Jiang Chen was instantly delighted. This was delightfully lucrative.. Chapter 28 - The Truth of the Ruins Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation There were quite a few mining carts around here, but not many had stock. There were only four or five left. Jiang Chen pocketed all of them and also harvested quite a few ore-type materials. ¡°Iron 185x obtained, copper 65x obtained, mithril 32x, elementary elemental crystal 11x obtained, elementary earth crystal 13x, stone 387x obtained.¡± This mine was a good place. Just picking up these few mining carts was already a worthwhile trip. In addition, new materials appeared in this batch of ore materials. ¡°Elementary earth crystal! The power source of magic technology, the necessary material to drive magic products.¡± ¡°Magical technology?¡± ¡°Regardless of whether this type of elemental crystal has attributes or not, it¡¯s like a type of energy in this world. It¡¯s a good thing that can be used in all fields.¡± Jiang Chen knew what to do and continued to advance. After advancing several hundred meters, there were no ore carts filled with minerals around him. At this moment, sparse spider webs began to appear on both sides of the walkway. These spiderwebs occupied the corners of the tunnel. In addition, Jiang Chen also saw a large oval egg that was about a meter tall with green spots. This large egg had already hatched. There was a large gap at the top, and egg shells were scattered all around it. In front, the first exit of the tunnel appeared. It seemed to be a large underground hall. ¡°Good heavens, I¡¯ve entered the coiling silk cave.¡± The Red Tooth beneath him suddenly felt a bit uneasy. He hummed repeatedly, his front foot only stood still, unwilling to advance any further. It seemed to be very wary of the underground hall ahead. Unfortunately, it couldn¡¯t speak and was so anxious that it was spinning in circles. ¡°Parker, take two men and go ahead and take a look at the situation.¡± Jiang Chen waved his hand and arranged for the wolf cavalry soldier to act as scouts. He could already confirm that a portion of the mine had already been occupied by some spiders. Since they were able to cause Red Tooth to be extremely wary of them, they could also pose a serious threat to Jiang Chen. Not to mention that these spiders had obviously been entrenched here for a long time and had long since spread out. If his luck wasn¡¯t good, he might even be able to meet three generations of their descendants.. Parker rode on the giant wolf and carried a torch as he received the order. Under the light of the fire, two figures advanced quickly. The spiderwebs on both sides of the tunnel along the way began to grow more and more. Some of the spiderwebs were damaged, and strands of them drooped down to one side, blowing up as the wolf cavalry passed by. After entering the hall, Jiang Chen could faintly see through the firelight that the entire hall had been roughly divided into two sections: left and right, the right side was covered with cobwebs, densely packed, and almost completely blocked off half of the hall. The other side was slightly more refreshing. Parker walked around the hall once, but didn¡¯t act rashly and quickly retreated back. He reported the situation to Jiang Chen. ¡°Your Lordship, there are two different passageways in the hall ahead, one on the left and one on the right.¡± ¡°The hall on the right is almost covered in cobwebs, and there are many traces of battle in the hall on the left. In addition, large amounts of bones and scattered weapons and equipment have been discovered.¡± ¡°Some are from humans, and some seem to be from other humanoid creatures.¡± Parker rode the giant wolf and reported in a serious manner. Jiang Chen¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. ¡°Humanoid creatures?¡± He hated these forked paths the most. However, it was still normal for the paths to split in such an ancient mine. ¡°Let¡¯s go in and take a look.¡± Jiang Chen waved his hand and pointed to the end of the mine path. He patted Red Tooth¡¯s head gently. The group advanced once more, and the atmosphere began to tense up. In such a dark mine, one could feel an infinite amount of pressure. Jiang Chen could feel the muscles on Red Tooth¡¯s back gradually tense up. This was a sign of extreme nervousness. Red Tooth was a level seven blood-fang tiger and was an overlord amongst his peers. However, he was extremely fearful of the interior of the mine. It was obvious that he had suffered a bit before. When everyone stepped into the hall, they realized that the situation was more complicated than they had expected. The entire floor of the hall was covered with a layer of spider webs. These spider webs were very tough. When everyone stepped on them, they felt an additional layer of restraint under their feet. The right side was even more terrifying. Everything was covered by the spider webs. In addition, there were many corpses. These corpses were very complete. After being covered, they formed strange bumps. What a terrifying spiderweb nest! It was even scarier than a horror movie. Just as everyone was observing, sounds of fighting and screams came from the left side of the hall, the side of the tunnel that hadn¡¯t been completely covered by the spiderweb. ¡°Bang!¡± ¡°Hiss¡­¡± There were occasional flashes of light and shadows in the tunnel. Everyone held their breaths and prepared themselves for battle! ¡°Be careful and be on guard. Pay attention to the top of your head.¡± Jiang Chen surveyed his surroundings and raised his shield and sword. He wasn¡¯t afraid of a frontal attack. His only worry was that he¡¯d be ambushed! The sounds of battle soon died down. Following that, there were some strange and terrifying sounds of dragging and crawling. Everyone turned their gazes to the left side of the hall. They saw several dark shadows of different sizes appear from the left tunnel. They¡¯re coming, they¡¯re coming! Parker¡¯s giant wolf was a little uneasy. It bared its teeth at the tunnel on the left side of the hall. The shadows were getting closer and closer until they left the left tunnel and entered the hall. Three two-meter-tall monsters with eight-legged spiders on their lower bodies and humanoid monsters on their upper bodies slowly walked out. There were circles of strange patterns on their huge bellies, and at the end, there was a huge spiderweb. It was bulging as if something was wriggling and struggling, these were the so-called spiderweb monsters. In addition, there were a few small spiderweb monsters that were only half of their height. All of the spiderweb monsters had eight legs and a huge belly. Their upper bodies were like humans, with a pair of arms. The big spiderweb monsters had two oddly-shaped, single-edged swords in each arm. The small spiderweb monsters held two sharp, fang-shaped daggers. They had no nose on their faces, eight eyes lined up on both sides, and their mouths looked like spiders.. Chapter 29 - The Spider Web Monsters Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation There were quite a few mining carts around, but not many had stock. There were only four or five left in total. Jiang Chen pocketed them all and harvested quite a few ore-type materials. ¡°Iron 185x obtained, copper 65x obtained, mithril 32x obtained, elemental crystal 11x obtained, stone 387x obtained.¡± This mine was a good place. Just picking up these few mining carts was already a worthwhile trip. In addition, new materials had appeared in this batch of ore materials. ¡°The power source of magical technology, the necessary material to drive magical products.¡± ¡°Magical technology?¡± ¡°Regardless of whether this type of elemental crystal has attributes or not, it¡¯s like a type of energy in this world. It¡¯s a good thing that can be utilized in all fields.¡± Jiang Chen knew what to do and continued to advance. After advancing several hundred meters, there were no ore carts filled with minerals around. At this moment, sparse spider webs began to appear on both sides of the walkway. These spider webs occupied the corners of the tunnel. In addition, Jiang Chen also saw a large oval egg that was about a meter tall with green spots. This large egg had already hatched. There was a large gap at the top, and egg shells were scattered all around it. In front, the first exit of the mine tunnel appeared. It seemed to be a large underground hall. ¡°Good heavens, I¡¯ve entered the coiling Silk Cave.¡± Redtooth beneath him suddenly felt a bit uneasy. It hummed repeatedly. Its front foot only stood still, unwilling to advance any further. He seemed to be quite wary of the underground hall ahead. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know how to speak and was so anxious that he was spinning in circles. ¡°Parker, bring two men to the front to take a look at the situation.¡± Jiang Chen waved his hand and arranged for the wolf cavalry soldier to act as scouts. He could already confirm that a portion of the mine had already been occupied by some spiders. Since they were able to make Redtooth extremely wary, they could also pose a serious threat to Jiang Chen. What¡¯s more, these spiders had obviously been entrenched here for a long time and had long since spread their branches and leaves. If his luck wasn¡¯t good, he might even be able to meet three generations of their descendants¡­ Parker rode on the giant wolf and carried a torch as he received the order. Two figures moved forward quickly under the light of the fire. The spider webs on both sides of the tunnel along the way began to grow more and more. Some of the spider webs were damaged, and strands of them drooped down to one side, blowing up as the wolf cavalry soldier passed by. After entering the hall, Jiang Chen could faintly see through the firelight that the entire hall had been roughly divided into two sections: left and right, the right side was covered with cobwebs, densely packed, and almost completely blocked off half of the hall. The other side was slightly more refreshing. Parker walked around the hall once, but didn¡¯t act rashly and quickly retreated back. He reported the situation to Jiang Chen, ¡°Your lordship, there are two different passageways in the hall ahead, one on the left and one on the right.¡± ¡°The hall on the right is almost covered in cobwebs, and there are many traces of battle in the hall on the left. In addition, large amounts of bones and scattered weapons and equipment have been discovered.¡± ¡°Some are from humans, and some seem to be from other humanoid creatures.¡± Parker rode the giant wolf and reported in a serious manner. Jiang Chen¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. ¡°Humanoid creatures?¡± He hated these forked paths the most. However, it was still normal for the paths to split in such an ancient mine. ¡°Let¡¯s go in and take a look.¡± Jiang Chen waved his hand and pointed to the end of the mine path. He patted Redtooth¡¯s head lightly. The group advanced once more. The atmosphere began to tense up. In such a dark mine, one could feel an infinite amount of pressure. Jiang Chen could feel the muscles on Redtooth¡¯s back gradually tense up. This was a sign of extreme nervousness. Redtooth was a level seven blood-fanged tiger and was practically an overlord amongst his peers. However, he was extremely fearful of the interior of the mine. It was obvious that he had suffered a bit before. When everyone stepped into the hall, they realized that the situation was more complicated than they had expected. The entire floor of the hall was covered with a layer of spider webs. These spider webs were very tough. When everyone stepped on them, they felt an additional layer of restraint under their feet. The right side was even more terrifying. Everything was covered by the spider webs. In addition, there were many corpses. These corpses were very complete. After being covered, they formed strange bumps. What a spiderweb nest! It was even scarier than a horror movie. Just as everyone was observing, sounds of fighting and screams came from the left side of the hall, the side of the tunnel that hadn¡¯t been completely covered by the spiderweb. ¡°Bang!¡± ¡°Hiss¡­¡± There were occasional flashes of light and shadows in the tunnel. Everyone held their breaths and prepared themselves for battle! ¡°Be careful and be on guard. Pay attention to the top of your head.¡± Jiang Chen surveyed his surroundings and raised his shield and sword. He wasn¡¯t afraid of a frontal attack. His only worry was that he¡¯d be ambushed! The sounds of battle soon died down. Following that, there were some strange and terrifying sounds of dragging and crawling. Everyone turned their gazes to the left side of the hall. They saw several dark shadows of different sizes appear from the left tunnel. They¡¯re coming, they¡¯re coming! Parker¡¯s giant wolf seemed a little uneasy. It bared its teeth at the tunnel on the left side of the hall. The shadows were getting closer and closer until they left through the left tunnel and entered the hall. Three two-meter-tall monsters with eight-legged spiders on their lower bodies and humanoid monsters on their upper bodies slowly walked out. Their huge bellies had strange patterns on them, and at the end, there was a huge spider web. It was bulging as if something was wriggling and struggling, So this was the so-called spider monster. In addition, there were a few small spiders that were only half of its height. All the spider monsters had eight legs and a huge belly. Their upper bodies were like humans, they had a pair of arms. The big spider monster had two arms holding two oddly-shaped single-edged swords. The small spider monster held two sharp fangs like daggers. They had no nose on their faces, eight eyes lined up on both sides, and their mouths looked exactly like the jaws of a spider.. Chapter 30 - Saving the Dogheads Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Jiang Chen immediately used his eye of truth to investigate and examine their stats. ¡°Demonic spider LV5. Race: Demonic Beast. Damage: 23-27. Health: 190/300. Defense: 10. Magic Resistance: 5. Skills: Poison exposure at LV1 and web-weaving at LVL 5 (Spiders weave spiderwebs and wrap up the enemy. Spiderweb has 1,000 points of sturdiness, with a cooling-down time of 1 hour).¡± ¡°Has fear of fire (will receive additional damage when being attacked by fire attribute attacks).¡± There were a total of three large-sized spiderwebs and four small spider monsters. They were completely capable of fighting. Most importantly, these spiderwebs were actually in a state of low health. It was clear that the commotion in the left tunnel earlier was because they were fighting with some creatures. For example, the bulging things in the spider webs should be the creatures that had fought with them before. But now, they seemed to have become prey. Just as these spider web monsters had walked out of the tunnel¡­ The torches that Jiang Chen had prepared were put to good use. Because the spider web monsters were afraid of fire, the damage of fire was much higher than the damage of physical attacks. The torch burned onto the spider web, igniting it. A series of damage appeared. Damage began to appear continuously, continuously reducing the sturdiness of the spider web. In addition, some sparks flew out, igniting the spider web attached to the ground. ¡°Bzzzz!¡± The spider let out a shrill cry. It immediately locked onto Jiang Chen and the others. Just as it was about to attempt to leave the range of the rain of fire and pursue them¡­ the wolf cavalry¡¯s spears and spearmen¡¯s shots were fired almost at the same time! They formed a small-scale long-range barrage. It struck the bodies of these spider demons. It prevented them from escaping and trapped them within the range of the rain of fire. Streaks of damage appeared. Following that, a few people charged forward and they began to engage in close combat. They trapped the spiders within the range of the rain of fire. The rain of fire greatly suppressed the attack frequency of the spiders. As the fourth wave of the rain of fire fell, the spiders were all turned into ashes. ¡°Your subordinate, the wolf cavalry Parker, killed the spider, a Level 5. Obtained soul 1x.¡± ¡°Your subordinate, Zhang Fei, killed the spider, Level 3. Obtained soul 1x.¡± ¡°Your pet, Redtooth, has killed a devil spider at LVL 4 and obtained a soul 1x.¡± The spiderweb burned out, disintegrated, and the flames slowly stopped. Jiang Chen rode on Redtooth and began to clean up the battlefield. He noticed that something seemed to be squirming under the spiderweb. ¡°It looks like the thing in the spiderweb is still alive?¡± Jiang Chen noticed this and drew his sword and pointed. ¡°Open up the spiderweb!¡± The few of them immediately moved forward and used their fangs to carefully cut open the burning cobwebs. The flexibility of these cobwebs was indeed very good. It took them a long time to destroy the cobwebs. Each cobweb contained four or five short and ugly creatures. These creatures were similar to humans. They were around one meter tall, but their heads were like that of dogs. They wore ragged clothes while a few wore worn-out leather armor. They even held weapons such as short knives and daggers in their hands. They were all dogheads. After these dogheads broke free from the spider web, they all cried out in unison. They looked at the crowd in fear. Jiang Chen sized them up. These dogheads¡¯ weapons and armor were very simple and crude. They were simply like the most abject refugees in the wilderness. In addition to their short stature, thin and weak bodies, and ugly appearances, they actually looked rather comical. Their bodies were also covered with a few fine scales that seemed somewhat similar to the lizard people. However, Jiang Chen noticed one thing, that almost every doghead had an iron pickaxe hanging from their waists. These dogheads used a peculiar tone of ¡°Waah waah¡± to bark randomly. This was their unique language. Judging from their voices, they sounded very much like puppies. These ugly little fellows should possess a certain level of intelligence. At this moment, an aged doghead with peculiar oil paint on his face walked out. He held a rough wooden short stick in his hand and walked left and right as he looked towards Jiang Chen, who was riding on the back of his large red teeth and looking down from above. He shakily propped the short stick on the ground and placed one hand on his chest as he bowed. He spoke slowly with a dry and unpleasant voice. ¡°Cough¡­¡± ¡°Your¡­ your esteemed Lord, thank you for defeating those abominable creatures that spit silk¡­¡± ¡°You saved my¡­ our lives¡­¡± The old doghead spoke intermittently. He wasn¡¯t very familiar with the human language. Jiang Chen smiled faintly as he sized up its attributes. ¡°The old doghead prophet, level: LV6, race is crypt creature, magic damage is 37-40, health is 233/561, magic power is at 300, armor at 10, and magic resistance at 15. Skills are soul wither (consumes 60 magic power to deal magic damage to the enemy and weaken the enemy¡¯s state), soul flame (burns one¡¯s own health to release a flame that can burn another¡¯s soul), and passive skill mining mastery (increases the efficiency of mining resources by 20%).¡± ¡°Do you live here?¡± Jiang Chen quickly skimmed through the information and memorized some important information as he asked at the same time. The elderly doghead prophet couldn¡¯t help but heave a sigh of relief when he heard Jiang Chen¡¯s question. Being willing to communicate meant that the human in front of him didn¡¯t have any enmity. He bowed once more. ¡°Yes, my Lord¡­¡± ¡°My tribe¡­ is in this mine¡­ these detestable weaver monsters have always treated us as food¡­¡± His words came and went, making Jiang Chen feel a bit uncomfortable. However, Jiang Chen smiled. ¡°Very good, you won¡¯t have to worry about these weaver monsters in the future, because you¡¯ll become my spoils of war.¡± Hearing Jiang Chen¡¯s words. The elderly doghead prophet was stunned. He didn¡¯t speak out in rebuttal, nor did he say anything else. He only slowly turned around and spoke to the doghead behind him with a ¡°Waah waah waah¡± sound. All the dogheads were stunned¡­ ¡°Respected Lord¡­ you can¡¯t do this¡­ We are very weak and can¡¯t help you share your burdens¡­¡± He knelt on the ground and prayed sincerely. Jiang Chen turned a blind eye to this and turned his head to give Parker and the others a look. Instantly, they pulled out their weapons at the same time and clashed with each other. The sound of metal clanging rang out. The meaning of the threat was self-evident.. Chapter 31 - Burning the Cave of Threads Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation ¡°There¡¯s only one choice: submit or die.¡± ¡°I need you to help me mine the ores. When I¡¯ve completely cleared out this mine, you¡¯ll be in charge of mining for me. As long as you submit, not only will I not mistreat you, I¡¯ll treat you all equally.¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s voice rang out faintly. It wasn¡¯t mixed with any personal emotions. It was as if he was narrating a trivial matter. The old doghead fell silent upon hearing his words, then turned his head to the other dogheads and began to translate ¡°Waaa, waaa¡±. Among the dogheads, the only ones who could grasp the human language were the wise prophets of the clan. The other dogheads seemed to have become a little agitated after hearing the old prophet¡¯s narration, and began to argue. After a few minutes, these dogheads seemed to have reached a consensus. They walked forward together and knelt before Jiang Chen. ¡°My lord, we¡­ we are willing to pledge our loyalty to you!¡± The doghead prophet spoke respectfully. Jiang Chen nodded in satisfaction. All of the dogehads¡¯ attributes weren¡¯t that high as far as the eye could see. In fact, they were even a bit weaker than ordinary people of the same level. Every doghead had the option of ¡°loyalty¡±. But it wasn¡¯t high, only 50 points of loyalty, between submission and neutrality. They still needed to be nurtured properly. ¡°Rise, you will also be a member of the territory in the future, and the glory of the territory will shine upon you.¡± ¡°You will definitely be proud of today¡¯s decision in the future!¡± Jiang Chen spoke passionately. He knew all too well about this kind of chicken soup. As the saying goes, you¡¯ve never seen a pig run before you¡¯ve eaten pork? The old doghead hurriedly nodded his head as if to curry favor. The other dogheads didn¡¯t understand and only nodded along with the old doghead prophet¡­ Jiang Chen secretly laughed in his heart. This round of bluffing had been very successful. The territory was lacking manpower. Although these dogheads weren¡¯t very strong in battle, they were perfect for mining ore resources. These guys were born miners. Jiang Chen thought happily. Then, he began to inspect the items he¡¯d obtained after killing the spider. ¡°Mage spider armor 3x, soul 6x, elementary earth element crystal 2x¡± Not bad. It probably wouldn¡¯t be long before foreign lords like Jiang Chen had the strength to challenge the natives. However, Jiang Chen had a feeling that things wouldn¡¯t be so simple! His experiences these past few days had made him feel that the suzerain system was too benevolent. That¡¯s right, benevolent. In such a favorable environment, his own external system had yet to be deployed, and the seeds planted in his territory had yet to mature. The growth of Jiang Chen¡¯s territory had already begun to take shape, and he was confident that he would be able to survive, it was gradually developing. Therefore, this wasn¡¯t right, and it was very wrong! Such a situation and condition wasn¡¯t a challenge to the lords, but rather a kind of preferential treatment. As the saying goes, the more things happen, the more demons will appear. He had a very strong premonition. There would be some major changes after the novice phase ended. Many of the rules would change. As the name implied, the novice phase was a period of adaptation for the novice to adapt to the overall environment and rhythm, so protection and preferential treatment would be given. However, the end of the novice phase meant that they had officially stepped into the rhythm of the Lord¡¯s game. Jiang Chen thought for a moment and subconsciously furrowed his brows. But no matter what, his goal hadn¡¯t changed. It was to continuously develop and strengthen his territory, and at the same time, increase his strength. This was the foundation of settling down and staying alive. No matter how the rules changed, strength was the guarantee of everything. The dark mine was silent. No one dared to disturb him. Jiang Chen shook his head and dismissed these distracting thoughts. There were times when thinking too much wasn¡¯t a good thing, and would instead affect his determination to walk towards his goal. He began to inspect the unknown items and equipment. ¡°Mage spider armor (green). Rarity : excellent, body protection: 28, magic resistance: 10, durability: 200, ability: spiderweb shield LV1 (when HP is below 50% , a layer of sturdy spider web with 300 points of armor and 10 points of armor can only be triggered once an hour).¡± ¡°Not bad, this light armor. It might be able to save a life at a critical moment.¡± This piece of equipment could be used to replace the leather armor on his body. Jiang Chen immediately equipped it. After collecting the items, Jiang Chen¡¯s gaze swept across the entire hall. Where should he explore next? ¡°Right, is there anything good here?¡± Jiang Chen turned around to ask the old doghead. The doghead replied respectfully, ¡°The passages here mainly lead to the mines, warehouses, and workshops.¡± ¡°In addition, there¡¯s a black iron treasure chest in the right corner of the hall, covered in cobwebs. The ground is littered with items left behind by the exploration team. There¡¯s an ancient bronze treasure chest in the right passage, but we don¡¯t know what¡¯s inside the treasure chest, because we can¡¯t open it no matter how hard we try.¡± ¡°It¡¯d be a miracle if you could open it.¡± Jiang Chen ridiculed in his heart. Then, the doghead continued: ¡°There¡¯s a missing package in the first room of the mine area, a black iron treasure chest in the seventh room, and a silver treasure chest in the last room.¡± ¡°This is all I know, but there are even more mines in the interior. The spider cave monsters that have followed us are stationed there, and we don¡¯t dare set foot in them.¡± ¡°Apart from these, there are also the ore materials that this mine is rich in.¡± There was a whole bunch of them. After the doghead prophet finished speaking, Jiang Chen had a rough understanding of the situation in his area. This meant that this mine was extremely valuable to explore. Just the ore materials were what Jiang Chen needed right now. This was only a very small area for the entire mining area. There were several similar mines and entrances to the mining area, and each entrance had a corresponding area to the left and right. Only by passing through these areas could one finally go deep underground and reach the mining area. Some of the entrances had been destroyed by the Great War ten thousand years ago, and some had been preserved. The value of this mine was even higher than Jiang Chen¡¯s assessment! If he could fully explore it, he would definitely benefit greatly. However, this also meant that this mine hid a risk that was comparable to the profits. How much profit he could obtain depended entirely on his strength and ability. The vast majority of the treasures on the left were in the mine¡¯s storehouse, and the storehouse was protected by a sturdy gate. He had to obtain the key first. Therefore, if they wanted to maximize the profits, they had to completely open up the lair of the magic spiders on the right. Moreover, these magic spiders were not neutral creatures like the dogheads. In their eyes, humans were just one of the foods on their menu.. Chapter 32 - Inventory Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation If Jiang Chen was able to tame the higher-ups of the demon pearls, then there was a chance that he would be able to tame them. However, this group of spiderweb monsters had been entrenched here for a long time and had practically dominated this small area. However, this place wasn¡¯t too far from his territory. If he couldn¡¯t clear it once, then he¡¯d have to clear it twice. After thinking this through, Jiang Chen had a plan in mind. He said to the doghead prophet, ¡°Take me to the places you mentioned where there are treasure chests.¡± The doghead prophet nodded respectfully as he led the way. Jiang Chen decided to open all of the treasure chests that weren¡¯t dangerous first. As for the others that were dangerous, the prophet wasn¡¯t in a hurry. After a few intense battles in a short amount of time, everyone needed to repair themselves, not to mention that this place wasn¡¯t too far from the territory. With the dogheads leading the way, Jiang Chen was able to plunder all the known treasure chests and some materials without encountering any obstacles. After that, Jiang Chen pointed to the right side that was covered by the cobwebs after he had finished plundering and turned to speak to Parker. ¡°Light up these cobwebs. Let¡¯s retreat back to the entrance passage first.¡± After saying that, he rode on Red Tooth and brought everyone back to the entrance passage. Parker held a torch and started to light up all these cobwebs. Then, he retreated to the entrance. The choking smoke began to disperse and flowed in three different directions! These cobwebs were very flammable. The cobwebs in the hall on the right quickly started to burn. Sparks and smoke filled the air. At this moment, hurried rustling sounds also came from the right side of the tunnel. These rustling sounds mixed with the crackling sounds of the burning spider web, and the entire mine hall reverberated. It was obvious that the flames in the mine hall had already attracted the attention of the spider web monsters. ¡°Zhang Fei, throw in a few more torches.¡± Therefore, Jiang Chen was prepared to burn as many torches as he could. Zhang Fei received Jiang Chen¡¯s instructions and ran over quickly, lighting a few torches and throwing them inside. Then, he took a few steps back and turned around to leave without turning his head. ¡°Rumble!¡± The spiders inside seemed to have become irritable. The mine trembled slightly, shaking off bits of dust. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let the flames burn even more fiercely!¡± Jiang Chen waved his hand and controlled Red Tooth to turn around, leading everyone to run out of the mine. The task of conquering the nest of the demonic spiders was very difficult, so Jiang Chen wasn¡¯t in a hurry. Soon, everyone left the mine, and the air outside was much smoother. Not long after everyone left, thick smoke began to pour out. The right hall to the right passage had basically been completely covered by thick cobwebs, and these cobwebs were the best combustibles. ¡°Parker, bring some men and move some large stones to block up this entrance first!¡± Jiang Chen ordered once more. He directly set fire to the coiling silk cave. There were many boulders and ruins of buildings nearby. A few burly men and a few dogheads worked together and quickly sealed up a small portion of the entrance to the mine. This small portion was enough. After all, in order to ensure full combustion, there had to be air circulation in the mine. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll return to the territory first.¡± ¡°Follow me south and return to the territory to settle down.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no rush here, let the Flames burn for a while more.¡± There were countless spider monsters and other creatures entrenched within the mine. It would be impossible to clear them out in a short amount of time, and it might even attract even stronger creatures over. Therefore, Jiang Chen decided at the last minute to change his target for the time being. He might as well give it a little fire first, and leave the rest to time. When the fire was almost done, Jiang Chen would return to harvest. He would also return to the territory to settle down the doghead miners. These dogheads weren¡¯t very strong in battle, and it would be easy to lose them if he brought them with him. Only by bringing them back to the territory and turning them into labor as soon as possible would he be able to bring out the value of these dogheads miners. Everyone returned to their original spots. Jiang Chen rode his newly acquired pet, Red Tooth, back to the territory. At this moment, the sky was already nearing dusk. He ordered that everyone must reach the territory before the sky darkened. He needed to make good use of his time. Ever since he landed, he felt that he didn¡¯t have enough time every day. He brought everyone with him and sped off in the direction of the camp. Along the way, Jiang Chen began to inspect his spoils of war. He¡¯d obtained a total of five wooden treasure chests, three black iron treasure chests, and two silver treasure chests in the mine. In order to save time, Jiang Chen directly accepted them into his system backpack and continued to loot the other treasure chests. ¡°I¡¯ll take advantage of this time to take a good look at what¡¯s inside.¡± ¡°System notification: obtained mithril 30x, obtained watchtower blueprints, obtained fire elemental crystal 12x, obtained stamina recovery potion blueprints, obtained water well blueprints, obtained canteen blueprints.¡± The watchtower was just an ordinary building without any special attributes. It wasn¡¯t very useful. The water well and the dining hall were rather useful and could solve the problems of water and food in the territory. The most valuable thing was the blueprint for the stamina-increasing medicine. Jiang Chen swept his gaze over it, he put away the items he¡¯d obtained from the two black iron treasure chests. He placed his hand on the silver treasure chest. Opening. A burst of blue light emerged. ¡°Elemental Bow Blueprint obtained (hero), Scarlet Staff (hero), hero¡¯s certificate obtained (blue).¡± There weren¡¯t many items, but every one of them was of high quality. He suppressed his excitement. Jiang Chen examined them carefully. ¡°Elemental bow and crossbow (hero) : a blueprint for the production of crossbows and crossbows. Now and crossbow (thunder) : wood 2x, iron 2x, mithril 2x, basic thunder crystal 1x, crossbow (ten sets) made of iron 2x and mithril 1x.¡± This was a weapon used by archers. Moreover, it also carried magic damage. Its attack was off the charts. It was very reasonable! ¡°Scarlet staff (hero), effects: spellcasting speed increased by 30%, spells increased by 16%. Can store a certain amount of energy.¡± ¡°Give this to Lucy. It¡¯s very suitable to be her new staff.¡± Jiang Chen thought of the old tree root-shaped staff that Lucy held everywhere. It was about time to get a new one. He wasn¡¯t done yet, he continued to open the treasure chest! ¡°Level 3 earth spike trap technology blueprint.¡± ¡°Effects: creates an earth spike trap, able to cause 20 piercing damage to enemies passing by.¡± Very practical construction technology, able to strengthen the defense of the territory. ¡°Level 2 blueprint for the construction of city walls, sturdiness: 1000, armor: 200.¡± ¡°Erect a tall wall and hide your treasure.¡± Jiang Chen didn¡¯t know why these words had popped up in his mind. Jiang Chen recorded them into the system and prepared to build an inner wall after he returned. He then opened the wooden treasure chests one by one. They were basically all basic materials, and there weren¡¯t any other blueprints. But what made Jiang Chen happy was that there were actually over three hundred seeds in this inventory. After the system¡¯s appraisal. ¡°Sunflower seed 60x, starbeck seed 100x, shiitake seed 80x, gourd seed 28x, thorny vine seed 52x.¡± Jiang Chen still didn¡¯t know what kind of abilities these seeds would develop after he planted them. Looking at the notifications one by one, Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t help but tease, ¡°Calabash seeds? They won¡¯t grow calabash babies, will they?¡± He instantly imagined twenty-eight calabash babies surrounding him and calling him grandfather, grandfather.. Jiang Chen shook his head and didn¡¯t think about all this nonsense anymore. By the time they had finished taking stock of the basics, everyone had already arrived a few kilometers away from their territory! Chapter 33 - Harvest Exploding Potatoes Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Jiang Chen and the others returned to their territory. Parker and the others faces were worn out from travel, and the dogheads¡¯ faces, in particular, were filled with exhaustion. After all, it was normal for a group of dogheads not to be used to being in unfamiliar territory. At the same time, they were also secretly sizing up this territory. They were comparing it in their hearts. It was like the sky and the ground. The two were not on the same level! When they saw the harmonious scene in the territory, they were even more shocked. Everyone was working hard. There were changing soldiers, strong farmers, and a series of buildings that they had never seen before. To be able to build something in such a territory, they might really be able to build something. The eyes of the prophet, the leader of the dogheads, began to flicker with a light called hope. Jiang Chen wasn¡¯t surprised by this at all. ¡°Wang Ergou, take these two recruits and familiarize them with the territory.¡± Jiang Chen called over the construction worker in the territory, Wang Ergou. Wang Ergou heard the call and quickly came before Jiang Chen. He bowed to Jiang Chen. Everyone in the territory who saw Jiang Chen bowed. Then, Wang Ergou left with the dogheads. The sky had completely darkened by now. All the farmers had finished their work. They were currently eating the barbecued meat that had been prepared earlier, and the farmer aunties in charge of food began to distribute the food. Jiang Chen stood up and placed eight shadows of the level two houses in one go. He ordered the farmers to start building after finishing their meals. The eight houses were placed on the other side of the territory, next to the courtyard wall, and lined up in a row. At this moment, Lucy had also returned from patrolling nearby. A smile appeared on her face when she saw her lord. Jiang Chen randomly found an empty chair. He sat down on it and gave the scarlet staff he¡¯d prepared to Lucy. ¡°Lucy, this staff is for you.¡± Jiang Chen didn¡¯t say much and went straight to the point, handing the staff over with one hand. Her eyes immediately sparkled with little stars. It seemed that this piece of equipment was greatly welcomed by the mages. Lucy received the staff and nodded with a red face. ¡°Thank you, my Lord!¡± He raised the staff and waved it around, extremely happy. ¡°Thanks for your gift.¡± ¡°Master Lucy¡¯s loyalty to you has increased by 15 points. Current loyalty is 95.¡± As expected, her loyalty had increased greatly, and it was about to reach its peak. Once her loyalty reached 100, the subjects would be willing to carry out any of his orders. It was extremely overbearing. Moreover, her loyalty was equivalent to the advancement of her favorability. At the very least, the way Lucy looked at her now was filled with worship, as if she wanted to eat herself up. Like a wolf or a tiger¡­ ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve worked hard these past two days. Go and rest early.¡± Jiang Chen felt a little guilty and decided to get busy with the proper business first. He let her go and fiddle with the new equipment on her own. New equipment, new atmosphere. With this equipment at the level of a brave warrior, her strength would increase quite a bit. Jiang Chen continued to arrange all the building blueprints he¡¯d obtained today. The walls, traps, canteens, wells, and other buildings all appeared to be illusory. Jiang Chen ordered that construction would begin tomorrow morning and that everyone should rest early after they were done today. Jiang Chen also felt a trace of fatigue after doing all this. On the other side of the small courtyard, eight level two houses were under construction. Those dogheads gathered in the remote corners outside the small courtyard, appearing somewhat out of place. As crypt creatures, it was indeed somewhat inappropriate for them to live together with humans. These houses would be their temporary residences. When Jiang Chen had dug a mine, he would send them over and at the same time build the mine area into a third subordinate territory. Of course, there were still many problems that needed to be resolved. Jiang Chen thought for a moment and simply sat down at the entrance of the small courtyard. He hurriedly ate something before returning to the manor. The night passed without a word. Early the next morning. The territory had been bustling with activity recently. Everyone was full of energy and striving for the upper reaches. It was a scene of massive construction. Jiang Chen¡¯s heart was filled with joy when he saw that everyone was so enthusiastic. He didn¡¯t disturb them and went straight to the plantation. The first thing he did was check on the exploding potatoes. ¡°Congratulations to the host for successfully planting the first plant, the exploding potatoes have matured!¡± ¡°Effects: each exploding potato can cause 100 damages its power is strong, use it with caution!¡± Jiang Chen was shocked. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that the damage of the exploding potatoes would be so off the charts!¡± One had to know that even the wolf cavalry Parker¡¯s health was only over three hundred. This meant that three potatoes could directly kill a level six soldier. But the prerequisite was within the range of the explosion. Jiang Chen saw that the damage dealt by the exploding potatoes was the highest within five meters. The damage dealt by ten meters would be halved, and the damage dealt by twenty meters would exceed the range of the explosion. Moreover, there were two types of explosion methods for potatoes. One was the throwing type, and the other was the triggering type. Just as its name implied, it was like a grenade. It would explode when it hit something. The other was like a land mine. If someone stepped on it, they¡¯d hit the jackpot. ¡°It¡¯s very practical!¡± ¡°With this thing, even a commoner can easily kill a powerful warrior!¡± Jiang Chen looked at the hundred or so explosive potatoes. This thing couldn¡¯t be given to a commoner so easily. If they were betrayed, wouldn¡¯t that be too much of a gamble. ¡°It can be given to subjects whose loyalty exceeds 90.. This thing is a must-have when traveling at home!¡± Chapter 34 - Sword Aura Grass Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Jiang Chen put away the exploding potatoes one by one and put them into the system space. Then, he thought of something and a few cloth bags appeared in his hands. They contained the seeds of the plants he¡¯d collected on this trip. ¡°Ding! Obtained D-grade sunflower seed 60x, obtained D class mimosa seed 100x, obtained E-grade shiitake seed 80x, obtained D-grade calabash seed 28x, obtained D-grade thorny vine seed 52x.¡± ¡°D-grade?¡± Jiang Chen had only obtained e rank seeds in the past. He hadn¡¯t expected to receive even higher-ranked seeds this time. Apart from shiitake seeds, the rest were all D-grade. Jiang Chen decided to plant them all immediately. He took out his hoe and four hours later. ¡°Evolved D-grade heliotrope energy cannon: 20 days of maturity.¡± ¡°Description: A matured sunflower can shoot out 20 energy waves per minute, dealing 300 damage, evolved D-grade sword aura grass: 15 days of maturity. Description: The sword aura grass contains a rich sword aura. The user can enhance the training of the sword aura.¡± Jiang Chen expressed that he could accept the first crop, but when he saw the second crop, his jaw dropped to the size of a fist. ¡°Sword aura grass? ¡°Can it enhance your sword aura training after eating it?¡± ¡°Holy sh*t! Don¡¯t be f*cking kidding!¡± Jiang Chen was completely dumbfounded when he saw the second crop. He had never thought that this crop could be these things. This had completely overturned his worldview. ¡°Is there a crop in the entire world that can strengthen sword Qi after eating it?¡± ¡°Am I the only one who has this?¡± Jiang Chen stood rooted to the ground, dazed. ¡°Is there such a thing among high-grade seeds?¡± ¡°So far, I¡¯ve only planted E-grade and D-grade seeds.¡± ¡°And I haven¡¯t seen anything in the Lord¡¯s channel that can directly increase one¡¯s abilities!¡± Jiang Chen knew what this ability meant. It meant that Jiang Chen could instantly make people stronger! Exploding potatoes were always external objects, and their power was limited. They might not be of much use when faced with the true experts of this world. However, things that strengthened one¡¯s abilities like this were different. If Jiang Chen had placed the sword breath grass in the trading hall¡­ Everyone in the World of Lords would probably go crazy over it! ¡°Let¡¯s wait until it matures and see how it works!¡± ¡°I want to use it to make my territory stronger.¡± After seeing this seed, Jiang Chen felt that his confidence had increased to the max! As long as he made good use of such a strong seed, it would greatly increase his strength. After seeing the newly added crops, Jiang Chen had great expectations for the following buildings. He believed that he wouldn¡¯t be disappointed in the following buildings. After Jiang Chen planted the remaining seeds, he thought to himself, as expected! ¡°Evolved E-grade bewitching mushroom: 20 days of maturity. Description: releases a special type of smoke, causing a bewitching effect on the creatures covered in it.¡± ¡°Bewitching smoke, isn¡¯t this the bewitching formation?¡± ¡°Good stuff!¡± ¡°Evolved D-grade spatial gourd: mature period, 30 days, description: inside the gourd is a Sumeru space, able to hold 500 cubic meters.¡± ¡°In the future, if you encounter too many resources, you don¡¯t have to make a trip yourself. Just give them a gourd and they¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Essence D-grade strangling vine: 16 days of maturity. Description: the vine is covered with thorns that are as hard as steel. It can freely expand and contract, and can launch attacks according to the host¡¯s consciousness.¡± ¡­ Jiang Chen nodded in satisfaction after he had planted all the seeds. He still needed time for these crops to mature, but he believed that once they matured, his strength would once again take a huge lead. Calculating the time, it had already been five days since they¡¯d arrived in the world of Lords, and there were still two more days until the rookie protection period ended. ¡°What kind of scene will it be when the time comes?¡± Before this, many people didn¡¯t have any sense of crisis due to the protection period, but after the period ended, everyone would surely welcome the true face of this world! Now that the novice protection period was about to end, all the chat channels were filled with grief and fear. In these few short days, most people did not have much strength. Some lords were already ahead of a portion of people, but they were not at the top. After the novice protection period ended, these people had a certain ability to resist wild beasts, however, if they wanted to stay in their own territory, they couldn¡¯t expand their territory base. Otherwise, they would attract even more wild beasts, which would cause the territory to be unable to resist them directly. Ordinary people like these could only develop bit by bit. They couldn¡¯t just ignore it and advance by leaps and bounds. The disparity between them and people with heads like Jiang Chen would grow further and further until they were replaced. Quite a few powerful lords were expressing their excitement in the chat channel. They had experienced the cruelty of this world in the past five days. The hearts of the people were hard to fathom, and the Lords of every region might become someone else¡¯s food. Jiang Chen had more or less the ability to protect himself now, but it wasn¡¯t enough. He hadn¡¯t seen the power at the top of the world yet, so he didn¡¯t know what the situation was like. Jiang Chen sighed in his heart. He shook his head and stopped thinking about these things. The most important thing now was to continue gathering resources and strengthening the territory. ¡°No matter how strong I am, I just need to keep getting stronger. Let¡¯s level up the territory now!¡± Jiang Chen thought to himself.. Chapter 35 - Master Vader Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation He returned to the center of the territory. Jiang Chen first collected all the areas he had explored in the vicinity of the territory into his territory. Then, he took out the territory upgrade scroll. ¡°System notification: elemental crystal 20x, complete soul 5x, iron block 300x, copper block 150x, stone 500x, wood 800x.¡± Jiang Chen held the upgrade scroll in his hand. A large amount of resources had been deducted as he confirmed that he was using it. Just like the power enchantment scroll, the mid level territory upgrade scroll had also gradually turned into ashes. The ashes were blown up by an invisible wind and flew in all directions. The number continued to increase, densely packed together like a swarm of bees that swept through the entire territory. All of the subjects seemed to have sensed something and raised their heads to look in Jiang Chen¡¯s direction. Specks of ash stuck to the ceiling, ground, and walls. The entire center of the territory began to shake, and the ground began to expand at a visible rate. The walls were also growing taller. One meter, two meters, three meters¡­ ¡°Roar!¡± Red Tooth was startled awake and shrank back into the small building in fear. The little tiger was fierce when it fought, but it was also frightened at this time. It was suspected to be acting cute! Rumble! Jiang Chen could clearly feel the ground beneath him rise up. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°An extra layer?¡± ¡°And it¡¯s floating?¡± Jiang Chen couldn¡¯t help but imagine things. It would be too awesome if he could float! The entire upgrade process took a full ten minutes. ¡°System notification: intermediate territory upgrade complete.¡± At this moment, the territory was no longer trembling. The interior of the small lord¡¯s building was completely new. It looked even more detailed. The walls were snow white, and the wooden floor was patterned. Furthermore, the interior was no longer a room. ¡°This is a bedroom. I¡¯m giving away a large bed for free?¡± Jiang Chen seemed to be in a bedroom, with a bed and wardrobe. Light entered through two windows on one wall. There was only one bedroom, and the area was no different from before the upgrade. ¡°Let¡¯s go out and take a look.¡± Jiang Chen walked out of the room. The hall was outside and the area was about the same as the bedroom. There was also a brand new fireplace. The large iron door was half open in front of him. Jiang Chen walked towards the door and looked around curiously. The floor outside wasn¡¯t sand. Jiang Chen walked out of the door and was surprised to find that this was a two story building. The place where he stood was a balcony that was connected by stones. Or rather, a lookout tower! This place was semi-circular, with a curved stone wall of one-meter height surrounding it all around the edge of the semi-circular balcony. Jiang Chen stood on the balcony and looked down before turning his head back. ¡°This is¡­ an ancient castle?¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s expression was odd. The interior was modern, but the exterior was in the style of an ancient castle. The overall appearance was dark. ¡°Let¡¯s go downstairs!¡± Jiang Chen entered the hall and walked down the winding stairs. The area below was larger and more spacious than upstairs. The main door had also become an iron door. Jiang Chen pushed it open and walked out of the small building. ¡°This is about twelve to thirteen meters tall, equivalent to a small castle!¡± Looking from afar. The entire castle was filled with a heavy, ancient, and unadorned feeling. It stood there, looking indestructible. Jiang Chen walked around the territory once. He was quite satisfied with his upgraded territory. In the entire world, he was probably the only one who had leveled up so quickly! ¡­ He finished washing up and had a simple breakfast. At this moment, Parker, who had been carrying out his exploration outside, rode the giant wolf back to his territory. Apart from Parker, there seemed to be two other figures on the giant wolf. When he saw Jiang Chen, he quickly stepped forward and said, ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve discovered two people ten kilometers northwest. One is already dead and the other is unconscious. From the looks of it, they seem to be a mage.¡± ¡°Your subordinate has brought them back. Please make your decision.¡± Parker grabbed the figure on the giant wolf¡¯s body with one hand and placed it on the ground. Jiang Chen sighed inwardly. Parker could withstand anything except for a bit of a tiger! Why did you bring a dead person back¡­ However, this was also what Jiang Chen admired about Parker. He was meticulous in everything he did. The person who was still alive was unconscious and dressed in a red robe. This was the first time Jiang Chen had seen someone outside of his territory, so he ordered Lucy to perform a healing spell on him. After a few minutes of Lucy¡¯s treatment, the person opened his eyes in a daze. The man slowly woke up. But his expression was still a bit confused. ¡°You saved me?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s my lord?¡± Jiang Chen moved closer to him. He hadn¡¯t thought that he¡¯d be a handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes. But the smell on his body was truly unflattering. The mucus was emitting a strong rancid and sour smell. Jiang Chen looked at him and revealed a smile. ¡°Brave mage, it was I who saved you¡­¡± A smile was on Jiang Chen¡¯s face. From the perspective of Fa Wei, who had survived the calamity, he was like an extraordinary savior. ¡°Is this person your companion? He¡¯s already dead.¡± ¡°My soldiers were a step late and found you unconscious, so I had no choice but to save you.¡± ¡°I see that you seem to be a mage. Are you willing to pledge your loyalty to me?¡± He stood up slowly when he heard this. He glanced at the corpse with a gloomy expression. He walked slowly to the side of the corpse. He raised his head and bowed to Jiang Chen as he inquired. ¡°Respected lord, thank you for saving my life. My name is Vader.¡± ¡°Before I pledge my loyalty to you, can I first use the etiquette of fire to prevent the corpse of my old master from being desecrated?¡± So this unlucky person was the master of this mage. Jiang Chen nodded and stretched out his hand to make a gesture of please. The corpse of this unlucky person was already too horrible to look at. Even Jiang Chen, who was extremely adaptable, couldn¡¯t bear to look at it directly. He felt nauseous just by looking at it a few more times. He raised his staff and began to chant. Two seconds later, a small fireball was condensed. It shot directly at the corpse, and the flames burned fiercely. It turned the entire corpse into a fireball. ¡°Rest in peace, old lord!¡± Chapter 36 - Subdue the Subjects Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Vader lowered his head in silent mourning. Then, he turned around and walked towards Jiang Chen. He knelt down on one knee, one hand holding a fist to his heart, and the other holding a staff to the ground. ¡°In the name of the God of Fire!¡± ¡°Fire mage, Vader reporting for duty!¡± ¡°Recruitment successful, default loyalty 70.¡± After Vader swore fealty, a system notification immediately appeared. Jiang Chen nodded and patted his shoulder. ¡°Stand up, Vader. You¡¯re welcome to join us.¡± Vader nodded and stood up, but he suddenly seemed to have made a decision. He knelt down to Jiang Chen once more and said, ¡°Sir, I have a presumptuous request. I hope that you will grant it!¡± Jiang Chen glanced at Vader in puzzlement and said, ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Vader continued, ¡°There¡¯s still a group of subjects in my old lord¡¯s territory. They¡¯re all a bunch of unarmed farmers who probably can¡¯t survive on their own. They¡¯ll need your help very much.¡± Jiang Chen pondered after hearing this. He¡¯d planned to build a few more unions and recruit more people according to his plans. Now that he¡¯d met them, Jiang Chen was very willing to be a good samaritan. ¡°Bring me back to your old lord¡¯s territory. I¡¯ll settle the rest of the people in the territory properly.¡± Jiang Chen had taken a fancy to the farmer in this unlucky bastard¡¯s territory. Now was the time for the territory to develop greatly. The farmer and soldiers were of the utmost importance. Vader stood up and nodded, standing silently to the side. At this time, Jiang Chen had once again come to the side of the unlucky bastard¡¯s burning corpse. The lamp of death was extinguished. No matter how many resources you had, no matter how many treasures you had, if you were to die by accident, then everything would be for the benefit of others. Jiang Chen deeply agreed with this. Although he often took action personally, in comparison, Jiang Chen never did anything he wasn¡¯t confident in. Jiang Chen instructed Parker to lead Vader to rest and set off at noon. At noon, Jiang Chen looked at the fire mage, Vader, and said, ¡°Vader, take me to your old lord¡¯s territory now. Let us take in those poor farmers.¡± Vader nodded and bowed. ¡°My Lord, please follow me.¡± ¡°When I encountered a crisis earlier, I found a simple and crude entrance in the ruins and found this place.¡± ¡°Please follow me.¡± His attitude was very respectful. After this short period of contact, Vader saw a scene full of vitality within his territory. There was no need for others to say anything. Jiang Chen had already used his own strength to gain Vader¡¯s approval. Compared to his old master who had already cooled down. This person¡¯s ability was indeed much stronger. He might really be able to lead him back to his lost glory. Jiang Chen nodded and led the group to follow Vader. After walking for more than twenty minutes, they finally saw a tunnel with a diameter of about two meters. This tunnel wound upwards, barely enough for the group to pass in a single line. There were clearly traces of the tunnel being re-excavated. It was obvious that the previous Lord had also spent some effort to re-open this tunnel after discovering it. After carefully passing through the passage. Everyone stood in a pile of ruins. The surroundings were still mountainous forests, but the terrain was a little smoother. It looked like this was a flat piece of land on the mountainside. The ground beneath their feet was all scattered and piled up with the remains of buildings. In the gaps between them, there were some dense shrubs and weeds. ¡°My lord, the old Lord¡¯s territory is over there.¡± Vader raised his hand and pointed in a direction. He could see the dilapidated courtyard that was the lord¡¯s standard. There were a few farmers outside who were diligently gathering. They didn¡¯t seem to know that their lord had already died outside. The courtyard was less than two Li away from their current location. It would only take them a few minutes to walk. About five or six minutes later, Jiang Chen and the others arrived outside the manor. Jiang Chen was surprised to discover that the unlucky lord actually had thirty-five farmers. Apart from the initial ten farmers, he¡¯d found another twenty or so from God knows where. The farmers who were gathering also saw them and immediately stopped gathering. They stood up nervously and immediately fled back into the small courtyard. Jiang Chen and the others looked menacing. Especially Parker. The giant wolf beneath him bared its fangs and brandished its claws. It was obvious that he wasn¡¯t someone to be trifled with. Until they saw Vader. A slightly bolder farmer stood at the door and took the initiative to call out. ¡°Lord Vader, why are you with a stranger?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s our Lord?¡± Vader took a step forward and began to explain. ¡°The old lord was killed by the monsters in the underground cave. Even I almost died at the hands of the monsters.¡± ¡°Fortunately, I met Lord Jiang Chen.¡± ¡°These are all Lord Jiang Chen¡¯s soldiers. The Lord has come to save you this time.¡± ¡°Without the Lord¡¯s protection, it will be difficult for you to survive in this wilderness.¡± Vader spoke quickly. A few farmers looked at each other in dismay in the small courtyard, but no one took the first step. ¡°The suzerain is dead?¡± They seemed to still have some misgivings. Jiang Chen smiled at this moment and walked straight into the small courtyard. The farmers were greatly shocked when they saw this scene. They all cried out in alarm and curled up in a corner. In their eyes, no outsiders were allowed to set foot in the small courtyard. But now, this rule seemed to have changed. After the unlucky suzerain died, this small courtyard was no longer protected by the rules of newbie protection! They looked at the farmers who were somewhat alarmed because they¡¯d stepped into the small courtyard. The corners of Jiang Chen¡¯s mouth curled up into an amiable smile. ¡°Your suzerain is indeed dead, or else I wouldn¡¯t have been able to set foot in the small courtyard.¡± ¡°Right now, your only choice is to submit to me and join my territory.¡± ¡°I have many powerful soldiers and sufficient food. I can protect your safety and provide the most suitable accommodation in my territory.¡± Jiang Chen¡¯s voice was very calm, but his words were full of temptation. He was already able to accurately grasp the core needs of these farmers. It was nothing more than satiety and safety. These were the farmers¡¯core needs. As expected, after hearing the unfamiliar Liege¡¯s words,. These farmers all wavered. It was a pity that the unlucky liege¡¯s corpse had already been cremated by Vader, otherwise it would have been more convincing. Jiang Chen wasn¡¯t in a hurry either. These farmers needed some time. To let them think about it. He himself had already arrived at the warehouse of the territory. A prompt immediately appeared beside his hand. [ territory without an owner, do you wish to claim it? ] ¡°Yes!¡± There was nothing to hesitate about. The warehouse was fully opened in the next moment. ¡°Wood ¡Á 87, stone ¡Á 65, iron ¡Á 21, hay ¡Á 32, copper ¡Á 3, complete forest wolf skin ¡Á 1, complete young wild boar skin ¡Á 1, coarse roasted wolf meat ¡Á 3, coarse roasted wild boar meat ¡Á 6.¡± There was nothing good in the storage box, only a lot of basic resources and some simple roasted food. It seemed that this guy had killed wolves and wild boars before. It was not a problem to maintain the basic operation of the territory. Two thatched huts had been built within the small courtyard. There was a level one stove and a level one blacksmith¡¯s shop. The level of construction was quite ordinary in Jiang Chen¡¯s eyes. Apart from that, there was also a parcel in the warehouse. ¡°Zhang Chi¡¯s belongings.¡± Jiang Chen didn¡¯t intend to open the belongings of their old lord in front of the farmers. He decided to bring them back to the territory for further inspection. He put the parcel away.. Chapter 37 - Red Tooth Was Stolen Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation He turned to look at the farmers. At this moment, the farmers seemed to have received some news as well, and finally understood that their lord had indeed gone cold. As the saying goes, a wise man submits to circumstances, not to mention that these farmers were only weak and ordinary natives. They immediately came behind Jiang Chen and knelt down before him. ¡°We¡¯re willing to follow you, sir!¡± ¡°Please treat us kindly as you build your territory for you.¡± Jiang Chen nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Your decision will be very wise.¡± ¡°Zhang Fei, take these farmers and start returning to the camp.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be a problem if you¡¯re alone, right?¡± Jiang Chen called out to the spearman, Zhang Fei. Zhang Fei nodded and bowed respectfully. ¡°Sir, please be at ease. As long as I descend the mountain and return to the grasslands, I¡¯ll be able to find the location of my territory!¡± Following that, Jiang Chen spoke to Vader and Lucy. ¡°The two of you, follow the spearman as well.¡± ¡°Parker, follow me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at the situation of the territories around here.¡± Jiang Chen quickly made arrangements. There were men and women among these farmers. They were all very sturdy. Their limbs were thick and strong, and their skin was the healthy color of wheat. They set off on their return journey. They walked down the mountain towards the side of the small courtyard. Jiang Chen and Parker returned the same way to investigate. There were many ruins within the mountain and there were also many wood resources within the mountain, and there was also prey to hunt. In comparison, this place seemed to be a bit superior to the grasslands. Jiang Chen was prepared to set up an exploration camp here after the lord¡¯s territory took shape. It would be more convenient to explore this mountain forest. Jiang Chen and Parker left the mountain forest and passed through the small path they¡¯d opened up when they¡¯d arrived. ¡°Parker, do you and Zhang Fei both come from the same place?¡± Jiang Chen suddenly asked. Parker paused for a moment after hearing this question, then nodded. ¡°Yes, your Lordship.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t come from this kingdom.¡± ¡°The kingdom we¡¯re from is called Blue Moon.¡± Jiang Chen was deep in thought when he heard this. He still knew nothing about the size and territory of this world or the distribution of power within the kingdom. He only knew that this world was many times larger than Earth. There wasn¡¯t much of a technological aura about it, but its nature was closer to a magical world. There were the wolf cavalries that roamed unhindered, the vicious and terrifying monsters, and the mages that could cast magic with a wave of their hands. More importantly, this world seemed to be dominated by some sort of unimaginable power. It possessed a system of rules similar to that of a real game. ¡°Interesting, interesting.¡± Jiang Chen pinched his chin, a strange light bursting forth in his eyes. This world was truly much more interesting than the original world! ¡°Then Parker, do you still remember why you appeared in the small courtyard?¡± Jiang Chen continued to ask. When he heard this question. A trace of confusion appeared on Parker¡¯s face. ¡°I fought on the battlefield. I remember that my companions and I had already died under the enemy¡¯s blades.¡± ¡°But we entered a white room.¡± ¡°A voice told me to make a choice.¡± ¡°To choose to serve a lord, or to choose true death.¡± ¡°I chose the former, and then followed the guidance of the unseen world, waiting for the Lord¡¯s arrival!¡± Parker spoke with a reminiscing expression. ¡°I understand.¡± Jiang Chen nodded in acknowledgment. At this moment, the two had already passed through the temporary path. They had returned to the side of the path up the mountain. Jiang Chen was thinking about a problem. He subconsciously reached out to touch the tree by the side of the path. But found nothing. ¡°Eh? Where¡¯s Red Tooth?¡± Jiang Chen raised his head and sized up his surroundings with a puzzled expression. He¡¯d been worried that he¡¯d scare the farmers with the enormous Red Tooth, so he¡¯d tied it to the tree and waited for him. Only now did he realize that the Red Tooth was gone! ¡°Holy shit!¡± ¡°The world is going downhill!¡± ¡°Which wicked and impetuous fellow stole my pet?¡± Jiang Chen didn¡¯t suspect that the Red Tooth had run away. It had the effect of a contract and was almost 100% loyal to him. The only possibility was that it had been stolen. Jiang Chen unsheathed his longsword and shouted somewhat angrily! At this moment, Parker crouched on the road and discovered some clues. ¡°Your lordship, I¡¯ve discovered the hoof prints of Red Tooth descending the mountain!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go after him!¡± Jiang Chen pointed to the path down the mountain! Red Tooth was a large-scale demonic beast. It would leave obvious hoof prints on the path down the mountain. At the same time, Jiang Chen was also thinking in his heart how Red Tooth¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t weak. He had the bloodline of a demonic beast and was at level six. If he wanted to take Red Tooth away, then that person¡¯s strength was definitely not ordinary. Following the footprints. Jiang Chen didn¡¯t dawdle. He took the iron pillar and began to run wildly. He chased after them down the mountain. The advantage of the wolf cavalry¡¯s speed was revealed as they walked. In order to be fast and efficient, Jiang Chen also rode on the giant wolf. The giant wolf ran wildly down the mountain. In front of him were the boneyard and the wide meadow. The giant wolf stopped in a short while. There were a few sparse trees not far from the edge of the mountain. Two shadows, one big and one small, were standing by the side of the tree. ¡°Hohoho¡­¡± ¡°What a guy, he still dares to stop to rest!¡± ¡°If we catch him, we¡¯ll definitely get a good beating!¡± Jiang Chen panted as he rolled up his sleeves while swearing. ¡°Continue to chase!¡± The two ran at high speed towards the location of the few trees. They sprinted all the way. A dwarf with a full beard and dressed in simple light armor was lying under the tree, snoring loudly. The red teeth were all casually scattered to the side, dozing off leisurely. Jiang Chen and Parker had only walked a few meters when they smelled a strong scent of alcohol coming from the dwarf¡¯s body. Just smelling it was enough to make them choke. This was a grassy field with ventilation all around, yet they could still smell such a strong scent of alcohol. Could this dwarf in front of them have been soaking in a wine barrel for a year? Was this the dwarf? He looked really sloppy and pitiful. However, this fellow had stolen his red teeth, so he couldn¡¯t just let it go. Jiang Chen walked over and squatted down beside him. He extended his hand and gently patted his face, which had turned red from being drunk. This fellow¡¯s skin was very rough, and even his face seemed to have firm muscles. It wasn¡¯t soft at all when he patted it. ¡°Hey, hey, hey!¡± ¡°Wake up!¡± ¡­ ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­¡± What responded to him was only the even snoring and the heaving of his firm chest. Jiang Chen¡¯s face was full of black lines. He really wanted to pull out his sword and strike this careless drunkard. But he was also worried that he wasn¡¯t clear of his opponent¡¯s strength. What if it was someone even stronger than him. He suddenly thought of a solution.. Chapter 38 - Advanced Blacksmith Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation He first took out a few sturdy hemp ropes from his backpack. Then, he called Parker over and lifted the dwarf up. He took off the light armor on his body as well as the exaggerated-looking large hammer at his waist. All that was left of his body was a pair of large underpants with red stripes. Looking at his chest hair fluttering in the wind,. Jiang Chen only felt a little relieved. He then used three layers of hemp rope to hang his legs in the air and tied them firmly to the tree. Just to be on the safe side. He¡¯d practically tied the dwarf into a dumpling. After doing all this, Jiang Chen took out a large wooden bucket filled with water from his personal storage compartment. This was the spare water he¡¯d brought with him when he¡¯d left the house this morning. He stood up, picked up the wooden bucket, and poured half a bucket of clear water on the drunkard dwarf¡¯s head. ¡°Gulp¡­¡± ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± ¡°Which bastard dares disturb my sleep!¡± ¡°Watch me smash his dog head with a hammer!¡± The drunkard dwarf quivered and woke up cursing. He wanted to pull out his hammer but discovered that he¡¯d been tied to a tree with his legs suspended in the air. Even if his strength was astonishing, he couldn¡¯t use it at this moment. ¡°Human, why did you tie me up?¡± ¡°Are you a bandit or a robber?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a pauper. No one can take a copper coin from me except for the tavern!¡± He regained some clarity. He began to take the initiative to communicate with Jiang Chen. He saw Jiang Chen smile and reached out to hold Red Tooth¡¯s paw. ¡°You stole my pet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I tied you up.¡± The drunkard dwarf revealed a look of sudden understanding when he heard this. He then felt a bit embarrassed. He wasn¡¯t good with words and directly chose not to say anything. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± ¡°The entire continent is saying that the dwarf race is brave, resolute, uninhibited, and steadfast in their work. I didn¡¯t think that the dwarf race was actually good at stealing.¡± ¡°I want to know, how do you dwarves deal with thieves?¡± Jiang Chen said this on purpose in an attempt to provoke him. As expected, the drunkard¡¯s face instantly turned red again when he heard Jiang Chen¡¯s words. ¡°Bullshit! Damned human brat!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a thief!¡± The smile on Jiang Chen¡¯s face grew even wider when he saw the drunkard¡¯s expression. ¡°Then why would my pet be here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve raised it for many years, and I have a very deep relationship with it.¡± Jiang Chen put on an act and even pretended to be sad as he stroked Red Tooth¡¯s head. Red Tooth also cleverly and intimately rubbed his head against Jiang Chen¡¯s arm. This performance made the drunkard even more ashamed. ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry human boy, I was drunk¡­¡± The drunkard dwarf realized that he couldn¡¯t argue back and chose to apologize in shame. ¡°I accept your apology.¡± Jiang Chen raised his head and spoke seriously. He then took advantage of the situation to send out an invitation. ¡°I am a lord and I¡¯m currently building a great territory. I am currently lacking a skilled blacksmith in my territory.¡± ¡°Are you willing to help me?¡± Jiang Chen decisively extended an olive branch to the drunkard dwarf while he was feeling guilty. The dwarf before him wasn¡¯t weak at all, and they all said that the dwarves were skilled in forging. If a territory wanted to develop, it couldn¡¯t just have soldiers skilled in battle. It also needed talents in all aspects of construction. Blacksmiths, tailors, city construction, management, and even farming and education. These were all indispensable aspects of the territory¡¯s development. This fellow was a genius! Jiang Chen had already decided to coax and trick him into returning to the territory. The drunkard dwarf started to hesitate when he heard these words. He muttered to himself for a moment before he slowly opened his mouth and spoke out the concerns in his heart. ¡°I¡¯m a free and lazy person. I¡¯m not used to being controlled by others.¡± ¡°But will there be wine to drink in your domain?¡± That¡¯s what the drunken dwarf said. A sly smile appeared on Jiang Chen¡¯s face. ¡°Fine wine? Look at my fine wine.¡± With a flip of his hand, Jiang Chen took out the ¡°Green forest fruit wine¡± he¡¯d previously opened from the black iron treasure chest. This is a fine wine of fine quality. He just unsealed it, and placed the small wine jar in front of the drunkard dwarf¡¯s nose, and shook it a bit. ¡°Breathe¡­¡± ¡°This mellow wine fragrance¡­¡± ¡°This fresh scent¡­¡± ¡°This is a fine wine green forest fruit wine!¡± This dwarf was indeed a drunkard. He could tell what kind of wine Jiang Chen was holding just by smelling it. ¡°Good eye. As long as you agree to return to the territory with me and swear fealty to me, I¡¯ll have enough fine wine in the future.¡± Jiang Chen continued to bluff. This wave of psychological attacks and the fine wine strategy suited his tastes, almost making the drunkard dwarf limp. The dwarf smacked his lips and seemed to be considering whether or not to agree. Jiang Chen struck while the iron was hot. ¡°Your legs are on your own. If you¡¯re not satisfied with my territory, you can leave at any time.¡± Hearing Jiang Chen say this, he finally nodded. ¡°Understanding Lord, I, a member of the dwarf clan, often called Ralph¡¯s Wine Barrel, I swear allegiance to you!¡± A warm smile was on the junior¡¯s face. ¡°Good, good, good. Welcome to our territory!¡± Then, he motioned Parker to cut open all those tightly bound hemp ropes. Ralph¡¯s Wine Barrel nimbly landed on the ground. He didn¡¯t have the time to put on the light armor and equipment that Jiang Chen had stripped off, and eagerly took the green forest fruit wine from Jiang Chen¡¯s hands. He raised his thick neck and began to drink tons of wine. He took a big gulp and first quenched his thirst for wine. Only then did he carefully close the wine stopper and begin to put on his equipment. He held the wine jar and slowly followed behind Jiang Chen. ¡°Lord, please take me back to your territory.¡± Ralph¡¯s Wine Barrel had fine wine in his hands and seemed to be very satisfied with the current situation. Of course, Jiang Chen was also very satisfied. Where could he find a high-level blacksmith who would be completely loyal to him as long as he gave him wine? After Ralph¡¯s Wine Barrel declared his loyalty. Jiang Chen could already see some of his information. ¡°Dwarf warrior: Ralph¡¯s Wine Barrel, aptitude: 4 stars, level: LV30, attributes: (the difference in level is too large to be checked). Hunger: 73, loyalty: 65.¡± Jiang Chen hadn¡¯t been able to check his detailed attributes. However, his four-star aptitude and LV30 level were enough to prove that this fellow¡¯s combat ability was far more reliable than his drunken appearance. Fortunately, his loyalty was still at 65 points. As long as he was properly nurtured and had more good wine, his loyalty would be nurtured sooner or later. Not only could this fellow be a blacksmith, but he was also a dwarf warrior of high rank and aptitude. Jiang Chen smiled with great satisfaction and mounted Red Tooth, waving at the dwarf Ralph¡¯s Wine Barrel and Parker.. Chapter 39 - Was Rich in Resources Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll return to the territory first.¡± He jogged in the direction of returning to the camp. The dwarf and Parker followed behind him. Jiang Chen began to look through the previous Lord¡¯s parcel with peace of mind. He hadn¡¯t looked through it carefully before. Putting aside the copper, iron, mithril, and other items, there were quite a few blueprints. ¡°Blueprints for the construction of a third rank residence, requirements: wood and stone 75x, iron 38x, hemp rope 53x, area: 20 square meters, sturdiness: 300. Armor of the building: 20, recovers 5 per hour, can accommodate 6 people.¡± Jiang Chen clapped his hands and the blueprints turned into a streak of white light, which he recorded into the system. ¡°Medium grade fertile field blueprint, quality: rare, requirement, wood 60x, stone 55x, iron 38x, hemp rope 53x, elemental crystal 12x. Construction time: 4M, area: 100 square meters. Description: a medium grade fertile field can reduce the growth time of crops by 30%.¡± This complete blueprint was simply too good. ¡°This unlucky Lord¡¯s possessions are so good, why is he doing so badly?¡± Jiang Chen was a bit puzzled. But he didn¡¯t know that some people were like this. They held a pile of good things but didn¡¯t have the strength to compare. ¡°Looks like he doesn¡¯t have so many materials to build!¡± After thinking this through, Jiang Chen shook his head and smiled as he continued to check. ¡°Acquired : inn building blueprint, quality: excellent, requirements: wood 200x, stone 180x, iron 35x, copper 20x, area: 160 square meters, sturdiness: 1,500, building armor: 60.¡± Jiang Chen also recorded the rare inn building blueprint into the system first so that it wouldn¡¯t take up too much space in his backpack. A tavern wasn¡¯t of much use before there was a steady supply of wine. Although he still had some fruit wine in his hands, it probably wouldn¡¯t be enough for a veteran drunkard like the Wine Barrel. ¡°Blueprint for cellar construction, quality: normal, requirements: wood 50x, iron 20x, stone 50x, underground space: 3 cubic meters, sturdiness: 1,000, building armor: 10.¡± ¡°Excavating underground cellars can be used as emergency shelters. I might be able to build a few in the future and use them as emergency shelters or wine cellars.¡± Jiang Chen clicked his tongue in wonder. He clapped his hands and grasped the blueprint first. At the same time, he added it to the construction list in his heart. ¡°Mark of the wild, summon three giant earth bears at level 20 after use. The duration of the summon is one hour, and can only be used once. Requirements: Complete Soul 10x, Elemental Crystal 13x.¡± A one-time use summoning tool. It was also a very good tool and could be used at critical moments! Jiang Chen put away the ¡°mark of the wild¡±. ¡­ Jiang Chen thought about how to use these things as he rode on Red Tooth. He was quite relaxed. Battle exploration was indeed an excellent way to increase one¡¯s strength. An hour passed by in the Blink of an eye as he continued to think and advance. Jiang Chen was now able to see the walls of his territory from a distance through the open grasslands. The farmers were sitting and resting in the grassy plains outside the small courtyard as they entered the territory. Each of them held a piece of roasted meat in their hands. Lucy rode on a black panther and inspected her surroundings meticulously. She saw Jiang Chen¡¯s group at this moment and waved at him. Jiang Chen also waved back in greeting. Although he¡¯d only been out for half a day, he had the illusion that he¡¯d been gone for a long time. Ten minutes later. The three arrived at the territory. The farmers rose one after another when they saw Jiang Chen return. They bowed and saluted. ¡°Your lordship has worked hard!¡± Jiang Chen nodded with a smile. He turned over his body. He bolted the Red Tooth to the door. He walked quickly into the castle. After two days of gathering and exploration,. The storage compartment in the system¡¯s backpack was clearly stretched to the limit. However, the upgrade of the territory¡¯s storage box did require blueprints. Jiang Chen spent a few gold coins and directly upgraded it to ¡°Level 2 territory¡¯s storage box¡±. The storage capacity became 80 slots. Jiang Chen tidied up his supplies. ¡°Gold coins: 1380, wood 1021x, stone 2402x, iron 357x, mithril 32x, copper 30x, elementary elemental crystal 41x, crystal 87x.¡± He also possessed fire, earth, and water elemental crystals along with a lot of food. ¡°Refined wheat bread 14x, refined fruit wine 10x, fresh wolf meat 10x, coarse roasted wolf meat 3x, coarse roasted wild boar meat 6x.¡± This material reserve could be said to be extremely abundant. And these were only the basic materials. It didn¡¯t take into account the various kinds of forging raw materials, as well as various tools with different effects. Jiang Chen looked at the warehouse full of materials and felt a sense of security fill his heart. He walked out of the small courtyard. He was prepared to construct all the blueprints in his hands. Lucy walked over at this moment. When she saw the dwarf uncle, her brows furrowed at first, then her expression changed again, and she immediately returned to her normal appearance. Lucy¡¯s talent was the grasp of nature, and she was extremely sensitive to the surroundings. She also discovered the power of this drunkard uncle. But then she thought that her lord should know everything, so she was relieved. The dwarf uncle, Ralph¡¯s Wine Barrel, held the wine jar and casually found a quiet corner by the wall of the small courtyard, and began to drink happily. There was no need for food or wine. He drank the alcohol like water, he was seriously an old drunkard.. Chapter 40 - A Peaceful Night Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation At this moment, the whistles of the wolf cavalry rang out from afar. Parker was walking at the very front, while Master Vader followed beside him. Behind him was a group of farmers. There were many of them, and in addition, the farmers¡¯ footsteps were rather slow, so they walked at the very back. After trekking, the farmers were finally sent back to their territory in a satisfactory manner. Jiang Chen finally let out a sigh of relief. ¡°My lord, we¡¯ve completed our mission of escorting and brought the farmers safely back to the territory.¡± Parker bowed as he spoke. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. Go and rest.¡± Foot Cheng smiled approvingly. The long journey was the most tiring, so he let them rest without assigning any tasks. He called Wang Ergou over to settle the new farmers. After all this was done, Jiang Chen was completely at ease and was ready to go rest. It was already past ten o¡¯clock in the evening. Apart from the patrolling troops, the vast majority of the soldiers had also rested. Because the number of houses was insufficient, the newly recruited farmers could only rest in the open air next to the atom, close to the courtyard walls. The clear water normally used in the territory was filled by the soldiers left behind in wooden buckets and placed next to the walls of the courtyard. More than a dozen buckets were half empty. The population in the territory was increasing. The daily consumption was increasing. The problem of eating, drinking, and defecating had turned from a hidden problem into a problem that needed to be solved urgently. The farmers and soldiers often found a lush grassland near the territory to solve it quietly. At first, the small population of the territory was nothing. But now, the problem was gradually starting to show itself. As long as a gust of wind blew past, one could smell the faint scent of feces floating in the air. It was just like the mouth of a receding sewer. The stench wasn¡¯t bad, but some of the odors were horrendous. These were all real problems. The development of the territory couldn¡¯t avoid solving these matters of eating, drinking, and defecating. Jiang Chen shook his head and put these problems to heart. He would pay attention to the ways to solve these problems in the near future. He took off the equipment on his body, bare-chested, picked up a wooden bucket, and began to wash up simply. Jiang Chen picked up the cool water and continuously wiped his body. As the strength of the territory increased, his body also became stronger and more beautiful. Every muscle was perfectly accentuated. He was now muscular, well-proportioned, and powerful! His upper body was wet, and beads of water slid down his undulating body. Under the silvery-white moonlight, specks of light reflected off his body. ¡°Whew! How refreshing!¡± Jiang Chen scooped up a handful of water and splashed it all over his face in one go. He let out a comfortable sound. He wiped his face and prepared to go upstairs to sleep in a refreshed state. He¡¯d just turned his head when he froze on the spot and rubbed his eyes. Just a moment ago, he seemed to have seen a figure flash past the balcony behind him. When he focused his gaze, there was nothing there. The center of the territory was still within the range of the novice¡¯s protection. It was absolutely impossible for outsiders to enter. ¡°Are my eyes playing tricks on me?¡± Jiang Chen curled his lips and walked into the small building. He went straight up to the second floor and returned to his own room. He lay on his bed and searched through his private chat. There were fewer and fewer things of value. Many lords weren¡¯t willing to use precious blueprints, skill books, or exchange for food or basic supplies after completing their initial accumulation. This was within Jiang Chen¡¯s expectations, and was an inevitable stage of development for the Lords. Jiang Chen took a look and finally selected a few blueprints that were of some value to him. ¡°Basic toilet construction blueprints. Elemental arrow tower construction blueprints. Drainage construction blueprints.¡± He spent a total of 60 pieces of iron and some barbecued meat to obtain all of them. It was better than nothing. Jiang Chen entered all of these blueprints into the system. He yawned, turned over, and fell into a deep sleep. This was the third night Jiang Chen had spent since he¡¯d landed, and it was also a quiet night. There were only twelve hours left until the end of the novice period. It was exactly a week since he¡¯d landed at noon the next day. He had a good night¡¯s sleep and woke up naturally. He twisted his neck and sat down on the bed. He glanced at the time and saw that it was just past six in the morning. There were unknown birds chirping outside the small building. A new day had arrived! He stood up and stood by the window to gaze at the scenery in his territory. His thoughts had already drifted into the distance. After putting on his equipment, Jiang Chen walked downstairs. The soldiers had long since woken up and were moving about freely in high spirits. Because he hadn¡¯t had the time to arrange a place for Ralph¡¯s Wine Barrel, this fellow had spent the entire night by the wall. He didn¡¯t mind much and seemed to have gotten used to being outside. At this moment, Zhang Fei immediately stood up when he saw Jiang Chen appear. He came before him and began to meticulously report the situation from last night. He was in charge of patrolling and hunting last night. ¡°My Lord, a total of nine wild beasts were killed during last night¡¯s hunt. I¡¯ve already placed the corresponding materials into the territory¡¯s storehouse.¡± ¡°In addition, I¡¯ve discovered some unusual places around the territory.¡± ¡°A catacomb has appeared four or five kilometers north of the territory, exuding a terrifying aura.¡± ¡°These catacombs is covered with an invisible seal. There¡¯s also a strange countdown on it, so I¡¯m unable to enter.¡± ¡°I think we need to be on guard.¡± Jiang Chen listened attentively to his report. He couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°Catacombs?¡± ¡°Countdown¡­ ?¡± Could it be¡­ ¡°Come, take me to take a look.¡± Jiang Chen thought for a moment and sensed that something was amiss. He decided to go and take a look at the scene. He summoned Red Tooth and had Zhang Fei lead the way, heading north..