Lord Of The World : I Become The Lord Of The Desert From The Start

by Stayrr

Billions of people around the world were transmigrated to the game world of “Shining Era.” Everyone became lords and possessed their own land. They recruited troops, gathered resources, occupied mines, attacked cities and built up their empires. In this world of lords, the most important resource was the troop lairs where they could recruit troops. However, the potential of these l

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LORD OF THE WORLD: I BECOME THE LORD OF THE DESERT FROM THE START

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Billions of people around the world were transmigrated to the game world of "Shining Era." Everyone became lords and possessed their own land. They recruited troops, gathered resources, occupied mines, attacked cities and built up their empires. In this world of lords, the most important resource was the troop lairs where they could recruit troops. However, the potential of these lairs was fixed. If anyone wanted to obtain a top-level troop, they could only do so by defeating powerful wild troops and occupying their lairs. However, Richard discovered that he could actually improve the level of troop lairs directly. From then on, various powerful troops were groomed by him. When the other players were still leaping with joy from obtaining a high-level troop, behind Richard were a Desert Pharoah, a Demonic Scorpion King, a Mechanical Giant, a Demon Baron, a Blood Archduke, a Five-colored Evil Dragon, and a Fallen Angel. From that day on, a prosperous and dazzling oasis city was established in the desert. As for Richard, he became the ruler of the desert.

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Chapter 1: Author's Note: Tip List

I'm Dreaming — 4,500 starting points

Where Can I Live — 2,000 starting points

Kagura Ji Ji — 1,600 starting points

Green Lotus Mantra — 1,000 starting points

Walking Devil — 600 starting points

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Broken Soul — 200 starting points

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Deer Man Jia — 200 starting points

Green Leaf IG — 200 starting points

Deep Alley Large — 200 starting points

Night Moon QR — 100 starting points

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Di Hanfeng — 100 starting points

Ghost Apostle — 100 starting points

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Save Youdian — 100 starting points

Wu Jieyan — 100 starting points

I hope the next story won't disappoint people. Thank you again~

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Lord Of The World: I Become The Lord Of The Desert From The Start #Chapter 2 - Read Lord Of The World: I Become The Lord Of The Desert From The Start Chapter 2 Online - All Page - Novel Next

Chapter 2: Chapter 1: Global Transmigration

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

[Ding~ The "Shining Era" has officially started. Transmigration has been selected: Blue Star…the transmigration has begun.]

[Ding~ The transmigration has been completed. The number of participants this time is 20 billion.]

[Welcome to the 'Shining Era'.]

[Divine gods govern over this world. They practice magic, alchemy, and everything you can think of.]

[Everyone can become lords and participate in the war among empires…]

[Every lord will be randomly given an initial military lair. You can use resources to recruit soldiers and build a troop.]

[The resources, troops, lairs, heroes, and treasures are the five most important resources in this glorious universe. Please explore them on your own.]

[Everything is possible. You may choose to live or die. You may either remain impoverished or aim for the crown. You may pursue the demonic path or ignite the celestial fire. You can even become immortal…]

Richard, who had just finished work, heard the mechanical voice in his ears. Before he could react, a dizzying feeling overtook him.

When he opened his eyes again, a rough-looking hall appeared before him.

There were twelve evenly distributed stone pillars supporting a tall sunken roof. The gray stone wall looked as though they were hundreds of years old.

There were more than ten chairs around the long black table in the middle. A thick layer of dust was gathering on it. With a single swipe, a mark would form.

The left and right sides had two large wooden windows. They were not covered by glass. The dazzling light shone in from the outside. Everything in the room became clearly visible.

The whole atmosphere was indescribably strange.

Only then did Richard regain his senses. When he thought of the information he had just heard, he was extremely shocked.

The "Shining Era" is the first virtual game that the top ten game developers in the world have jointly developed!

"What's going on?! Did the game fuse with reality?"

He was even in a rush to go home after work earlier. After all, the game had been promoted for several years, and it was finally going to be released for public testing in the evening.

This time, the world should have publicly tested it.

But wasn't this too ridiculous?!

At this moment, the mechanical voice he had just heard rang in his ears again.

[Ding~ You have randomly entered a desert lair and drawn the base of the initial troop — Mummy Pyramid (Normal 3 stars).]

[Ding~ You have become a Desert Lord. Your bloodline has begun to awaken. You have gained a special talent for growth — Desert Lord (Current Level: C).]

Along with the notification sound, an attribute panel appeared in Richard's mind.

[Richard]

[Level: 1(0/100)]

[Identity: Lord of Twilight City]

[Camp: Desert Camp (Neutral)]

[Territory: Twilight City (Level 1 Village)]

[Troop Lair: Mummy Pyramid (Normal 3-stars)]

[Talent: Desert Lord — Special Growth Talent (Current Level: C). You are the master of the desert. You can predict the arrival of the sandstorm, and you have mastered thedesertification ability.]

[Desertification: C-rank — It can turn the body into sand and reduce 99% of physical damage received. It will devour sand to recover from injuries. It can last for 10 minutes. (Cooldown Time: 1 hour).]

[You can bestow your strength to the troops you recruit. Effect: Your subordinates will receive the D-rank Skill — Desertification.]

[Desertification: D-rank — It can turn the body into sand and reduce 99% of physical damage received. It will devour sand to recover from injuries. It can last for 5 minutes. (Cooldown Time: 2 hours).]

[Strategic Treasure: None]

[Description: You are just a Desert Lord with some special abilities. Other than that, there is nothing extraordinary.]

Richard looked at his attribute panel a few times. He had a subtle expression on his face.

Was an extremely rare growth-type skill randomly introduced on the official website?

This attribute seemed to be pretty good as well...

After taking a few deep breaths, Richard finally suppressed the shock in his heart.

His eyes revealed a complicated expression.

"I didn't expect to encounter such a thing after only working for half a year. The merging of the game and the real world is simply ridiculous. Fortunately, I'm full and my family isn't hungry, so I have nothing to worry about..."

As a young man with a big heart who had been baptized by all kinds of strange knowledge, he quickly adjusted his current state of mind.

No matter how he played here, the real world was just more realistic.

Richard's eyes revealed some excitement.

He had been yearning for the game "Shining Era" for a long time. Ever since this project was announced, Richard had been thinking about it. He had read the public information countless times.

Now, it could be considered that his wish had come true...but the process was a bit terrifying.

What were his territory and military base like then?

Richard left the hall with a heart full of anticipation.

He stepped out of the door.

There was a courtyard outside the hall. The flat ground was paved with bluestone.

The gray stone wall outside, which was more than three meters high, blocked a part of his vision.

Looking at the sky, Richard could see an endless blue color. It was clear and transparent.

The air, however, was slightly dry. His breathing made him slightly uncomfortable.

Richard glanced around, and his gaze was quickly drawn to a three-meter-tall pyramid in the corner of the front yard.

The ancient and simple pyramid looked rugged. It was as if it was formed after countless years of being blown by the wind.

Richard stepped forward and looked carefully. Afterward, the attributes of the building appeared in his mind.

[Mummy Pyramid]

[Level: Normal 3-stars]

[Recruit Type: Mummy (Normal 3-stars)]

[Recruit Quantity: 14]

[Weekly Output: 7]

[Recruitment Requirements: 4 gold coins, 4 units of wood, 4 units of stone]

[Description: An ordinary desert troop's lair.]

Was this the troop's lair?

Richard was in high spirits.

Just when he thought this was everything, a translucent line of text appeared at the bottom of the attribute panel.

[Black Gold System is activated...]

[The activation is successful.]

[Mummy Pyramid (Normal 3-stars) — 10 normal desert troop's lair can upgrade it to Elite 3-stars.]

Richard was shocked as his eyes widened.

Black Gold System? Wasn't this the system of a single-player game that he had played before?

That game was developed by a friend of his, and he asked Richard to try it out. However, due to the difficulty of the game, Richard complained a few times, so the other party specially created this system for him.

The function of this system was very simple. It could strengthen all kinds of things without limit.

It was actually activated in this world?!

A strong sense of excitement rose in Richard's heart.

He had browsed through the information of the game 'Shining Era' countless times on the official website.

The troop lair was the most important thing in the game. It had special features and could not be upgraded.

If he wanted to obtain a powerful troop lair, Richard could only attack the gathering point of the others in the wild. Thereafter, he would be able to rebuild the lair.

But now, he could directly consume resources to raise the level of the troop lair!

Was this reasonable? This was simply too reasonable...

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Chapter 3: Chapter 2: Forum Chat and Lair Upgrade

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

While Richard was excitedly studying the Black Gold System, a mechanical notification rang in his ears again.

[Ding~ The forum has opened. Please check it yourself.]

Forum?

This was truly like playing a game...

With a thought, a new panel appeared in Richard's mind.

There were three significant sections on it:

[Forum Chat, [Trading Market, and [Territory Ranking].

At present, only [Forum Chat] and [Trading Market] were lit up. The gray-colored [Territory Ranking] could not be opened.

Richard opened [Forum Chat] first. He wanted to know what was going on.

[F*ck the game developers! You're bastards! Have you been planning this all along?]

[Why did our world merge with a game? Can anyone explain this?]

[The moment I opened my eyes, my kindergarten son waved a wolf skull in front of me. I was almost scared to death.]

[Science died. Once I have time, I will just burn paper…]

[I want to call the police! I want to file a complaint! Curse this life!]

[I wandered randomly and ended up in the territory of orcs. The first troop lair consisted of f*cking orc laborers. Sh*t, these creatures only know how to work. But a wolf pack is outside my territory!]

[Hahaha, my troop lair has a griffin. Its level is Elite 1-star!!]

[Someone, save me! A bear is lurking outside my territory. If it rushes in, my weak soldiers won't be able to stop it at all!]

[Who knows how to get home? My home is in Riverrun City. I have at least twenty unoccupied rooms. I'm willing to give ten to anyone who can send me back!]

[This must be a prank, right? I don't want to come to this damned place!]

[You idiots! Do you still want to return? Only god can make the entire world transmigrate! Since he let me do so, I will uphold the will of heaven. I shall become this world's main character! You just wait. When I ascend, I'll send you all back!]

[Just asking for help, how can I gather resources? I only managed to recruit half of my troops. I can't recruit them anymore…]

There was no response.

There were tens of thousands of incoming posts. They already replaced the previous ones on the forum. There were various topics being discussed.

Some people were at a loss. Many of them kept asking for help in returning to the real world.

On the other hand, some ambitious people were eager to try and explore the game world.

After looking at the forum for a long time, Richard's complicated feelings gradually eased up.

There were so many people. He was not alone.

After thinking for a while, he opened the [Trading Market].

Unexpectedly, Richard thought there would be nothing, but there were all kinds of resources.

[Beast Head — sold for 10 gold coins.]

[Bloody Fangs — sold for 5 units of stone.]

[Special Ore — sold for 8 units of wood.]

It had only been 10 minutes. Richard didn't know how players could gather so many strange things in the beginning.

However, the most common thing here was the exchange of various resources.

[10 gold coins — sold for 10 units of wood.]

[10 units of wood — sold for 10 units of stone.]

[10 units of stone — sold for 10 units of iron ore.]

According to the official website of the "Shining Era", resources were divided into common resources and rare resources. They were mainly used to recruit soldiers and build various structures.

[Common resources — gold coins, stone materials, wood, iron ore.]

[Rare resources – gemstones, sulfur, mercury, and crystals.]

Different types of soldiers required different resources for recruitment.

Low-level soldiers only needed common resources for recruitment. High-level soldiers required rare resources, and the same was true for structures.

Richard glanced at his attribute panel. The resources column at the bottom was displayed.

[Gold coins: 2,000]

[Wood: 2,000 units]

[Stone Materials: 2,000 units]

[Iron Ore: 2,000 units]

As for the four rare resources, all of them were empty.

These were certainly the basic resources given by the system.

Richard thought about it. The Mummy Pyramid could recruit 14 mummies, and it only needed 12 units of resources for recruitment...

After calculating, he could spend most of the resources.

However, since Richard has the Black Gold System, directly recruiting was too wasteful.

After all, Richard could upgrade a Normal 3-star Mummy Pyramid to Elite 3-star. Recruiting an elite was surely many times better than a normal one.

He immediately started searching in the [Trading Market].

Troop lair core...

Just as Richard was searching, a piece of information appeared in his mind:

[The materials purchased in the 'Trading Market' would be directly stored in the 10 cubic meters of space gifted by the system.]

Richard understood and continued to check.

Everyone's starting point was random. There were still many lucky people.

Some directly went for elite-level troop lairs while some obtained several lair cores.

The proportion of these people was low. However, based on the huge data of 20 billion, even if there were only one-thousandth, their numbers would still be tens of millions.

Among them, some chose to store the core of the troop lair for their use, but some planned to exchange it for resources.

But then, it was just the beginning, and the price was a little volatile. The high ones were a few thousand, and the low ones were a few hundred units of resources.

After spending some time, Richard screened out the core of the troop lair of the desert camp. He bought it directly when he saw a suitable one.

[Do you want to spend 400 units of wood to buy the core of the Desert Poison Rat's Troop Lair?]

[Do you want to spend 500 gold coins to buy the core of the Desert Lizard Troop Lair?]

[Do you want to…]

Looking at the troop lair core kept in his bag, Richard was in a great mood.

Ten troop lairs cost him 4000 units of resources.

Under his deliberate control, 1000 units of gold coins, wood, stone, and iron ore were left.

With a thought, ten newly purchased lairs appeared in his hands.

They were thumb-sized and crystal clear, like pure crystal.

He picked one up.

[Desert Viper Lair]

[Level: Normal 1-star]

[Construction Requirements: 200 gold coins, 200 units of stone, 200 units of wood]

[Description: After construction, you can recruit a Normal 1-star soldier — Desert Viper.]

The resources required to build a troop lair are not that much. Why did so many people sell their lairs? Didn't they develop their soldiers in the early stages?

While Richard was thinking, the Black Gold System appeared again.

[Mummy Pyramid (Normal 3-star) – Using 10 normal desert troop lair cores will upgrade it to Elite 3-star. The conditions have been met. Do you want to upgrade it?]

Richard retracted his wandering thoughts and chose to confirm with anticipation and excitement.

In the next second, the 10 troop lair in his hands turned into a white stream of light and surged into the pyramid in front of him.

'Kacha!'

Following a crisp sound, the 3-meter-tall pyramid rose rapidly like a bamboo shoot.

It only stopped after reaching 4 meters.

[The upgrade is successful.]

[Mummy Pyramid (Elite 3-stars) — By consuming 10 elite troop lair cores, the pyramid can be upgraded to Rare 1-star.]

[Note 1: Ten ordinary lair cores can be combined into an elite one.]

[Note 2: Level has been upgraded. The troop lair can only be upgraded again after a 7-day cooldown.]

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Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Elite Bandaged Mummy

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

After the eye-catching notification, the Black Gold System went silent.

Richard laughed out loud.

His mood instantly brightened up.

However, the requirements for the next upgrade would be higher. It would require a total of 10 elite-grade troop lair.

If he used a normal-grade nest core, he would be able to synthesize a hundred.

Richard looked at the notification again. When he saw the inconspicuous second note, the corner of his mouth twitched.

"I almost forgot about this. When that guy created the Black Gold System, he deliberately added a cooldown time to prevent me from clearing the level so quickly…"

However, this was not a big deal. Richard just needed to train a few more troops.

He suddenly wanted to thank his friend who developed the game. As long as his skills were a little better, he would not be able to get this cheat...

Richard opened the Mummy Pyramid's attribute panel.

[Great Pyramid]

[Level: Elite 3-stars]

[Recruit Type: Bandaged Mummy (Elite 3-stars)]

[Recruit Quantity: 14]

[Weekly Output: 7]

[Recruitment Requirements: 40 gold coins, 40 units of wood, 40 units of stone]

[Description: It is an ordinary desert troop lair.]

After leveling up, the resources required for recruitment increased quite a bit.

Previously, 12 units of gold coins could recruit a mummy, but now it required 120 units.

But the price paid was worth it!

This was a hard-earned win.

Richard smiled brightly. He wondered how strong an Elite 3-star Bandaged Mummy would be?

He didn't hesitate and chose to recruit all of them.

Fourteen bandaged mummies cost 560 gold coins, 560 units of wood, and 560 units of stone.

After the resources on the attribute panel dropped by a large margin, the pyramid emitted a gray light, and its appearance became hazy.

It was as if the night had covered the earth. The sky was not yet dark.

The sound of stones breaking could be heard from the haze.

'Sha!'

An arm wrapped in white bandages broke out of the pyramid.

A mummy climbed out of the pyramid in front of Richard.

One after another...

Fourteen mummies appeared in front of him in the same way.

Richard stared at them.

"Isn't appearing like this a little too flashy?"

"Fortunately, you guys didn't climb out of a television."

After the bandaged mummies appeared, they weren't afraid of the sun.

Their appearances were more heart-shaking than those in movies and television shows.

Their bodies were tightly wrapped in white bandages, even their faces were the same. Only a pair of hollow, eyeless eyes were exposed.

Their shriveled palms were like dried branches, and their nails were so sharp that they could tear through armor.

Their bodies emitted an ancient and rotten aura as if they had just crawled out of a coffin.

Ordinary people would feel fear even if they took a glance at them.

Richard nodded his head in satisfaction. Only weaklings would like a cute beast-eared girl. A real man should fight against a mummy.

He opened his attribute panel.

[Bandaged Mummy]

[Level: 1]

[Potential: Elite 3-star]

[Skills: Body of Death — LRB (E-rank). No fear of pain, no fear of death, and immune to poison, plague.]

[Corpse Bandage — (E-rank). Reduces physical damage by 30%. The bandage carries plague. The infected person will enter a weakened state, and all stats will be reduced by 20%. If not treated, they will gradually die.]

[Sharp Claw Tearing — LRB (E-rank). Finger sharpness increased by 30%. Sturdiness increased by 30%.]

[Race Talent: When fighting in the desert, stamina and recovery speed of injuries will be increased by 50%.]

[Fetters: When the number of mummies is greater than 10, the strength of all mummies will be increased by 10%. When the number of mummies is greater than 30, strength will be increased by 20%. When the number of mummies is greater than 50, the strength will be increased by 30%. Furthermore, the infection rate of the plague will increase by 30%. The negative effects of the mummies will increase by 30%.]

[Description: If you use their bandages to hang yourself, you will surely die from the plague in the end.]

Although Richard did not have specific attributes such as strength and vitality, he could still see that his attributes were not bad.

Richard nodded slightly.

If that was the case, he was still an Elite 3-star soldier.

After thinking for a while, he opened his attribute panel and looked down.

[Talent: Desert Lord — Special Growth Talent (Current Level: C). You are the master of the desert. You can predict the arrival of the sandstorm, and you have mastered the desertification ability. You can permanently bestow your subordinates with the ability. Effect: Your subordinates will receive the D-rank Skill — Desertification.]

This was his special growth skill. It was currently C-rank.

Richard's luck was not inferior to those players who directly obtained the elite or even higher-level lairs.

He looked at the mummy in front of him.

He slowly extended his right hand.

In an instant, his palm emitted yellow-sand-like light.

The fourteen mummies were enveloped within.

[Ding~ Under your blessing, the 14 bandaged mummies have obtained a new skill — Sand Transformation (D-rank).]

[Sand Transformation: D-rank. It reduces 99% of physical damage. It can devour yellow sand to recover from injuries. It can last for 5 minutes. (Cooldown Time: 2 hours).]

Richard laughed.

He was immune to 99% physical damage and could even devour sand to recover. Wasn't this skill invincible?

Moreover, he was in the desert. Wouldn't these bandaged mummies become unkillable cockroaches?

More importantly, he could bestow this skill to his subordinates without restrictions.

In the future, his troops would naturally have one more skill than the other lords' troops...

Moreover, as his growth talent level continued to increase, the skills he could bestow in the future would also increase.

His potential was limitless.

After recovering from his excitement, Richard looked at the 14 mummies in front of him. Their bodies were wrapped in bandages, and only their empty eye sockets could be seen.

He waved his hand.

Letting them follow behind him, he took the lead and walked out of the place protected by the wall.

The door in the middle was open.

Richard stepped out.

The next moment, he was stunned.

At this time, hundreds of anxious residents gathered at the entrance. These residents were wearing ragged clothes made of coarse cloth. Their eyes were evasive, and their expressions were very cautious.

After seeing him, everyone's breathing slowed down.

When the mummy appeared, many people became even more panicked. They grabbed the hem of their clothes tightly and suddenly lowered their heads, not daring to look directly in front of them.

Amidst the oppressive atmosphere, an old man with white hair and a long white robe staggered out of the crowd.

He nervously came in front of Richard and knelt respectfully on the ground.

He shouted bravely.

"Lord, your humble subjects welcome you..."

It was an extremely strange language. Richard was sure that he had never heard it in his twenty years of life.

As he was puzzled, a stream of information surged into his mind. He absorbed the pronunciation, definition, and countless information.

It was the common language of the mainland.

At this moment, Richard finally understood what the other party was saying.

Richard was a little absent-minded. In an instant, he had mastered a new language.

Was this...a beginner's benefit?

The crowd at the back, led by an old man, suddenly regained their senses. One by one, they hurriedly knelt on the ground as if they were afraid of falling behind.

"Welcome, Lord..."

The voice rose and fell, carrying the fear of a mouse seeing a cat.

Just as Richard was about to speak, a system notification sounded in his ear.

[Ding~ You have officially taken over the territory. You are free to check the territory panel.]

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Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Territory Attribute

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Richard's eyes lit up, and he immediately opened the [Territory Ranking].

[Twilight City]

[Territory: Level 1 Village (2,000 gold, stone, wood, and iron for upgrading)]

[Architecture: Basic Lord's Mansion (1), Basic Residence (10), Basic Blacksmith Shop (1), Basic Barracks (1)]

[Special Building: None]

[Empty Space: 10 squares]

[Residents: Human (100 people)]

[Resources: gold (1,440 pieces), wood (1,440 units), stone (1,440 units), iron ore (2,000 units)]

[Rare Resources: mercury (0), sulfur (0), crystal (0), gemstone (0)]

[Occupied Resource Points: None]

[Territory Attribute: Yellow Sand Land (Under the protection of Lord Richard, the residents of Twilight City will not get lost in the desert, and their stamina consumption in the desert will be reduced by 30%.)]

[Troop Lair: Great Pyramid (Elite 3-stars)]

[Soldier Type: Bandaged Mummy (Elite 3-stars) (14)]

[Hero: None]

[Description: An incomparably small territory. Perhaps, the sneeze of a powerful creature could destroy it.]

The stats panel of the territory displayed everything.

Although there were a few things, the stats of the territory seemed to be pretty good.

Residents would not get lost in the desert, and they could reduce their stamina consumption by 30%. It was quite practical.

The residents kneeling on the ground noticed that Richard did not move for a long time, and cold sweats broke out on their foreheads.

The uneasiness in their hearts became more and more intense.

"Lord?"

The leader who was kneeling at the front spoke in a weak tone. He half-raised his head and let out a soft sigh. His tone was perturbed.

Only then did Richard come back to his senses. He coughed lightly and spoke in the common language of the continent he had just mastered.

"Rise, my people."

"This is Twilight City, my territory, and also everyone's home. There's no need to be so nervous."

Hearing this, the old man immediately heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he sincerely bowed to Richard before standing up.

The other residents who had stood up looked at Richard worriedly, nervously, and excitedly.

"The Lord seriously doesn't recommend that we stay here?"

"Are those mummies? The troops that the Lord recruited are so impressive..."

"The Lord is too kind..."

Everyone was stunned.

Looking at the excited crowd below, Richard was a little surprised. He only understood after asking the old man in front of him.

It turned out that these people had wandered from other places three days ago.

At that time, the gate of the Lord's mansion was closed and could not be opened no matter how hard they tried.

They truly had no place to go, so they stayed outside first.

Until an hour ago, they suddenly received news that the gate of the Lord's mansion had opened.

In fear, they came here to wait for the Lord of the territory to appear.

This was surely the benefit given to novice lords by the game "Shining Era".

The population was an important part of the territory. People were needed to gather resources, build houses, and grow food.

Without these people, a territory would not be able to operate.

The old leader took a deep breath and spoke again.

"Dear Lord, please forgive our rashness. We beg you to take us in..."

The people below immediately felt their hearts in their throats. They stared at Richard, hoping to hear the reply they were looking forward to.

Looking at the uneasy crowd, Richard took a step forward and swept his pitch-black eyes across the crowd.

At this moment, with the support of the mummy guards behind him, his aura instantly silenced the crowd.

After a moment of silence, he spoke loudly.

"There's no need to be nervous, my people."

"In my name, I officially allow you to join my territory and become residents of Twilight City."

"No matter what kind of work you were previously engaged in, what kind of identity you had, or what kind of experiences you had, all of these will become the past. I will not pursue your past."

"From now on, this will be your home. Your only identity will be residents of Twilight City."

"In the future, your life, work, and all the beautiful things will bloom in this land.

"My people, my name is Richard. Remember this name."

His gaze was firm.

"As your lord, no matter how dangerous the outside world is, I will protect you and will fight for your safety.

"Even if this world will lose its light one day, I will still lead you through the long night."

The nervousness and uneasiness of the people below were swept away by this firm and provocative tone. At this moment, their gazes quietly changed.

Was this their lord?

[Ding~ You gave a short but extremely charming speech. You have gained the respect of everyone present. Your comprehension of leadership has increased by 20%.]

When Richard heard the system notification, his expression was a little subtle.

'Does this work?!'

However, he quickly regained his composure and looked at the old man in front of him.

"Where are you currently staying?"

The old man's wrinkled face seemed to have relaxed a lot at this moment, and he spoke with an excited tone.

"Lord, we are staying in the residence over there..."

As he spoke, he pointed to the side.

Richard turned his head and looked over. Fifty meters away from the mansion, there were 10 two-story yellow houses lined up.

The architecture style was very rough, and it fit the characteristics of the desert.

[Resident House: (1 space)]

[Level: Basic (500 units of stone and 500 units of wood are needed to level up.)]

[Maximum Capacity: 10 people]

[Characteristics: None]

[Description: Normal residential house for civilians to live in.]

There were 10 basic houses. Each house could accommodate 10 people, and it just so happened to accommodate these 100 people.

Not a single one was left behind.

Richard nodded. Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something and asked.

"How much food do we have now?"

These people were all living people who needed to eat, drink and defecate.

In territory, the most important things should be water and food. After all, this was a dry and barren desert.

Fortunately, the mummies he recruited were necromancers, so there was no need to eat.

The old white-haired man had a bitter expression on his face. His back, which had been straight a moment ago, had become much more ragged, and he looked even older.

"Lord, we only have three days worth of food reserves... These were brought here previously."

"Although we've been searching hard these past few days, the desert is not only fraught with danger, but we can't find any food at all..."

As the leader, the old white-haired man had to bear the burden of hundreds of people eating, drinking, and defecating every day. The heavy pressure almost made him breathless.

Richard nodded.

"I'll think of a way to solve this."

With the [Trading Market, as long as there were enough resources, there were many ways to get food.

Therefore, the most important thing now was to find resources.

"Have you found any resource points around the territory in the past few days?"

Wood, stone, and other resources were all obtained from resource points in the wild.

That is according to the public records of the "Shining Era".

Resource points were divided into miniature, small, medium-sized, large, and very large according to the number of reserves.

Every resource point would have soldiers guarding it in the wild. If one wanted to occupy a resource point, one first had to eliminate the soldiers within.

Every once in a while, new resource points would appear around the territory. There was no need to worry about being mined out.

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Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Imagination of a Sand Sculpture Player

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

"Lord, when we were out searching for food, we discovered three resource points...

"One was a logging field, the other was a quarry, and the other seemed to be an iron mine. However, we didn't dare to approach any of them, so we didn't confirm it…"

Hearing the older man's words, Richard immediately perked up.

Resources were the core of the game "Shining Era".

With resources, one could purchase troop lair, buy food, recruit soldiers, and level up their territories...

The most important tasks were to occupy the surrounding resource points, obtain resources, and strengthen their territories as soon as possible.

The world in the game "Shining Era" wasn't safe. The struggle of all races was the primary theme for the future.

Not to mention the 20 billion players, this world also had a huge number of natives. There were even countless dimensional planes outside of the main plane.

Demons, angels, dragons, titans... All of these legendary beings were present.

"Is there a map?"

Richard asked casually, but he did not expect the older man to instantly take out a map.

Although the map drawn with charcoal looked very simple, a few key points were marked out.

[Ding~ You have obtained a rough map. Would you like to sync it to the system map?]

"Oh?"

"There is such a function?"

Richard was delighted.

"Sync."

After making a choice, a system map containing a large part of the area covered in fog appeared in front of Richard's eyes.

The rough map that the older man had given him had a few dots that appeared on it.

"Very good, you did well. However, I still don't know your name."

The older man answered excitedly.

"Respected Lord, Karu is always at your command!"

Richard nodded. With one look, this older man was the person in charge among the hundreds of people.

He opened the attribute panel curiously.

[Karu]

[Level: 3]

[Potential: D-rank]

[Skills: Internal Affairs (D-rank) — Capable of handling the affairs of the territory more efficiently.]

[Management (D-rank) — Capable of managing subordinates well.]

[Persuasion (D-rank) — Capable of easily persuading others.]

[Racial Talent: Able to learn the knowledge of other races.]

[Fetters: When in charge of internal affairs, work efficiency increases by 30%.]

[Description: Used to be a powerful hero unit. After old age, his strength deteriorated, and he lost the power of a hero unit.]

Richard only understood after reading Karu's introduction.

He did not expect that Karu was once a hero.

Unfortunately, he was old now...

But no matter what, the old man could be considered a decent talent.

Richard's expression became serious as he spoke in front of all the residents.

"Karu, in the name of the Lord of Twilight City, I will appoint you as the Administrative Officer of Twilight City."

"While I am away, you will be in charge of managing the other residents and protecting the safety of Twilight City."

Karu was stunned for a moment. Then, he raised his head in disbelief. His old body seemed to have returned to its youth.

He spoke loudly in a trembling voice.

"My Lord, thank you for your grace. I'll protect your glory with my life!"

Richard consented.

"Let them go. You can walk around the territory with me."

"As you wish."

After the crowd dispersed, Richard and Karu began to inspect Twilight City under the protection of the mummy.

At present, only a few buildings can be found in the territory. There were only a few—the Lord's mansion, residential houses, blacksmith's shop, and barracks.

Apart from that, only 10 unoccupied spaces were left.

Empty spaces were the foundation for new buildings in the territory. Without empty spaces, it was impossible to build new structures. Each space had an area of ??10 meters by 10 meters.

Depending on the buildings, the number of empty spaces occupied varied.

[Lord's Mansion: 30 spaces]

[Residence: 1 space]

[Blacksmith's Shop: 4 spaces]

[Barracks: 20 spaces]

When constructing a building, it must comply with the required number of spaces to build.

This was because subsequent upgrades will expand outwards.

If the vacant lot does not meet the requirements, subsequent buildings cannot be upgraded.

This is detailed in the public records of the game "Shining Era".

The number of spaces in the territory would increase with the level of the territory.

Treasures could also be used to expand the area of ??the territory and increase the number of spaces.

In the center of Twilight City was the Lord's mansion. Outside the gate, to the west, there were 10 residential buildings.

To the east was the blacksmith shop, and behind the Lord's mansion was the barracks.

The 10 empty spaces were distributed in the blacksmith shop area.

When Richard came to the blacksmith shop that opened its door, he found that it was full of dust. It had been a long time since anyone had used it.

[Blacksmith Shop: 4 spaces]

[Level: Beginner (Requires 1,000 units of iron ore, 1,000 units of wood, and 1,000 units of stone to level up.)]

[Characteristics: Forging efficiency increased by 10%.]

[Capacity: Minimum of 2 people — Maximum 10 people]

[Description: An ordinary blacksmith shop. You can forge farm tools or low-level weapons here.]

The leveling up requirement of a blacksmith shop was practically higher than that of a residential house, and it also had unique attributes.

"Minimum of 2 people. There should be at least 2 people to operate the blacksmith shop then."

Richard was a little curious. He looked at the attributes of the Lord's mansion and the barracks.

[Lord's Mansion: 30 spaces]

[Level: Beginner (Requires 2,000 gold, stone, wood, and iron to level up.)]

[Characteristics: Efficiency (10% increase in efficiency when working in the mansion). Stamina Recovery (20% increase in stamina recovery speed).]

[Capacity: 30 people]

[Description: The core building of the territory with special powers.]

Richard was a little surprised. He did not expect the Lord's mansion to have two unique features which were very practical.

He looked at the barracks with some anticipation.

[Barracks: 20 spaces]

[Level: Beginner (Requires 1500 gold coins, stone, wood, and iron ore to level up.)]

[Characteristics: Training (There is a slim chance for soldiers to comprehend F-rank skills during training). Strong Physique (Increases the training effect by 10%. It can slightly increase the physical fitness).]

[Capacity: 100 people]

[Description: Ordinary barracks]

That's right, other than the residential buildings, the other buildings all had corresponding characteristics.

However, these buildings needed quite a lot of resources for an upgrade.

After recruiting 14 mummies, the resources in Richard's hands have reduced from 4,000 to more than 2,000.

Richard was afraid that he would not be able to level up in a short time.

"Karu, go immediately and select the blacksmiths and tailors among the residents. I have great use for them."

"In the future, when new residents will join us, we must make similar statistics. You are fully responsible for this matter."

Karu, who was following behind him, immediately nodded respectfully.

"As you wish, my Lord..."

After giving a few more instructions, Richard let Karu leave.

He thought for a moment before opening the [Forum Chat] again.

He did not know how the others were progressing during this time.

The moment he entered the [Forum Chat, it was as if he had returned to the modern world.

It was filled with comments from sand sculpture players.

[F*ck, there are 300 refugees from outside my territory! Damn it! They are all like beggars. They want to join me. How can I give them food? I can't afford to feed them!]

[Hahaha, I recruited a hero from the residents! And she's a cute girl! That is so awesome! I must develop silk stockings in the future and train an army of cute girls with high heels!]

[How can I get food? My territory is running out of food. The remaining provision can only last for two days. Is there still time for me to farm?]

[Everyone, please don't leave the territory! I'm a f*cking idiot. The territory has a one-month protection period. If you leave the territory, the protection period will be reduced to seven days! Damn it! This rubbish game is ruining my life!]

[I don't believe the authorities will ignore us! Anyway, there's a protection period. I won't leave this month even if they beat me to death!!!]

[I'm going to throw up. The monsters outside are so powerful!! My ten human swordsmen were killed by a fucking ogre. What the f*ck!!! I've already bought food with all my resources. I don't have anything to recruit new soldiers. What should I do now?]

[Why are the orcs so good at eating? They wiped out all the food in my warehouse in one meal. Oh my god, where am I going to get so much food to feed them!!?]

[Hahaha, the undead is still the best. They don't need to think about the food at all. It's just that looking at the bone fragments is a little disgusting, and I can't raise a maid. What bad luck...]

[Hahaha, so many little elven brothers. I'm going to die! Ahhhh, I won't retreat even if you beat me to death! I want to take all the little elven brothers into my harem! I want to sleep ten times a day!!!]

Many lord-tier players on the [Forum Chat] had already walked out from their initial bewilderment and started discussing how to develop their territories.

Some of the more ambitious players were already preparing to raise harems...

However, they also encountered all sorts of problems.

Most of the complaints were about the lack of food and the danger outside the territories.

After looking at it for about ten minutes, Richard had an idea.

It seemed that the food problem was typical and not unusual.

Many people mentioned that the system was protected for a time, which made him ponder.

If someone didn't step out of the territory for a month, the security period would not drop to seven days.

Was it the same in Richard's territory?

If it was the same for everyone, then the choice given by the system might be a turning point...

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Chapter 7: Chapter 6: Powerful Bandaged Mummies Occupy A Resource Point

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

After obtaining a lot of useful information, Richard closed the [Forum Chat].

Surfing the internet was too time-consuming.

Without hesitation, Richard brought the 14 mummies to the edge of Twilight City.

The first-class village was not big, and there were no city walls outside. Every place led to the desert.

It was noon. From afar, the yellow sand looked like golden sand under the sun.

The heat wave was coming.

Richard looked down. The ground of the territory was paved with stones, and a step away, there was yellow sand everywhere.

The dividing line was very clear, as if there was a special rule separating the two sides.

After careful observation, Richard found a transparent shield in front of the dividing line. The shield was like an upside-down bowl, protecting Twilight City.

Richard understood.

This was the shield of protection mentioned on the [Forum Chat].

He extended his right hand.

The moment Richard touched the shield, the system notification sounded.

[Ding~ Do you want to leave Twilight City?]

[The shield of protection would provide a month's protection time. After leaving, the shield of protection would break in a week.]

[Note: The shield of protection is a product of the rules. It cannot be broken.]

If Richard was afraid of death, he could stay in the territory for a whole month without worrying about his safety.

But if he left, the time would be shortened to seven days.

It had to be said that this had indeed hit the heart of many people.

However, it was also a huge trap.

The initial development time was so precious. To enjoy a month of safety here was equivalent to wasting a month.

Without hesitation, Richard stepped out of the shield.

He did not feel anything when he passed through, as if the shield did not exist.

Richard did not care about anything else. He looked at the few resource points marked on the system map and thought to himself.

With the information provided by Karu, he could occupy all the resource points around the territory.

From the map, these resource points were only 20 minutes away from Twilight City.

"The logging field is on the west side of Twilight City, less than 10 minutes away. The quarry is in the northwest, about 15 minutes away. The resource points that are suspected to be iron mines are in the northeast, about 20 minutes away..."

Richard was dumbfounded.

"Let's start with the nearest logging field."

Richard carefully compared the system map and identified the target of the operation.

A rustling sound could be heard.

With his leather boots, Richard stepped into the yellow sand. Fine sand flowed through the instep. It brought a bit of heat.

When Richard raised his foot, the sand fell again and returned to yellow sand. Only irregular footprints were left on the spot.

Within a kilometer of Twilight City, the field was flat. There were also rolling sand dunes a kilometer away.

The boundless yellow sand could not be seen at a glance. It was simple and desolate.

The hot wind mixed with a little sand blew on the face. It could make one's mouth dry.

The desert had always been the symbol of the Forbidden Land of Life in the hearts of ordinary people.

However, Richard had the talent of a Desert Lord. Walking in the desert did not give him the slightest bit of pressure. On the contrary, he felt quite relaxed.

It was as if a fish had returned to the water.

There was no need to mention the mummy.

[Racial Talent: Increases stamina and recovery rate by 50% in the desert.]

This inaccessible death zone was their home.

Richard had 4 mummies scout ahead, and he was protected by 10 mummies.

But as soon as he stepped a kilometer out onto the sand dunes, the mummies ahead got excited.

They turned their heads and gestured to Richard.

What was interesting was that the mummies' mouths were sealed, and they could not speak.

They could only tell the information through their limbs.

Richard did not delay and immediately climbed up the sand dune with 10 mummies.

From a high vantage point, about 400 to 500 meters away, there was a tree-shaded forest growing in the sand.

The shadows of the trees swayed and were indescribably green.

That lively scene formed a sharp contrast with the desolation of the surrounding desert.

Through the branches, one could vaguely see that there seemed to be some wooden buildings inside.

[Logging Field]

[Level: Small]

[Reserves: 20,000 units]

[Maximum Output: 2,100 units per week]

[Capacity: Minimum of 2 people — Maximum of 10 people.]

[Description: Ordinary resource points. After occupying it, it can be built into a small logging field.]

"Small-scale logging fields?"

"20,000 units of reserves?"

"2,100 units per week?"

Richard narrowed his eyes slightly.

In this way, as long as they occupied this logging field, they could get 300 units of wood every day.

He immediately became interested and sped up with the mummies.

However, when they approached the logging field, they suddenly heard a terrifying roar coming from inside.

'Whoosh!' 'Whoosh!'

Then, twenty to thirty figures rushed out from the 5 to 6-meter-tall forest.

Richard stopped and looked over.

These monsters, which suddenly appeared, had heads that were as ferocious as jackals, and their eyes were emitting a terrifying green light.

Their bodies were covered with thick gray hair that was as tough as armor.

They curved their backs and stood with one hand on the ground. Their sharp claws left scratches on the ground.

When they ran forward, they would use both hands.

They opened their mouths wide, revealing their sharp canine teeth, and their saliva drew long lines in the air.

[Desert Gnoll]

[Level: 1]

[Potential: Normal 2-stars]

[Skill: Brutal (F-rank) — Once it attacks, its anger will swallow its reason, and it will become fearless until it kills the enemy.]

[Race Talent: Has a keen sense of smell.]

[Fetters: When the number of gnolls is greater than 10, strength increases by 10%. When the number is greater than 20, strength increases by 20% (Activated).]

[Description: Be careful of your throat.]

The number of gnolls that suddenly appeared exceeded 30, and the fetters that increased strength by 20% were also activated.

Their aura was fierce.

When Richard saw this scene, he was not afraid, but he became very excited instead.

His mummies were Elite-level 1!

"Attack!"

With a wave of his hand, 14 bandaged mummies charged forward.

The mummies let out a terrifying roar from their throats. Their open claws could tear through steel. Their aura was bloodthirsty, and their empty eye sockets without eyeballs were extremely terrifying.

Their running speed did not slow down because of the bandages all over their bodies.

In just a few breaths, the mummy had fought with more than 30 gnolls.

"Roar!"

A gnoll pounced on the mummy and directly bit the mummy, wanting to end the undead that terrified them.

The mummy used its arm that was wrapped in thick bandages to block the attack and ruthlessly smashed a gnoll's head.

A gnoll whimpered and took a few steps back. It almost fell to the ground.

However, the bestiality in its blood was completely aroused. With a roar, it rushed forward and bit the mummy's arm with its huge mouth.

Then, its head shook crazily, trying to tear the mummy in front of it with its sharp teeth.

[Body of Death (E-rank) — No fear of pain, no fear of death, and immune to poison, plague.]

The mummy could not feel pain or fear at all.

When the gnoll bit, the mummy's sharp fingers that could tear through steel pierced directly into the gnoll's abdomen.

[Sharp Claw Tearing (E-rank) — Finger sharpness increased by 30%. Sturdiness increased by 30%.]

Blood spurted out.

The gnoll's blood stained the bandage on the mummy's arm.

The gnoll let out a mournful howl. Under the excruciating pain, the skin on its body started to turn faint blue.

At the same time, its strength rapidly decreased.

[Corpse Bandage (E-rank) — Reduces physical damage by 30%. The bandage carries plague. The infected person will enter a weakened state, and all stats will be reduced by 20%. If they are not treated, they will gradually die.]

After the gnoll was stabbed by the mummy's sharp fingers, not only did it not stop, but it even pulled hard.

The gnoll's abdomen seemed to have been slashed by a razor. It was as if the zipper of a coat had been pulled open.

It was a bloody mess.

Amidst the intense pain, an extremely brutal gnoll still did not give up on attacking.

Its two sharp claws were still fiercely attacking the mummy.

The bloody smell of the frenzied battle immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding gnolls.

The eyes of the monsters that were running suddenly turned scarlet, and they pounced on the mummy.

The mummy was held back by the gnolls, and there was no time for it to dodge. It was directly drowned by seven or eight gnolls.

The bandages on its body kept breaking, and some parts of its shriveled body were revealed.

But in this situation where the mummy was certain to die...

The gnolls that launched the attack suddenly let out a scream, their bodies suddenly turned a faint blue, and their strength decreased rapidly.

They retreated as if they had been electrocuted.

The mummy, who had just been surrounded and killed, felt as if its entire body was flowing with yellow sand.

Meanwhile, the sharp claws of the gnolls that were attacking the mummy seemed to have pierced into the sand.

They could only feel a slight obstruction piercing through their opponent's body. After the gnolls left, the mummy's body returned to its original state.

Not only did they not cause any damage to it, but the attacking gnolls were instead infected by the plague, and their physical strength rapidly weakened.

[Sand Transformation: D-rank. It reduces 99% of physical damage. It can devour yellow sand to recover from injuries. It can last for 5 minutes. (Cooldown Time: 2 hours).]

Without magical damage, within 5 minutes, the mummy standing on the sand would be immortal.

The sharp five fingers solidified in the sand, tearing apart the two gnolls that were still unwilling to bite it.

After this scene appeared, the fate of these gnolls was determined.

Although the gnolls fought fiercely, the mummies were even more overbearing.

Even if the mummy didn't use the sand, it could still suppress the opponent with its mighty strength. After using the sand, the mummy was invincible.

One after another, the gnolls were pierced through the heart and had their throats slit by the mummies...

The battle only lasted for a minute or two before it ended.

When the last gnoll fell, the system notification rang out.

[Ding~ Your troop has eliminated a group of gnolls and obtained victory in a small-scale battle. You have obtained 34 experience points.]

Richard, who was supervising the battle from the rear, was in a great mood.

This was the combat strength of an elite soldier. Facing an enemy that was several times stronger than their own, they slaughtered all of them without suffering any damage.

Richard glanced at his level.

[Level: 1(34/100)]

His leveling progress had visibly increased by a large margin.

The bigger reward was that after exterminating the gnolls, he would be able to occupy this resource point.

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Chapter 8: Chapter 7: Logging Field Harvest

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

After Richard's excitement subsided, he saw that the gnolls' corpses were scattered all over the ground. He frowned slightly.

Although the gnolls were monsters in the wild, the blood and limbs that dyed the yellow sand were still very visually and psychologically shocking.

This was also the first time that Richard had seen such a horrifying scene.

However, he did not avoid it. He gritted his teeth and walked through the blood and corpses that were scattered all over the ground.

Sooner or later, there would be a larger-scale conflict in this world.

If Richard did not get used to it soon, no one would shelter him from the wind and rain.

Step by step, he left the bloody area. Although Richard's face did not look good, there was a strange aura around him.

[Ding~ Do you want to occupy a resource point — Logging Field (Small)?]

Richard took a deep breath and nodded.

[Confirmed.]

[Successfully occupied. You have obtained a small-scale resource point. You can send lumberjacks here to cut wood.]

Hearing the system notification, the slightly pale Richard's mood improved a little.

The mummy that was covered in bandages and dyed red entered.

The mummy turned his head and looked around. The five to six-meter-tall trees covered the sky, and the air suddenly became cool.

In the central area, there were seven to eight trees that had been cut down.

There was also a small wooden house next to it. When Richard pushed the door open, he could see that there were more than ten rusty axes inside.

"Not bad. Although I can tell at a glance that it hasn't been used for a long time, as long as I take over it, I can start production immediately."

There were many types of resource points in the game "Shining Era". Some of them were primitive. For example, if it was a forest, then a logging field would need to be built.

However, these types of resource points were usually only found in large-scale resource points. Small-scale resource points could be directly mined. It seemed that the designers had deliberately considered this for beginners.

Now, it has saved Richard a lot of trouble.

After walking around the logging field and finding nothing else, he did not stay, nor was he in a hurry to go back and get someone to cut the wood.

Richard brought the 14 mummies and headed straight for the resource point in the southeast direction.

These two resource points were very close to each other. After crossing the two sand dunes, he saw an area with jagged rocks.

[Quarry]

[Level: Small]

[Reserves: 10,000 units]

[Maximum Output: 1,400 units per week]

[Capacity: Minimum of 2 people, maximum of 7 people]

[Description: Normal resource points can be mined after occupation.]

Compared to small-scale logging fields, the attributes of small-scale quarries had decreased.

1,400 units per week, that was 200 units per day.

Adding the logging field, that was 500 units per day.

Richard's mood improved a little.

Not bad, the harvest was not bad.

With his experience with the gnolls, he was not in a hurry to get close, so he let the 4 mummies continue to explore the way.

As expected, when the mummies approached the quarry, whooshing sounds could be heard.

More than 20 stones flew out from the quarry.

Following the sound of a bang, the mummies were not able to dodge in time and were directly hit.

However, the power of those stones was really too weak…

...The mummies took a wave of damage but were completely fine.

[Ding~ Your army has been attacked by a group of unknown enemies.]

The corner of Richard's mouth twitched.

"Throwing stones?"

"Wasn't this a little funny?"

"Mummies, attack! If the enemy isn't strong, leave a few alive."

Using stones to hit people, it was a field army that guarded the small-scale resource points.

Richard really could not imagine how powerful the enemy could be.

He left two mummies to protect him, while the rest were sent out.

The distance of dozens of meters was covered in the blink of an eye.

The power of the stones thrown by the enemy was weak, to begin with, and when they hit the mummies, who ignored the pain of the undead, it was as if nothing had happened...

"Ah!!"

After the mummies rushed into the quarry, they heard a scream filled with fear, and soon, they regained their calm.

[Ding~ Your army defeated a group of long-armed laborers and won a small-scale battle. You have gained 30 experience points.]

[Level: 1(64/100)]

Richard nodded in satisfaction. As long as he had won the battle, he would be able to level up.

The harvest was not bad.

Richard walked towards the quarry.

When he arrived at the center, a group of ugly creatures with terrifying faces was sitting on the ground.

There were seven or eight corpses around them.

The mummy was standing by the side coldly.

These ugly creatures had four canine teeth protruding out of their lips, and their faces were very ferocious.

Their bodies were almost the same as ordinary humans, but they had a pair of long, sturdy arms that were over the knees. They looked quite sturdy.

[Long-armed Laborers]

[Level: 1]

[Potential: Normal 1-star]

[Skills: Endurance (E-rank) — Able to withstand extremely tough working conditions.]

[Racial Talent: When food is sufficient, stamina can be recovered quickly.]

[Fetters: When the number of long-armed laborers is greater than 10, stamina recovery speed increases by 20%.]

[When the number of long-armed laborers is greater than 20, stamina recovery speed increases by 40% (Activated).]

[Description: Don't hit them, Lord. They will go to work right away…]

"Good!"

"There was such a strange army?"

No wonder they were called laborers. The talents of these guys were simply too suitable for work.

After Richard appeared, he immediately attracted the attention of the laborers. When they saw the respectful posture of the mummies, they were instantly startled awake.

They immediately turned around and knelt down toward him. Pressing their heads against the ground, they shouted excitedly.

"Great Lord, we are willing to submit to you, don't kill us..."

[Ding~ A group of long-armed laborers admires your strength after losing the battle and wants to submit to you. Do you want to accept?]

"Was it that simple?"

Richard laughed.

These guys were indeed suitable to be squeezed dry. They were practically the welfare of capitalists.

"Accept it."

[You have obtained 30 long-armed laborers.]

[Ding~ Do you wish to occupy the quarry?]

"Occupy it."

[You have obtained a small-scale quarry. You can send miners to carry out mining.]

Richard waved his hand and pointed at the first long-armed laborer who knelt down and surrendered.

"I have appointed you as the person in charge of the quarry. You will be responsible for managing the production of the quarry. At the same time, I will assign six laborers to you. You have the right to manage the other laborers!"

The long-armed laborer was overjoyed and knelt on the ground.

"Great Lord, I will definitely produce more ores for you!"

[Ding~ You have used language to motivate a long-armed laborer. The efficiency of the subordinates under your jurisdiction in mining ores has increased by 20%. Duration: 3 days.]

"This could work?"

Richard was delighted.

Good god, could he send people to encourage him every once in a while in the future?

After searching the quarry and finding nothing else, Richard left seven laborers to mine the stone.

At the same time, he appointed a laborer as the head of the quarry and led the other nine people to work in the quarry that had just been occupied by the treasure.

The appointed laborer was also particularly excited and had the characteristic of increasing efficiency by 20%.

After this round, not only did they occupy two resource points, but they also gathered all the workers.

And Richard didn't pay anything. He even had one or three long-armed laborers in his hands.

These gains made Richard very motivated.

But after thinking about it, he was a little distressed.

"Although the laborers are useful, they have 30 more mouths to feed."

"There are only three days of grain left, and it's going to shrink again..."

He had just opened the [Trading Market] to take a look, and there was no food for sale.

There were a few scattered items, and the prices were also extremely outrageous. Moreover, they were quickly sold out, so it was difficult to buy them.

"It seems that logistics will become the key point to restrict the development of the territory in the future."

Richard looked at the mummies beside him with lingering fear. Fortunately, they did not need to consume food, or else they would really die.

The resource point in the northeast direction was slightly further away. It took about half an hour to get there from the quarry.

The speed of the 13 laborers was too slow, which slowed down the marching speed.

It was very difficult for these guys to walk in the sand.

After climbing over a low sand dune, Richard looked at the mark on the map and saw traces of the third resource point.

Iron mine…

The desert around the iron mine had become dry and hard ground. The oil-black ores piled up together. It looked very conspicuous.

[Iron Mine]

[Level: Small]

[Reserves: 20,000 units]

[Maximum Output: 2,100 units per week]

[Capacity: Minimum of 5 people, maximum of 10 people]

[Description: An ordinary iron mine can send miners into it to mine ores.]

With the previous two experiences, Richard did not hesitate and waved his hand.

He let the 14 mummies press on.

At the same time, the remaining 13 laborers picked up the stones scattered on the ground.

This created a formation with warriors at the front and ranged attacks at the back.

It was an extremely simple version.

When the bandaged mummy approached the iron ore, a piercing sound came from the air.

More than 20 arrows pierced through the sky and then through the bandaged mummies' bodies.

[Ding~ You have angered a group of desert bandits.]

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Chapter 9: Chapter 8: Unexpected Gains (Treasure Chest)

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

As undead creatures, mummies only had to worry about their heads.

Unless their heads were blown off, they could not be killed.

After the 14 mummies were attacked, they let out terrifying growls and sped up.

They charged into the iron mine with arrows.

When Richard saw this, he immediately ordered 13 laborers to follow. He then waited.

As a lord, he naturally had his way of playing. The correct strategy was to sit at the back and command the army to fight.

Leading the charge was a little too stupid. Wouldn't it be a waste to be killed by the enemy's concentrated fire?

With so many mummies that were stronger than him around, he did not lack combat strength even if he did not even have weapons.

Although the iron mine was not high, the complicated terrain still blocked his view. Richard could not see the specific situation of the battle.

However, it was not too difficult for the 14 Elite-level 1 mummies and 13 long-armed laborers to attack a small-scale resource point together.

A few minutes later…

The sound of the system's upgrade rang out.

[Ding~ The army you led annihilated a group of desert bandits and obtained victory in a small-scale battle. You have gained 36 experience points, and your level has increased.]

Thereafter, Richard felt a warm current rising from all over his body as if he was soaked in hot water and kneaded by a specialist.

He could sharply feel his muscles and bones absorbing the warm current.

After a moment, the warm current disappeared.

Richard felt that his body was filled with an indescribable power as if he could kill a calf with a single punch.

He clenched his fist and made cracking sounds.

"Is this leveling up? Isn't this awesome? It's even superior to a 5,000-hour massage from a specialist..."

[Ding~ Do you want to occupy the iron mine?]

"Occupy it."

After Richard made his choice, he was in a great mood. He stepped on the dry and hard ground and entered the iron mine.

The thick smell of blood gradually assaulted his nose, and the deeper he went, the thicker it became.

After a few steps, Richard saw the image of a desert bandit covered in blood, with a crossbow in his hand and a dagger at his waist, falling into the iron mine.

These desert bandits were covered in scars left by the mummy's sharp claws. Their flesh and blood were rolling around, making them look rather terrifying.

Richard frowned slightly. He still felt a little uncomfortable about this. However, compared to when he had just killed the gnolls, his psychological endurance had increased by a lot.

Step by step, he stepped into the center of the iron mine.

Seeing Richard appear, the mummy and the laborers immediately surrounded him.

"Great Lord! These damn desert bandits have all been killed! Your light has already enveloped this iron mine!"

The mummy could not speak, but the long-armed laborers were still very happy to show off their achievements in front of their new lord.

Richard nodded slightly. Just as he was about to speak, another long-armed laborer ran over from the side excitedly.

"Lord, I've found a treasure chest. Praise the goddess of luck!"

"Treasure chest?"

Richard's eyes immediately lit up.

In the game "Shining Era", there was a chance to obtain all sorts of materials and treasures by hunting down soldiers in the wild.

The treasure chest was one of them. All sorts of treasures could be obtained from it.

"Bring me there!"

The laborer immediately led the way excitedly.

After a few twists and turns, the laborer stopped in a narrow stone crack.

Richard focused his gaze and saw a wooden box emitting a bronze light.

[Wooden Box]

[Level: 1-star]

[Status: Unlocked]

[Description: Maybe you can get some junk from it.]

"Wow, this description is truly not polite."

The lowest level of the treasure box was 1-star, and the highest was 5-stars.

The higher the level, the higher the chance of obtaining a precious treasure.

However, this description naturally eliminated the possibility of obtaining a good item.

"That's right. How good could an item that was guarded by a group of ordinary-level desert bandits be?"

Richard didn't have many expectations and reached out to open it.

A burst of bronze light flashed, and a fist-sized pocket made of coarse cloth appeared inside.

[Ding~ You have opened a 1-star treasure chest and obtained a resource bag.]

[Resource Bag: There are 500 units of stone materials inside. The resource bag will automatically be destroyed after opening.]

Richard was mentally prepared, so there was nothing to be disappointed about.

Moreover, 500 units of resources could be used to purchase a troop lair. This unexpected wealth was a profit no matter what.

He reached out his hand and opened it. A light flashed and the resource bag shattered into pieces. 500 units of stone appeared on his attribute panel.

After the harvest, Richard glanced at a few long-armed laborers who were eagerly looking at him.

He couldn't help but laugh.

He pointed at the laborers who had just discovered the treasure chest.

"You have done well. You will receive my reward for your meritorious service."

"I have appointed you as the person in charge of the iron mine. You will be responsible for the mining of the iron mine, and at the same time, you will be responsible for the management of the other workers in the iron mine."

The laborer who had been promoted was so excited that he was dancing with joy.

"Hahahaha, thank you for your gift, Great Lord. I will surely work hard for you!"

[Ding~ Your order has greatly increased the enthusiasm of the long-armed laborer. His subordinates under his command will have their mining efficiency increased by 20% for three days.]

Richard laughed. These guys were really easy to fool.

After confirming that there was nothing else in the iron mine, he left ten laborers to mine the iron mine.

He brought the mummy and the last three laborers back to his territory.

The afternoon weather was too hot, and Richard's physical strength had decreased by a lot.

He pursed his somewhat dry lips.

"I was careless. I didn't bring water when I went out..."

With the special growth talent of the Desert Lord, his consumption in the desert had been greatly reduced. Even so, his mouth and tongue were still dry after this round.

Needless to say, the few laborers had already dried their lips and were bleeding.

With a slight thirst for water, Richard and the others unconsciously quickened their pace.

The desert was always vast and desolate.

It was already rare to see a few cactuses or a few stubbornly growing shuttle trees from afar.

However, accidents often happened around the corner.

"Lord, there are monsters there!!"

Just as they climbed over a sand dune, a few laborers suddenly shouted with a hint of fear in their voices.

Richard stopped in his tracks and looked forward.

Two to three hundred meters away, near a cluster of shuttle trees, there were more than twenty gray wolves, which were as big as calves, enjoying the shade.

No one could doubt how fierce these wild beasts would be once they went crazy.

Although Richard did not get close, the wild beasts still made him feel a lot of pressure by relying on their exaggerated size.

[Desert Wolf]

[Level: 3]

[Potential: Elite 3-star]

[Skills: Pounce (E-rank) — Able to burst out powerful strength to pounce on enemies.]

[Bite: (E-rank) — Sharp teeth; Able to cause piercing damage.]

[Racial Talent: Extremely agile]

[Fetters: When the desert wolf number is greater than 10, strength increases by 5%, and agility increases by 10%.]

[When the desert wolf number is greater than 20, strength increases by 10%, and agility increases by 20% (Activated).]

[Description: Awooo~]

Chapter 10: Chapter 9: Mummy Upgrade (Treasure Troves)

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

"Level 3, Elite 3-star field protectors?"

"And there were as many as 25 of them!"

Richard's pupils constricted.

It was not something that normal soldiers in the resource points could compare.

Although the mummy was also an Elite 3-star, its level lagged behind the opponent. The mummies were still lacking a small team.

If they were to forcefully charge, it would be a little risky.

However, Richard was not willing to retreat just like that.

He gazed at the mummy's stats: [Body of Death, [Corpse Bandage, [Sharp Claw Tearing, and [Sand Transformation]...

The mummy's skills did not have much advantage against the desert wolf. The desert wolf was too agile.

Only the Sand Transformation skill that it obtained was different.

It meant immunity to 99% physical damage. This skill allowed the mummy to occupy a strong position from its weak position.

Moreover, it was easier for the enemy to get infected with the plague after the Sand Transformation.

When they were fighting the gnolls earlier, this combination had a powerful effect.

Richard took a look. At this time, all the mummies' Sand Transformation skills had already recovered.

"Although the Sand Transformation skill is a bug, if we were to face the opponents head-on, the desert wolves are too agile. We might not be able to make much progress...

"Is there any way to restrict the desert wolves' movements? No, there's no need to restrict their movements. They just need to be slowed down.

"The mummy's plague can reduce their attributes by 20%. It's completely possible to do that... Then, is there any way to infect the desert wolves with the plague before the battle?"

While looking at the desert wolves resting on the sand, Richard suddenly had a thought.

He turned his head to look at the mummy closest to him.

"Immediately use the Sand Transformation to melt into the desert..."

The commanded mummy had a faint yellow sand glow on his body. Then, the mummy's entire body immediately turned into a blurry image formed by countless grains of sand, and the bandage also turned dark yellow.

Under Richard's gaze, the ground began to sag. The mummy's body that had turned into sand gradually merged into the yellow sand.

Eventually, its entire body disappeared without a trace, leaving only an inconspicuous mark on the ground.

"Hahaha, that's surely good!"

Richard was in a great mood.

He looked at the desert wild wolves while still lying under the shuttle tree...

...The plan worked.

In the afternoon, the hot weather made the desert wolves immensely lazy, and they were not in a hurry to hunt.

After dark, it was time for Richard's troop to attack.

While they were lying down in a daze, the desert wolves suddenly felt a rustling sound coming from the ground.

It seemed that something was underground.

However, most did not pay much attention to it and continued to lie down.

Only a few stood up slightly and lowered their heads to sniff with their wet noses.

However, the things on the ground were blocked by the yellow sand. So, they could not smell anything.

The movement continued for a while, and the desert wolves lost their vigilance and laid back lazily on the ground...

'Whoosh!'

At this moment, the ground suddenly shook, and countless yellow sand rose.

The more than ten desert wolves lying on the ground only felt a pain in their abdomen, and their physical strength rapidly declined.

Blood splattered on the sand and was all over the ground. After the sand absorbed the blood, it condensed into a ball.

"Roar!"

The desert wolves let out an extremely painful roar from their throats.

It bounced up from the ground like a spring.

Of the 25 desert wolves, 12 had sharp claw marks on their abdomen. Only two were fast enough to escape.

Only then did the desert wolves see what had attacked them.

The posture of the mummy crawling up from the ground made the desert wolves almost go crazy.

They immediately launched a fierce attack on the mummy that had crawled up from the ground.

Those severely injured did not retreat at all.

However, to their surprise, their sharp claws that could tear apart the bison just shortly penetrated when they hit this undead creature.

'Rustling…'

It was as if they had pierced through the sand.

The fierce launched attacks by the 25 desert wolves at the same time did not cause any damage to the mummy.

On the contrary, as long as the desert wolves pierced through a mummy's body, their bodies would turn blue after a few breaths.

The mummy's curse could reduce all the enemy's attributes by 20%!

The aura of the desert wolves immediately weakened.

If the mummy is normal, even if it could kill these desert wolves, the mummy would suffer severe losses.

Unfortunately, their enemy was the mummy whom Richard gave the ability to turn into sand.

After turning into sand, the mummy was an unkillable existence.

No matter how the desert wolves tore at it, the mummy's body would always recover quickly.

It was like using a knife to cut through quicksand, but pulling out the knife would leave no mark.

Instead, after the mummy got up from the ground, it faced a group of cursed enemies and started a crazed killing mode.

It didn't know fear, didn't know pain, and it only knew to launch an attack.

Trading injuries for injuries with a wave of its sharp claws, the mummy constantly achieved results.

After the mummy came out from the yellow sand, three or four desert wolves surrounded it and attacked it.

In a few rounds, it could kill a desert wolf.

Although the desert wolf fought back frantically, it was helpless against a group of enemies who had activated their invincibility skill.

The battle ended before the mummy's Sand Transformation skill duration ended.

The last desert wolf was drowned by more than ten mummies. The body of the desert wolf was almost covered in scars, and fresh blood was flowing out...

[Ding~ The army you have led has annihilated a group of desert wolves and obtained victory in a small-scale battle. You have obtained 50 experience points.]

[Level: 2 (50/1000)]

The Elite-level troops each provided 2 experience points. The rewards were not bad.

However, the experience gained from leveling up to level 3 was 10 times more than before. The progress of leveling up slowed down instantly.

However, what made Richard happy was still to come.

[Ding~ Bandaged mummies have experienced a lot of battles. Their levels have increased.]

After the system notification sounded, the aura of the 14 bandage mummies suddenly increased by a huge amount. At the same time, the scars left behind had also returned to normal.

Even the Sand Transformation skill that he had just used had refreshed.

Richard was in a great mood.

This was a bloody good win.

And the main gains were not just these.

He looked at the corpses of the desert wolves lying on the ground.

Weren't the calves of these desert wolves good meat?

For Twilight City, which lacked food, this was a resource that made people drool.

However, the problem was that the corpses infected with the plague were deadly.

Richard thought for a moment and turned at the mummy beside him. His eyes were filled with anticipation.

"Can you remove the plague from the corpses of the wild wolves?"

The mummy in front of him was stunned. It seemed like it had never done this before.

After hesitating for a moment, the mummy slowly walked forward and pressed its hand to the wound on the wild wolf's corpse.

A moment later, the blue curse on the desert wolf's skin seemed to come alive and began to move towards the direction where the mummy was pressing on the wound.

After more than ten breaths, the blue light completely disappeared. Clearly, the wild wolf's corpse had returned to normal...

Richard's eyes were filled with surprise.

Mummies were treasure troves!

Blood money, blood money!

Chapter 11: Chapter 10: A Lot of Harvests

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Richard was extremely satisfied with the mummies.

Not only were they not afraid of pain and death in battle, they were also remarkably strong. Together with the Sand Transformation skill, they could even sneak attack from underground.

More importantly, they did not need to worry about the transportation of food, water, and supplies. They did not even need to consume food. Was there anything better than this in the world?

What the cows ate was grass, and what they squeezed out was milk. The mummies did not even need to eat grass and were not directly milked like cows.

In stark contrast, the three long-armed laborers beside him had their mouths split open.

Putting aside their ranks, these soldiers could not even survive in the desert.

"With the harsh living environment of the desert, in the future, we should choose soldiers that do not require transportation of food, water, and supplies..."

In his thoughts, Richard confirmed the direction of the troop development in Twilight City.

"Bring the desert wolves back to the territory."

After dispelling the plague, the desert wolves had undoubtedly become precious food.

For Twilight City, which only had a few days of rations, this was simply a life-saving straw.

The long-armed laborers cheered and lifted the desert wolves in a flurry.

However, three long-armed laborers were barely able to lift one. The mummy had no choice but to participate in the transportation of the desert wolves' corpses.

From the looks of it, Richard estimated that a desert wolf weighed more than 200 pounds.

A few of the larger ones weighed more than 300 pounds.

With such a big harvest, his mood became more and more cheerful.

When the wolves were placed in front of the Lord's mansion, they immediately caused a commotion among the residents.

They squeezed into a pile, tiptoed, and stretched their necks to look inside.

"Oh my god, what a big wild wolf..."

"Hiss, these wild beasts are probably at the elite level!"

"These are desert wild wolves. They're extremely ferocious. Ten ordinary people, one of them can only wait for death..."

"Lord, you're too strong!!"

"It's truly amazing..."

Everyone was stunned.

Karu, who had just been appointed as the Administrative Officer, pushed through the crowd and squeezed to Richard's side. His old body felt a little younger after seeing the wild wolves on the ground.

He respectfully held his chest and saluted.

"Good day, Lord..."

Richard nodded slightly.

"Later, get someone to cut up these wild wolves and store their fur. Some of them will be made into fur cloth, and some will be used as food for the residents."

Karu immediately bowed in excitement.

"Thank you for your generosity. It is our honor to meet such a great lord like you..."

Richard did not care about the other party's gratitude.

These people were all the wealth of Twilight City. There was nothing strange about feeding his lamb with grass. He was still waiting for the other party to produce milk.

"No need to be so polite. As the Lord of Twilight City, it is only right for me to protect you."

"There are still ten desert wolves' corpses that have yet to be retrieved. Send someone to carry them back with the four mummies."

Karu was pleasantly surprised.

"There were truly more?"

"Alright, Lord!"

Richard nodded and continued to ask.

"How are the residents doing?"

"Reporting, there are a total of 15 people who have specialties. Among them, there are five basic blacksmiths, three basic carpenters, five basic tailors, and two basic builders."

Lifestyle classes were divided into basic, intermediate, advanced, special, master, and extraordinary classes.

The higher the level, the higher the level of the items that could be produced.

Although they were all basic talents, there were 15 out of 100 people. This ratio was not bad.

Richard looked at the residents beside him.

"Send five blacksmiths to work in the blacksmith shop. I have already occupied an iron mine. It won't be long before I can produce a large number of them."

"Five tailors can take care of the wild wolf's fur and see how to use it better."

After making some arrangements, Richard pointed at the three long-armed laborers who were somewhat reserved.

"I've already conquered the three resource points you mentioned."

"At the same time, I subdued these long-armed laborers in the quarry. There are a total of 30 of them."

"I've placed 7 in the quarry, 10 in the iron mine, and 10 in the logging field."

"The remaining 3 here, let them transport food and water to these resource points in the future."

Twilight City's territory attributes were very special. Under Richard's protection, the residents of Twilight City would not get lost in the desert, and at the same time, their stamina consumption would be reduced by 20%.

These 3 extra drudges were put to good use.

Karu immediately agreed.

"As you wish."

Soon, the residents who received the order began to get busy.

More than 30 strong residents were led by four mummies to carry the wild wolf corpses.

Another 4 or 5 residents brought 3 long-armed laborers with dry food and water to the resource point to deliver supplies.

The residents who remained in the territory began to get busy.

A wolf weighing 200 to 300 pounds was a lot of work.

The residents moved the wild wolf to the only well in Twilight City. Then, they took out a big pot from somewhere and began to boil water.

Richard stood at the side and watched this scene silently.

The lively scene was like the New Year celebrations when he was a child.

The residents with smiles on their faces were particularly infectious.

The more rustic they were, the more touching they were.

His sense of strangeness to this world had quietly disappeared a lot.

After observing the surroundings for a moment, his gaze was attracted by the well.

Water was the absolute lifeline in the desert.

The construction of the well in Twilight City was very primitive.

Deep pits were dug in the ground to the location of the underground water. And stones were built around the pits to hold the soil in place so that it would not collapse.

After the underground water seeped out, they tied the barrel with a rope and hung it up.

This well was placed in the home of an ordinary resident and could be used by a dozen people without any problems.

However, this was Twilight City. It was Richard's territory.

With only this well, what would happen to the development of the city in the future?

Richard felt a little uneasy.

While he was thinking, the white-haired Karu walked to his side.

The old man wiped the sweat off his forehead. His thin and weak body was like a tree that had shed leaves in winter.

However, his old body could not offset his excitement.

"My Lord, I have just estimated that after removing the fur, bones, and internal organs, each wild wolf can leave about 150 units of meat. Twenty-five wild wolves can produce a total of nearly 4,000 units."

According to the system's calculations, one kilogram of food was one unit.

"Moreover, the internal organs and bones can also be eaten. Just this food alone will be enough for us to last for three days."

"The meat can be dried and stored. Four thousand units are enough for us to consume for 20 days."

"With this calculation, including our original food, our current reserves are enough for us to consume for 25 days. Save a little bit, and a month will be easy."

Karu's tone was exceptionally excited, and the wrinkles on his face had eased a lot.

Richard nodded. The harvest from this trip was indeed rich.

Three resource points, 30 long-armed laborers, level 2 mummies, and a huge amount of food from the hunt...

...It could be said to be a huge profit.

But at this time, Richard's mind was attracted by other things.

Pointing at the well in front of him, he asked in a deep voice.

"Is there a water source around the territory?"

Karu shook his head.

"No, we didn't find it. It was because we found this well a few days ago that we decided to leave it behind..."

After saying that, Karu looked a little hesitant.

"My Lord, we might be able to arrange for a portion of our people to search for a water source, or rebuild a well."

"The water output from this well isn't enough. These few days, the water supply for over a hundred people is very tight. If this goes on, I'm afraid... I'm afraid the water in the well will dry up."

Richard raised his eyebrows.

Lack of water was a fatal thing in the desert.

If there was nothing to eat, they could go hunting. If there was no water to drink, they would die.

They couldn't see anything yet, but if they developed in the future, this small well that used primitive methods to fetch water would probably be unable to bear the burden.

The excitement of hunting more than 20 wild wolves decreased a lot.

"I'll think of a way to deal with this. Go and see if anyone knows how to find a water source or dig a well."

"Yes, Lord."

When Karu left, Richard directly opened the [Forum Chat].

He searched for keywords 'lack of water sources'.

Instantly, hundreds of thousands of posts appeared.

[My territory is high up in the mountains. There's no water around. What should I do? I won't die of thirst, right?]

[Asking for help, how can I solve this problem without fresh water on the territory? Not to mention distillation, the efficiency is too low. The amount of water distilled is not even enough for the residents of my territory to drink around.]

[There's a level 10 giant bear outside my territory. It's been blocking me for half a day. I'm dying of thirst. Who can give me some water to drink?]

Richard was dumbfounded.

Most of these posts were asking for help. Richard only found a valuable one after sifting through them for a long time.

[I just picked up a 3-star treasure chest in the wild, but after opening it, I only got one treasure fragment — spring water fragment. Three fragments can be combined into a 1-star resource treasure, spring water!!!]

[What the f*ck is the use of this!! When I went out, I was surrounded by river!!! I regret it. If I had known earlier, I would have sold it in exchange for some food! Damn it, there were 200 refugees in the territory just now, and tomorrow we will run out of food!!]

"1-star resource treasure?"

"Spring water?"

Richard's eyes immediately lit up.

These sand sculpture players were indeed valuable.

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Chapter 12: Chapter 11: Big Brother, Save Me

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

After reading the post a few times, Richard opened the [Trading Market].

He searched for a resource treasure — spring water.

But to his disappointment, there was no such treasure.

Then, he searched for a few similar words consecutively, but all he found was a vast expanse of haze.

"At this stage, there are still too few people who can obtain a 3-star treasure chest. Moreover, even if they obtain it, they might not be able to obtain a similar resource treasure."

After closing the [Trading Market, Richard found a post again.

After giving himself the name of Qing Qiu, he sent a private message.

[Qing Qiu: Big Brother, I just saw your post. Would you like to sell the spring water fragment?]

After sending the message, Richard quickly received a response.

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: You want it? How many resources can you offer?]

The corner of Richard's mouth twitched when he saw this name.

[Qing Qiu: The initial resources are too precious. I can't offer much, but I just hunted a wild wolf.]

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Wild wolf? The kind that's not much bigger than a dog? What can that thing do?]

Richard went directly to the side of the busy residents and chose a medium-sized wild wolf.

[Ding~ Do you want to sell the desert wolf's corpse? Please set the price.]

"100,000 gold coins."

After making the decision, the desert wolf in front of him disappeared.

Richard opened the [Forum Chat] again and sent a message.

[Qing Qiu: I have already put the desert wolf on the shelves. You go to the exchange channel and search for it. Desert wolf — sold for 100,000 gold coins.]

Not long after the message was sent, the other party replied.

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Awesome, even an Elite 3-star wild wolf can be killed! I've already been blocked by a group of Elite 1-star wild wolves. How the f*ck did I pick the farmer's troop lair? Boss, what level is your troop lair?]

[Qing Qiu: Let's talk about a deal.]

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: We can trade, but one is not enough. Moreover, wolves are social animals. Boss, you must have killed more than one!]

[Qing Qiu: My territory is also very short of food. It's impossible to trade too much. Moreover, yours is only a fragment. I don't know when it will be synthesized. If it's too expensive, then forget it.]

The other party didn't reply for a long time. Just when Richard thought that the guy didn't want to trade, the other party appeared again.

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Boss, you hunted a desert wolf, and you're willing to exchange precious food for a fragment of resources, treasure, and spring water at this time. Your territory is in the desert, right?]

Richard raised his eyebrows. Just as he was about to say no more nonsense, the other party sent him a message.

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: I understand that a fragment of the resource treasure spring water can not be exchanged for much food, but I wonder if you're interested in this thing?]

[Russian Olive Seed (Resource Treasure)]

[Level: 1-star]

[Range: 10 Mu]

[Characteristics: Must be planted in the desert, requires sufficient water for irrigation, ripens once a month.]

[Description: A resource treasure exclusive to the desert.]

Richard's eyes widened.

"Russian olive seed?!"

"Ripens once a month?"

Moreover, this was not a resource treasure fragment like spring water, which could be used directly after obtaining it.

[Qing Qiu: Two resource treasures can be obtained from one 3-star treasure chest?]

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Who said two resource treasures can be obtained from one 3-star treasure chest? One 3-star treasure chest can produce one resource treasure. I have opened two 3-star treasure chests.]

Richard was speechless.

"This guy's luck was too good, right?"

"How long has it been? He already obtained two 3-star treasure chests?"

"He must be cheating…"

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Boss, are you interested in this treasure? I don't want much, just 30 wild wolves will be enough.]

[Qing Qiu: Wake up, please. Resources and treasures may seem precious, but to every desert lord, they are huge pits. How much water will be consumed every day after planting the olive seed? How many people can survive?]

[Moreover, they mature too slowly. Don't you know what a month means? Not only do I need to expend energy to care for them, but I also need to delay the progress of the development of the territory.]

[In the future, there will definitely be more similar resource treasures. When that time comes, the price will definitely be lower.]

[Right now, this thing doesn't have much value to me. Let's talk about the transaction of the spring water fragments.]

After reading this paragraph, the other party fell into a long silence.

Richard no longer responded. He was waiting for the guy to speak.

The olive seeds could mature in a month. This was an irresistible temptation for Richard.

If Richard could get it, it meant that Twilight City would have a stable source of food.

As for investment, wasn't that nonsense? Without investment, there would be no harvest.

But the essence of negotiation was to not reveal one's trump card.

Whoever had a small demand could take the initiative.

And the other party's post had already exposed his extreme lack of food.

Now, the initiative was in Richard's hands.

It was only the first day of the game, it was not easy to find a suitable seller from the desert camp.

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: No, this is from a 3-star treasure chest, not a cent less. I've already put it on the shelves, you can buy it yourself.]

Opening the [Trading Market, he found the olive seeds and spring water fragments.

[Russian Olive Seed: (1-star) — sold for 5,000 units of food or 30 desert wolves]

[Spring Water Fragments: (1-star) — sold for 1,000 units of food or 10 desert wolves]

Richard laughed. "Little friend, are you fishing in front of me? I really thought it was fishing."

He immediately closed the [Forum Chat].

Richard removed the desert wolves from the shelves and let the residents continue to deal with them. He no longer paid any attention to that guy.

The other party had even exposed his underwear. Now, he was the one fishing.

The residents only finished their work when it was dark.

After dealing with more than twenty wolves, all of them were exhausted.

A middle-aged man in a short robe entered the Lord's mansion with a respectful expression after confirming that the food was cooked.

However, under the gaze of the mummy guard's empty eyes, he did not dare to enter the hall at all. He only dared to shout in a low voice.

"Lord, good evening... We have already prepared the food. Please have your meal..."

When Richard heard the somewhat perturbed voice coming from outside the door, he did not know whether to laugh or cry.

He got up and walked out of the mansion.

In the open space outside the door…

Hundreds of residents were staring at the bubbling meat in the big pot.

The fragrance almost made a child cry.

Richard, who hadn't eaten for a day, was also excited.

Seeing him, the residents turned their heads to salute him reluctantly.

"Lord, good evening."

"Lord..."

Looking at the crowd who looked like they wanted to stuff their eyes into the pot, Richard smiled.

He took a few steps forward and swept his gaze across the crowd.

Richard spoke in a clear voice.

"My people, today is your first day in Twilight City. It is a memorable day. Because today, you have become a member of Twilight City. You have become my people.

"From this moment on, all of us will share the glory and disgrace of Twilight City. In the future, this land will be filled with hope because of our joint efforts. The life that each of you dreams of will be realized through our hard work.

"Remember today. In the future, you will be proud. Now, eat!"

The last sentence immediately made the residents excited.

"Long live, Lord!"

"Praise you, Great Lord!"

"Thank you for your grace..."

Richard was at a loss for words…

After a period of excitement, it was time for a happy meal.

The organs and bones of more than 20 wild wolves gave everyone a great meal. Everyone was given a big bowl, and there were two delicious meals the next day.

Richard felt the same. Although there wasn't much seasoning, the wild wolf meat was too delicious. A simple salt could make a first-class delicacy.

After a comfortable meal, Richard slowly returned to the mansion.

The night was too dangerous. Richard didn't have any plans to go out, so safety was more important.

When he entered the hall, he suddenly found two rosy-faced 18-year-old girls with blonde hair waiting for him.

After asking, Richard found out that it was Karu who had sent them to serve him.

'You're using this to test your skills?'

Richard didn't know whether to laugh or cry. After thinking about it, he realized that he had already transmigrated, so it wasn't a big deal for his life to be rotten.

He felt at ease as he finished washing up under the two girls' service. However, when the two girls shyly suggested warming up the bed, Richard still strictly rejected it.

The harmonious troop was one aspect. The main thing was that the two girls didn't meet his aesthetic standards. He preferred oriental girls who had a lingering charm.

The two girls turned their heads back three times and left regretfully.

This was a chance to reach the sky in one step. They actually did not grasp it. What a pity...

The next morning, Richard woke up. After washing up, he thought of something and opened the [Forum Chat].

In the next second, hundreds of private messages appeared.

Six o'clock in the evening…

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Why haven't you bought it yet?]

Seven o'clock in the evening…

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Boss, where are you?]

Eight o'clock in the evening…

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Is the price too high? We can still discuss this...]

Nine o'clock in the evening…

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: How about 25 Wild Wolves? I'll change the price now!]

Ten o'clock in the evening...

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Boss, I was wrong. Don't ignore me. Twenty, last price! It can't be less!!]

Eleven o'clock in the evening…

[Where's Your F* king Italian cannon: Boss, answer me. I'm really in a hurry...]

Twelve o'clock in the evening…

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Can I call you Big Brother? Twenty really can't be less!!]

One o'clock, at dawn…

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Big Brother, just buy them. Those refugees are going to use up all my food tonight. I've already promised them to solve the food problem tomorrow!! I can't go back on my word!!]

Two o'clock, at dawn…

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Big Brother, when you get up tomorrow, call me back when you see this message.]

Six o'clock in the morning...

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon? Big Brother, please, hurry up and buy it!! If those residents don't see the rice put into the pot today, I'm afraid they'll rebel!!]

Seven o'clock in the morning…

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Big Brother, have you woken up? Those residents have already woken up! Please reply to me.]

Eight o'clock in the morning…

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Big Brother, 15 wild wolves, if you want them, buy them immediately, no more words!!]

Nine o'clock in the morning…

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Big Brother, I'm going to die!!! Those guys have been asking about the food, I can't fool them anymore!! They said that they would leave today without food!!]

[If those bastards with big waists were to really start fighting, my farmers and soldiers wouldn't be able to withstand it!!!!]

[Big Brother, save me!!]

Chapter 13: Chapter 12: Great Harvest (Two Resource Treasures – Russian Olive Seed and Spring Water Fragment)

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Richard didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he saw the other party's messages.

This guy also had a top-grade item.

He dared to fish without a trump card.

Richard opened the [Trading Market].

The price of the other party's 1-star resource treasure, the olive seed, had been reduced to 2,000 units of food or 15 desert wolves.

The spring water fragment treasure also had been sold for 500 units of food or 3 desert wolves.

That guy obviously couldn't hold on any longer.

But even so, no one cared.

Who would have extra food to buy such a useless treasure at this time?

He searched the [Forum Chat] for posts about the olive seeds and the spring water fragments and found that they were all sent by [Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon].

Richard clicked on them and found them funny.

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Come quickly, buy the precious strategic treasure from the 3-star treasure chest!]

[The 10-mu Russian olive seed will mature once a month. As long as one buys it, they will be able to harvest a batch of food every month.]

[It is the best choice for the desert lords! The cornerstone of hegemony!]

[As long as one gathers the three pieces of the spring water fragment, they will be able to obtain a spring core! The desert lords who lacked water practically could not miss this!]

[One can find these two treasures in the exchange market by searching.]

Richard pondered about it.

"It's not a big deal for you to boast about yourself, but the reply below is quite interesting."

[First Floor: Are you crazy? Do you sell 2,000 units of food for a lousy treasure? And it can only be grown in the desert! Don't you know the price of food now?]

[Second Floor: As a random desert lord, I just want to say that the owner is a retard! That olive seed is not bad, but the description clearly states that it needs sufficient irrigation! Who the hell can afford this?]

[Not to mention the ridiculous price of selling 2,000 units of food, do you know what it means to have 15 desert wolves? That is a level 3, Elite 3-star group monster! Who can kill 15 desert wolves on the first day? Why didn't you go to heaven with such a big nose?]

[Third Floor: I seriously want these treasures. Can you give me a lower price? I'll give you 300 units of food for the olive seeds I got after killing a wild camel. I can't bear to eat them.]

[Fourth Floor: The treasures are so expensive. They look good, but they're useless. Don't you feel bad using these little resources to exchange for something else?]

[Fifth Floor: I have nothing to say.]

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: At first, you would argue a little, but in the end, it's just spat. You wouldn't dare to talk back.]

[No wonder you're so anxious.]

The guy's defense was interrupted by the sand sculpture players.

They still liked to be vicious. Even in a different world, it hadn't changed.

After thinking for a while, Richard sent that guy a message.

[Qing Qiu: The desert wolves harvested yesterday have been dealt with already. You're too late.]

The other party replied instantly.

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Oh my god, you've finally appeared!!!]

[Don't try to scare me. I've already asked around. There are at least 7 or 8 desert wolves that appear at the same time. With such a large one, even if you remove the skin, bones, and internal organs, a few combined can produce at least 2,000 units of meat. It's impossible to finish them in one day.]

[Just buy it!!]

[Qing Qiu: I can only produce 800 units of desert wolf meat.]

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: The Russian olive seed can be sold only for so little money? That's too cheap!]

[Qing Qiu: Who told you that it's the olive seed for 800? I'm talking about the two treasures for 800.]

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: You are ruthless! But I will never give in! I will never sell them even if I die!]

[Qing Qiu: Hear me out.]

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Sigh, Big Brother, speak! I am listening.]

[Qing Qiu: I can produce 800 units of wild wolf meat in exchange for your resource treasures. After half a month, I can continue to give another 800 units. After a month, I could produce another 800 units.]

Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon was also stunned.

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Big Brother...is this a payment by installments?]

[Qing Qiu: 800 units of wild wolf meat is enough for you to last for some time. That is meat, not rice or flour. Moreover, I don't have much food in my hands. I still have hundreds of people to feed. I don't have that many resources to trade with you.]

[If you don't accept, then forget it. I have food in my hands. I have 20 billion people to feed. Don't tell me I can't buy similar resources and treasures.]

Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon immediately became anxious. He was still waiting for the rice to be in the pot. If those refugees ran away, his territory would be in chaos.

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon: Don't, Big Brother... Alright! I agree, but we have to sign a contract!!]

[Qing Qiu: No problem.]

The two signed the system contract once for 100 gold coins. It could guarantee the interests of both parties. If one party breaches the contract, it would be punishable as breaking the contract as discussed.

After Richard signed the contract with the other party, he went to the warehouse to get 800 units of wild wolf meat.

The two resource treasures obtained from a 3-star treasure chest also appeared in his hands smoothly.

He only spent 800 units of meat in exchange for two resource treasures. This transaction was a bloody profit.

As for the remaining 1,600 units of meat, he would supplement the shortage over time.

In other words, the 800 units of meat after half a month would not have the same expensive price. The purchasing power would devalue.

Richard carefully looked at the two resource treasures in his hands.

The Russian olive seed looked like a Russian olive. It emitted a faint fluorescence.

The spring water fragment was one-third the size of a palm, like a broken crystal, but it did not cut Richard's hand.

[Russian Olive Seed (Resource Treasure)]

[Level: 1-star]

[Range: 10 Mu]

[Characteristics: Must be planted in the desert, requires sufficient water for irrigation, ripens once a month.]

[Description: A resource treasure exclusive to the desert.]

[Spring Water Fragment (Resource Treasure)]

[Level: 1-star]

[Water Output: Small — LSB Status: Incomplete (1/3)]

[Characteristics: After placement, the fragment will form a spring that will not dry up.]

[Description: A fragment of a resource treasure. Only when it is complete can it be used.]

Holding the Russian olive seed, a stream of information immediately gushed out of Richard's mind.

After selecting an area and placing the Russian olive seed in the central, olives would grow out rapidly in a short period.

Richard was in a great mood.

With this Russian olive seed, it meant that Twilight City would have a stable source of food.

Stability was more a priority to the territory than anything else.

However, the biggest problem was still not solved.

The water source!

The Russian olive seed needed sufficient water for irrigation. The small well in Twilight City could not even provide food and drinks for the hundreds of people. There was no way to grow it at all.

"I have to think of a way to find the other spring water fragments..."

"Since it's a 1-star resource treasure and a fragment, the chances of being opened is surely not low."

"Although the number of 3-star treasure chests is rare, there are 20 billion players. It's natural for 300,000 to 500,000 players to be as lucky as Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon."

"Money can make the mill push the ghost. As long as there are enough resources, I can put a bounty on 20 billion players to work for me..."

After identifying his target, Richard immediately asked someone to call Karu over and gave him some instructions.

"Today, I'm going to patrol around the territory to look for resource points and edible prey. You arrange for the residents to clean up the territory and don't go out. The territory will be starkly safe for the week. No monster, not even a dragon, can enter."

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Chapter 14: Chapter 13: Bee-Raising Nak Trolls

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

After instructing Karu, Richard placed the food and water that he had prepared beforehand into the system space.

At the same time, he opened the system map and looked at it carefully.

"Today, I'll scan the map with the logging field in the west as the starting point. For the next few days, I'll explore in a clockwise direction."

After making a decision, Richard left the territory with 14 mummies.

Although it was only the second time he had walked in the desert, Richard had practically adapted to it the day before, and his face was much calmer.

It was lonely, vast, and majestic. The desert was always so magnificent, and it made people feel heroic.

It was still early, and the yellow sand had not been burned by the sun.

With a goal and direction, the group of people moved quickly.

Soon, they passed by the logging field, where the long-armed laborers were already working hard.

Richard did not stop and continued to explore.

However, less than five minutes after leaving the logging field, he suddenly heard a buzzing sound.

Richard turned his head and saw a few yellow and black desert bees passing by him.

"There are bees in the desert?"

He looked a little surprised.

However, the desert bees were very fast and flew away in the blink of an eye. He did not have the chance to find out.

Shaking his head, Richard did not hesitate and continued to move forward.

However, after walking for less than ten minutes, the mummy that was leading the way suddenly stopped and retreated.

It waved its hand to signal to go back.

Nothing was blocking its line of sight in the desert. Richard immediately noticed something strange.

After making sure that no enemies were attacking, he stepped forward to check the details.

Richard came to the side of the mummy that was warning him. Under its signal, he climbed up a small sand dune that was about ten meters tall in front of him.

Richard lowered his body and looked forward.

On the sand dune a hundred meters away, three squads of soldiers from the wild appeared in front of him.

These humanoid creatures had rock-like muscles all over their bodies. They were bulging out one by one and were particularly eye-catching.

Even a bodybuilder would be ashamed to death in front of these creatures.

Their bodies were two meters tall, and their every move was filled with a terrifying sense of power.

Their backs were slightly bent, and three rows of dagger-like spikes grew on their backs, making them look ferocious and terrifying.

What was even more surprising was that these strange creatures were surrounded by groups of desert bees flying around them.

The desert bees that he saw earlier had surely come from this place.

[Nak Trolls]

[Level: 4]

[Potential: Elite 3-star]

[Skills: Hard Body (D-rank) — Body as hard as a rock, able to ignore the bite of ordinary beasts.]

[All-Out Heavy Strike (E-rank) — The next attack after charging up will release 200% of its strength.]

[Rock Body (E-rank)– It will not die unless its head is chopped off.]

[Race Talent: Possesses exceptionally strong defense, ordinary weapons are unable to pierce through it.]

[Fetters: The nak trolls feed on honey, raising more than three lairs of desert bees, automatically earning 10 experience points every day.]

[When it raises more than five lairs of desert bees, it automatically receives 20 experience points every day.]

[When it raises more than 10 lairs of desert bees, desert bees will give birth to desert bees and produce golden honey, which can increase the potential of the nak troll.]

[Description: They love to eat honey! La La La~]

Richard's eyes widened.

"Good heavens, there are such strange species in the desert?"

"They looked so ferocious, and they truly eat honey. And in this vast desert, where would those desert bees go to gather honey?"

"The world is so big. There are indeed all kinds of strange things."

Looking at the shackle of the nak trolls, Richard suddenly became interested.

"Eating honey can give experience. No wonder these trolls are level 4..."

"I wonder if these desert bees can be moved away?"

Thinking of the sweetness of the honey, Richard was tempted.

Although it felt strange to raise bees in the desert, Richard could even raise wild monsters, so why couldn't he.

He refused to give up.

But the problem was that the enemy had a total of three squads.

One squad had 10 people, one squadron had 10 squads, and one legion had 10 squadrons.

This was the basic unit structure of the game "Shining Era". It was a 10-point system, and it was easy to remember.

Richard was facing such a large number of soldiers with potential as high as an Elite 3-star, and they were still a type of soldiers that specialized in defense.

He felt that it was somewhat troublesome.

Although the mummies were strong, their defenses were still a problem whether or not they could break through.

"The strength in my hands is still too weak. After accumulating some resources, I will need to build a second troop's lair."

While his thoughts were a mess, Richard took another look at the mummy's attributes.

[Corpse Bandage — (E-rank). Reduces physical damage by 30%. The bandage carries plague. The infected person will enter a weakened state, and all stats will be reduced by 20%. If not treated, they will gradually die.]

'If not treated, they will gradually die…'

After muttering softly, Richard's eyes gradually lit up.

"The opponent's defense is amazing. I'm afraid that using normal methods will not be effective. Although the Sand Transformation skill is strong, it can only last for five minutes."

"If we attack vigorously…then if we can't finish the battle within five minutes, we might suffer a strong counterattack from the opponent. At that time, the situation will be out of control."

"Why don't we try this passive..."

"A group of troops in the desert. Do they have the ability to dispel the mummy's curse?"

"The other party's strong defense is just physical. There's no magic resistance at all in their attributes..."

Thinking of this, Richard made up his mind. He had always been a man of action. He would do whatever he said.

Not to mention the honey that made his heart itch, it was worth a try if Richard could gain a lot of experience from hunting the nak trolls.

He might even be able to find some treasures inside.

Richard led the mummies around the sand dune and slowly approached the nak trolls from the downwind.

When the distance was right…

Richard let the mummies directly turn into sand.

Fourteen mummies merged into the desert and left no trace.

A moment later, the nak trolls, who were lazily sunbathing in the bushes, suddenly heard a rustling sound.

However, these wild nak trolls, who ate honey, were much lesser vigilant than the desert wolves.

It was not until the mummies' bodies crawled up from the ground and even passed through their bodies that these ferocious-looking monsters woke up and roared as they counter-attacked.

The nak trolls used their sandbag-sized fists to ruthlessly hit the mummies' bodies.

'Whoosh!'

After accumulating strength, their fists even produced a sonic boom.

However, no matter how terrifying the attacks were, they hit the mummies' bodies as if they were hitting the sand.

They could only feel a slight obstruction before they passed through the mummies' bodies.

Instead, as they came into direct contact with the mummies, their rock-like skin started to turn blue.

Their powerful aura suddenly decreased by a large margin.

The mummies' curse took effect.

But the weaker their body, the crazier the nak trolls became.

Three teams of nak trolls swarmed forward, surrounding the 14 mummies and launching a storm-like attack.

The mummies also retaliated mercilessly.

They could easily tear apart the desert wolf's body and attack the nak trolls with their sharp claws. But they could only leave white scratches on the nak trolls' bodies.

They could not break through the defense.

The nak trolls with all their attributes and defense were much more difficult to deal with than the desert wolves.

After a full two minutes, the mummies confirmed that all the nak trolls were infected with the curse. Then, their bodies quickly merged into the sand under the roars of the opponents.

The mummies disappeared without a trace.

No matter how much the nak trolls roared and raged, they could not stop the mummies after they turned into sand.

After the mummies left, the nak trolls furiously punched the ground with their fists.

Huge pits were created.

Yellow sand splashed in the air.

The desert bees in the air felt the nak trolls and also buzzed.

After the mummies crawled out of the yellow sand, Richard immediately took them away from this area.

They came to a sand dune hundreds of meters away and carefully observed the movements of the nak trolls.

The nak trolls furiously stirred up the sand. After venting their anger, they gradually regained their calm when they saw that the enemies had not appeared for a long time.

However, the faint blue aura on their bodies did not disappear.

Instead, it gradually showed signs of deepening.

But the nak trolls' bodies were too strong.

There were no obvious changes for a while.

After observing for a long time, a smile appeared on Richard's face.

The plan was successful!

As expected, these nak trolls did not have any means to dispel the undead curse. Now, it was enough to wait for the curse to devour them.

However, with the physique of the nak trolls, it would not work for a few hours. There was no need to waste time.

After making sure that there were no casualties, Richard continued to explore the west with the bandaged mummies.

He was quite looking forward to what they would encounter next...

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Chapter 15: Chapter 14: Aboriginal Desert Gnomes and Scary Temple

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

After leaving the area where the nak trolls were, Richard became even more careful.

The mummies that were originally scouting the way turned from 4 to 8. They spread out in groups of two in a fan shape.

Each group was about 3 to 4 hundred meters away from Richard. If there was trouble, they could be summoned immediately.

This greatly increased the scope of the search.

Not long after, this strategy worked.

[Ding~ Your troops have been attacked by a group of desert gnomes.]

Richard had warned them. The mummies that encountered desert gnomes did not fight with them. Instead, they quickly retreated.

He immediately gathered the mummies that had spread out.

When Richard and the mummies got closer, he also saw the appearance of the soldiers that attacked the mummies in the desert.

They were about 1.5 meters tall, holding a dried wooden stick in their hands. Their skin was green with yellow spots, very close to the desert.

Their faces were extremely ugly, like freshly kneaded dough that fell on the uneven ground and was stepped on.

[Desert Gnome]

[Level: 2]

[Potential: Ordinary 1-star]

[Skill: Wa! Wa! Wa! (Raises morale by shouting)]

[Race Talent: Bullies the weak and fears the strong. Cowards fear death.]

[Fetters (Grease Under the Feet): When the number of enemies is less than 10%, escape speed increases by 20%. When the number of enemies is less than 20%, escape speed increases by 30%.]

[Description: Don't come over, if you come over again, I will run!!]

This attribute was amazing.

Richard didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He had thought that it was some powerful character.

This group of short green-skinned creatures held wooden sticks and madly chased after the two mummies.

The enemy had more than four teams, and they looked quite impressive.

However, when the desert gnomes saw a large number of enemies coming, their charging and shouting immediately slowed down.

Seeing this, Richard was afraid that these guys would run away, so he waved his hand.

"Kill them!"

The mummies were like ferocious tigers coming out of their cages.

They let out an extremely hoarse roar, and the indistinct feeling sent chills down people's spines.

The green-skinned desert gnomes were stunned. They turned their heads to look at their companions beside and found that they had several times more people than the opponents. Its morale was immediately boosted.

They rushed forward while screaming.

The mummy that was the first to rush into the desert gnomes immediately activated its unparalleled mode.

Its shriveled fingers were now sharper than a razor.

As it waved them around, those desert gnomes were like lambs lining up to die.

One claw after another.

Under the immense power, even if the desert gnomes used a wooden stick to block, the only outcome would be that the wooden stick would break and their bodies would be torn apart.

'Chi!'

'Chi!'

Blood splattered and scattered on the ground.

Corpses fell to the ground one after another.

In just one round, only 2 out of the 4 teams of desert gnomes were left.

Looking at the miserable looks of their companions, the remaining desert gnomes were immediately scared out of their wits. They did not even bother to run away, so they directly knelt and kowtowed.

"Great Lord! We are willing to submit to you and become your humble servants!"

[Ding~ The desert gnomes were defeated by your troop. You have obtained 40 experience points. Due to your strength, the remaining desert gnomes are willing to submit to you. Do you want to accept?]

Richard's mouth twitched as he watched the desert gnomes shatter like paper.

He thought about it. Although these guys were cowardly and useless in battle, they could still be used for work or as cannon fodder.

After choosing to accept, Richard waved his hand and made the mummies stop.

Seeing that the death gods around them had stopped, the desert gnomes finally dared to take a deep breath.

However, the bean-sized sweat on their foreheads almost flowed down like tears.

Richard walked closer. The blood around him made him frown slightly, but that was all.

After a few battles, his mental endurance had a qualitative leap.

He was adapting to this world in an extremely strong state.

He stared at the desert gnome in front of him.

"Where did you come from? Why did you attack my troop?"

The desert gnomes who were questioned panicked and spoke in a trembling voice.

"Great Lord, we were also forced into a corner. Those damn temple guards seized our territory and expelled us. We need food..."

"You need food, so you attacked the mummies?"

"What was going on in your heads?"

Richard was in disbelief for a long time.

"You guys aren't afraid of meat and vegetables…"

However, the temple guards that the desert gnomes mentioned piqued his interest.

Was this a dungeon or a quest?

"Temple guards? There's a temple there?"

"Yes, Lord, there's a very scary temple..."

"Where is that?"

When the desert gnomes heard this, they were so scared that they shivered. Their bodies couldn't stop trembling, and their eyes were filled with fear.

"Th-they are too terrifying. All of our tribesmen have been killed..."

"Cut the crap!"

The desert gnomes were shocked and quickly said.

"I-in our territory, we have to walk half a sun away from here..."

"What do you mean by half a sun?"

Richard wanted to kill these creatures with a slap.

"How many people are there? How strong are they?"

"I'm not sure. They are too many and too strong. All the tribesmen they met are dead!"

"What does the temple look like?"

"We only took a look at it from a long distance. We're not sure..."

Richard shook his head. These green-skinned creatures were really useless. They did not even know the enemy's situation even though their entire clan had been destroyed.

They were able to run out because of the fetters, right?

He was too lazy to ask anymore.

"Lead the way."

These words immediately made the desert gnomes' faces turn bitter.

However, due to the mummy's powerful pressure, they could only nod.

One of them pursed his dry lips.

"Great Lord, do you have any water?"

Richard unhappily took out a wooden bucket filled with water from the system space.

He watched the 20 desert gnomes gurgle dry.

After drinking their fill, the listless desert gnomes immediately came to life and began to lead the way.

As they walked, they told Richard how terrifying the temple guards were and desperately tried to dissuade him from exploring.

Richard naturally couldn't be bothered with them, but from their stammering words, he obtained quite a bit of information.

These desert gnomes were aborigines. They were not recruited by any troop's lair. They had been living in that area for decades.

The temple had suddenly appeared a few days ago. Subsequently, that area had been occupied by the temple's guards.

Not only was the enemy powerful, but there were also many of them. Hundreds of desert gnomes had been slaughtered by a small team of the enemy.

The more he talked, the more curious Richard became.

This seemed to be a high-level stronghold of the field troop.

If they captured it, who knew what good things they could get out of it?

With some excitement, Richard urged the desert gnomes to speed up.

It had to be said that the desert gnomes' instinct of being afraid of death was indeed powerful. Under their leadership, they did not encounter any other field troops.

However, with the temptation of the temple, Richard did not have the mood to care about anything else.

After nearly forty minutes, the desert gnome leading the way pointed at a large bush not far away in fear.

"Great Lord, that temple is inside..."

Richard was shocked.

Chapter 16: Chapter 15: Rare 3-Star Level Guards of the Dark Temple

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

The forest in front of them stretched as far as the eye could see.

In the desert, the greenery was already a rare sight.

"There's a water source in the forest. That's why we've been living here."

"That temple is in the middle of the forest."

"Great Lord, you must be careful. Those temple guards are too powerful..."

"We will guard the outside..."

Hearing the desert gnomes muttering, Richard glared at them.

"Follow them in!"

The green-skinned desert gnomes looked bitter.

But they didn't dare to say anything. They could only stand on the side dejectedly.

Richard thought for a while and selected 5 desert gnomes. He sent 4 mummies to explore the way.

"You guys, go find a safe path to the temple."

The son of a rich family did not want to risk his life. With so many soldiers under Richard, there was no need for him to take the risk.

The 5 desert gnomes who were chosen were about to cry.

Richard looked fiercely at them.

"The 5 of you, after you find a safe path, you can stand guard outside. The next time you have a mission, you will send others."

The desert gnomes finally managed to recover their spirits. Compared to the other unknown missions that the other desert gnomes might encounter, it didn't seem like it was a big deal to explore a path.

In any case, they ran fast.

Immediately, they tiptoed and lowered their bodies, bringing the mummies into the bushes in an extremely comical manner.

Richard didn't say anything and waited patiently.

Twenty minutes later…

'Rustle…'

Footsteps came from the bushes, but the mummy in front didn't warn Richard.

After a while, a few desert gnomes appeared in front of Richard excitedly.

"Lord, we found a safe passage to the temple!"

Richard glanced at the few mummies behind the desert gnomes, but they didn't show any objection.

Only then did Richard relax. Compared to these green-skinned creatures, the mummies were ten times more reliable.

"Leave a small team of desert gnomes to wait here. The rest of you, follow me to the temple."

"The 5 of you are in charge of managing the order here. Before I return, no one is allowed to leave. If anyone tries to escape, the 5 of you can execute them on the spot!"

The 5 desert gnomes who were called out were instantly extremely excited. They proudly glanced at the few companions beside them and raised their heads.

"Great Lord, we will definitely keep an eye on the others!"

Richard nodded and did not say anything else. He let the few mummies go first and followed them into the bushes.

Too many people could easily cause chaos. The desert gnomes who led a small team were easy to manage. If there was trouble, they could also be used as cannon fodder.

The bushes were very tall. Some of the dense bushes were 2 to 3 meters tall, so there was no need to worry about being exposed.

Fortunately, the shrubs grew in clusters. There was a certain interval between each cluster, so there were no problems with clusters. It would at most be a bit of a detour, so it would not be too difficult to move forward.

Under the leadership of the mummy, the speed was not slow.

But to prevent trouble, Richard still lowered his speed.

In the winding bushes, it was easy to get lost with a map.

One of the characteristics of Twilight City's territory was that residents would not get lost in the desert, which played a huge role at this time.

Richard felt that his mind was clear and not confused.

Ten minutes later, the mummy leading the way stopped.

The desert gnomes also felt something, and they all shut their mouths tightly, not daring to make a sound.

Even their legs were trembling.

Richard gestured for the two mummies to keep an eye on the desert gnomes while he walked forward under the protection of the other mummies.

After walking for about fifty meters, he gently pushed aside the bushes in front of him, and his vision suddenly widened.

In front of him was an open space covered with yellow grass.

In the center of the open space was a large tree that was more than twenty meters tall with umbrella-shaped leaves.

The tree covered an extremely wide area, casting a massive shadow on the ground.

And under this towering tree, an ancient temple appeared in sight.

In front of this temple stood nine giant stone pillars, each engraved with an ancient divine pattern.

The colors were very much lively.

The aura it emitted made people feel an inexplicable sense of awe.

Behind the stone pillars, the temple, which stood in the shadow of the big tree, opened its doors. Inside, there was a faint glow of torches.

The situation could not be seen clearly, but it gave people a very mysterious feeling.

In front of the temple, four teams of temple guards stood firmly, and 40 people blocked the surrounding area.

These temple guards were wearing black armor engraved with the picture of a lion with a human face.

In their hands, they were holding a strange weapon with a curved blade and a straight hilt.

On their heads, they were wearing pointy hats with two colored ribbons.

Richard hid his body and silently opened his attribute panel.

[Dark Temple]

[???]

[???]

[???]

They were all question marks...

Richard was not satisfied and looked at the guards beside the giant stone pillar.

In the next second, his pupils suddenly constricted.

[Guard of the Dark Temple of Ankham]

[Level: 8 (Intermediate Soldier) – Strength is increased by 15%]

[Potential: Rare 3-stars]

[Skills: Temple Guard (A-rank) — As the guardians of the Dark Temple, they have received the protection of the gods. When within 100 meters of the Dark Temple, their strength, stamina, and recovery speed will increase by 200%.]

[Temple Blessing (A-rank) — After being killed, as long as the corpse is placed in the Dark Temple, it can be resurrected after a day.]

[Body of Faith (B-rank) — Immune to mind control, immune to curses, immune to plagues, immune to lethal poison, magic damage reduced by 60%.]

[Battle Song of Courage (B-rank) — Morale will never drop when facing enemies who invade the Dark Temple. All attributes are increased by 70%.]

[Battle Master (B-rank) — Proficient in all kinds of combat techniques.]

[Race Talent: When fighting within 100 meters of the Dark Temple, all attributes increase by 50%.]

[Fetters: When fighting within 200 meters of the Dark Temple, all attributes increase by 10%.]

[When fighting within 100 meters of the Dark Temple, all attributes increase by 20%.]

[When fighting within 50 meters of the Dark Temple, all attributes increase by 30%.]

[Description: A soldier born to guard the Dark Temple.]

"What the hell!!"

Richard subconsciously slowed down his breathing.

The guard of the Dark Temple was level 8, and its potential had reached the unheard Rare 3-star level.

The guard of the Dark Temple's extremely powerful skills made Richard feel immense pressure.

The potential of the bandaged mummy was Elite 3-star level. After being promoted, it could reach the Rare 3-star level, and after being promoted once more, it could become a Rare 4-star.

There was a huge difference between the two ranks of the Dark Temple guards.

Moreover, the other party's level was as high as level 8!

The difficulty of leveling up in the game "Shining Era" was increasing exponentially. According to the official background information, the god's level was level 30.

The god's level was only level 30. One could imagine how valuable level 8 was at the beginning of the game.

Moreover, the number of Dark Temple guards on the outside alone was as high as four small teams.

The number of soldiers hiding inside was probably not much more.

It was very likely that there was more than a squadron, which was more than a hundred people.

Just what kind of background did this Dark Temple have to have a squadron of Rare 3-star level soldiers come to guard it?

If Richard and his troop were to attack it, wouldn't they be able to get rich in a wave?

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Chapter 17: Chapter 16: The Great Harvest and Strangled Nak Trolls

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Richard looked at the Dark Temple with reluctance and waved his hand.

Retreat!

Without any hesitation, he turned around and left the shrub.

Although the Dark Temple was extremely tempting, capturing it would definitely yield extremely precious treasures.

However, at this stage, the gap between the two sides was still too vast.

Even if 100… No, 1000… 10,000 players worked together, they would not be able to capture it.

Around the Dark Temple, the combat power of these guards would be invincible for a long time.

"Lord!"

The desert gnomes heaved a sigh of relief when they saw that Richard had returned. One by one, they went forward to greet him excitedly.

Richard waved his hand. "Let's leave this place first."

Only when they were far away from the bushes did he relax.

Richard looked at the desert gnome and asked.

"Are there any buildings similar to the Dark Temple?"

The desert gnome shook his head.

"No, only temples."

"What about the other troops in the forest?"

"Every evening, the Guards of the Dark Temple would leave their station... All the beings in the surroundings would be slaughtered."

"What about the resource points like the logging fields?"

"There are, but they are also within the range of the temple guards..."

Richard could not help but shake his head, dispelling the idea of occupying the resource points nearby.

Not to mention the Dark Temple, this place was indeed a little far from Twilight City.

Looking at the system time, it was already two o'clock in the afternoon.

Richard did not know how the cursed nak trolls were doing.

After thinking for a while, he did not stay any longer and turned around to bring the desert gnomes and the mummies back.

However, Richard did not let the desert gnome lead the way this time. Just like before, he spread the mummies out and searched in a fan formation.

The desert gnomes also joined the exploration team.

With that, they really did find a few gathering places for the wilderness troops.

[Ding~ You have commanded your troops to destroy a group of sawtooth black rats. You have obtained 20 experience points and a small-scale resource bag.]

[Ding~ You have commanded your troops to exterminate a group of sharp-clawed sand rabbits. You have obtained 15 experience points.]

[Ding~ You have commanded your troops to exterminate a group of black-backed halflings. You have obtained 20 experience points and a scall-scale resource bag.]

Richard was stunned.

On average, one could encounter a group of troops in the desert within ten minutes.

However, the levels of these troops were not high, and they did not obtain anything good.

However, the biggest harvest was the edible sawtooth black rats and sharp-clawed sand rabbits they had hunted.

This made Richard rather happy, and he directly let the desert gnomes carry the meat back.

In the gathering place of these desert troops, Richard obtained a similar treasure that he had previously opened in a treasure chest—a resource bag.

[Resource Bag]

[Level: Small]

[Characteristics: After opening it, you can randomly obtain a small number of resources.]

[Description: You can try opening it. Otherwise, how would you know that opening this thing is a waste of time?]

Richard's mouth twitched as he looked at the cheeky description.

After opening it, he obtained two resource bags. One opened for 100 gold coins while the other opened for 100 units of stone materials.

It was better than nothing.

However, Richard felt a little regretful that he did not find any lair among these desert troop lairs.

After going around in circles, he encountered a few more desert troop lairs.

When the sun was setting, Richard returned to the place where he met the nak trolls this morning.

He left the desert gnome carrying his prey in the distance and waited. He brought the mummies and slowly approached the nak trolls from the dune at downwind.

After climbing up the dune…

The scene in front of him almost made Richard laugh out loud.

In the bushes in the distance, the nak trolls with rock-like tough defense were lying on the ground one by one. The blue color on their skin became very eye-catching.

Although the nak trolls kept trying to stand up, the hands behind them could not do it no matter how hard they tried.

They had been drained of all their strength...

The buzzing sound of the desert bees flying in the sky became more and more impatient as if they were crying for their partners.

Richard opened the attribute panel and found a new row of attributes.

[Nak Trolls]

[Level: 3]

[Potential: Elite 3-star]

[Status: Near Death (cursed)]

[Skills: Hard Body (D-rank), All-Out Heavy Strike (E-rank)...]

Richard checked all the nak trolls in the 3 squads.

Without exception, they were all in a near-death state.

"The mummy is an eternal god!"

Nodding his head in satisfaction, Richard waved his hand.

"You guys go and end the lives of these nak trolls!"

"Roar!" They let out a hoarse growl as the bandaged mummies walked forward excitedly.

'Rustle!'

Their footsteps made a unique sound as they stepped on the sand and gradually approached.

The nak trolls sensed something strange and could not help but turn their heads. When they saw that the main culprits had arrived, these ferocious creatures immediately fell into anger.

"Roar!" The nak trolls let out a tearing roar as they propped their hands on the ground, trying to stand up.

However, even if they used all their strength, they were still unable to prop up their huge bodies.

The bandaged mummies did not hesitate. They rushed forward with their sharp claws stabbing out like lightning.

The nak trolls groaned and suddenly waved their arms.

The sound of metal colliding could be heard.

They barely managed to block the attacks.

The mummies' aura turned cold. With a flash, they raised their arms high. Their bodies were like a spring that had been lowered to the extreme. Then, they suddenly exploded.

'Whoosh!!'

Their sharp claws tore through the air, piercing the throats of the nak trolls.

'Kacha!'

'Puchi!'

A nak troll, who could not resist the curse for a second time, received a fatal blow in the weakened state of the curse.

Fresh blood was like a hand pressing on a tap, creating a huge pressure.

One after another...

The level 4 and Elite 3-star nak trolls with almost insane defense were all slaughtered by the mummies.

When the last trolls died, the system notification came as expected.

[Ding~ Your troop has annihilated a group of nak trolls and won a small-scale battle. You have gained 60 experience points.]

Richard was overjoyed and stood up to go to the mummies.

The surroundings were littered with the corpses of the nak trolls. When they got closer, they could feel the terror of these ferocious troops.

That strong body could probably kill a calf with a single punch.

If they were to fight head-on, the bandaged mummy would have to be at least twice as strong to be able to eat it. Moreover, it had to be paired with a Sand Transformation skill. Otherwise, it would be difficult even if it was three times as strong.

As expected, the brain was the most powerful weapon.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

Stimulated by the sudden appearance of a stranger, the swarm of desert bees in the low air began to fly around in a disorderly manner. The sound was like a plane flying over their heads, suddenly increasing in volume.

A hint of excitement rose in Richard's eyes.

These desert bees were his spoils of war.

"I wonder what the honey in the desert tastes like?"

Following the path of the desert bees, they arrived in front of another shrub. It was very easy to find the hive hidden in the middle.

Although there was only one hive, there were quite a number of them.

Their dense mass could cause 10,000 true damage to those who suffered from agoraphobia.

Opening the attribute panel, the attributes of the honeycomb immediately appeared in front of Richard.

[Desert Bee]

[Level: Special]

[Queen Bee: Beginner (Upgraded to Intermediate Queen Bee) – Can brew better quality, intermediate honey)]

[Characteristics: It can produce desert honey with a special fragrance. After eating, it can greatly speed up the recovery of stamina and injuries.

[Minimum Output Per Week: 8 Units]

[Description: A rare bee in the desert. Extremely rare.]

"Special Item?"

After Richard looked at the attributes of the desert bee, his eyes lit up.

Once the word 'special' appeared, it usually meant that it had a special characteristic. It should be extremely rare and precious.

This could be seen from the description of the honey.

After consumption, it could greatly recover physical strength and injuries.

This was simply amazing.

Wasn't this an alchemy potion? Moreover, it was naturally produced.

More importantly, the quality of the honey could also be improved.

The Queen Bee was now at the beginner-level lair. When it was upgraded to the intermediate level, the quality of the honey would also be upgraded to the intermediate level.

"Apart from the intermediate level, was there another advanced level? Special level?"

"When that time came, how many attributes would it increase to?"

"Can it be an elixir of immortality? Can resurrection and bone regrowth be possible? Is it an extra life?"

Richard laughed out loud.

He could no longer hold back the joy in his heart when he thought of this.

At this moment, the Black Gold System suddenly popped out a notification.

[Desert Bee (Special) — Can use up to 10 insect-type troop lairs to increase the Queen Bee's level...]

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Chapter 18: Chapter 17: Plump Kitchen Maids

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

'Beehives can also use up troop lairs to level up?'

Richard was pleasantly surprised.

'Sure enough, life is perfect with cheats.'

He opened the [Trading Market] with a bit of curiosity.

Then, Richard searched for insect troop lairs.

[Giant Ant Lairs (Normal 1-star) — sold for 400 gold coins]

[Sickle Wasp Lairs (Normal 2-star) — sold for 500 units of wood]

[Venom Locust Lairs (Normal 1-star) — sold for 400 units of iron ore]

Richard searched around and found that the price of troop lair had increased a little.

Yesterday, the cheapest was 300 units of resources. Today, it had risen to 400 to 500 units. Some of the more powerful troops were even sold for thousands of units.

It was obvious that many lords had gone out to explore like him, earning new income.

As a result, the purchasing power of resources began to drop.

Moreover, as time passed, players learned which troop lairs were stronger and which were weaker.

The price difference between different troop units would be even greater.

Fortunately, Richard did not need those good troop lairs to level up. As long as he could satisfy the same type of troop, it would be enough.

"It's a pity that the spring water fragment can not be synthesized yet. Otherwise, I could have placed the Russian olive seeds there.

"When the time comes, I can place the desert bees in the Russian olive forest and let the bees pick the flowers directly. This process would be perfect."

Richard glanced at the honeycomb a few times but did not hurry to move.

It was not that he was afraid of being stung into a pig's head by those angry bees.

The main point was that they were only about ten minutes away from the territory, and there was no place for them in Twilight City.

He would move them when everything was ready, and it would not be too late for them to level up.

After thinking for a while, Richard looked at the desert gnomes that had just approached.

"The desert gnomes will follow the two mummies back to the territory first."

"If the residents ask, you can tell them that I went to the resource point to patrol and will be back soon."

The resource points that they had occupied yesterday had already been harvested today.

"Yes, Lord!!" The desert gnomes immediately answered excitedly.

The prey they had carried for so long had almost exhausted them to death, so they were naturally willing to return early.

After the two mummies brought the desert gnomes back to the territory, the residents saw the abundant prey and became excited again.

They were all in high spirits.

"Gods above, Lord must have received the blessing of the goddess of luck..."

"These prey are so fat and delicious!"

"Can we eat meat again tonight? It's so blissful..."

"Praise Lord Richard..."

A few days ago, they fled to this territory in fear. At that time, there were only a few days of food left. Everyone was desperate for the future.

But yesterday, after Lord Richard appeared, everything changed.

Lord Richard's gaze was so deep, and his firm words filled them with strength.

His actions were highly decisive, and the piles of prey gave them an unprecedented sense of security.

Richard was the lord of their dreams.

Praise the Twilight City, praise Lord Richard!

Richard took the 12 mummies to the logging field first and collected the yields of the long-armed laborer's day.

The small-scale logging field produced a maximum of 2,100 units per week. That was 300 units per day. After the long-armed laborer was motivated by Richard, his efficiency increased by 20% in three days.

So, the harvest was 360 units of wood.

The small-scale quarry produced 200 units, and the additional 20% was 40 units. That was a total of 240 units.

The small-scale iron mine was the same as the logging field, with 360 units.

[Logging Field]

Today, the three resource points produced a total of 960 units of resources.

The current resource details were:

[Gold Coins: 1,440 units]

[Wood: 1,900 units]

[Stone: 2,280 units]

[Steel: 2,360 units]

Half an hour later, Richard returned to the territory with satisfaction.

"Good evening, Lord, you've worked hard. Dinner has been prepared for you in the kitchen. You can take a hot bath first..."

Richard was bereft of speech…

The white-haired Karu had been waiting at the edge of the territory for a long time. When he saw Lord Richard, Karu immediately greeted him respectfully.

Richard nodded slightly.

After entering the territory, Richard saw the residents who were still busy dealing with the prey.

"How many units of food can the prey produce today?"

"We can't tell yet..." Karu was a little apologetic. "Please, rest first. I'll report to you as soon as I'm done."

Richard saw the desert gnomes who were left at a loss.

He waved his hand.

"Arrange for the desert gnomes to rest in the barracks. From now on, they'll be under your management."

After saying that, Richard ignored everything else and returned to the mansion with the mummies.

At night, the mummy that didn't need to rest was the best guard.

In the mansion, the two kitchen maids arranged by Karu had already prepared dinner for Richard.

Richard looked at the majestic clothes of the two kitchen maids that couldn't be concealed, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

Especially the trembling when they served the food, it made him wonder if Karu had done it on purpose...

After sending the two overly plump kitchen maids away, Richard enjoyed a sumptuous dinner in peace.

Wild wolf meat, wild rabbits, gerbils...

The quality of the meat was extremely high, and it tasted incomparably delicious.

Outside the Lord's mansion...

Karu looked at the two kitchen maids who had their heads lowered and looked as if they had done something wrong. He was somewhat not in the mood.

"Did you seriously not give any hint at all?"

Seeing the two of them shake their heads, Karu could not help but sigh.

"Sigh...it seems Lord Richard doesn't like girls like you, but it's still good that you weren't sent out like the two girls yesterday."

"You girls can leave. For the next few days, you will serve Lord Richard. Remember, no matter what he wants, you will give it to him!"

"Since this is your choice, then do it well."

"We have no one left to rely on. We have to find a strong protector. From these two days, Lord Richard is a rare candidate."

"If Lord Richard accepts you, it will be good for everyone. Not to mention that Lord Richard?is so handsome."

The two kitchen maids' faces were slightly red.

"We understand."

The two kitchen maids snatched the opportunity to serve Lord Richard from more than ten competitors...

In fact, whether it was a man or a woman, as long as they were outstanding enough, there would always be people who were willing to do it.

It was the instinct of life to chase after the best of the opposite sex.

Richard did not know what was happening outside the Lord's mansion.

After finishing his meal, Richard began to calculate the resources in his hands and the harvest of the past two days.

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Chapter 19: Chapter 18: Harvest Inventory and New Troop's Lair

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

It had been two days since Richard arrived in the game "Shining Era", and the two days had been quite fruitful.

The first was food. Currently, there were more than 3,000 units of meat and about 500 units of basic food left in the inventory.

Including today's prey, the inventory could be increased by thousands of units.

This would directly alleviate the food shortage problem in Twilight City. At least, there would not be a shortage of food for the next month.

The second point was the troop's lair. This was the foundation of the territory.

He already had an Elite 3-star lair in his hands. The bandaged mummies he recruited had extremely strong combat strength. When paired with the Sand Transformation skill, it had a great enhancement effect

In the future, when Richard chose the troop, he could continue to develop this type.

The third point was the resource aspect.

Currently, Richard had occupied three resource points, and he could earn a steady income of 800 to 900 resources every day.

The resources in his hands added up to more than 7,000 units.

Even if Richard could not be considered rich, his accomplishment was not bad.

The fourth point was external exploration.

On the west side, Richard found the Dark Temple with strong defensive power.

In the future, once Twilight City became stronger, capturing this temple would truly yield a harvest that would make people envious.

Richard had obtained a lair of extremely rare desert bees near the logging field. In the future, he could breed them...

After carefully calculating the harvest, Richard was in a very good mood.

After a long time, he focused his attention on the troop lairs.

"To upgrade the Elite 3-star Great Pyramid to Rare 3-star, it requires 100 troop lairs.

"Based on the current price, it requires 40,000 units of resources. Moreover, it has a 7 days cooldown time. It is unlikely to be upgraded in a short period.

"Upgrading a normal-level to elite-level lair requires only 10 troop lairs and 4,000 units of resources.

"If I invest all the resources in my hands into the new troop, I can directly obtain a new elite-level troop lair."

"If it's not enough, I can even sell some food in exchange for resources."

"I'll use my resources to kill a wave of troops first... Strength is the foundation of standing in this world!"

After sorting out his thoughts, Richard immediately took action.

He opened the [Trading Market].

[Searching: Desert Camp Branch of the Troop.]

[Desert Scout (Normal 3-stars) — sold for 1,000 units of wood]

[Desert Halfling (Normal 1-star) — sold for 500 units of wood]

[Putrid Hyena (Normal 2-stars) — sold for 6,000 units of iron ore]

Richard carefully checked the attributes of these troop lairs, but he eliminated most of them at the first moment.

The bandaged mummy's outstanding performance on the battlefield became his reference standard.

Moreover, Richard had to consider whether these troops were compatible with his Sand Transformation skill, consider logistics, and consider whether they could be compatible with the mummy...

More importantly, what was the potential? Was it worth spending a lot of resources to train them?

After a full two-hour series of screenings, Richard had eliminated over ten thousand troops before choosing one.

[Scorpion's Lair]

[Level: Normal 3-stars]

[Recruitment: Scorpion Warrior (Normal 3 stars)]

[Recruitment: 14]

[Weekly Output: 7]

[Recruitment Requirements: 4 gold coins, 4 units of wood, 4 units of steel]

[Description: An normal desert troop's lair].

The price of this troop's lair was as high as 3,000 units of iron ore.

The attributes of the scorpion warrior that it produced made him quite tempted.

[Scorpion Warrior]

[Level: 1]

[Potential: Normal 3-stars]

[Skills: Undead Body (F-rank) — Reduces 15% physical damage, immune to plague and poison. It will not die unless its head is chopped off.]

[Poisonous Scorpion Tail (F-rank) — The scorpion tail can cause armor-piercing damage. At the same time, it has poison attached to it. Once it is stabbed, it will cause poison damage.]

[Powerful Iron Pincers (F-rank) — Double pincers sharp increased by 15%. Attack strength increased by 15%]

[Race Talent: When fighting in the desert, strength increases by 30%.]

[Fetters: When the number of scorpions is greater than 10, strength increases by 10%, and poison increases by 10%.]

[When the number of scorpions is greater than 20, strength increases by 20%, and poison increases by 20%.]

[When the number of scorpions is greater than 30, strength increases by 30%, and?poison increases by 30%.]

[Description: A dead creature sealed in the Pharaoh's Pyramid. I believe you won't be willing to be stung by it.]

Its potential was Normal 3-star, and it had three skills—each of which was extremely useful.

There was one more thing that Richard admired. The scorpion warrior was a dead creature, so there was no need to consider logistics.

Although the bandaged mummy was outstanding, it also had a big weakness — it lacked offensive skills.

The scorpion warrior had powerful offensive skills, and its attributes were already very outstanding. Once it was upgraded, it would indeed receive even greater improvements.

After thinking about it, Richard searched again and confirmed that there was only one scorpion troop's lair.

Without hesitation, he bought it directly.

After consuming 3000 units of iron ore, the column was cleared. For this, Richard used other resources to exchange for a few hundred units.

Richard continued to search for troop lairs.

But this time, it was a synthetic one.

As long as it was from the desert camp, it was enough. How could it be so cheap?

After buying 10 troop lairs, what a coincidence!

The initial 7,000 units of resources were all emptied.

A series of 0s appeared on the attribute panel.

The construction of the Scorpion Lair required 400 units of wood, 400 units of stone, and 400 units of iron ore.

At this moment, Richard had no supplies at all.

He couldn't help but hold his forehead.

"This is too poor..."

It was still necessary to sell food.

"I wonder what the price of food is now?"

Opening the [Trading Market, the next second, Richard's pupils constricted.

100 units of wheat — sold for 2,000 units of iron ore.

50 units of fresh fish — sold for 1,500 units of wood

10 units of wild boar meat — sold for 400 gold coins.

The price of food was truly so high.

Each unit of meat could be exchanged for 30 to 40 units of resources, and as long as it was put up, it would be gone in a second.

The price of wheat and rice was also around 20 units.

After a few glances, Richard thought of thousands of units of meat in the warehouse.

At this time, Richard had a feeling of windfall.

It turned out that food was the most valuable harvest these few days.

Over a thousand units of meat could be sold for 30,000 to 40,000 units of resources.

Adding today's harvest, the meat in the warehouse starkly exceeded 4000 units.

This was an astonishing amount of wealth!

If all of it was sold, it could even raise the mummy's great pyramid and the newly acquired scorpion to a rare-level lair without taking into account the 7 days cooldown time.

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Chapter 20: Chapter 19: The Powerful Scorpion Warrior

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

"However, it's a pity that only a portion of the food can be sold. The food in Twilight City is also scarce, so there's not much available.

"Hundreds of people eat, drink, and defecate every day. There are also 30 long-armed laborers and 20 desert gnomes...

"In such a harsh environment like the desert, each person consumes at least two units of food every day.

"The warehouse looks abundant, but not buying food from outside is already good enough."

Richard shook his head.

The current stock of food could only last for more than 10 days. This was too little for a territory. It made him extremely insecure.

If something happened, Twilight City simply could not afford it.

Richard had a plan in his mind.

"At this stage, hunting is undoubtedly more beneficial than occupying resource points. In the short term, hunting can be the main goal of exploration."

As he was thinking, Richard stood up and left the mansion. He went to the well.

At this time, the residents had just finished dealing with today's prey.

Richard directly took 200 units of food in exchange for 8,000 units of resources.

He exchanged gold coins, wood, stone, and iron ore for an average of 2,000 units.

After encouraging the residents to work hard for a while, Richard turned around and returned to the mansion.

He placed the newly acquired scorpion's lair next to the Great Pyramid.

He chose to build it.

In an instant, 1,600 units of resources were used up.

At the same time…

The troop lair Richard placed on the ground began to expand like a balloon.

In a moment, it had become a three-meter-tall mud house.

The outer surface of the mud house was painted with ancient yellow soil. On top of it, there was an image of a scorpion with a human face. The thick hay at the top formed a special image that covered the top of the building.

This building looked like an ancient structure that had been dug out from the ground. It had an inexplicable sense of mystery.

[Scorpion's Lair (Normal 3-stars) — Using 10 normal desert camp troop's lair cores can upgrade it to Elite 3-stars. The conditions have been met. Do you wish to upgrade?]

The Black Gold System's notification came as expected.

After choosing to confirm, the 10 troop lairs in Richard's hands directly shattered. They turned into light and fused into the scorpion's lair.

A gray light hovered.

The human-faced scorpion carvings in front of the scorpion nests became more and more eye-catching under the mysterious power.

The attribute panel changed after the light retreated.

[Scorpion Lair]

[Level: Elite 3-star]

[Recruit Type: Scorpion Warrior (Elite 3-star)]

[Recruit Quantity: 14]

[Weekly Output: 7]

[Recruit Requirements: 40 gold coins, 40 units of wood, 40 units of iron ore]

[Description: Normal desert troop lair]

[Upgrade successful.]

Richard was in a good mood.

However, the resources required for recruitment had also increased significantly.

Unfortunately, every troop lair had a 7 days cooldown time after upgrading. Otherwise, if they sold more food, they could directly upgrade to rare.

Recruiting a scorpion warrior required 120 units of resources. Fourteen units would be 1,680 units.

All of them were recruited.

Once chosen, the gray energy lingered in the scorpion's lair.

After a moment, the energy began to flow into the relief sculpture in front of the scorpion's lair.

The relief sculpture began to gradually fill up as if it was filled with flesh and blood, and then gradually came to life...

When the energy had gathered to a certain extent, the relief sculpture suddenly opened its eyes.

It took a step forward, broke away from the wall of the venomous scorpion's lair, and stood steadily on the ground.

This scene was extremely cool as if it was a scene from a myth.

Richard nodded in satisfaction.

The venomous scorpion warrior was two meters tall. The upper half of its body was that of a human, and the lower half was that of a venomous scorpion.

The muscles on his body were as if they were forged from steel, and the outline of his body was extremely obvious.

Its long scorpion tail was countless times sharper than a spear.

Its arms were not human hands, but two scorpion pincers that flickered with cold light.

'Kacha!'

As soon as the pincers were closed, the crisp sound of metal rubbing against metal could be heard. No one could doubt the terrifying lethality of these two pincers.

After the iron pincers were closed, the front end of the iron pincers revealed an iron hook that was similar to a butcher's. Even if the iron pincers were not opened, using the iron hook to attack could still cause substantial damage.

The most chilling thing was the scorpion warrior's cold brown pupils that did not have the slightest fluctuation of life emotions.

At a glance, it gave a huge psychological pressure.

Richard opened the attribute panel full of anticipation.

[Scorpion Warrior]

[Level: 1]

[Potential: Elite 3-star]

[Skill: Body of the Undead (F-rank) — Reduces 30% physical damage, immune to pestilence and poison. It will not die unless its head is chopped off.]

[Poisonous Scorpion Tail (F-rank) — The scorpion tail can cause armor-piercing damage. At the same time, it has poison attached to it. Once it is stabbed, it will cause poison damage.]

[Powerful Iron Pincers (E-rank) — When attacking, the sharpness of the two pincers increases by 30%, and strength increases by 30%.]

[Race Talent: When fighting in the desert, strength increases by 30%.]

[Fetters: When the number of scorpions is greater than 10, strength increases by 10%, and poison increases by 10% (activated).]

[When the number of scorpions is greater than 20, strength increases by 20%, and poison increases by 20%.]

When the number of scorpions is greater than 30, strength increases by 30%, and poison increases by 30%.]

[Description: A dead creature sealed in the Pharaoh's Pyramid. I believe you won't be willing to be stung by it.]

Richard was in a good mood.

As expected, after the potential increase, the scorpion warriors' skill levels increased, and their attributes increased significantly.

Fourteen 2-meter-tall scorpion warriors with a pair of pincers and curved scorpion tails stood in front of him in an orderly formation, immediately giving off a strong sense of oppression.

This troop was even more flashy than the bandaged mummy.

"Lord, thank you for giving us new lives!"

The scorpion warriors held their chests and bowed in unison, bowing to their lord in the most respectful manner.

The troops recruited from the lair would be eternally loyal to their lord who recruited them.

Richard nodded slightly.

He slowly extended his right hand.

A light that was like yellow sand began to rise in Richard's palm, like a storm that was blown into the sand by a strong wind.

Then, the light all rushed into the scorpion warriors' bodies...

[Ding~ Under your blessing, 14 scorpion warriors have mastered a part of the power of the desert and obtained a new D-rank Skill — Desertification.]

When the light faded away, Richard opened their attributes panel, and the Desertification skill appeared on it.

The characteristic of being immune to 99% physical damage combined with the powerful attack power of the scorpion warrior.

When Richard thought of that, he was excited.

"Wasn't this unrivaled?!"

If he encountered a wild troop like the nak trolls again, he could totally fight them head-on.

Richard was in a great mood.

As a result…

Richard now had two elite-level troop lairs in his hands.

The Great Pyramid could recruit Elite 3-star mummy bandages. It was good at curses. It could greatly reduce the enemy's attributes. It could even cause the enemy to be cursed to death.

The poisonous Scorpion Lair could recruit Elite 3-star poison scorpion warriors. They had powerful attack power and were good at hard battles. They could attack head-on.

There were a total of 28 troops from the two branches. It was close to the strength of three small squads.

This was only the second day they had entered this world. The future was bright.

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Chapter 21: Chapter 20: Envious Players

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

After having the scorpion warrior and the bandaged mummy stand guard together, Richard returned to the hall and habitually opened the [Forum Chat].

Two days had passed, and he did not know how the other lords were doing.

[F*ck! Today, we attacked a small logging field and encountered an Elite 3-star wild monster. I f*cking clashed with a husky monster… Why would an elite-level creature appear in a small logging field? All the troops I recruited were all sent out!!!]

[You might not believe me if I tell you this, but today, I met an NPC caravan. On board were aborigines. You didn't see them. Those aborigines used earth dragons to transport resources. Those are rare-level troops! I was so envious that my eyes turned red.]

[The one above is nothing. The NPC caravan that I met was planning to trade with me. However, my territory doesn't have any unique products. The other party took one look and left.]

[Pui, this is blatant discrimination! Hmph, these bastards, I'll let them know! Thirty years to the east! Thirty years to the west! Don't bully the young and poor!]

[Where on earth can I get food?!! My population has already exceeded 300!! But I really can't f*cking afford anymore!!!]

[This was the first time I knew that 300 people had to consume so much food every day to eat. Who can lend me some food? I promise, when I'm rich, I'll pay back tenfold!]

[Hahaha, I finally have an elite-level troop lair!! I used half the population of my territory to be cannon fodder and finally captured that desert troop lair. But this doesn't seem to be anything worthy of happiness. Those residents have all run away because of this. Damn it! These days are too hard!]

[F*cking game developer, don't let me know where you are!!! Why did you develop such a dehumanizing game? The residents of my territory rebelled just because they were hungry for a day!!! F*ck! Wasn't it just a day without food? What right did they have to rebel!! So what if they rebelled? They even ransacked my territory!! Can we still live like this?!]

[It's too hard. Why is this world so hard... How can we manage our territory like this? There's a shortage of food, water, and resources. And the outside world is filled with powerful wilderness troops. It seems like they're cursing…]

Richard looked around for a long time and found that most players live miserably.

Only a few of them could barely manage, but there were also many problems.

In comparison, Twilight City was too comfortable.

For two days, they had already established themselves in the desert, the forbidden land of life.

Although the food was not abundant and the water was scarce, it was countless times better compared to the miserable lives of the other lords.

After looking for a while, Richard suddenly thought of something.

He took out two resource treasures that he had exchanged for 800 units of food—the Russian olive seed and the spring water fragment.

"Ten mu of Russian olive seed, maturing once a month... Without a doubt, this kind of stable food source, the earlier you plant it, the better."

"Although the income from hunting is high, it's not stable. It isn't a long-term development plan for the territory."

"But the problem is that adequate irrigation is necessary for the Russian olive seeds..."

"And there's only one piece of the spring water fragment. How can I get the other two pieces?"

"It's typically not realistic to open the treasure chest by myself... I still have to buy it from other players."

As Richard's thoughts spun, he had an idea.

"Under the premise of ensuring the consumption of Twilight City, I can take out a portion of the food in exchange for the spring water fragment. I can start planting the 10 mu Russian olive seeds as soon as possible..."

"A Russian olive seed that can steadily produce food is greatly significant to Twilight City since it is in the desert."

The desert was not a fertile place. Stable food production was not a guarantee.

Twilight City could not always rely on hunting to solve the food problem.

Hunting was fine when the population was small, but when the population grew to 3 – 4 thousand, or even tens of thousands, how many preys did they have to hunt every day to be satisfied?

If the territory wanted to develop, they had to farm.

After Richard made the decision, he asked someone to call Karu.

Without waiting for Karu to bow, Richard immediately asked.

"Karu, after today's prey is processed, we have how many total units of food left?"

Karu's slightly turbid eyes looked directly at Richard. His voice was old and steady.

"Lord Richard, after today's prey is processed, there are still 1,300 units of meat, including the 3,200 units in the warehouse. So, there is still a total of 4,500 units of meat left."

"However, drying these fresh meats into dried meats will cause too much damage."

"Initially, we still have 500 units of coarse wheat left..."

"All the food added together can support the territory's consumption for half a month. If we save some, we can last for 20 days."

Richard's eyes narrowed slightly.

Half a month's worth of inventory was far from enough for a territory. The ability to resist risks was too weak.

However, in the early stages, where opportunities were precious, there was no need to save so much. A portion was enough for development.

Ten days' worth of buffering was enough.

After having a plan in mind, Richard immediately got up and went to the warehouse of the mansion...

All the resources in Twilight City were in the warehouse.

Karu also arranged for a few people to guard it day and night.

Richard took 1,000 units of fresh meat from the warehouse and posted the information for a reward in the reward column of the [Trading Market].

[One thousand units of raw meat reward resource treasure: Spring water or spring water fragments x2.]

This information immediately appeared in first and second place in the reward area.

The reward column ranked items according to their corresponding value.

The system determined that his 1,000 units of fresh meat were worth more than all the items put up for reward.

In such a large [Trading Market, there were countless rewards.

However, it was the first time he had seen a meat item on the reward list using food. Furthermore, it was 1,000 units of meat.

These caused many lords who were short of food to be so envious that their eyes turned red.

They quickly started discussing in the [Forum Chat].

[I just saw that a big shot called Qing Qiu posted 1,000 units of meat just to exchange for a trash item. For what do you think this spring water fragment is? The water in my territory is flowing out every day…]

[I can't afford it!!! Why only exchange for a treasure? Ahhhhh! 1,000 units of meat. I can let the residents of my territory eat for 10 days. A bowl of meat soup every day. Won't they die of beauty?!]

[More people are dying than others! One thousand units of meat in one go. This is just the beginning... Who is so generous?]

[This is the first time I've seen such a tycoon. What kind of life is this big shot called Qing Qiu leading?!]

[Why is there someone who has so much food at this stage?? I'm not convinced!! Why can I only eat porridge today…]

These two messages immediately caused several players experiencing a shortage of food to wail.

When they were still worried about food, someone had brought so much food and meat in exchange for a piece of spring water fragment, a treasure that was trash to the rest. It simply made them envious...

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Chapter 22: Chapter 21: Desert Oasis and an Acre of Russian Olive Seed Forest

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

After setting up the transaction, Richard went straight to rest. He did not expect it to cause such a heated discussion.

At this stage, the novice lords undoubtedly lacked food the most.

Each lord had to support hundreds of people and more.

Once they opened their eyes, these residents would also open their mouths to eat and drink, which was difficult for most lords.

The game "Shining Era" was not a modern-day world where one could buy a few truckloads of rice just by going out.

The most direct way to obtain food was to hunt.

However, hunting was inevitably dangerous, and it could even endanger one's life. It was a high-risk endeavor.

In these two days, it was already rare for 70% of the people to muster up the courage to explore this unfamiliar world.

And planting, even for seeds like the Russian olive that ripens once a month, required time.

Thus, most people lacked the means to obtain food, and could only barely maintain their territory.

A small number of people with outstanding abilities could not bear to sell too much of the food they obtained.

The small portion that could be used to sell was simply a drop in the bucket for the 20 billion in the [Trading Market].

There were even fewer who were as rich as Richard.

Under the heated discussions of countless people, he fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Richard woke up.

After Richard washed up, he went to the hall and ate breakfast with two extremely striking kitchen maids. He slowly opened the [Forum Chat].

Two messages popped up in his private mailbox.

[Ding~ You have received a 1-star resource treasure — spring water fragment *1.]

[Ding~ The item you are looking for has been purchased. You have obtained a 1-star resource treasure — spring water *1.]

After a cursory glance, Richard was certain that the Russian olive seed had been discovered...

Then, Richard felt that something was wrong, so he took another look.

He had obtained a 1-star resource treasure — spring water.

There was no suffix like a fragment...

"Someone directly used a treasure like spring water to exchange for 500 units of food?!"

Richard laughed out loud. This was a pure surprise!

Even an Ordinary 1-star treasure was worth at least 2,000 units of meat in Richard's eyes.

He did not expect the seller to bargain 500 units. Was he waiting for the rice to be cooked?

This unexpected gain made Richard think seriously.

"Next, perhaps I can use the other lords' early demand to exchange for more good things..."

"Now that I've obtained the spring water fragments, there are two more water fragments.

"As long as I obtain another spring water fragment, I'll have two spring water fragment treasures in my hands. The problem of Twilight City's water consumption will be solved."

This unexpected gain made Richard quite excited. After thinking for a while, he asked the kitchen maid to call Karu over.

Not long after, Karu hurried into the hall.

"Good day, Lord. What are your orders?"

Richard smiled and took out the Russian olive seed and spring water fragment. He then explained their functions.

After hearing this, Karu was so excited that he almost burst into tears.

"Is this the legendary divine gift?!"

"Gods above, you must be the son of god sent by the gods to save us!!"

"Twilight City will surely become the pearl of the desert under your leadership!"

An acre of Russian olive seed ripens once a month.

This was immeasurable to Twilight City.

As an old man who had experienced countless storms, Karu had a lot of experience.

He knew that hunting could bring good profits, but the problem was that it was unstable.

And it was full of danger.

In comparison, the income from farming was extremely reliable. Even if it took a long time to cultivate, it was completely worth it.

"Bring people to the surrounding areas to choose the Russian olive seed planting area."

"Remember, in the future, Twilight City will expand very quickly. The chosen area can not be too close, but it can not be too far either. In case anything happens, we can deal with it in time."

Karu nodded excitedly. The wrinkles on his face seemed to have come to life.

"As you wish, I will immediately go down and make the arrangements!"

Not long after, the entire Twilight City was in an uproar because of the news that Karu had spread.

The Great Lord, under the blessing of the gods, had obtained a god-given item — an acre of Russian olive seeds.

Moreover, it was a miracle plant that matures once a month!

This news greatly boosted the morale of the residents who had just woken up, and one by one, they rushed to help Karu choose a suitable location.

Under the efforts of many residents, five potential locations were placed in front of Richard in less than an hour.

"Lord, these locations are plains and not far from Twilight City. They are very suitable for planting the Russian olive seeds... Please, make your decision."

Richard opened the rough map and compared it with the system map.

A moment later, Richard pointed at one of the points on the rough map on the table—the logging field—and tapped twice with his index finger.

"The Russian olive forest will be placed here."

"This place is about 1.5 kilometers away from Twilight City. The terrain is relatively even, and the rare-level desert bees are also around here."

"Yes, Lord!"

Richard stood up. "Call all the residents. Let's go and plant the olive seeds."

Karu's wrinkled face relaxed a lot as if the crumpled paper had been smoothed out.

"They've been waiting for a long time!"

Richard took Karu out of the door and found that all the residents of the territory were truly there.

"Good day, Lord!"

"Lord..."

Seeing him appear, the residents in front of them all put their hands on their chests and bowed.

Richard nodded and walked directly toward the direction of the logging field under the protection of the bandaged mummy and the scorpion warrior.

When the residents saw the strong scorpion warrior, they had a heated discussion, and their respect for Richard rose again.

"That's the newly recruited troop of Lord Richard, right? It's too powerful..."

"That scorpion tail is thicker than the arrows of the siege ballista I've seen..."

Everyone was bewildered.

In the dangerous desert, Richard was the ruler of Twilight City, the only ruler.

The stronger he was, the safer they would be.

Since Richard's troop was strengthened, the residents were happy.

About 10 minutes later, the group arrived at the logging field.

At this time, a long-armed laborer was cutting wood. When he saw Richard, he immediately put in more effort as if he had seen his boss inspecting him.

Richard ignored the long-armed laborer and went through the logging field to the other side.

The terrain of this area was even. There were no obvious depressions or bulges. It was suitable for the olive forest.

Moreover, the desert bees were only ten minutes away from here. It would be convenient to move them over later.

"Wait here."

Richard walked hundreds of meters forward alone.

Then, he slowly stopped under everyone's gaze. Richard bent down and buried the Russian olive seeds into the yellow sand.

He took out a pot of water from the system space and poured it onto the sand.

The sand was soaked by the water and immediately condensed into a dark color.

After pouring the pot of water, Richard put the pot back into the system space and turned around to walk toward the residents.

But the moment he took his first step...

The Russian olive seeds sprouted roots at a speed hundreds of times faster than the speed of a process video. Green leaves grew out.

That patch of green became the starting point. On the surrounding sand, dozens of tender buds sprouted at the same time.

Under the shocked gazes of the residents, with every step that Richard took, a patch of tender buds sprouted behind him.

This scene was like a miracle from the myths and legends.

At this moment, Richard was like a god who possessed the authority of life descending to the mortal world. Every step Richard took nurtured hope and the future.

The yellow sand behind him was covered with green leaves.

The Russian olive seeds grew at an astonishing speed. Under the special force, the yellow sand on the ground slowly condensed into lumps and turned into soil...

When Richard returned to the logging site, the Russian olive forest was already lush and green.

The residents looked at him with burning and fervent eyes.

At that moment, it was as if Richard was the incarnation of a god.

Richard turned his head to look at the Russian olive trees. By now, they had grown to half the height of a man.

And they were growing at an extremely soaring speed.

The miracle of life in the desert…

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Chapter 23: Chapter 22: Incomparable Delicacy

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

[Ding~ The Russian olive seeds (acre) have been successfully planted. The Russian olive seed ripens once a month. Please maintain sufficient water sources for irrigation.]

Richard looked at the lush and verdant olive trees in front of him and was in a great mood.

This was the future.

Richard reached out and took out a resource treasure — spring water fragment. Under the extremely heated gazes of the residents, he placed it directly at the entrance of the olive forest.

In the next second, the crystal-like treasure melted directly into the ground.

After a few breaths, gurgling sounds could be heard as if something had appeared. The sand was rapidly rising.

The surrounding residents were stunned. What was this?

'Puchi!'

The spring water fragment with fine sand suddenly spurted out water a few meters high from the yellow sand.

The crystal-like water column brushed down. Under the sun's illumination, it emitted a seven-colored glow.

Desert rainbow…

The surrounding people immediately cried out in surprise.

"There's water! There's water!!"

"There's really water!!"

"It's so amazing!!"

Everyone was shocked.

After the spring water fragment spurted out a water column that was several meters high, it gradually returned to normal spring water.

Only the rainbow was still hanging in the air. It was magnificent.

After the water flowed into the dry sand, spider web-like traces immediately appeared.

The surrounding yellow sand began to crazily devour the water source.

Following the saturation of the underground water, the spring water began to flow into the olive trees.

When Richard saw this scene, the smile on his face was dazzling.

He turned around to face the excited crowd and spoke loudly.

"My people, this is only the beginning. Twilight City will be an oasis in the desert, an oasis of hope and the future.

"All of you will follow me to witness this miracle!"

Two short sentences immediately raised the atmosphere to another level.

"Long live, the Lord!"

No one knew who spoke, but everyone followed suit and shouted excitedly.

"Long live, the Lord!"

"Long live, the Lord!"

Everyone was overjoyed.

The shouts were filled with respect for Richard and hope for the future.

At this moment, they used their voices to release all the excitement in their hearts.

After a long time, the crowd that had enough of it dispersed excitedly.

Richard left Karu behind and gave him a new mission.

"Send people to build a reservoir near the spring. The sand cannot hold water, so it needs to be built with stones.

At the same time, send 10 residents to manage the olive forest. Build a ditch inside so the spring water can flow in.

"Russian olive trees need an adequate water source. We must ensure that every single Russian olive tree is watered."

"Yes, Lord. I will personally supervise it. There will surely be no mistakes!" Karu's tone was firm.

This was the cornerstone of Twilight City. If anything happened to anyone, these Russian olive trees would not have any trouble!

After giving his instructions, Richard passed through the Russian olive forest and returned to the place where he had killed the nak troll the other day.

Even without the nak troll, the desert bees were still buzzing.

He didn't know where these desert bees went to gather honey.

The Russian olive trees had been planted. It was time to move these rare-level desert bees.

Otherwise, if a wild beast dug out the beehive, Richard would lose a lot of money.

But before that, he had to level up the desert bees first.

Now that the desert bees still recognized him, if he dared to dig out the beehive, he would surely be stung.

Richard, who was already prepared, took out 200 units of fresh meat from the warehouse in the system space in the morning and exchanged them for 8,000 units of supplies.

Then, he opened the [Trading Market] and spent 5,000 units of resources to buy 10 lairs of insect troops.

[Ding~ The desert bee lair has met the requirements for upgrading. Do you want to use 10 normal insect troop lairs to upgrade?]

[Confirmed.]

The 10 troop lairs in Richard's hands shattered and turned into a fluorescent light that flowed into the honeycomb on the bush.

After a few breaths, the light was swallowed by the honeycomb.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

A large number of desert bees surged out of the honeycomb and flew around Richard to show their affection.

[Desert Beehive]

[Level: Special]

[Queen Bee: Rare (When upgrades to advanced-level, the hive produces better quality, advanced desert honey)]

[Characteristics: Can produce a better quality of desert honey with a special aroma. After eating, it can greatly increase the recovery speed of stamina and injuries, and slightly increase the recovery speed of magic power.]

[Number of Bees: Small]

[Quantity: A minimum of 10 units of better quality honey per week]

[Description: A rare-level bee in the desert. Extremely rare.]

After leveling up, the desert honey had an additional characteristic that could recover magic power. It was truly a superb item.

Richard laughed heartily.

Now, he could taste the sensation of the honey.

Richard took two steps forward, pushed aside the bushes and leaves, and reached out to break a piece of honeycomb out of the hive.

The honey had been sealed, and he could smell a very distinct fragrance without having to place it next to his nose.

It was ten times more fragrant than any honey he had ever eaten before.

He was salivating wildly.

Richard could not help but take a bite directly.

The honey had a long silk thread, which looked especially crystal clear under the sun.

Richard chewed lightly, and with a bit of sticky honey in his mouth, he scratched his tongue.

In the next second, an indescribable sweetness exploded in Richard's mouth.

His entire body was instantly filled with an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

'Gulp.'

After swallowing down to his stomach, Richard's abdomen was slightly warm, and then it quickly spread to his limbs.

His entire body felt like he was soaking in warm water, and he felt relaxed all over.

After he finished off a small piece of honeycomb, Richard did not come back to his senses for a long time. He had been immersed in that peerless delicacy.

After a long time, Richard let out a long breath and felt the comfort coming from his body. His eyes were full of amazement and emotion.

"This is a superb taste bomb!"

"Before I transmigrated, this thing was sold for 100,000 yuan per jar. Now, a million yuan is f*cking worth it!"

"How can there be such delicious honey in this world? Moreover, this is only honey made from a beginner-level honeycomb... Now that the queen has been upgraded to rare-level, how amazing will it be when the rare-level honey is produced next week?!"

"If it's upgraded to advanced-level honey, how will it feel?"

Richard took a look at the desert bee's next upgrade requirement.

Just like the other two troop hives, the upgrade requirement had been increased to 10 elite-level troop hives or 100 normal troop hives, and the cooldown time had not changed.

The next upgrade could only be done in seven days.

Unable to suppress the excitement in his heart, Richard took out an empty bucket from the system space and personally removed the honeycomb.

Then, he went to the center of the Rusian olive forest and temporarily placed the beehive there.

Richard called Karu, who hadn't left yet, and told him to ask the carpenter to build a giant beehive for the desert bees.

Richard's order was the iron order of absolute priority.

In less than an hour, a few carpenters arrived carrying a specially made giant beehive.

Richard put the beehive in the giant beehive.

At the same time, he left two pieces of sealed honey as food for the bees.

With about 10 units of honey left, Richard put it away with a smile on his face.

After he had the beehive secured, the desert bees, which produced the best honey, completely settled down in the Russian olive forest.

From now on, 10 units of honey would be provided to Richard every week, and this was the lowest.

After a few days, when the Russian olive trees bloomed, the production of honey would be even greater.

Richard looked at the water that was already flowing into the Russian olive forest, and his mood was great.

It was all thanks to this spring water fragment that the entire ecosystem was activated.

Russian olive forest and honey. This was almost becoming an industry.

"I still don't know what the taste of Russian olive is like, but the quality of the honey is surely top quality."

"If we can breed a few more lairs of desert bees and make them a specialty of Twilight City, it won't be a dream to make money while lying down in the future..."

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Chapter 24: Chapter 23: Emergency and Hero Unit

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Richard had never raised desert bees, but in the game "Shining Era", most people were filled with some inexplicable knowledge.

When the number of desert bees increased, a new queen would be born.

The new queen would take some of the desert bees away and divide the lair.

Usually in the spring, there would be more lairs.

However, judging from the rate at which the desert bees produced 10 units of honey a week, the reproduction rate was surely not slow.

Perhaps, it would not take long for the second and third colonies to be separated.

If they could truly become large-scale, it would undoubtedly be a great help to Twilight City.

Richard believed that those who had tasted the desert bee honey would never forget the amazing flavor.

After arranging all these things, it was already noon.

In the yellow sandy land just now, the olive forest was lush and green. The spring water was flowing, and the desert bees were buzzing.

It had already become a paradise in the desert, an oasis of life.

After eating lunch, Richard did not stay in the territory. He continued to explore with nearly three squads of soldiers.

Today, his goal was to hunt.

The price of food was so high that Richard was greatly tempted.

If he could exchange it for a few treasures like the olive forest, it would be worth a lot to Twilight City.

Today, Richard was exploring the north.

With nearly three squads of elite-level soldiers, Richard was very confident.

According to yesterday's search experience, Richard left 4 bandaged mummies and 4 scorpion warriors to protect him.

The other two teams spread out and searched as far as they could.

The effect of this method was very obvious. After less than ten minutes, a group of scorpion warriors 200 meters in front of them suddenly sent out a warning.

They had discovered enemies!

Richard, who was already considered experienced, immediately pulled back his troops and gathered the majority of the warriors.

He lowered his footsteps and led the troop to the side of the scorpion warriors who were on alert.

Following his guidance, they climbed up the low sand dunes and looked ahead in secret.

They saw that in a passage formed by the neighboring sand dunes…

Hundreds of desert bandits riding horses, wielding machetes in their hands, and wearing white headscarves, were attacking a carriage that was protected by more than ten people.

The two forces collided violently.

The hooves of the horses trampled on the sand, sending up waves of dust. They fought and roared. It was chaotic.

[Ding~ An emergency has been triggered. A team of desert bandits is robbing a caravan. You can choose freely.]

[1. Join the camp of desert bandits and snipe the carriages.]

[2. Join the camp of the carriages and resist the desert bandits.]

[3. Do nothing and watch or leave directly.]

[Note: The reward for the crisis is uncertain. Please explore on your own.]

An emergency?

Richard looked at the mission notification that suddenly appeared in the system. He could not help but feel a bit amused.

He had not expected to attack the caravan together with the desert bandits.

However, Richard could choose freely. He knew only children would choose sides. He wanted all of them.

Richard opened the attribute panel.

[Desert Bandits]

[Level: 2]

[Potential: Ordinary 3-stars]

[Skills: Robbery (E-rank)?— When robbing a caravan, all attributes increase by 20%.]

[Dexterity (F-rank)?— When mounted in battle, all attributes increase by 30%.]

[Race Talent: Increases speed by 15% while running in the desert.]

[Fetters: When robbing using the right hand, all attributes increase by 10%. When robbing using the left hand, speed increases by 20%.]

[Description: Hurry up and hand over the money! Quickly!]

When Richard looked at the desert bandits' attributes, he cannot help but laugh.

Boy, this was a robbery-for-hire unit.

The caravan was a lot more significant.

[Human Warriors]

[Level: 5 (Rare)?—?Strength increased by 15%]

[Potential: Elite 1-star]

[A Human Swordsman]

[Level: 5 (Rare)?—?Strength increased by 15%]

Potential: Elite 2 stars

[Human Archer]

[Level: 5 (Rare)?—?Agility increased by 15%]

[Potential: Elite 3-stars]

There were only 14 soldiers in the carriage, all of whom were elite-level soldiers.

However, the difference in numbers between the two sides was too great.

The desert bandits outnumbered a squadron.

Moreover, there were bandits holding crossbows and arrows at the rear to suppress them.

Although the carriage guards fought desperately to break through the blockade, they had no success. They only left corpses behind.

If they were not well-equipped, they would not have been able to hold on for long.

Just as Richard was about to attack, he suddenly saw a middle-aged man dressed in a luxurious robe. He had a big belly and was short like a sausage.

The middle-aged man was roaring and commanding the battle.

The attributes of the human warriors made Richard very interested.

[Onyx]

[Hero Unit]

[Potential: C]

[Occupation: Merchant]

[Level: 5 (Rare)?— A hero. Negotiation ability is increased by 20%]

[Skills: Negotiation, Intimidation, Diplomacy, Trade, Observation, and Information Gathering]

[Hero Characteristics: Can accurately determine the value of goods.]

[Race Characteristics: Can learn the knowledge of other races.]

[Fetterse: When working with members of Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce, you can earn an additional 20% profit.]

[Description: This artifact of yours is fake. I can only offer 10 gold coins...war god.]

"Wow, this caravan truly has a hero unit."

However, the other party's connection made him think.

"Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce?"

"NPC, Aborigines…"

When these words surfaced in his mind, Richard immediately became extremely interested.

In the [Forum Chat, the other lord players had also mentioned that they had encountered some aboriginal caravans over the past few days. Richard didn't think that the caravans existed in the desert.

Who knew that it would appear like this?

Seeing that the situation was getting worse and the caravans were starting to crumble, Richard no longer hesitated.

With a wave of his hand, Richard decisively gave the order.

"Everyone, listen up. Kill all the desert bandits! Do not harm the people in the carriages!"

The mummies and scorpion warriors, who could no longer hold themselves back, immediately charged toward the battlefield.

The eight-legged scorpion warriors were one step faster than the mummies. These powerful troops with two giant iron pincers suddenly charged into the desert bandits who were surrounding the convoy from the side.

The desert bandits reacted the moment they appeared. They immediately sent out five small teams to snipe.

They were about to take down their target. They would never allow others to snatch food from the jaws of the tiger!

'Ta! Ta!'

The desert horse's broad hooves stepped on the yellow sand. As it ran, it kicked up sand and dust in the air behind it.

The desert bandit swung his scimitar fiercely. Under the high-speed running of the horse, the power of the scimitar was greatly increased.

'Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta!'

It's close! It's really close!

The desert scorpion's cold face revealed a chilling smile.

The two iron pincers suddenly opened up and waved like lightning.

The two sides ran towards each other and met up at an extremely soaring speed.

In that instant…

'Clang! Clang!'

'Puchi!'

Blood splattered!

The dead bodies of the desert bandits broke into two pieces and flew out after the high-speed inertia. They crashed heavily onto the ground, and the blood that flowed out dyed the sand red.

Instant kill…

The charges that had just started seemed to be nothing more than rushing to their death.

The desert horse under the desert bandit had also entered the latter stage after their life and death. When the iron pincers of the scorpion warrior were opened, they were like a great killing machine.

When they were closed, the curved hook protruding out in front was also like the iron hook of a pirate. It was incomparably sharp.

'Rip!'

The iron hook directly cut through the side of the desert horse, tearing a huge wound.

The flesh and blood turned crazily at this moment, and the ghastly white bones were broken inch by inch.

The desert horse let out a painful howl and then directly fell to the ground and died.

As an undead creature, the scorpion warrior did not know what mercy was.

After the first desert bandit was killed instantly, more desert bandits charged over. They wanted to use the charging power of the horses and the advantage in numbers to kill these terrifying enemies.

However, the scorpion warriors were not afraid. Instead, they became more excited and launched a counter-charge at the desert bandits!

A desert bandit brandished his scimitar from the side. Under the sunlight, his weapon reflected a cold light.

He swore to kill the scorpion warrior on the spot.

The scorpion warrior did not turn its head back. The curved scorpion tail on its back stabbed out like lightning.

The desert bandit that was charging from the side had no time to dodge.

'Chichi!'

The sharp scorpion's tail directly pierced through the desert bandit's chest, causing blood to spurt out.

Before the desert bandit died, the scimitar that carried a powerful force ruthlessly hacked at the scorpion's tail.

'Chichi!'

A series of sparks flashed past. A few holes appeared on the scimitar, but the scorpion tail was not damaged at all.

'Chichi!'

The scorpion's tail was pulled back fiercely. The desert bandit directly fell off his horse, and his corpse fell to the ground.

The scorpion warrior laughed sinisterly. It did not open its pincers but used the hook that was even more terrifying than the one in the butcher's hand to attack.

'Whoosh! Whoosh!'

As the hook swung, a loud sound of air being torn apart was heard.

'Clang!'

A desert bandit's scimitar was knocked away after colliding with it.

The scorpion warrior swung its left arm down, and the hook pierced through the neck of the desert bandit. It pulled hard, and the head flew several meters high.

It was extremely violent.

The desert bandits were in a one-sided situation when they clashed with the scorpion warriors.

It wasn't like the desert bandits were surrounding and killing the scorpion warriors, but more like the scorpion warriors were slaughtering the desert bandits.

An Ordinary 3-star troop had a total of five squads, and they were even clashing with the scorpion warriors under the high-speed charge of horses.

Even though they had the advantage, they were still stunned by the scorpion warriors' slap.

They were like a wall. No matter how hard the desert bandits charged, they could not make them retreat even half a step.

The desert scorpions went crazy.

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Chapter 25: Chapter 24: Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

The scorpion warriors completely wiped out the five teams of desert bandits in just a few minutes.

Although the bandaged mummies were strong, they were still much slower than the scorpion warriors.

After the desert bandits were slaughtered, the situation immediately changed.

The carriage guards, who had just been on the verge of collapse, were full of energy again.

They unleashed their final strength and stubbornly withstood the desert bandits' wave after wave of attacks.

After the scorpion warriors killed five small teams, they were not satisfied. They immediately grinned hideously and charged in the direction of the carriage.

When the desert bandits saw that their five small teams were quick to slaughter, they were greatly startled.

However, they were unwilling to give up the fat meat right in front of their mouths. They immediately gritted their teeth and continued to attack the carriage team.

It was just like a gambler who wanted to use the last chip on the gambling table to turn the tables.

The two iron pincers of the scorpion warriors had now become the Grim Reaper's scythe.

They began to harvest the souls of the enemies.

The desert bandits could not stop the scorpion warrior even with their full strength, not to mention that they had to divert their attention to attack the carriage team at this moment.

Fresh blood immediately dyed the desert red.

After the number of the desert bandits dropped drastically to two small teams, they completely collapsed.

Unable to suppress the shock in their heart, they turned around and ran away.

At a disadvantage, the desert bandits had a 20% increase in speed.

In a few breaths, the desert bandits run at an extremely long distance...

Which directly prevented the scorpion warrior from pursuing them.

[Ding~ Your troop has annihilated a group of desert bandits and obtained victory in a small-scale battle. You have obtained 120 experience points.]

[Ding~ The scorpion warriors have experienced several battles, and their levels have increased. They are currently level 2.]

The remaining seven or eight carriage guards witnessed the slaughter as the desert bandits were ravaged and fled. They heaved a deep sigh of relief in their hearts.

However, their tensed nerves did not relax at all.

Although these terrifying troops that had suddenly charged out did not attack them, their ferocious and terrifying appearance and powerful combat strength gave them even greater pressure than the desert bandits.

The merchant hero was as round as a short sausage. He mustered up the courage to stand out and face the poison scorpion warriors who had surrounded the carriage.

"Respected experts, we are members of the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce in Solan City. Thank you for your assistance to us... The Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce will surely repay you handsomely!"

Silence…

A deathly silence…

The scorpion warrior looked at the merchant hero with a cold gaze and did not say a word.

The atmosphere gradually sank to a freezing point.

The carriage guards, who had just exhausted their strength, were now even more nervous.

They had no choice but to brace themselves and prevent these terrifying creatures from suddenly launching an attack.

At this moment, a new face emerged in front of their eyes.

More than ten mummies surrounded a handsome young human, as they slowly approached from afar.

The short sausage-shaped merchant hero's eyes immediately revealed a look of surprise.

When Richard approached, the merchant hurriedly took two steps forward and respectfully saluted with his hands on his chest.

"Honorable Lord, Solan City's Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce Merchant Onyx, offers you the highest respect."

"Thank you for saving my life. The Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce will remember your friendship."

Richard nodded slightly.

"Lord of Twilight City, Richard. Greetings, Lord Onyx."

After receiving his reply, short sausage-shaped Onyx still did not dare to relax and bowed again.

"Where is Solan City? How far is it from here?"

Onyx straightened his bulging belly. He looked like he was six months pregnant.

"Dear Lord Richard, Solan City is at the edge of the desert. It is one of the largest cities in the Deadly Desert."

Then, as if he had thought of something, Onyx exclaimed.

"You don't even know about Solan City. Could it be that gods have chosen you and that you came from another world? God of merchants, I didn't expect to meet the god of grace in the depths of the desert! Lord Richard had been chosen by the gods and had come from another world."

Wasn't this the background setting of the players in the game "Shining Era"?

The Deadly Desert… Richard didn't expect the desert he was in would be that.

They say there were dozens of deserts of different sizes in the game "Shining Era".

The largest and most famous ones were only three on the official website — the [Deadly Desert, the [Lost Desert, and the [Endless Desert].

The [Deadly Desert] was at the center of the main plane of the game "Shining Era". It was extensively broad, and it would take five to six months to traverse it, even under the best circumstances.

However, that was all the information Richard knew.

"Yes, Lord Onyx, but why are you so surprised?"

Onyx calmed himself down and said.

"Because you are the lord chosen by the gods! Isn't this exciting enough?"

Richard's mouth twitched.

'If you knew that there are 20 billion of so-called god-blessed lords, you might not be so excited.'

Richard did not struggle with this. He changed the topic instead.

"How far is it from here to Solan City?"

Onyx's face fell. He took out a map from his pocket and looked at it carefully.

A moment later, Onyx said dejectedly.

"There's still a month's journey!"

"Oh god, we're too far away from the trade route..."

Richard was a little curious.

"How did you guys get here? How were you attacked by the desert bandits?"

Onyx had also regained some of his calmness. He began to recount what had happened to his group.

Although the Deadly Desert was extremely terrifying, since it is in the center of the main plane, it was surrounded by all the major forces.

As long as one could cross the desert and reach the other end of the desert, they would be able to exchange their goods for ten times or even ten times the profits.

If merchants had 100% of the profits, they would dare to risk their lives. If they had 300% of the profits, they would dare to trample all the laws of the human world.

Under the temptation of high profits, Solan City's powerful Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce invested a large amount of manpower and resources to open up a trade route.

However, a week ago, a sandstorm attacked the caravan.

During the natural disaster, they got separated from their companions.

After leaving the sandstorm, they encountered desert bandits.

At that time, they had three small teams of guards.

However, in the past few days of entanglement, the merchants suffered heavy losses. Only seven or eight people were left.

Richard accepted to the merchant's accounts.

"You are lucky to have survived the sandstorm. What are your plans now? Do you want to return to Solan City immediately or meet up with your caravan?"

Onyx shook his head.

"After the caravan is separated, I don't know how many people will survive."

"We plan to return to Solan City directly."

After saying that, Onyx looked at Richard with longing eyes.

"Dear Lord Richard, can we go to your territory to rest and replenish the water source before we leave?"

He was worried that Richard would refuse, so Onyx quickly said.

"I am willing to pay. Also, you saved us. On behalf of the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce, I would like to express my gratitude to you.

"If it is suitable, we can start business transactions in the future."

[Ding~ You saved the caravan of the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce. You have won their gratitude and respect. Your current relationship with the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce is — friendly.]

[Ding~ The Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce has applied to inspect your territory. You can establish new business relations with them.]

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Chapter 26: Chapter 25: Special Building – Hero's Altar

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

When Richard heard the system notification, he fell into deep thought.

'At this stage, although I can use the [Trading Market] to trade with players, there's no doubt that the aborigines who occupy the dominant position in the game "Shining Era" are the gold mines to be dug out…'

'If the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce can establish trade relations, it'll surely be a great thing.'

Since Richard had not responded to his request for a long time, Onyx's expression became increasingly indifferent.

Indescribable anxiety rose in Onyx's heart.

'Although the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce was very famous in the [Deadly Desert, this Lord didn't know about it.'

'If evil intentions arose, Lord Richard could order his subordinates to kill them with a wave of his hand.'

In this vast desert, the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce couldn't know about it...

The more Onyx thought about it, the more terrified he became when he saw Richard's impassive face.

Onyx sneaked a glance at the ferocious scorpion warriors around him. Their emotionless eyes were coldly staring at them.

It seemed that in the next second, they would use the iron pincers that could easily tear apart horses and cut off his head...

Onyx's anxiety magnified to the extreme.

In this strange atmosphere, Onyx gritted his teeth.

He then took out an item from his clothes and handed it to Richard.

"Dear Lord Richard, we lost contact with our caravan, and most of our goods are gone.

"Only this treasure that we snatched from the sandstorm is left.

"To thank you for saving my life, please, accept it. I think your territory needs it too."

The guards around the carriage hesitated when they saw Onyx's disposition.

They wanted to say something but feared the scorpion warriors around them, so they shut their mouths.

They didn't want to die here either.

Richard was slightly stunned. He looked at the anxiety in Onyx's eyes and then gazed at the scorpion warriors around.

Was this the real version of the alliance under the Solan City?

However, Richard was not going to stand at the ceremony. He reached out and took it.

[Ding~ You have received a gift from the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce — Blueprint for the Hero's Altar.]

'Blueprint?'

Richard finally saw the blueprint!

He opened the attribute panel.

[Blueprint for the Construction of the Hero's Altar]

[Level: Special Building]

[Characteristics: Can provide a layout in building the Hero's Altar. Upon a hero's death, it can be resurrected on the Hero's Altar using resources. The Hero's Altar can resurrect five heroes every month.]

[Space: 4]

[Resources Required for Building: 10,000 units of stone, 10,000 units of gold coins, 10,000 units of wood, 500 units of crystal, 500 units of gemstones, 500 units of mercury, and 500 units of sulfur.]

[Description: An extremely rare building blueprint. Even a dragon would be moved by it.]

"Hiss!"

Richard's eyes widened.

'Hero's altar!!!'

'Special building!!!'

'Holy sh*t!!!'

The information given by the game "Shining Era" official site wasn't much. But the Hero's Altar was mentioned particularly. It was said to be a rather valuable item.

Richard didn't expect that he would obtain this treasure from a member of a down-and-out merchant group!

That gave him a strong sense of surprise as if Richard had spent 2.50 yuan on buying a bottle of drinks and obtained a laptop.

'Isn't this reward a little against the rules? Hahaha, this feels so good…'

'Was the reward for a sudden incident so unpredictable?'

'This was a bloody win!!'

The only regret was that the Hero's Altar required a lot of rare resources.

Richard didn't even have a unit of this thing now, so he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to build it in a short time.

However, Richard wasn't in a hurry. The Hero's Altar was a late-stage building, and he had only just begun.

Richard did not even have a hero yet.

Better keep it as a treasure first.

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Richard patted the shoulder of the short sausage-shaped Onyx.

Richard was full of praise.

"Lord Onyx, I am greatly delighted with your welcome gift."

"There is no need to think much. Twilight City needs friends and also needs to trade with the outside world."

"Please come back to my territory with me so you can rest. In the name of the Lord of Twilight City, I promise you that even giant dragons can not hurt you in my territory!"

Hearing Richard's words, Onyx's heart that was hanging in his throat finally settled down, and he let out a long sigh.

"Thank you for your trust. It's an honor."

He had finally saved his life.

With such a big harvest, Richard was not in a hurry to explore other areas.

He asked the mummy and the scorpion warrior to help push the cart.

Richard brought Onyx and a few of his guards back to the territory. He agreed to help bury the bodies of their companions.

Seeing Richard return so quickly, Karu, who had received the news, was slightly surprised.

When Karu saw the eye-catching Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce symbol on the carriage parked at the entrance of the Lord's mansion, he was a bit casually astonished.

"Lord Richard, this is the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce symbol. Are they the lords of the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce?"

Seeing that there were people who knew him, Onyx was starkly relieved.

As long as someone knew about the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce, he was confident that the hosts would treat them well.

It was because rescuing the caravan of the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce would be extremely rewarding.

That was the moral reputation that they had built up over the past decades.

"That's right. These friends will start trading with us in the future. We have to treat them well!"

"In addition, we just defeated a group of desert bandits. The enemies' mounts, the desert horses, have been hunted down."

"Send someone to bring the horses back. Follow the traces of the carriage we came back from."

Karu's eyes lit up. "Yes, Lord Richard!"

After saying that, Karu immediately turned around and called for help.

That was a matter of making a living. Richard was more proactive than anyone else.

Onyx looked at this simple territory with a subtle expression.

It was the territory of divine grace.

The gods had created it using rules.

Otherwise, who would be bored enough to build such territory in the depths of the Deathly Desert?

The territory was still in a safe period, and Richard wasn't worried about what Onyx and his people would do.

After talking and comforting some of the residents around him to take care of each other, Richard prepared to explore again.

It was still early today. And it would be a waste to stay in the territory.

However, when he was about to leave, Onyx seemed to have thought of something and hurriedly said, "Lord Richard, I'm sorry."

"Lord Richard, when we were hiding from those bandits, we accidentally found a one-way portal. I don't know if you're interested."

"We didn't explore it. We don't know what's on the other side of the portal..."

After saying that, Onyx spread his hands with a pungent smile.

"We don't have the chance to explore it in our current state."

'One-way portal?'

Richard's eyes lit up.

"Where's the one-way portal?"

Onyx took out the ancient map from his pocket and spread it on the table.

He pointed at a location.

"It's about two hours away from your territory."

Richard looked sideways and saw the images on the map in front of him constantly flowing as if they were moving pictures.

And the location that Onyx was pointing to, had the mark of a door.

[Magic Map]

[Level: Special]

[Characteristics: Can record the area that you have walked through, the Lord can know where you are at this moment.]

[Description: A magic item made by a powerful spellcaster.]

No wonder Onyx knew where he was so well.

This was simply another version of the system map.

Looking at Richard's interested gaze, Onyx's face immediately turned aggrieved.

"Lord Richard, this magic item is a forbidden item of the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce. It is not allowed to be leaked..."

Richard waved his hand.

"No need to think too much. The gods have given us a better map. I'm just a little curious about it."

Onyx was finally relieved.

Richard picked up the map and handed it back to Onyx after the system notification finished sharing.

"Lord Onyx, you can rest in my territory for a few days. It's not too late to leave after you recover."

"There are still many unknown areas around the territory. I need to explore them."

Onyx immediately said, "You don't have to be so polite. It's our honor to be able to come to your territory.

"If there's anything you need, just let us know."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Richard directly left the territory with the mummies and the scorpion warriors.

He was a little curious about the one-way portal.

Where did the portal lead to?

Could it be another area similar to the Dark Temple?

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Chapter 27: Chapter 26: Gift From The Gods – A Rare Delicacy

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

"Lord Onyx, the blueprint for the Hero's Altar is so precious. Why did you give it away?"

Not long after Richard left, a few carriage guards asked Onyx in confusion as there was no one around.

Onyx, who felt restrained even when he was sitting on the wide chair, glared at them.

"Who saved us just now?"

They whispered.

"Although it was Lord Richard who saved us, there is no need for us to use such a precious item as a reward, right?"

"We paid a huge price to save it from the sandstorm!"

"Stupid!" Onyx's fat face showed some disdain.

"If the enemy had ordered an attack at that time, what do you think would have happened to us?"

"Remember, the first rule of the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce. In the desert, life comes first."

"Don't think that the sky will fall just because you lost a precious blueprint."

"Weaklings have no choice. At that time, even if the odds of the enemy attacking us were only 30%, we would never take the risk."

At this point, Onyx's tone became inexplicably low, and memories flashed through his eyes.

"Fifteen years ago, I once followed Young Master Oko to deliver a batch of goods. You may not know who Young Master Oko is, but you must know that Young Master Oko was the one who bought the weapons produced by the Phoenix-Tailed Flower Guild for 50 years!"

The room was immediately filled with shock.

"That time, we encountered something similar to today. The storm blew away the caravan. After we escaped, we were surrounded by a group of desert bandits."

"Young Master Oko would never surrender. He resisted with his life, and in the end, he was killed by those desert bandits."

Onyx was full of regret. "Initially, the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce wanted to negotiate with a powerful empire to establish trade relations."

"Young Master Oko's death led to the failure of the negotiations. The competitors took that spot by force. We suffered immeasurable losses."

"From then on, the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce came up with that iron law. In the desert, life comes first."

"If Young Master Oko was still alive, the current Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce would probably be ten times stronger!!"

"Therefore, you must remember that surviving is the most important thing in the desert. Only then will you have the chance to continue earning more profits for the Chamber of Commerce."

"I will personally explain this matter to the president. If there is any punishment, I will bear it alone!"

When they heard this secret, Onyx's companions immediately fell silent.

After a long time, someone finally spoke up.

"Lord Onyx, what should we do next?"

"Rest well first before returning to Solan City. Remember, don't cause trouble in this territory. Our lives are in the hands of others!"

After Onyx and the others discussed for a long time, Karu, who had already arranged for someone to bring back the prey, walked into the house with a smile.

Two men carrying tightly covered trays followed behind him.

The cook in the Lord's mansion specialized in serving Lord Richard. These outsiders were not qualified to take a second look.

"Lord Onyx, I am the Administrative Officer of Twilight City, Karu.

"When Lord Richard left, he specially instructed me to bring the most precious specialty of Twilight City for all the distinguished guests to taste."

'Specialty?'

'What specialty could there be in this shabby place?'

Although a few guards had faint smiles on their faces, they were silently slandering him in their hearts.

Onyx stood up politely and laughed loudly.

"Thank you for your hospitality. It's my honor."

However, Onyx did not even look at the things that the two men were carrying.

As a merchant of the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce, he was a hero.

He had seen so much of the world, so what else was worth him looking at.

Karu seemed to have noticed their carelessness, so he did not care. He reached out his hand and motioned for the two men behind him to take off the tightly sewn wooden lid on the tray.

The moment the lid was taken off, an indescribable strange fragrance instantly filled the room.

'Gulp!'

Onyx and the others swallowed their saliva at the same time. The sound was so loud that everyone could vividly hear it.

Immediately, their faces flushed red.

They looked at each other, their faces filled with embarrassment.

One second ago, they had looked down on them, but they didn't expect it to be so embarrassing in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, they didn't say what they were thinking. Otherwise, they would have died on the spot.

Onyx couldn't care less now. He took a step forward and looked at the crystal clear and slightly golden object in the gray bowl.

Suddenly, he felt that the simple bowl had become extraordinary.

"Is...is this honey?"

Looking at the stunned expression on Onyx's face, Karu revealed a proud smile.

"That's right, Lord Onyx. This is a specialty of Twilight City. Lord Richard brought this exquisite delicacy back."

The taste of desert honey. Those who had tasted it would never forget it.

The pinnacle of the human world.

"Can I have a taste?" Onyx swallowed hard.

Speaking of which, it was embarrassing. Onyx had traveled all over the world for so many years, but this was the first time he had seen such a special fragrance of honey.

"Of course, this was originally used by Lord Richard to entertain you all. But because it's too precious, the quantity is not much. Please, forgive me."

"Thank you, Lord Richard!"

Onyx impatiently picked up a clay bowl filled with honey from the tray.

He placed it at the tip of his nose and sniffed it.

That special fragrance made him feel like he was floating in the air. He felt relaxed and happy.

This was surely a rare delicacy!

His eyes flashed with a hint of intoxication.

He couldn't wait, but Onyx didn't want to go too fast. He brought it to his mouth and concentrated all his energy.

Like a pilgrimage, Onyx tasted the desert honey in small mouthfuls.

When the honey entered his mouth, Onyx only felt an indescribable delicious explosion.

He was in a daze.

How could there be such a delicious thing in this world?

Was this a gift from the gods?

After he finished the honey, Onyx looked at the residue at the bottom of the bowl and licked it clean without any hesitation.

When he came back to his senses, Onyx remembered that he had done it in front of outsiders, and his old face immediately turned red.

He thought he was knowledgeable, but Onyx didn't expect that he couldn't even withstand a few drops of honey.

Just as he was about to speak, Onyx suddenly felt a warm current coming from his stomach.

Then, his entire body felt as comfortable as if he was soaking in warm water.

His spirit was greatly boosted, and in the blink of an eye, Onyx had recovered more than half of his depleted physical strength. Even the injuries on his body had healed quite a bit.

Onyx became more and more excited.

Not only was this honey delicious, but it also had the characteristics of recovering physical strength and injuries!!

Gods above, what kind of f*cking peerless delicacy was this?!

In his excitement, Onyx turned his head to look at his companions beside him and discovered that they were currently hugging their bowls and licking wildly...

The corners of Onyx's mouth twitched. Was there hope for them?

Onyx looked at Karu, completely devoid of the nonchalance from before.

His tone was somewhat heated.

"Sir Karu, may I ask, how much more of this honey is there? How much can you produce per month? In the name of the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce, I implore to open up trade with Twilight City..."

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Chapter 28: Chapter 27: A Dragon's Lair Nearby?!

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Richard didn't know that desert honey had captivated Onyx.

Comparing the system map, the bandaged mummies and the scorpion warriors went to the one-way portal Onyx had mentioned.

These special buildings usually hid something valuable.

Just like the Dark Temple with powerful guards.

Once occupied, there would be grand benefits.

On the way, Richard passed the area where he had just killed the desert bandits. Dozens of residents were fervently moving the desert horses back.

The bandits' bodies were piled up on a small hill.

Richard was very interested in this bloody scene.

'This harvest was not only the blueprint for the construction of the Hero's Altar.'

'Dozens of desert horses were also a fortune that made people envious.'

'Although the desert horses were not plump, they had a bit of meat with lots of bones.'

'Given the quantity here, they could be exchanged for precious strategic treasures.'

'Needless to say, trading for a few water spring fragments or a few seeds of olives, wouldn't that be great?'

The more Richard thought about it, the more he felt that the reward this time was bountiful.

The level of the scorpion warriors was raised to level 2 due to the battle, and Richard had also obtained 70 to 80 horses as food.

Moreover, he had established a relationship with the Phoneix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce and obtained an extremely precious blueprint of the Hero's Altar from them.

In the end, Richard even obtained information about a one-way teleportation door from them.

He suddenly felt that Onyx was simply a lucky star.

"When I return, I have to treat this guy well. I can interact with him more in the future. I love making friends."

"Maybe I can ask Onyx where I can find a dragon egg..."

This time, the target was the one-way portal, but Richard did not give up on scouting the surroundings.

He still spread out the troops of the two squads and had them search them thoroughly...

The one-way portal was about two hours away from Twilight City, but Richard had spent twice as much time.

He had gained a lot from the fierce battle.

The most obvious sign was that both the bandaged mummies and the scorpion warriors had leveled up to level 3.

Meanwhile, Richard's experience points had also reached 900. He was only 100 points away from leveling up again.

Among them, the ones who contributed the most were a group of desert half-rats who had emptied a sand dune. There were four squadrons in total. The mummies and the scorpion warriors had gone crazy from the killing.

The endless yellow sand always gave people a desolate and tragic feeling.

However, after seeing it for too long, the feeling of boredom came over.

"It should be not far away..."

Looking at the signs that were gradually approaching on the system map, Richard's spirit was roused.

After crossing another sand dune, the land in front of him gradually became dry and hard.

A large amount of gravel appeared.

Richard raised his vigilance and slightly pulled the troop back.

Amidst his vigilance, he stepped over a thousand-meter-long gravel area, and then the terrain suddenly sank.

Richard walked closer to take a look, and a river that had been dry for an unknown number of years appeared in his line of sight.

The cobblestones in the center of the river bed had been weathered and cracked.

The yellow sand seemed to have become the running water of the dried-up river.

However, even though it was so dry, one could still tell from the traces of the river bed and the stone walls on both sides how turbulent the river was.

After taking a few more glances at the magnificent scene, Richard walked toward the dried-up river bed.

"How did this guy, Onyx, get down here?"

The stones on the ground made it difficult for Richard to move forward. With the mummies lying in front of him, it was not much better.

After staggering for more than ten minutes, Richard suddenly stopped.

At a depression in the cliff wall, a building that looked like an arch was erected.

The arch was five meters tall. The middle of the arch was not a door, but a translucent shield that emitted a wave-like light.

An ancient aura came toward them.

A one-way teleportation door!

Excitement rose in Richard's heart. The appearance of the portal was not simple at all.

He had the mummies and the scorpion warriors check the surroundings. After making sure that there was no danger, Richard walked closer.

Standing in front of the five-meter-tall building, Richard felt an inexplicable sense of insignificance.

He did not know where the half-bright ripples would lead to.

Richard opened the attribute panel.

[One-Way Teleportation Door]

[Level: Special]

[Characteristics: One-Way Teleportation — Leads to an area, a burnt village. Entering it requires completing a mission before returning. Difficulty: 1 star.]

[Description: Perhaps, you will be teleported to the dragon's treasury, or perhaps, you will be able to go to hell and have dinner with the demons. Before using the teleportation door, pray to the goddess of luck.]

"Dungeon?"

Richard's eyes lit up.

In the background settings of the game "Shining Era", as provided on the website, the dungeon existed during the last battle of the gods. The gods had broken the river of time, causing countless time fragments to scatter across the various planes.

These time fragments contained small-scale worlds, and those who entered could obtain various resources from them.

The completion of a mission depended on the distinct rules of each time fragment. Only by complying with the rules could these time fragments return to the river of time.

This setting was quite good. Now that the setting had become reality, it could be said that there were no major bugs.

Dungeons were good things because some of the time fragments were from the ancient era. There were chances for them to appear in dungeons that could not be obtained from the outside world.

However, the problem was that the dungeon in front of him only had a very simple description. There was no other valuable information.

This made Richard hesitate.

The difficulty was only 1-star. It did not seem high.

But what was the evaluation standard for this 1-star?

Was it just a normal soldier or just a giant dragon?

Just as Richard was thinking…

The Black Gold System lit up and upgraded.

[Discovered Dungeon — Burning Village]

[Dungeon-Level: 1-star]

[Average Strength of Soldier Type: Rare]

[Heroes Unit (Presence): Yes]

[Factions: Demons, Undead, Churches, Humans]

[Hint: The level of the dungeon cannot be increased.]

Richard was stunned for a moment before laughing out loud.

'Damn, the Black Gold System is still awesome…'

Fortunately, he did not act rashly.

The average strength of the troops had reached the rare level. There were also heroic units, and it even involved four factions...

If Richard were to rush in recklessly, it would truly be a waste.

"Although it's much weaker than the troops of the temple, it's just courting death to go exploring now. To be safe, I'll first go back and accumulate strength. After killing a wave of troops, I'll come back. At the very least, I'll kill a squadron of rare-level troops..."

After making a note on the system map, Richard didn't stay any longer and turned around to return to his territory.

It was already afternoon, and there was still a two-hour journey back.

The danger level in the desert at night was more than one level higher than during the day.

Richard had just walked back for a few minutes, but before he could leave the riverbed, an indescribably terrifying pressure suddenly swept down from the sky.

It was as if Richard was standing under a hundred thousand feet tall mountain that was collapsing.

The sky and earth seemed to be collapsing.

"Roar!"

A thunderous roar came down from the sky, and the dry riverbed seemed to quake.

The pressure increased exponentially.

The next second…

A huge shadow was cast on the riverbed under the sun.

It covered the earth.

Richard subconsciously raised his head and looked at the sky.

He saw a terrifying creature that was covered in scales that were so tough that even a city-breaking crossbow might not be able to pierce through. It was waving its ferocious wings and flying.

The creature's body was enormous with a wingspan of more than 20 meters.

Its strong limbs had sharp claws that shone with a cold light. Perhaps, it could easily destroy a city wall.

That extremely terrifying creature was crossing the riverbed.

Its pupils suddenly constricted, and a word that made people stop breathing appeared in its mind.

"A giant dragon!!"

There was a dragon lair nearby?!

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Chapter 29: Chapter 28: Desert Crown Honey (Happy New Year!)

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

A dragon in the sky flashed past. It flapped its wings and flew across the river valley in a blink of an eye.

Richard immediately opened the attribute panel after being shocked.

[Desert Dragon]

[Level: 15]

[Potential: ???]

[Skills: ???]

[Race Talent: ???]

[Fetters-Dragon: ???]

[Description: A top-tier predator in the desert. No one can resist its dragon breath.]

"Damn."

"It was level 15?!"

The other attributes could not even be seen.

Level 15 might be considered low in other games, but level 30 was god-tier on the official website of the game "Shining Era".

Every 5 levels was a threshold. The higher the level, the more difficult it would be to level up.

Level 15 was enough to be tyrannical.

The strong level 8 temple guard could not raise its head in front of this dragon.

When Richard was lost in his thoughts, the rapacious and domineering dragon had already disappeared from his sight.

After a long time, Richard let out a long breath.

His eyes were filled with passion.

"I must catch a dragon to ride in the future!!"

The rapacious and domineering appearance of the dragon directly hit Richard's heart.

Riding such a flashy life form to the peak…

Just the appearance alone was extremely flashy.

After coming out of the river valley, Richard, who was stimulated, quickened his pace.

Before sunset, Richard returned to the territory.

The moment he returned to the territory, Richard immediately relaxed.

That kind of stability made him feel at ease.

Thinking back, today's encounter was enough.

First, Richard saved the caravan of the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce. Then, because of this, he obtained the extremely precious blueprint of the Hero's Altar and a large amount of food. Along the way, Richard also discovered a dungeon map, and finally, he encountered a level 15 dragon.

After a busy day, Richard only wanted to take a hot bath.

"Lord, you're back!"

When Karu, who was waiting for Richard at dusk, saw him, he immediately let out a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong?"

Richard looked at Karu's expression. Karu was surely about to say something before Richard asked, "Is it about the people from the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce?"

Karu nodded, and his tone became excited.

"They were completely captivated by the honey and told me to discuss business with you immediately after you return."

Richard smiled slightly.

"Who could resist the taste of desert honey?"

"Has the kitchen maids prepared food? Let them see me after you are done."

"They are already waiting for you."

"Then, let them continue waiting."

Richard did not care about anything else. After returning to the mansion, he finished his dinner with the help of two enthusiastic kitchen maids.

Richard took a hot bath along the way.

After taking a bath to get rid of the fatigue of the day, Richard asked someone to call Onyx who had been waiting for half a day.

In the hall with a rough architectural style, twelve oil lamps made of animal fat on the stone pillars were emitting dim light.

The bright moonlight shone into the hall through the glassless wooden windows, adding an extra layer of light.

"Good evening, Lord Richard."

Onyx came alone with his round belly. After entering the room, Onyx immediately put his right hand on his chest and saluted.

"No need to be so polite, Lord Onyx. Please, take a seat."

After Onyx thanked Richard, he immediately took a seat and then spoke impatiently.

"Lord Richard, thank you for treating us with such precious honey today."

"The Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce lacks such delicious delicacy."

"I wonder if we have the honor to establish a long-term cooperative relationship with you?"

Richard smiled.

"Lord Onyx, the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce is a large chamber of commerce that can cross the Desert of Death. Have you ever seen my Desert Crown Honey?"

"Forgive my ignorance, but I have never seen it before."

"My Lord, this delicious honey is called Desert Crown?"

Richard nodded as if it was a matter of fact.

"I obtained the Desert Crown Honey from a secret chamber. At that time, I even saw the murals that have been circulating in the secret chamber for countless years."

"Countless years ago, the Deadly Desert was unified by a powerful emperor. He conquered the desert.".

"His legend was even spread throughout the entire mortal plane And the greatest treasure of this great ruler was this honey. He compared it to his crown, and only the noblest people could wear a crown… So, he named it — Desert Crown."

Before Richard could finish his story, Onyx's mind was already wavering.

Only the noblest people could wear a crown.

And this honey was called the Desert Crown...

Didn't that mean that only the noblest people could taste such a delicacy?

For a moment, a sacred feeling rose in Onyx's heart.

It was as if he had become the noblest person on par with the king.

"Lord Richard, can I have a look at that mural? I wonder how elegant the great emperor who once ruled the Deathly Desert is."

Richard's face was not even red.

"You're too late. The sandstorm a while ago erased all traces."

"You should know what kind of place the desert is."

After saying that, Richard did not wait for Onyx's reply and continued.

"Lord Onyx, the production of the Desert Crown is extremely rare and precious. I wonder what price the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce would be willing to pay for it?"

Hearing this, Onyx's heart skipped a beat. It was not because of the price, but because the production was extremely rare.

"Lord Richard, can you tell me the exact amount of production?"

Richard spoke with some regret.

"Currently, it can only produce five units per week."

After saying that, Richard added another sentence.

"But in the next time, there is still room for improvement in the production."

The rarer an item was, the more valuable it was.

The quality of desert honey was so high, so it naturally had to take the high-end route.

If the quantity was small and the origin was extraordinary, would the price still be low?

As for whether the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce would believe Richard's story or not, it didn't matter.

If the person was smart, he would make this story even more perfect...

And the quantity was small, so Richard could control the price better.

"Hu~"

Onyx heaved a huge sigh of relief.

Fortunately, fortunately...

If Richard could only produce five units a year, that would indeed be too little.

If Richard could produce five units a week, that would be 20 units a month. Although it was still pitifully little, Onyx could already accept such delicious food.

Onyx stood up and said proudly.

"Lord Richard, the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce will have everything you need!"

"We can get you even the lair of the dragon troop... As long as you can pay the equivalent price of the Desert Crown!"

Richard believed in these words. There was no need to doubt the strength of the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce that could cover the entire Deadly Desert.

"Lord Onyx, how do you think the Desert Crown should be priced?"

This...

Onyx could not help but hesitate.

The Desert Crown didn't need to be elaborated further. But after all, Onyx had never bought it outside, so it was hard for him to say the exact price.

Onyx thought for a while…

"Lord Richard, can you let us take some of the delicacies first and leave? After we return, we'll let the consumers examine them before we set the price."

Richard smiled slightly and waved at Karu, who had not spoken all this while.

Karu immediately turned around and left, then returned with a tray.

There were two broken glass bottles on the tray.

Through the glass bottles, one could see that half a jar of crystal clear honey was inside.

Richard picked up a bottle from the tray and put it on the table.

"You can use this bottle to set the price when you return."

After saying that, Richard picked up another bottle and put it in front of Onyk.

"Lord Onyx, you have given us the blueprint for the construction of the Hero's Altar as a mark of our friendship. In return, I will give you the most precious treasure of Twilight City — the Desert Crown."

"I hope our friendship will last forever."

Onyx was overjoyed.

The pain in his heart for giving away the blueprint completely disappeared at this moment.

"Thank you for your generosity!"

Richard smiled and continued.

"Lord Onyx, if possible, I hope that you will bring more blueprints for the construction of the territory when you come next time."

"It would be best if there are resources-related treasures such as olive seeds..."

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Chapter 30: Chapter 29: Adele Thorin

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

After a short conversation, Onyx readily agreed to Richard's conditions under the temptation of the Desert Crown.

For the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce, these requirements could be fulfilled with the flick of a finger.

The aborigines had developed after countless eras in the Shining Era, and the resources in their hands were many times better than the current players.

After Onyx went down to rest, Richard asked Karu.

"Have those desert horses been brought back?"

"They have been brought back, a total of 92 horses. But there are too many of them, and I haven't had the time to deal with them yet..."

Richard nodded. "There's no need to deal with them. I have other uses for them."

After thinking for a while, Richard directly opened the [Forum Chat].

He opened the private chat of [Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon].

"I'll produce the food for you in advance."

When Richard bought the Russian olive seeds and the spring water fragments, he still owed [Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon] 1,600 units of food.

Richard had never liked to owe money.

Now that he had the resources in his hands, there was naturally no need to make him unhappy over this little thing.

After sending the message, Richard went to the well and looked at the pile of desert horses on the ground. He picked six of the larger ones and directly traded them in a way that fulfilled the contract. Richard paid the other party accordingly.

The moment the trade was successful, the contract between the two disappeared without a trace.

[Where's Your F*cking Italian Cannon] suddenly saw in the system notification that he had received six desert horses.

He immediately replied to the message after he came back to his senses.

[Sh*t! Big Brother Qing Qiu!! I haven't seen you for a day and you are rich again?]

[Awesome!!!]

[To be honest, I truly admire you. I haven't found a food source yet. You always have thousands of units of food... Can you bring me along?]

[As long as you are willing, you will be my big brother in the future!]

Richard's face was full of black lines.

[If you have any good treasures in the future, you can contact me.]

After sending that message, Richard did not bother with the top-grade treasure anymore and directly opened the [Trading Market].

Richard began to post the information on the reward column.

[Reward 1-star Resource Treasure — (Spring Water or Spring Water Fragment) Reward Amount: 3; (Desert Horses) Reward Amount: 4]

[Reward 1-star Resource Treasure — (Acre of Russian Olive Seeds) Reward Amount: 15; (Desert horses) Reward Amount: 2]

[Reward Special Lair — (Desert Bee) Reward Amount: 20; (Desert Horses) Reward Amount: 1]

After posting this information, there were only 24 desert horses left on the ground.

Pondering about it, Richard posted another message in the reward column of the [Trading Market.]

[Reward: Any valuable resources or other treasures that can be used in the desert. Price: 20 desert horses. This reward requires both parties to agree to the transaction.]

As a result, there were only four desert horses left in the mountain of desert horses.

Dozens of residents who had just finished their dinner and were happily preparing to deal with the desert horses looked at the empty ground and couldn't help but be stunned.

If it weren't for Richard, they would have shouted that there was a thief.

"Good evening, Lord Richard..."

"Greetings, Lord Richard... Those desert horses?"

Richard waved his hand.

"I have other uses for them. You can deal with these horses. Thank you for your hard work."

A few residents answered in fear.

"No, no!"

"It's our honor to serve you!"

Richard nodded and directly returned to the mansion.

At this time, the Lord's [Forum Chat] blew up again because of his information on the bounty.

[F*ck!!! Did you see that? That Qing Qiu boss is selling food again!!]

[This is f*cking ridiculous. I just did some calculations, and the other party sold more than 80 desert horses at one time... I just want to ask, are you the galloping horseman?]

[Which wild horse group's lair did they dig out? Why is it so exaggerated?]

[F*ck, my territory ran out of food today. How can Qing Qiu get so much food?]

[Casually taking out tens of thousands of units of meat? Isn't the desert lacking in resources?]

[My territory is in the desert. I'm telling you clearly, Qing Qiu must be next to an oasis rich in resources! A territory in an ordinary desert is simply the beginning of hell on level 10 difficulty!]

[That's right, this lousy desert is not a place for people to stay! Inadequate water. Inadequate food. Everything is inadequate! It would take less than two hours to kill monsters in the desert, and one would be completely exhausted! Moreover, those troops in the wild were stronger than the last. Yesterday, I had gone through great difficulty to kill more than a dozen desert rats. On the way, I even encountered a group of more than a hundred desert bandits... If we didn't run fast, we would be dead!]

[Sob, sob, sob, sob, I don't want to play anymore. I want to go home…]

[F*ck, why don't I have any resources or treasures? I seriously want those 20 desert horses.]

Richard was completely speechless.

Several players were doing well. However, there was only one person like Richard who traded over a thousand units of meat the other day and sold over 80 desert horses and over 20,000 units of food today.

This caused countless people to be envious.

How many lords could kill over a hundred desert bandits in just three days?

Richard was tired for the entire day and had a good sleep.

Early the next morning, he was woken up by the noise outside.

After getting up and washing up, Richard went out and saw a group of haggard refugees squeezed into the space around him.

Karu was talking to these people.

After Richard came out, the noise just now seemed to have pressed the pause button and disappeared in an instant.

The pressure from the dozens of soldiers behind Richard was too strong.

Especially the scorpion warrior. Its two-meter-long body was bent like a steel whip behind its tail. With the addition of two terrifying giant pincers, it looked terrifying.

Although the mummy didn't have such a strong body, its snow-white bandages and dry hands were equally terrifying.

Living beings always had a special fear of the undead.

Under the terrified gazes of the refugees, Richard scanned his surroundings.

"What's going on?"

Karu immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"Good day, Lord Richard."

After he finished his bow, Karu straightened his body and pointed at the fearful and uneasy crowd.

"These are the refugees we found outside the Rusian olive forest this morning. They are together with the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce..."

Richard nodded.

His sharp gaze swept across the crowd.

"You people, who is in charge here? Come out and talk to me."

Hearing this, the crowd subconsciously turned their heads to look behind them.

'Tap, tap, tap'

The sound of boots stepping on the ground was clear.

A slender girl separated the crowd and walked to the front of the crowd.

What caught people's attention was that the thin girl was carrying a bronze hammer that was taller than a person on her back.

The other party's delicate eyes looked straight at Richard, and she leaned forward with her hands on her chest.

"Respected Lord, Adele Thorin sends her regards."

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Chapter 31: Chapter 30: A-Rank Hero

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

The girl who spoke was about 17 or 18 years old.

She wore black high-rise leather boots with traces of traveling in the sand.

The tight-fitting brown trousers made her legs appear slender. Her leather boots gave her a distinguished disposition.

She had a high ponytail at the back of her head, and the skin on her face was as white as jade. It was hard to believe that she had such fair skin in the desert.

Her figure was a little meager due to her thinness. But that also made her big black eyes extra-spirited.

The long copper hammer taller than a person on her back made her instantly appear from a slender and cute girl next door into a dauntless warrior.

"Adele Thorin?"

Richard nodded slowly.

"Where did you come from?"

Adele looked straight at him. Her tone was filled with grief and solemnity.

"The lair of the rhinoceros empire razed our home. We were forced to leave. We could only turn to the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce. We planned to cross the Deathly Desert and head to the Holy Cathedral Empire to settle down…

"But the sandstorm a week ago ruined everything. We and the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce were blown away in the storm. We lost most of our companions..."

Before she could finish, Onyx and his companions emerged out of the Lord's mansion.

They had been arranged by Richard to stay in the guest room the other night.

Of course, everyone was being watched by the mummies and the scorpion warriors.

Onyx was stunned when he saw the girl but then, he was greatly astonished.

"Miss Adele? Are you okay?! By the god of merchants, this is great news!!"

"Lord Onyx?"

The girl was equally astonished.

But the joy quickly faded away, and the sadness in her eyes could not be hidden.

Onyx saw this and spoke hesitantly.

"Your father..."

Adele was silent…

Onyx sighed, and the joy disappeared.

Richard deeply thought about the situation.

Presumably, the leader of these refugees was the girl's father. After the storm, she was the only one left.

Curious enough, Richard opened her stats panel, but after taking a look, he felt his heartbeat quicken.

[Adele Thorin]

[Hero Unit]

[Level: 4]

[Potential: A]

[Profession: Blacksmith (Advanced)

[Skills: Breathing Forging Method (A-rank) — When forging strategic equipment, she can obtain additional skills and has a chance to forge a higher-level weapon.]

[Weapon Strengthening (A-rank) — Can strengthen strategic equipment and obtain additional characteristics.]

[Blood of Thorin (A-rank) — Constitution increases by 200%, strength increases by 200%.]

[Hero Characteristics: Research speed of territory attack type technology increases by 30%, and success rate increases by 30%.]

[Race Characteristics: Has extraordinary talent in forging weapons, and success rate increases by 30%.]

[Fetters-Copper Hammer: When using a long-handled copper hammer to forge, the forging skill level will be increased by one level.]

[Description: Kuang! Kuang! Your artifact is ready, do you want to test its power?]

'Hero Unit?! Advanced Blacksmith?'

'And it's a hero with the potential to reach A-rank!!'

Richard's pupils constricted.

This attribute… This potential… This was heaven-defying.

Compared to Adele, a heroic unit like Onyx, who had changed jobs to become a merchant, was simply incomparable.

Richard took a few deep breaths to suppress the excitement in his heart.

He looked straight at her.

He spoke slowly.

"Miss Adele, I think your father should be more powerful than you.

"The sandstorm is terror-stricken. But since you're fine, there's no reason that anything could have happened to your father. Don't be too sad. Perhaps, he's looking for you just like you guys."

These words immediately made the girl's eyes light up.

"Is what you said true?"

Richard nodded without hesitation.

"Of course."

After saying that, Richard commanded Karu beside him.

"Get someone to clean up the guest room of the mansion."

After saying that, Richard looked at Adele. "You can stay here for a few days. Firstly, you can recuperate. Secondly, you can look for your father."

His tone became more serious.

"If you need help, I can send someone to assist you. Miss Adele, believe me, the residents of my territory are more familiar with the desert than you are."

"Your companions don't need to rush through the vast desert. We welcome you."

This hero could not be let go!

However, since the other party had just arrived and had experienced the disappearance of her father, Richard could not directly recruit her. He could only think of a way from the side.

If Richard wanted to take her, he had to give Adele her father first…

This was the basic philosophy of life.

However, Richard didn't expect that Adele would be more anxious than him.

As if a drowning person had grasped the last straw, she hurriedly said, "My Lord!"

"As long as you can find my father, I'm willing to give everything! I-I can become your subordinate and work for you!"

"As long as you can find my father..."

Her eyes reddened, and her voice was choked with sobs, making people feel an unfathomable heartache.

The system notification quietly sounded.

[Ding~ Adele Thorin has issued a hero recruitment mission to you. Find her father who was blown away by the sandstorm. ]

[When the mission is completed, the other party will join your territory.]

Richard was slightly startled, but then he felt completely comfortable.

Missions were good. He liked doing missions whenever he had nothing better to do.

However, when he saw the heartbroken look in Adele's eyes, he immediately suppressed the joy in his heart.

He took a deep breath and looked straight into her eyes.

"I will do my best."

These words came from the bottom of his heart.

He had experienced the pain of losing a loved one.

When she noticed the change in Richard's tone, Adele's gaze immediately became much closer.

Only Onyx felt a little regretful. He knew how good this girl's forging skills were.

Initially, Onyx had planned to introduce her to the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce.

But now, Onyx couldn't say anything about the recruitment deal. After all, Onyx had just received a bottle of Richard's precious Desert Crown.

"Miss Adele, how many companions did you bring?"

"A total of 150 people. The others are like my father. They were lost in the desert."

Richard nodded and commanded Karu.

"Go, prepare breakfast for them."

"Yes, Lord Richard."

After consoling Adele for a long time, Richard exclusively led her into the Lord's mansion.

Then, he asked Karu and Onyx to accompany each other. Richard found an excuse to come out.

Richard looked at the 10 residential houses on the west side of the Lord's mansion.

Previously, there were not many residents, so there was still enough to live in.

However, now that there were more than 100 people, there was no room for them.

If he wanted to build a new house, Richard would need the corresponding blueprints. However, he only had the blueprint for the construction of the Hero's Altar.

Currently, if Richard wanted to accommodate more residents, the only way was to raise the level of the building.

[Residence: 1]

[Level: Ordinary (Requires 500 units of stone and 500 units of wood to level up.)]

[Capacity: Maximum of 10 people]

[Characteristics: None]

[Description: An ordinary residential house, which can be used by commoners.]

[Ten residential houses, which require a total of 5000 units of stone and 5000 units of wood to level up.]

Looking at the attribute panel that had only a few pieces left, Richard could not help but sigh.

No matter how much he earned, it was not enough to spend.

'I have to let these residents settle down. It's not easy to get hundreds of refugees in the desert.'

'The territory is still small now, and these residents are a burden. But once the territory expands, when all aspects require labor, the residents will become the creators of wealth.'

'No matter what, I can't let the meat that's on the tip of my tongue run away.'

After thinking for a while, Richard took out 200 units of food from the warehouse and found a few high-priced items to sell. With the original resources, it was just enough to buy 10,000 units.

Then, he walked to the front of the 10 residential buildings and prepared to upgrade the buildings in Twilight City for the first time.

He still had some magical anticipation in his heart.

[Ding~ Do you want to use 5000 units of wood and 5000 units of stone to upgrade the residential buildings?]

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Chapter 32: Chapter 31: Upgraded Residential Area

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

The moment he chose to confirm the upgrade.

The system notification sounded again.

"Ding ~ please empty the residential area."

Richard waved his hand and called the residents around him, asking them to call out those who were still in the residential area.

After a moment, more than twenty people left the residential area. They looke

The moment Richard chose to confirm the upgrade, the system notification sounded again.

[Ding~ Please, empty the residential area.]

Richard waved his hand and called the residents around him. He ordered them to call out those still in the residential area.

After a moment, more than twenty people left the residential area. They looked at Richard in confusion and didn't understand why they were all ordered to leave.

But they did not dare to ask any more questions. The residents stood obediently at the side and waited for the order.

Richard had established his authority in the territory in just a few days.

After confirming that there were no mistakes, he chose to level up again.

This time, there were no surprises. The resources on the attribute panel were cleared in an instant.

Then, under everyone's gaze, a yellow sand-like light rose from the ground, like a sandstorm that enveloped the residential houses.

The crowd's vision became blurry, and they could only vaguely see the changes inside.

The two-story house rose with a rumble, and a third story appeared.

Ten houses rose at the same time. It caused the earth to tremble.

This huge commotion immediately caused the crowd to exclaim in surprise.

"Gods above..."

"This is a power that only a lord can have..."

"Legend has it that the gods gave each lord an unparalleled ability. Building houses quickly is one of them..."

"No matter how I see it, this scene is still incredible!"

The crowd was beyond belief…

The scene has also attracted the refugees amidst the waves of exclamation.

All of them had complicated expressions on their faces.

They no longer had a home...

The light from the yellow sand lasted for 10 minutes before it gradually dissipated.

[Ding~ Residential upgrade is successful.]

Along with the system upgrade, a brand new residential building appeared in front of Richard.

The ten residential buildings had expanded from two floors to three floors, and their area had already reached 70% of the 10-by-10-meter space.

The rough outer walls from the outside had become much more delicate, and there was a bit of an exquisite architectural shape. However, the desert was still eye-catching.

[Residence: 1 space]

[Level: Rare — Requires 5000 units of stone and 5000 units of wood to level up.]

[Note: The current level has been raised to the upper limit. After the territory is upgraded to a small city, it can still be raised again.]

[Capacity: Maximum of 30 people]

[Characteristics: None]

[Description: An ordinary residential house. It can be used by commoners.]

After Richard finished looking at the stats, he was pleasantly astonished.

The number of people each house could accommodate had increased from 10 to 30.

After increasing by three times, the problem of the newly arrived refugees was solved.

However, upgrading from rare to advanced required a lot of resources. The next time Richard upgraded 10 residential houses, he would need 100,000 units of resources.

The landlord's family did not have any surplus food either.

At this moment, Richard finally understood the bitterness of the other lords.

He had hunted so much food to exchange for resources, but he still felt exhausted, not to mention the lords who could only rely on resource points to accumulate resources.

He turned around and looked at the refugees who were casting envious and complicated gazes at the residents of Twilight City. After thinking for a moment, Richard stepped forward.

While he was in the center of attention, this immediately attracted the attention of the crowd. However, those refugees who met his gaze immediately lowered their heads in fear.

Facing the ruler of this land, they felt immense pressure.

The other party's words could determine their lives and deaths.

That was the vulnerability of having your fate controlled by others.

Richard did not speak. He just looked at them perfunctorily.

The hundreds of refugees went from feeling uncomfortable at the beginning to gradually becoming anxious and uneasy. In the end, they even felt endless fear.

Could it be that this lord wanted to directly expel them?

As for the worse ones, they did not dare to think about it.

"New residents, I am the Lord of Twilight City, Richard."

Richard's sudden words made the already extremely nervous crowd's hearts jump to their throats.

They immediately raised their ears and focused on listening to his next sentence.

"I understand your anxiety and helplessness toward the future. No one can remain indifferent after losing your home, your family, and your friends. After all, that was the hope we once had, the hope of everything. We all have experienced the pain of having our hope shattered."

The gazes of the crowd toward Richard suddenly intensified.

Richard did not stop talking.

"But are we going to weaken, give up, and lose hope because of this?"

His tone suddenly became high-pitched.

"No! Certainly not! These sufferings are the thorny paths that every one of us must walk! No matter how great the pain is, we must still look and walk forward! This must be what our family members, our family members, hope for. If you are in danger, do you want your loved ones and family members to keep drowning?"

In such a special situation, Richard's determined voice was full of inspiring power.

"Those who can't kill us will make us stronger in the end. As long as we step over the thorns, the light ahead will pierce through the darkness. As long as we have hope, we will always look up at the starry sky!"

Looking at that tall and straight figure, the crowd was completely silent at this moment.

The emotions in their hearts began to churn. They churned and surged into the sky...

The heartfelt words drove powerful energy into them, and at this moment, the low and dazed emotions were rapidly fading away.

The natives who had not been baptized by the information explosion had almost zero resistance to these motivational words.

Even if modern people had experienced countless information baptisms, some words could still make people's blood boil.

Because they were not old yet.

Their blood was still briskly boiling.

With a long copper hammer on her back, Adele had unknowingly stepped out of the Lord's mansion.

She stared blankly at the young man's back with a complicated expression.

She muttered softly.

"As long as we have hope, we will always look up at the starry sky. Those who can't kill us will eventually make us stronger."

At this moment, light gradually appeared in her dim eyes...

Richard's words, which had paused for a moment, rang out once again.

"My friends, this is Twilight City, a city built in the desert. Although the construction of the territory has just begun, this place is full of vitality, hope, and the future. No matter what your previous identity is, no matter what work you have done before, no matter what your age is, Twilight City will accept you."

Richard continued, "If you are not willing to spend another few months crossing the desert that is filled with dead silence and dried-up dust storms, you are welcome to join Twilight City. We need each one of you here, and we can provide you with a haven. At the same time, I promise you that I will do my best to help you find your lost companions in the dust storms."

He then added, "Of course, if you are unwilling, I will not force you. I will provide you with food and water so that you can continue to cross the Deadly Desert."

At this point, Richard paused and swept his gaze across the crowd.

"My people, welcome."

After saying that, he bowed slightly to everyone.

Then, without saying another word, he turned around and entered the Lord's mansion.

He didn't even look at Adele when he walked past her.

After Richard's figure disappeared, the surrounding residents felt as if the flames in their chests were ignited at this moment.

"Lord Richard seriously bowed to us? By the gods, am I...am I seeing things?"

"I feel like I'm committing a crime if I don't do anything for this territory..."

"Yeah, why don't we stay in Twilight City? Why do we have to cross the desert that contains so many threats? I don't want to encounter the Grim Reaper again!"

"But, isn't this a desert? We'll surely encounter sandstorms in the future..."

"What do you know? Did you see the strength Lord Richard showed just now? Those sturdy houses are enough to resist the threat of the storm! And the territory will surely expand in the future. With Lord Richard's strength, he will definitely be able to protect us!"

"Mom, Lord Richard is truly too handsome. When I grow up, I will surely marry such a handsome hero."

"Hahaha, alright."

"Mom, I want to do that too."

"Scram, you're a man. Wake up!"

"What should we do? Stay here or go to the Holy Cathedral Empire?"

"Let's discuss it with Miss Adele..."

Hearing the discussions of the crowd, the old residents were a little displeased and started to interfere.

A young man spoke to a few people beside him.

"You people don't know how lucky you are. It's your honor to become a member of Twilight City!"

A middle-aged man was unconvinced. "What do you mean by that?!"

The young man sneered. "Hehe, what do you think is the most important thing in a territory?"

The middle-aged man hesitated. "This… Prosperity and power?"

The young man ignored him. "What does a prosperous and powerful territory have to do with us?"

"The lords and nobles are the ones who are prosperous. We are just slaves they oppress. Haven't you been oppressed by other lords before?"

Another person interrupted, "Then, what do you think it is?!"

The young man showed some pride on his face. "The most important thing in a territory is...a lord!"

The middle-aged man was deep in thought, but he still asked, "Why do you say that?"

The young man's tone was high, "Master Karu said that a lord is the soul of a territory. How a territory is, whether it is savage, crazy, or warlike, depends entirely on the lord. Isn't a benevolent lord with outstanding abilities, broad mind, and full of potential ten thousand times better than those lords who control prosperous territories but treat civilians like pigs and dogs? It shouldn't matter if he is weak now."

The others immediately fell into deep thought.

"What you said makes sense...but how can there be such a lord..."

The middle-aged man suddenly shut up halfway through his words. The few of them subconsciously turned their heads to look at the place where Richard had disappeared.

"Those who couldn't kill us would eventually make us stronger."

These words rang in their ears once again.

The flames in their chests became more and more vigorous.

Their blood wasn't cold either.

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Chapter 33: Chapter 32: Fire Dragon Rabbits

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

"Miss Adele, we've decided to stay in Twilight City after our discussion!"

After lunch, everyone was assigned to their dwelling places.

This group of homeless people who had wandered in the desert for an unknown period finally made up their minds.

The warm food provided by Twilight City and a dwelling place that belonged to them had broken through their defenses.

They didn't want to lose their family and friends, and they didn't want to step into the endless Deadly Desert.

The endless yellow sand terrified them more than hell.

No one could guarantee that they could cross the desert.

And even if they did, so what?

It was a foreign land after all. No one would welcome them, and no one would care about them.

Looking at the white-bearded old man in front of her, Adele was silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh.

"Grandpa Duke, you don't have to think too much."

"Father brought everyone across the Deadly Desert to find a land where we can live in peace."

"Twilight City might not be the most ideal state, but that lord is worthy of respect."

"Let's settle down here. Although the environment is harsh, and we might have a hard time, it's still a good place to settle down."

The white-bearded old man spoke slowly after holding it in for a long time.

"Miss Adele, perhaps, you don't know, but I have asked the others."

"The residents here have been eating meat for the past few days. They haven't eaten any other food before our capture."

"They all told me that they've gotten fat from eating meat."

"These times are truly not that hard..."

After thinking for a moment, the old man continued.

"As for the environment... On the other side of Twilight City, there's a spring. And near the spring is an acre of Russian olive forest.

"I've gone to take a look. Those leaves are truly crisp. The other residents said that it's a divine gift that can mature once a month. It's truly amazing.

"And there's also the extremely precious Desert Crown Honey within. It is said that in the ancient era, the honey produced by the Desert Crown was once the exclusive tribute of the Emperor who ruled the Deadly Desert."

"The Lord of the Phoenix-Tail Flower Chamber of Commerce has already begged to establish a trade channel with Lord Richard. Perhaps, it won't be long before a large number of resources will flood in..."

"The other residents also said Lord Richard has mentioned in private that there will surely be more divine gifts in the future. He will plant all kinds of crops around the territory and make Twilight City an oasis in the desert..."

Adele stared blankly at the beaming old man. At this moment, she didn't feel like she still wanted to go to the Holy Cathedral Empire.

It was truly quite good to stay in the desert.

After the refugees settled down, Richard immediately ordered Karu to find 30 young and strong residents and tell them to prepare food and water for five days.

Richard immediately went to the desert to search for refugees who had gone missing because of the sandstorm, especially Adele's father.

At the same time, he also recruited 30 new residents and had them join the search.

To this end, he also brought half a jar of Desert Crown and water for these residents to drink so that their physical strength renewed to the peak.

Sixty people with six teams. Each team was responsible for the direction of the search.

To complete the hero recruitment mission, Richard gritted his teeth and sent two mummies for each team as guards, a total of 12.

This time, these search teams would spend the night in the desert, and the probability of encountering danger was not small.

However, there was only one way to do it. Benevolence could not be shown.

Seeing Richard's decisive action, Adele was so moved that her eyes were watery, and her good impression of him immediately rose.

A man of his word. This was Richard's bottom line.

It wasn't only Adele's father. Since he had promised others to help them find their families, Richard would also do his best to do it.

After arranging everything, it was already noon.

Richard came to bid farewell to Adele.

"Miss Adele, the territory's food reserves have been depleted due to the arrival of the new residents. Currently, it can only last for 10 days at most."

"I will go out to hunt immediately. Please, stay in the territory. If you encounter any trouble, please, help me take care of it."

The valiant-looking Adele looked at the handsome youth in front of her and nodded with a determined gaze.

"Don't worry! I will advance and retreat with Twilight City!"

She hesitated as she spoke.

"Lord Richard, why can't I participate in this search and rescue? I'm not afraid of danger..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Richard waved his hand and interrupted her.

"Your safety is one of the reasons. The main reason is for the sake of the residents."

Richard explained, "Right now, you are still shouldering the fate of hundreds of other people. You cannot act recklessly."

He added, "I have already sent 60 people to explore. Don't tell me that the area that you can search alone is better than 60 people."

Seeing that Adelle still wanted to say something, Richard's face stiffened.

"Obey the order."

Adele was stunned. She suddenly felt a little wrong, but she did not know what to say. She nodded her head gloomily.

After convincing the girl, Richard didn't say anything more.

Taking advantage of the fact that it was still early, Richard left the territory with 14 scorpion warriors and two mummies.

This time, he changed directions and headed toward the east of Twilight City to search.

Speaking of which, he hadn't set foot in this area before.

The desert was too big. It would take him more than two or three days to search in any direction.

According to the old rules, he kept the two mummies by his side to protect himself. Then, he scattered the 14 scorpion warriors.

After a few days, Richard was already familiar with this routine.

After leaving Twilight City, he encountered the first camp of the wilderness troop in less than ten minutes.

This group of wilderness troops was humanoid. They had long gray hair all over their bodies and had a pair of sharp giant claws.

They looked quite fierce.

But what made him feel interesting was that this group of wild soldiers was confronting a group of rabbits.

He originally thought that these wild soldiers were hunting rabbits, but after looking for a while, he realized that it seemed like those rabbits were chasing the wild soldiers.

This was interesting.

He opened his attribute panel.

[Sharp-Clawed Halfling]

[Level: 2]

[Potential: Normal 3-stars]

The halfling's attributes were very ordinary. Richard lost interest after taking a look at it. On the contrary, the rabbits made him excited.

[Fire Dragon Rabbit]

[Level: 4]

[Potential: Special]

[Skills: Flame Burning (C-rank) — When angry, the whole body will burn with flames.]

[Extreme Speed Running (E-rank) — Able to burst out extremely fast speed in an instant.]

[Race Talent: Can quickly recover the magic power in the body while basking in the sun.]

[Fetters-Sun: Under the illumination of the sun, the fur can store a large amount of energy and increases the maximum magic power by 50%.]

[Description: Unique natural life forms in the desert. Their fur is quite popular, so their numbers are very rare.]

In the game "Shining Era", other than the soldiers recruited from the troop lairs, there were also a large number of natural life forms.

These natural life forms could not be recruited from the troop lairs. They prospered naturally just like the natives.

The elves who lived in the forest had always been dedicated to protecting the natural life forms.

Richard's eyes revealed some amusement.

"Natural life forms? Rabbits with magic? How interesting!"

The description in the system also made him think…

Their fur was very precious...

This reminded him of those luxury items made from furs on the Blue Planet.

Richard wondered if this kind of rabbit could be raised?

He had raised rabbits when he was a child. This thing could grow very fast as long as it ate grass and vegetable leaves. Most importantly...it tasted good.

It was fine to raise bees in the desert, but it wouldn't be too much to raise rabbits again...

Richard's interest soared.

"2, 4, 6...23, 24, 25..."

"Two and a half squads. The scorpion warriors should be able to eat them."

"Attack from the flanks! Leave a few alive!"

Rabbits were so cute that Richard decided to let the enemy receive better protection...

Those sharp-clawed halflings were directly ignored.

Richard was not interested in a soldier that could be killed with a single charge.

The two-meter-tall scorpion warrior attacked a group of rabbits that were half the height of a human. They had long white fur and looked like large plush toys. No matter how Richard looked at it, it seemed a little strange.

However, since these rabbits were covered in flames, no one would think that way.

The fire dragon rabbits transformed from harmless creatures into giant fireballs.

The added heat could easily scorch people.

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