Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 178 When Will You Return?

The next morning, Ron and Hathaway escorted Second-Rank Priest Joseph away. The priest didn't say anything about it; in fact, he only said a few words the whole time, being very concise.

Li Wei stood on the city wall, next to Fila, who looked somewhat depressed. He hadn't brought her along again this time. What a bummer! Were solo players really that unwelcome?

"Sir, are we not going to cut down trees today?"

Mercenary Shelter asked, "Yesterday they were clamoring to build the temple, but today they just left without a word. He's a mercenary player and doesn't understand these things, but this is too frivolous."

In addition, these people also dismantled the only heavy crossbow on the city wall and took away most of the arrows and crossbow bolts. This is clearly an abandonment of the camp. Tsk tsk, when it comes to playing tricks, these lord players really know how to play.

How could you just give up like that?

"We're not going to cut down trees today, but I remember you're a three-star blacksmith, right? Come with me to mine iron ore today. Let's gather eight hundred catties of iron ore, plus the charcoal we burned the other day, and start smelting iron! I think we should find some time to forge some arrowheads."

Li Wei laughed and said that for some reason, he felt particularly relaxed after the two-star priest Joseph left, and even felt that the standard for NG had dropped a level.

"Best regards, sir!"

Shelter's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. What a wonderful adult! I would call you a talent scout from another world!
"Mom, thank you for your hard work. Please make an extra meal for lunch."

"Li Zhengxing, the daily patrols of the camp are now in your hands. Don't let your guard down."

"As you command, my lord!"

Another mercenary accepted the order. Although Li Wei was not currently the head of the family, he was a legitimate knight, so the details could not be overlooked.

Next, Li Wei and the mercenary Sherter each pushed a handcart and headed straight for the three-star iron mine along the already cleared mountain road.

The road is no longer as difficult as it was last year. After Lyon transported the stones for two months, it has become very flat and can avoid the erosion of floods. With Li Wei and Sherter's strength attributes, each of them can make four round trips a day. That is to say, the two of them can mine and transport 800 catties of iron ore a day.

That's awesome!
For the next few days, Li Wei and Sherter were very busy. They transported back the iron ore, started the furnace to smelt iron, smelted the iron into steel, and then used the steel to forge arrowheads.

Unfortunately, Ron and Hathaway only left him thirty steel-tipped arrows, which was the amount he could carry alone. They took the rest with them to prepare for the siege of Kah City.

Since we have nothing better to do and there's a mediocre blacksmith around, why not prepare more?
It's worth mentioning that Li Wei doesn't actually lack arrows at the moment.

He now has a total of three two-star armor-piercing sniper arrows, thirty one-star armor-piercing arrows, thirty steel-tipped arrows, and fifty hardwood arrows.

The first two are star-shaped and can be taken out of this world. He made them himself when he had nothing else to do, and now he is considered a pretty skilled arrow-making craftsman.

However, he did not intend to use these feathered arrows that could be carried out of this world. He wrapped them in waterproof tarpaulins and hid them in his room. He carried standard conical arrows supplied by his family on a daily basis.

Yes, you need to distinguish between your own and your family's.

Meanwhile, over there, Sherter, the lousy blacksmith, was frantically hammering away at iron. Although the yield rate was outrageously low, it was just a matter of wasting more charcoal. He could just reforge it. All he lacked was experience.

At Fila's request, Li Wei hunted a two-star sika deer and a one-star wild boar in the past few days.

Fila, this free spirit, didn't seem to care anymore. She just spent her days researching how to make better food and improving her chef's destiny, which was also a win-win situation.

It's like cooking six meals a day, and then everyone eats to their heart's content!

After eating, they went to work and training.
Indeed, mercenary Li Zhengxing was also making the most of his time to train, and Li Wei would also spend several hours each day practicing combat with him on the city wall.

It's a heavy wooden sword made from wood of one-star quality. It's very heavy, weighing about five kilograms. It can be used as a two-handed sword or a one-handed sword. When used with a wooden shield, the battle is fierce and evenly matched.

Their battles usually last for more than half an hour at a high intensity. Then, when their stamina is depleted, they each take a serving of venison jerky, eat and drink their fill, and go to the tavern to sleep soundly.

This life is so good, I wouldn't trade it for an emperor.

As time passed, the end of the month arrived in the blink of an eye. Fila had already packed her little package, planning to set off immediately after the family meeting at the end of the month.

She couldn't wait to fly to Victoria Town and didn't want to stay in this camp for even a second longer.

Li Wei felt a touch of sadness. It was almost October, and he would have been in this world for exactly eighteen months. Looking back, the quiet valley was still as quiet as ever. The stream was still there, and the felled trees would grow back. But this camp was ultimately a waste of his time.

He thought he could build it into a city like the city of Kah.

Things are different and people are different!
He made many mistakes over the past year, but this is still his 'home'!

As the last rays of the setting sun cast long shadows on the city wall, he couldn't help but think of Thomas, and of Penny, Phila, Leon, and Missy.

Is he getting old?
It's so sad.

"what?"

Li Wei suddenly had a thought. He seemed to have heard something. Following the afterglow of the setting sun, he looked south and saw two carriages slowly approaching. Behind the carriages were families of commoners, men, women, and children.

Behind them, a knight rode up. He looked familiar; he was one of Sir Tuk's attendants.

Li Wei hurriedly jumped down from the city wall to greet him.

"Good day, Sir George!"

The other party dismounted from his warhorse, nodded respectfully to Li Wei, and then took out a very exquisite envelope and handed it to him with both hands.

"Sir George, we have all heard about your miraculous rescue of Priest Joseph. The children are all telling the story of the great dog butcher George. After receiving Priest Joseph's letter, Duke Will greatly admired you and granted you a small town as your territory. At the same time, to thank you for your generous assistance, Sir Tuk has moved thirty free people from Vido to be your subjects."

"These are the land title and the letter of appointment, Sir George. Please keep them safe!"

"I also look forward to meeting Sir George on the battlefield outside Carne, slaying witches and demons, and letting the glory of the gods shine upon Carne once more!"

Having said that, the young attendant bowed again, then mounted his horse and rode away.

Almost simultaneously, lines of information flooded in like a tidal wave.

Although your camp is not yet complete, and you haven't even built a one-star temple, you've regained the kingdom's approval because you completed the hidden quest and rescued the second-level priest Joseph. Joseph recommended you to Duke Will. (Note: Usually, building a one-star temple, hiring a first-level priest, and developing thirty free households signifies divine approval, allowing you to complete the newbie quest. This typically takes two to three years, but your questline has undoubtedly been accelerated.)

The storyline that began with your father, Anson, has now come to an end. All newcomers to this quest can now return to the main storyline, while all veteran players can either continue the quest or return to the main storyline. There will be no more end-of-month settlements or family meetings at the end of this month, and there will be no more family system rules to bind you. However, you can still choose whether to continue challenging the Newcomer King quest. Friendly reminder: this will be your last chance to leave the battle.

[Friendly reminder: To obtain the Rookie King title, you need to fight alongside four-star players.]

[Friendly Reminder: Your family contribution this month is being settled. You will receive 52 gold coins, bringing your total personal assets to 315 gold coins. You are currently ranked first on the newcomer leaderboard. Other items have already been settled once and will not be settled again.]

[Your remaining usable virtual assets are: 874 reputation points in Kahe City, 721 reputation points in Vidor Town, and 3000 reputation points in the Temple. These reputation points will be reset to zero upon your departure from this world. Please settle your account at a later time.]

Now, you can name this town where you once shed sweat and blood, a place that holds 567 days and nights of your memories. In the future, new story quests may be born here; in the future, this place may become a city like Kahe; in the future, more joys and sorrows will unfold in the buildings you left behind; in the future, the trade routes you built may be incorporated into the King's Road. Who can say what the future holds? Perhaps one day you will return to this place, but everything will have changed.

[Friendly reminder: This town will have nothing to do with you from now on. This is different from the three-star lord mission. Please understand this point; it is the standard required to complete all new player missions.]

[Name selection countdown: If you haven't chosen a name by now, it will be randomly generated in ten minutes.]

-

Wow!

That's it, I've cleared the game?
At that moment, Li Wei felt a mix of emotions, a mix of overwhelming excitement and deep sadness.

However, when he saw groups of ordinary people, with their families and hope on their faces, walking through the city gates and into the small town, he felt relieved.

Actually, he was worried because two days later, he was going to the decisive battle in Kah City with Ron and Hathaway, and the camp would be empty by then.

He was genuinely worried because it was like his child, something he had built with his own hands. Although he had only been a part of it, the emotions he felt were beyond the comprehension of outsiders.

Now he doesn't have to worry about the town that so many of them worked so hard to build becoming desolate and disappearing in the magic of time.

The farmland he reclaimed is now being cultivated.

The houses they slept in are still inhabited.

The path they walked will continue to be followed by others, one after another.

"Brother, this is your package!"

Shelt chuckled and handed over a backpack. Finally, no more worries about NG (no good)! Was it time for the much-anticipated final boss battle? How lucky I was as a mercenary player.

Li Wei took the backpack, which contained arrows and other items, all of which were his personal property. Oh, no, he could still take some of the family property, such as the arrows he carried with him, the two Bloodthirsty Spears, and so on.

And then there's the bulging food package Fila is carrying. She must be happy, but her expression is actually complicated. She's probably thinking about the newbie storyline she experienced before.

Each person only gets one chance to complete the newbie mission; once you miss it, it's gone.

"Then let's call this town Revisit Town."

When will you return?
The thought had barely crossed Li Wei's mind when the envelope in his hand vanished like smoke. He then clearly saw a young man in the crowd who looked exactly like him holding the envelope, staring at the city gate in confusion. Behind him was a woman who looked remarkably like Hathaway, her belly slightly protruding, indicating that she was pregnant.

However, Li Wei no longer had time to study the mystery, because two lines of blood-red information suddenly appeared!
[Please report to the military camp outside Vito Town within twelve hours. The final battle is about to begin!]

[Your identity is no longer George, but that of an ordinary mercenary named Li Wei. Of course, what the black-robed witch Missy thinks is her business!]

[Because you consumed a large amount of precious food, you have gained one free attribute point, increasing your health by 10 points.]

(End of this chapter)