Ancient Ark: A Dark-Themed Historical Survival Game

One of the most important reasons why Xiao Yu did Fan Li's mission was to obtain the "employment contract".

What is an employment contract?

Why is it so important?

This requires us to start with the relationship between our ancestors and those destined by Heaven, or rather, the rules of the game.

Well known.

Our ancestors were not players.

They are more like NPCs.

The fact that the ancients could not enter the secret realm or the nightmare meant that exploring the secret realm and purifying the nightmare could only be accomplished by the chosen ones.

Secondly, the early inhabitants did not possess the ability to refine all things; to put it bluntly, they could not fight monsters, level up, or obtain resources.

This will lead to the following situation.

If a wild boss appears, and the early humans participate in the battle and contribute too much damage, then the boss will not drop any loot upon death.

Even just helping to control the player who relies on fate to output damage throughout the entire process will greatly reduce the drop rate or even prevent any drops from occurring.

Therefore, in most cases...

Our ancestors could only offer limited assistance.

Those destined for greatness must rely on themselves to grow.

Unless a "servancy contract" formed using the power of Heaven's Dao is used!

If the chosen one completes the task assigned by the ancestors, but the ancestors cannot provide an equivalent reward, or the chosen one gives up all material rewards, then the chosen one can ask the other party to "work to pay off the debt"!

The process of generating a contract using the power of Heaven would consume an additional amount of willpower, so it would be better to give a physical reward directly. Therefore, the ancients generally would not accept it.

However, Xiao Yu gained Fan Li's favor and approval, so Fan Li accepted this method of rewarding the task.

Once the contract takes effect.

This is equivalent to teaming up with Fan Li.

Even targets directly killed by Fan Li during this process can be refined by the mark of the Chosen One, thus generating various kinds of spoils.

Of course, the effectiveness of a contract is limited.

Xiao Yu only gave up a reward worth a green-grade item, at most a blue-grade item, while Fan Li, as the number one chosen one in Suiyang, had very high employment costs!

This contract is valid for a maximum of five minutes.

very short.

But that's enough.

All the targets Fan Li eliminated were Xiao Yu's; that was enough to make him pay a hefty price!

What's the big deal about giving up a reward now?

You'll make back ten or twenty times the profit!

"Is Song's patriarch Hua Ding the leader of the Evil Eye Cult?" Fan Li frowned deeply. "Do you have any concrete evidence?"

"I have no evidence, nor do I need any. Once I emerge from the forbidden area, this fiend will surely attack me, and I will inevitably be exposed then."

Xiao Yu said, "That's why we asked the senior to come out of seclusion and help us."

The deep-sea believers are extremely skilled at disguise and infiltration.

Even Fan Li would have had a hard time discovering it.

Therefore, I was skeptical.

"The four clan leaders hold high positions and wield great power. If such figures are corrupted by Wu Zixu, they will undoubtedly cause astonishing destruction at crucial moments!"

"It seems I have no choice but to go this time."

"If this is true, it would be of immense value!"

After discussing this matter...

Xiao Yu then moved on to the next topic.

"Although two of the five nightmares have been eliminated, the situation in Suiyang City is still not optimistic."

Fan Li admitted, "That's right. Although Xiong Ju and Fuchai are temporarily exiled and unable to reach the other side, I don't take them seriously. As long as Wu Zixu is still alive, this war is destined to be extremely dangerous."

The real threat.

Only Wu Zixu.

Fan Li's chances of survival in this battle remain slim.

Best outcome: Fan Li used up his last remaining strength to successfully stop Wu Zixu on his last attempt.

In this way...

The depravity of Gusu Mountain and Chu Mausoleum is gone.

Suiyang City will suffer less damage overall.

However, if Fan Li were to be defeated, even without Xiong Ju and Fu Chai, Suiyang and the Mandate of Heaven would still be doomed!

According to the history of his previous life, although Fan Li managed to hold out until the tsunami ended, he was completely exhausted and died not long after.

They want to recruit Fan Li.

We must save Fan Li first.

What we've done so far is not enough.

"You little rascal, do you have some other tricks up your sleeve?" Fan Li was an extremely intelligent man, and he immediately guessed that this kid had another plan.

Xiao Yu nodded: "I've heard that there was a great formation in Suiyang City, but unfortunately it was destroyed in the last tsunami."

"This formation was set up by me at the peak of my life, using all the resources of the city. If this formation were still intact, Wu Zixu would not be able to break through the city easily."

"You wouldn't be thinking of..., would you?"

Xiao Yu nodded: "That's right. I'd like to ask you for another task, senior, to contribute to the repair of the great formation."

"The Suiyang Grand Formation is severely damaged; if it could be repaired, it would have been repaired long ago."

Fan Li shook his head and sighed, "Although the materials required for the great formation are enormous, we have already prepared the other materials over the years, but we are still missing a few of the most crucial high-grade materials."

"The shallow depths of the old sea."

"The environment of heaven and earth makes it difficult to cultivate top-quality materials. Over the years, the four clans have searched all over the world but have not been able to gather these materials."

"The great formation is beyond repair!"

Xiao Yu replied, "Although the chances are slim, I want to give it a try. It won't hurt the senior, will it?"

The task was not completed or the task failed.

The early inhabitants did not lose resources.

Some particularly cunning ancestors would even deliberately prepare tasks that were easy to fail as bait, luring in a bunch of chosen ones to become free, sucker-like laborers.

"I don't believe anyone can complete this task in the remaining time, but you're a strange fellow, even I can't quite figure you out."

Fan Li thought for a moment and said, "As you said, there's no harm in it anyway, so why don't you give it a try!"

-

【Ding! 】

You have triggered a quest.

[Task Name: Repair the Suiyang Grand Array.]

[Mission Objective: Obtain the key materials needed to repair the Suiyang Grand Array within seven days.]

[Required materials: 4 purple materials.]

-

Get it done.

Another task secured!

It is far more difficult than pacifying the Demon Palace of Gusu.

The environment of Suiyang in the past could hardly nurture materials of green quality or higher; even if it did, they would have been consumed during the construction of the grand formation and the creation of the forbidden area.

If all the materials in Suiyang are of purple quality, then this task is not a question of whether it is difficult or not, but a task that is simply impossible to complete.

however.

As far as Xiao Yu knows.

The materials needed to repair the Suiyang Grand Array are not restricted by type; any purple-quality material will suffice, and some purple materials can be found in the forbidden areas of the four races.

If this task can be completed.

There will be at least two benefits.

First, Fan Li was able to not only stop Wu Zixu to ensure the safety of Suiyang and the ark, but also avoid paying the price of his life due to exhaustion.

Secondly, once this task is completed and delivered, not only will Xiao Yu receive a generous reward, but it will also consume a large amount of Fan Li's willpower, further dissuading him from boarding the ship, making it much easier to subdue him.

They left the Suiyang City Lord's Mansion to rest and recuperate.

There's no need to keep the newly acquired 1000 units of essence.

[Soul Essence - 320!]

[Your Heroic Spirit "Zheng Dan, the Stunning Washerwoman" has successfully broken through to level 3!]

[Soul Essence - 600!]

[Your Heroic Spirit "Zheng Dan, the Stunning Washerwoman" has successfully broken through to level 4!]

Although the training difficulty of blue-level heroes is also relatively high, it is much easier than that of the epic-level Sun Tzu!

……

The next day.

The Chosen One revisits Suzhou Mountain.

Currently, there are two undeveloped areas on the western front.

Wang Yang and Su Qingmeng voluntarily gave up the western front in exchange for Xiao Yu sending Lu Dahai and Zhao Gang to join the temporary team and provide assistance in their conquest of the southern front.

They were no match for Xiao Yu anyway.

However, this arrangement is not bad for Xiao Yu either; on the contrary, it can maximize resource output and benefits.

Xiao Yu hoped that other chosen ones would drop more rare materials, equipment, and spirits, which would not only improve the overall strength of the chosen ones in Suiyang, but also allow him to exchange for more useful resources.

At the foot of Gusu Mountain.

Heroic spirits were summoned.

Xiao Yu uses Zheng Dan's heroic spirit for the first time!

Although Zheng Dan looks only seventeen or eighteen years old, she possesses both the lively beauty of the Wu-Yue water towns and the sharp edge of an assassin or swordsman, like a stunningly beautiful female knight-errant stepping out of a play.

This kind of temperament is very unique.

She wore a light green half-sleeved ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with silver trim, but her waist was cinched with silver leather armor. In addition, she wore exquisite shoulder armor, arm guards, and long boots.

Her long hair was tied into a side bun with a silver hairpin, with a few strands of black hair hanging down her neck. A short bone hairpin was inserted diagonally in her hair. Her eyebrows were like the moon and her eyes were like stars. She was beautiful without makeup.

Two short swords were slung diagonally across his waist.

It is my destined soul weapon, the Twin Swords of Ice and Fire!

"Greetings, Master!"