Mist Lord

"Vice Alliance Leader, it has been confirmed that Xia Yuan has drawn a Tier 2 unit, and a rather weak one at that."

To make it more convincing, Li Mingyu brought along the corpses of the soldiers with their swords and shields, providing irrefutable evidence.

"In that case, have Lei Hao spread the word later."

Zhu Xiaotian didn't seem surprised; he naturally had his own sources of information.

"Elder Lei?"

"It's not exactly something to be proud of if this gets out..."

As a faction leader, Zhu Xiaotian naturally had his pride and wouldn't easily do something so unethical. Even if he promised Li Mingyu, he'd still try to back out at the last minute. Lei Hao's recommendation of Zhao Wu had caused trouble previously, so he could use him as a scapegoat.

"...Elder Lei is also acceptable."

Seeing that things were hopeless, Li Mingyu had no choice but to back down. Given Lei Hao's status as a level 7 lord, it was unlikely that any other lord would dare to oppose him if he made such a statement.

Given Xia Yuan's potential, he's not worth being courted by a lord of level 6 or higher.

.........

Suiye Pavilion.

"Vice Alliance Leader, this is a report from Wu Qianqian regarding the recent recruitment sweep."

In the tea room, Level 6 Lord Chu Qian sought out Vice Alliance Leader Pei Ye to report.

Chu Qianxun also has another identity: Wu Qianqian's sect leader. This matter was reported up the chain of command because Pei Ye had taken notice of Xia Yuan and wanted to recruit him.

"Tier 2 units are barely enough."

Pei Ye took the report and read it carefully, which made her even more satisfied with Xia Yuan. She wasn't trying to recruit vassal lords for herself, but rather to find a good assistant for her younger sister, Pei Shuang.

If Xia Yuan really had Tier 3 troops, it would be harder to recruit them.

The situation is perfect right now. Xia Yuan is ruthless, has considerable strength, and has offended the Lieyang faction, making him the perfect choice. She has no choice but to accept her recruitment and wholeheartedly assist Pei Shuang.

"Should I have someone send a message to Xia Yuan in the new group chat?"

Xia Yuan hasn't shown up in Yunyang City yet, nor has he come to collect the rewards the alliance prepared for the top scorer in the newbie trials. The only way to contact him is through the newbie chat group.

"No rush."

Pei Ye, however, decided to wait a little longer. "The Civilization Trial is coming up at the end of the month. It won't be too late to send an invitation after Xia Yuan passes the trial."

The longer the time drags on, the greater the pressure Xia Yuan faces from Li Mingyu, and the more he will have no choice but to give in.

While others might fear Li Mingyu, Pei Ye certainly wouldn't. By accepting Xia Yuan, the Suiye faction could also solve a minor problem for the alliance, and perhaps even do the alliance leader a favor—a win-win situation.

.........

Night fell quickly, but the chat group remained lively.

Since their arrival, many newcomers still cannot adapt to the fact that they have been transported to another world. They cannot even regard the troops recruited by their territories as their own kind, especially when they summon lords such as murlocs and goblins. They always feel that there is a barrier between them and this world.

Only during the one hour each day when the chat group is open can one find some comfort in chatting with fellow countrymen and exchange experiences in managing their territory.

The lonelier you are, the more you crave to communicate with others.

However, this friendly atmosphere was quickly ruined by Xiao Xiong, who publicly shouted in the group.

[Xiao Xiong: @Xia Yuan, during the sweep operation, you openly ambushed Chen Wei and brutally murdered him. You also raided the central camp, stealing all our spoils. I'm ashamed to be associated with someone like you. Bah! Scum, degenerate!]

【? ? ? ? 】

【? ? ? ? 】

【? ? ? ? 】

Not counting Xia Yuan's previous massacre of Li Aoyu, this is the first case of new lords killing each other.

The resulting shock was predictable.

But none of the lords who have survived to this day are fools; they can tell there's something fishy going on. Many remember that on the day of their arrival, Chen Wei betrayed Xia Yuan under Zhao Wu's coercion.

The key point is that it was Xiao Xiong who said this, and everyone knows that Xiao Xiong is Li Mingyu's right-hand man among the newcomers.

[This... they really killed him?]

Even if there's some conflict, is it really necessary to go to such extremes?

[...This is the second one, isn't it?]

Even if Chen Wei made a mistake, it didn't warrant death, did it? They were comrades; the methods used were far too cruel.

No wonder nobody wants it; who would dare take it?

Despite this, some self-proclaimed morally upright individuals have continued to speak out. The saying "Don't advise others to be kind if you haven't experienced their suffering" often doesn't apply to keyboard warriors.

It's so easy to talk nonsense, and it can even satisfy one's moral vanity.

However, before the public opinion could escalate further, Xia Yuan had already stepped forward.

[Before Chen Wei died, he wrote down his crimes, detailing exactly how you were instructed by Li Mingyu to ambush and kill me during the sweep. What, do you need to plaster them all over Yunyang City tomorrow?]

If you're going to be a dog, you should be aware of your place. Don't try to be a hypocrite while pretending to be virtuous.

[@Xiao Xiong, did you organize this ambush? This isn't over yet. The death of Chen Wei alone isn't enough. Don't give me a chance, or you'll be next.]

【…】

Although it was a chat group, it was deathly silent at this moment, and everyone felt a chill. Many people hadn't even completed their identity transformation yet, but Xia Yuan had already dared to publicly issue a kill order in the group. Who would dare to provoke such a demon?

Xiao Xiong, who was staring at the gray fog, also shivered.

Given his emotional intelligence and wisdom, he wouldn't normally utter such idiotic and provocative remarks, but this was a task from his "master," Li Mingyu. By smearing Xia Yuan, he was also pushing Xiao Xiong to the opposite side of Xia Yuan.

There is no room for maneuver in the middle.

Xiao Xiong had previously mentioned Xia Yuan's identity in the group chat, but someone reported him to Li Mingyu. He wasn't the only one vying for Li Mingyu's favor; the competition was fierce.

And although this smear campaign was simple and crude, it was actually effective. No matter what, it's a fact that Xia Yuan killed Chen Wei, and the phrase "his crime didn't warrant death" resonated strongly with the people of China.

If Zhao Wu were to stage another act of seeking justice in Yunyang City, wouldn't public opinion gradually turn around?

After this incident, Xia Yuan was no longer simply a victim; he was also a murderer. His subsequent targeting by Li Mingyu had a confrontational tone, making it difficult to say who was bullying whom.

"Why am I the one being targeted...?"

After being singled out by Xia Yuan in the group chat, Xiao Xiong was on the verge of tears, knowing he was destined to have a sleepless night.

The crucial point is that Xia Yuan had a trick up his sleeve, forcing Chen Wei to write a confession before his death, which immediately exposed Li Mingyu's series of smear campaigns and turned them into a complete joke.

I wonder how furious I'll be tomorrow.

.........

"Master, here you go!"

Satir handed over a skewer of carefully prepared roasted meat, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes. She could sense that her master seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Thanks!"

Xia Yuan smiled as he accepted the roasted meat and began to enjoy it.

I've gotten used to eating this kind of hard-to-swallow grilled meat every day.

Li Mingyu's smear campaign wasn't surprising. What truly worried Xia Yuan was that, until now, no major lord had extended an olive branch to him. Was he really that unattractive?

He was, after all, the first level 2 lord, the top scorer in the novice trial, and the fisherman in the sweeping operation.

Does it really mean they have absolutely no prestige?

Without the support of a great lord, he would never dare to appear openly in Yunyang City.

"Fine, if we don't have it, we don't have it!"

Anyway, having Shang Ze as an alias won't affect his ability to buy and sell goods in the city. With his current advantages, as long as he continues to snowball, even without the strong support of the Great Lord, he will eventually be able to eliminate his enemy, Li Mingyu.

The harsh words I just said to Xiao Xiong in the group were a way of intimidating the newcomers.

It's fine not to help, and it's fine to make sarcastic remarks, but if you really choose to side with Li Mingyu, you should be prepared for Xia Yuan to seize the opportunity to turn the tables on you.

Chen Wei's death is a perfect example.

Given the shock of the sweep, people like Wu Qianqian probably won't dare to get involved so easily again.

.........

The next day, the sun rose as usual.

The first thing Xia Yuan did after getting up was to recruit 15 wandering swordsmen and shieldmen from the training camp. With this, the territory now had a total of 16 soldier swordsmen and shieldmen, and a full 38 wandering swordsmen and shieldmen.

Judging from this trend, time is actually on his side.

The sword-and-shield dogs were divided into four teams, each led by Sword-and-Shield One, Satir, Black Armor, and Elua, and each was responsible for clearing out one direction of their territory.

Mingguang Village is set to expand by 12 square kilometers today, marking another milestone in its development.

And some are busy.