Mist Lord

Before setting off, Xia Yuan first completed the recruitment of sword and shield dogs and skeleton warriors for the new day, and then called Black Armor and Sword and Shield Number One together.

"Starting today, whether it's a sword-and-shield dog or a skeleton warrior, everyone must be self-sufficient in the Mist Sprout Crystals needed to upgrade their combat level."

The Mist Sprout Crystals collected in previous wars must be prioritized for a few major consumers like Satie, the Fool, Elua, and the Armored Beetle, leaving insufficient resources for troop upgrades.

"If you want to increase your combat level, then enter the mist zone and slaughter the mist monsters. Whoever kills them keeps them."

This means that the sword-and-shield dogs and the skeleton warriors will compete against each other.

Since there's a limit to the territory's population, the best of the best must be selected. Both sword-and-shield dogs and skeleton warriors need to improve their strength through combat, making this a win-win situation.

Of course, we don't need to venture into the fog zone today.

After the territory is upgraded to level 3, the remaining 16 low-grade black crystals can be thrown into the Black Stone Altar to expand the territory by another 16 square kilometers. Just clearing out the mist monsters in the newly expanded territory will keep you busy.

"My sword and shield!"

Blade & Shield One, who was extremely proud, had no objections and even made a provocative gesture towards the black armor.

"..."

The black-armored dog ignored the warning and clearly did not believe it would lose to the sword-and-shield dog.

"Hey! No! No! No!"

If Xia Yuan hadn't stopped him, Blade & Shield Number One would probably have rushed forward and fought Black Armor to the death.

That's incredibly disrespectful to dogs!

.........

"Xia Yuan, over here!"

As soon as Xia Yuan and Satir stepped out of the teleportation array, Wu Qianqian jogged up to greet them, her attitude as enthusiastic as could be. "This is Chu Qianxun, the Alliance Steward."

"Deacon Chu!"

Xia Yuan hadn't expected Vice Alliance Leader Pei Ye to attach such importance to this matter, even arranging for a steward to personally greet him.

"Let's go, the vice leader is already waiting at Suiye Pavilion."

Chu Qianxun's personal visit to greet Xia Yuan not only demonstrated the importance the Suiye faction placed on him, but also publicly revealed the Suiye faction's attitude, completely dispelling Li Mingyu's covetousness.

"Tsk tsk, Xia Yuan has really turned things around this time, I'm so envious!"

There were quite a few new lords watching the excitement around the square. Because of Xia Yuan's feat of killing Li Aoyu when he first arrived, they all recognized Xia Yuan's mature, steady and handsome face.

Seeing that Xia Yuan has finally broken free from Li Mingyu's shadow and become a rising star in the Broken Leaf faction, and is about to rise to the top, how could one not be envious?

Some who had previously sided with the Li brothers were even more worried about being retaliated against by Xia Yuan.

After all, Xia Yuan was notorious for being vengeful. First, he murdered Li Mingyu in the street, then he ambushed and killed Chen Wei during a raid, and he even openly threatened Xiao Xiong. Every single one of these incidents was still fresh in everyone's memory.

In comparison, the new lords of this generation have more faith in Tang Jing.

Xia Yuan can be considered half a villain.

Meanwhile, in a private room on the second floor of Yunyang Restaurant, Li Mingyu was also watching this scene. Seeing Chu Qianxun and Xia Yuan chatting and laughing, he was so angry that he crushed the teacup in his hand on the spot.

Yesterday, the alliance leader personally spoke out, and the vice leader, Zhu Xiaotian, personally acted as his advocate, practically forcing him to issue that public statement, which was a complete loss of prestige. How could such a humiliating disgrace be let go so easily? It's just a matter of not causing trouble openly anymore.

There will be an opportunity.

Every year, a factional conflict erupts, also known as the Alliance War Month, which is the opportunity to eliminate Xia Yuan.

.........

"How's it going? Yunyang City's lively, isn't it?"

Despite being an alliance steward, Chu Qianxun was very approachable. Considering that it was Xia Yuan's first time visiting Yunyang City, she said warmly, "I'll have Qianqian show you around later, especially the Cloud Mist Pavilion, which is a must-visit spot for newcomers."

"it is good."

Xia Yuan suppressed a smile; he knew Yunwu Pavilion much better than Wu Qianqian did.

As they spoke, the three arrived at Suiye Pavilion, where Wu Qianqian waited on the first floor. Xia Yuan, accompanied by Chu Qianxun, went to the tea room on the top floor and met the Pei sisters.

Although he had been in the Misty Continent for nearly ten years, Pei Ye was only in his early thirties. Even indoors, he wore a red outfit, with his hair tied up with a red scarf and a high ponytail, looking dashing and full of charisma.

Pei Shuang, however, was somewhat misleading; she wasn't cold at all, but rather seemed rather quirky and mischievous.

Perhaps because she was so well protected by her older sister, Pei Shuang seemed to have no scheming or cunning despite the many dangers on the Misty Continent, and looked at Xia Yuan with curiosity.

"Greetings, Vice Alliance Leader!"

Xia Yuan was not intimidated and found a seat, while Satir quietly stood behind him.

"Your elven guard is no ordinary person."

Pei Ye had a sharp eye. "I sensed the aura of magical elements on her. Has she already broken through to the fourth rank and become a Wind Whisperer?"

"???"

Chu Qianxun looked up in surprise. The information said that Xia Yuan had summoned a third-tier elf archer. How did it suddenly become a fourth-tier one?

Is it a reward from the beginner trial, or from being a three-star trial champion?

She was even a little envious.

Don't underestimate these rewards; once you miss them, they're gone forever. The quality of trial rewards depends not only on the difficulty of the trial but also on their rarity. That's why Xia Yuan was able to obtain so many good items early on.

"yes!"

Xia Yuan's gaze sharpened slightly, and he readily agreed. Although he hadn't intended to hide it, being seen through at a glance still made him somewhat uneasy. Anyone who could become the vice-leader was indeed extraordinary.

"No wonder I won the S+ award twice; it seems my choice was right."

Seeing Xia Yuan's composure, Pei Ye was even more satisfied. "I've already collected the rewards the Alliance gave to the top performer in the Newcomer Trial and the top performer in this Newcomer Civilization Trial. You can hand them over to Deacon Chu later."

"Thank you, Vice Alliance Leader!"

Xia Yuan immediately stood up and bowed, "I am willing to become Miss Pei Shuang's subordinate lord."

It must be said that Pei Ye handled this matter brilliantly. Xia Yuan hadn't even agreed to become a subordinate lord yet, and the matter was already settled, without any intention of using it to exert pressure or coerce him.

Since the other party was being so open, Xia Yuan saw no need to hide anything anymore.

Pei Ye wasn't surprised. "Although Pei Shuang signed the supplementary agreement with you, the resources and support you receive will be based on my standards. Feel free to make any requests."

As a vice leader, she's really not afraid of Xia Yuan making exorbitant demands.

"We have indeed encountered some difficulties."

Xia Yuan didn't hesitate and took out a list of supplies he had prepared in advance.

"...They came prepared."

Pei Ye smiled and accepted the gifts, her understanding of Xia Yuan changing time and again in such a short period. "However, aren't you asking for a bit too much?"

It was practically a case of Xia Yuan asking for an exorbitant price.

500 mist bud crystals, 200 silver coins, 100,000 catties of grain, 3-5 blacksmiths, 30-35 archer soldiers, 25-30 serfs, and other miscellaneous items such as crossbows, armor-piercing arrows, wound medicine, gauze, tents, salt, and pig iron.

So they came here to buy goods.

Other things are manageable, but the archer slaves, ballistae, and armor-piercing arrows will cost her dearly.

"It is indeed a bit excessive, but I have my reasons."

Xia Yuan quickly explained, "Just yesterday, the Yingzhou Alliance used the Revenge Scroll to launch a revenge war against me. In order to deal with the impending avengers, I had no choice but to shamelessly ask for help."

"So that's how it is."

Pei Ye then understood. She wondered why Xia Yuan had agreed so readily; it turned out he really needed her help. "I can give you the things, but in a different way."

"Please speak."

"You were targeted by the Yingzhou Alliance because of your outstanding performance. The Alliance should cover for you and will never let the Avengers succeed."

If the Yanxia Alliance really lets this go unchecked, wouldn't it become a complete joke?

"I will personally try to secure the necessary support for you. I will also make up for any shortcomings. And this is not a one-off deal; if you encounter any difficulties later, feel free to ask."

Pei Ye acted with the same magnanimity as always.

"Thank you, Vice Alliance Leader!"

Xia Yuan was truly convinced now.

Everyone says that having connections in the central government makes things easier, and this is exactly what it means.

Whether it was the previous rewards or this request for support from the alliance, if Pei Ye hadn't stepped in, even though Xia Yuan had already made a name for himself in the alliance, it probably wouldn't have been so easy for him to get them all.

At least that fourth-tier bronze gargoyle will definitely encounter some twists and turns.

"However, the Avengers are not so easy to deal with. Are you sure you can handle them with just thirty-odd archers? Should we try to get some Tier 3 or even Tier 4 soldier slaves?"

Pei Ye, on the contrary, harbored doubts.