Mist Lord

The severely wounded leader of the Gray Mist Rats moved increasingly slowly, and the ground was covered in blood. Following the trail, they soon found the Gray Mist Rats' lair, the entrance to a dimly lit stone cave.

"Squeak squeak~~~"

The gray mist rat guarding the cave entrance was easily dealt with by Satir.

"Be careful, it might be a trap!"

This time, Satir took the initiative to walk at the front of the group, using her elven scimitar to clear the way due to the narrow terrain inside the cave. Sword and Shield Number One brought up the rear, and judging from his expression, he seemed a little reluctant.

The cave was dark and damp, the cliff walls were covered with unknown moss, and the air was thick with mist, making it eerie and terrifying.

"Squeak squeak~~~"

Driven to the brink of destruction, the leader of the gray mist rats was clearly unwilling to sit idly by and wait for death. He commanded all the gray mist rats in the cave, regardless of size or age, to swarm out and attack.

But this was destined to be in vain.

Under the dim fog lights, Satie, wielding a scimitar, resembled a top assassin in the night. The curve of the scimitar was like a deadly scythe, reaping the lives of one Gray Mist Rat after another.

"Squeak squeak~~~"

A gray mist rat attempted to ambush Xia Yuan and shatter the fog lights, but was resolutely stopped by Blade & Shield Number One. The determination in its eyes was just like that of a knight sworn to protect a princess, brave and fearless.

"Pfft!!!"

With Satir's sword slicing open the throat of the Gray Mist Rat leader, blood spurting out, the battle quickly came to an end.

A flash of white light.

A wooden treasure chest lay beneath the corpse of the Gray Mist Rat leader, gleaming brightly in the darkness.

[Wooden Treasure Chest]: Opening it gives you a chance to obtain a rare item (simple arrow tower building blueprint).

The cheat code that allows you to see hidden information is still working its magic.

Other lords, even with their detection spells, can only see the first half of the description, but Xia Yuan can directly see what items are hidden inside the treasure chest. He might consider going to Yunyang City to snag some bargains sometime in the future.

As the treasure chest was opened, a sheepskin blueprint was indeed found inside.

[Simple Arrow Tower Blueprint]: Constructs a simple arrow tower to enhance territory defense. Construction Requirements: 50 units of wood, 10 units of stone. Construction Time: Three hours.

Unfortunately, architectural blueprints are disposable and cannot be reused, otherwise several more buildings could be constructed.

Decompose all the carcasses of the gray fog rats.

The leader of the Gray Mist Rat alone obtained a tattered rat skin, fifty catties of rat meat, and five mist bud crystals.

But that wasn't all. Deep inside the cave, they indeed found the treasure hoarded by the Gray Mist Rat swarm. It mostly consisted of junk, like the fangs of some unknown monster and glowing stones.

But there were also some good finds. There were 27 silver coins and 345 copper coins alone, which made him quite wealthy. In addition, there was a pile of iron ore, copper ore, broken armor, rusted weapons, etc. Although they weren't anything special, they were still a considerable sum of money.

The key was finding a small bag of mist bud crystals, containing a total of 25 crystals, under the bed of the Gray Mist Rat leader.

This is truly a windfall.

[Destroyed a small Gray Mist Rat nest, Merit Points +10]

Well, there's an unexpected bonus.

One of the conditions for upgrading a territory to level 2 is that the lord's rank reaches the level of a lord. This isn't too difficult; you just need to eliminate one more monster lair, and you'll be able to achieve that. Alternatively, performing well in the beginner trials will also allow you to advance.

It is evident that the requirements for titles were not high in the early stages.

.........

When Xia Yuan and his group returned laden with their spoils, the sword-and-shield dogs, who had returned earlier, were already resting in the training camp. Besides recruitment, the training camp also served to help the sword-and-shield dogs quickly recover from their injuries.

"My sword and shield!"

Blade & Shield Number One was very smug, chattering away to its underlings about its heroic deeds, how it chased after the leader of the Gray Mist Rats for thousands of miles, and how it killed the Gray Mist Rats' leader and destroyed their lair, making its underlings extremely envious.

Xia Yuan didn't treat them badly either, and planned to upgrade all ten sword-and-shield dogs to one and a half stars.

A total of 30 mist bud crystals are needed.

In previous battles, including against the Gray Mist Rat leader, a total of 24 Gray Mist Rats were killed. Including loot from the cave, a total of 53 Mist Sprout Crystals were obtained, enough to support the upgrade of the Blade & Shield Dog.

To break through the rank limit, one must first reach the level cap of that rank.

Of course, the sooner you upgrade, the better.

Xia Yuan also wanted to upgrade Satir's level, but upgrading from four and a half stars to five stars would require a full 75 Mist Sprout Crystals. He simply couldn't afford it at the moment, so he had to postpone it for the time being.

"My sword and shield!"

Half an hour later, Blade & Shield No. 1 was the first to reach one and a half stars. Its body had grown larger and stronger. Not only that, but its wooden shield and iron sword had also been enhanced. Finally, it was no longer just cannon fodder.

Even against a single Gray Mist Rat, it has the ability to put up a fight.

To level up further, you must awaken your bloodline, which is very difficult and cannot be accomplished in just a few battles.

"My sword and shield???"

As Blade & Shield One was admiring its own transformation, it turned around and saw that its former underlings had also completed their upgrades, becoming as tall and strong as it.

The dog's previously excited face immediately fell.

.........

As darkness fell, the sun slowly sank into the depths of the mist.

The fog has become even thicker.

A faint mist permeated not only the edges of the territory but also the entire territory, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

A campfire was lit in front of the tent, and pieces of gray mist rat meat sizzled and dripped with oil as they roasted. The aroma was so tempting that the knife-and-shield dogs sitting around it drooled all over the ground.

One-Knife-Shield No. 1 continued to hone his skills and sweat in the open space next to him.

It must maintain its leading position.

If you can't be the leader of your tribe, what's the point of getting stronger?

"Dinner's ready!"

Xia Yuan picked up a skewer of grilled meat and waved it at Blade & Shield No. 1.

"My sword and shield!"

The group of sword-and-shield dogs, ignoring the scalding heat, pounced on the meat like vicious dogs. The most astonishing was Sword-and-Shield Number One; one moment he was practicing, and the next he had a skewer of grilled meat in his hand.

It runs quite fast despite its short legs.

"hiss!!!"

Xia Yuan picked up the roasted meat and took a bite. To be honest, the taste was just so-so. The meat was not only tough, but also had a sour taste. There were no good seasonings either. It was just barely edible; you might as well eat steamed buns with well water.

After clearing out the gray mist rat nests, the logging went smoothly in the afternoon. Finally, enough wood was gathered, and construction of wooden fences, arrow towers, and the lord's hut began.

By tomorrow morning, the territory should be completely transformed.

As I was pondering this, gray mist reappeared before my eyes, transforming into characters.

[The Mist Chat Group is now online, 1, 2, 3... 475]

Of the 500 new members of the Yanxia Alliance, only 475 actually logged in.

Including Li Aoyu, twenty-five new lords perished in just one day.

Even with the support of the league, it's truly unimaginable how the first batch of rookies managed to survive ten years ago.

The cause of death is likely related to the Mist Monster.

The territory is either lacking in wood or stone. To advance the territory's development and prepare for the novice trial in three days, the only option is to venture into the fog zone.

But the fog zone is so dangerous that a moment's carelessness could lead to the annihilation of the entire army.

If Satir hadn't been by his side, Xia Yuan's fate would probably have been very different.

It's cruel, and it's also very frustrating.

[Chat Group Announcement]

[①The chat group is only open from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM; private messages are not allowed.]

[②Text chat only, online transactions not possible]

[③The first lord to upgrade their territory to level 2 automatically becomes the group leader]

【…】

Group announcements flashed by one after another, but there was an unusual silence. Clearly, everyone was still processing the news of their companions' mass deaths, and their awareness of the dangers of the Misty Continent had deepened once again.

Until someone stood out.

[Xiao Xiong: I drew the Tier 2 unit, the Goblin Bear. What about you guys?]

[Zhou Kui: You dare to take a goblin? Upstairs, watch out, your backside might be in danger. Luckily, mine's a swordsman...]

[Zhao Tiezhu: Can you two upstairs stop showing off? I got Murloc, it's incredibly weak. I just took it out this morning and half of it got wiped out by Gray Mist Rats...]

Zhao Tiezhu is the Northeastern guy who chose one hundred steamed buns, and his luck is still as bad as ever.

[A goblin is passing by...]

The skeleton soldier is trembling with fear...

[Useless militia...]

[Militia +1…]

[Militia +777…]

It's really infuriating to compare yourself to others. More than 90% of lords start with Tier 1 cannon fodder troops. Getting Tier 2 troops is already considered extremely lucky.

As for whether anyone has drawn a Tier 3 item, that remains to be seen.

I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to self-destruct.

[Liu Qingyan: @Xiao Xiong, brother, could you send me a goblin? My unit is a goblin, we're from the same clan, I'll reward you handsomely...]

[Goblins? Light Smoke is in for a treat...]

[Something's wrong with you upstairs!!!]

[@Liu Qingyan, girl, you should really read through the Lord's Handbook more often. Unless your territory is destroyed and you become a prisoner of war, troops cannot be gifted, sold, or traded. Instead of trying to take shortcuts, you should use these next few days to kill more Mist Monsters, obtain Mist Sprout Crystals, and focus on upgrading your troops. That's the right way to go.]

[Easy for you to say. With a bunch of cannon fodder, it's not certain who will kill whom.]

[On just the first day, twenty-five lords have already perished...]

I'd rather die than go out; I'll just let the militia cut down the trees themselves...

The harsh reality severely damaged the confidence of the lords, making them more cautious and conservative.

[How did the militia become cannon fodder? Recruiting ten every day, with proper training, their overall strength will only increase, and they might not be inferior to Tier 2 units...]

That makes sense!

[Xiao Xiong: Little sister Qingyan, don't listen to these losers. Trash units don't deserve human rights. Come with me to Yunyang City tomorrow. With my initial Tier 2 unit, I'm sure I can get some sponsorship. I'll give you some too, and you'll be set for life...]

[Liu Qingyan: Brother is awesome! I'll definitely be there tomorrow!!!]

[Damn it! What a despicable couple!!!]

The guy who was just giving a very logical analysis was instantly caught off guard, completely forgetting that while it's true that units can't be traded, potential high-potential units can attract investment from powerful lords.

What may seem like a small difference is actually a world of difference.

The group chat was lively, but everyone carefully avoided mentioning Xia Yuan, as if he didn't exist at all. Even Chen Wei remained silent throughout.

Until someone tagged Xia Yuan.