Chapter 47 - 43: Occupy the Quarry, Clear Out the Resource Points

Chapter 47: Chapter 43: Occupy the Quarry, Clear Out the Resource Points

Amidst the billowing fog, Shen Xing and Xia Wanyin led their respective troops, gazing ahead in astonishment.

Before them appeared a massive field of rubble, the ground piled high with excavated stone fragments.

Many simple shacks were built around the area, and they appeared to be inhabited.

The most eye-catching feature was a large machine in the center, built on the edge of a deep pit. Its massive mechanical arm reached down into the pit’s bottom, seemingly excavating something.

[Quarry]

[Level: Small]

[Current State: Cannot be claimed]

[Maximum Mining Capacity: 1416/3024 (Resets every 7 days)]

[Production: 120~360 Stone / 24 hours]

[Worker Capacity: 4~12]

[Note: A small quarry, but it appears to be occupied by a group of outside creatures.]

...

’A quarry! Awesome!’

’I just found a Lumberyard in the forest, and now I’ve found a quarry.’

’Now my territory has a source for both Wood and Stone.’

"Take me over there. We’re claiming this quarry."

At Shen Xing’s command, the Beastman Infantry immediately advanced with him.

But they had barely taken a few steps when a volley of arrows and spears suddenly shot out from behind the rubble!

"Watch out!"

Xia Wanyin cried out sharply. The two Light Elf Shield Guards beside her rushed forward and forcefully activated [Shield of Light].

VMMMM~

A barrage of arrows and spears struck the shield, creating a series of dull thuds. Spiderweb-like cracks instantly appeared on its surface.

At the same time, a group of short, ugly creatures with dark green skin scrambled out from behind the piles of rubble.

They clutched crude shortbows and wooden spears, pouring out with a cacophony of shrieks and gibbers.

[Dark Goblin Thrower]

[Level: 7]

[Potential: Normal ★★★]

[Attributes: Power 25, Spirit 19, Agility 24, Constitution 22]

[Skills: Javelin Throwing]

[Talent: Dark Breeding (Can forcibly breed with a member of the opposite sex from any race. The offspring will always be a Dark Goblin.)]

[Bonds - Dark Goblin Tribe (Active): When there are more than 15 members, all their attacks apply one stack of ’Shadow Scorching’.]

...

[Dark Goblin Captain]

[Level: 8]

[Potential: Elite ★]

...

A group of goblins. It looked like they had already formed a tribe, but they posed little threat.

"Crush them."

At Shen Xing’s command, Hellish Roar instantly sprang into action.

This time, instead of charging, he activated [Hope’s Feather] and leaped into the air.

Then, he activated [Earth-Splitting Strike], and the Double-Bladed Axe in his hands ignited with a ghostly green flame!

Like a burning meteor of Hellfire falling from the sky, he crashed down hard right in the middle of the goblins!

BOOM!!!

A massive shockwave, wreathed in Hellfire, swept outwards, sending entire swathes of enemies flying.

A divine warrior descending from the heavens, utterly unstoppable!

’So cool!’

’As expected of my territory’s greatest general. A job well done!’ Shen Xing praised him internally.

After Hellish Roar delivered that dose of justice from above, only a few stragglers were left on the battlefield.

The Beastman Infantry in the rear swarmed forward and quickly finished off the remaining enemies.

[Ding! You have successfully claimed the quarry. You can now dispatch workers to gather Stone.]

...

’Quarry, plus one.’

’I’ll transfer half the workers from the Lumberyard over here in a bit, and then I can start quarrying Stone.’

Shen Xing thought with satisfaction. Today’s haul had been quite bountiful.

Not only had he discovered seven or eight resource nodes, but he had also claimed a medium-sized Lumberyard and a small quarry, giving his territory a stable source of resources.

He wanted to keep exploring, but the oil in his Horse Lantern was down to its last fifth.

"Xia... Wanyin, let’s call it a day." Shen Xing looked awkward, a little embarrassed to say her name.

"Okay. I’ll come back to explore with you again tomorrow. There are still lots of resource nodes near your territory."

Xia Wanyin agreed, then smiled at him. "You can just call me Wanyin, you know."

Shen Xing froze for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

Seeing his discomfort, Xia Wanyin’s smile grew even wider, like a little girl who had just pulled a successful prank.

"Alright then, I’ll be heading back."

The white-dressed girl turned gracefully, a bright smile playing on her lips.

"See you tomorrow, Starfire."

She waved, as if saying goodbye to her best friend.

With that, she walked off into the distance, flanked by her host of divine Light Elves.

Like a goddess from a dream, surrounded by her devotees, she slowly vanished deep into the Fog.

Shen Xing was silent for a moment before slowly looking away.

Then, using the last of his Horse Lantern’s light, he made a trip to the Lumberyard and sent 12 Slave Laborers to the quarry to begin work.

He also left one Beastman Infantry at each of the two resource nodes, both to supervise their work and to act as a guard.

After all, while these outlying resource nodes wouldn’t be overrun by the Fog, they could still attract monsters from within it.

A single Beastman Infantry couldn’t handle a large swarm of monsters, but it could certainly buy enough time for reinforcements to arrive.

*Phew...*

The troop stepped into the range of the firelight. A wave of warmth washed over them as they re-entered the territory.

Shen Xing distributed Soul Stones to the Beastmen and Archers, letting them absorb the energy at their own pace. With that, the day’s work was done.

He took off the glasses, and his vision switched back to his rental apartment.

It was already past eleven at night.

The whole of Jiang City was shrouded in darkness, and the streets below were silent.

As usual, he opened his phone to order some takeout and then casually browsed the forums for a bit.

There were quite a few trending posts today.

"Anyone near Lion Fall Plain? My territory’s being targeted by some assholes from England. Help!"

"The New Heaven and Earth Group has been formally established! We are now recruiting Lords to join us. Our group will provide you with massive amounts of contribution points, exclusive resources, private villas, and more. The benefits are generous."

"Great news! Shanghai’s strongest rising star, Fang Ping, broke through to the Master realm today! Hua Country has another Master Level powerhouse!"

"Shocking! An unidentified creature has appeared in the Videng Kingdom’s Ancient Beast Fighting Arena, suspected to be a legendary Giant Dragon..."

These posts were all the hottest topics at the moment, and each had a huge number of replies.

Shen Xing clicked into each one to get a sense of the current situation.

When he snapped out of it and checked the time, he was startled.

"Holy crap, it’s already two in the morning!"

Startled, Shen Xing quickly closed the forum and opened a different "learning" application.

At three in the morning, the rental apartment fell quiet once more.

「The next day.」

Shen Xing got up and washed as usual, then went downstairs to order a seven-yuan bowl of hot dry noodles.

Back in his bedroom, he placed a glass of water on his bedside table and put on the glasses.

"Mist Reincarnation, begin!"

The next second, a series of notifications appeared before his eyes.

[Your territory building: Basic House construction complete...]

[Your territory building...]

...

He looked around. The territory had changed significantly once again.

A new row of wooden houses now stood beside the little bluestone path.

And they weren’t in that charred, burnt style, but a normal, log-cabin style.

The Level 3 Campfire burned brightly, the Moon Well radiated a soft glow, and the eight Arrow Towers stood tall and imposing.

’Not bad at all. The territory is starting to feel more and more lived-in.’

Shen Xing nodded in satisfaction, then connected his mind to the Fog Flower and teleported the final item in.

*WHOOSH...*

The thick fog slowly dissipated, revealing a yellowed piece of parchment in his palm.

[Well Construction Plan]

[Area: 8 square meters]

[Effect: Allows you to find a suitable location within the territory to dig a well.]

[Required Materials: 50 Soul Stone, 50 Stone, 50 Wood]

(Note: The initial digging depth is 20 meters, depending on the terrain. Each additional meter of depth requires an extra 5 Soul Stones.)

...

"It costs this many materials just to dig a well?"

"And it even costs extra materials depending on the terrain? What the heck?"

Shen Xing felt a bit helpless. He was already short on Soul Stones, and this was another significant expense.

But the problem of a water source had to be solved, so spending these resources was a must.

His gaze swept across the territory, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.

He had no idea how deep he would need to dig to strike water.

From his explorations over the past few days, Shen Xing had determined that his territory was located on a plain.

Based on his limited knowledge of geography, you’d have to dig at least twenty meters down to find groundwater in an area like this.

’I’ll just find a spot and give it a try,’ he thought.

Shen Xing "learned" the plan, then wheeled himself to the southern edge of the village and chose a relatively flat patch of ground.

He opened the construction interface, and the outline of a well appeared on the ground.

As he moved his gaze, the well’s outline moved with it, constantly updating with new information.

[Estimated digging depth: 32 meters. Construction time: 1 day, 12 hours...]

[Estimated digging depth: 27 meters. Construction time: 1 day, 6 hours...]

[Estimated...]

’Huh? It can show the digging depth in real time? That’s pretty handy.’

An idea suddenly struck Shen Xing.

’If this feature can detect the exact depth of the groundwater, couldn’t I also use it to survey the terrain?’

’For example, an area with a shallower water table would mean the soil is softer and suitable for plowing into farmland.’

’And if the water table is extremely deep, it means the area has more rock layers. Maybe there are even hidden mineral veins or something!’

The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He decided to try it out later when he had the chance.

Just then, Shen Xing tapped his forehead. ’Wait a minute. Since the material cost for the well is based on depth, I can just have the Beastmen dig down a ways first, and then start the construction from there.’

’Wouldn’t that save me a ton of materials?’