Chapter 49 - 45: Troop Boom, Wandering Merchant in the Fog

Chapter 49: Chapter 45: Troop Boom, Wandering Merchant in the Fog

The Skeleton Archer was bathed in the light of evolution.

Its loose skeleton began to tighten, the gaps between its bones closing.

Not only that, but the wooden shortbow in its hands also gradually transformed into a Black Iron shortbow.

[Evolution successful! The ’Skeleton Archer’s’ Potential has been raised to Elite One-Star, and its class has been upgraded to Skeleton Shooter.]

[This evolution grants an Attribute boost. All Attributes +10%, Agility +10.]

[Weapon: Skeleton Short Bow (Green) → Black Iron Short Bow (Blue)]

[Awakened Skill: Little Skeleton Rapid Fire!]

...

He glanced at the new Skill’s Attributes as usual.

[Little Skeleton Rapid Fire: Unleash the skeleton’s ’Divine Power’ to fire 4-5 arrows consecutively within 2 seconds. An additional arrow can be fired for every 10 points of Agility.]

[Cooldown: 25 seconds]

(Note: "PEW! PEW! PEW!")

...

’Huh? It’s actually a growth Skill?’

’This means as long as I keep increasing its Agility Attribute, I can keep increasing this Skill’s power.’

’Not bad.’

Shen Xing praised it, then looked at the skeleton before him. "From today on, your name is Black Arrow."

"KLAK KLAK KLAK..."

The skeleton’s jaw opened and closed, the Soul Fire in its eye sockets flickering. It was clearly more intelligent than before.

Having received its new name, Black Arrow strutted over to the other skeletons with an arrogant swagger and showed off its weapon, as if boasting.

Shen Xing smiled, then checked his territory’s current remaining resources.

[Soul Stones] *174

[Vinar Silver Coins] *752

[Food] *2183

[Wood] *426

[Stone] *389

[Dusk Fire] *87

...

’My resources are still decent, and I just lit up a bunch of resource points recently. Time to pump out another wave of units.’

He pushed his wheelchair to the barracks area in the center of his territory and clicked on the recruitment interface.

[Consume 60 Soul Stones and 60 Dusk Fire to summon 6 Two-Star Skeleton Archers?]

[Consume 60 Soul Stones, 60 Vinar Silver Coins, and 200 Food to summon 20 One-Star Beastman Infantry?]

"Yes."

In an instant, a large amount of resources in his inventory was consumed.

The two Unit Nests before him also began to stir violently.

The Burial Ground on the left began to tremble. The bones on the ground rolled and merged rapidly, then formed into Skeleton Archers that crawled up from the earth.

The door of the wooden hut on the right was smashed open, and a troop of short, sturdy, green-skinned potatoes carrying Stone Axes stormed out menacingly.

[Ding! You have more than 10 ’Skeleton Archers’ in your territory. Bond Effect activated—Bone Arrow Array: Range +20%, Hit Rate +10%.]

[Ding! You have more than 30 ’Beastman’ units in your territory. 30-Unit Bond activated: Initial Constitution +10.]

...

Bonds were one of the more important features for a Soldier Type.

Units of the same type would initially activate their Bond ability upon reaching a count of 10.

And after increasing the count to 30, 50, and 100, the Bond ability would be strengthened.

Moreover, this kind of Bond affects all units of the same type, acting as a buff for the entire group. It was always best to assemble enough units for a Bond if possible.

’This 30-man ’Beastman’ Bond is a huge boost. A 10-point increase to initial Constitution significantly strengthens the Beastmen’s durability and recovery.’

’After all, these One-Star Beastmen only have 6 Constitution when they’re first recruited. This is more than double the original value.’

’Even my three great generals, Hellish Roar and Blood Roar, got a sizable boost.’

Shen Xing analyzed the situation for a moment, then had Blood Roar and Black Arrow come over to train the new recruits.

But as he looked at the territory’s remaining resources, the smile on his face gradually faded.

’That wave of unit-spamming was satisfying, but now I’m broke.’

’I only have a few dozen of the most critical Soul Stones left, not even enough to cover the daily upkeep for my units’ upgrades.’

Shen Xing sighed. ’I have to go out and earn some Soul Stones, or the territory’s development will grind to a halt.’

He collected his thoughts and was about to form an exploration team to head out.

Just then, the phone in his pocket buzzed softly.

He took off his glasses and glanced at it. It was from Xia Wanyin.

He put his glasses back on. "Shen Xing, Shen Xing, are you online? I’m coming to find you!"

When they were chatting last night, Shen Xing had already told Xia Wanyin his real name.

After all, she had already told him her real name and helped him so much; it was only right for Shen Xing to show some sincerity.

Shen Xing replied, "Didn’t we already light up all the resource points? What are you coming to find me for?"

"What do you mean...? Does that mean I can’t come find you if there aren’t any resource points to light up?"

Xia Wanyin’s tone was resentful. "You’re such a pragmatic man. You just cast me aside when I’m no longer useful to you."

Shen Xing: "..."

’The way she said that made me sound like some scumbag who uses people and then dumps them.’

Shen Xing replied, "That’s not what I meant. I was just worried about holding up your development."

After all, she had already wasted two days helping him find resource points.

Xia Wanyin sent a crisp laugh. "Hahaha, you won’t."

"If the two of us team up to explore, we can significantly extend the Horse Lantern’s burn time and get more resources."

Shen Xing thought about it. ’She does have a point.’

If their two teams combined, their combat efficiency would increase dramatically.

Even if they split the Soul Stones they acquired, the returns would still be higher than exploring alone.

It would just take a little longer.

Shen Xing replied, "Alright, I’ll wait for you in my territory."

"Okay, I’m on my way."

More than half an hour later, Xia Wanyin arrived at the village entrance with her squad of Light Elves.

But she didn’t dare enter, knowing that Shen Xing had buried a large number of traps around the village that she could easily step on.

Shen Xing didn’t waste words, either. He directly took twelve Beastmen, grabbed the Horse Lantern, and stepped into the Fog.

The orange-yellow light of the lantern dispersed the thick Fog, and the two teams met up.

Shen Xing noticed that Xia Wanyin seemed to have gotten much stronger. Her team even included two Elite Three-Star Light Elves.

They were a Light Elf Shield Guard and a Light Elf Archer.

’And this probably isn’t her full strength. She must have stronger forces hidden back in her territory for defense.’

’This woman’s rate of improvement is a bit ridiculous. She’s almost keeping up with me.’

Next, they lit only one Horse Lantern and proceeded onward through the Fog.

They encountered some monster attacks along the way, but they were all easily dealt with.

Are you kidding? Between Shen Xing and Xia Wanyin, they had a total of three Elite Three-Star units with them.

You could say that as long as they didn’t run into a Tier Two Extraordinary Level creature or a Boss-Level creature at the peak of its sixth-grade power, nothing could stand against them for even a single exchange.

It was worth mentioning that as the number of resource points increased, the chance of being attacked by monsters also rose.

Last night, three resource points had been extinguished.

Shen Xing took a detour to reignite them.

The slightly larger exploration team continued to advance through the Fog-shrouded wasteland.

When they reached a stretch of architectural ruins, Xia Wanyin seemed to have discovered something again. She paused, a look of surprise on her face.

"Huh? There’s something up ahead!"

"Something?" Shen Xing was puzzled. "What is it?"

"I don’t know. It looks like a person."

"A person?"

Shen Xing froze. In this Fog, he hadn’t seen a single other living person besides Xia Wanyin.

’Could it be... another player?’

Before they could prepare, Xia Wanyin’s tone suddenly grew serious. "He seems to be walking toward us."

Hearing this, Shen Xing’s expression also turned serious, and he moved the Beastmen in front of him.

As they stood on high alert, a man in a black cloak that obscured his face slowly emerged from the Fog.

He was leading a strange creature that looked like a cross between a horse and an ox, with two heavy chests strapped to its back.

"There is no need to be tense, Pioneers from afar." The figure spoke first, his voice raspy yet magnetic.

He slowly raised his head, revealing a pale, middle-aged face under the hood.

"And you are?" Shen Xing stared at him.

"My name is Garrett. A Wandering Merchant who travels the Land of Mist."

A faint, mysterious, and calm smile was on his face. "Pioneers, are you willing to trade with me?"

Hearing the man introduce himself, Shen Xing and Xia Wanyin turned to each other, looks of realization dawning on their faces.

They had read about Wandering Merchants in related guides on the forums.

According to the guides, there was a group of mysterious figures in the Land of Mist.

They moved like ghosts, unaffected by the Fog’s corruption, and never got involved in the disputes between Lords.

Leading their pack animals, they traveled through the Fog and ruins, collecting all sorts of treasures.

If players encountered one, they could trade with them using Vinar Silver Coins.

And these merchants often had quite a few good things in their possession.

Shen Xing looked up. "You’re a Wandering Merchant? Then what do you have for sale?"

"The customer may see for himself." The man smiled faintly.

[The Wandering Merchant, Garrett, has opened his private shop to you. Do you agree?]

...