Chapter 40: Successful Defense, Massive Rewards!-Mundo Mítico dos Três Reinos(Pastor eterno)

Ruined walls, collapsed stone houses, and various farming tools scattered across the ground, crushing the tender green grass beneath them. Though flattened, the grass remained delicate and full of vitality, adding a touch of verdancy to this gruesome battlefield.

……

Feng Zhong and the King of the Moon-Howling Silver Wolves could be said to have suffered mutual destruction; they were evenly matched, neither gaining the upper hand.

His leather armor was shattered, and blood flowed continuously. He panted heavily, his resolute face stained with mottled blood—though whether it belonged to Feng Zhong himself or the King of the Moon-Howling Silver Wolves was impossible to tell.

Opposite him, the King of the Moon-Howling Silver Wolves was in an equally wretched state. However, due to its massive size, its snowy fur was heavily stained with blood. Massive wounds caused it to bare its teeth in agony. Though both suffered heavy injuries, when it came to sheer endurance against blood loss, the beast completely outclassed Feng Zhong.

Looking at the opposite wolf king, which bared its bloody maw, its long, crimson tongue heaving as it panted heavily as well, Feng Zhong knew that if he tried to outlast the beast in a battle of attrition, he would certainly lose. He had to find a way to kill it in a single strike.

Feng Zhong glared fiercely, his mind racing, his gaze sharp.

The wolf king’s copper-bell-like eyes were bloodshot and filled with a ferocious, overpowering aura. True to its status as the king of wolves, it was fierce and unyielding!

Earlier during the battle, Feng Zhong had deliberately exposed an opening in hopes of finishing off the wolf king in one blow. Unfortunately, the beast's acute wild instincts had sensed the trap, and it had refused to fall for it, even deliberately luring Feng Zhong into taking yet another wound.

After pondering for a moment, Feng Zhong decided that his only option was to trade his own injury for its life. Time waited for no one—charge! Kill!

After all, the wolf king had a crippled leg, and he could use his speed advantage to trade injuries for its life.

Feng Zhong attacked first, violently sweeping the Netherworld Spear to force the wolf king back slightly, then lunging forward to close the distance with its massive form.

Assuming the human was attempting close-quarters melee combat once again, the wolf king did not let its guard down too much. After all, it held the absolute advantage in hand-to-hand combat, and its lupine vital energy was depleted, leaving it unable to unleash wind blades.

Seeing the human daring to close in, the wolf king lunged forward savagely, attempting to tackle him and snap his throat with its sharp teeth.

It was as if Feng Zhong had anticipated the wolf king's fierce pounce. However, he had no intention of letting the beast bite his neck. He slightly sidestepped, offering his shoulder for it to bite. With premeditation overcoming negligence, the wolf king's sharp teeth sank into Feng Zhong's shoulder. Though it felt that something was amiss, severely injuring this human was well worth the trade.

Yet, the moment the wolf king's teeth sank into his flesh, Feng Zhong executed a swirling counter-strike with his spear, aiming to pierce upward through the wolf king's chin for a fatal one-hit kill.

Unfortunately, the threat of mortal danger made the wolf king's hair stand on end, every strand of its snowy fur bristling. It abruptly yanked its bloody maw and bloodthirsty fangs—still buried in flesh—away from Feng Zhong's body, abandoning the chance to inflict a grievous wound upon him.

Then, the wolf king rolled its eyes fiercely, spreading its front paws. Its tough claws clashed against the Netherworld Divine Spear with a sharp, metallic clang. Sparks flew, and Feng Zhong's offensive was thwarted once again by the wolf king.

However, it did not matter; Feng Zhong had already calculated this. As the wolf king retreated to defend, Feng Zhong simultaneously mustered his strength and leaped upward, utilizing the momentum of the collision between the claws and the divine spear to vault rapidly onto the wolf king's upper back.

The peril of death washed over the wolf king's heart once more, filling it with panic. Regrettably, there was no time to mount a defense. It could only widen its eyes and roar, as if this were its final howl in this mortal world.

Not one to spare a foe when he had the upper hand, Feng Zhong seized this rare opportunity. Channeling strength into both hands and gripping the divine spear tightly, he thrust downward with all his might. The sharp Netherworld Divine Spear pierced directly into the wolf king's skull, sending droplets of blood flying like blooming crimson roses—gaudy and beautiful.

"Awooooo..." With a mournful howl, the immensely powerful King of the Moon-Howling Silver Wolves finally collapsed.

Feng Zhong leaned against the spear shaft, breathing heavily and deeply. Having fought for so long, his body was utterly exhausted. The prolonged intense concentration and the ferocity of the battle had left him drained.

Hearing the mournful howl, the rest of the wolf pack began to slowly retreat. Naturally, the soldiers were not about to pass up the chance to beat a drowning dog, pressing their attack fiercely and sparing not a single moon-howling wolf!

A broken fragment of the wolf king's tooth remained embedded in Feng Zhong's flesh...

Four dazzling cyan cloth bags materialized around the fallen King of the Moon-Howling Silver Wolves. With a blank expression, Feng Zhong scooped them up into his inventory without a word.

The moment Feng Zhong slew the wolf king, a system prompt rang in Lin Mu's ear:

"Ding!"

"——System Prompt: Congratulations, Lord Lin Mu! Because your territory is the first in the world to slay a king-grade Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King, you have achieved a hidden accomplishment. The system specially rewards you with +1,000 Reputation, one special skill book, and +1 to all basic attributes."

"——System Prompt: Lord Lin Mu, because your territory is the first in the world to slay a king-grade Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King and achieved a hidden accomplishment, the system must issue a broadcast. Would you like to hide your name and information?"

"Hide it!" Naturally, Lin Mu preferred to keep a low profile!

At that moment, a system broadcast rang out for players across the entire globe:

"——World Broadcast: Congratulations to the Huaxia region player ** for slaying the king-grade Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King. The system specially rewards +1,000 Reputation, one special skill book, and +1 to all basic attributes."

Good grief, I'm on the world television broadcast again! Haha, all thanks to Feng Zhong's efforts! Although it was Feng Zhong who did the killing, he was Lin Mu's subordinate, so the credit for slaying the beast king was attributed to Lin Mu! Such were the partial privileges of being a leader! Simple, crude, and alluring, heh heh...

Feng Zhong has worked hard; accept this bow from me, haha! Lin Mu was overjoyed, though he temporarily ignored the system rewards, as he had more important matters to attend to.

……

"Holy crap, that scared me! A world broadcast suddenly pops up while I'm deeply focused on fighting a boss. Good thing I'm clever—it scared me into using my ultimate skill to stab the boss in the chrysanthemum and finish it off!"

"Haha, someone in the Huaxia region actually managed to slay a beast king! I have no idea what level boss the king-grade Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King is, but it must be insanely strong since it made the world TV broadcast!"

……

"Aha, I've finally finished off you beast!" Feng Zhong ignored his own injuries and turned back to look at the city wall, wanting to check on the situation of the soldiers.

To his delight, a good number of soldiers were still standing atop the city walls, while the wolf-rider enemies had thinned out significantly. Now, it was several soldiers ganging up on a single foe.

Gradually, the wolf pack and rebel soldiers were completely cleared away.

"Ding!"

"——System Prompt: Lord Lin Mu, congratulations on your initial victory and winning your first battle! You are specially rewarded with +10 Reputation, +1 Command, +1% Territory Morale, and +1 Public Sentiment."

"——System Prompt: Lord Lin Mu, congratulations on your victory in this monster siege. Your territory has successfully upgraded to an Intermediate Village."

Surveying the corpses scattered across the city walls, he discovered that quite a few casualties had still occurred, prompting a slight sigh.

The moment he relaxed, Feng Zhong felt as though his entire body was falling apart, racked with intense pain. Although Feng Zhong possessed the foundation of a divine general, his current level was low, and many of his skills, formations, and equipment were restricted by the rules of heaven and earth. The strength he could unleash was pitifully low—not even one percent of his true power—making it impossible to fight to his heart's content. How frustrating!

Seeing that Feng Zhong had finally slain the Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King, the massive stone in Lin Mu's heart finally dropped, and he was immensely pleased. Although there were casualties today, the village was essentially safe and sound. Aside from the buildings damaged during the battle between Feng Zhong and the wolf king, everything else was well-preserved and required no rebuilding; a simple patch-up would restore them to their original appearance.

Lin Mu immediately instructed his subordinates to fetch physicians to dress the wounds of the injured soldiers and settle them in!

Lin Mu personally tallied the numbers: out of 3,000 soldiers, 79 had died, and 128 were wounded, among whom over 20 were permanently disabled and could no longer continue their military careers.

All in all, the losses amounted to over a hundred men.

For a first battle, such casualties were massive. These were the backbone forces, yet they had been lost just like that, filling his heart with deep regret and sorrow. These were soldiers with Tier 6 potential, many times superior in aptitude to those rebel soldiers; losing even a single one made Lin Mu's heart ache.

Led by officials, the civilians inside the village also began to emerge to help clear the battlefield.

Those were the families of the fallen soldiers. Upon seeing the bodies of their loved ones, they wept bitterly, and Lin Mu stepped forward to comfort them as well.

Though they had won, it had come with regrets! In the future, such situations would likely become even more frequent. Helplessness washed over Lin Mu's heart, and he could only strive for a clear conscience!

After properly arranging the bodies of the fallen soldiers and burying them in the cemetery, all the residents of the territory attended the funeral. This was the first time casualties had occurred in the territory, and it was the first time the cemetery was used to bury fallen heroes.

Lin Mu had Chang Yin compile a roster of the fallen soldiers, ensuring that the death compensations were handled to the absolute highest standard!

At the same time, Lin Mu personally went door-to-door to offer condolences, a gesture that deeply moved many of the residents. Lin Mu also wished to set an example; as more soldiers would inevitably fall in future battles, such door-to-door consolation work had to be established as a standard. While it might not yield supreme merit, it brought peace to his mind.

Lin Mu also intended to turn this personal condolence practice into a cultural pillar of the territory—a solemn glory associated with honoring fallen martyrs.

Of course, in the future, such matters would have to be delegated to dedicated personnel. He couldn't do it personally forever, even if it made him appear more approachable and deeply appreciative of his people.

On this day, although the village had upgraded, a wisp of sorrow hung in the air!

……

An Intermediate Village did not change much in appearance; only the population cap increased to 1,000. This meant that as soon as the population reached 1,000, it could be upgraded to an Advanced Village—a step Lin Mu took without the slightest hesitation.

"Ding!" A pleasant chime rang out.

"——System Prompt: Congratulations, Lord Lin Mu! Your village has successfully upgraded to an Advanced Village. As the second player in the Huaxia region to upgrade to an Advanced Village, you receive one Yellow-tier [Nüwa Treasure Chest]."

When upgrading from Junior to Intermediate, he had no idea what rank he placed, resulting in zero rewards. But upgrading from Intermediate to Advanced yielded a Yellow-tier Nüwa Treasure Chest. Not bad at all!

Upgrading from an Intermediate Village to an Advanced Village did not trigger a monster siege; such events would only occur again when upgrading an Advanced Village to a Junior Town.

Having gained prior experience, Lin Mu was not plagued by needless worries like other players.

For an Advanced Village, there was no major physical change to Lin Mu's divine-grade territory. The area of his territory was not restricted by its level and could expand infinitely.

The population cap requirement for an Advanced Village was: 10,000.

Feng Zhong, who had suffered heavier injuries, went off to rest. Lin Mu was also extremely exhausted, but after upgrading the village, he brought out the four cyan cloth bags dropped by the Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King to examine what rare items had been left behind.

Ash-gray, White, Cyan, Blue, Purple—cyan ranked third, so the contents ought to be quite good!

The cyan cloth bag was much more exquisitely crafted, adorned with faint, shimmering patterns that added to its appeal and made it look all the more mystical.

Opening the first cyan cloth bag, Lin Mu laid his eyes upon an archaic, weathered token:

Name: [Ancient Military Talisman]
Rank: Xuan-tier
Characteristics: Prop
Attributes: Hidden military space, capable of accommodating 100 soldiers
Description: In ancient times, to solve the problem of troop transportation, countless predecessors explored and finally invented a spatial military talisman capable of storing soldiers. This is ancient technology; it is currently unknown whether the technique has been lost. Treasure it well if you obtain it!

It turned out to be an Ancient Military Talisman! Haha, this item was exceptionally rare, functioning much like the legendary Grand Summoning Spell to summon 100 soldiers out of thin air. However, these soldiers needed to be stored inside beforehand and could only be summoned when needed, making it extraordinarily convenient.

Moreover, the interior of the talisman's space was shrouded in mystery; once stored inside, the soldiers entered a state of dormant slumber.

For reasons unknown, this military talisman could only accommodate native NPC soldiers and could not store players.

Splendid, simply splendid! With this military talisman, it was as if he had acquired 100 personal bodyguards, haha!

Encouraged by the pleasant surprise of the first cyan cloth bag, Lin Mu grew even more expectant regarding the remaining three.

Eagerly, he opened the second cyan cloth bag:

Name: [Coagulation Pill] Crafting Blueprint
Rank: Yellow-tier
Characteristics: Pill Formula
Attributes: Allows a physician of Intermediate rank or higher to learn how to craft Yellow-tier Coagulation Pills
Description: Coagulation Pills, when consumed, assist in recovering from ordinary internal and external injuries, and can be utilized during combat. Required materials: Hemostatic Grass, Coagulation Flower, Ginseng...???

Haha, it was actually a crafting formula for restorative medicine! This was on par with skill manuals, allowing a physician in the medical hall to learn how to craft Coagulation Pills. Unfortunately, it was just a blueprint, meaning only a single physician could learn it.

Still, having this was countless times better than ordinary hemostatic pills or powders. It seemed that ordinary external and internal injuries would pose no problem from now on.

He would soon have the highest-ranked physician in the territory who met the criteria learn this formula. The higher the professional rank, the higher the success rate of crafting and the greater the yield—far superior to only being able to make mundane hemostatic medicines like Hemostatic Powder.

While its tier and recovery potency were moderate, it should still surpass standard Yellow-tier Coagulation Pills. Furthermore, the herbs listed in the formula must all exist, though the latter ingredients were obscured by question marks, presumably only viewable once a physician reached the requisite conditions.

With this item, the soldiers injured today would recover much faster. Impatiently, Lin Mu headed toward the medical hall.

They were all good items; it seemed the drops from the Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King truly lived up to their reputation! Walking along as he inspected them, Lin Mu opened the third cyan cloth bag.

Opening the third cyan cloth bag yielded a token, which turned out to be none other than a Village-Building Token!

However, this was a Xuan-tier Village-Building Token. Such an item was of little real use to Lin Mu; his divine-grade territory did not need to expand by establishing subordinate territories.

Having no immediate use for it, Lin Mu tossed it into his inventory, planning to sell it for currency or other goods when he had spare time.

Upon opening the final, fourth cyan cloth bag, he obtained a talisman:

Name: [Divine Grace Talisman]
Rank: Xuan-tier
Characteristics: Territory Attribute Prop
Attributes: Upon utilizing this Divine Grace Talisman, the player's territory gains an additional buff attribute: all work efficiency within the territory increases by 20% for a duration of one month.
Description: A divine grace item, its functions are heaven-shaking and all-encompassing. Naturally, some attributes may be mediocre; your fortune lies in your own hands.

It was actually a Divine Grace Talisman!

Such divine grace items were props that frequently appeared in the game, encompassing lord-tier props as well as items for outlaws and chivalrous heroes, with diverse functions and varied attributes.

The Xuan-tier territory buff attribute Lin Mu had acquired would boost the work efficiency of everything in the territory once activated. Applying to the entire territory, it was profoundly powerful.

However, Lin Mu had no intention of using it right away. The population of his territory was still quite small, and the various work efficiencies had not yet reached the peak capacity of the territory.

Lin Mu knew that one year after the game's launch, the system would undergo an update. That update would be triggered because the Huaxia region reached 100 territories, prompting the system to release related dungeons for players to conquer—this would be the first official update! At the same time, major events would occur during the update, making that timing the optimal moment to use this prop. Lin Mu kept this firmly in mind.

If his own butterfly effect hadn't caused too much disruption, the update should occur roughly nine months into the game, and Lin Mu intended to use the item right after that update took place.