Chapter 166 – The Foreign Merchant Caravan

Time flowed steadily by. With talents gradually falling into place, Tianyuan Territory developed rapidly and methodically.

Lord Mu found himself with much more leisure.

His daily duties now consisted only of patrolling via the Camera Falcons and purchasing Remnant Souls and Materials.

Though even these tasks proved rather troublesome and fragmented.

Isloria had once suggested assigning him a secretary, proposing either Sophia or Daisy for the role, but Lord Mu had resolutely and painstakingly declined.

In reality, having an assistant would be quite convenient.

Many lords indeed maintained large support teams in the real world, but…

Tianyuan Territory was short-staffed everywhere. Keeping an SR talent like Sophia by his side seemed wasteful; it was better to summon her as a temporary helper when needed.

To this end,

Mu Yuan established a “Xuan Nation Language” course at the newly built elementary school located in the residential district.

How could young women like Sophia serve as his secretary or assistant if they didn’t even understand the Xuan Nation language?

When forming merchant caravans to travel abroad, they would mostly interact with players anyway.

While speaking the common tongue was acceptable, not knowing the Xuan Nation language was simply not an option.

“No problem, we’ll learn it quickly~!”

Mu Yuan believed this as well.

Evolution and leveling up might not necessarily make an individual vastly more intelligent, but they certainly enhanced logical thinking, learning capacity, and memory retention.

Thus, in Instructor Mu’s small classroom, diligent students like Sophia and Daisy learned with remarkable speed.

This was the advantage of “well-rounded” talents.

Many Elite troops within the territory who had gained self-awareness, capable of rational thought and learning, also attended the school periodically. They needed to acquire common knowledge and develop sound cognitive abilities.

Initially, their learning progressed slowly due to lacking foundational knowledge and being entirely combat-oriented in self-perception, but…

Once they built a solid foundation, their learning efficiency would skyrocket.

“After all, Rare three-star tier represents minor geniuses among ordinary people, let alone Outstanding tier.

“Surely no Outstanding troop would struggle to memorize a few vocabulary words, right?”

Squeak~!

A drowsy Dolai wobbled until its face smacked against the desk, jolting abruptly awake.

Noticing the Lord’s stern gaze, it covered its face with a book and attempted an “Ehehe” to charm its way out of trouble.

Mu Yuan: “…”

“Double the practice exercises!”

…

While internal development continued steadily, various corps were constantly dispatched beyond the territory.

During peacetime, Tianyuan Territory maintained four corps: the Exploration Corps, the Hunting Corps, the Transport Corps, and the Garrison Legion.

The Hunting Corps and Transport Corps were newly established to supply materials for the “Sacrificial Black Coffin.”

Through the Camera Falcons’ surveillance, Mu Yuan observed hunting teams fanning out across all directions from Tianyuan Territory, continuously hunting monsters—especially flying types—before handing them over to shuttle transport teams for return to Tianyuan.

After days of systematic hunting, public security in the surrounding areas improved noticeably.

Sometimes hunting parties would sweep through regions all day with meager results, forcing them to venture deeper into the Wilderness—more dangerous areas where transportation became increasingly difficult.

Naturally, the main Exploration Corps led by Deadbone had already penetrated deep into the Wilderness once more, searching for special structures and clearing out monster tribes.With the current capabilities of the Undead General, even if they encountered the Great Serpent again, he could handle it with ease.

“Lord, another batch of crops has been harvested, and the yield is even higher than the previous recorded batch—almost six to seven times the normal harvest.”

Isloria said.

She was referring to ordinary farmland.

She had previously collected data and made simple estimates, and now, comparing the results, she couldn’t help but marvel.

With grain comes wealth, so why worry about the territory’s development not taking off?

Mu Yuan was not surprised. “This is the charm of the Flower Fairies, and we haven’t even fully tapped into their potential yet. We need to slowly identify the crops best suited for the Flower Fairies to cultivate and yield the highest economic returns.”

“I understand.”

She quickly noted down the instructions, acting like a secretary, and then added, “I don’t recommend selling the Vitality Spring Water directly. Selling raw materials yields too little profit and is wasteful. I’m researching a new formula for the Vitality Potion, one that’s most suitable for our Tianyuan Territory.”

“In the future, we can plant some auxiliary materials for the Vitality Potion in the farmland, fully produce the rare potion ourselves, and then sell it externally. The profit margin in between would be much larger.”

Excellent!

Isloria is truly capable.

Truly a versatile talent skilled in many arts.

Under the motivation of the evolution “carrot,” Isloria’s drive is also at its peak, already off the charts.

Lord Mu was very pleased, and he hadn’t been idle either.

Based on the general map orientation, he had located the official town under Boulder City’s jurisdiction—Stone Ridge Town—and judging from its location, Tianyuan was still very far from Boulder City.

Organizing a trade caravan to travel such a long distance to Boulder City wasn’t worth it.

At least for selling ordinary goods, there was no need to go that far. Stone Ridge Town had many merchant guilds stationed there and a huge flow of players, making it the most suitable place for small territories like Tianyuan to sell their goods.

Even Stone Ridge Town was hundreds of kilometers away from the territory.

Only in Tianyuan Territory, where military forces were abundant, could they manage trade across the wilderness. A newly established territory wouldn’t have the capability to do so.

There were also official territories closer by.

For example, the newly established territory ‘Creekwood Territory,’ which was founded around the same time as his.

But that place… didn’t quite meet Mu Yuan’s requirements.

…

Several kilometers outside Tianyuan Territory, a well-equipped trade caravan was slowly advancing.

They were all dressed in matching white and yellow uniforms, with a pair of yellow wings painted on the front, as if carrying goods soaring into the sky.

Around the players were several ‘Rock Beasts’—clumsy, over four meters tall, and laden with various packages of goods.

These were ordinary three-star tier troops, renowned for their endurance and carrying capacity.

Outside this Rock Beast caravan, dozens of well-equipped troops were spread out, patrolling the surroundings and eliminating any monsters that might appear.

“Strange, the monsters in this area are unusually sparse.”

“This means we haven’t come to the wrong place. There really is a newly established territory in this already quite remote area. Indeed, judging by the surroundings, this is clearly a low-risk zone.”

“After collecting the goods from this territory, we can probably head back, right? Staying out for too long is making me a bit nervous.”

“Whoa, we’re almost there.”

In the distance, the trees had thinned out significantly, with signs of logging, making it clear that they were nearing their destination.

Before long, the caravan was stopped by over a dozen warriors clad in black armor.

The leader of the group spoke up:”Ahead is private territory, temporarily closed to all players.”

“Understood, understood. However, we are the Winged merchant caravan. We’ve come here hoping to purchase some goods from your side. Why not let us take a look inside? Your territory’s agricultural products must be facing sales difficulties too, right?”

The caravan leader, a slightly plump man, narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

Why did they choose this period to rush to various newly established territories? Of course, they had calculated that new Lords wouldn’t have the capability to transport goods outward, allowing them to acquire batches of goods at lower prices.

Then they would transport them to places like Stone Ridge Town for sale.

However, the burly Lu Liu still refused, “Entry to the territory is prohibited, but the purchase matter… if the price is reasonable, it’s not impossible to discuss. Please wait a moment, everyone.”

After speaking, Lu Liu fell silent, standing there like a statue.

Normally, new player territories would welcome merchant caravans like theirs with open arms, treating them as honored guests. This was the first time they had been shut out like this.

The slightly plump player felt somewhat displeased.

But they didn’t have to wait long before another group approached from the distance, carrying boxes of goods.

Leading them was a girl with flawless, exquisite features, eyes like black gemstones, dressed in black combat attire.

“Are you the Lord of this territory?”

“No, but the Boss has fully authorized me to handle this matter. We have plenty of goods here—it just depends on how much sincerity you can offer.”

In charge of this matter was Black Crow Sophia, with White Fox Daisy assisting nearby.

The Winged caravan leader opened a bag of Jade Crystal Rice. The grains were plump and round like crystals, even among the Jade Crystal Rice he had seen before, this was top quality.

This territory has something special.

He said, “The quality is barely acceptable. I can only offer 0.28 Soul Sand per jin.”

“0.28? Since you all show so little sincerity, you may take your leave.”

Sophia sneered, “On the market, this grade of Jade Crystal Rice sells for at least 1.26 Soul Sand per jin. Isn’t the difference a bit too large?”

“Youngster, you should understand how difficult it is to conduct trade across the Wilderness. Besides, without our purchases, your Jade Crystal Rice will either rot in your territory, or you’ll have to spend exorbitant cross-border transportation fees. As everyone knows, transporting bulk goods across borders is least worthwhile. Selling to us, you can at least earn something.”

He narrowed his eyes.

However, the young woman in black combat attire remained expressionless, simply extending a hand in a “be my guest” gesture.

“You have no idea how dangerous it is outside the Wilderness. Without sufficient strength, you can’t take a single step.”

“Strength? Is this enough?”

Sophia snapped her fingers, and countless black crows began swirling around her, radiating an immense, intangible pressure.

The pressure brought by Elite Level 7, Outstanding One-Star grade.

The caravan leader: “…”

This young female player’s strength appeared to be greater than his own!

Trying to force prices down for purchases clearly wouldn’t work.

After further arguments with Sophia and Daisy, the caravan leader thought, “Since we’re already here,” and ultimately purchased a batch of Jade Crystal Rice along with some supply items.

Wait, if they were preparing to return, why were they still buying supply items?

During the return journey, the caravan leader couldn’t help but wonder.

The others felt somewhat envious.

Envious of the status of Lord players.

“Don’t be envious. Do you really think Lord players can casually hire veteran players? That’s impossible.”The caravan leader said, “Either the local Lord has a powerful backer behind him, or he has already been sidelined by the major investing group—and I lean toward the latter.”

After all, the pressure from the Crow Maiden player was too overwhelming; someone so exceptional wouldn’t serve under a novice player.

“But boss, I’m more inclined to believe the former.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“I saw another seemingly powerful female player with a fluffy fox tail attached to her back. Would a player who sidelines a Lord normally wear such an accessory?”

The caravan boss pondered.

The caravan boss fell silent.

The caravan boss couldn’t help but show a sour, envious expression.

“This local Lord really knows how to have fun!!”

Super late, damn it~!

(End of Chapter)