Chapter 104 – SR

“Refugee recruitment is one of the rules of the Eternal World.”

“Refugees lost in the corners of the world, homeless, and seeking stable homes from the depths of their hearts sometimes receive subtle revelations, traversing the misty barriers to arrive at new settlements.”

However, refugees are humble beings. Whether their new home matches their expectations entirely depends on the character of the Lord.

Upon seeing these ordinary people in tattered clothes, with turbid eyes full of timidity, and sallow, emaciated faces, Mu Yuan fell silent.

They were all living, breathing human beings.

If Blue Star were to fall into the Eternal World, with people scattered across the wilderness, would the descendants of Blue Star’s inhabitants become refugees like these after several decades?

If he hadn’t been chosen by the Eternal World but were just one among the masses, would he too have to embark on a path of survival someday?

Mu Yuan didn’t know. He was merely a small, newly appointed Lord who could only guarantee these refugees’ basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

“Prompt: Thirteen commoners have joined your territory.”

He instructed Lu Liu to fetch some Vitality Spring Water, dilute it with ordinary drinking water, and provide it to these commoners.

He also prepared some medicinal supplies for emergencies.

Of course, being a small Lord rather than a philanthropist, he couldn’t let the commoners remain idle. He soon had Lu Liu assign them to begin basic construction work.

Mu Yuan himself spent most of his time secluded in the Mage Tower, monitoring the surroundings through the Hurricane Falcon.

The Undead General led a squad to the former Snakemen Tribe ruins, where they constructed the rare building ‘Watchtower,’ expanding the territory’s field of vision.

From within the Mage Tower, Mu Yuan could survey the area around the Watchtower without stepping outside.

“Excellent.”

“When we have more commoners and they’ve stabilized, we can assign a group to manage the harvesting of fruits in the Snakescale Fruit grove.”

…

Time passed slowly.

Perhaps because the Guiding Beacon had just been built, the efficiency of attracting refugees was relatively high in the early stages. Roughly every hour or so, a group of refugees would appear outside Tianyuan Territory and, under Lu Liu’s guidance, enter the territory to put down roots.

When the third group of refugees appeared, they got a small stroke of luck.

While registering their identities, Lu Liu discovered that one refugee was skilled in woodworking, capable of crafting wooden products like carrying poles, buckets, baskets, tables, and chairs.

For the still-rudimentary Tianyuan Territory, this was undoubtedly good news.

After all, apart from the furniture that came with the residential huts, they hadn’t been able to produce smaller utensils.

Mu Yuan immediately assigned this carpenter a single-room dormitory.

From morning until evening, the South District of the territory buzzed with construction activity. Within a few days, rows of single-story houses would be built. While their comfort and completeness of facilities might not match the residential huts, they were far more practical than the shabby wooden houses previously cobbled together by Deadbone and the other skeletons.

To the west, skeletons without exploration missions buried themselves in grave mounds, enjoying the pleasure of leveling up while lying idle.

To the east, Tree Spirit Grandma, due to her high grade and some leftover auxiliary materials Mu Yuan had provided, had now broken through to LV4 and grown from three meters to six meters in height.

Deadbone was out exploring, surveying the surroundings of the Snakemen Tribe.Dolai transformed into the form of a digging machine, its two massive shovel-hands tirelessly scooping and digging as it reshaped the terrain of the territory.

The days on the Eternal Continent were longer than those on Blue Star, making a 9-9-7 work schedule seem perfectly reasonable here.

Even at the end of the workday, the twilight glow had yet to fade completely, slanting across the Tianyuan Territory and stretching the shadows of the laborers, creating a scene both busy and warm.

At this moment, outside the territory, several hundred meters away from the road marker, dense white mist surged forth once again, seeping into the surrounding woods. From within, one disheveled figure after another came running out.

“Cough, cough… wh-where is this?”

The man at the forefront had a thick beard that nearly reached his earlobes. He wore coarse short clothing, his exposed arms muscular and powerful. His bronze-toned skin, already weathered, reflected a brilliant sheen under the dusky twilight, as if cast from steel.

In one arm, he cradled a tiny girl no bigger than a bean, while his other hand gripped a massive black hammer stained with blood that had yet to dry.

His breathing was labored, and deep in his eyes lingered traces of despair. Yet when he saw the dissipating mist around him and the lush, sturdy trees, his gaze turned bewildered.

“Where is this…?”

“Wait, could it be…?”

“We’ve received divine guidance!”

In some inexplicable way, these battered commoners received a revelation: as long as they continued northward, they would reach a sanctuary where they could settle and find safety.

Thus, the confused and terrified people, driven by instinct and guidance, trudged northward.

The bronze-skinned man suddenly understood.

He grasped more.

His grandfather had been a Fated Lord, but his territory was eventually destroyed, and his grandfather fell in battle. The surviving refugees managed to hide in a Secluded Valley, where they barely survived.

Generation after generation.

They could not unlock extraordinary powers. They gradually forgot their past. Their world shrank to the size of the valley sky.

Even Li Erniu, the brawny man, could only learn some methods of forging, smelting, equipment enhancement, and body tempering from a few remaining pages left by his grandfather.

And through those sparse words, he came to know of the outside world.

Yet even the secluded haven of the valley could not remain safe forever. Not long ago, it was finally discovered by monsters.

Li Erniu led the villagers in a desperate escape, and in the end…

Uh, oh, right—it seemed they had survived.

Overwhelmed with relief after narrowly escaping death, Li Erniu exclaimed, “Thank the divine guidance…”

But before his words fully faded, rustling sounds emerged from the bushes as over a dozen massive wolves, each more than a meter tall, sprang out.

“Guidance my foot!”

At this moment, the legendary Fated Territory was nowhere in sight, yet they were already surrounded by giant wolves.

As if forever trapped in the whirlpool of fate, despair once again descended.

Nearly exhausted, Li Erniu could only…

“Scree~!”

A high-pitched, piercing cry descended from the heavens.

A bluish-gray giant shadow swooped down, casting a large shade over the group.

Its sharp eyes fixed on the pack of giant wolves, emitting an angry and disdainful shriek, as if saying: How dare mere giant wolves cause trouble near the Tianyuan Territory? You have chosen the path to your doom!

With a sweep of its sun-glinting wings, the winds of heaven and earth obeyed its command, gathering around the giant bird and forming a visible cyan storm that pierced down from the sky.

Whoosh~!The gale raged on, sharp blades of wind carving terrifying scars across the earth. Within the cyan storm, mournful howls of giant wolves echoed as blood merged with the wind.

After a long while, as the tempest gradually subsided, a grayish-blue giant bird slowly descended before them.

Out of the wolf’s den, into the bird’s nest!

The untamed world outside was actually this dangerous!

Cold sweat streamed continuously down Li Erniu’s forehead. Against the earlier giant wolves, he might have been able to take down one or two at the cost of his life, but facing this current creature… even sacrificing himself probably wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the bird’s appetite.

We’re done for!

Just as he finished lamenting, he noticed with surprise that the giant bird didn’t approach further. Instead, its eyes revealed human-like contempt as it impatiently gestured with its wing toward the distance while screeching a few notes.

These humans are so sluggish. Hurry up and leave already – this Bird Lord has another flight to catch!

Five watches have passed and then nothing more. Seeking subscriptions and monthly votes. Future updates should still be in the morning.

So sleepy, going to bed now. Everyone should rest early too~

(End of Chapter)