Chapter 342 – The Great Recruitment of Refugees

As a mystery merchant, Qi Ye had visited all kinds of territories. While his knowledge might not be unparalleled, it far surpassed that of most lords in the Eternal World.

During his last visit, he had only glimpsed a corner of Tianyuan Territory but still concluded that it was merely a small territory—a town-level settlement.

Of course, a low-level territory capable of producing substantial wealth only highlighted Tianyuan Territory’s potential.

Qi Ye had taken a gamble.

But now, he found himself somewhat perplexed.

The only thing he could confirm was that this was indeed Tianyuan Territory… or at least part of it.

Qi Ye led his goat-like pack animal and hurried toward Wolfhead Mountain.

…

Mu Yuan hadn’t expected the mystery merchant to appear not outside the territory, but around Wolfhead Mountain.

Conceptually speaking, it made sense—once pioneering structures like watchtowers were established and territorial expansion occurred, this area indeed became part of his domain.

Having the mystery merchant appear at Wolfhead Mountain actually suited him quite well.

There were no secrets hidden on Wolfhead Mountain.

He immediately ordered his subordinates to escort the mystery merchant to the mountain, specifically to the same location where he had previously received the two legendary races.

“Oh, my friend, we meet again.”

Qi Ye removed his felt hat, his face beaming with joy.

During his journey, he had already observed the full scope of Wolfhead Mountain. Advanced Watchtowers, Large Electromagnetic Coil Towers, and hundreds of defensive structures and city defense weapons stood in orderly rows, showcasing Tianyuan Territory’s formidable defensive capabilities.

His earlier apprehension had stemmed from concerns that Tianyuan Territory might be too weak to withstand sudden crises, potentially leading to its destruction and disappearance into obscurity.

This wasn’t baseless anxiety.

He had colleagues who had experienced similar situations. One unfortunate colleague had invested all his promotion opportunities in a promising new territory, only to find nothing but wasteland upon his third visit.

Small territories were just that fragile.

And the Eternal World was perpetually plagued by natural and man-made disasters.

“The fact that Tianyuan Territory can construct such a massive fortress speaks volumes.”

“They also possess the combination killer move of Large Electromagnetic Coil Towers supported by numerous smaller thundercoil towers…”

Qi Ye’s sharp eyes immediately recognized the setup.

With such a combined defensive system, Tianyuan Territory could withstand assaults even from Legendary Realm monsters.

This single capability already placed Tianyuan Territory’s disaster resistance above that of many city-level territories.

He could no longer claim that Tianyuan Territory had weak risk resistance.

It was clearly anything but weak.

Of course, even city-level and large city-level territories could still face destruction. No lord could claim invincibility—risks remained ever-present.

Large city-level territories could still collapse if targeted by Monster Overlords and besieged by multiple Legendary Realm creatures.

But Tianyuan Territory was merely a promising new territory—how could it possibly attract the attention of overlord-level forces so early?

Tianyuan Territory was perfectly stable.

His gamble had paid off.

After exchanging greetings, Qi Ye unfolded several space-folded display racks hanging from his goat-like pack animal.

He understood perfectly that Tianyuan Lord was eager to examine the merchandise, and Qi Ye himself was equally keen to advance his career and boost his performance.

They were perfectly in sync!On the shelves, various items shimmered with the brilliant glow of treasures, dazzling and alluring.

Mu Yuan examined them one by one.

Compared to the last time, the goods brought by the mysterious merchant seemed to have increased. The most prominent item on display was the Miracle Blueprint ‘Energy Well’ he had previously reserved.

Tianyuan Territory already had an Energy Well, but he didn’t mind building another one.

The Scepter of Heavenly Authority was a major energy consumer, and other defensive structures also required significant energy.

Purchasing an additional Energy Well blueprint meant reducing the territory’s energy consumption, lowering Soul Crystal usage, cutting expenses, and ultimately earning money.

In conclusion, spending money equaled making money.

“Friend, look at shelf number four. Here you’ll find the Guidance Beacons you want—two rare and one exceptional.”

「Miracle Blueprint ‘Guidance Beacon-Speed’ (Exceptional)」

「Description: A high-efficiency Guidance Beacon capable of swiftly attracting refugees from various parts of the Eternal World and fragmented realms, with a chance to attract Advanced talents.」

This Guidance Beacon was not one of Mu Yuan’s reserved items.

Reserved goods came with a premium upon purchase, and his need for the Guidance Beacon wasn’t urgent enough to justify the extra cost.

This was a fortunate random find.

He had since learned that mysterious merchants operated under specific rules. They didn’t personally select goods to sell to various lords; while they had some discretion, the items they could carry were largely determined by randomized rules.

Apart from this, Qi Ye introduced another product that greatly appealed to Mu Yuan.

「Miracle Blueprint ‘Large Electromagnetic Coil Tower’ (Exceptional)」

Mu Yuan was indeed pleased.

The combination of a Large Electromagnetic Coil Tower and smaller electromagnetic charging towers could pose a threat to Legendary Realm experts. Adding another Large Electromagnetic Coil Tower meant he would have an additional trump card against Legendary Realm adversaries.

After selecting the three exceptional-grade blueprints—Large Electromagnetic Coil Tower, Energy Well, and Guidance Beacon-Speed—along with several rare-grade blueprints and items, Mu Yuan waited for the mysterious merchant Qi Ye to calculate the price.

The pricing method remained the same as last time.

Equivalent exchange for rare items.

As expected, items like ‘Ashen Bone’ and ‘Wind King’s Feather,’ which he had provided previously, were valued less on the equivalent scale this time.

Mu Yuan had anticipated this.

Otherwise, during his last transaction with the mysterious merchant, he would have cleared the entire shelf, relying on his firm willpower to resist the temptation of further impulsive acquisitions.

“Thanks to my restrained spending last time, I can still offer six or seven types of ‘epic by-products’ that haven’t been priced before. My funds are still ample.”

“Moreover, even previously priced materials like the Wind King’s Feather haven’t lost all value—they still carry considerable equivalent points. Using these materials for trade remains far more cost-effective than investing other treasures.”

This was precisely why Mu Yuan dared to indulge in such luxurious spending. Otherwise, he would have limited himself to essential items like the ‘Energy Well,’ ‘Large Electromagnetic Coil Tower,’ and ‘Guidance Beacon-Speed.’

Hmm… come to think of it, these essential items already accounted for the majority of this transaction.

Mu Yuan instructed Dolai to quickly make a trip to Tianyuan Territory to fetch the payment.

Soon, the first batch of the transaction was completed with an exchange of payment and goods.

Mu Yuan continued browsing the merchandise.Relying on his formidable willpower, he still restrained the urge to splurge and only selected over a dozen items.

These included a strength-type Outstanding Two-Star Remnant Soul; a batch of precious crop seeds; two Troop Recruitment Orders; a collection of cultivation items including baptism remnants;

and so on.

Suddenly, Mu Yuan halted his steps, his gaze fixed on an unremarkable-looking Outstanding-grade item with a modest price tag.

「Refugee Recruitment Scroll (Outstanding)」

「Description: Using this item allows for the rapid recruitment of a large number of refugees in a short period. The specific number of refugees and talents recruited depends on the quantity and grade of Guiding Beacons possessed by the Miracle Territory.」

「Note: After using the Refugee Recruitment Scroll, the number of refugees the territory can naturally attract over a period of time will significantly decrease.」

This was why the Refugee Recruitment Scroll, despite being an Outstanding-grade item, was priced only slightly higher than rare Treasures.

It came with side effects.

It essentially overdraws the territory’s potential for refugee recruitment in the near future. Of course, it wouldn’t overdraw all of it.

But Lords typically didn’t have a high demand for population.

Most of the time, veteran Lords complained about attracting too many destitute refugees and rarely found their numbers insufficient.

Except…

Mu Yuan wanted more.

He was too eager to progress!

As long as the territory advanced, the Lord Power could be upgraded; the Evolution Power had a chance to level up; the Large Electromagnetic Coil Tower could break through the Level 5 barrier, gaining even more terrifying destructive force; Lu Liu and other officers could also receive the baptism of heaven and earth, elevating them to the Fourth Order Peak in one go.

Advancing to Level 5 was crucial.Overdrafting future recruitment potential was a non-issue.

Especially when his Tianyuan Territory was under pressure from the Monster Overlord.

There were three Refugee Recruitment Scrolls on the shelf.

Mu Yuan didn’t purchase them immediately. He had never heard of such an item and lacked historical usage data. He inquired in detail about the product from the Mystery merchant, Qi Ye.

Facing a major client like Tianyuan, Qi Ye naturally held nothing back and wouldn’t push sales just for performance.

“The lower limit for this recruitment scroll is three hundred, while the upper limit…”

Each additional Common-grade Guiding Beacon could add one hundred people;

Each additional Rare-grade Guiding Beacon could add over three hundred people;

Each additional Outstanding-grade Guiding Beacon could add over one thousand people;

And currently, he had two Outstanding-grade beacons, five Rare-grade beacons, and Common-grade beacons…

He’d take the gamble!

Mu Yuan bought all three scrolls.

He gained the opportunity to advance his territory to Level 5 and a batch of essential Treasures;

The Mystery merchant Qi Ye earned substantial performance—everyone had a bright future.

Not long after, the Mystery merchant departed, his figure vanishing into the vast mist.

Mu Yuan stared at the Treasures in his hand and began planning.

It wasn’t as simple as just using the three Refugee Recruitment Scrolls in one go.

“My current population deficit is over fourteen thousand. If all goes well, using all three scrolls should cover this gap, but…”

“A sudden influx of over ten thousand refugees in a short time would have a massive impact on the territory. Mishandling it could lead to major chaos!”

The current population of his Tianyuan Territory was only slightly over ten thousand.Fortunately, his territory had more soldiers than residents. He still had over 2,600 elite troops who had already awakened self-awareness.

Among them, the minor elites not assigned to the main force were currently undertaking patrol duties within the territory.

Many long-term residents could also be mobilized to form temporary patrol teams and guidance teams.

However, besides management, the food and accommodation issues for the newly recruited residents needed to be properly arranged.

City Lord’s Manor.

Isloria Avatar Secretary, dressed in professional attire, held a work notebook. “Thanks to our ongoing territory expansion, we currently have vacant residences that can accommodate over 4,000 more residents.”

“Four thousand is quite far from over ten thousand. However, our Tianyuan Territory’s accommodation standards have always been high. If we squeeze in, the currently vacant residences can accommodate over 13,000 people. After constructing some temporary shelters, we can meet the housing needs of the new residents.”

“As for food, we have massive reserves. Even if the population doubles, we won’t face any pressure. This is also because we haven’t sold any grain externally since the territory migrated.”

After all, there was nowhere to sell.

Their Tianyuan Territory, with Flower Spirit and other nature spirits and fairies, was miles ahead of other territories in crop cultivation.

Housing and food weren’t problems.

Rather, clothing and daily necessities were in short supply in the territory’s reserves.

Although Mu Yuan advocated for the 996 work system, he wouldn’t make residents live in slum-like conditions. Isloria felt the same. Otherwise, standard housing meant for 4,000 people could accommodate far more than 13,000 when squeezed – even 40,000 wouldn’t be a problem.

Since they were his residents, he had to take full responsibility.

This was a Lord’s basic principle.

“Indeed, this master is still too kind-hearted.”

…

Mu Yuan quickly assigned various tasks.

He went to the Secret Realm and spent a fortune purchasing large quantities of basic daily necessities.

Lu Liu began selecting a group of loyal, reliable, and reasonably ranked strong men from the residents to form the Resident Security Corps, preparing to gradually set up guiding beacons several kilometers outside the territory.

Isloria was drafting expansion plans; Isloria was establishing new resident registration departments; Isloria was conducting financial estimates; Islo…

Deadbone was fully responsible for external warfare to ensure everything proceeded smoothly during the massive refugee recruitment period.

The large-scale recruitment had no major issues but constant minor problems.

Mu Yuan kept traveling back and forth to the Secret Realm, purchasing various basic supplies and the main/auxiliary materials needed for Miracle Building construction.

After two days, Tianyuan Territory’s treasury had significantly shrunk.

“That should be enough.”

“We don’t have much time to prepare slowly.”

Mu Yuan used the first Refugee Recruitment Scroll.

Hum—

「Prompt: You are using ‘Refugee Recruitment Scroll (Excellent)’. Within the next 24 hours, large numbers of refugees will be guided here.」

「Prompt:…」

As soon as the prompt disappeared, the Guiding Beacons standing inside and outside the territory’s City Walls began emitting invisible, undetectable ripples of rules.

In an instant, they pierced through the world and universe.

The next moment,

In an area outside Tianyuan Territory, thick white mist surged up. Dozens of seconds later, over a dozen refugees in ragged clothes with sallow complexions emerged from the gradually dispersing fog.

Their faces showed clear confusion and astonishment.”Attention, 26th Reception Squad, attention, 26th Reception Squad. Proceed immediately to coordinates (XX, XX) to guide the refugees.”

At the command center, Lu Liu surveyed the entire territory through the Hero’s vision, conducting orderly command.

But just as this reception squad had set out, white mists emerged successively in the southern, western, and southwestern parts of the territory… soon revealing groups of refugees ranging from over a dozen to several dozen people.

The vast majority of refugees were ordinary individuals without any special skill attributes. Measured by tier standards, they were classified as below ordinary tier.

Yet not all ordinary refugees appeared ragged and malnourished. They came from all over the world, each with different pasts.

They might have experienced displacement and hardship before.

Now, they all followed the mysterious guidance of heaven and earth, passing through the mist to reach their new home.

It was precisely their deep-seated yearning for stable lives that brought them here.

“Among these over ten thousand settlers, perhaps a few SR or SSR talents might emerge?”

(End of Chapter)