Chapter 381 – Fortune Fox Lady, Great Victory at Dragon Ridge Mountain

This great domain was actually first discovered and settled by living forces such as Nature’s Garden and Boulder Mountain Ridge.

But Minister Qin simply ignored this fact.

In his eyes, forces like Nature’s Garden and Boulder Mountain Ridge were merely small countries, with each nation being inferior to even a single territory under his command. These small countries hadn’t integrated with the international community either, leaving this domain’s name blank in international records. Thus, wasn’t it natural to consider the Tianyuan Lord as the first discoverer?

“Naming a great domain?”

Mu Yuan pondered.

This matter wasn’t particularly significant, yet not entirely trivial either.

On one hand, it represented an extraordinary honor that would be eternally recorded in history for future generations to admire. Many Pioneer Lords were driven by this aspiration for ‘eternal fame’, continuously exploring and expanding in hopes of discovering new continents.

Beyond honor, the lord or explorer who discovered a great domain also possessed priority rights to exploit its resources.

However, this was merely priority.

The discoverer only had the right to name the great domain, not to claim ownership over it.

This was unclaimed land, vast and boundless, containing numerous unknown territories. Naturally, the first person to set foot on this continent couldn’t claim possession.

“Naming a great domain doesn’t require excessive importance. After all, it’s just the name of a domain. I believe we’ll have opportunities to discover and name more great domains in the future,” Mu Yuan thought.

Thus he rejected flamboyant names like Celestial Origin Domain.

He also feared that powerful individuals from other major nations might follow the clues and track them down. His Tianyuan City was still quite distant from the Taixuan Territory.

Domain names typically related to the environment or characteristics of the great domain.

It wasn’t that arbitrary naming was impossible, but there was no necessity for it.

After discussing with Deadbone, Isloria, and others for merely half an hour, Mu Yuan gave Old Qin his decision.

“Let’s call it ‘Ten Directions Island’.”

“Ten Directions Island? Not bad, simple and memorable. I’ll report this name accordingly,” Minister Qin nodded.

With the great domain named, subsequent applications for observation bases, small warzones, and other matters could be promptly arranged. Otherwise, without a domain name, the clerks handling procedures and writing reports would likely face considerable headaches. The entire approval process would also take much longer.

…

Over the next few days, Minister Qin, Shen Linglong, and the Flying Flame Lord departed one after another.

The Crushed Rock Lord gathered with other powerful figures including General Flowing Arrow and Microstar who had rushed from the rear and other warzones, along with the White Shark Lord.

The Arrow Sword Master wore a navy blue mandarin jacket. Instead of entering the city, he stood atop a distant barren mountain, overlooking the vast land.

“General Flowing Arrow has always been like this, appearing even more unapproachable than the Cold Moon City Lord,” remarked the Crushed Rock Lord. “But don’t be fooled by his demeanor – he’s actually warm-hearted beneath the cold exterior.”

Microstar and the White Shark Lord, however, were quite enthusiastic.

Among them, Microstar served as vice president of the Star Gazing Association and held the rank of 5-star Pioneer Lord. He bore elegant titles such as ‘Star Gazing Great Master’, ‘Man of the Stars’, and ‘Micro-operation Master’.

He had named multiple new great domains and ranked among the Pioneer Lords with the most discoveries of new great domains within the Pioneer Group.

The White Shark Lord was also a 5-star Pioneer Lord.Within the Pioneer Group, he might only be slightly more renowned than the Crushed Rock Lord, but his fame in the Taixuan Alliance and the Xuan Nation far surpasses that of the Crushed Rock Lord.

He is the founder of the White Shark Group.

And the White Shark Group is a major corporation within the Taixuan Alliance, with its business spanning many Great Domains.

Mu Yuan had heard of the White Shark Group’s reputation as early as his novice days.

At that time, the new Lords cultivated by the White Shark Group were still strong contenders on the Trial Gold Ranking.

Little did he expect that, in just a year, he would meet the chairman of White Shark.

With social statuses not too far apart.

“Long have I admired your reputation.”

“Long have I admired your reputation.”

White Shark, too, had long admired Tianyuan’s fame.

He had taken notice of Tianyuan’s existence from the very beginning, and at that time, he had investigated Tianyuan’s identity, wanting to see who this newcomer was and what background he had.

However, before he could uncover anything, he heard that Tianyuan had skyrocketed like a rocket, soon hailed as the top young talent in Taixuan.

Overpowering all rivals at the Festival Grounds;

Emerging victorious in the Dragon Court Competition;

And now, he had heard that Tianyuan was capable of facing Legends head-on, even slaying a Legendary Realm expert.

How long had it been since he became a Lord?

To say he wasn’t envious or jealous would be impossible. If he, White Shark, had been able to become a representative in the Dragon Court Competition back in the day, he could have saved himself several years of detours.

However, Tianyuan was neither the first prodigy Lord to evoke his envy and jealousy, nor would he be the last.

By now, his state of mind had calmed considerably compared to his younger days.

Rather than envying others’ talents, it was better to build relationships while they were still young and hadn’t fully grown—this was what a merchant ought to do.

Before arriving, the White Shark Lord had no idea that this transit station was the Tianyuan Territory. It was only upon meeting and exchanging a few words that he quickly formulated his strategy.

The previous peerless top Lord of his generation, Han Yue, was somewhat aloof and unapproachable; before he could establish a connection, she had already ascended to a high position in Taixuan.

The one before that, the Arrow Sword Master, another peerless top Lord of the same era, hadn’t been so dazzling at first; by the time he was ready to build a relationship, the Arrow Sword Master had already embarked on an invincible path.

And this era’s Tianyuan Lord seemed like someone not difficult to approach.

He could leverage his group’s advantages to gradually build a closer relationship. In a few years, when the Tianyuan Lord ascended to a high position in Taixuan, his White Shark Group would have already established a sufficiently solid network of interests with the Tianyuan Territory.

Plan accomplished.

He said, “I will leave one of my generals here. He will be fully responsible for the specific cooperation matters.”

Mu Yuan certainly wouldn’t refuse commercial cooperation, especially with a large-scale merchant guild like the White Shark Group, which ranked among the top in the Taixuan Alliance and possessed numerous channels and trade routes.

As for the specific cooperation framework and terms…

“Our Tianyuan City also has dedicated personnel in charge.”

…

Soon, the experts of the surprise attack team all departed, and the entire Tianyuan City quieted down once more. Only the general left behind by the White Shark Lord to handle commercial negotiations and a Fourth-Order Expert left by Minister Qin for liaison remained.

In the Southern District of Tianyuan City, beside Tianyuan Square, stood a six-story building—this was the headquarters of the Guangyuan Merchant Guild.

However, after the territory’s relocation, the guild’s development had come to a complete standstill.

It wasn’t until recently, when the Tianyuan Territory defeated the regional nemesis Jackal Fang and opened the passage to the Twilight Great Domain, that the guild officially resumed operations.Tianyuan Territory produces a vast array of basic materials—Black Iron Ore, Red Copper Ore, Sharp Crystal, and Bronze Crystal (though the latter has yet to be mined).

Trading these materials through the Secret Realm channels incurs excessive additional costs and yields minimal profits.

Moreover, the number of territories connected by public Secret Realms is ultimately limited, while the Eternal World is boundless.

Daisy, who had been idle for months with no real work and could only take on part-time jobs at the Town Hall and the Academy, was now giving it her all, firing on all cylinders.

“The journey to Stone Ridge City is long, and the costs for transportation and guards are relatively high, but… we can look here, here, and here. Between Tianyuan City and Stone Ridge City, there are several pioneering camps and outposts. We can take a slight detour on our way to Stone Ridge City to sell supplies to these camps, which could yield significant profits.”

“Xiao Li, I need the first batch of product lists by this afternoon.”

“A Long, go discuss the guard team personnel with Commander Niu Si.”

“I need to find the Lord and see if I can secure the Mechanical Dragon. With that vehicle, our efficiency could increase by 1.85 times. Additionally, we need to apply to the Forging Department to craft at least ten medium-sized spatial storage boxes, and…”

Daisy continuously assigned and delegated tasks.

She wasn’t doing this for Contribution Points.

Her need for Contribution Points was minimal. Even if she just idled away her time handling some official duties at the Town Hall, her salary would still allow her to live comfortably. She had no desire for power, nor was she in any hurry to evolve.

But how could she respond to the Lord saving them from despair with laziness? Offering herself was beyond her station, so she would give her all to contribute to the territory!

Isloria held multiple positions single-handedly, managing the territory’s affairs with impeccable order;

Sophia was in charge of the crucial intelligence department; Sickle Moon was slaying Legendary Realm experts on the battlefield;

Ailin played a vital role at the Academy.

With the activation of the merchant association, Daisy’s inner universe blazed with determination. She was resolved to build the merchant association, make it grow and thrive, and let its name resound throughout Taixuan and across the entire Eternal Continent.

When Daisy entered the City Lord’s Mansion, Mu Yuan also had something to discuss with her.

“Negotiating cooperation with the White Shark Group? No problem, I’ll definitely secure the best terms for our Tianyuan Territory! I recall the White Shark Group’s main business is… If we can utilize these routes of theirs in the Twilight Great Domain, it could generate considerable profits. Also…”

She listed the White Shark Group’s advantageous products, trade routes, and merchant association outposts.

She also mentioned that the White Shark Group’s demands would likely involve binding contracts, such as priority purchasing rights for future minerals produced in Tianyuan Territory, real estate acquisitions in Tianyuan Territory, and so on.

“Handle it as you see fit. Just show me the finalized agreement.”

Mu Yuan knew his limits; in this area, he was no match for Daisy.

Daisy was also well aware of Tianyuan Territory’s situation and potential, so she naturally wouldn’t concede on certain long-term clauses.

Cooperation could only be achieved on the premise of mutual benefit.

However,

mutual benefit could also mean the partner wins once, while they win three or four times.Daisy continued, “Our commerce is currently not well-known. Without the supply of goods from the territory, our only external shop is also struggling with poor business. This time, as our commerce project restarts, it’s like making a comeback. I have an idea: could we rename the commerce to ‘Tianyuan,’ so that it can leverage the reputation of our territory to quickly open up the market in the early stages?”

Mu Yuan pondered.

When the commerce was named before, it was partly based on the practices of many major commerce in Taixuan, where the name of the commerce often wasn’t the same as the territory’s name.

Like First Hand Commerce, Red Lotus Commerce, Nine Profound Commerce, Medicine God Commerce.

However, many large commerce aren’t owned by a single entity but are jointly invested by several territories and wealthy merchants.

A single territory can hardly support a large commerce spanning multiple Great Domains.

Even White Shark Commerce isn’t fully controlled by the White Shark Lord.

For his own commerce, Mu Yuan had no intention of involving other capital. The fundamental purpose of establishing the commerce was to serve the territory and sell its goods, not to rely on commerce to grow strong and powerful.

The second reason, and the most direct one, was that back then, if the commerce had been named ‘Tianyuan,’ the Tianyuan Territory might have been easily traced by enemies.

But times have changed again.

His Tianyuan Territory may not be very strong, but at least it now has a bit of self-defense capability.

Commerce trade also extends far and wide, so using the name ‘Tianyuan’ is indeed more appropriate.

“Approved.”

“Thank you, Boss, for granting permission!”

As Daisy was about to leave, Mu Yuan called out, “Wait, there’s no rush with the commercial cooperation, and the commerce team matter can’t be hurried either. Come with me first.”

“Wh-where are we going?”

“Where? To the Dragon Mound Secret Realm, of course. Have you forgotten about the new site for the evolution grounds?”

“Oh…”

…

Nowadays, the Tianyuan Territory has over a hundred epic-level generals. As for important long-term employees like Daisy, who are well-known by name, Mu Yuan certainly wouldn’t forget them.

If he hadn’t taken the initiative to arrange it, Daisy wouldn’t have even applied for the evolution ceremony.

He didn’t know what she was saving so many Contribution Points in her account for.

It seemed that aside from her passion for making money, she was quite indifferent to everything else.

Daisy’s evolution ceremony was quickly arranged.

After all, epic evolution only requires 5,000 Evolution Points, and sometimes he schedules several or even over a dozen ceremonies in a single day.

He didn’t care how much of the epic power Daisy could unleash.

At least after evolution, Daisy would gain some additional self-preservation ability. As the head of the commerce, being too weak really wouldn’t do.

Given Daisy’s willpower and talent, if she remained at Outstanding Three-Star tier, she likely wouldn’t have a chance to break through to Legendary in her lifetime.

Even if she evolved to Epic One-Star life, Mu Yuan estimated that her chances of breaking through to Legendary were at best fifty-fifty, and it might take decades or even longer.

But no matter, the power of evolution would take care of it.

Epic radiance soared into the sky, stirring up clouds and mist Inside the Secret Realm. Purple clouds emerged from the distant horizon, lingering for quite some time before slowly dispersing.

Ding!

Notification: Your unit ‘Daisy’ has undergone the evolution baptism and ascended to Epic One-Star life ‘Heavenly Fortune Fox Woman,’ awakening the epic-level talent ‘Friendly Fox’ during the evolution baptism.

—

Friendly Fox”Note: Under normal circumstances, Daisy will not attract any enemy aggression. Even if she performs actions that would normally provoke hostility, the animosity in enemies’ hearts will gradually diminish. This animosity includes feelings of ‘rejection’, ‘opposition’, ‘disgust’, etc.”

“Remark: This talent can only take effect passively.”

Passively effective talents often have subtle effects that manifest slowly.

The advantage, however, is that this influence doesn’t even qualify as a skill effect and won’t raise any alarms. It’s similar to how people naturally tend to have more favorable impressions of those with attractive appearances.

This talent is quite suitable for Daisy, who isn’t particularly skilled in combat.

In fact, it seems to have significant unexpected effectiveness in business negotiations as well.

Mu Yuan looked at the Fox Woman figure gradually emerging from the white light, not noticing any particular changes in Daisy. If he had to describe it, her demeanor had become more noble, and her white fox tail appeared more vibrant and radiant, making one want to give it a good pet.

…

While Daisy was evolving, the surprise attack team led by the Arrow Sword Master arrived at the Land of Red Mist, passing right before Black Crow’s eyes.

They ventured deep into the Red Mist Region and soon disappeared from view.

For the next hour, two hours, ten hours, twenty hours – the scene in Black Crow’s vision remained the unchanging drifting crimson mist.

“The red mist’s interference with visibility is still too severe. The battle has probably already begun,” Mu Yuan thought.

But he had no intention of ordering Black Crow to venture deeper into the Land of Red Mist.

In an area where Legendary Realm beings were commonplace, Black Crow’s concealment abilities couldn’t be considered particularly strong. After all, Black Crow’s creator, Lord Mu, was merely at the Peak of Fourth Order, possessing only 80% of Sophie Crow’s crow power.

Sending Black Crow deeper into the Land of Red Mist would be suicidal. If it accidentally alerted the enemy and raised their vigilance, that would be an even greater sin.

Suddenly,

The pervasive crimson mist abruptly dissipated significantly.

In Black Crow’s vision, a figure stood at the edge of the sky dome.

The distance was extreme.

With drifting red mist still separating them.

Theoretically, even with Black Crow’s slight ‘Nightshade Eyes’ talent, it shouldn’t be able to see clearly.

But when Black Crow looked toward the figure in the sky dome, Mu Yuan suddenly saw clearly.

Navy blue mandarin jacket, crimson red longsword.

It was indeed the Arrow Sword Master!

He appeared as the center of heaven and earth, incredibly conspicuous and prominent.

With one swing of his sword, the entire world seemed to flow with him. A cyan spatial rift tore across the sky dome and split the earth.

It seemed,

That even the wind brushing against the created Black Crow’s ears from this distant location had become sharp and piercing.

Or perhaps it wasn’t just seeming.

Imperceptibly, several feathers fell from the created Black Crow, damaged by the wind.

And at this moment, Black Crow could clearly see that the red mist had indeed thinned.

The crimson mist throughout the surrounding heavens and earth was visibly thinning and receding.

…

“The red mist tide has receded!”

“Brothers, the time for counterattack has come!”

“Follow General Qingxin, charge!”

“Slay the monsters, eliminate the legends, military merits are calling to us!”

As the mist tide retreated, the Legendary Realm beings fiercely attacking the Pioneer Fortress suddenly hesitated.

The most elite among the legendary beings appeared shocked and astonished, immediately retreating toward the outer domains without hesitation.

But the prepared experts of the Pioneer Group quickly intercepted these top-tier legendary beings.

The great battle in the sky dome continued.On the ground, Fourth-Order Experts also led their corps, resonating with military souls as they charged out from the fortresses, shattering the monstrous tide and cutting down bewildered monster experts and legendary creatures whose morale had plummeted and formations lay in disarray.

Tyrant Dragon Lord and Limitless Lord were among them.

They had become the strongest combatants on the battlefield below the Legendary Realm.

By resonating with military souls, they now possessed the qualification to raise their sabers and swords against legendary monsters.

“Never expected the big shots to be this formidable! I heard such large-scale counteroffensive opportunities are once-in-a-thousand-years events. Normally we wouldn’t encounter this even after decades.”

“After this battle concludes, both of us should get promoted to Two-Star Pioneer Lords.”

“Heh heh, after promotion we’ll be senior pioneers. This time we’ve truly left Tianyuan behind in Pioneer Star Rank. Not just that – my Crimson Abyssal Dragon descendant is getting closer to the Legendary Realm. Perhaps we might even have a chance to break through to Legendary Realm earlier than Tianyuan. After all, Tianyuan’s been plagued by misfortune – he definitely doesn’t have opportunities like ours.”

In the world of Lords, opportunities often matter more than innate talent.

Though opportunities themselves are a form of natural endowment.

This time, encountering this massive counteroffensive with chances to slay legendary monsters represented a tremendous opportunity.

Tyrant Dragon Lord fixed his gaze on a panicked fleeing kobold legend in the distance. Leading his legion, their military soul manifested into a faint giant dragon phantom.

The entire thousand-soldier corps spread like dragon wings, soaring through the air toward the distant target.

This was an epic campaign.

Historically recorded as the Dragon Spine Mountain Victory, where several Pioneer Lords made monumental contributions.

(End of Chapter)