Chapter 45 – Charge, Dolai!

While Mu Yuan received a large batch of supplies and began full-scale construction and development with full force, other novice quasi-Lords were doing the same.

Though they didn’t have Mu Yuan’s extra three thousand Contribution Points, some novices received supplies that were not only no less than his, but even more.

“Young man, cooperating with our White Shark Group is definitely your wisest choice. Our White Shark Group not only has considerable influence domestically, but also in the Eternal World. Our group operates a large cross-regional chamber of commerce, possesses multiple medicinal herb cultivation parks, and maintains trade relationships with many Lords.”

“In short, by choosing our White Shark Group, we can provide you with a free villa and a batch of much-needed supplies for this period. This will not only help you smoothly pass the Lord trial, but might even give you a chance to compete for the Heaven and Earth Reward Rankings.”

A commoner player looked at the contract document, seeing the various valuable items and the luxuriously decorated villa, and without hesitation eagerly signed his name.

…

“Our Red Lotus Group operates in multiple fields including medicinal herb cultivation, potion refining, and equipment manufacturing. In the Eternal World, we possess 12 territories and 128 cooperative territories. Those who receive invitations from our Red Lotus Group are naturally outstanding among novice Lords.”

“For this purpose, our Red Lotus Group has introduced Type A and Type B contracts. Everyone can review them and choose suitable cooperation methods. With the assistance of our Red Lotus Group, we believe you will rapidly develop your territories and achieve excellent rankings during the trial.”

…

When the resource assessment ended yesterday, various outstanding novices received invitations from major groups one after another.

After all, unlike previous novices with uncertain futures, these officially recognized novices already had a relatively high probability of passing the Lord trial, making them promising prospects.

Investing in these novices carried little risk of loss.

If enough investments were made to spread the risk, there would be almost no loss at all.

Naturally, different groups could offer different amounts of supplies to novices and had different requirements.

Some groups invested simply to earn Soul Sand profits, while more groups aimed to establish cooperative relationships with Lords, having them prioritize providing certain raw materials in the future, or allocating land within their territories to build cultivation parks.

Mu Yuan didn’t know much about the specifics because he directly rejected the XX Group representative who contacted him by phone with a “don’t think about it, don’t want it, goodbye” triple refusal.

Investment? Hmph, a real man should rely on his own strength.

However, those desperately competing weren’t limited to these ‘Group Lords’ who accepted investments – official Lords were also competing fiercely.

Baijiang City, Vice President’s Office.

“The four novices from our Baijiang Four Cities who chose to follow the official Lord path have been reported, totaling four people,” the responsible person reported.

Jiang Cheng glanced at it briefly and nodded slightly without saying much.

Beside him, a tall, thin old man with a goatee took the document and made a surprised sound. “That young man named Mu Yuan isn’t on the list? Didn’t you extend an invitation to him?”

Such outstanding commoner novices had always been highly sought after by various factions.

“I asked him personally. That kid wants to take the individual Lord path,” Jiang Cheng said.”Personal route?” The old man with a goatee widened his eyes. “This is far too arrogant. Countless newcomers have failed by taking the personal Lord path, only to be forced to accept corporate investments in the end. By that time, not only have they missed the most crucial early development period, but the contract terms become much harsher. So many talented newcomers have fallen by the wayside because of this, some even losing their lives in the Eternal World.”

“I actually agree with it.”

Jiang Cheng spoke up, cutting off the goatee man mid-sentence and leaving him gaping in astonishment.

“The personal Lord path is indeed full of thorns, but a real man should charge forward courageously rather than lie down early. Besides…”

This kid Mu Yuan had talent, Heart-Nature, and luck. Though possessing these didn’t guarantee he could go far on this path, Jiang Cheng felt it was worth a try.

As long as he could withstand the hardships of the Early Stage, he could go much further in the future.

Of course, the main reason was that this kid was extremely determined to follow the personal Lord path.

The strong always walk alone with conviction.

He admired that greatly.

Therefore, Jiang Cheng gave him a push, intercepting many recruitment attempts from major corporations for Mu Yuan. Otherwise, the corporate invitations wouldn’t just be annoying phone calls but would find ways to show up at his doorstep.

…

While others were entering rapid development phases, Mu Yuan didn’t dare relax either.

“I heard that Liver Emperor accepted investment from a major corporation with quite a good reputation and is now having the time of his life.”

“I heard some second-generation Lords and top-tier second-generation heirs didn’t participate in the resource assessment. They weren’t coveting those supplies and felt it beneath them to compete, yet these second-generation heirs are actually the strongest newcomers and formidable competitors on the trial rankings.”

“I heard that the eight southern provinces of Xuan Nation are all located in the ‘Twilight Plains’ region, so the Lord trials are conducted simultaneously, making everyone competitors.”

“I heard…”

After checking more detailed trial information and combining it with some news heard from Frog-Selling Bro, Mu Yuan suddenly felt a surge of urgency.

He didn’t dare browse his phone or idle on forums anymore. The batch of Treasures he exchanged hadn’t arrived yet, and thinking he shouldn’t waste time, Mu Yuan called his troops and headed outside the territory.

He needed to hunt, he needed to work hard to earn his keep.

To improve efficiency, Mu Yuan had already split his forces into two teams – one led by Deadbone, and one he personally commanded… This was only possible because the territory’s strength had gradually increased.

His team included three Generals – Bone Two, Bone Three, and the recently evolved Skeleton Warrior Bone Four – along with Dolai and other Large Slimes, plus three sentries, three archers, eight Skeleton Soldiers, and one War Falcon. It could be said his team was quite impressive.

They cut down gods when encountering gods, killed wolves when meeting wolves.

This was the advantage of Lord players – going out surrounded by followers, powerful and safe, unlike ranger players who could only command a few troops and might die with one careless move…

“Whoosh—”

Suddenly, a sharp sound pierced their eardrums as the distant forest rustled.

A thick, long wooden javelin pierced through the air, shooting past several Skeleton Soldiers and sentries, heading straight for Mu Yuan.

It came too suddenly!

After all, Mu Yuan was just an ordinary person with insufficient mental reaction speed. Even though he barely realized what was happening and his game character leaned sideways following his instinctive reaction, diving to the side, he was still too slow.

What could you expect from someone with only the strength of one skeleton?Fortunately, three sentinel guards stood firmly around him. Even though they hadn’t been prepared earlier, their large shields were still raised, and with just a slight adjustment, they blocked the trajectory of the wooden spear.

Bang—!

In Mu Yuan’s constricted pupils, the wooden spear pierced straight through the shield. The immense force sent the sentinel guard stumbling backward. Fragments from the shattered spear and broken shield scattered like blades, cutting into the guard’s exposed areas not covered by armor, drawing streams of blood.

Some fragments also struck Mu Yuan but were blocked by the specially crafted lightweight player armor he wore. However, one fragment was about to slash his handsome, chiseled face.

He was going to be disfigured!

Clang—!

A faint, egg-shaped white light barrier suddenly appeared, deflecting the flying fragment.

Mu Yuan remained in a half-crouched posture, his heart beginning to race, but his mind was exceptionally calm at that moment.

He quickly directed the three sentinel guards to press their shields tightly together, leaving no gaps, and ordered Dolai and the other Large Slimes to cling to the surroundings, ready to defend and form a shield wall.

Only then did he have the chance to reflect on other matters.

“Was that white light from the Amulet?”

Sure enough, the Amulet hanging around his neck now bore a faint crack, having withstood the disfiguring strike for him.

But the question remained: Who was ambushing him, a novice Lord who had only been here for seven or eight days? Who was it?

In the distance, the bushes rustled, and one after another, green-skinned goblins with fierce fangs leaped out. Most were ordinary goblins, but they were taller and sturdier than typical wild goblins, clad in leather armor and armed with spears, appearing fully equipped for battle.

Among them was an exceptionally burly Great Goblin, clad in thick plate armor, with a blue face and sharp fangs.

Yet, they had been completely concealed in the distant grass earlier, without a single trace of movement, and even the War Falcon in the sky hadn’t detected anything unusual.

They had come prepared.

Wasn’t the danger this novice Lord was facing way beyond the norm?!

Bone Two, the vanguard General, charged forward immediately, lifting a broken, thick tree trunk enveloped in strands of black light. It swung the trunk down with immense force.

Boom—!

The ground trembled. Even the ordinary goblins clad in leather armor were instantly crushed into goblin paste by Bone Two’s strike.

Before Mu Yuan could marvel at Bone Two’s explosive power, he swiftly issued commands.

Archers began to shoot, and Skeleton Soldiers intercepted and engaged the enemies.

However, the sentinel guards and archers were only Level 2, making them of limited use.

The goblins on the other side seemed numerous, possibly twenty or thirty in total, all elites. The Great Goblin in plate armor was especially formidable, sending a Skeleton Soldier flying several meters with a single punch. Mu Yuan appraised it as Level 7 or 8.

“Moreover, these goblins are advancing and retreating in an orderly manner. We must break their formation first.”

“Large Slimes, use Mountain Crush!”

Numbers Two and Three, two large blobs of jelly, immediately activated their Leap Strike skill. They leaped high into the air, and in the next moment, a massive shadow fell over the goblins.

Boom—!

The large Slimes landed with a heavy thud.

Dust billowed, and grass and debris flew everywhere.

The direct damage from the attack wasn’t particularly significant, but the impact was undeniably dramatic.

Dolai widened its eyes, imitating its companions by stretching its body, compressing like a spring, and leaping high the next second.

It leaped about one and a half meters before landing with a splat.Dolai: “⊙_⊙”

Mu Yuan: “……” He had thought Dolai might follow Deadbone’s example and achieve a last-minute Epiphany. Turns out he was being too optimistic.

Wait, he had just restocked a batch of Slimes yesterday, and there were some accumulated from before. Calculating the time, it should be about right.

He murmured internally.

「Slime Evolution Points: 5.11」

Outside, metal clashed against metal, javelins tore through the sky, stone fragments and wood splinters flew everywhere, and deafening roars erupted one after another.

Mu Yuan looked at Dolai beside him. “It’s time to awaken your power, Dolai.”

“Guji?”

It didn’t understand, but the next second, a brilliant white light enveloped it, dispelling the gray haze.

The latter half of this chapter has been revised — 18:00

——

Thanks to ‘Molangxie’ and ‘Tingyuyinlou’ for the tips~

(End of Chapter)