Chapter 472 – War Zone Authority, Commander Mu's Motivation Methods

Outside Red Mountain City.

A beam of starlight descended through the darkness, tracing a three-meter-tall, two-meter-wide Star Gate upon an unnamed hill.

Mu Yuan stepped through the gate shimmering with brilliant starlight, accompanied by a slight discomfort from spatial rotation and the shifting of heaven and earth, thus crossing over.

“This is truly convenient.”

The Isloria-brand teleportation spell received Lord Mu’s seal of approval.

As he set foot upon the land of Red Mountain City, the familiar prompt from the world timely resounded.

Ding!

Prompt: You have entered the Shattered Isle Warzone.

Prompt: Detected Taixuan Alliance faction identity. You gain the following bonuses:

①: Energy recovery rate +200%.

②: Elemental affinity +20%.

③: Control over the power of heaven and earth +20%.

④: Cultivation speed +10%.

…

Prompt: You have acquired the ally identification mark.

…

Prompt: Your current identity is Commander of the Shattered Isle Warzone. You gain 2.5 times the base bonuses.

Prompt: You can appoint designated Lords, troop types, and professionals to important positions (limited number). Appointees gain 1.2~1.8 times the base rewards.

Prompt: You have acquired the Warzone Commander authorities: “Global Heavenly Voice (10/10)”, “Commander’s Heavenly Eye (10/10)”, “Warzone Power (2/2)”.

Prompt: While holding the Commander authority, you possess the highest management rights over Miracle Buildings within the warzone. Warzone miracle territories can be partially regarded as your own territory.

Prompt: You can view warzone information and exchange item information. You have the right to make certain adjustments based on this.

Prompt: You can initiate pioneering wars. During such wars, you gain additional contributions based on the number of enemies slain by all Lords, professionals, and troop types in the warzone.

Prompt: …

The prompts came one after another, so numerous that Mu Yuan simply stood in place, spacing out for several seconds.

He spaced out so much that Isloria even waved her hand in front of his face repeatedly.

Seeing her Lord so dazed made her feel quite weary.

Prompt: Appoint ‘Isloria (Hero)’ to the third-level position of the Shattered Isle Warzone? This position grants…

Isloria also froze in place.

The third-level position was a high-ranking warzone role second only to the deputy commander. In critical moments, it could directly take control over the operation of many Miracle Buildings within the warzone, and also held command rights, management rights, appointment rights, and so on.

High-ranking warzone figures like the commander and deputy commander could not command the troops of other Lords.

The soldiers of my soldiers are not my soldiers.

However, in necessary situations, the commander could directly command the Pioneer Lords within this warzone.

The warzone also contained some restricted areas that only those with high authority could freely enter and exit.

The third-level position was the highest post Mu Yuan could grant, and the number was extremely limited. But he needed Isloria’s assistance to significantly reduce the immense workload.

The advanced positions he held in his own hands could also be used to win over powerful Pioneer Lords.

But he would decide that later; he didn’t even have enough positions for his own generals.

Mu Yuan methodically sorted through the authorities of the Warzone Commander.

The appointment authority—he had already tested it on Isloria.”In terms of conventional buffs, the Shattered Isle Warzone can’t compare to the Cold Valley Mountain Warzone, which is normal. What’s surprising is that the gap isn’t too large.”

“I can personally receive up to a 2.5x base buff.”

For abilities like manipulating the power of Heaven and Earth, he has already gained a 50% enhancement.

This amplification is an additional improvement based on his own optimal condition.

There is no dilution of the buffs whatsoever.

This provides a very significant and substantial boost to his combat power.

The stronger the individual, the greater the benefits.

However, by the third stage of the Legendary Realm, the influence of Heaven and Earth power on combat effectiveness becomes relatively low.

“The commander-in-chief has three war authorities: Global Heavenly Voice, Commander’s Heavenly Eye, and Warzone Power, though each has usage limits.”

Global Heavenly Voice is essentially a full-channel loudspeaker; the broader the warzone, the more effective this loudspeaker becomes, useful for issuing emergency announcements across the entire warzone.

For Mu Yuan, its utility isn’t particularly great.

He is a man with a mental network.

“Commander’s Heavenly Eye is similar to a lord’s overview perspective, but it possesses powerful insight abilities, capable of detecting hidden monster elites within the tides.” The only drawback is its limited usage, making it impractical for conventional battles.”

“Warzone Power is also an upgraded version of Lord Power, a decisive move where the commander gathers the strength of the entire army to stabilize the battle situation.”

Monster forces are actually far stronger than humans.

Humans can contend with various terrifying overlords using limited power by relying on favorable timing and geographical advantages. This favorable timing refers to the authorities granted by Heaven and Earth.

The will of Heaven and Earth in the Eternal World stands on the side of living beings.

Mu Yuan checked the information on the Shattered Isle Warzone again.

As a newly established warzone, the Shattered Isle Warzone covers a very small area.

The Cold Valley Mountain Warzone spans over ten thousand li.

What about the Shattered Isle Warzone? It only includes Red Mountain City and a few hundred li beyond.

However, the specifications of the Shattered Isle Warzone aren’t limited to this. He saw that the warzone can still ‘expand’ and ‘develop,’ but to exercise this authority, he needs the support of at least two deputy commanders.

Of course, this authority can only be exercised by him, the commander-in-chief.

「Shattered Isle Warzone」

「Miracle Territories: 22, Total Range…」

「Warzone Pioneer → Dropdown to Expand ←」

「Commander-in-Chief: Tianyuan (Legendary Heaven-Earth Realm)」

「Deputy Commander: Green Mountain (Legendary God Soul Realm)」

「Deputy Commander: Yuchen (Legendary Heaven-Earth Realm)」

「Deputy Commander: Crushed Rock (Legendary Heaven-Earth Realm)」

Mu Yuan: “…”

Wait a moment, let me sort this out.

Isn’t the strength of our warzone a bit weak?

“So that’s why I became the commander-in-chief. Out of the three deputy commanders, only one is a God Soul Realm expert?”

Of course, it can’t be ruled out that the three deputy commanders have other God Soul Realm generals under their command.

The vast majority of those in the Legendary Realm spend their entire lives stuck at the Heaven-Earth Realm.

Just as most professionals never get a glimpse of the Legendary Realm in their lifetimes.

Even so, Mu Yuan still feels it’s too weak, and he has to carry the banner. Oh, he is the commander-in-chief, so it’s his responsibility to carry it.

Commander Mu arrived at Red Mountain City.

He immediately contacted the three deputy commanders.

Green Mountain, Yuchen, Crushed Rock.

Crushed Rock Lord is a man with a somewhat weathered look in his eyes, nearly forty years old. Mu Yuan already knows him.

Rain Dust Lord looks like a girl who just turned twenty, but it’s said she isn’t much younger than Crushed Rock Lord.Azure Mountain Lord was a young man with a youthful appearance, looking roughly the same age as Mu Someone.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Mu Yuan cut straight to the point.

“What are your views on the current situation?”

“What views can we have?” Rain Dust Lord said. “The Alliance’s bottom line for us is to hold this defensive line, but the enemy has already occupied the Shattered Isle Region. If we continue defending stubbornly, our disadvantages will only grow… After all, we lack strategic depth. Once high-Rank battles erupt, it’s easy for surrounding villages and cities to be affected or destroyed. My view is that it’s quite pessimistic.”

Crushed Rock Lord took over, “In the early stages, we conducted some reconnaissance, but Dragon’s Slumber Valley has already deployed heavy troops outside the entrance to the Shattered Isle Region passage. The moment we set foot in, we were ambushed. In such circumstances, forget about establishing bases, expanding warzones, and Miracle’s territory—we can’t even hold out for long.”

He added, “The Crimson Mist on the other side is very dense, just like in the Land of Red Mist. In such an environment, the enemy’s combat power is greatly enhanced, while we are severely affected. Moreover, in these Foul Lands created by Dragon’s Slumber Valley, enemies at the Soul Realm or even more terrifying higher existences can descend. We judge that we cannot seize their positions.”

“Wait…”

Mu Yuan interjected, “The enemy might have existences beyond the Soul Realm. How are we supposed to fight with our current forces? This is far from stable.”

Azure Mountain Lord agreed, “Exactly, it’s far from stable, the risks are extremely high. Of course, when the general offensive begins, the Alliance should send a powerful expert from the Third Realm to support us… but it will only be temporary assistance, not a permanent garrison in the warzone.”

“Even so, I still think a strong assault is very unwise—the risks are simply too great. Putting aside the Third Realm, we’d also have to face Legendary Realm enemies possibly numbering several times or even over ten times our forces. This is truly…”

He voiced all his concerns in one breath.

Fortunately, this Tianyuan Lord also seemed to be a stable individual, which gave him some peace of mind. What he feared most was having a commander who advocated charging recklessly into battle.

It was precisely because he felt incapable of bearing such heavy responsibilities that he had declined the commander position. Yet he still hoped for a capable and powerful commander to arrive.

Tianyuan wasn’t the top-tier lord he had hoped for.

He could only hope that Tianyuan would prove competent. At least for now, the several Generals from Tianyuan Territory had demonstrated considerable combat power, showing promising potential.

However, precisely because no top-tier lord had arrived, their high-end forces were rather stretched thin.

How should they break this deadlock?

…

The three deputy commanders were discussing.

Lord Mu was deep in thought.

“So you’re saying the key to breaking the deadlock is that we need to establish our own positions within the Shattered Isle Region? This would weaken the Crimson Mist erosion and prevent the enemy from completely corrupting the Shattered Isle Region before crushing us with overwhelming momentum?”

“Correct, but how to establish those positions is the real challenge.”

Green Mountain said.

Mu Yuan pointed his pen tip at the Shattered Isle Region and drew an arc around to the side.

“What if… I’m saying what if we could enter the Shattered Isle Region through another passage, avoiding Dragon Slumber’s main force? Would it be possible to establish warzone positions then?”

Such a passage was currently in his possession.

…

Red Mountain City, temporary rest area.

Mu Yuan rubbed his temples.”The plan is generally feasible, but it still requires more detailed analysis from the staff department to develop a comprehensive strategy. Additionally, the Alliance needs time to deploy strong reinforcements.”

Mu Yuan actually wished to launch a surprise attack immediately.

However, that was impossible.

The Taixuan Alliance was powerful, but such a strong and vast machine was composed of countless components. The Alliance’s operations couldn’t be rushed.

For now, they still had to firmly hold this area outside Red Mountain City.

At this point, Isloria, representing Tianyuan Territory and as the commander’s delegate, had already begun liaising with various pioneer legions and had taken over the majority of affairs.

Rakshasa had returned from his training in the Great Warzone. Although his time there was short, his experience as the commander of the guard camp was already richer than that of most Legendary Realm experts in the warzone.

He was stationed at the front lines, conducting patrols and inspections, identifying and filling gaps.

The construction and planning of the warzone, as well as the refinement of the surprise attack plan, were all handled by the staff department.

After making his rounds, Mu Yuan realized that despite being the warzone commander, he seemed…

He was idle.

Back in his territory, he still had to handle stamping documents and signing papers, acting as an emotionless approval tool. But in the warzone, most of these trivial tasks didn’t require the commander’s attention.

As long as the commander could fight, or the commander’s General could fight, that was sufficient.

The few minor tasks that remained were assisted by Isloria, leaving Commander Mu with ample leisure.

He felt somewhat guilty about having so much free time.

The soldiers on the front lines were still fighting.

However, unless a critical situation arose, it wasn’t appropriate for him as the commander to intervene directly. Any intervention would require a suitable occasion.

“What should a commander do?”

“Besides turning the tide at a critical moment, how else can we motivate the troops?”

Material rewards.

This was precisely why Taixuan had established a relatively fair system of contributions and military merits.

Mu Yuan opened the warzone exchange list.

The list wasn’t much different from the exchange list on the Taixuan Platform, except that the first few pages featured ‘warzone specialties’ that pioneers and Pioneer Lords in this warzone could obtain at discounted prices.

However, the Shattered Isle Warzone was newly established and lacked any unique Miracle Buildings. The specialties of the Shattered Isle Warzone were particularly meager.

—Just some ‘scraps’ dropped from monsters during these days of defending against Dragon’s Slumber Valley.

“What if I provided some specialties here myself?”

Mu Yuan stroked his chin.

Lords could send their own Treasures to the Alliance in exchange for Contribution Points. However, the official only accepted high-tier Treasures.

As the warzone commander now, he could provide some specialties for warzone pioneers to exchange, bypassing middlemen markups.

But what kind of Treasures could he offer that would be considered unique and extraordinarily attractive?

Did he even have such things?

He actually did.

In his palm, Mu Yuan gathered a wisp of miracle power visible only to himself.

This miracle power could be applied to units outside his own territory.

This was a change that appeared after his evolution power evolved further last time.

However, providing evolution to outsiders had drawbacks such as long duration and severe dissipation of evolution power.

Compared to evolving his own units, this seemed extremely cost-ineffective.

But for others, it might not appear that way.

Epic was a threshold.

Many Lords would go bankrupt just to obtain one Epic unit.”Evolving into an Epic isn’t that outrageous. Legendary lifeforms possess the ability to mass-produce Epics (crossed out). Various methods like bloodline purification, cultivation by Great Masters, Opportunities, Treasure Lands, and top-tier Miracle Buildings all have the chance to create Epics.”

“This is reasonable.”

“Firstly, this can motivate pioneers in the Warzone to fight bravely against enemies; secondly, it can enhance the Warzone’s strength—every bit counts; thirdly, my dwindling Contribution Points can quickly replenish.”

This could be called killing three birds with one stone.

Mu Yuan pondered for a moment and found it feasible.

He opened the Warzone panel and began editing.

「Epic Evolution Opportunity: A chance for an Outstanding Three-Star unit to advance toward Epic life evolution.」

「Applicable Scope: Most common unit types.」

「Success Rate: 92.66% (No side effects upon failure; no Contribution Points will be deducted if failed)」

「Slot Limit: 5. (Limited to pioneers in this Warzone)」

「Exchange Cost:……」

(End of Chapter)