Chapter 116: Should the Clan Territory Be Expanded?
As dazzling white light radiated outward, the token slowly rose into the air.
Like a protective barrier, a circular field of white light enveloped the surrounding area—about the size of two football fields.
[Confirm clan territory?]
As the one who activated the clan token, Konan could clearly feel that she could control the movement range of the light-covered zone at will.
It could be contracted or expanded.
Shrinking the territory was free. Expanding it, however, required the same material used to activate the clan token—Sarina's Heart.
Each heart expanded the territory by 20m × 20m.
[Waiting time: five hours]
"Everyone, hand over your silver hearts—trade them to me!"
Upon realizing the material's value, Konan reacted swiftly, shouting to all Dawn players nearby.
At the same time, she posted a message on the server:
[Paper Flower]: Buying [Sarina's Heart] for 40,000 reward points. Those selling, come to Blood Wasteland to trade with Dawn players.
In the server chat, which was usually filled with random banter and party invites, this sudden orange-glowing message instantly grabbed everyone's attention.
It was a hidden feature players had discovered.
Messages cost 20 reward points by default and appeared as plain black text.
For 200 reward points, players could highlight their message in glowing colors and have it pinned to the top of the server chat for half an hour.
But few players were willing to spend 200 points on a chat message unless it was truly urgent—usually, only faction leaders ever used it.
Like Paper Flower of the Dawn faction, the mysterious noble from the Land of Rain. Whether buying equipment or bidding at auctions, she had shown astonishing wealth and had somehow built a faction that rivaled the Four Great Shinobi Villages.
"She's buying silver-tier materials at a premium? Is she planning to create her clan right now?"
A player asked in the chat but received no reply.
Many merchants based in the Newbie Village turned their eyes toward this news, growing restless.
Currently, the market price for a silver heart was 30,000 reward points, with the highest recorded sale at 34,000.
Silver hearts were rare.
But since only four factions owned clan tokens, demand was low. Merchants had been trying to drive up prices, but Kirigakure and Sunagakure were aggressively bargaining, holding the price down.
Now, Dawn's sudden high-priced purchase of silver-tier materials raised eyebrows. Was there a secret deal with the Merchant Alliance?
Were they trying to inflate the price to swindle Kirigakure and Sunagakure?
Many players kept a close eye on what would happen next.
Kirigakure.
Mei Terumi frowned and turned to the aged elder beside her. "Elder Genshō, I sent scouts to investigate the Dawn faction in the Land of Rain. The intel says they're a special group that recently emerged."
"They don't participate in ninja warfare."
"Some Dawn players have power equivalent to Jōnin, but they're taking low-tier missions like clearing stones, digging trenches, and working irrigation canals—interacting mostly with civilians."
Kirigakure also handled civilian missions, but those were D-rank tasks typically assigned to Genin.
No village in their right mind would send elite Jōnin to farm or dig—what a waste of talent.
"Dawn…"
Elder Genshō leaned on a serpent-headed staff. Though hunched with age, his presence radiated authority.
His bald head gleamed.
He was once the supreme elder of Kirigakure, but since the Samsara Game appeared, Mei had stripped him of most power.
Still, he bore no resentment, and had never opposed the Mizukage.
He'd only ever sought to prevent Kirigakure from being ruined by previous leaders.
Now, Mei Terumi, with her intelligence and power, had clearly surpassed all her predecessors.
He felt confident leaving the village in her hands.
Thus, he had stepped down, only offering his wisdom in moments of crisis.
"The Land of Rain suffers endless rain. Its soil is unsuitable for farming, and its position in the war-torn heart of the continent makes development nearly impossible."
"Even nobles there live poorly."
"I've heard there's a terrorist group that stirs up conflict whose base is in the Land of Rain. At first, I thought Dawn was linked to them. But now… one wages war, the other helps civilians quietly. Two clashing philosophies—highly unlikely they're connected."
Elder Genshō's eyes opened slightly. "If that's the case, then Dawn's meteoric rise might have been supported by the Merchant Alliance behind the scenes."
To stage this drama and manipulate material prices—exactly the kind of trick the Merchant Alliance loved to pull.
Mei Terumi nodded, then summoned Chōjūrō. "Bring a silver-tier item to Blood Wasteland. Find a Dawn player and attempt to trade. Let's see if they accept."
If they refused, it would confirm that Dawn was a puppet for the Merchant Alliance.
If they accepted, she could cancel the trade last-minute and still keep the silver-tier item.
"Elder Genshō."
Leaning against her desk, Mei spread out a detailed map. "We paid a high price to hire players to chart Soulmount Ridge. If Kirigakure is to establish a clan, where should we place the territory?"
Factions planning to create clans were all carefully choosing their territory.
It was no different from when the original Five Great Ninja Villages were founded.
The First Kage of each village had carefully selected strategic locations that played to their strengths.
Like Kirigakure: its first Mizukage, Lady Byakuren, had been a Water Release expert. Her followers were the same. So they built the village on the sea.
The other villages followed similar logic.
"In the northwest corner of Soulmount Ridge, there's a lava pool with a strong aura of death. Place the clan territory there."
They moved to the war room.
After Mei and the clan heads reached consensus, the location was set.
Mei quickly logged into the game and led the Kirigakure Alliance players toward the lava pool.
Blazing Ring.
With a wave of her purple staff, a massive ring of flames—like a giant wedding band—trapped dozens of Lava Phantoms.
Then it constricted.
Fire-elemental Phantoms had no chance to resist. Under searing flames, they were reduced to dark red stones.
"Don't waste them—gather the loot."
"Lava Stones from these phantoms can be used to forge Level 5 white-tier weapons with fire damage."
Running a faction meant understanding logistics.
Kirigakure's Alliance had grown past 700 players, and the strain on resources was immense. Real-world Kirigakure could no longer keep up.
Fortunately, the raid on Konoha had helped them recover some funds.
Otherwise, even the Mizukage herself might've had to sell herself to the Merchant in-game just to survive.
With the area cleared,
a clan token slowly rose into the sky, radiating brilliant light.
Mei Terumi's face changed instantly. Panic flashed through her usually composed eyes.
"Everyone! Reach out to your solo-player contacts—start buying silver-tier materials immediately!"
At the same time, a high-priority server message flashed in the channel—
another 200-point top-tier broadcast.
[Light of Kirigakure]: Buying [Sarina's Heart] for 41,000 reward points. Sellers, come to Soulmount Ridge's lava pool. Trade with Kirigakure Alliance players.
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