The Raging Tide of the Chaos World was about to recede, marking the countdown to Miracle City's closure. The Adventurers, though exhausted, were still buzzing with determination.
"Black Stone Hammer King: Damn it, the checkpoint mode is actually this difficult. We underestimated the Lord's cunning ways!"
"Pig King: Yeah, that guy with thick eyebrows is full of tricks. We need to unite and show him that he can't underestimate us Adventurers!"
"That's right!"
"But I don't have the energy today!"
"I'm coming back tomorrow. No matter how much time it takes, I absolutely won't stop until I clear the checkpoint!"
"Exactly, we'll fight again tomorrow. We must reclaim our reputation!"
"Speaking of which, the Tidal Secret Realm is so fun, and today's harvest is also pretty good!"
"Everything about this Underground City is great, except its size is too small. I see many people on the forums are already discussing it. I'm worried that if it gets overcrowded tomorrow, we might not even be able to get in. We should ask the Lord to expand the Underground City's scale as soon as possible!"
As the Adventurers exchanged thoughts, a notification popped up:
—
**Ding, triggered a quest!**
**Quest Name: Territory Expansion!**
**Quest Content: Miracle City will conduct its first external exploration and plans to recruit 18 mercenaries. Adventurers, please sign up enthusiastically!**
**Quest Reward: 5 Contribution Points!**
—
"Huh?"
"Miracle City has issued a territory quest!"
"What, only 5 contribution points? So stingy! Are they treating us Adventurers like cattle and horses?"
"Everyone, ignore him. Don't encourage this unhealthy trend!"
"That's true."
"Why are you all running so fast?"
"Nonsense, there are only 18 spots. If you don't run fast, can you grab one? As long as we have contribution points, we can definitely get into the city tomorrow!"
"Holy crap, you despicable scoundrel, take my whirlwind leg sweep!"
Despite the seemingly stingy reward, in less than three minutes, dozens of Adventurers enthusiastically signed up. Why? Because with contribution points, they could bid to enter the city tomorrow. Although 5 contribution points were few, they were enough to edge out Adventurers with none!
The enthusiasm of the Adventurers exceeded Jack's expectations. In the end, 18 Adventurers were selected by drawing lots. This batch of Adventurers would be converted into mercenaries in the territory's mercenary camp, becoming temporary troops for Miracle City. Once the Chaos World's Raging Tide receded, they would be ready for Miracle City's first exploration of the outside world.
In his previous life, Jack had loved the game "Underground City Lord." Although it only featured the Chaos World, his ten years of gaming experience gave him a deep understanding of the terrain and its opportunities. He knew that Gloomy Valley was not only suitable for growth and development but also held hidden opportunities that could bring significant benefits if seized in time.
Thus, external exploration was crucial, and the sooner, the better!
Jack had 18 "zombie soul essences," enough to recruit 18 temporary Adventurer workers. Whether for temporary mercenary workers or cultivating regular troops, soul essence was an indispensable core material. However, cultivating a regular army was costly.
Regular Underground City troops are generally divided into two types:
1. Directly summoning territory monsters using soul essence, requiring the "Monster Camp" building. This allows for immediate summoning and easy control, but maintaining them is expensive. These monsters lack intelligence and growth potential, limiting their task capabilities.
2. Contracting Adventurers and imprinting territory soul essence on them, allowing them to permanently gain monster abilities. This method requires the "Essence Altar" and "Warrior Camp" buildings. Though cheaper to maintain and with growth potential, these Adventurers often have strong personalities, making loyalty a challenge.
Both options were troublesome at the moment, so Jack opted not to recruit regular troops just yet. Instead, he built the "Mercenary House." By investing soul essence, along with "mental power" and "soul crystal" as energy, he could create temporary troops for the territory.
Although temporary, these workers were convenient for daily use and disposal.
**You are converting mercenaries. This conversion requires consuming "zombie soul essence" × 18, "mental power" × 90, "soul crystal" × 90. Do you wish to continue? Yes/No!**
Converting one Zombie consumed 5 mental power and 5 soul crystals and lasted for one day. If they survived, the soul essence could be recycled. Though not cheap, it was practical. Before having regular troops, these temporary workers were the best choice for expanding the territory and exploring the outside world.
Zombie soul essence could be converted into various types of ordinary Zombies. Jack chose Anti-riot Zombies without hesitation. These Zombies, despite not being mutated special infected, came equipped with riot control gear, making them strong and naturally more expensive.
Five minutes later, eighteen fully armed, ferocious-looking Zombies emerged from the Mercenary House. Although ordinary, these Anti-riot Zombies formed a considerable combat force, enough for this stage!
"Pig King: Holy crap, what did you turn me into? Am I still a Zombie?"
"Ethan Fields: It seems that even among ordinary Zombies, some are quite powerful!"
"Violent Little Chicken: Hahaha, with this equipment and the Zombie's physique, I feel like taking down five or eight burly men should be no problem!"
"Fun, fun!"
"This counts as an extra bonus!"
As the Chaos World's Raging Tide completely receded, the scene outside Miracle City gradually cleared. The Zombies controlled by the Adventurers walked out of the Underground City.
"Wow, is this the underground world near Miracle City?" said Mandy, a new Adventurer, fascinated by the surreal landscape.
Energy torrents of various colors formed vortices in the sky, resembling a wildly distorted super-fantasy oil painting. The terrain, comprised of rugged, bizarre, gloomy forests, was intersected by a winding river, with a dark red mist encircling the distant horizon.
From the Lord's Mansion, Jack opened a clear overhead view through the panel. This interface resembled a real-time strategy game perspective, like high-definition low-altitude drone footage, and could switch to the first-person perspective of any unit. He could observe actions in real-time and issue commands as needed.
Jack knew that while no high-level monsters were nearby, a small village occupied by a Dark Kind race was not far from Miracle City. This village was the mission's target.
The territory's first battle was about to begin! A mature Underground City not only needed to harvest Adventurers but also to expand its territory continually, creating more secret realms or connecting to more Adventurer cities.
Although this battle was not large in scale, as Miracle City's first step into the outside world, it held significant meaning!