As Leo approached the borders of his territory, the sounds of his workers filled the air. They were working without pause, the rhythm of axes hitting timber and the scraping of stone providing a steady pulse to the settlement. However, Leo stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening at a peculiar sight.
Near the center of the clearing, a lone goblin was sitting atop a log, chewing aggressively on a piece of monster meat while barking orders at the ghoul and the human workers.
The ghoul obeyed without hesitation. Even the human laborers followed its directions, if only to avoid its shrill yelling.
"What in the world? Isn't that goblin a bit too intelligent for its grade?" Leo asked, watching the creature gesture with a half-eaten bone.
Malphas followed his gaze, his expression darkening. "There are always anomalies in the Origin, my lord. Perhaps its spirit is more stubborn than its kin. Should I butcher it for the disrespect of assuming command in your absence?" He moved his hand toward the hilt of his blade.
"Haha, no, leave it," Leo chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I want to see how far its ambition takes it. But a small reminder of the hierarchy wouldn't hurt." He glanced at the Blood Hound. "Go on. Give its backside a good nip."
The hound, eager to please its master, vanished into a blur of fur and teeth. A second later, a high-pitched shriek echoed through the camp as the goblin leaped into the air, clutching its rear and running in frantic circles.
Leo shook his head, amused, and stepped fully past the barrier.
The oppressive weight on his senses finally lifted, and the gnawing hunger in his gut subsided. 'It feels like coming home after an eternity.'
Leo called for a halt to the labor. "That is enough for now. Everyone, eat," he commanded. The basic rations from the starting kits were still untouched in the storage shed.
The workers let out sighs of pure relief, their weary faces lighting up at the prospect of a meal. Even the "self-appointed" goblin leader took it upon itself to distribute the portions, tossing meat to its fellow ghoul and the hound with practiced efficiency.
'Not bad,' Leo noted, seating himself on his wooden throne. "First, let's see what they collected today." He opened the storage panel.
[Collected: Woodx120, Stonex80]
'Efficient,' Leo thought, adding the loot he had collected from the chest.
[Total: woodx650, Stonex400.]
Leo opened the blueprint menu unlocked during last night's upgrade.
Available Blueprints:
Wooden Lord's Hall Lv 2
Basic Housing Lv 2
Storage Shed Lv 2
Palisade Fence Lv 2
Watchtower (NEW)
Workshop (NEW)
He paused when another blueprint surfaced.
Blueprint: The Eternal Ossuary
Type: Undead Barracks
Construction Requirements:
• Wood x800 • Stone x500 • Death Essence x20
"This building can help me mass-produce soldiers, but what is death essence?" Leo drummed his fingers and opened the trade market to search for it. Luckily, there was a seller with death essence.
Seller: Richie Rich
Item: Death Essence
Quantity: 33
Price: 20 wood or 10 stone per unit
Note: PM for custom trades. Richie has what you need.
'That's cheap… suspiciously cheap.'
"Let's see what else I can offer instead of burning my construction materials." He opened his inventory and initiated a mass dismantling of the day's kills. Aside from the lizardmen, they had picked up several strays during the return journey.
"Dismantle all," he ordered.
Lizardman Hardened Scales (Uncommon) x180
Refined Reptile Leather (Uncommon) x55
Obsidian Scales (Uncommon) x15
Giant Bear Pelt (Uncommon) x1
Bear Gallbladder (Uncommon) x1
Sharpened Monster Fangs x45
Monster Meat x450 units
Aether Essencex200
Aether Core (D-Rank) x1
Aether Core (E-Rank) x3
Rich Bone Fragments x150
Skill Scroll: Iron Skin (Common, Passive)
"A skill scroll? That chieftain was a walking treasure chest," Leo hummed. He moved the bulk materials to storage, keeping the high-value items in his personal space. 'Let's see if our friend Richie likes a good bargain.'
He went to initiate the trade, but a prompt blocked his path.
[Identify yourself. Choose an alias for the market and world chat. Your true identity will remain obscured.']
'An alias, hmm?' Leo didn't have to think long. He typed in the name that felt right.
[Alias 'Crimson Lord' has been registered.]
Richie_Rich: "Whoa, bro. You must be loaded if you're throwing a skill scroll at me for these common stones."
Crimson_Lord: "One man's trash is another's treasure. Are you interested?"
Richie_Rich: "Maybe. How many stones are we talking for the scroll?"
Crimson_Lord: "All thirty-three."
Richie_Rich: "No way, man! I bled for these. Best I can do is ten."
Crimson_Lord: "Earlier, you said they were as common as pebbles. Was that a lie?"
Richie_Rich: "That... was marketing. How about fifteen?"
Crimson_Lord: "Twenty-five. Or I take this scroll to the open market. I am sure someone with a mountain of stone would love to have Iron Skin."
Richie_Rich: "Damn. Fine, twenty-five it is. Don't forget your buddy Richie when you find more good stuff, haha."
Leo smirked. The guy talked too much, and it had cost him his leverage.
[Trade Complete: +25 Death Essence Stones added to inventory.]
"Now for the final piece of the puzzle: the resources." Leo looked at his overflowing meat supply. He set aside a hundred units for his own camp and listed the rest.
Seller: Crimson lord
Item: Raw Monster Meat (Common) x 400, (Uncommon) x 100
Price: Common - 2 Wood or 1 Stone | Uncommon - 5 Wood or 3 Stone.
Note: Custom trades. Message me directly.
'Now,' Leo thought. 'Let's see how hungry the world truly is.'
The blue glow of the system interface lit up Leo's face as the world chat descended into absolute chaos. The sheer volume of the trade had sent shockwaves through every lord's territory.
[User: Stonehand]: Hold on, who the hell just dumped that much meat at once?
[User: Iron Bastion]: 500 units of meat? I have been out here for twelve hours, and I have only caught one scrawny rabbit. Is this a joke?
[Silent Watcher]: Look at the seller's name. Crimson Lord. How dominating.
[User: Jade Fox]: 2 wood for 1 meat. It is a calculated move. He is bleeding out other sellers by cutting prices by half. If we buy this, he gets to skip days of grinding.
[User: Goddess of Life]: Crimson Lord, please. We are all humans here. My people are starving. Can you not give us for free?
[User: Richie Rich]: Humanity? Lol. If you want to eat, give up the wood. I just traded with this guy; he is the real deal. Stop whining and get your wallets out.
[User: Stonehand]: Scams or not, I am buying. My laborers are about to riot.
[User: NullRoot]: Brother, which family are you from?
[Transaction Notification:+840 Wood, +410 Stone]
Leo watched the numbers climb with a cold satisfaction. By the time the notifications slowed, he had enough to build his army.