Chapter 214: Meeting Yao Yiming Again, The Foundation of Cooperation

Chapter 214: Meeting Yao Yiming Again, The Foundation of Cooperation

"Let us all pay our respects to the new King of Ascalon!"

After saying this, all the Ascalon Warriors bowed to Cao Xing in unison.

[Because you have obtained the recognition of the Ancient Sword, the loyalty of territory member: Yaskin has increased. Current loyalty: 100]

(Loyalty is maxed out. The target will now unconditionally execute any of your orders.)

[Because you have obtained the recognition of the Ancient Sword, the loyalty of territory member: Filippo has increased. Current loyalty: 96]

[Because you have obtained the recognition of the Ancient Sword, the loyalty of territory member: Franz has increased. Current loyalty: 100]

[Because you…] … A long string of system notifications appeared.

The loyalty of the one hundred and two Ascalon Warriors on the field had all surged significantly!

Among them, several had even reached 100 loyalty.

Cao Xing was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected that simply taking out this legendary weapon would have such an effect.

Then, he smiled and said: "Everyone, please rise. I am not your new King."

"Besides, as you can see, this weapon is broken."

Hearing this, Yaskin, who was in front of him, gradually raised his head and said: "We did indeed feel that the power within this weapon is somewhat weak."

"A complete Magdale can only be controlled by beings of Tier 8 or higher."

"Furthermore, every legendary weapon is bound to its user and cannot be used by anyone else."

Hearing this, Cao Xing's eyes flickered slightly.

Tier 8 means level 70 or higher.

In other words, was the original level of this weapon level 70?

And now, because it is broken, its level has dropped significantly.

Even the legendary binding function has failed.

This actually worked out in Cao Xing's favor, allowing him to use such a legendary weapon so soon.

Yaskin continued: "Although it is broken, the fact that this weapon has appeared in your hands means that it has recognized you."

"And the recognition of the Ancient Sword represents the recognition of all of us, the people of Ascalon!"

Hearing this, Cao Xing didn't say anything more and let all the Ascalon Warriors rise from the ground.

He himself took a look at the attributes of the Ancient Sword.

[Ancient Sword – Magdale (Broken)] … Although it wasn't the first time he had looked at it, Cao Xing still couldn't help but marvel at the power of this weapon!

With over 1700 attack power and an additional +200 to all attributes, these two stats alone were enough to crush Gold-tier equipment and even Epic-tier equipment of the same level!

It could grant any Tier 3 or Tier 4 being an extremely powerful boost to their attributes!

Moreover, although most of the special effects of this weapon could no longer be activated, there was one effect that could still be used: [Sword of Judgment].

The description above was a bit vague, and he didn't know the exact damage of the sword aura, but the damage coefficient was still quite good.

After pondering for a moment, Cao Xing decided to give this broken legendary sword to Liu Muxue first.

After all, Assam already had the level 20 Gold-tier weapon [Kings Blade].

Furthermore, this weapon provided +200 to all attributes, which could significantly increase Liu Muxue's buffing capabilities.

"Muxue, you take it."

Hearing this, a look of uncertainty flashed in Liu Muxue's eyes. "This… wouldn't it be better to give it to Knight Assam… This weapon is truly too precious…"

Cao Xing chuckled and said: "Don't worry. Assam's future weapon will be the lady of the lake sword. That is a complete legendary weapon, which is much stronger than this one."

"If it really comes down to it, when we encounter powerful enemies, you can just give this weapon to him then."

According to Yaskin, all legendary weapons are bound to their exclusive users and cannot be traded. However, because the sword is broken and its authority has failed, Cao Xing could let them use it freely, and they would all receive the attribute bonuses.

Hearing this, Liu Muxue stopped declining. She took the legendary weapon from Cao Xing's hand.

At this moment, holding the [Paladin Shield] in her left hand and gripping the [Ancient Sword – Magdale] in her right, combined with her magnificent equipment, Liu Muxue's aura had reached an extremely formidable level. She even began to exude an aura of royalty.

The group of Ascalon Warriors exclaimed in wonder: "The aura of the Lady of the Manor has changed; it's as if a queen has descended!" "That's right, this is the most beautiful queen I have ever seen." "Haha! I want to charge into battle alongside the Lady of the Manor!"

Listening to everyone's praises, Liu Muxue blushed slightly and lowered her head in shyness. Even Cao Xing couldn't help but marvel at her from the side.

Then, he checked Liu Muxue's attributes.

[Survivor: Liu Muxue] [Race: Blue Star Human] [Level: 30 0/300000 (Tier 3 Aurora Knight)] … "Hiss!" After seeing Liu Muxue's attributes, Cao Xing gasped.

It was no wonder he felt a sense of threat from Liu Muxue! These attributes were too terrifying! Her health was about to break through 40,000, and her attack was 2,500. This directly crushed Boss-tier creatures of the same level!

Most importantly, after Liu Muxue's attributes increased significantly, Blessing of Courage could now directly increase attack power by over 800…

The concept of this was almost self-evident; even a level 30 Gold-tier weapon would only add about that much attack power.

This meant that any level 1 resident, as long as they had [Blessing of Courage] applied to them, would have enough attack power to surpass a level 20 Elite-tier creature.

"It's too broken…" Cao Xing couldn't help but exclaim.

Assam also couldn't help but marvel: "I sense a dangerous aura from the Lady of the Manor. If we were to fight with full strength, I might no longer be a match for her."

Braum, who was standing nearby, laughed: "Haha! Assam's position as the number one knight in our territory is no longer secure!"

Liu Muxue was becoming increasingly embarrassed by everyone's praise, and her head was completely lowered. Cao Xing was also very satisfied.

Then, he asked Liu Muxue to cast [Blessing of Courage] again. In any case, this skill was a group buff and was very convenient.

As Liu Muxue raised the broken sword [Magdale], an extremely intense holy light condensed on her blade. The next moment, this ball of holy light burst forth and landed on everyone on the field.

Cao Xing instantly felt that his attack power had surged significantly! His magic attack power had broken through 2600! Sarah's had even reached 4600, which was terrifyingly strong! One could say that everyone's strength had surged by a large margin!

Cao Xing nodded in satisfaction. Then, he prepared to take his people out. Just before leaving, he seemed to remember something and called out, "Chuchu."

At this moment, the little girl who was standing quietly beside Volibear looked at Cao Xing with a confused expression. "Big Brother, what's wrong?"

Cao Xing smiled and said: "Tell your mother that you are coming out with me today."

Tong Chuchu had reached the max level of Tier 2 last night and had used the [Intermediate Heart of Strength] to successfully break through to Tier 3. She was now a level 25 Tier 3 Mechanic. Her strength was still quite strong. Cao Xing was also planning to train her so she could be useful in the future when facing large-scale wars.

Hearing this, a look of pleasant surprise appeared in the little girl's eyes. "Re… really? Can you take Chuchu out? Big Brother?"

Cao Xing smiled. "Of course." "Hurray! I'm going to tell Mom right now!" After saying this, Tong Chuchu trotted into the Tailor Shop to tell Xia Yanni the news.

As for Cao Xing, he called Ilena over and asked her to keep a careful eye on the farm woman 'Mubo'. Now that Ilena was also a max-level Tier 3 Elite-tier creature, with the blessing of all her buffs, her strength was quite formidable.

Plus, there were other powerful beings in the territory, such as two Centaurs and three female Dragon Blood Warriors. Even if that farm woman was strong, she wouldn't be able to stir up much trouble.

Upon hearing this, Ilena flicked her scarlet tongue and chuckled: "My Lord, I have remembered your instructions." "Remember to give me a reward when you come back~"

Cao Xing readily agreed: "No problem. Today I will save a Boss soul for you so you can advance again."

However, Ilena looked at Cao Xing with her narrow, elongated eyes. It was clear that the reward she wanted wasn't as simple as a soul. Ilena didn't say anything more, chuckled, and then twisted her snake tail as she left the place.

Just then, Sabina walked over somewhat timidly and said: "My Lord, please arrange my work for today." "According to our agreement, I will contribute my best to the territory for the next three months."

Cao Xing looked at her skill bar. Clearly, Sabina's most valuable asset was naturally her [Advanced Poison Mastery]. Cao Xing pondered for a moment and asked: "I know that besides your medical skills, your poison skills are even more superb." "What exactly can this poison skill do?"

Sabina wasn't surprised to hear this. After all, she had already demonstrated it once last night. She replied softly: "Poison arts… involve using various materials to create potions, pills, or even powders that contain deadly toxins." "This includes hallucinogenic toxins, neurotoxins, and so on…"

"These potions can be given to people to consume, or they can be applied to weapons to inflict more damage on enemies." "I have many recorded poison recipes in my mind, and I also see that you have an Alchemy Workshop in your territory…"

"If there are materials, I can produce a batch of poisons for you in bulk…" After listening to Sabina's explanation, Cao Xing finally understood the function of this [Advanced Poison Mastery]. In other words, she was essentially an alchemist as well, but one who could only create poisons. And since creating these poisons required various raw materials, they couldn't be produced just yet.

Cao Xing nodded in realization and said: "Alright, I understand." "No one is sick right now, and there's nothing that needs you to do, so you should go and help Dahua and the others in the cafeteria for now."

Hearing this, Sabina nodded solemnly. "Understood." After saying this, she also left the place.

Everything was ready. Even Tong Chuchu ran over with an excited expression to join the team. At this moment, the territory gate was wide open. Under the gazes of everyone, Cao Xing's group of fourteen, plus one Mammoth and one Snow Bear, marched out of the territory in a grand procession.

Thump! Thump-thump! On the vast, snowy plain, everyone ran at full speed.

Since their goal this time was very clear—to head straight for the Witch Forest—they were quite familiar with the route.

The group advanced at a very high speed, reaching over eighty kilometers per hour.

Cao Xing and Liu Muxue rode on the Mammoth.

Tong Chuchu and Elisa, the two petite girls, were lying on Volibear's back, gripping its fur tightly for fear of falling off.

However, after discovering that Volibear's back remained stable even while it was sprinting, the two girls gradually relaxed.

They exchanged a glance, and smiles appeared on their faces. The crisp laughter of the young girl and the little girl rang out through the group.

Elisa gripped the fur on Volibear's back and cheered, "Little Volibear, run faster! Let's overtake the Lord together!"

At this moment, Tong Chuchu spoke from the side, "Sister Elisa, you can't do that…"

"Big Brother said we have to follow behind him, we can't run in front of him…"

Hearing this, Elisa seemed to recall something and exclaimed, "That's right, I almost forgot!"

"Hehe, it's a good thing Little Chuchu is here, otherwise I would have been punished by the Lord again."

A pure smile also appeared on Tong Chuchu's face. Amidst the two girls' whispered conversation, they had already traveled seven or eight kilometers.

At this moment, Cao Xing seemed to remember something and suddenly said, "Let's go, we're changing direction."

After saying this, he steered Dabai and galloped in a different direction.

Although the others were puzzled, they didn't ask any questions and followed behind the Mammoth, advancing at high speed.

Soon, they arrived at a snow-covered plain. Ahead, a Survivor's territory appeared.

It was not large in scale, surrounded by a circle of wooden fences, and inside were three Basic Elemental Arrow Towers and two watchtowers.

A bonfire was blazing within the territory, which seemed to be barely level 6. Some Arctic People were working busily.

Upon seeing this territory, a look of familiarity appeared in Liu Muxue's eyes.

"Cao Xing… this seems to be the territory of the family we saved last time."

Cao Xing replied, "Yes, it's Yao Yiming's territory."

"Last time he gave us some seeds of the War Ancient Tree, and later he told me about a location."

"This neighbor is not bad, so I came over to see if I could give him some help."

Hearing this, Liu Muxue was slightly stunned, and a gentle smile appeared on her face. In fact, besides this thought, Cao Xing had another purpose for coming here.

That was to see if he could join forces with Yao Yiming's territory to sweep both the first and second place rewards on the leaderboard this time.

Previously, Cao Xing had thought about providing combat support to other Survivor Lords, and then, after the other party claimed the rewards, trading them to himself. But this required a Survivor Lord he could trust.

Cao Xing thought it over and found that among the people he knew, only Yao Yiming and Ji Xinyue had decent characters. So, coming here this time, he wanted to first see the strength of Yao Yiming's territory before making other plans.

However, they did not approach immediately because a system prompt appeared in front of Cao Xing.

[Warning! You are approaching another Survivor's territory. If you have not obtained access permission, you will be attacked by the opponent's Elemental Arrow Tower…]

At the same time, seeing the tall Mammoth, the dozen or so Arctic People working in Yao Yiming's territory, along with five or six Imperial Soldiers, all grasped their weapons. They watched the group one kilometer away vigilantly.

Four figures holding weapons also emerged from the Lords Cabin, standing at the ready. But when they saw the Mammoth outside the territory and the figures on its back, their vigilance instantly vanished, replaced by surprise.

"Great Lord Cao Xing!"

"Sister Muxue!"

Yao Yiming and his younger sister Yao Ying exclaimed simultaneously! Without the slightest hesitation, they granted Cao Xing and his group access permission.

Cao Xing and the others arrived near Yao Yiming's territory without any obstruction.

"Great Lord Cao Xing, why are you here?"

Cao Xing smiled, "I just happened to be passing by, so I thought I'd stop by to see how you're developing."

He did not immediately bring up his idea.

After all, according to his plan, he would need to provide a significant amount of combat support for these Survivors to have the strength to withstand the challenge of the Ice Dragon Horn.

However, if Cao Xing were to expel his soldiers from his territory, not only would their loyalty be reset, but the effect of [Eternal Power] would also disappear.

So, for now, he hadn't thought of a good solution. Upon hearing Cao Xing's question, Yao Yiming did not hide anything and told Cao Xing basically everything about his territory's strength.

In the past few days, his entire family had broken through to the second tier, and Yao Yiming had even reached level 14.

Additionally, he had 3 second-tier Imperial Archers and 2 Imperial Soldiers under his command. For an individual's territory, this strength was already quite good. At the very least, dealing with one or two Ice Nests would be no problem.

After understanding all this, Cao Xing nodded secretly. Then he praised them, "You've developed quite well."

Hearing Cao Xing's praise, Yao Yiming smiled sheepishly and said, "It… it's alright. It's all thanks to Great Lord Cao Xing for saving us last time; otherwise, our family's territory would have long been destroyed by the Ice Nests."

"Besides, we definitely can't compare to Great Lord Cao Xing."

Yao Ying, who was beside them, also said excitedly, "That's right, that's right! Great Lord Cao Xing is already the number one celebrity in District 17 now!"

"You actually used a Medium Ice Dragon Horn and gained over a thousand points in one go!"

"Now the entire District 17 is guessing how Great Lord Cao Xing managed to do it; it's too amazing!"

Cao Xing's soaring points last night had truly stunned everyone and aroused everyone's curiosity. Of course, they didn't know how Cao Xing had achieved it.

Without the [Eternal Power] talent, according to Cao Xing's estimate, it would require a territory of at least two thousand people to have any hope of withstanding the impact of a Medium Ice Dragon Horn.

However, that was just a hope. In actual combat, there would definitely be heavy casualties. Clearly, no legion could possess so many combatants in such a short time. The issue of population cap alone was not something that could be solved in the short term.

Cao Xing smiled and didn't say much more, then took out a whole piece of Silver Salmon meat from his backpack.

"Great Lord Cao Xing… this is?"

Cao Xing laughed, "A piece of fish meat, it can boost attributes. You take it first."

Yao Yiming heard this and tentatively took it. When he saw the attributes and the name on it, his pupils instantly constricted. How could Yao Yiming not know how precious this kind of fish meat was?

Yesterday, the District 17 channel had almost gone crazy over this fish meat! Now, on the market, 100g of Silver Salmon meat had been hyped up to an astronomical price!

And now, Cao Xing had given them a whole piece directly, equivalent to 10 servings. He suddenly felt that the fish meat in his hands was scorching hot. He quickly said, "Great Lord Cao Xing, this fish meat is too valuable… we can't take it…"

Cao Xing shook his head and laughed, "It's nothing, just take it."

"Consider it a token of gratitude for that intelligence earlier. Who knows, we might have a chance to cooperate in the future."

Hearing that last sentence, Yao Yiming's eyes flickered, and he no longer declined. After chatting for a few more sentences, Cao Xing took his people and left. Yao Yiming and his family watched Cao Xing and his group's retreating figures with faces full of gratitude.

After they left, Yao Ying stared at the fish meat in Yao Yiming's hand, her mouth almost watering. "Brother! This is actually Silver Salmon meat, and a whole piece at that! We're rich!"

Yao Yiming shook his head, "Rich, what rich? Such precious fish meat, we have to keep it for ourselves to eat; we definitely can't sell it."

Yao Ying nodded happily, "That's right, we should eat this kind of fish meat ourselves to boost our attributes!"

"Besides, I heard them say on the chat channel that the texture of the Silver Salmon is incredibly tender and simply a delicacy on earth. I've wanted to taste it for a long time!"

Hearing this, their whole family laughed. At this moment, Yao Ying said, "Brother, Great Lord Cao Xing suddenly gave us such precious fish meat, does he want us to help him with something?"

Yao Yiming heard this and remembered Cao Xing's last sentence, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.

"I don't know for now, but if Great Lord Cao Xing really needs our help with something, we must cooperate with him to the best of our ability."

"After all, we are his neighbors, and we might have dealings in the future. It's not about sucking up to him, it's just that maintaining a good relationship with such a strong person has many benefits for us."

"Mm-hmm!" Yao Ying and their whole family agreed with Yao Yiming's decision.

…

…

In a vast, white, snow-covered plain, a dozen figures moved forward at a steady pace, leaving dense footprints on the snowy ground. It was Cao Xing and his group.

Soon, they arrived near the [Laite River]. This was also the largest frozen river in the Gale Snowfield. The width of the water reached four or five kilometers. It was also near here that Cao Xing had encountered the caravan of the Luna Chamber of Commerce. However, there was no sign of any caravan on the river surface today.

At this time, Cao Xing gazed at the thick ice of the Laite River and thought to himself, "The Laite River runs through the entire Gale Snowfield. I wonder if there are any rare fish species in here?"

Cao Xing looked at the [Mad King Fishing Rod] in his backpack, feeling a bit eager to try it out.

After pondering for a moment, he shook his head, "Better not."

"I don't have any bait right now, so I won't be able to catch any precious big fish."

Thinking of this, Cao Xing prepared to lead the group to continue moving forward.

And just as they were about to cross the Laite River, they suddenly saw a woman with disheveled clothes and a panicked expression rushing toward them at high speed.

Behind this woman, there were four or five fierce-looking men holding long swords and wearing militia uniforms.

When the woman saw Cao Xing, it was as if she had seen a savior, and her pace quickened even more. She kept shouting while running, "Help… help me…"

Hearing the woman's cries for help, everyone on the scene straightened their expressions and became vigilant.

As she got closer, Cao Xing also noticed something unusual about this woman.