Chapter 251 Returning to the Territory, The Haunted Mine (6200)

All members of the Church of Light changed their expressions drastically!

"Bishop Eugene is a Tier 5 Commander-class powerhouse, and he even has the blessing of the God of Light. Who could possibly kill him?"

"That's right, how could something like this happen?"

The red-robed bishop shook his head. "I'm not sure."

"However, this is the news transmitted by the Seed of Light; it can't possibly be fake!"

Hearing this, those members of the Church of Light were struck by lightning, freezing in place for a moment.

"Lord… Lord Bishop… What should our next plan be then? Are we still going to continue attacking Lake Doron City?"

The red-robed bishop fell silent for a moment, appearing to communicate with some existence.

A moment later, he nodded and said, "The Seed of Light has already issued new instructions."

"He commanded us that, to prevent any further accidents, the attack plan on Lake Doron City must be put on the agenda as soon as possible."

"I need to make a trip to the Witch Forest first to confirm what happened over at Bishop Eugene's side and see if I can find the culprit."

"Two days later, regardless of the outcome, attack Lake Doron City!"

On the field, the expressions of all members of the Church of Light turned stern.

"Understood!"

At that moment, the red-robed bishop quickly broke away from the team and dashed in the direction of the Witch Forest.

Along the way, his expression grew increasingly gloomy, and his eyes carried a vicious look!

"Daring to lay a hand on a bishop of our Church of Light!"

"No matter who you are, once we find you, I will definitely make you pay a heavy price!"

This red-robed bishop quickly disappeared over the surface of the lake.

…

One hour later.

Cao Xing and the others had already crawled out from the pitch-black dense forest.

Seeing the scene before him, the Centaur Kantor asked in confusion, "Lord Lord, why does it feel like this isn't the direction back to the territory?"

Cao Xing smiled. "It indeed isn't. I plan to take you all on a huge detour before returning to the territory."

Of course, he wouldn't foolishly return to the territory directly.

This time, he had wiped out a red-robed bishop and also ruined the plans of two deities.

The impact caused was estimated to be even more severe than slaughtering that large Hunter camp last time.

Clearly, after learning this news, the Church of Light would definitely send people over to investigate.

Therefore, he deliberately changed direction to walk out of the forest.

At this moment, everyone seemed to understand something.

They felt admiration for the Lord's consistent caution.

Cao Xing chuckled. "Get ready, everyone. Tonight we are going to detour several hundred kilometers, and we might be traveling for a long time."

Hearing this, the two Centaurs responded immediately, "It doesn't matter, strong Lord, Centaurs are best at long-distance travel!"

"That's right, we Centaurs have four legs, running for a few days is fine."

The two Dragon Blood Warriors beside them also said, "Back then, our Norn Clan home was destroyed by a giant dragon. In order to find a new habitat, our entire clan migrated for more than three months."

"We are already long used to this kind of traveling condition."

Even the girls like Elisa patted their chests to guarantee there was no problem.

Cao Xing smiled.

"Alright, then get ready to set off."

"Sarah, you follow behind us and erase our tracks as we advance."

Upon hearing this, Sarah exited the [Moon Dance] state and then entered stealth mode.

As for Cao Xing, he led the others, starting to cross snowfields, lakes, and villages all the way.

They made a detour of nearly several hundred kilometers.

Over the next few hours, they remained in a state of traveling.

Time quickly reached past six o'clock in the morning.

At this moment.

Dawn broke.

Rays of sunlight cascaded down from among the clouds.

Although there wasn't much warmth.

But in this freezing world, it still brought light to all things.

Everyone had been traveling for nearly five hours or so.

You must know that after gaining the blessing of the [Black Fog Totem], their movement speed increase had already reached 100%.

In these five hours, they had detoured a full five hundred plus kilometers!

During this period, they also entered many areas with complex terrains.

Cao Xing didn't believe that those guys could still track him like this.

At this moment.

They were still over a dozen kilometers away from the territory.

Joyful smiles appeared on everyone's faces.

Isabelle was praying devoutly facing the sun.

As for Cao Xing, he was summarizing his gains this time.

Tonight's experiences were too rich, and his gains were also quite astonishing.

First, not long after entering the ancient castle, they encountered a large number of stitched soldiers. After wiping them out, they obtained a large amount of weapons as well as intermediate Heart of Power.

These Heart of Power were enough for over a hundred Tier 2 creatures in the territory to break through. They only needed to exchange for a few dozen more to allow all Wild Boar Warriors and Ascalon Warriors to break through to Tier 3.

Besides this, he also obtained over a hundred [Destroyer Crossbow Bolts (Purple)].

These crossbow bolts possessed immense power and could easily pierce through the bodies of Tier 4 creatures.

Dealing with Tier 2 Ice Nest Monsters, a single arrow could instantly kill them, and after triggering the special effect, a single arrow could pierce through and kill a whole area!

This was a formidable force capable of subverting the battle situation.

After resolving the soldiers outside, they entered the tower at the center of the ancient castle.

Inside, Assam soloed a giant wild wolf, successfully completed the [Trial of Valor], and broke through to Tier 4.

Furthermore, Cao Xing obtained an Epic-quality magic bean inside the werewolf's stomach.

There was also some equipment dropped from killing the Ogre Hunter and the long-haired princess.

Coupled with the secret medicine obtained on the top floor of the ancient castle, as well as the witch's cauldron and so on.

And by the way, he also tricked the witch back to the territory…

Tonight's experiences could be said to be unimaginably rich.

If fully digested, it would definitely make his territory's strength skyrocket by a huge margin!

Thinking of this, a smile also appeared on the corner of Cao Xing's mouth.

Even his pace of advance quickened a bit.

Soon, everyone saw that territory nestled in the snow.

Little Elisa said excitedly, "Yay, we're finally home!"

Braum blew on his beard. "Knight Assam, let's go have a good drink later!"

Assam replied readily, "No problem."

Including the Wild Boar Warriors and Centaurs, excited expressions also appeared on their faces.

Everyone present had an extremely strong sense of belonging to this territory.

Just as Elisa said,

this place had already become their home.

As for Francesca, she also saw that territory in the snow from afar.

As someone who possessed a castle herself, she wasn't surprised by the scale of this territory.

However, her gaze caught sight of the pale Divine Tree at the center of the territory.

She could feel that there was a pure force within her body, causing her vitality to grow by a huge margin.

It originated precisely from this Divine Tree.

"What a truly magical plant…"

Francesca, who originally hadn't held any expectations for Cao Xing's territory, couldn't help but feel a trace of anticipation rise in her heart.

Everyone continued moving forward and soon arrived at around the one-kilometer radius of the territory.

Cao Xing noticed that it had just turned bright, and many territory residents had already come out to work.

Liu Muxue behind him softly said, "These residents work really hard."

Cao Xing also nodded. "That's right. It's precisely because we provide them with a good living environment and guarantee their life safety that these residents are so full of drive when working."

Actually, there was one more thing Cao Xing didn't say.

That was, the residents' loyalty to him and their expectations for the territory were what made them work so diligently every day.

"Let's go, we're going in."

Having said that, Cao Xing prepared to lead the people back into the territory.

At this time, it was close to seven o'clock in the morning.

At the same time, a system prompt appeared.

[Attention Survivors: You have survived the thirteenth day of the official period. The monster strength of the Ice Nest has slightly increased, and the appearance probability of boss-level and leader-level Ice Nest Monsters has increased. Please respond with caution…]

[Weather Forecast: Gentle breeze today. Some local areas of the Gale Snowfield will welcome a rainfall, with temperatures ranging from -53℃ to -72℃…]

…

"Oh? The probability of boss-level and leader-level Ice Nest Monsters appearing has increased again?"

"It seems that if I use the Ice Dragon Horn in the future, the difficulty is estimated to increase a lot."

However, Cao Xing didn't mind.

To him, these Tier 2 bosses and leaders were basically a matter of one or two spells, posing no threat at all.

Of course, if it were other Survivors, that would be a huge trouble.

After all, a Tier 2 boss and leader was an invincible existence for Survivors of the same level!

They didn't have Cao Xing's [SSS-tier Eternal Power], and under normal circumstances, it was very difficult to kill enemies across tiers.

Even if they could win, they would most likely suffer some casualties.

Soon, everyone arrived beneath the city walls.

The territory's city gate recognized Cao Xing's identity as the lord and had already opened automatically.

The group of over twenty people filed in one after another.

Seeing Cao Xing return, the residents' faces brimmed with joyful smiles as they greeted him one after another.

"Lord, may you be in good health."

"Madam Lord, may your beauty endure."

Cao Xing and Liu Muxue would also nod in acknowledgment to these residents.

Amidst the sounds of greetings, everyone returned to the territory.

Although they hadn't slept all night, they still felt extremely excited at this moment.

As Francesca walked all the way, she also received the gazes of many residents.

Facing this beautiful witch, those Arctic People and staff members stared dumbfounded.

But they knew their boundaries; after just glancing over, they silently lowered their heads.

As for Francesca, ever since she entered the territory, she kept her head lowered, with her eyes fixed constantly on the soles of her feet.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, sweeping away her previous aloof appearance, and her whole person appeared somewhat unnatural.

Seeing her like this, Cao Xing could understand.

To put it in our words, having been a shut-in for too long, suddenly seeing so many people made her a bit socially anxious all at once.

Thus, he looked at Liu Muxue and Elisa beside him.

The few girls understood his meaning and successively came to Francesca's side.

Surrounded by a group of beauties, her emotions also gradually returned to calmness.

Francesca also gratefully glanced at the women around her.

At this time, the over two hundred combat personnel and over eighty staff members in the territory walked over one after another.

They stood respectfully in place.

Territory resident Cao Yi took the lead in reporting, "Lord, Lord Hilton led the Black Lion Chamber of Commerce caravan away early in the morning; they need to seize the time to rush to the next location."

"He asked me to tell you thank you for helping them repair their carriage. Next time there's a chance, he will definitely bring more goods for the Lord."

"Besides this, he also asked the Lord to keep all the Cloud Yak milk. He is going to the city first to talk about prices with those nobles."

"If possible, he hopes to establish a long-term cooperative relationship with us. All the Cloud Yak milk will be purchased by him, and he will also give us a reasonable price."

Hearing this, Cao Xing also smiled.

This time, the milk produced by those dozen or so Cloud Yaks brought him a revenue of over a million crowns.

If Hilton could make long-term purchases in the future, it would also be a pretty good thing.

However, this also made Cao Xing secretly decide to see if there was a chance to catch more Cloud Yaks back.

After all, although nineteen Cloud Yaks were basically like printing money, they were still too few for him.

Cao Xing nodded and then said, "Cao Yi, continue speaking."

Territory resident Cao Yi respectfully said, "According to your instructions, the territory's extraction system has been restored."

"Currently, we have changed the direction of the tracks, connecting all resource points within three kilometers of the territory."

"However, yesterday we discovered a haunted mine in a snowy area four kilometers away."

"A haunted mine?" Cao Xing asked, puzzled.

Territory resident Cao Yi nodded, "Yes, Ascalon Warriors captain Yaskin went to investigate yesterday and said he sensed the presence of the undead inside."

"However, the undead inside are very cunning; feeling that Captain Yaskin's aura was too powerful, they didn't come out."

"If the undead inside aren't dealt with, the workers might be in danger when going down to mine."

Cao Xing instantly became interested.

Generally speaking, haunted mines like this harbored certain dangers.

Workers would inexplicably disappear during extraction, and sometimes major accidents like mine collapses would occur.

It sounded quite eerie.

But in reality, as long as the resentful spirits inside were wiped out, there basically wouldn't be any safety hazards.

Moreover, generally under such mines, there would be some rare resources.

Cao Xing nodded and said, "Alright, I understand. I'll have someone look into it this afternoon."

"Today, you all should work just like before."

"Understood, my Lord."

Territory resident Cao Yi respectfully withdrew.

At this time, Arctic People Du An walked over to report, "My Lord, your Lords Cabin has already finished upgrading, and has currently been upgraded to a Level 6 Lords Manor."

"In addition, the Kings Altar that you instructed us to build with priority has also been successfully constructed."

"The other two important buildings, the Mage Tower and the Knights Hall, are currently under construction and are expected to be completed tomorrow."

Listening to the series of reports from Arctic People Du An, a look of joy also appeared on Cao Xing's face.

After the Lords Cabin upgraded to the Lords Manor, he could increase more population,

and once the Kings Altar was built, it could resurrect heroes in the territory, making it an extremely important building.

Cao Xing praised, "Very good, well done, Du An!"

Du An said humbly, "Glad to be of service to you, respected Lord!"

Cao Xing nodded and continued, "Recently I acquired another blueprint; your main task today is to upgrade the mechanical factory to intermediate."

"Then build the Shadow Assassin training camp, and other work will proceed as usual."

Arctic People Du An respectfully said, "Understood, my Lord."

"We guarantee to wholeheartedly complete the tasks you entrusted."

After speaking, he prepared to lead the people to start the day's work.

Right at this moment, Cao Xing inadvertently glanced at Du An's attribute panel, which seemed to have changed compared to before.

[Arctic People: Du An]

[Level: Level 10 0 / 10000 (Tier 1 Ordinary Creature)]

…

At this moment, Du An had unexpectedly already reached Level 10.

You must know that when Cao Xing recruited him, he was only a Level 7 Arctic People.

During this period, he wasn't made to fight, and Du An didn't have any status skills.

How did he level up?

And what surprised Cao Xing even more was that,

apart from Du An, the levels of the other few Arctic People had also reached Tier 1 max level.

"Du An." Cao Xing directly called out to stop him.

He respectfully turned back, "My Lord, please give your instructions."

Cao Xing shook his head and asked, "You've already reached Tier 1 max level?"

"What is going on? You didn't secretly go out to fight, did you?"

Hearing this question, Arctic People Du An instantly looked nervous like a fox whose tail had been caught.

Including the other few Arctic People, their expressions also changed simultaneously.

"My… My Lord…"

Du An seemed to be desperately suppressing the fear in his heart.

He couldn't utter a second sentence for a long time.

Cao Xing asked, puzzled, "What's wrong? Can't you say it?"

These words made Du An even more extremely nervous!

He continuously took deep breaths.

After a moment, as if having made some sort of decision, he said frankly, "My Lord…"

"A… Actually, it was during the night… we went to the training ground to train…"

"Every night after work ended, we would go train for four hours…"

Hearing this, a look of realization also appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

That Junior Training Ground in his territory could allow territory residents training inside to gain 500 experience points per hour.

Training for four hours every day was also two thousand experience points.

Previously, Cao Xing indeed had such a plan to train those staff members.

But considering that they had to work during the day and train at night, it was exploiting them a bit too much.

Therefore, Cao Xing never implemented it.

As a result, he didn't expect that they actually went to train on their own.

However, right at this moment,

the other Arctic People present, including those territory residents, acted as if they had heard something terrifying.

They all gasped in cold air.

Da Zhuang and the others exclaimed, "Du An! What did you say?"

"You guys actually secretly ran off to train by yourselves!"

"Why don't you hurry up and kneel before the Lord to admit your mistake!"

Hearing this, Du An dropped directly to his knees with a thud.

"My Lord… It was I who led the other Arctic People to train…"

"If you want to punish someone, punish me…"

The other few Arctic People also knelt down on the spot.

They knelt on both knees, pressing their heads against the bluestone floor beneath their feet.

"My Lord, you cannot blame Du An alone."

"We are also participants; please punish us together. No matter what punishment it is, we are willing to accept it!"

Before Cao Xing could speak, the nearby Ascalon Warriors captain Yaskin also stepped forward.

He likewise knelt on both knees, "Respected Lord, it was my own arbitrary decision to act as their instructor."

"Please punish me together as well!"

This sudden scene left both Cao Xing and Liu Muxue dumbfounded.

Meanwhile, the people present, including territory resident Cao Yi, as well as Da Zhuang and the others, all wore expressions of exasperation at their failure to meet expectations.

It seemed as if Du An and the others had committed some treasonous or rebellious act.

However, upon hearing this, Cao Xing said with a wry smile, "Why would I punish you?"

Hearing this, Du An hurriedly said,

"Because… without your permission, we presumptuously used the training ground."

"We humble Arctic People… actually dared to dream of possessing power, which is something not allowed in this world…"

Hearing this, there was still some puzzlement in Cao Xing's eyes.

At this time, territory resident Cao Yi came over and provided an explanation to Cao Xing.

After a moment, Cao Xing nodded with sudden realization.

Because the social classes in this world were distinct.

For commoners wanting to shake off their identity and achieve a class transition, it was an extremely difficult matter.

The moment many people were born, their identity was already destined, and they would never have the opportunity for promotion in their lifetime.

As for the physically strong and simple-minded Arctic People, no matter which territory they were in, they were the lowest-tier tools.

Those lords or nobles would simply not allow them to acquire power.

Once discovered, execution was getting off lightly.

In serious cases, it could even lead to executing all the Arctic People in the entire territory!

Over so many years, countless Arctic People and commoners had died because of such matters.

In their view, Arctic People were only fit to do dirty and tiring work, and commoners were meant to be ordered around by nobles and used as cannon fodder.

This concept had long been deeply rooted in their minds.

Including Assam, Hilda, and even church personnel like Isabelle, they were all accustomed to such things.

It was not to say they lacked compassion, but rather that this world was simply like this, accepting this concept from the very moment of birth.

At this moment, the atmosphere at the scene solidified to the extreme.

Everyone didn't even dare to breathe heavily.

Including Francesca, she also gazed at Cao Xing with her emerald-like eyes.

She wanted to see, facing this kind of situation, what kind of decision the lord before her would make.

Execute everyone, or only execute a small portion?

However, Cao Xing slowly walked forward.

The few Arctic People kneeling and prostrating on the ground pressed their faces even closer to the earth.

Cao Xing sighed and said, "You guys don't need to be like this."

"I know, Du An, you going to the training ground to improve yourself is also to better contribute to the territory."

Arctic People Du An slowly raised his pale face, a look of hesitation appearing in his eyes.

It was as if he had made up his mind, and then he said solemnly, "My Lord, me improving myself is, on one hand, wanting to make a contribution to the territory."

"On the other hand, I truly want to possess powerful strength!"

Da Zhuang hurriedly said, "Du An, shut your mouth!"

"Quickly admit your mistake to the Lord; perhaps the merciful Lord will spare your life!"

"If you talk nonsense again, no one can save you!"

But Du An shook his head and said, "No, this is my personal thought. I also want to be like those warriors, using my own strength to defend the territory."

"Even when facing danger, we won't have to just watch helplessly inside the territory!"

His voice was deafening!

This was Du An's heartfelt words, and also a speech he said after preparing himself for death.

At this moment, everyone present looked at that group of Arctic People and sighed.

Because under normal circumstances, for Du An to say these words meant he was already doomed to die.

And Cao Xing pondered for a moment, then asked, "I understand, you want to possess the power of self-preservation, right?"

Arctic People Du An struggled for a moment, then nodded solemnly.

"Yes, my Lord!"

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