Chapter 88: Golden Blueprint, Hero Altar!

Chapter 88: Golden Blueprint, Hero Altar!

[Binding successful.]

Cao Xing nodded with satisfaction.

Meanwhile, from atop that throne, a beam of light suddenly emerged from one of the eye-sized gems.

Then, it fell straight onto Cao Xing.

Renice, Blot, and the two Centaur warriors all looked at Cao Xing with curious gazes.

Kandaer the Centaur said in confusion, "Kantor, have you noticed that something seems to have changed about the Lord?"

Kantor nodded and said, "Kandaer, you're right. Before, the Lord looked weak and frail, but now, I feel like he is as strong as a chieftain!"

At this moment, Cao Xing, who had already put the [Shining Throne] into his backpack, heard the conversation between the two Centaurs, and an almost imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He knew that this was exactly the effect of the throne's +50 Charisma stat, combined with their loyalty reaching over 80.

Otherwise, if a stranger looked at Cao Xing, they would only think he was a human with a decent temperament.

Meanwhile, Assam and Andrew had already dismantled everything that could be dismantled in this palace.

Cao Xing followed behind them, collecting all kinds of items into his backpack.

[Obtained Glazed Hanging Lamp *5]

[Obtained Gilded Candlestick *17]

[Obtained Black Crystal Floor *673]

[Obtained Silk Curtain *4]

…

Cao Xing glanced at the attributes of this flooring.

[Black Crystal Floor: Special Material]

[Crafted from pure black crystal, it has excellent insulation properties, which can slow down heat loss, isolate dampness and chill from the ground, and increase the temperature inside buildings.]

"Holy crap, flooring that can raise indoor temperatures? What a great item!"

At this stage, for the Blue Star Survivors, the primary issue was resisting the cold.

Even with the Lord's Cabin and the Great Bonfire, the indoor temperature was still not very ideal.

Obviously, this flooring could increase indoor temperatures and improve comfort.

"Over six hundred pieces of flooring, which is over six hundred square meters, is completely enough for me to pave the entire Lord's Cabin."

Cao Xing nodded with satisfaction.

At this moment, Sarah suddenly appeared.

"Respected Lord, I didn't find any treasure chests, but I found a passage leading to the outside."

Since her loyalty rose to 100, Sarah had started using respectful honorifics when addressing Cao Xing.

Cao Xing nodded; the lack of a treasure chest was within his expectations.

After all, the description of the [Shining Throne] mentioned that these goblins had consumed a massive amount of resources from the entire treasury to craft this throne.

"Assemble, prepare to head back!"

Hearing Cao Xing's command, the recruited creatures walked over one after another.

Then, they followed Sarah to a hidden passage in a corner of this palace.

They walked through the long passage.

A few minutes later.

The group emerged on the other side of this nameless mountain peak.

Arriving at the snow-covered valley before them, gusts of freezing wind howled past.

Cao Xing glanced at the map.

The place they were in was still the edge of the Borealis Mountain Range, not yet reaching deep into the mountains.

Or rather, barely anyone had ever truly gone deep into the Borealis Mountain Range.

Hidden within this massive mountain range was an astonishing number of magical beasts; the deeper one went, the stronger the monsters became.

Even merchant caravans only traveled along the edge of the Borealis Mountain Range.

According to Assam, such dangerous areas could only be traversed by expert-level powerhouses of Tier 4 or higher.

On the map, Cao Xing discovered another small path leading down the mountain nearby.

Going down from here would allow them to leave the Borealis Mountain Range much faster.

Cao Xing ordered, "Everyone, we will head southwest. There is a small path leading down the mountain there."

"Assam, keep clearing the way ahead!"

Assam nodded respectfully, then controlled his Frost Wolf to plunge straight into the nearby woods.

The group followed behind Assam in a grand procession.

Cao Xing glanced at the time above his head.

[Time until nightfall: 3 hours 17 minutes…]

[Current Temperature: -55°C]

Spending an hour on the road, almost another hour finding Juliette, plus exploring the goblin palace…

Cao Xing had already been out for almost three hours this time.

"Very well, there's still plenty of time, completely enough for me to return to the camp."

Cao Xing nodded secretly, an excited expression appearing on his face.

"Next, it's time to check the loot dropped by the Goblin King."

With an excited heart, Cao Xing began to check the attributes of those items.

First, the first one was a palm-sized, deeper red crystal.

[Intermediate Heart of Strength: Advancement Item]

(Allows a Survivor or recruited creature who has reached level 20 to break through to a Tier 3 powerhouse, increasing all attributes by 100%)

…

Cao Xing was instantly overjoyed, "Great, I finally got my first Intermediate Heart of Strength!"

Because with this, he could allow Sarah to complete her Tier 3 advancement, causing her strength to skyrocket dramatically once again.

He continued looking down. The second item was a soul.

[Bright Boss-Tier Soul (Gold)]

(Can be used on a Chieftain-tier creature below Tier 3, giving them a high probability of evolving into a Boss-tier creature, with a success rate of 45%–75%)

…

"A Boss-tier soul!"

A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Cao Xing's face once again.

He had already experienced just how powerful a Boss-tier existence was.

And as long as he used this soul, Cao Xing would have a high probability of possessing his own Boss-tier creature!

"However, this soul has a restriction; it requires a Chieftain-tier creature to use."

"Dabai, Sarah, and Assam are all candidates."

After thinking for a moment, Cao Xing still decided to give this soul to Sarah as well.

Sarah had always been the strongest and highest damage-dealer in the team.

Cao Xing decided to nurture Sarah into his trump card, a true weapon of mass destruction.

One could only imagine how formidable Sarah, having broken through to Tier 3 and advanced to a Boss-tier existence, would be!

Cao Xing called out.

"Sarah."

As soon as he spoke, a slender figure suddenly emerged from the nearby shadows.

"Respected Lord."

Ever since they started traveling, Sarah had vanished from everyone's sight.

Yet Cao Xing only needed to call out, and Sarah would appear at any moment, as if she were constantly guarding his side.

Ever since her loyalty reached 100, Cao Xing felt that the way this Dark Elf looked at him was becoming more and more unusual.

It was a gaze that was suppressed yet filled with burning heat.

Cao Xing said, "Sarah Blade Dance, you have always been one of the best performers in my territory."

"Now, I will allow you to undergo a transformation."

After speaking, he tossed the Intermediate Heart of Strength and the Boss-tier soul to Sarah together.

Sarah caught them subconsciously, holding the crimson crystal and the bright soul in her hands.

Her body was trembling slightly.

Cao Xing could clearly feel that Sarah's gaze toward him was growing increasingly passionate.

A system prompt appeared.

[Your territory member, Sarah Blade Dance, was moved by your generous gift. Her loyalty has increased further. Since her loyalty is already full, a special effect has been triggered: Absolute Loyalty.]

[Absolute Loyalty: Permanently maintains loyalty at maximum value and cannot be affected by any external effects.]

A smile appeared on the corner of Cao Xing's mouth.

Excellent, Sarah had also become absolutely loyal to him.

At this moment, this dark elven woman placed her Shadow Blades against her chest, bowed slightly, and performed a solemn salute.

"Respected Lord, your glory and the Shadow Sanctuary shine upon me."

Sarah's dialogue had changed, even placing Cao Xing before the Shadow Sanctuary.

This showed that she had already treated Cao Xing as the faith in her heart.

Even Liu Muxue, who was standing to the side, could tell that Sarah's gaze when watching Cao Xing was so intense it seemed like she wanted to devour him.

However, Liu Muxue didn't seem to mind. Instead, a peculiar smile curled on the corner of her lips.

*Cough, cough!*

Cao Xing cleared his throat and said, "Use them, Sarah Blade Dance. Let me witness your transformation."

Sarah nodded.

Then, she used the Intermediate Heart of Strength without hesitation.

This thing had no chance of failure; as long as the level requirement was met, the advancement was guaranteed.

*Crack!*

As the crystal shattered, a powerful force was absorbed by Sarah.

Everyone could feel waves of powerful aura surging from this dark elven woman.

Yet in the next moment, all of these auras were completely reined in.

It was as if she had lost all sense of presence; even standing right in front of them, they would subconsciously ignore her.

This was also an essential trait for a powerful assassin.

A system prompt appeared.

[Your territory member, Sarah Blade Dance, has completed her Tier 3 advancement. All attributes have increased by 100%.]

[Note: The attribute increase after advancement applies to base attributes only. Equipment-granted attributes will not receive this boost.]

Sarah opened her eyes, like a venomous serpent in the dark awakening from hibernation.

Giving off a cold, deadly, and irresistible feeling!

Then, without hesitation, she pressed the Bright Boss-Tier Soul into her chest as well.

Cao Xing watched her with some nervousness.

Although the success rate of this bright soul was very high,

because he had already failed once when trying to evolve Andrew into a Chieftain,

Cao Xing couldn't help but feel a bit worried.

However, the evolution from Chieftain to Boss also required some time.

Cao Xing could only suppress his anxiety and continue checking the other items in his backpack.

In his hand, a golden blueprint appeared out of thin air, with a pattern resembling an altar drawn on it.

[King's Altar Construction Blueprint (Gold): Special Building]

[Building Effect: Allows the construction of a King's Altar within the territory. The souls of fallen heroes will be recorded within the altar.

By spending souls of the same tier and a large amount of resources, they can be resurrected again.]

[Required Construction Materials: Level 3 Lord's Cabin, Wood *10,000, Stone *5,000, Mythril *1,000, Eternal Gold Ingot *100, Magic Pattern Stone *50.]

[Note: The same hero can be resurrected up to three times.]

(Blueprint Description: Soul, return. The resurrection of the deceased comes with a price. No one… can play with the Grim Reaper…)

…