Frost Catapult and Corrosive Arrow Tower (6200)

"Clang!"

The blacksmith shop door was pushed open.

Cao Xing saw the two figures standing next to the forging table at a glance.

The dwarf blacksmith held a brand-new longsword in his hand, his eyes filled with admiration!

The longsword currently radiated waves of mysterious energy, exuding majesty and power!

Beside him, another blacksmith apprentice was also looking at his master with an expression of adoration.

At the same time, Harold also noticed Cao Xing's arrival and immediately said respectfully,

"Lord, you are here!"

Cao Xing nodded, then smiled and said, "I heard that you have successfully repaired Magdale, is that right?"

"Yes, respected Lord!"

Harold also appeared very excited at this moment.

"This is the first legendary weapon I have ever repaired in my life. It has not a single flaw and will definitely bring you powerful strength!"

"Please take a look!"

After saying this, he handed over the sword.

Cao Xing, also slightly excited, took the weapon from Harold's hand.

[Obtained: Ancient Sword – Magdale (Legendary)]

… He glanced at the attributes.

[Ancient Sword – Magdale]

[Quality: Legendary]

[Equipment Level: Level 70 and above]

[Attack Power: 7852 ~ 7947]

[Attached Effect ①: All Attributes +2000, Critical Hit Rate +20%]

[Attached Effect ②: King's Authority (Repair Successful, Now Active)]

[Attached Effect ③: King's Command (Repair Successful, Now Active)]

[Attached Effect ④: Sword of Judgment (Condenses the faint divine power contained within the sword to slash out a terrifying sword aura, dealing 880% tearing damage to all enemies in front, Cooldown: 7 days)]

[Attached Effect ⑤: Purgatory of Enemies (Attributes same as above)]

(Note: Purgatory of Enemies will affect all friendly units except the Lord; please use with caution.)

… "Goodness, over seven thousand attack power, plus all attributes +2000!"

"This boost is truly terrifying!"

Cao Xing exclaimed in admiration.

If this were equipped on Liu Muxue, not only would her attack power skyrocket by a significant margin, but her other blessing-type skills would also receive a massive boost!

Furthermore, all the special effects on it could now be used, which would greatly enhance Liu Muxue's combat capabilities.

Besides that, the most insane special effect on this legendary weapon—Purgatory of Enemies—was now usable as well.

Cao Xing pondered, "Although the weapon's effect is powerful, it is too dangerous."

"If I accidentally used it and turned all my subordinates into undead, that would be a huge problem."

Of course, Liu Muxue certainly wouldn't be that foolish.

If it were when he had just arrived in this world, Cao Xing wouldn't have dared to hand such a weapon to her.

But after these few months of interaction, both sides had come to trust each other.

Perhaps… this was also the meaning of the Family Mode.

Moreover, the repaired legendary weapon had become a level 70 weapon; to equip it, Liu Muxue still needed to level up 11 more times.

Cao Xing put it into his backpack and said, "Harold, well done!"

"Continue your work; I'm heading out first."

"Understood, Lord!"

After leaving the blacksmith shop.

Cao Xing looked at the longsword and the shield in his backpack, and an excited expression appeared on his face!

Now, there were two legendary weapons in his backpack waiting to be bound!

In this way, not only could he significantly enhance the combat power of Liu Muxue and Braum.

At the same time, the [star picker] title could also provide a +20 Luck bonus.

"Moreover, the hidden danger of the Ancient Battlefield has been resolved. Once the monster siege ends, I can go to the Eternal Frost Main City to redeem my rewards!"

"By then, I'll be able to get another legendary weapon."

"From now on, the strength of my warriors will enter a period of explosive growth!"

Thinking of this, his mood became even better.

"Next, I'll go find Juliette and little Nive, and have them plant these Ancient Tree seeds."

Cao Xing was just about to take action when a system prompt appeared.

[Merlind City Chamber of Commerce: Jess is requesting to visit your territory…]

Cao Xing was slightly stunned.

"It's that old fellow Jess. Isn't he in Merlind City? Why did he come to my territory?"

With a look of confusion, he clicked confirm.

Outside the territory, a caravan was rapidly approaching.

A dozen or so carriages were moving forward in an orderly fashion.

A small portion of the carriages were loaded with goods, while most of the others were empty.

The carriage wheels rolled over the thick snow, emitting 'creak! creak!' sounds.

Dozens of figures gradually approached.

It was the merchant Jess, whom he had contacted twice before, along with his guard team.

Come to think of it, this merchant had left a fairly good impression on Cao Xing.

Last time in Merlind City, he had also received much care from him.

Thus, Cao Xing went to meet them. Both sides met quickly, and a polite smile appeared on both their faces!

"President Jess, I trust you have been well."

"Lord Cao Xing, long time no see!"

The two exchanged pleasantries as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in years.

The group of guards behind Jess looked at the scene before them with strange expressions.

They really didn't know that their Chamber of Commerce's vice-president had such a good relationship with an Otherworld Lord.

After a pause, Cao Xing asked, "President Jess, how do you have the time to come to my territory?"

Hearing this, a look of helplessness appeared on the merchant Jess's face.

"It's like this, Lord Cao Xing."

"I was originally leading my caravan to trade in the villages around Merlind City."

"But after traveling for about a week, I suddenly heard news that Gwyneth had left Merlind City all by herself."

"Her father and I were close friends, and before he passed away, he entrusted me to take good care of this girl."

"If something were to happen to this girl, I would truly feel ashamed before my old friend…"

"So, we sent a large number of people out of the city to search, but we couldn't find her."

"It wasn't until a few days ago that I learned that before Gwyneth left, she had been asking about you."

"So I guessed that she might have come to your territory, and I immediately brought people over."

A look of realization appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

Gwyneth was indeed a member of the Woodpecker Chamber of Commerce.

Cao Xing didn't deny it, "She is indeed in my territory."

Hearing this, a look of "as I thought" appeared in the merchant Jess's eyes. Then he let out a sigh of relief.

"It's good that she's here. I really didn't expect that after losing her voice, this girl could actually travel over five hundred kilometers alone to arrive at your territory."

Cao Xing replied, "I also found it incredible, so I let her stay in my territory."

"President Jess, did you come this time prepared to take Gwyneth back?"

The middle-aged man seemed to realize something. He quickly shook his head and said, "Lord Cao Xing, please don't misunderstand."

"I didn't come here this time wanting to take her back; I just didn't want anything to happen to her out there."

"If she is willing to stay, of course, I won't force her to leave."

"It just so happens that Gwyneth has been unhappy ever since losing her voice; if she could relax in your territory for a while, that would be quite good."

Jess had a smile on his face.

Cao Xing nodded.

Gwyneth not only possessed master-level singing proficiency, but also her stunning beauty and musical talent.

It could be said that even if she couldn't sing, she was still a rare talent.

And Jess letting Gwyneth stay in his territory now was obviously an attempt to do him a favor.

Of course, another reason was that Cao Xing's territory was strong enough.

Jess believed that Gwyneth would be safer here and have better development.

At the same time, the merchant cupped his hands and said, "Lord Cao Xing, since I've confirmed that this girl is in your territory, I can rest easy."

"I won't disturb you any further now." After saying this, he prepared to take his people and leave.

But Cao Xing called out to him, "President Jess, wait a moment."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man turned his head and looked at him in confusion.

Cao Xing continued, "I wonder if you would like to do business with me?"

Hearing this, he seemed to understand something, and his eyes gradually lit up.

"You mean the Light Feather Chicken eggs you mentioned to me last time?"

Cao Xing shook his head and said, "The Light Feather Chicken eggs aren't that fast."

"It's only been a month since we last met; a Light Feather Chicken normally takes at least several months to reach adulthood."

Upon hearing this, Jess realized he had been a bit too eager and laughed awkwardly.

But Cao Xing shook his head and said, "However, since you've come all this way, I can't let you return empty-handed."

Hearing this, the merchant Jess's eyes gradually brightened, and he asked tentatively, "You mean…"

"Take a look at this." After saying that, Cao Xing took out one bottle each of [Crafted Rum (Green)] and [Phantom Demon Wine (Gold)] and handed them to him.

After the merchant Jess took them, he first opened the cap of the rum. A rich aroma of alcohol immediately wafted out, even giving one a refreshing feeling!

He instantly exclaimed, "Good wine!"

"The quality of this rum is very high. Even compared to other craft brews on the market, it is of top-tier quality!"

"This is the most authentic rum."

Rum is a relatively common alcoholic beverage on the continent; some adventurers and mercenaries like to go to taverns to drink a few cups in their spare time.

But most taverns sell ordinary rum.

And the price difference between crafted rum and ordinary rum is as much as ten times.

The main reason for this is, naturally, that the ingredients for craft brewing are harder to obtain.

In the absence of tree sap, those breweries would use some other materials as substitutes.

Of course, the effect is certainly not as good as tree sap.

Like this batch of crafted rum in Cao Xing's hands, they were all made strictly according to the materials in the recipe.

That is why Jess gave this bottle of rum such a high evaluation.

At the same time, he opened the cap of the Phantom Demon Wine.

As a peculiar fragrance appeared, Jess's pupils immediately widened, and he exclaimed.

"This scent is… the signature brew of the Phantom Tavern in Lake Doron City, Phantom Demon Wine!"

"Good heavens, before all the living beings in that city were blood-sacrificed, I thought this kind of demon wine had gone extinct!"

"I didn't expect to see this kind of wine again in Lord Cao Xing's territory."

Cao Xing smiled and nodded, "I wonder, Your Excellency Jess, are you interested in purchasing some?"

The merchant Jess asked in confusion, "You mean… you want to trade these two types of wine with me?"

Cao Xing nodded slightly, "If the price is fair, I would certainly be very happy to trade with you."

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, then said, "For crafted rum, the general market price is around two thousand crowns."

"However, those are all subpar rum and have a huge gap in quality compared to Lord Cao Xing's!"

"In that case, I will purchase your craft rum at a price of 4,000 crowns per liter. How does that sound?"

Hearing this number, Cao Xing quickly did some calculations.

However, he did not agree immediately, but instead continued to ask, "What about the other type of magic wine?"

A look of contemplation appeared in the merchant Jess's eyes once again.

"As for the Dream Demon Wine…"

"The Dream Tavern's previous market price was 100,000 crowns per liter, so I will purchase it at 80,000 crowns per liter. How does that sound?"

Jess's price was quite fair.

In this way, he would only have a profit of 20,000 crowns per liter, from which labor costs, transportation costs, taxes, and so on would still need to be deducted.

In the end, there really wasn't much profit left.

This price was also about what Cao Xing had anticipated.

Currently, there was a stock of 11,300 liters of craft rum. At 4,000 crowns per liter, that came out to 45,200,000 crowns.

Then, there was a stock of 600 liters of Dream Demon Wine. Selling it all would yield 48,000,000 in revenue.

Adding these together, the total revenue was 93,200,000, which was quite good.

Although he could go directly to Fizz Walker for money now.

However, who would complain about having more money?

Moreover, establishing his own trade system was also very important.

In the future, Cao Xing would also need to sell Agate Grapes, Silver Dew Berries, and so on to the Luna Chamber of Commerce.

The territory's animal husbandry would be contracted to the Black Lion Chamber of Commerce, and the liquor production would be handed over to the Woodpecker Chamber of Commerce.

This was equivalent to all three chambers of commerce establishing long-term cooperative relationships with his territory.

Therefore, Cao Xing nodded and said, "No problem, let's trade at this price!"

Jess was immediately all smiles.

"Lord Cao Xing is truly straightforward!"

Then, Cao Xing pressed the communication device on his ear and said.

"Da Zhuang, take a few Arctic People to the winery and bring out all the liquor we've produced during this time."

"Understood, my Lord!"

Hearing the order, the Arctic People in the territory immediately began to act.

A few minutes later.

Large wooden barrels filled with large amounts of liquor were carried out by these Arctic People and stacked together.

After running back and forth many times, a total of over one hundred wooden barrels were stacked together.

It was quite a spectacular sight!

And when Jess saw so many barrels of liquor, the smile on his face instantly widened!

He had thought that since Cao Xing's territory hadn't been developing for long, supplies would certainly be very scarce.

Even if they had started producing liquor, he assumed there wouldn't be much stock.

But now it seemed that the liquor reserves Cao Xing possessed were beyond his imagination!

The surprise in his eyes grew even stronger.

"Good, good, good! Lord Cao Xing certainly won't let me return empty-handed. So much liquor is a truly astonishing amount of wealth!"

"If I hadn't brought enough crowns before setting out this time, I wouldn't have been able to buy so much."

Cao Xing also smiled.

"Then let's trade right now, shall we?"

"No problem!" Jess agreed readily.

Both parties quickly completed a round of trading.

[Transaction successful! You lost [Fine Rum] * 11,300 liters, [Dream Demon Wine] * 600 liters, and you gained [Coins] * 93,200,000…]

…Cao Xing's assets surged by a large margin once again. Counting the 100,000,000 crowns that hadn't been spent this morning, his current assets were about to exceed 200,000,000.

He felt incredibly comfortable.

After getting the money, Cao Xing was in a good mood.

So he asked Da Zhuang and the others to help load those barrels of liquor onto the caravan's wagons.

A moment later, all the liquor was loaded.

Cao Xing took a look at the goods on their wagons.

Then he asked, "Sir Jess, did you bring any good things with you on this trading trip?"

Since he had money, he naturally had to spend some and see if he could improve his strength.

Jess understood what Cao Xing meant and nodded.

"Ordinary things likely wouldn't catch your eye."

"However, this time I really did obtain a few good things. Lord Cao Xing, you can take a look."

A system prompt appeared.

[Woodpecker Chamber of Commerce: Jess is opening his goods list to you. Do you accept?]

Cao Xing clicked accept immediately.

The next moment, a few items appeared before him.

[Corrosive Arrow Tower Construction Blueprint (Gold)]: Price 6,000,000 crowns

[Frost Shell Catapult Construction Blueprint (Orange)]: Price 20,000,000 crowns

[Cursed Luck Bead (Gold)]: Price 3,000,000 crowns (Stock: 3)

There were only three items in the entire shop.

But as Jess said, every item was extraordinary!

Needless to say, that Corrosive Arrow Tower, a Gold-quality arrow tower—one didn't need to think to know it must be very powerful!

The other one, the Frost Shell Catapult, was even of Epic quality!

You have to know, the few boulder catapults he had snatched from the Goblin camp last time were only Blue quality.

This type of Frost Shell Catapult definitely had its extraordinary aspects.

Cao Xing exclaimed, "President Jess, these three items of yours are truly good things!"

A hint of pride appeared on Jess's face.

He smiled and replied, "Yes, those two blueprints are my hidden treasures; I don't take them out easily."

"As for the other three Cursed Luck Beads, they were found in the black market together with you last time."

Cao Xing nodded, "I'll take all three."

The merchant Jess laughed immediately.

"Lord Cao Xing, as straightforward as ever!"

"Then let's proceed with the transaction now!"

After saying this, both parties engaged in another round of trading.

[Transaction successful! You obtained [Corrosive Arrow Tower Construction Blueprint (Gold)], you obtained [Frost Catapult Construction Blueprint (Orange)], you obtained [Loyalty Bead (Gold)] * 3, and you lost [Coins] * 35,000,000…]

[Ding! Item [Diamond Membership Card] activated. For this transaction, 20% of the coins are returned to you. You obtained: [Coins] * 7,000,000…]

Seeing the second prompt, Cao Xing smiled.

This [Diamond Membership Card] was truly a good item; it saved him 7,000,000 crowns in a single transaction.

In the long run, it was hard to imagine how much profit it could bring him!

After the transaction was completed, Jess had someone carry a package down from the wagon and handed it to Cao Xing.

"Lord Cao Xing, these are Gwyneth's personal belongings."

"Inside are some books she usually reads, as well as her clothes and such."

"Since she has already joined your territory, please pass these things on to the girl."

Cao Xing took it, and it felt heavy in his hands.

Inside this package, there seemed to be at least dozens of books.

After a pause, Jess said, "By the way, please pass on a message for me."

"Although Gwyneth can no longer sing, the friendship between her father and me remains. As long as she wants to, she can return to Merlind City at any time."

Cao Xing took it and said, "I understand, I will pass it on to her."

The merchant nodded again, then looked at the sky.

"It's getting late. We need to reach the next stop before dark."

"Lord Cao Xing, until next time."

Cao Xing nodded, "Alright, until next time."

After speaking, Jess returned to the caravan.

Then, taking over a dozen wagons, they left the territory.

…After the caravan left, Cao Xing couldn't wait to check the attributes of the three items he had just obtained from the trade.

[Corrosive Tower Construction Blueprint (Gold)]

[Blueprint Introduction: Can build a Corrosive Arrow Tower in the territory. After the arrow hits, it can reduce the enemy's armor.]

[Attack Power: 1,745 ~ 1,833 (100% chance to reduce enemy armor by 100 points, stacking up to 10 times)]

[Attack Interval: 1.5 seconds / 1 attack]

[Maximum Range: 1,500 meters]

[Armor: 450 points]

[Durability: 25,000 / 25,000]

[Footprint: 48 square meters]

[Building Height: 19 meters]

[Construction Materials Required: Level 16 Large Smelter, Wood * 10,000, Stone * 5,000, Iron * 2,000, Mithril * 200, Advanced Elemental Crystal * 20]

After reading the attributes of this blueprint, Cao Xing was full of admiration!

"This thing is quite formidable!"

Although the Corrosive Arrow Tower's attack wasn't high, only over a thousand.

However, the most important thing about this type of arrow tower was its ability to reduce armor.

Stacking up to 10 times, that added up to a full 1,000 points of armor reduction, which was quite insane.

Cao Xing put it into his backpack with satisfaction and then checked the second blueprint.

[Frost Shell Catapult Construction Blueprint (Orange)]

[Blueprint Introduction: Can build a catapult that automatically condenses Frost Shells, dealing large-area Frost damage to enemies.]

[Attack Power: 34,912 ~ 35,732 (No ammunition required, automatically condenses a frost shell every 5 seconds)]

[Attack Interval: 5 seconds / 1 attack]

[Attack Effect: Upon landing, deals 121% Frost damage to enemies within 30 meters, with a 30% chance to freeze the enemy.]

[Maximum Range: 3,000 meters]

[Armor: 1,500 points]

[Durability: 80,000 / 80,000]

[Construction Materials Required: Level 11 Lord Castle, Advanced Machinery Factory, Fine Iron * 30,000, Copper * 20,000, Mithril * 5,000, Constant Gold Ingot * 1,000, master-level elemental crystal * 1,000]

"Holy… Automatically condensing frost shells? Doesn't this mean it's an infinite ammunition version of a catapult?"

"Moreover, this thing has over 30,000 attack power, and it's an area-of-effect attack!"

"If I build a few thousand of these, who the hell would dare to attack my territory?"

Of course, building so many catapults was a very difficult task.

The materials required were simply too many. Building even one could make an ordinary Survivor go bankrupt.

Even Cao Xing himself couldn't produce them on a large scale.

However, producing a few was still possible.

He thought to himself, "Recently, Locke has been going all out to produce robots, so he probably won't have time to build these catapults."

"It just so happens that I don't have enough materials on hand right now either. Once the robot army is formed, I'll have him spend a few days making these."

In his mind, he had already made plans for the next steps.

Next was the final item.

[Cursed Luck Bead (Gold)]

[Quality: Rare Item]

[Item Effect: After using on a creature, reduces its Luck by 100 points for the next 24 hours]