Shining Jade, the final stage of the fog disaster. (6000)

After helping other Survivors solve the problem of insufficient resources, Cao Xing headed to the blacksmith shop and took out a large pile of vines.

Then, he called Du An and the others over.

Anyway, there were many workers in his territory; apart from those building the city walls and upgrading buildings, there were still many people he could mobilize.

Cao Xing first piled the large heap of vines on the ground, then said.

"Your task today is to connect these vines together, then go to the resource points near the territory to gather resources."

"Remember, you must not step beyond two kilometers outside the territory."

"I will send a group of soldiers to protect you."

The Arctic People Du An nodded solemnly: "No problem, Lord, I will supervise them well."

For a time, a large number of workers became busy.

Cao Xing called over the Wild Boar Warriors, letting them go outside to be responsible for protecting the safety of these workers. Not long after, a system prompt appeared.

Stone +5

Wood +9

Coal +3

The resources, which had stopped for eight days with only outflows and no inflows, began to grow again.

A satisfied smile appeared on Cao Xing's face.

Then, he came to the third ring area of the territory, where two brand-new buildings appeared in the thick fog ahead.

On the left was a training camp built of sturdy boulders, with mighty knight patterns carved into the walls. The huge archway was wide open, and one could vaguely see the spacious training ground inside.

This building was the [Imperial Knight Training Barracks].

Beside it was another large building with a cold metallic texture, over ten meters high.

Several strange stone pillars stood at the entrance; it was the [War Research Institute].

This research institute in the back was what Cao Xing cared about the most.

He glanced at the attributes.

[War Technology Research Institute (Primary)]

[Armor: 500]

[Durability: 50000]

[Arrow Tower Reinforcement: Lv0 (Consumes 5 million coins, 10,000 Mithril, 500 Shadow Amethyst to upgrade, cap is level 5.)]

[City Wall Reinforcement: Lv0 (Consumes 5 million coins, 1,000 Gold Ingots, 1,000 Magic Pattern Stone to upgrade, cap is level 5.)]

Cao Xing thought to himself: "As expected, it's not that easy to reinforce the arrow towers and city walls in the territory."

"Upgrading even one level requires so many materials."

"The Mithril, Gold Ingots, and Magic Pattern Stone are easy to talk about, but I haven't even encountered this Shadow Amethyst thing."

However, he had heard the Centaur mention this amethyst before.

Shadow Amethyst and Frost White Crystal were ores of the same grade, very precious.

In other words, it was only possible to mine this kind of ore at those high-level mining points.

Cao Xing thought to himself: "It seems I can only wait until the Fog Disaster ends and use the Shining Throne to see if I can find a Shadow Amethyst vein."

Then, he continued to patrol the territory.

Just then, a woman about 1.6 meters tall with a graceful figure walked over quickly.

With a mature and charming face, her eyebrows were lightly knitted together, carrying a hint of anxiety.

"Gracey, what are you looking for?" Cao Xing stopped her.

Gracey was the mother of that young Baron.

She was temporarily living in his territory and was not a member of this territory.

This woman, who was petite but had an exceptionally hot figure, showed a look of surprise in her beautiful eyes after seeing Cao Xing.

"Lord Cao Xing, I was just looking for you."

Cao Xing looked at her suspiciously.

Gracey explained softly: "This Fog Disaster has lasted for so many days, and I'm worried that Fitz might have encountered some danger."

"I know you have a way to contact Fitz, so I wanted to ask you to help me check on his situation?"

There was worry in the woman's eyes; she cared very much about this son of hers.

Cao Xing chuckled: "I thought it was something else."

"Alright, I'll ask for you."

So, he directly pressed the communication device on his ear and switched to Fitz Walker's communication channel.

"Buzz—Buzz—"

A moment later, Fitz Walker's respectful voice sounded.

"Master, I am here. Please instruct me."

Cao Xing said: "Nothing much, it's just that your mother asked me to check on your situation."

Fitz Walker replied immediately: "Please rest assured, Master. We have encountered this kind of Fog Disaster before and know how to deal with it."

"Currently, the Baron's mansion has sufficient resource reserves, and the Church of Light hasn't come to trouble me. It's a state of peace."

"Please tell my mother not to worry."

Cao Xing replied: "Alright, I will relay that."

"Thank you, Master."

"During this time, my mother has been troubling you in your territory."

Cao Xing replied: "It's nothing. Before long, you will be able to pick her up."

Hearing this, Fitz Walker's expression shifted slightly, as if he understood something.

Meanwhile, Cao Xing hung up the phone, then turned to look at the woman beside him and said: "Your son said he's fine, and the Baron's mansion currently has plenty of resource reserves."

The noblewoman gradually breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slightly.

"Thank you, My Lord."

Cao Xing waved his hand, preparing to leave.

The woman suddenly said softly: "Lord Cao Xing, do you have time now?"

Cao Xing asked suspiciously: "What's wrong?"

Gracey hesitated, then seemed to have made a decision and said: "I want to show you something."

"What is it?"

"A stone." Gracey said softly: "It's a piece of jade. According to my father, it has magical power."

"Back then, even a Count was willing to pay a high price to buy it, but my father refused."

"Later, this jade came into my hands, and I never knew what it was used for. Since Lord Cao Xing is so capable and knowledgeable, surely you can see its purpose."

"Oh? Magical jade?"

Cao Xing became interested, "Alright, let's take a look."

A smile appeared on Gracey's mature face.

"Lord Cao Xing, please follow me."

After speaking, she turned around and walked away.

Cao Xing followed behind her, watching the voluptuous figure hidden beneath her petite body, her round, perky buttocks swaying slightly with her steps.

Especially in the surrounding foggy environment, it gave people a hazy sense of beauty.

Soon, Cao Xing arrived at her private residence.

The temperature inside was warm as always.

In the room, Cao Xing casually found a chair and sat down.

The Baron's mother was busy bringing over a hot kettle, then brewed a cup of hot tea for him.

"Lord Cao Xing, these tea leaves were brought from the Baron's mansion. Please enjoy."

Cao Xing picked it up and took a sip, then praised: "Not bad, very fragrant."

A smile appeared on Gracey's face, instantly full of charm.

"Gracey, let me see your jade." Cao Xing got straight to the point.

The Baron's mother nodded gently, "Lord Cao Xing, please wait a moment."

Then, she went to the cabinet by the bed and slowly squatted down, her tight pants again highlighting her plump, fleshy legs.

Gracey opened the cabinet and rummaged through a pile of luggage.

Soon, she took out an item.

This item was about the size of a palm, wrapped in a layer of silk cloth, showing that Gracey valued it highly.

She slowly walked to Cao Xing's side and said: "Lord Cao Xing, please take a look."

And when she uncovered the silk cloth on top, a dazzling green light erupted, almost blinding one's eyes.

When the light dissipated, Cao Xing saw a piece of jade that was glowing with a faint green light, its surface extremely smooth, like a work of art.

"Is this the jade you were talking about?" Cao Xing asked suspiciously.

Gracey nodded slightly, "Yes, when I married into the Baron's mansion, my father gave me this jade, and I never knew its function."

"Let me see it." Cao Xing said.

"Alright."

Gracey walked forward gently and handed the jade to him.

[Obtained: Radiant Cyan Jade (Orange) * 1]

"Epic quality jade?"

Cao Xing's eyes revealed surprise.

With an expectant look, he glanced at the attributes.

[Radiant Cyan Jade (Orange)]

[Quality: Epic]

[Effect 1: During the forging process, adding a Radiant Cyan Jade can increase the equipment's base attributes by 10% ~ 30%, and increase the usage level by 10 (Can be applied to Legendary equipment, can be used at most 3 times)]

[Effect 2: Can replenish all divine power for a complete piece of equipment, restoring it to its peak state.]

"This stone can actually increase equipment attributes, and even restore divine power? A bit powerful!"

The former effect was easy to understand; it meant adding it during crafting to increase the equipment's inherent base attack, armor, etc.

The latter effect should apply to some Legendary equipment that had been specially affected but not broken or damaged.

For example, Assam's [lady of the lake sword], Isabelle's [Bright Holy Scripture], and so on.

Just from these two effects, one could tell that the value of this jade was staggering.

Cao Xing replied: "This stone is very precious, it can even make some Legendary equipment become more powerful."

"Your father left you a good treasure."

Hearing this, a smile appeared on the Baron's mother's face, "So that's how it is…"

"Lord Cao Xing is indeed knowledgeable."

Cao Xing shook his head. He wasn't knowledgeable; it was just the system's built-in identification function.

After speaking, he returned the jade to her.

After Gracey took it and observed it in her palm for a while, a moment later, she seemed to have made a decision.

"Lord Cao Xing, please accept this piece of jade."

After saying this, she pushed the Shining Cyan Jade toward Cao Xing once again.

Cao Xing was slightly taken aback, then asked in confusion, "You want to give me such a precious piece of jade?"

The baron's mother before him nodded gently. "Yes. I know that although you are young, you are very capable. Only in your hands can this piece of jade truly realize its value."

Having said this, Gracie paused slightly, then added with some embarrassment, "Besides this, I have a small request."

Cao Xing's expression turned strange. He thought to himself that there really was no such thing as a free lunch.

However, he was indeed tempted by this Shining Cyan Jade, so he said, "Tell me, what is your request?"

Gracie asked tentatively, "Lord, the fact that Fitz suddenly promoted to Viscount must have been with your help, right?"

Cao Xing narrowed his eyes slightly. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yes."

She nodded gently and said, "I had some suspicions before. The child is usually idle and incompetent; it would be good enough if he could just keep the little family property of the Baron's estate."

"Now that he has suddenly received the King's appreciation and was even enfeoffed as a Viscount, it is truly strange."

"Now I understand. It turns out you are the one standing behind him."

"So I would like to request that you continue to look after this child in the future. Please accept this piece of jade as a token of my gratitude."

Cao Xing glanced at this woman.

As expected, this baron's mother was quite smart, much better than Fitz Walker.

As for this request, Cao Xing would have done it even without her asking.

After all, Fitz Walker was his cash cow now, and Cao Xing was counting on him to bring even greater returns in the future.

Therefore, he accepted the Shining Cyan Jade into his backpack with peace of mind.

He said, "I agree to this request."

"However—using just one piece of jade to trade for my protection, isn't that a bit insufficient?"

Cao Xing smiled at the woman before him, implying: you need to pay more.

What if she had other treasures on her?

Upon hearing this, Gracie's shoulders trembled slightly.

She looked at Cao Xing and said softly, "Aside from this piece of jade, I have nothing else of value on me."

A moment later, she bit her lip, appearing to have made a certain decision.

Then she reached to her waist and slowly untied her belt.

"Rustle…"

Clothes fell off one by one.

Aside from the plush coat on the outside, there was a set of white silk shirts, followed by black lace lingerie.

Cao Xing was stunned for a moment and quickly stopped her. "Wait a minute, what are you doing?"

Gracie bit her lower lip and said, "I know, Lord, you have great abilities, and one piece of jade is not enough to make you protect us."

"If you don't mind, please take my body."

Cao Xing was dazed for a bit, then shook his head. "No need, put your clothes back on."

"Your son has also provided me with a lot of help; I will continue to help him in the future."

Hearing this, a look of gratitude appeared in Gracie's eyes.

However, she did not stop her movements and continued to reach behind her back.

When all the clothing was removed.

Suddenly, a petite but extremely voluptuous body appeared before Cao Xing.

Even though Cao Xing often dealt with mature women like Xia Yanni, Elena, and Marita.

This baron's mother's figure still instantly caught his eye.

It was hard to imagine that such a petite frame could possess such a voluptuous figure.

In other words, this was simply a perfect stunner!

Gracie lowered her head, wrapping her arms around herself to lift the magnificent pair on her chest.

She said with some embarrassment, "Although it is difficult to say, I still have some words I want to speak."

"Even though Lord Cao Xing is younger than me, every time I see you, I can't help but fantasize about you holding me in your arms…"

"I know it's unreasonable, but…"

Before she could finish, Cao Xing had already pulled her over and picked her up.

Snuggled in his broad embrace at this moment, Gracie was both shy and happy.

[Specific content: Click to view]

Until three o'clock in the afternoon.

Cao Xing finally came out of Gracie's room.

He then went to the rooms of Xia Yanni and Elena, spending an hour to let this pair of mature women also feel some long-lost comfort.

It must be said…

These young mature women were truly too passionate; once they stuck to him, they wouldn't let go.

Just one was already exhausting.

And Cao Xing challenged three at once.

Thanks to his amazing constitution, otherwise he would have been drained dry.

Fortunately, after a great battle, Xia Yanni and Elena finally conceded.

Four-thirty in the afternoon.

Cao Xing straightened his clothes and walked out of the Tailor Shop.

At a glance, he saw that the sky was gradually darkening.

It got dark early in this world, and with the current Fog Disaster, it was often completely dark before five o'clock.

Therefore, he pressed the communication device on his ear and said, "All staff, proceed to the canteen for a meal, then prepare to rest."

"Staff currently mining resources outside the territory can also return."

Upon hearing the order, everyone stopped their work and headed toward the canteen area.

This included the Arctic People with vines wrapped around their waists, who also returned to the territory one after another.

Under the protection of the Wild Boar Warrior, they felt very safe even when working in the thick fog.

Throughout the entire day, no one went missing…

At this moment, in the territory's buffer zone, in a place no one was paying attention to, there was an area where the fog was extremely thick.

A petite figure was strolling leisurely in the territory, with a trace of white liquid remaining at the corner of her mouth and a satisfied smile on her face.

"Hehehe… fresh milk is indeed the best to drink."

"But I seem to have drunk too much; I won't be able to eat dinner this afternoon."

Elisa wiped the corner of her mouth, then set off, walking leisurely toward the residential area.

Just as she was passing by that foggy area, a strange laugh suddenly came to her ears.

"Heehee… heeheehee…"

"Play with me…"

This voice sounded like a five or six-year-old girl, yet it seemed to be ringing right in her ear, which was exceptionally eerie.

Elisa turned her head, looking at the foggy area in confusion.

"Who are you?"

In the fog, a strange voice came again.

"Heehee… play with me… play with me!"

Elisa tilted her little head and didn't answer, as if she were analyzing something.

And the strange voice in the fog kept ringing,

"Come into the fog and play with me; there are so many fun things here…"

"Come quickly… heeheehee…"

The little girl naturally realized that the situation was a bit wrong.

"Lord Lord told me not to go into the thick fog. I can't play with you. Goodbye!"

After saying this, she turned around without hesitation and ran toward the residential area.

At the same time, she pressed the communication device on her ear, seemingly preparing to report.

Just then, the thick fog behind her suddenly surged.

The little girl's tearful voice came to her ears.

"Don't go… don't go…"

"Elisa!"

The next moment, the thick fog completely engulfed Elisa.

And after being covered by the thick fog, the little girl's body suddenly stiffened.

Then, the right hand holding the communication device dropped, and the expression on her face became as pale as paper!

After five o'clock in the afternoon, everyone in the territory had eaten and drunk their fill and returned to their rooms to rest.

Night gradually fell.

By night, compared to yesterday, there were far fewer wailing sounds on the chat channel.

After all, during the day, everyone had used Cao Xing's method to collect some resources; although not much, it was enough to support them through the night.

Some Survivors even had a stroke of luck, picking up frozen beast carcasses outside the territory, gaining quite a bit of food.

This group of Survivors, who had almost frozen to death yesterday due to a lack of resources, had saved their lives.

At the same time, they were even more grateful to Cao Xing in their hearts.

Nightfall…

Outside the territory, the creeping sounds came again.

But everyone could feel that compared to the previous few days, this crawling sound seemed much quieter.

Including the banging sounds at night, they were not as frequent.

That night, the Survivors had a long-lost good night's sleep.

Even Cao Xing, after observing the first half of the night, also reached a conclusion.

"It seems the Fog Disaster is coming to an end…"

The next day.

A system notification appeared.

[Attention all Survivors! You have reached the 23rd day of the Development Phase. The Heavy Fog Disaster will dissipate in three days.]

[Congratulations! You have persisted to the final stage. Please keep it up.]

[Today's weather: Heavy fog accompanied by light snow, with a minimum temperature of -57°C ~ -63°C.]

Seeing the notification, Survivors all over the world were stunned for a moment, then erupted into fanatical cheers!!

"Holy shit! This damn Fog Disaster is finally ending. It's been so fucking hard."

"Damn it! Eight days, eight whole days! Do you know how I've lived through these eight days?"

"Great, we can go out soon."

The Survivors cheered continuously, appearing extremely excited!!