The Chamber of Commerce arrives and Braum wakes up!

Cao Xing ordered: "Advanced Knight Halls and Warrior Camps and other high-level buildings can be put off for later. Prioritize upgrading the Assassin Training Ground to an Assassin Labyrinth."

"By the way, there is also the Guardian Goddess Statue. Build it at the location of the territory plaza, and keep a certain distance from the Artisan God Statue."

He quickly issued a series of instructions.

Du An listened carefully, then replied solemnly: "As you command, Lord!"

After speaking, he turned around and took a group of Arctic People to start construction.

A moment later, only Cao Xing and Liu Muxue remained.

Cao Xing led her to patrol the territory, preparing to inspect the damage to the territory.

At the same time, while walking, he pondered the next plans in his heart.

"The blizzard has stopped, and after this trade, I have almost acquired the resources needed to build the Giant City."

"Next, it is time to start gathering personnel and begin construction!"

After all, even with sufficient resources and personnel, a Giant City still takes at least several months to build.

So he had to make preparations now.

"However, before starting construction, I still have to wait for the people from the Black Lion Chamber of Commerce and the Woodpecker Chamber of Commerce to come, and stockpile enough food."

"After all, if you want people to help build the city, you have to feed them."

Just as Cao Xing was thinking about these things, he suddenly heard a series of dull footsteps in the distance.

"Thump—Thump—"

Looking up, he discovered it was the Earth Dragon Mecha.

This behemoth, four or five meters high, was walking towards Cao Xing with heavy steps.

On its broad metal shoulders, there were three figures standing and sitting.

Besides Tong Chuchu, there were also that pair of siblings rescued from the Velon Kingdom.

Elisa was sitting in the cockpit in the center of the mecha.

And beside this mecha, a frost-white young dragon was following.

"Awoo—" A clear dragon roar sounded.

Upon seeing Cao Xing, the Magic Dragon cub immediately flapped the wings on its back and flew towards him, appearing very happy.

Then, it gently rubbed its head against Cao Xing's shoulder.

A smile appeared on Cao Xing's face, and he reached out to stroke its head.

"Good girl, Bingbing."

"Awoo—" Bingbing responded obediently, appearing very happy.

At the same time, that Earth Dragon Mecha also brought the three little ones to Cao Xing's side.

Tong Chuchu said happily: "Big Brother, the snow has stopped now, we are getting ready to take Bingbing out to fight!"

"There are also Julian and Mely; they want to go out with us too."

"Alright, go ahead." Cao Xing nodded with a smile.

Although Bingbing had just passed its infancy and only had Tier 4 combat power.

But its stats, having been buffed by everyone, had already reached a terrifying level.

So there was no need to worry about any accidents.

The same went for that pair of siblings.

After all, the power of Tong Chuchu alone was enough to slaughter through the entire Gale Snowfield.

After receiving Cao Xing's permission, happy smiles appeared on the faces of the children on the Earth Dragon Mecha.

Then, they waved at Cao Xing.

"Goodbye, Big Brother."

"Goodbye, Lord."

After speaking, the Earth Dragon Mecha leaped into the air on the spot, carrying the Magic Dragon cub Bingbing, and rushed into the sky.

"Boom—"

"Rumble—"

On the other side, those transport vehicles had already installed their shovels, and their energy cores let out bursts of rumbling sounds as they began to clear the snow outside.

Cao Xing continued to take Liu Muxue to patrol the territory, observing the disaster situation in various areas during the blizzard weather.

Then he sent people over to carry out repairs.

Time passed slowly.

About an hour later, various combat notifications flashed across Cao Xing's panel.

[Your pet: Bingbing used 'Ice Crystal Breath', killed Tier 3 Troglodyte warriors * 32, gained experience points: 412452 (Pale Guidance|)]

[Pet: Bingbing's level has increased, current level: 39]

[This upgrade gained stat increases: Strength + 74, Agility + 71, Spirit + 112, Constitution + 84.]

Not long after, many more resource increase notifications arrived.

[Stone + 17524]

[Coal + 3125]

[Iron Ore + 1342]

[Mithril Ore + 24]

Many gathering squads had already started heading to nearby mine points and began collecting supplies.

After a dozen days of stagnation, the resources in Cao Xing's territory began to grow again.

This also made him feel a sense of relief in his heart.

"Very good. Next, just wait for the Black Lion Chamber of Commerce and the Woodpecker Chamber of Commerce to arrive, and the resource crisis in the territory will be completely resolved."

"I wonder how things are going with Jess and Hilton, and when they will be able to transport the first batch of food to me."

Shaking his head, Cao Xing didn't think too much and turned to continue patrolling the territory.

Time passed slowly, and the morning quickly went by.

By the afternoon, a convoy was slowly approaching the direction of the territory.

The wheels pressed deep tracks into the snow-covered ground.

The horses of the convoy were panting heavily, clearly having traveled for a long time.

On the leading carriage, a middle-aged man with a thin figure and eyes as sharp as a hawk's poked his head out.

Seeing that familiar territory, a weary yet relieved expression appeared on his face.

"Finally almost there—this delivery trip was really not easy—"

This middle-aged man was none other than Jess from the Woodpecker Chamber of Commerce.

He sighed, then quickly straightened his clothes.

At the same time, the carriage was about to arrive at the South City Gate area of Cao Xing's territory.

A group of soldiers with astonishing auras were standing on the city wall.

Just as Jess was about to send someone to apply for a visit.

The city gate had already opened automatically, and a familiar figure walked out from it.

He was wearing a set of frost-white robes, and with every step he took, an ice crystal footprint appeared under his feet.

It was as if the earth itself had frozen because of the cold energy radiating from him.

This figure was Cao Xing.

Upon seeing Cao Xing, a look of surprise immediately appeared on Jess's face.

He immediately jumped off the carriage and walked up quickly: "Lord Cao Xing, I am truly sorry for keeping you waiting."

"After the last transaction with you ended, I mobilized the entire power of the Woodpecker Chamber of Commerce to collect food with all our might."

"After collecting a certain amount, I dispatched the convoy, preparing to transport the supplies to your territory."

"According to the original plan, our convoy could have arrived more than a week ago."

"But unfortunately, on the way here, we were trapped by the blizzard, which delayed us for quite some time."

Speaking of this, his face carried a strong sense of apology.

Cao Xing waved his hand and said with a smile: "It's fine. This blizzard was indeed too severe. It is already fortunate that you were able to deliver the goods safely."

"Jess, you have worked hard."

Jess heard this, and a look of being flattered immediately appeared on his face.

He waved his hands repeatedly, his tone filled with respect and humility: "Not hard at all, Lord Cao Xing. Being able to serve you and your territory is the honor of our Woodpecker Chamber of Commerce!"

In fact, he had indeed suffered quite a bit in this blizzard.

The convoy was trapped in the wind and snow, and after several days, both the horses and the personnel were exhausted.

But compared to being able to gain the favor of this lord, Cao Xing, these were not worth mentioning.

After all, as the vice-president of the Woodpecker Chamber of Commerce, he might be considered high-ranking and powerful among commoners.

But in front of a true powerhouse, his status was still insignificant.

With his identity, in this lifetime, let alone coming into contact with a Legendary powerhouse, he wouldn't even be able to see one.

And now, not only had he established a stable cooperative relationship with Cao Xing, but he had also gained the other party's approval.

This was a great honor and opportunity for him and for the entire Woodpecker Chamber of Commerce.

Cao Xing also knew his thoughts, but he didn't care.

He looked at the carriage behind Jess and asked: "Jess, about how many kilograms of grain have you brought in this batch?"

Jess quickly replied: "About 110,000 kilograms, but this is only the first batch."

"I have already given orders that after the blizzard stops, we should immediately mobilize the power of the Chamber of Commerce to go to various places to transfer more food."

Cao Xing nodded, calculating in his heart.

110,000 kilograms of food, according to the territory's current normal consumption, is about 30,000 kilograms a day.

It is enough for the territory to hold on for a few more days.

Plus, the Black Lion Chamber of Commerce should also be on the way.

The Woodpecker Chamber of Commerce is also helping him collect food everywhere. Looking at it this way, the food crisis in his territory has been completely resolved.

Thinking of this, Cao Xing smiled slightly and said with a sincere tone: "Thank you, Jess. This batch of food came just at the right time."

"It's getting late now. You should stay in my territory for the night and return first thing tomorrow morning."

Jess hesitated for a moment, then said solemnly, "Then we shall impose upon you, Lord Cao Xing!"

Cao Xing shook his head. "No need to be so formal. You've had a hard journey, so go and get some rest now."

"I've had people prepare rooms and hot meals for you."

Jess nodded gratefully.

He then beckoned for the caravan to enter the territory.

A group of people began to get busy, unloading bags of food from the carriages and transporting them into the territory's basement.

Territory resident Dahua and several other kitchen maids looked at the ever-increasing pile of food in the basement, smiles of joy on their faces.

Dahua couldn't help but exclaim, "Lord Cao Xing is truly capable. The blizzard has only just ended, yet he has already managed to bring in so much food."

Another kitchen maid chimed in, "That's right. This way, we won't have to worry about food, and everyone will be able to eat their fill every day."

"Lord Cao Xing not only cares about our lives but can always foresee future crises. We owe it to his decisions that we were able to safely weather the difficulties of this blizzard."

This group of kitchen maids truly admired Cao Xing from the bottom of their hearts.

After settling the group from the Woodpecker Chamber of Commerce, Cao Xing patrolled the territory while contemplating his next plans.

"It's been over ten days since I sent Bing Lan out."

"She must have been finding a place to hide from the blizzard during this time. The fact that there's been no news suggests she hasn't found the location of Vortex Mountain yet."

"So, there's no need to rush to contact her."

"Which means that SS-rank quest is likely impossible to complete for the time being."

"There's still some time before the Dream Fragment Layer event opens, which means there are still two things I need to do for now."

The first is to gather enough workers to start building the city.

The second is to explore that ancient ruin—the Lost Royal City.

"Counting the days—this royal city should be opening soon."

"I promised the Lord of Lake Doron City that I would go with him when the ruins opened, so I should ask him about the situation now."

Just as Cao Xing was preparing to contact this lord,

a system prompt appeared before him.

[Your territory building: Dream Library dream entry time has ended. The building is now in an open state.]

A hint of surprise appeared in Cao Xing's eyes. "Oh? The dream entry time has ended already?"

He had arranged for Braum to enter seven days ago.

During the blizzard, since everyone was unable to go out, the seven days passed very quickly, in the blink of an eye.

"I wonder what Braum brought back from the dream this time?"

With an expectant look, Cao Xing quickly headed to the second ring area of the territory.

Before long, he saw the expansive, ancient, and majestic Dream Library.

At this moment, the bubble that had enveloped the entire library had disappeared.

And in the entrance area, a bare-chested giant was standing there.

It was Braum.

Just like Sarah's situation back then, after coming out of the library, he stood in place with his eyes closed, seemingly recalling something.

Upon sensing Cao Xing's presence, Braum immediately opened his eyes.

Then, the mustache at the corners of his mouth twitched, and a simple, honest smile appeared on his face.

"Aha! I've finally seen Lord Cao Xing again."

Braum's voice was loud and full of enthusiasm, like an old friend reuniting after a long separation.

Cao Xing chuckled and asked directly, "Tell me, what did you encounter in the dream?"

Braum nodded solemnly and then recounted his experiences in the dream…

A few minutes later, Cao Xing nodded.

Braum's experience in the dream didn't have as many twists and turns as Sarah's, but it was still quite bizarre.

In the dream, he became the son of a crew member and lived on the sea from a young age.

After spending a long dozen years of wandering, Braum finally grew into an adult and displayed astonishing talent.

Because, like Sarah, Braum retained his memories and combat experience, his strength increased rapidly.

In just a few years, he became the most powerful being on the entire ship.

Just like that, a few more months passed in the blink of an eye.

Then, one day, their large ship was attacked by a powerful sea beast!

That sea beast could easily whip up waves hundreds of meters high, and its massive tentacles could even wrap around the entire ship and drag it into the deep sea.

In a single encounter, a large number of crew members were killed, including the captain, who was swept away by the huge waves and drowned in the ocean.

At the critical moment, Braum stepped forward and, relying on his powerful strength and combat skills, repelled the sea beast.

The sea returned to calm, and Braum found the separated crew members.

However, after this attack, there were few crew members left on the ship.

But Braum's naturally optimistic personality meant he did not give up hope.

Braum led the surviving crew members on a new journey, and he also naturally became the captain of this ship.

They wandered everywhere, exploring uninhabited desert islands, and obtained quite a few treasures.

As time passed, Braum's strength gradually increased, and the number of crew members grew.

And as Braum broke through to the Sixth Tier, relying on his formidable strength, he carved out a resounding reputation in that sea.

His ship became a fearsome existence in those waters, and he was known as the 'Giant Shield of the Sea'.

Until one day, Captain Braum was steering his giant ship, continuing to drift on the sea, preparing to explore the next desert island to see if he could obtain any treasures.

Then, he experienced a scene that all the crew members would never forget!

The surrounding sea suddenly became eerie!

Thick fog filled the air, waves surged, and it was impossible to find a direction to move forward.

And in this thick fog, a ghost ship slowly sailed out.

The ghost ship was dilapidated, its hull covered in rust and barnacles, as if it had been sleeping on the seabed for hundreds of years.

On the deck, one could see rotting, decaying figures that looked like the crew of this ship.

According to the crew, this ghost ship was the Legendary 'Cursed Ship'.

In the ancient era of the gods, because this ship stole the treasures of the gods, the entire ship, including all the crew on board, was cursed by the gods.

They became ghost-like existences on the sea, forever confined to this ship, unable to die and unable to be freed.

Every day, they had to endure the pain of the seawater washing over them and their bodies rotting, forever hovering on the edge of life and death.

Furthermore, any ship that approached it would be drawn into this terrifying curse, becoming the next target of the curse.

Therefore, ships in this sea area, upon seeing the ghost ship, basically avoided it and dared not approach it at all.

However, in this sea area, there was a secret legend about this ghost ship.

It is said—if you can board the deck of this ghost ship and successfully break into the captain's quarters to seize control,

then you will become the new captain of this ghost ship!

You can not only control the ghost ship.

You can even have the ghost ship lead you to find the treasure of that god!

Braum remembered Cao Xing's instructions to bring back the most precious thing from the dream!

So, he made this ghost ship his goal!

And Braum clearly knew that he was in the world of the dream, so he didn't worry about any curse at all.

Then, he led the crew to chase the ghost ship at full speed.

However, after seeing Braum's ship approach, the ghost ship began to accelerate in the opposite direction, sailing into the depths of the thick fog.

It was as if—it was deliberately avoiding Braum's ship—

Moreover, the ghost ship traveled extremely fast, leaving them behind in the blink of an eye.

When the thick fog gradually dissipated, the ghost ship was nowhere to be seen.

Obviously, their operation to chase the ghost ship this time had failed.

However, Braum did not give up.

Because he clearly knew that this ghost ship was the most precious thing he had encountered.

He would do everything to get his hands on it.

So, he led the crew to collect treasures everywhere and replaced their ship with a larger, faster one.

And in order to catch up with the ghost ship, he made a series of preparations.

In the blink of an eye, six years passed—