Peaceful Development
Inside the [Tinder] Hall of Consciousness, the light and shadow were soft, yet they couldn't conceal the subtle tension permeating the area around the round table. Su Luo's voice, transmitted clearly through the public microphone, entered the consciousness of everyone present:
"Okay, everyone, based on the intelligence we have, the main mode of interaction between different areas is very likely these cards with different functions."
As she spoke, Su Luo displayed the information on the card in her hand.
"As you can see, these types of cards are not a threat to us, who are capable of handling them easily, given the current wave strength. Instead, they can be seen as a form of 'buff'."
The card in Su Luo's hand, at this stage, is essentially a disguised way of increasing the next wave of [Tinder Shards].
Only in the later stages, when everyone is under immense pressure to withstand waves of attacks, does this card have the function of attacking and harassing others.
"The reduced direct threat level between us provides a foundation for further cooperation and intelligence sharing."
Su Luo paused, noticing Father Tali Lang's gesturing look.
Su Luo nodded slightly and turned off her microphone.
"Thank you for sharing, Scholar. As a reciprocal exchange of information, this is a card we received."
The priest displays the card information:
[Calamity Transfer Card) ]
[Redirects all monsters that will attack you along one path to a random path in another designated area.]
Su Luo noticed again that the displayed card lacked quality information.
"There's also another piece of information: the card's quality is also improved using [Tinder Shards]."
After speaking, Tali Lang, still wearing a kind smile, gestured to Su Luo.
Su Luo reopened the public microphone. "Alright, everyone. The key information from the early stages has been shared. Now, we need to clarify our cooperation intentions. Those who are willing to maintain a cooperative attitude at this stage and share basic intelligence for peaceful development, please raise your hands."
Su Luo was the first to raise her hand, followed by Father Tali Lang, Shan Yixian, Gai Li.
Jiang Mengrui fiddled with three cards in her hand and raised her hand.
Chao Ketu stopped playing with his hands and raised his arm.
[Fairy] Mu Hongyuan exchanged a few words with [God of Magic] Kundina Orlando, and then raised his hand.
"Okay, since everyone is willing to cooperate, we need a foundation for cooperation. Please each show the information on a card to facilitate future collaboration."
After the words were spoken, a brief silence fell around the round table. The people around them exchanged glances and displayed various expressions.
"There are four minutes left to start the next wave. If you don't have any cards yet, I suggest you hurry."
The group disappeared, then re-entered two minutes later, each displaying their cards.
[Intelligence Peek Card) ]
[Randomly view the number of Tinder Shards and some cards currently held by another team]
[Negative buff application card (designated)]
[Applies a negative buff to a team for a period of time. Can be applied to any area.]
[Trade Card) ]
[Select a target and initiate a card transaction, limited to one card. The recipient can choose to accept or decline.]
The cards had a wide variety of functions, with varying degrees of targeting and randomness. Su Luo even saw a [Monster Quantity Increase Card) ] that was exactly the same as the one in her hand, shown by Gai Li Darwin.
At this moment, Jiang Mengrui showed another card.
[Wave Advancement Card) ]
[Upon use, immediately activates the next wave of monster attacks for all areas on the battlefield. If any area is in combat, the next wave will seamlessly follow after the current wave ends.]
Everyone watched in silence as she fiddled with the three cards between her fingers.
Does good luck mean you can do whatever you want?
I asked around, and it turns out that only Kundina Orlando got her card in the third wave; everyone else got it in the fourth or fifth wave.
As for Jiang Mengrui... she makes a living from this, there's no one to compare.
Su Luo paused for a moment.
"The District War has been underway for nearly twenty minutes. The next wave is about to arrive. Please return to this location in two minutes; we need to adjust our strategy based on the new situation."
After Su Luo finished speaking, she left the hall and noticed the changes in the data on the panel.
[Sixth Wave]
This time, there were six level 7 monsters and 30 level 6 monsters, but still no Elite monsters.
The item was worth 1000 Tinder Shards, but no cards were dropped.
Su Luo forward to burn the corpse, picked up the Tinder Shards, and checked the panel at the same time.
[Sixth wave ended]
[The next wave starts every twenty minutes]
[Consume 200 Tinder Shards to unlock the next wave early?]
It is indeed true that the next wave starts every twenty minutes.
The rules have been confirmed again – the system will strictly follow a 20-minute interval to automatically advance the waves.
"What if... what if we're fighting off the current wave of monsters when the node arrives?" Guizishi looked at the panel and asked a crucial question.
For example, if the 20-minute mark is reached during the clearing of the fifth wave, will the sixth wave be added simultaneously, or will it wait?
"Let's start in sync. Keep accumulating monsters until we can't hold out any longer and [Tinder] gets destroyed and eliminated." Su Luo tilted her head back.
This means that when the intensity of later waves reaches its peak, this fixed 20-minute interval will no longer be a time for rest, but a death sentence, forcing Survivors to end the battle within a limited time.
However, for top teams that are currently developing rapidly and whose strength far exceeds the difficulty of the current wave, this fixed point means a free wave +1 and resource gain every twenty minutes.
"So, if we want to conserve resources, what we should do now is to quickly consume [Tinder Shards], build up a wave that matches our strength and yields higher returns, and then stop and make good use of the cards?" Song Shige said thoughtfully.
When the time comes, if it's still the first wave, the second wave will begin. If you reach the fifth wave by consuming Tinder Shards in advance, the sixth wave will begin.
If you don't wait for the nodes and rely on accumulating Tinder Shards yourself, the first to second wave will consume 2 Tinder Shards, while the fifth to sixth wave will consume 120 Tinder Shards. This indirectly saves the higher amount of shards that would have been paid to push from the fifth to the sixth wave, saving 118 Tinder Shards in total.
Similarly, if we can hold off the twentieth wave in one go, we can save even more Tinder Shards.
"Wait, no, wouldn't an earlier wave accelerate the elimination process?" Guizishi tried to call out to the two.
If they can withstand twenty-five waves and reach the twentieth wave by consuming Tinder Shards, wouldn't they be eliminated after five more "nodes"?
Su Luo glanced back at Guizishi: "Read the rules."
He then stopped explaining, moved closer to the altar, and his consciousness returned to the [Tinder] Hall.
Guizishi was taken aback, and quickly and carefully read through the detailed rules of the District War: