That night, Mu Yuan carried Deathbone and Bone Two inside his mark, wore the Amulet on his person, and tucked the Djinn Crystal Lamp into his arms as he carefully took a detour home.
He encountered no ambushes.
Mu Yuan felt relieved, but for some reason, he also felt a faint sense of disappointment.
An illusion! He loved peace more than anything.
When he got home, Mu Yuan immediately turned on the computer. The supplies that had been sent into the territory earlier had already been moved by Deathbone into the dilapidated hut being used as a warehouse, keeping them out of the sun, wind, and rain.
Deathbone had not only arranged for several Skeleton Soldiers to stand guard outside the hut; he was personally keeping watch as well. He would not let a single fly sneak inside, especially not that gluttonous Slime.
"Gurgle? Gurgle!"
Its massive body puffed up, and its big eyes turned into (▼ヘ▼#). Seeing that Deathbone remained unmoved, it could only hop away to find food.
Mu Yuan walked to the warehouse and first took out all the Remnant Souls, then glanced around.
"It really is too dilapidated. Skeletons have no craftsmanship, so no matter how they repair it, there are holes and gaps everywhere. Fortunately, from today onward, we'll have a proper warehouse."
Carrying the Remnant Souls, Mu Yuan arrived at the Lord Altar outside. He first recruited Little Skeletons, Slimes, and Falcons one after another.
"Cling!"
"Prompt: You have consumed 10 one-star Remnant Souls and 50g of Soul Sand, recruiting 10 units of the troop type 'Little Skeleton.'"
"Prompt: ... You have recruited 10 units of the troop type 'Slime.'"
"Prompt: ... You have recruited 1 unit of the troop type 'Falcon.'"
Dressed in rags and staggering as they walked, the Little Skeletons emerged one after another from the radiance of recruitment.
The moment they steadied themselves, they were shoved down from the altar by Slimes that hopped out behind them one after another.
The newly born Falcon was surrounded by a group of Slimes and let out chirps as though it could barely breathe.
Mu Yuan: "..."
Continuing the tradition of having the old lead the new—the Skeletons leading the Skeletons, the Slimes leading the Slimes, and the War Falcon leading the Falcons—he assigned these troops one by one.
"With this, my territory has..."
Forty-five Skeletons in total.
Among them, there was one Skeleton Warlord, two Skeleton Warriors, and eighteen Skeleton Soldiers.
Fifteen Slimes in total.
Among them, there were five Great Slimes.
Two War Falcons and one Falcon.
"With fifteen Slimes, Slime's daily Evolution Points production has reached six units. Tomorrow, I can try evolving Dolei, making its identity as Transportation Captain more deserving of the name."
"As for the Skeletons... for now, the Skeleton Soldiers are the backbone. Whether for patrolling, guarding, or exploring, they're all very useful. Even if I don't evolve all of them, I can at least round out the numbers... to thirty. It's also worth evolving a few more Skeleton Warriors."
Able to fight in close quarters and attack from a distance, Skeleton Warriors could not be considered outstanding among rare one-star troops, but they were quite well-rounded.
And rare one-star troops were already the pinnacle of combat power among excellent newcomers at this stage. Whale Players would be proud to recruit even one.
As for evolving Deathbone?
Deathbone's next evolution required 125 units of Evolution Points, which could not be gathered in a short time. Forcing it would only slow down his progress.
For now, Deathbone's task was to cultivate and increase his level.
Even a high rank required sufficient ability to bring out its full potential.
After roughly finalizing his plan, Mu Yuan looked at the twenty Remnant Souls left beside him.
Sentries and Archers.
Their numbers were destined to be unable to match those of the Little Skeletons and Slimes. Their Evolution Points production was also inferior to those two, but they could still become the backbone of the territory in the future.
It was time to welcome new troops.
My turn. Recruit!
"Cling!"
"Prompt: You have consumed 10 two-star Remnant Souls and 100g of Soul Sand, recruiting 10 units of the troop type 'Sentry.'"
"Prompt: You have consumed ... same as above ..., recruiting 10 units of the troop type 'Archer.'"
The Heaven and Earth Rules descended, molding the Remnant Souls one after another.
They resembled warriors who had fallen on ancient battlefields. Carrying their unyielding wills, they returned, took up their weapons once more, stepped onto the battlefield, and fought for the world.
The first to descend from the altar were one Sentry after another.
They had relatively sturdy bodies and carried a large shield half a person's height and a long spear. They also wore full suits of Blue-Gray Armor.
However, perhaps because they were two-star troops, the armor looked rather ordinary. There were gaps at many of the joints, and the helmets also looked somewhat flimsy. But...
This equipment was luxurious enough.
Thinking of the Little Skeletons in tattered clothes carrying nothing but a rust-covered Chopping Knife, and the unequipped Slimes and Falcons... Mu Yuan felt that human troops really were extravagant.
This equipment might even be better than that of Skeleton Soldiers.
Next came one Archer after another. Compared with the Sentries, the Archers had poorer equipment. They wore only simple leather armor, outlining either sturdy or full figures. They held longbows, with quivers full of feathered arrows strapped to their backs.
The twenty of them lined up to be inspected.
Like the Little Skeletons and Skeleton Soldiers, the troops had no intelligence whatsoever immediately after being recruited. Their eyes were filled with dullness—not even the clear innocence of stupidity.
But compared with the Skeleton Soldiers and Slimes, these human troops also had something different...
They had individual differences!
Perhaps Skeletons and Slimes did as well; it was just that Mu Yuan was face-blind and could not tell. But with the Sentries before him, he could see differences in the faces exposed beneath their helmets. Their heights and builds also varied slightly.
The Archers had even greater individual differences.
Because...
Looking at several of them with shoulder-length short hair and clearly curved figures, Mu Yuan fell into thought.
Female Archers?
There were indeed many female troop types, such as Nuns, Priestesses, female musketeers, Witches, and Maidens. Elven troop types were even predominantly female. But...
"Uh, it seems nobody ever said that ordinary troops couldn't be female. Maybe there are female Skeletons and Slimes too, and I just can't tell."
Mu Yuan looked toward the Little Skeletons without armor. After staring for more than ten seconds without discerning anything, he shifted his gaze back to the Archers.
Don't misunderstand. He was merely curious.
Thus, he divided the male Archers and female Archers into groups and conducted comparative tests.
The results showed that there really were differences. Male Archers were relatively stronger and had slightly greater range. Female Archers, meanwhile, were a little more accurate.
The difference was quite small, after all, they were the same troop type.
"At present, I have a total of eighty-three troops. If all of them cultivate with full effort, they'll consume eight or nine hundred units of Soul Sand a day. That's a bit too much."
"Besides, my Evolution Points are limited. I'll definitely have to prioritize cultivating a few outstanding individuals. As for the others..."
They would only be emotionless Evolution Points production machines.
So how should he screen for outstanding individuals worth investing resources in?
Mu Yuan entered the Tai Xuan Forum, entered the verification code, and began searching for information.
He soon found the information he wanted.
"The difference in the basic qualities of troops of the same type is so slight that it can be ignored. There's no point agonizing over whether a troop is slightly stronger or weaker at level one."
"When screening for outstanding troops, there is only one factor to consider—that is, the troop's potential for growth."
"How do you screen for troops with high growth potential? First, look at their intelligence. Troops that have awakened intelligence are undoubtedly worth heavily cultivating. Of course, this is stating the obvious. Intelligent troops are encountered by chance and cannot be forced, especially by newcomers. Even after hundreds of draws, you may not get one."
"Then, do ordinary, stupid troops have individual differences? The answer is, of course, yes."
"There are many ways to judge and screen them, but most are unsuitable for newcomers. Here, I'll introduce a simple and fast method that everyone can use... leveling up."
"Call out ten, twenty, or one hundred troops of the same rank and give them Soul Sand so they can begin cultivating at the same time. The troop that breaks through and reaches level two the fastest is the individual with the best 'aptitude.' Moreover, this excellent aptitude is often reflected in more than just leveling speed."
"You also don't need to worry that this selection method wastes resources. There is no waste. Troops level up quickly in the early stages and consume little Soul Sand. Even low-level troops won't be a loss after leveling up a few times... Even a weak Little Skeleton will possess decent combat power after reaching level four."
This method was actually quite simple.
For the first Sentry and Archer to level up, he would personally grant them Evolution Power.
He silently recited:
"Sentry Series Evolution Points: 0.13"
"Archer Series Evolution Points: 0.13"
Before you continue