When Mu Yuan received a large shipment of supplies and threw himself into major construction and development, the other new would-be lords were doing the same.
They did not have Mu Yuan's extra three thousand Contribution Points, but some newcomers had received no fewer supplies than he had—and even more in some cases.
"Young brother, cooperating with White Shark Corporation is absolutely your wisest choice. White Shark Corporation has considerable influence domestically, and even more so in the Eternal World. We have large interregional trade associations, multiple medicinal herb plantations, and trade relations with many lords.
"In short, if you choose White Shark Corporation, we can provide you with a villa and a batch of the supplies most needed at this stage, all free of charge. Not only can they help you safely pass the Lord Trial, but competing for the Heaven and Earth Gift Rankings won't be impossible either."
A Civilian Player looked at the valuable items listed in the contract and the luxuriously furnished villa. Without hesitation, he eagerly signed his name.
"Our Red Lotus Corporation operates in many fields, including medicinal herb cultivation, potion refining, and equipment manufacturing. In the Eternal World, we also possess twelve territories and 128 partner territories. Those of you who have received an invitation from Red Lotus Corporation are naturally among the cream of the crop of new lords.
"To that end, Red Lotus Corporation has introduced Contracts A and B. You may read through them and choose the method of cooperation that suits you. With the assistance of Red Lotus Corporation, I'm sure you can rapidly develop your territories and achieve excellent rankings during the trial."
When the Resource Assessment ended yesterday, the outstanding newcomers began receiving invitations from major corporations.
After all, unlike the newcomers whose futures had previously been uncertain, this batch of newcomers had received official recognition. They now had a high probability of passing the Lord Trial and had bright futures ahead of them.
The probability of losing money by investing in these newcomers was very low.
If they invested in enough of them to spread out the risk, they would practically never lose money.
Naturally, different corporations could provide different amounts of supplies, and their requirements varied as well.
Some corporations invested simply to earn Soul Sand, while most invested to bind lords into cooperative relationships, ensuring that those lords would prioritize supplying them with certain raw materials in the future, or allocate them a plot of land within their territory to build a plantation.
Mu Yuan did not know many of the details, because he had directly rejected the representative from the XX Corporation who had called and come to his door with a firm, "No, I don't want it, goodbye."
Invest? Hmph. A real man should rely on his own strength.
However, those accepting investment from corporations were far from the only ones competing desperately. The official lords were competing as well.
Baijiang City, the vice president's office.
"The newcomers from our Four Cities who chose the official lord route have already been reported. There are four of them in total,"
the person in charge reported.
Jiang Cheng glanced over the list and nodded slightly without saying anything.
Beside him, a tall, thin old man with a goatee took it over and looked at it. He let out a soft exclamation. "That young man named Mu Yuan isn't on the list. Didn't you invite him?"
Outstanding Civilian Players had always been the most hotly contested by all sides.
"I asked him personally. That kid wants to take the Personal Lord route," Jiang Cheng said.
"The personal route?" The goateed old man widened his eyes. "That's far too arrogant. How many newcomers have failed after taking the Personal Lord route, only to be forced to accept investment from a corporation in the end? By then, not only will they have missed the most valuable early development period, but the contracts they sign will also be far more demanding. How many outstanding newcomers have been buried because of this? Some have even died in the Eternal World."
"I actually agree with him."
Jiang Cheng spoke up, and the goateed old man froze before he could finish. His eyes widened.
"The road of a personal lord is certainly filled with thorns, but a real man should charge forward rather than lie down at the first opportunity. Besides..."
Mu Yuan had talent, determination, and luck. Even possessing all three did not guarantee that he could go far on this path, but Jiang Cheng felt that it was worth a try.
As long as he survived the difficulties of the early stages, he would be able to go farther in the future.
Of course, the most important point was that Mu Yuan's determination to take the Personal Lord route was exceptionally firm.
The strong were always resolute lone travelers.
Jiang Cheng admired that.
Since that was the case, Jiang Cheng had given Mu Yuan a push as well, blocking invitations from quite a few major corporations. Otherwise, the corporations' invitations would not have been limited to annoying phone calls—they would have found every possible way to come knocking at his door.
As everyone else entered a period of rapid development, Mu Yuan did not dare relax either.
"I heard that Liver Emperor accepted investment from a major corporation with an excellent reputation. He's flying high now."
"I heard that some Lord Second Generations and top-tier second generations didn't participate in the Resource Assessment. They weren't interested in that batch of supplies and couldn't bring themselves to compete for it. But those second generations are the true strongest newcomers and powerful competitors for the Trial Rankings."
"I heard that the eight southern provinces of the Xuan Kingdom are all located in the Twilight Plains region, so the Lord Trials are being held simultaneously. Everyone is a competitor."
"I heard..."
Mu Yuan looked up more detailed information about the trial. Combined with some news he had heard from Frog Seller Bro, a sense of urgency suddenly rose within him.
He did not dare browse his phone or waste time on the forums anymore. The treasures he had exchanged for had not arrived yet, and since he could not afford to waste time, Mu Yuan called his troops and headed outside the territory.
He had to hunt. He had to work hard to earn money for formula.
To improve efficiency, Mu Yuan had already divided his forces into two groups. One was led by Deathbone, while he personally led the other... He had only dared to split his forces because the territory's strength had gradually grown.
His group consisted of the three great commanders Bone Two, Bone Three, and Bone Four, who had just evolved into a Skeleton Warrior; Great Slimes such as Dora; three guards; three Archers; eight Skeleton Soldiers; and one war falcon. It could be said that the group was extravagantly equipped.
Gods blocking the way were slain like gods, and wolves blocking the way were slain like wolves.
This was also an advantage of lord players. They went out surrounded by followers, powerful and safe. Ranger Players, on the other hand, could only command a pitiful few troops and might easily end up dead...
"Whoosh—"
Suddenly, a sharp sound pierced his eardrums, and the distant forest rustled.
A thick, long wooden javelin tore through the air, shooting past several Skeleton Soldiers and guards before flying straight toward Mu Yuan.
It had come too suddenly!
Mu Yuan was, after all, only an ordinary person. His mental reaction speed was not fast enough. Even though he barely became aware of it, his game character tilted his body in accordance with his instinctive consciousness and lunged to the side, but he was still too slow.
Who could blame him? He only had the strength of a single skeleton.
Fortunately, the three guards were firmly protecting him from all sides. Though they had not been prepared, their broad shields still rose up, shifting only slightly before blocking the wooden javelin's path.
Bang!
In Mu Yuan's abruptly constricted pupils, the wooden javelin pierced straight through the shield. Its tremendous impact sent the guard stumbling backward. The javelin shattered, and fragments from the broken shield scattered like blades, slicing into the small areas of the guard's body not covered by armor and drawing thin streams of blood.
Some fragments also struck Mu Yuan. The special Light Player Armor he wore blocked them, but one fragment still came dangerously close to slicing across his handsome, chiseled face.
He was about to be disfigured!
Clang!
An oval, pale-white barrier suddenly appeared and blocked the flying fragment.
Mu Yuan remained half-crouched from his lunge, his heart beginning to pound faster, but his mind was incomparably calm.
He quickly ordered the three guards to press their shields tightly together without leaving the slightest gap. Then he had Dora and several other Great Slimes stand guard around them, forming a shield wall.
Only then did he have time to think about what else had happened.
"Was that white light from the Amulet?"
Sure enough, the Amulet hanging around his neck now bore a faint crack. It had taken the blow that would have disfigured him.
But a question arose: who was ambushing a newcomer who had only descended into this world seven or eight days ago? Who?
The distant bushes rustled, and one green-skinned Goblin after another leaped out, their faces covered in vicious fangs. Most of them were Common Goblins, but they were considerably taller and stronger than the wild Goblins he usually saw. They wore leather armor and carried spears, looking armed to the teeth.
There were even incredibly burly Great Goblins with blue-green faces and protruding fangs, clad in thick plate armor.
Yet they had been completely hidden in the distant grass, without making the slightest sound. Even the war falcon in the air had failed to detect anything unusual.
They had come prepared.
Was the danger this new lord had encountered seriously excessive?!
Bone Two, the vanguard commander, charged forward. It picked up a thick broken tree trunk, black light flowing across its surface, and swung it down with tremendous force.
Boom—
The earth trembled. Even wearing leather armor, the Common Goblins were smashed into Goblin paste by Bone Two's strike.
Mu Yuan had no time to be astonished by Bone Two's outburst. He quickly issued his orders.
The Archers began firing, while the Skeleton Soldiers intercepted and attacked the enemies.
However, the guards and Archers were only level two, making it difficult for them to accomplish much.
There also seemed to be quite a lot of Goblins on the other side—perhaps twenty or thirty, all elites. The Great Goblins in plate armor were even more formidable. A single punch sent a Skeleton Soldier flying several meters. Mu Yuan appraised them and found that they were level seven and level eight.
"Besides, these Goblins are advancing and retreating in perfect order. We have to split their formation apart first."
"Great Slimes, use Mount Tai Pressing Down."
Slime Number Two and Slime Number Three immediately used their Leap skills. They bounced into the air, and the next moment, enormous shadows fell over the Goblins.
Boom!
The huge Slimes landed butt-first.
Dust billowed, and grass and wood flew everywhere.
The attack's lethality was not particularly impressive, but its momentum was undeniable.
Dora widened his eyes. Imitating his companions, he stretched out his body, compressed himself like a spring, and then leaped high into the air.
He rose one and a half meters before smacking back down.
Dora: "⊙_⊙"
Mu Yuan: "..." He had thought Dora might learn from Deathbone and suddenly comprehend something in the midst of battle. Sure enough, he had been expecting too much.
Wait, he had just received a batch of Slimes yesterday, and he had accumulated some before that. Counting the time, it was about right.
He silently recited:
Slime Evolution Points: 5.11
Outside, metal clashed against metal. Javelins tore through the sky, stone and wood fragments flew everywhere, and deafening roars exploded one after another.
Mu Yuan looked at Dora beside him. "It's time to awaken your power, Dora."
"Gurgle?"
Dora did not understand, but in the next second, dazzling white light enveloped him and dispelled the gloom.
The latter half of this chapter has been revised—18:00
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Thanks for the tips, "Mo Langxie" and "Ting Yu Yin Lou"!
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