Beyond the territory, a faint white mist drifted between the trees, making the dappled sunlight filtering through the treetops even dimmer.
Before him, bushes had been uprooted, sturdy trees had collapsed, and blood flowed across the chaotic scene.
Mu Yuan quickly shifted his view back to the territory. He sent a war falcon to notify Deathbone while dispatching some guards from the territory.
Without a troop like Deathbone, who had already awakened self-awareness, leading them, ordinary troops could easily get lost outside. Fortunately, this place was not far from the territory, so it was not difficult for the guards to hurry over.
By then, Duolai, Bone Two, Bone Three, and the other skeletons and orcs had already begun dragging the Goblins' corpses together, preparing to carry out a burning purification ritual.
Of course, before purifying them, they had to strip off the equipment from the Goblins' bodies.
Their weapons and equipment were innocent.
And Duolai knew all about saving innocent equipment.
Mu Yuan, meanwhile, directed Bone Four and the other troops to begin treating the wounded.
Although no troops had died in this battle, nearly every one of them was injured. Bone Two had several broken ribs, while Duolai still had one throwing spear after another sticking out of him, making him look like a porcupine.
Several Archers and Skeleton Soldiers had even suffered serious injuries. The brutality of the battle was no less than Mu Yuan's first battle, when he had led the Little Skeletons against the Gray Wolves.
The most seriously injured were the Archers.
They were fragile to begin with, and wooden spears had pierced through their abdomens, causing trickles of blood to flow out. Just looking at them was enough to make one's heart tremble.
If these Archers had been ordinary humans, they might already have gone into shock and fallen unconscious from blood loss, even if they had not died.
Fortunately, they were not. They were troops.
Even with severe injuries, they retained a sliver of combat power, looking as though they could still struggle to their feet and fight another battle.
However, Mu Yuan did not dare let his guard down.
These were Archers worth 4,500g of Soul Sand each!
He quickly took out the potions from the Association's aid package and treated the seriously injured troops. The Skeleton Soldiers had it worse. They could not use healing potions and could only hold Soul Sand in their mouths while slowly stabilizing their injuries.
Although this battle had been brutal, the gains were considerable.
Apart from the secondhand equipment stripped from the Goblins, they had also yielded a large amount of Soul Sand, along with one Remnant Soul after another.
"Gurgle, gurgle."
Duolai stared at the Soul Sand, drooling with longing, but it still reluctantly pushed the pile of Soul Sand in front of Mu Yuan.
It shed tears of reluctance.
"135.7g of Soul Sand."
That was more than the entire Goblin Camp had dropped before, even though this batch of Goblins had been smaller in number. This was enough to prove that they had all been elites.
Mu Yuan took 20g and fed it to Duolai. Duolai's huge eyes, which looked like LED screens, instantly changed from (╥╯^╰╥) to (ω). It performed a one-second face change.
Mu Yuan no longer cared much about a mere hundred grams of Soul Sand, but the eight Random Remnant Souls and two two-star Remnant Souls before him somewhat soothed his wounded heart.
"Overall, the value of the loot from this battle is roughly equivalent to over a kilogram of Soul Sand. But after deducting equipment damage and the consumption of restorative items, the total profit is only six or seven hundred grams."
This could barely be considered a great victory.
No wonder some veteran players lost their entire fortunes after a single defeat.
Lords had their territories as a safety net, but sometimes the battle losses were still enough to bring tears to one's eyes.
"As expected, the Eternal World is still too dangerous. I can't let my guard down at any time."
In the real world, inside the old cottage.
Mu Yuan's fingers clattered against the keyboard as he searched the forums for relevant information.
Information about abnormal Goblins.
There was very little. Occasionally, players had indeed encountered extremely elite Goblins who knew how to set ambushes and use formations, but they had described them in only a few sentences.
Moreover, everyone with such experiences was a veteran player. How had a weak and pitiful newbie like him ended up being targeted by Goblins?
This had to be the world's fault!
Of course, it was also possible that new lords had encountered similar situations, but they had been killed in a single exchange. Naturally, no information about it had spread.
"In any case, I'll have to be more careful when exploring in the future. The Goblin Camp also has to be conquered as soon as possible. Deathbone's little book of ways to seek death is already filled with the Goblins' name across an entire page."
"However, there's something even more important right now."
Today's experience had made Mu Yuan realize the fragility of the human body.
He had indeed only narrowly avoided disfigurement, and the Amulet on his body still had two charges of protective power left, but...
What if Old Silver Coin had been a Rare-grade monster?
What if a Professional Grade monster had tricked him and launched a sneak attack?
What if a huge fireball had suddenly fallen from the sky?
In short, the Eternal World was too dangerous, and the human body was too weak. Even though he had already eaten quite a few Crimson Blood Fruits and could almost run a kilometer in three minutes, he was still a weakling before all kinds of supernatural monsters.
No matter how he had his troops protect him, he could not change the fact that he himself was a fatal weak point.
Protection had its limits.
Therefore, he—
Had to become stronger.
"Ding! The item you redeemed has been delivered. Please sign for it."
Mu Yuan went downstairs to sign for the package, then returned to the bedroom and entered the password to open it.
At once, six sparkling Soul Crystal Coins and a tube of nurturing fluid sloshing with milky-white liquid appeared before his eyes.
Mu Yuan picked up the nurturing fluid.
Nine Profound Nurturing Fluid!
It was said to be a product of some top-tier big shot's territory, the best treasure for newbies to improve themselves and lay a solid foundation. There was nothing else like it.
Unlike treasures such as Dragon Blood Fruits and Vajra Fruits, which brought players tremendous improvements while also changing their physical traits, it gradually narrowed the paths they could take in the future and the treasures suitable for them to use.
It could even make players stop being human altogether.
Using an Inheritance Stone to solidify one's class would instead box in one's potential. No ambitious lord would do that.
Mu Yuan picked up the Nine Profound Nurturing Fluid and looked at the instructions. Hmm, it seemed that advanced treasures only needed an unremarkable method of consumption.
Since that was the case, he unscrewed the cap and downed it in one gulp.
Glug, glug~
The nurturing fluid began taking effect, but there seemed to be none of the pain he had experienced when consuming the Crimson Blood Fruits. He only felt warm all over, as though he were soaking in a spring of life. Even his body and soul seemed to be sublimated.
"Ah~~~"
What incredible comfort and pleasure.
His entire body drifted as if he were falling among the clouds.
As the medicinal effects gradually faded and he began to awaken from his dreamlike state, he glanced at the time and found that more than four hours had already passed.
"Have I become stronger?"
Mu Yuan lowered his head and looked himself over. His muscles had not changed much, but...
The dust in the bedroom, the tiny cracks in the walls, and the mosquito buzzing in the distance were all crystal clear in his eyes.
He could even faintly sense what was behind him, beyond his line of sight.
He extended a hand and pinched the buzzing mosquito between two fingers, calmly and effortlessly.
He looked down at himself and could vaguely sense energy circulating within his body.
He stood up, turned, leaped, and moved with nimble bursts of motion.
Mu Yuan placed both hands at his waist and drew them together to Charge. A faint white light even emerged from his palms.
He had indeed become stronger—much stronger!
"If my combat power before was only equivalent to that of a level-two Little Skeleton, then now..."
He reckoned that he could fight a level-seven Skeleton Soldier and take on ten Little Skeletons.
And that was only secondary.
The Nine Profound Nurturing Fluid had also greatly enhanced his mental power. Even without bringing his troops into his mark, Mu Yuan could directly sense the existence of troops such as Deathbone.
If he continued improving, perhaps he would be able to overlook his territory directly without relying on a computer or other medium.
If Old Silver Coin dared to ambush him again, Mu Yuan would let him understand what cruelty meant.
"So this is what it feels like to become stronger?"
"Feels pretty great~"
Thanks to 'Book Friend 33021212522762' for the 500 coins, and to 'Tofu Hero Sanmu' for the tip. Thanks everyone for your support with follows and votes~(_)
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