The aftermath of the battle at Eagle Beak Ravine had not yet completely cleared of the heavy, thick scent of blood, and it was already a scene of bustling activity.
Lin Mo stood upon a protruding boulder with his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze sweeping across the "selves" scurrying about busily below as the corners of his mouth could not help but curl upward into a satisfied smile.
They had fought a victorious battle, plundered a massive haul of supplies, and he had even leaped two levels consecutively; this wave was simply insanely awesome!
"Quick! Untie the ropes on the flatbed cart and move your hands and feet briskly! Don't dawdle!"
"Half of this bag of rice spilled out, what a terrible waste! Hurry up and gather the rest properly!"
"Why is that black horse dead? Who hit it just now? Such a fine mount!"
"This leather armor belongs to me! No one else is grabbing it!" A Clone wrapped in nothing more than a banana leaf pounced upon a bandit corpse and frantically began untying the straps of the leather armor.
"Crap! This dude's underwear isn't even torn! It's mine!" Another Clone's eyes shone brightly as he peeled a pair of coarse cotton underwear off a relatively "intact" corpse, treating it like a newfound treasure.
"Step aside, step aside! These boots are mine! I'm sick to death of walking barefoot!"
"This knife is rusted almost to the point of breaking, what do you want it for?"
"What do you know! Grind it down and it can still be used! It's still better than bare hands!"
The newborn Clones, who had originally been wrapped only in tree leaves and vines, were now like ravenous wolves pouncing on food, frantically scavenging the clothing off the dead.
They carried no psychological burden—after all, these bandits had wanted to kill them just moments ago, and besides, wearing a dead man's clothes was still better than walking around bare-bottomed.
Lin Mo watched this group of "himself" scrambling to strip off clothes, the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.
This sight... truly was both heartbreaking and hilarious.
Soon, a dozen newborn Clones had all changed into "new outfits."
Although most of the clothing was stained with blood, some leather armor still bore the traces of sword slashes and axe hacks, and even came with tears and holes, at least they were decent cloth and leather now.
They looked each other over, their faces revealing expressions of satisfaction.
"Finally looking like a human being." Lin Thirty-Seventh tugged at the gray cloth garment on his body that was obviously a size too large; although the cuffs extended out by a section, it felt quite good.
"This leather armor of mine has a slash across the chest, but it doesn't affect the defense of the other parts." Lin Xi Tenth looked down and inspected it.
"Be content! I only managed to pick up a pair of pants and a pair of shoes!" Lin Xi Twelfth complained, his upper body still bare as he wore only a pair of trousers.
On his feet he trod a pair of ill-fitting cloth shoes, looking incongruous and bizarre.
Right at that moment, Lin Yi strode over and reported:
"Lord, the casualty count is complete!
We lost six brothers, seven are heavily wounded, eleven are lightly wounded, and counting yourself, there are thirty-nine of us who can still move."
Lin Mo nodded, fairly satisfied with this result.
Facing two professional leader-class figures and over twenty bandits, they wiped out the entire enemy force at the cost of only six permanent losses.
This battle record could already be called brilliant.
On the other side, Lin Er had already finished tallying the cargo across the five flatbed carts.
"Lord! We've struck it rich!" Lin Er's voice was distorted with excitement.
Lin Mo walked over in quick strides.
The flatbed carts were piled high to the brim:
Grain Category: ten bags of white rice (about fifty catties per bag), five bags of flour, three strings of cured meat, two baskets of salted fish, and a quantity of dried vegetables.
Cloth Category: five bolts of fine cotton cloth, ten bolts of coarse cloth, and two bolts of silk.
Tool Category: ten shovels, eight hoes, five axes, and three saws.
Weapon Category: fifteen long sabers, ten short sabers, three sets of bows and arrows (with fifty arrows attached), and twenty sets of leather armor (semi-new).
Miscellaneous: about five thousand copper coins, thirty taels of fragmented silver, a pair of golden bracelets, three jade pendants, and five books.
Lin Mo walked up to the flatbed carts, his gaze sweeping across the various supplies as he rapidly calculated in his heart.
This batch of supplies was enough to sustain them for a long time; grain, cloth, tools, weapons...
All of them were crucial items urgently needed for developing the territory at the present stage, acting truly like charcoal delivered in snowy weather.
Aside from the supplies on the flatbed carts, the items scavenged from the bandit corpses were also quite substantial.
[Ghost Head Great Saber (Green Quality)]:
The blade body was thick and heavy, the edge radiating a chilling light, and the hilt was wrapped in slip-resistant leather.
Attributes: Strength +3, Sharpness +2, comes with a slight armor-piercing effect.
[Twin Short Halberds (Green Quality)]:
The halberd shafts were forged from refined iron, the blades shaped like crescent moons, and the handles could be joined together.
Attributes: Agility +2, Attack Speed +1, throwable.
"Green quality..." Lin Mo picked up the Ghost Head Great Saber, feeling a heavy weight in his hand, but with his current strength, swinging it around took little effort. "Much stronger than white equipment."
As soon as the words fell, he turned to pick up the pair of refined iron short halberds, handing them to Lin Yi who was standing by in reserve. "You use this pair of short halberds first and break them in to get a feel for the balance."
"Thank you, Lord!" Lin Yi accepted the short halberds, gave them a brief couple of swings, and was clearly extremely satisfied with this green-tier weapon.
On the other side, Lin Xi had also made a new discovery.
He fished a roll of yellowed sheepskin out of the scar-faced leader's bosom, unfolding it to reveal a hand-drawn map.
The map depicted the terrain of Black Wind Stronghold and its surroundings, marking detailed information such as guard posts, traps, and secret passages.
"This is... the defense map of Black Wind Stronghold?" Lin Mo stepped closer to examine it carefully, his gaze sweeping over those key markings as joy suddenly blossomed in his heart.
"With this map, attacking Black Wind Stronghold in the future will take half the effort for twice the result!"
Aside from the map, Lin Xi had also scavenged a small porcelain bottle from the leader's person. Upon opening it, a pungent medicinal odor rushed forward to greet him, and nestled quietly inside were three pills of a completely crimson hue.
Before you continue