Zong Ze's words made sense.
The "Lord Game," with billions of people taking part.
Anything really was possible.
Although he had the Strategy Module,
there were plenty of lucky people in this world.
And plenty of exceptionally talented people, too.
For them, arriving on the Endless Continent was like a dragon returning to the sea.
He absolutely couldn't afford to get too carried away!
Zong Shen silently gave himself a reminder.
"I understand. We brothers have to work hard. Our parents will be coming here in 180 days, too."
"Over these 180 days, we have to build up enough strength to survive in this world."
"Let's talk later. I'm going to check out the market!"
"Take care."
As the older brother, Zong Shen couldn't help lecturing him a little.
"Okay, big brother. You actually got a Market Blueprint? There don't seem to be many people with a market yet."
"You take care of yourself, too. Safety first."
Zong Ze could feel the concern in Zong Shen's words. After a brief reply, the two brothers ended their conversation for the day.
Zong Shen then opened the [World Channel].
"Wang Gang1989716: Holy crap, as soon as it gets dark, all kinds of beasts start howling outside. There's no way I can leave the courtyard!"
"Sanjay Gandhi1982514: Brothers, I ran into a forest wolf this afternoon. One of my farmers got bitten, and now I don't even dare to go outside."
"Sompasong1996213: Sawasdee! I've got it worse. I drank some water from the pond near my territory this afternoon, and I've had diarrhea all day!"
"Oliver1986211: Lord above, please grant me some food! The starting food isn't nearly enough for four people. Those three farmers are looking at me like they want to eat me alive!"
"Andreas19991212: Idiot. With three farmers and yourself, you have enough people to hunt. Even if you run into a beast, you can use the courtyard as a fallback and set up some traps or snares!"
"Tanaka Kimura1992724: Yoshi! My luck is very, very good! I found an altar near my territory. It can turn my farmers into powerful warriors!"
"Ivan Ivanovich1994312: Ura! For blood and vodka! My three farmers and I killed a brown bear together and built a Stove. The roast bear meat tastes great, but it's a shame we don't have any vodka!"
"Yuan Jiacheng1984315: I found a village of natives. After talking with them, I learned I can use 'money' to buy food and supplies. It seems there are other quests to take, too!"
The World Channel was still lively.
Although each person could only send one message a day,
the sheer number of lords—billions of them—kept the channel bustling.
Most lords had only just begun to adapt to this world, and many had already encountered dangers of varying severity.
But some lords had already gained an edge in strength.
They had seized their initial opportunities.
Still, anyone who could speak on the [World Channel] was at least still alive.
No one knew how many lords had died on their very first day here.
The dead couldn't speak.
Zong Shen considered it for a moment but didn't post anything on the World Channel.
Then he opened the [Regional Channel].
According to the prompt, the area was a 200-kilometer-by-200-kilometer square, with a total area of 40,000 square kilometers.
On Earth, that was equivalent to eighty of Beijing's urban areas within the Fifth Ring Road.
It was certainly no small place.
A number appeared at the top of the [Regional Channel].
9273/10000
It showed the number of lords still in the region compared to the total number who had arrived there!
The number was cold, and reality was cruel.
It meant that on the very first day, the lords' death rate had already reached nearly 8%.
Of course, the number of deaths in Zong Shen's region alone didn't prove much, since it wasn't representative.
Some regions might have suffered more deaths, while others had suffered fewer.
But it was more than enough to show how harsh survival in this world could be.
Death was close at hand and could come at any moment.
The [Regional Channel] was just as lively.
Night had fallen, and beasts were roaring all around.
No one dared risk leaving the safety of their courtyard to explore in the pitch-black darkness.
So they had all come here to chat.
"Jiang Yi19961015: We have to work together. Only once we've made it through this difficult opening phase will we be ready to face the challenges ahead."
"Li Chen1994822: That makes sense. I spent all day gathering wood and only managed to build a [Tier 1 Thatched Shed] and a [Tier 1 Infantry Barracks]. But training farmers into Tier 1 infantry takes a lot of resources, and even requires an Infantry Training Manual."
"Lermontov1998319: Friends from Huaxia, it seems half of our region is grassland and the other half is forested mountains. I'm very close to the mountains. Today, I found a lot of suspicious tracks not far from my territory. I'm freaking out!"
"Chen Xin1987717: Let's make a pact. If we run into each other, we won't attack one another..."
"Wang Dajun19901129: I'm in!"
Zong Shen thought for a moment, then typed a message in the [Regional Channel] and sent it.
"Zong Shen1999514: Stay away from the middle of the forested mountains in this region. There's a vicious and powerful Goblin Tribe there."
After sending it, he closed the [Regional Channel]. He could at least warn one person.
In the early stages, anyone who ran into that Goblin Tribe was as good as dead.
A force that could injure the Wolf Cavalry in a single encounter was no ordinary threat.
"Now, let's check out the market."
Zong Shen stood up and left the Lord's Cabin.
He went straight outside the courtyard.
His decision to place the market and other buildings outside the courtyard had certainly been bold.
But it also kept the Lord's Courtyard from getting cluttered.
That was how confident Zong Shen was in his own strength.
The courtyard would serve as his last refuge!
When he stepped outside,
all the farmers were crammed into the remaining five Thatched Sheds. Not one of them could fall asleep.
Colby and Fenrir, one man and one wolf, had a Thatched Shed all to themselves.
Zong Shen and Luna would take turns keeping watch.
Luna would take the first half of the night, and Zong Shen the second.
He arrived beside the [Market].
He activated it.
A large number of listings immediately appeared.
Market building plans weren't easy to get, but among the billions of lords, tens of thousands had already built markets.
The goods these lords had listed were all rather mundane.
Mostly food and wood.
There were hardly any blueprints, weapons, or special materials.
Occasionally, Zong Shen came across something valuable, but the asking price was astronomical.
Take the [Refined Iron Armor Blueprint], for example. It cost 500 units of wood or 50 Primary Elemental Crystals.
It was ridiculous.
The skill book for [Primary Swordsmanship] was also listed for an enormous amount of resources.
No one could afford it in the short term.
Still, if he made good use of the [Market], he could earn quite a bit and ease the shortage of supplies.
Zong Shen turned his gaze away and started thinking about what he could sell.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he looked toward the courtyard.
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