Zong Shen was already very satisfied with the Moon Well's output.
In addition, the Moon Well had a skill called "Spring of the Moon Well."
Once activated, it lasted for five hours, increasing the Moon Well's output by 520% and raising its capacity limit.
That meant it could produce up to 260 ml of Moon Spring Water per hour.
Seeing how sought-after the Moon Spring Water was, Zong Shen immediately activated "Spring of the Moon Well" to rapidly boost the Moon Well's output.
After finishing all that, Zong Shen returned to the [Market].
He continued bargaining.
The next item was a special quest item.
[Swadian Knight Trial Badge] [Use to begin the Swadian Trial] [Pass the trial to earn a knightly title in the Swadian Empire]
"A title?"
Zong Shen looked over the information provided for the badge.
It seemed to be connected to some native faction.
But its specific function was unknown for now, as were the benefits it might bring.
And it required passing a trial.
It was an item whose value depended on what it might lead to.
After some haggling, Zong Shen successfully bought the badge for 80 ml of [Tears of the Moon Goddess].
Once he had retrieved it from the [Market],
Zong Shen turned the badge over in his hand.
Its design featured a mighty grassland lion standing with one paw on a boulder pierced by a lance.
Zong Shen stared at the trial badge.
The Strategy Module's information appeared at once.
(The Swadian Empire is a powerful empire located in the central plains of the continent. This badge is highly valuable, but the trial is no easy feat. Wait until you're strong enough before attempting it.)
(Once you pass the trial, you can become a Swadian knight. Every so often, you'll be eligible to recruit a certain number of Swadian Heavy Cavalry.)
"Good stuff, but I probably won't be able to use it anytime soon. I'll keep it safe for now."
Zong Shen immediately understood the badge's value.
It was a key to connecting with the native factions.
If he wanted to establish himself on this continent, developing his territory wasn't enough. The native factions would also play a vital role.
Zong Shen put the badge in his Storage Grid for safekeeping.
Now there was only one item left that interested him.
It was a construction blueprint.
[Tier 1 Elemental Arrow Tower Construction Blueprint] [Quality: Fine (Green)] [Requirements: Stone ×65, Iron ×30, Wood ×80, Hemp Rope ×12, Primary Elemental Crystal ×8] [Construction Time: 6h24m] [Area: 10 square meters] [Height: 12 meters] [Range: 500 meters] [Piercing Damage: 60–69] [Attack Speed: 3s] [Each attack has a 10% chance to deal 10 points of random elemental damage] [Durability: 1500] [Armor: 20]
This was a rare defensive structure.
Once built, it could guard the territory and attack any enemies within range.
But it required eight Primary Elemental Crystals.
Zong Shen only had two at the moment.
After some haggling,
Zong Shen spent 60 ml of [Tears of the Moon Goddess] to buy the blueprint.
Everyone was happy!
Then Zong Shen opened the [Market] again, intending to list three more portions of [Tears of the Moon Goddess]. To his surprise, he found several people selling it...
Looking closely, he saw that the first seller was none other than the Arab who had previously traded a [Primary Heart of Strength] for 200 ml of [Tears of the Moon Goddess]...
He had divided the [Tears of the Moon Goddess] into 20 ml portions, each of which he was offering in exchange for 100 units of resources!
The other sellers of [Tears of the Moon Goddess] on the market were doing the same.
Well, would you look at that!
So these people had bought it to resell?
And with a single resale, they'd doubled their profits!
For a moment, Zong Shen's Moon Spring Water had taken on the qualities of a precious market commodity.
It had become an "investment product."
The move left Zong Shen dumbfounded.
Zong Shen shook his head.
He listed three more portions.
For one of them, he set the price at 999,999 units of wood.
At this stage, nobody could afford that price.
He was listing it purely as an advertisement,
and he added a note below: "Looking for various blueprints, special items, and materials. Message me with pictures. I won't respond to idle chat."
Then he listed two more portions of 40 ml of [Tears of the Moon Goddess].
He asked for 10 Primary Elemental Crystals in exchange.
Based on drop rates, Primary Elemental Crystals were far more valuable than ordinary resources.
He added a note below: "Can be split into smaller purchases. Message me for details!"
His territory had plenty of resources now, so he didn't need to trade Moon Spring Water for more.
The Moon Well was a special Elf Race structure that had long since vanished. Unless someone else uncovered Elf Race Ruins, he wasn't likely to have any competition.
Not everyone could discover hidden opportunities through the Strategy Module like Zong Shen could.
By the time Zong Shen had finished all that,
it was six in the morning.
Birdsong filled the area outside the territory.
The sky was beginning to brighten.
Luna had woken up early.
She rode over to Zong Shen on the Black Panther.
Zong Shen turned to her with a faint smile.
After making it through his first night in this world, he was starting to adapt to its rhythm.
No need to go to work, no need to earn money.
He only needed to keep exploring and building.
Of course, both ways of life had one thing in common.
They were both about survival!
"Don't you want to sleep a little longer?"
Zong Shen asked with concern.
Luna shook her head.
"As a warrior of the Moon Goddess, I don't need much sleep to recover my strength."
"My lord, what are your plans for today?"
Zong Shen looked north, where the grasslands stretched for over a hundred miles before giving way to a range of low, rolling mountains.
When he heard Luna's question,
he simply gazed into the distance and slowly said two words.
"Head north."
"Today's goal is to explore north of the territory, especially that stretch of woodland."
Zong Shen pointed with his sword.
Luna seemed to sense his determination.
Then Zong Shen continued.
"Luna, your task today is to guard the territory. I'm taking Tie Zhu north. First, we'll meet up with Colby."
"You're in charge of overseeing the farmers as they gather resources. Today's strategy is to collect every kind of basic resource."
"Also keep an eye on the [Market] for me, and protect the Farmer and the Moon Spring Water."
Zong Shen gave her a few more instructions.
He left behind ten chunks of fresh wolf meat.
Then he called over Tie Zhu, now a Nord Shadow Assassin.
He mounted his old traveling horse. Each of them carried a piece of Refined Wheat Bread, and they set off north from the territory.
The two figures, one large and one small, stretched far across the ground in the slanting morning sunlight.
I'm being featured tomorrow, so starting then, I'll post three chapters a day for a week. I'll follow the posting times for three daily updates as mentioned in the comments.
I'll be an author who updates on time and doesn't make readers worry.
It's been raining and getting colder these past few days, so I caught a cold today. Seasonal changes are rough.
I won't ramble on. Everyone, make sure to dress warmly too.
Before you continue