Continuing the Search

Zong Shen wore a smile on his face.

To Favis, who had just survived the ordeal, he looked like a savior of extraordinary bearing.

"The lord you served has already died beneath the fangs of the Mutated Ghoul."

"My soldiers and I arrived a step too late."

"However, after a grueling battle, we managed to take down this foul creature and avenge this poor lord."

"Now, are you willing to uphold the will of the deceased and pledge your loyalty to me?"

Zong Shen said, getting straight to the point.

Upon hearing this, Favis slowly rose to his feet from amidst the Wolf Cavalry.

With a look of melancholy, he glanced at the corpse of the unfortunate lord.

Without responding directly to Zong Shen, he walked slowly to the side of the remains.

He looked up and saluted Zong Shen, asking, "Respected Lord, thank you for stepping in to save my life."

"Before I swear my allegiance to you, may I first use the ritual of fire to spare my former master's remains from desecration?"

Zong Shen nodded and gestured for him to proceed.

The corpse of that unlucky fellow was already a gruesome sight.

Even someone with nerves as thick and adaptable as Zong Shen found it unbearable to look at, feeling nauseous after just a few glances.

After obtaining Zong Shen's consent, Favid raised his staff and began to chant.

Two seconds later, a Small Fireball condensed into existence.

It shot directly onto the corpse.

The flames roared to life.

Turning the entire body into a ball of fire.

"Rest in peace, my former master!"

Favid bowed his head in a moment of silent mourning.

Then, he turned and walked toward Zong Shen.

He knelt on one knee, one hand clenched into a fist against his heart, while the other held his staff planted firmly on the ground.

"In the name of the God of Fire!"

"Fire Mage Favid reports for duty!"

[Recruitment successful, default loyalty is 70]

Immediately after Favid swore his allegiance, a system notification appeared.

Zong Shen nodded and patted him on the shoulder.

"Rise, Favid. Let us continue exploring this sealed dungeon."

"Once the exploration is complete, take me back to your former master's territory. I believe the others in that territory need to be resettled as well."

Zong Shen had his eyes on the farmers in that poor fellow's territory.

His own territory was currently in a period of rapid development.

Farmers and soldiers were both of the utmost importance.

Favid stood up, nodded, and stood quietly to the side.

At this moment, Zong Shen walked over to the burning corpse of the unfortunate lord.

This guy had scavenged quite a few good things from the dungeon on the left.

Since he was dead, what would happen to the items in his personal storage grid?

(The territory is currently ownerless. You may declare occupation of this ownerless territory to gain control over it. Afterward, you will be able to open the territory storage and inherit the items within his personal storage grid.)

Zong Shen looked at the Strategy Guide prompt.

He understood now.

Truly, when a person dies, the light goes out.

No matter how many resources or treasures you acquire, if you die carelessly, everything will simply become a wedding dress for someone else.

Zong Shen deeply agreed with this sentiment.

Although he often took action personally, compared to others, Zong Shen never did anything without being certain of the outcome.

It seemed that once the mission was complete, it would truly be necessary to pay a visit to his territory.

Zong Shen shifted his gaze away and turned to walk toward the Prayer Altar.

There, he would find the items Zong Shen needed: the two legs of the Demon Hunter, Altlan Windwhisper.

The entire Prayer Room was permeated with the acrid stench of burning.

Orange firelight illuminated the whole Prayer Room.

It carried a sense of desolation that followed death.

Zong Shen walked up to the Prayer Altar.

His gaze swept over these two quest items.

[Lower Left Limb of Altland Windwhisper]

[Lower left limb subjected to the Blood Burn Demon Profanation Ritual, one of the quest items]

[Lower Right Limb of Altland Windwhisper]

[Lower right limb subjected to the Blood Burn Demon Profanation Ritual, one of the quest items]

He did not linger, and after confirming they were correct, he waved his hand to store them in his inventory.

He had now collected five of the six body parts.

Only the head remained to finally complete the quest.

He wondered what kind of monster would be guarding the final piece.

Zong Shen looked toward the Runic Iron Door.

Behind the gate was the only remaining path to explore in the dungeon.

He flipped his hand and took out the [Key to the Runic Iron Door] that had dropped from the Mutated Ghoul.

"Let's go, onto the next leg."

After calling out to his soldiers, Zong Shen went straight to the side of the gate and inserted the key into the lock.

The runes across the entire gate suddenly lit up.

He gently turned the key clockwise by one full rotation.

"Click!"

After a soft sound, the Runic Iron Door slowly creaked open.

Behind the gate, it seemed to be the living quarters of the dungeon.

This was also a wide corridor.

The walls no longer featured those gaudy, terrifying graffiti.

It looked much tidier.

However, there was a dark red drag mark on the ground that extended all the way to the deepest part of the corridor.

"Is there any treasure here?"

Zong Shen began his treasure-hunting work as usual.

(There is a Black Iron Treasure Chest under the bed in the fourth room on your front right, some scattered equipment in the fifth room on your front left, and some scattered materials in the eighth room.)

In an instant, Zong Shen knew the location of every treasure in this corridor like the back of his hand.

It was just like playing a game with a Strategy Guide; although it couldn't directly accelerate the development of Zong Shen's territory.

It could save a massive amount of time while simultaneously yielding many extra treasures.

Following the hints from the Strategy Guide, Zong Shen found the Black Iron Treasure Chest.

He chose [Open] with practiced ease.

[Successfully opened Black Iron Treasure Chest]

[Primary Farmland Construction Blueprint (10×10) ×1]

[Wheat Seeds ×100]

[Simple Leather Armor Crafting Blueprint ×1]

[Basic Fire Rune ×1]

Zong Shen collected the four rewards.

He dismantled the treasure chest into 10 Iron.

This time, the rewards actually included a Primary Farmland Construction Blueprint and Wheat Seeds.

Although he could currently satisfy his food requirements entirely through hunting and exploration.

To achieve sustainable development, he still needed to begin farming as soon as possible.

Zong Shen put the rewards away, not in any rush to examine them.

Except for items like equipment that could immediately increase his combat power, it wouldn't be too late to check the other things in detail after this exploration ended.

After opening the chest.

Zong Shen headed toward the room that contained the scattered equipment.

This place appeared to be a small armory.

However, it had clearly been ransacked during the dungeon riot.

The original weapon racks were completely empty.

Only a few pieces of equipment were scattered across the floor.

Zong Shen reached out with a wave of his hand, and all these items were collected into his storage slots.

Among them were four white-quality shortswords.

[Azshara Standard Shortsword]

There was also a round shield made of green vines and thorns, which was of green quality.

It was a piece of fine-grade equipment.

[Thorn Round Shield]

It would be perfect to replace his [Dented Kite Shield], which was on the verge of falling apart.

Zong Shen took out the Thorn Round Shield and began to examine its attributes.

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