Zong Shen wore a smile.
To Favid, who had just survived the ordeal, he looked like a noble savior.
"The lord you served died beneath the fangs of the Mutated Ghoul."
"My soldiers and I arrived too late."
"But after a hard-fought battle, we still managed to kill that foul creature and avenge the poor lord."
"Now, are you willing to honor the deceased's wishes and serve me?"
Zong Shen got straight to the point.
At his words, Favid slowly rose from among the Wolf Cavalry.
He glanced sorrowfully at the unfortunate lord's corpse.
Rather than answer Zong Shen directly, he walked over to the body.
Then he looked up and bowed to Zong Shen before asking,
"My lord, thank you for saving my life."
"Before I swear allegiance to you, may I first use the rites of fire to keep my former lord's remains from being desecrated?"
Zong Shen nodded and gestured for him to go ahead.
The unfortunate lord's corpse was already beyond recognition.
Even Zong Shen, whose nerves were tough and who had grown used to such things, couldn't bear to look at it. Just a few more glances made him feel sick.
Once Favid had Zong Shen's permission,
he raised his staff and began to chant.
Two seconds later, he conjured a Small Fireball.
It shot straight into the corpse.
Flames roared,
engulfing the entire body in a ball of fire.
"Rest in peace, my former lord!"
Favid bowed his head in silence.
Then he turned and walked over to Zong Shen.
He knelt on one knee, holding one fist against his heart while planting his staff on the ground with the other hand.
"In the name of the God of Fire!"
"Fire mage Favid reporting for duty!"
[Recruitment successful. Default Loyalty: 70]
As soon as Favid swore allegiance, a system notification appeared.
Zong Shen nodded and patted him on the shoulder.
"Get up, Favid. Let's continue exploring this sealed dungeon."
"Once we're done, take me to your former lord's territory. The others there will need to be settled, too."
Zong Shen had his eye on the farmers in the unfortunate lord's territory.
His own territory was in the midst of rapid growth.
Farmers and soldiers were both essential.
Favid stood up, nodded, and quietly waited at his side.
Zong Shen then returned to the burning corpse of the unfortunate lord.
The man had collected plenty of good things from the dungeon on the left.
Now that he was dead, what would happen to the things in his personal Storage Grid?
(The lord is dead, and his territory is now unowned. You can claim it to gain control of the territory. Afterward, you will be able to open its Territory Storage Slot and inherit the items in his personal Storage Grid.)
Zong Shen looked at the Strategy Guide's prompt.
He understood.
When a man died, it was all over.
No matter how many resources or treasures he had, if he died carelessly, they would all end up in someone else's hands.
Zong Shen couldn't agree more.
Although he often fought on the front lines himself, he never took risks without being sure of success.
It seemed he really would have to visit the man's territory after finishing the mission.
Zong Shen looked away and headed toward the Prayer Altar.
There lay the items he needed: the two legs of the Demon Hunter Altland Whisperwind.
The entire Prayer Room reeked of charred flesh.
Orange-red firelight filled the room,
casting a bleak, posthumous gloom over everything.
Zong Shen walked up to the Prayer Altar.
He looked over the two quest items.
[Left Lower Limb of Altland Whisperwind]
[Left lower limb that underwent the Blood Burn Demon Profanation Ritual. One of the quest items.]
[Right Lower Limb of Altland Whisperwind]
[Right lower limb that underwent the Blood Burn Demon Profanation Ritual. One of the quest items.]
He didn't linger over them. After confirming they were the right items, he waved his hand and stored them in his Storage Grid.
He had collected five of the six body parts.
All that remained was the head, and then he could complete the quest.
He wondered what kind of monster guarded the final body part.
Zong Shen looked toward the Runic Iron Door.
Beyond it lay the only unexplored route left in the dungeon.
He flipped his hand and produced the Key to the Runic Iron Door, which had dropped from the Mutated Ghoul.
"Let's go. On to the next area."
He called to his soldiers.
Zong Shen went straight to the door and slid the key into the lock.
The runes across the door suddenly lit up.
He gently turned the key clockwise once.
"Click!"
With a soft sound, the Runic Gate slowly swung open.
Beyond the door seemed to be the dungeon's Residential District.
A wide Corridor stretched through it as well.
The walls were no longer covered in those garish, terrifying graffiti.
The place looked much tidier.
But a dark red smear stretched across the floor, all the way to the far end of the Corridor.
"Are there any treasures here?"
As usual, Zong Shen started by looking for treasure.
(Under the bed in the fourth room on your right is a Black Iron Treasure Chest. There's some scattered equipment in the fifth room on your left, and scattered materials in the eighth room.)
In an instant, Zong Shen knew the location of every treasure in the Corridor.
It was like playing a game with a Strategy Guide. It couldn't directly speed up the development of his territory, but it saved him a great deal of time and helped him find plenty of extra loot.
Following the guide's instructions, Zong Shen found the Black Iron Treasure Chest.
With practiced ease, he chose [Open].
[Black Iron Treasure Chest opened successfully]
[Primary Farmland Construction Blueprint (10×10) ×1]
[Wheat Seeds ×100]
[Simple Leather Armor Crafting Blueprint ×1]
[Basic Fire Rune ×1]
Zong Shen collected all four rewards.
He dismantled the chest for 10 Iron.
This time, he had drawn a Primary Farmland Construction Blueprint and some Wheat Seeds.
Hunting and exploring could meet his current food needs just fine.
But for sustainable growth, he would still need to take up farming as soon as possible.
Zong Shen put away the rewards without rushing to inspect them.
Aside from equipment that could immediately boost his combat power, there was no need to examine the other items in detail until the exploration was over.
After opening the chest,
Zong Shen went to the room with the scattered equipment.
It seemed to be a small armory.
But it had clearly been looted during the dungeon upheaval.
The weapon racks were empty.
Only a few pieces of equipment lay scattered on the floor.
Zong Shen beckoned, and the equipment flew into his Storage Grid.
Among them were four white-quality shortswords.
[Azshara Standard Shortsword]
The other item was a green-quality round shield made of thorny vines.
It was Fine Grade equipment.
[Thorn Round Shield]
It was just what he needed to replace his nearly ruined Dented Kite Shield.
Zong Shen took out the Thorn Round Shield and began checking its attributes.
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