[Primary Life Manual]
[Using this increases health by 20 points]
Zong Shen didn't hesitate for long before choosing to use it.
Combined with the bonuses to strength and health from the [Ring of the Ghoul], it brought Zong Shen's health straight up to 273 points.
That was already comparable to the Wolf Cavalry's own health.
Then, with a flip of his hand, Zong Shen took out a round badge engraved with a roaring giant bear.
[Wild Mark]
[Summons 3 lv. 20 giant bears for 5m after use. Can only be used once.]
A one-time summoning item.
It was a pretty good item, too.
It could come in handy at a crucial moment!
Zong Shen put away the [Wild Mark].
Next, he took out a pale green orb of light and a slightly smaller pale blue orb, and examined them one by one.
[Complete Green Soul]
[After use, there is a 100% chance to raise a soldier or farmer's talent from white, Common, to green, Good]
[Fragmented Blue Soul]
[After use, there is a 40% chance to raise a soldier or farmer's talent from green, Good, to blue, Excellent]
They were actually items that could improve talents.
These had all dropped when Zong Shen killed powerful monsters.
There were two [Complete Green Souls] and only one [Fragmented Blue Soul].
Zong Shen decided to wait until he returned to his territory before considering who should use them.
The Wolf Cavalry and Tie Zhu both had ordinary aptitude, so either could be improved.
He also had several [Soldier Strengthening Beads] that he could hand out, turning them into combat strength as soon as possible.
As he rode, Zong Shen thought about how to make use of these items.
It was quite relaxing.
Combat and exploration really were excellent ways to grow stronger.
He put away all the soul orbs.
Then he took out the last few items.
[Azshara Standard Shortsword]
[One-handed]
[Quality: Common]
[Slashing Damage: 21]
[Piercing Damage: 15]
[Attack Range: 60]
[Attack Speed: +12%]
[Durability: 100]
[Strength Required: 6]
(An Azshara Standard Shortsword, sealed away for many years and slightly corroded)
Four white-quality shortswords from the Residential District dungeon. Zong Shen planned to keep them as spares.
Once the population grew, he would inevitably need to train soldiers himself. These white-quality weapons and armor would be just right to keep in the territory as military supplies.
[Basic Fire Rune]
[Contains fire magic power and is a commonly used magical material in construction and smithing]
[Basic Wood Rune]
[Contains wood magic power and is a commonly used magical material in construction and smithing]
Runes were much like Elemental Crystals: both were types of magical materials.
They could produce different effects corresponding to their respective elements.
[Simple Leather Armor Blueprint]
[Using this allows you to craft Simple Leather Armor]
[Simple Leather Armor]
[Quality: Common]
[Body Protection: 16]
[Durability: 120]
[Crafting Requirements: Complete Pelt ×1, Hemp Rope ×3]
[Crafting Time: 12m]
Its stats were decent, and it was better than Zong Shen's old ragged leather short-sleeved shirt.
Zong Shen had already learned the blueprint.
Along with the [Simple Wooden Shield] blueprint he had obtained earlier, he could now craft the most basic white-quality protective gear.
The last item was a book.
It was a very thick volume.
Its cover was made of brown cowhide parchment.
Four large characters were written across it: Marching Strategy!
[Book: Marching Strategy]
[Wisdom Required: 8]
[Reading Time: 120h (can be accumulated)]
[Reading Effects: Wisdom +4, Charisma +2, Agility +1]
[Each person can receive these attribute bonuses only once, after fully reading the book]
Zong Shen couldn't help but freeze when he saw the effects.
Knowledge truly was power.
And anyone could read this book.
As long as they read for a total of 120 hours, they would receive the attribute bonuses.
Though it mainly boosted Wisdom and Charisma, that was still remarkable.
If he had the means someday, setting up a library wouldn't be a bad idea.
He kept thinking as he traveled, and before he knew it, an hour had passed.
The Dwarf Uncle and Tie Zhu were both good walkers.
Even with the Old Travel Horse only jogging the whole way, they could keep up.
Neither fell behind or complained of being tired.
Now, across the open grassland, Zong Shen could make out his territory's little courtyard in the distance.
The farmers were sitting in the Thatched Shed outside the courtyard, taking a break.
Each had a piece of roasted meat in hand.
Luna was riding her Black Panther, carefully patrolling the area.
She spotted Zong Shen and his group, then waved to him.
Zong Shen waved back.
He had only been gone for half a day, yet it felt as if he had been away for ages.
A little over ten minutes later,
the three of them arrived outside the territory.
The Wolf Cavalry and the others, escorting two mages and five farmers, could only move at a slower pace. They still had over a hundred li to travel and would need several more hours at least.
As soon as the farmers saw Zong Shen return, they hurried to their feet.
They bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for your hard work, Lord!"
Zong Shen smiled and nodded.
He swung down from his horse,
tied up the Old Travel Horse by the entrance,
and hurried into the courtyard.
He was ready to hand over the supplies.
After two days of gathering and exploration,
the forty Storage Grids in the [Level 1 Territory Storage Box] had become woefully inadequate.
Fortunately, upgrading the Territory Storage Box didn't require a blueprint.
Zong Shen spent some resources and upgraded it directly to a [Level 2 Territory Storage Box].
Its capacity increased to 80 grids.
Zong Shen sorted the supplies.
[Money: 1380] [Wood ×421] [Stone ×242] [Iron ×157] [Hemp ×194] [Mithril ×32] [Copper ×30] [Primary Elemental Crystal ×12] [Advanced Magic Rune Stone ×187] [Primary Fire Rune ×1] [Refined Alloy ×2] [Basic Wood Rune ×2] [Refined Wheat Bread ×14] [Crafted Rum ×10] [Refined Camel Jerky ×15] [Fresh Wolf Meat ×10] [Crude Roasted Wolf Meat ×3] [Crude Roasted Boar Meat ×6]
These supplies were incredibly abundant.
And that was only the basic materials.
It didn't include raw materials for smithing, like bones and pelts,
or all the various items with different uses.
Looking at the storage box packed with supplies, Zong Shen felt a deep sense of security.
He walked out of the courtyard,
planning to put all the blueprints he had on hand to use.
At that moment, Luna came over.
When she saw the Dwarf Uncle, her brows first furrowed, then her expression changed before returning to normal.
Zong Shen noticed every bit of it.
The stories about the Elf Race and Dwarf Race being at odds seemed to be true.
Copperbeard Winefire, the Dwarf Uncle, hugged his wine jug and found a quiet corner by the courtyard wall, where he happily started drinking.
He didn't even need snacks to go with it.
He drank as if it were water—a true old drunkard.
Luna stopped paying attention to the Dwarf Uncle, dismounted from the Black Panther, and walked up to Zong Shen,
Before you continue