Resource Gathering

Chapter 21: Resource Gathering

The thick soles of Li Wei's boots crunched over the thick carpet of fallen leaves, making a distinctive rustling sound. But the noise soon faded into the vast forest. Li Wei looked at the towering trees around him and summoned his Yellow Paper.

Show strategic map!

A huge strategic map, shrouded in the fog of war, appeared on the paper. The icon representing Dawn City, dozens of kilometers away, now bore the Undead's distinctive flag. That meant Dawn City had been completely occupied by those evil Undead.

Zheng Yutong and Wang Kai had already taken half the Militiamen and hurried ahead to the Knight Training Ground. Meanwhile, Li Wei was responsible for joining Bai Jie in claiming some scattered resource sites in the forest.

In the world of Heroes of Might and Magic, resources were a vital element. They were also indispensable to running towns and recruiting troops. If they wanted enough resources to strike back against the Undead within seven days, they would need a sufficient supply of every kind.

But the resource sites in the wilderness were all occupied by various factions and neutral creatures. Claiming one often meant fighting a brutal battle, so sound tactics and skillful use of troops were essential.

Li Wei carefully assessed the troops currently under his command.

Militiamen were among the cheapest low-level troops. They were practically just a bunch of farmers who had picked up their hoes to fight. Expecting them to take on powerful wild creatures and win was pure wishful thinking.

Still, they were better than nothing. As useless as they might be, they could at least serve as cannon fodder.

Aside from the Militiamen, the Crossbowmen were the strongest fighting force Li Wei currently had. With five Crossbowmen and his USP Pistol, backed by Bai Jie's Slow Spell, they could just about handle a small number of enemies. They had dealt with the lone wild creatures they encountered along the way one by one.

But if they ran into a large group of monsters, they would have no choice but to take a detour.

In games, the joys of exploring an unknown world, collecting treasure, learning magic, and recruiting a massive army to defeat your enemies could get any player's blood pumping. But being in a world like this for real wasn't nearly as fun.

Just over ten minutes ago, while they were fighting a few Centaur Warriors that had suddenly charged out of the forest, one of his Militiamen had been pierced through the skull by a sharp javelin. As bright red blood and milky-white brain matter splattered across the ground, Li Wei had realized just how clearly this wasn't a game. This was a real battlefield, where life and death were at stake.

"If only I had Advanced Diplomacy. I could avoid pointless fights and even recruit some wild troops!" Li Wei shook his head, casting the impractical thought from his mind.

Bai Jie followed silently beside him, lost in thought. She had been like this ever since Zheng Yutong and Wang Kai left, and her unusual behavior had made Li Wei wary.

After walking a little farther, Li Wei hurriedly ordered everyone to stop. A wooden building had appeared several dozen meters ahead.

"Lumber Mill, neutral, wilderness structure. After claiming it, provides 20 units of Wood per day. 'Hidden attribute: This structure is guarded by 15 Dwarves and 10 Centaur Warriors!'"

A resource site!

But claiming it didn't seem like it would be easy.

After considering the situation briefly, Li Wei had a few Militiamen form a semicircle at the front, while the Crossbowmen took up protected positions in the middle. He stood with Bai Jie and the Archer.

After they continued forward for a short distance, the creatures occupying the Lumber Mill spotted them. With savage howls, they charged out. Ten Centaur Warriors led the way. Their leader had a coat of long white fur, unlike the gray fur of an ordinary Centaur, and a powerful build. The huge wooden spear in his hand was enormous, too. Li Wei glanced at him, and the creature's information appeared before his eyes.

"Level 2 creature: Centaur Leader. Attack: 14. Defense: 11. Damage: 15–21. Speed: 12. Hidden attribute: Pierce attack. 50% chance to drop [Barbarian Spear] upon death. Overall rating: D2!"

The Centaur Leader charged at the front, his thick arm gripping a spear as if he meant to pierce any enemy foolish enough to offend him.

"Crossbowmen, focus your fire! Attack!"

Li Wei's order was carried out perfectly. The five Crossbowmen and Li Wei's pistol fired a single volley, killing the Centaur Leader, who stood over two meters tall. Li Wei's bullet went in through the Centaur's eye socket and out through the back of his head. With a tremendous crash, the leader's massive body hit the ground, and a halberd fell from his corpse.

"Crossbowmen, keep picking them off. Don't spread your fire. Militiamen, move up and hold off their first charge!" Although the Centaur Leader was dead, Li Wei knew the battle had only just begun.

As soon as he finished speaking, the remaining Centaur Warriors charged. Fifteen Dwarf Warriors followed behind them, their combined rush terrifying to behold. But the defensive perimeter created by Li Wei's fire held back the charging Centaur Warriors.

At Li Wei's command, the Militiamen stood shoulder to shoulder, gripping their spears as they desperately held off the enemy's attack.

"Anyone who's wounded, step back. The others, fill in! Bai Jie, cast Slow Spell on any enemies that break through the line!"

The twang of crossbows and roar of gunfire rang out alongside the support of the First Aid Tent. In just over ten seconds, all ten Centaur Warriors had been wiped out.

With the quick and agile troops eliminated, dealing with the remaining Dwarves was easy. They were slow-moving creatures, so Li Wei's troops just needed to keep retreating, fire a volley, retreat again, and fire another. They could take them out without much difficulty.

The battle ended in less than three minutes. Two Militiamen were badly wounded, but Li Wei hadn't lost a single troop. It had been a flawless fight.

After collecting the items dropped by the creatures, Li Wei walked into the Lumber Mill. In this world of Heroes of Might and Magic, claiming a resource site was simple: all you had to do was touch the magical orb inside with your palm to take control of it.

"You have claimed a Lumber Mill. It provides 20 units of Wood per day!"

The Yellow Paper displayed the quantities of all the resources. Li Wei checked the resource panel. Wood was the only resource that had increased, by 20 units. Everything else was still at zero.

He checked the strategic map again. There were also a Gold Mine and a Quarry nearby, only a few kilometers away. Li Wei began to hesitate. Should he keep gathering resources, or head to the Knight Training Ground to recruit more troops?

Aside from the five uninjured Crossbowmen, every Militiaman was wounded. They could deal with a small number of enemies, but if the enemy force exceeded twice the number of their ranged troops, they would be in danger.

"I wonder how things are going for her." Thinking of Zheng Yutong, Li Wei wasn't too worried. Her strength was unfathomable. Even alone, she was in little danger as long as she didn't run into a creature as powerful as a Vampire or stronger. He had seen her Wind Walk skill for himself.

In an instant, she could move hundreds of meters. There was practically nothing that could threaten her.

Then he realized how ridiculous that was. He barely knew the woman, so why was he worrying about her? This was a world where the strong ruled. Instead of wasting time on such things, he should focus on growing stronger.

With that thought, Li Wei decided to keep gathering resources. If he was lucky enough to find a Creature Dwelling, it would be a huge waste to have no resources to trade for troops.

His next target was a Quarry about two kilometers away.

The strategic map only showed the area within two kilometers. As they continued toward the Quarry, Li Wei kept his eyes on the map. Suddenly, his brow twitched.

He had spotted a Creature Dwelling.

It was right beside the Quarry. This was a rare opportunity, so Li Wei hurried toward it. A little over ten minutes later, he reached the Creature Dwelling.

It was a massive tree stump with a hollowed-out interior, forming a distinctive structure. Just looking at it made him imagine how enormous the tree must have been when it was still standing.

"Li Wei, what is this place?" Bai Jie stared at the wooden stump structure in shock, unable to believe her eyes.

"A Creature Dwelling. You can trade resources here for certain creatures."

Li Wei thought for a moment before explaining it to Bai Jie. In fact, only he could use his Eye of Perception to see resource sites and Creature Dwellings on the strategic map. On Bai Jie's map, nothing was marked apart from their own structures.

Zheng Yutong and Wang Kai were probably the same. That was why Li Wei had taken on the task of gathering resources himself.

But when Li Wei got closer, he discovered that this Creature Dwelling was where they could recruit level-four troops: Withered Wood Warriors.

Withered Wood Warriors were also known as tree spirits. Li Wei remembered them as a fascinating troop type. They were absurdly slow, but their health was second only to one other troop of their kind. On top of that, their strong defense was one of their specialties, making them the ultimate meat shields. Most importantly, their special ability allowed them to send roots sprouting from the ground to ensnare enemies while attacking. Once caught, their enemies would be unable to move for the rest of the battle unless the tree spirits chose to move or were wiped out.

Filled with anticipation, Li Wei was about to enter the structure when the Yellow Paper suddenly appeared.

"A few Withered Wood Warriors are guarding this place. To gain control of it, you must defeat them. Enter?"

Li Wei slapped his forehead. How could he have forgotten? Resource sites had guards, and so did Creature Dwellings. There was no way to recruit troops without defeating the guards.

But that didn't change his mind. The troops under his command couldn't take on even two Withered Wood Warriors, but he still had himself and Bai Jie.

So far, he and Bai Jie had relied on the Militiamen and Crossbowmen to fight. But Li Wei knew that he and Bai Jie were the core of the group. It was worth taking some risks if it meant recruiting level-four troops.

Thinking this, Li Wei took out his USP Pistol and loaded it. Turning to Bai Jie, he asked, "We're in for a tough fight. How many more times can you cast Slow Spell?"

"My magic has fully recovered. I can cast it twice." Bai Jie glanced at the Militiamen and Crossbowmen waiting farther back, looking puzzled. "Why aren't you putting them in front?"

"This is where they recruit level-five Withered Wood Guardians. These Militiamen and Crossbowmen are no match for level-five guards. There's no point in wasting them here!"

In truth, Li Wei was feeling a little uneasy, too. He remembered the level-four creature they had encountered before: the Vampire Count!

The Withered Wood Warriors were a higher level than Vampires. That meant their combat strength was absolutely greater than that of a Vampire rated B1. If that was true, there was no point in fighting at all. With these low-level troops, plus himself and Bai Jie, they would have no chance of winning.

A cold sweat appeared on Li Wei's forehead. He hadn't thought this through carefully enough!

If they risked a fight, they might all die here. But it would be a shame to give up just like that!

After thinking it over for a long time, Li Wei took a step back. He still couldn't take that kind of risk. There was too great a chance that level-five Withered Wood Guardians would have a higher rating than the Vampire Count. As for his own side, only the Cloud Piercing Palm could do any real damage. The attacks of everyone else would be like tickling the famously well-armored Withered Wood Guardians. They wouldn't do a thing.

Li Wei felt utterly dejected. It was like a starving man being shown a roast suckling pig, only to be told he had to fight an unbeatable opponent to the death for it.

Anyone with a brain would choose to stay hungry. Food could always be found later, but you only had one life. With a sigh, Li Wei left the Creature Dwelling.

He would have to build up his strength before coming back. Or perhaps once his rating reached B, he would have a chance. For now, he could only retreat. Li Wei remembered clearly that wilderness Creature Dwellings like this had three guards. There was no way to beat three creatures rated B or higher.

By the time Li Wei reached the next destination, the Quarry, the afternoon sun was filtering through the trees and falling across the ground. After a short rest, Li Wei began checking the Quarry's status.

"Quarry, neutral, wilderness structure. After claiming it, provides 20 units of Stone per day. 'Hidden attribute: This structure is guarded by 15 Gargoyles!'"

Gargoyles were made of stone shaped like demons. Though they had lifeless bodies like the Iron Skinned, they weren't nearly as tough, and they could also be affected by magic. They were an average low-tier troop.

The only problem was that Gargoyles were flying troops, so they would have to change their formation.

"Bai Jie, stay behind me. If the Gargoyles attack the Crossbowmen, cast Slow Spell on them. Can you do that?" Li Wei waited for Bai Jie to nod, then ordered a Militiaman to approach the Quarry.

The Gargoyles guarding the Quarry soon swooped out.