Cao Xing's thoughts stirred. There were still three days left in the Newbie Protection Period, which should be enough for him to reach level 10.
Liu Muxue asked softly, "A Xing, will it snow tonight?"
Cao Xing nodded. "Mm, it will snow, but at least it won't be a blizzard."
"With the facilities our territory has now, we can withstand it."
Liu Muxue nodded gently.
Then Cao Xing led her over, and together they pushed open the door to the Lord's Hut.
Outside, the Polar Folk and the newly joined residents had already gathered there to wait.
When they saw Cao Xing come out, they greeted him in unison. "May the lord be well!"
"Good morning, Lord. Please assign us our work for today!"
The residents were full of enthusiasm. Before this, they had lived on the verge of starvation.
On their very first day in Cao Xing's territory, they had already seen its potential for growth.
So they treasured this opportunity all the more.
Cao Xing nodded. "Today, continue with the work I assigned you yesterday."
"Gather more resources and bring them back to upgrade the Bonfire and the Lord's Hut."
"Let's build an even more prosperous territory together!"
The residents replied respectfully, "As you command, Lord."
"We're willing to give everything for the growth of the territory!"
They dispersed in all directions and began their day's work.
Just then, Xia Yanni and Tong Chuchu stood off to the side, each holding a set of thick clothes and waiting quietly.
After Cao Xing finished assigning the work, Xia Yanni cautiously approached and said, "M-My lord, the clothes are ready."
As someone from the modern world, she didn't seem used to addressing him that way.
Cao Xing nodded. "Thanks for your hard work."
"It was nothing..." Xia Yanni replied softly.
Then she and Tong Chuchu handed the finished wolf-fur coats to Cao Xing and Liu Muxue, respectively.
[Received Wolf-Fur Coat (White)*1, received Wolf-Fur Hat (White)*1]
Neither piece of clothing came with any added attributes; they simply provided excellent protection against the cold.
Once the two of them put on the warm clothes, they immediately felt the bitter cold of this world shut out.
Seeing the dark circles around Xia Yanni's eyes, Cao Xing knew she must have stayed up late last night.
So Cao Xing took out two pieces of bear meat and a bottle of Milk and handed them to Xia Yanni.
Xia Yanni accepted them, her eyes full of astonishment.
"L-Lord, are you sure you can give me such precious meat and Milk?"
Cao Xing nodded. "Chuchu is still young. Give her some to build up her strength."
Xia Yanni's eyes immediately grew a little red.
Holding Tong Chuchu's hand, she nodded solemnly. "Thank you, thank you..."
Tong Chuchu happily hugged the Milk and said with delight, "Thank you, big brother."
After assigning everyone their work, Cao Xing called Asam over.
"Asam, when you went out yesterday, besides rescuing Big Flower and the others, did you find anything else?"
Asam answered respectfully, "I did, Lord. As you instructed, I drew a map of the surrounding area."
"But I haven't finished exploring yet, so the map isn't complete."
Cao Xing was delighted to hear that. "It's fine if it isn't finished. Let me have a look."
Asam nodded, then took a yellowed piece of parchment from Frost Wolf's back and handed it to Cao Xing.
A system notification appeared.
[Received Unfinished Map*1]
Cao Xing saw that the map recorded Asam's route.
Liu Muxue also came over beside Cao Xing, looking at the map with curiosity.
But when she saw the crude, simplified drawings on the parchment, she suddenly burst out laughing.
Some resource locations were marked on it.
For example, a tree represented a place with wood resources.
A little chicken represented a place where beasts appeared.
A rock represented a place with mineral resources.
Fortunately, Cao Xing was good at figuring things out; otherwise, he might not have understood what it meant.
A sheepish expression appeared on Asam's resolute face. He scratched his head and said, "I... I never learned to draw. I could only sketch it out roughly."
"That's all right," Liu Muxue reassured him. "As long as we can understand it."
Asam nodded gratefully. "Thank you, beautiful and kind second lord."
Just then, Cao Xing pointed to a dark cave entrance near the territory and asked, "Asam, what's this?"
Asam replied sheepishly, "Lord, that's a mine."
"But it's already been occupied by a group of Molemen. I heard the rumble of machinery nearby."
The rumble of machinery?
Cao Xing's eyes lit up.
That meant there might be some technological creations inside the mine.
Cao Xing asked, "Asam, how strong are those Molemen?"
Asam shook his head. "In answer to your question, Lord, I didn't go in to investigate."
"But Molemen are underground creatures. Their strength is generally around Tier 1, though there may occasionally be some Tier 2 or Tier 3 Molemen."
After hearing this, Cao Xing already had a plan in mind.
The mine was about six kilometers from the territory, making the round trip about two hours.
So Cao Xing nodded. "Good. Then today's goal is to explore this Moleman Mine."
"Let's try to level up both me and Muxue."
Asam bowed respectfully. "I'm at your service at any time, esteemed Lord."
Andrew stood nearby, his gaze full of devotion. He was ready for battle too.
But before setting out, Cao Xing had one more thing to do.
That was to use the recruitment scroll and strengthen his team.
Cao Xing pulled a scroll from his backpack.
[Phantom Assassin Recruitment Scroll (Blue): Use this scroll to summon a Phantom Assassin with the strength of a level 20 elite.]
Without a doubt, this would be the most powerful creature Cao Xing had recruited.
"Recruit?"
Cao Xing selected yes.
The scene before him flickered.
This time, what appeared in front of Cao Xing wasn't a hexagram.
It was a mass of black mist.
The black mist rapidly expanded, enveloping the entire camp within seconds.
Cao Xing saw a figure moving faintly inside.
Not a trace of aura emanated from that figure, yet it gave Cao Xing wave after wave of deadly danger.
The next moment, the mist dissipated.
A woman appeared before Cao Xing, wearing a black cloak and tight black leather armor.
The outfit accentuated her perfect figure.
A pitch-black helmet covered most of her face, leaving only her reddish lips visible beneath her blue-green skin.
She spoke slowly. "The Shadow Sanctuary needs protection. That's why I'm here."
"Phantom Assassin: Sarah Blade Dance, reporting in!"
Thanks to book friend Tiaotiao Dayu Tong Beiyou for the monthly ticket, thanks to HESP for the monthly ticket, and thanks to all the book friends for the recommendation tickets~
Before you continue