Building the Moon Well, a Territory Taking Shape

"Buying broken souls in bulk..."

The three stood at the elevator, staring blankly at the bustling scene before them.

Why did it feel so different from what they had imagined?

As a trading place for players and extraordinary beings, shouldn't it have been solemn, impressive, and upscale?

Why was it like a wet market?

"This is the player trading area?" Xu Jiayi asked in disbelief.

"Haha, lively, isn't it?" Qin Lang said with a smile. "I was surprised the first time I came too. It was completely different from what I'd imagined."

"But you'll get used to it after a few visits."

The two nodded, and Shen Xing asked, "So how do we buy things? Do we just go up and ask?"

"No, there are two ways to trade."

Qin Lang explained, "One is to buy from these players. The other is to go to the windows over there and use the official channel."

The two looked in the direction he pointed and spotted several trading windows along the side of the hall.

But there weren't many people there. Most of the players were browsing the stalls.

"What's the difference between buying from players and buying through the official channel?" Shen Xing asked.

Qin Lang continued, "Buying from players is like an in-person transaction. If you see something you like, you can make the deal face-to-face."

"The official channel is like shopping online. There's a more complete selection, but you have to wait a while, and there's also a transaction fee."

"We can look around the trading area first and buy anything that catches our eye."

"If we don't find what we need, we can always try our luck at the official windows afterward."

Xu Jiayi and Shen Xing nodded, understanding the difference between the two methods.

Qin Lang then pushed Shen Xing along with Xu Jiayi at his side. The three passed stall after stall, dazzled by the selection.

The players had a wide range of goods: equipment, skill books, recruitment scrolls, and everything else one could want.

There were even Boss Rank troop nests, gold equipment, and legion treasures.

Of course, the prices of those high-end goods were equally shocking.

Even the worst Boss Rank troop nest cost 50,000 contribution points, equivalent to five million yuan. They couldn't help clicking their tongues.

The gold equipment and legion treasures went without saying. Their prices were astronomical!

Back in the treatment room, they had thought 2,000 contribution points was a fortune.

But now it seemed that was nothing at all. It wouldn't buy much.

They stopped and started, examining stall after stall. For a while, they couldn't decide what to choose.

"Shen Xing, Jiayi, what do you think we should buy?" Qin Lang couldn't make up his mind, so he decided to ask the other two.

Shen Xing thought for a moment, then said, "I think we should buy things that will help develop our territories in the early stages."

"Blueprints, special troop recruitment scrolls, things like that."

Qin Lang nodded. "That makes sense. Troops and equipment can be replaced later, but we need to lay a solid foundation for our territories early."

The three made their decision, then each began carefully browsing the stalls.

After making the rounds, Shen Xing finally found two blueprints at the stall of a refined young man wearing glasses: [Well] and [Basic House].

A well was a necessary building. After all, the territory still had no reliable source of water.

The orcs had been fetching drinking water from a puddle near the village. They were tough enough that even drinking the unfiltered dirty water didn't give them diarrhea, but it wasn't a long-term solution.

So a well was essential.

As for the [Basic House], it was naturally meant to accommodate the territory's growing population.

After some bargaining, he got both blueprints for 1,850 contribution points.

Xu Jiayi and Qin Lang also got what they wanted: two ordinary ★★★ mage apprentice recruitment scrolls and a basic blueprint, respectively.

All three were satisfied. The trip hadn't been wasted.

With their purchases made, they prepared to leave the activity center and go back to make use of what they had acquired.

Just then, a call from one of the stalls made Shen Xing stop.

"Buying ice- and wind-attribute gems at high prices! I've got plenty of Soul Stones, Greater Soul Stones, and even Boss Rank souls. Come have a look if you're interested, brothers!"

Shen Xing's heart stirred. The gem he had just obtained in Plague Village seemed to be ice-attribute.

Should he go see what the player had?

After thinking it over, he had Qin Lang push him over.

The stall owner was a lean man who looked to be in his early thirties, with a small mustache.

"Do you buy Frost Gems?" Shen Xing got straight to the point.

"A Frost Gem... the rare-quality one!?" the lean man exclaimed.

The players at several nearby stalls turned to look, surprise on their faces.

"Why are you shouting like that?" Shen Xing was at a loss for words.

"Haha, sorry."

The lean man scratched his head and smiled. "I just didn't expect a newbie who hasn't even reached Transcendent Rank to have a gem of that quality."

"Can't I just be lucky?"

"True. At the Player Association, a lucky newbie or two pops up every so often."

The lean man wasted no more time and asked directly, "Of course I'll buy the Frost Gem. What do you want for it?"

"If you want cash, I can give you 400,000 yuan. Contribution points are a bit more troublesome, so I can only give you 3,500."

Qin Lang and Xu Jiayi both widened their eyes at the figure.

A single gem selling for 400,000 yuan was almost on par with luxury goods in the real world.

Shen Xing was a little surprised too, but he quickly regained his composure. "I'd like to trade it for something. Do you have any blueprints, treasures, or the like that would be useful to a rookie lord?"

Hearing the request, the lean man closed his eyes and thought carefully.

Then his eyes lit up. "I do have something that's a huge help in developing a territory early on!"

"And it's worth at least as much as that gem, maybe even more."

"Oh? What is it?"

The lean man smiled mysteriously. "A mysterious building—the Moon Well."

At noon, a silver Lexus sped along the city streets.

Shen Xing held a special black bag containing the three items he had obtained from the trade.

In the end, he had made a trade with the stall owner.

Although the man had initially asked for an extra 1,000 contribution points, after some bargaining, they had settled on a one-for-one exchange.

"There really were a lot of good things in the trading area."

Qin Lang gripped the steering wheel and sighed. "Too bad I'm broke. Otherwise, I'd have swept through every stall."

"Go back and focus on developing. Once you're strong, there'll be no shortage of good things," Xu Jiayi said, offering a rare serious remark.

"True. Strength is the foundation of everything."

Qin Lang nodded, then suddenly changed the subject. "Oh, right. While I was in the lounge, I browsed the forum and saw quite a few posts discussing the Mist Void Realm."

"Apparently, a lot of experts are entering the Void Realm this time. And if you make the top ten, you'll get a large amount of resources from the authorities. Even the lowest reward includes several hundred Soul Stones and other resources."

"If we want to compete with those experts, we'll probably need to develop at least one Elite Three Stars troop."

His expression grew somewhat serious. "Jiayi, Shen Xing, are you confident?"

"I don't know." Xu Jiayi sat in the back and answered casually, "We'll see. Half a month is too short, but it should be fine."

Qin Lang gave the rearview mirror a strange look, then asked, "Shen Xing, what about you?"

"I... should be fine too."

"Should...?" Qin Lang suddenly realized something. "You don't already have an Elite Three Stars troop, do you?"

Knowing his friend, he knew Shen Xing never bragged and always kept something in reserve.

If Shen Xing said he should be fine, then he was at least eighty percent confident, and might very well have already reached the goal.

Shen Xing smiled, neither denying nor admitting it.

Little did Qin Lang know, Shen Xing didn't have one Elite Three Stars troop, but two.

And at his current rate of development, he had enough time to raise Hellscream to level 9 before the secret realm opened.

Then Hellscream could evolve again and transform into a Boss Rank troop!

"Holy crap, are you two cheating!?"

Qin Lang had confirmed his suspicion and looked dejected. "I've been developing like crazy these past few days and spent a lot of money, but I only just managed to raise one to two stars!"

"Doesn't that mean I'm going to be the weakest member of our team?"

"No way. When I get back, I'll have to get the old man to cough up some more gold coins. I'll throw money at it until I get an Elite Three Stars troop."

In the car, Shen Xing and Xu Jiayi exchanged a glance but said nothing.

After that, Qin Lang dropped the two of them off at their respective homes.

Shen Xing wheeled himself into his rented apartment and closed the door in one smooth motion.

Then, as usual, he poured himself a glass of water and placed it on the bedroom table.

He opened the forum on his phone and looked up information about troop breakthroughs and the Mist Void Realm.

"When a troop reaches level 9, the maximum level for Tier One, you need to prepare materials for its breakthrough."

"The advancement materials each troop needs are different, but the vast majority can be found in the Mist Void Realm."

"Of course, that's not the only way to obtain advancement materials. There are plenty of places to get them in the game too."

As he browsed the forum, Shen Xing said in realization, "Looks like I need to increase my strength as much as possible too. I'll try to get more materials in the Void Realm, then do a big round of upgrades."

Chapter 38: Building the Moon Well, a Territory Taking Shape

Shen Xing exited the forum, picked up the black glasses beside the table, and put them on.

"Buzz~"

The scene before his eyes shifted. The crackle of a burning fire reached his ears, and waves of warmth washed over his face.