Recruiting Slave Laborers

A stream of notifications kept sounding, and Shen Xing watched green dots light up on the minimap one after another.

Since they were in a two-person party, they could also take turns using their two lanterns, greatly extending the time they could spend exploring.

In just a few hours, they found seven or eight resource points, almost as many as Shen Xing had found in the entire previous week!

It made him marvel all the more at how terrifying Xia Wanyin's ability was. She was practically a walking radar!

Just then, Xia Wanyin, who was walking at the front of the party, suddenly sensed something and paused. "Huh? I hear machinery!"

"There's actually a resource point like that near your territory."

Shen Xing asked in confusion, "What is it?"

"Come on. I'll take you there and you'll see." A mysterious smile appeared on Xia Wanyin's face as she turned around with a light step.

Shen Xing found it strange, but followed the girl in the white dress in another direction.

The party of more than twenty made its way across the desolate plain shrouded in thick fog.

Before long, they reached the edge of a forest.

Tree after tree stood rooted in the earth, black from trunk to crown, as though they had been burned.

There were no leaves on the dense crowns. Instead, a mass of black vines grew from them.

The vines connected the trees, forming an impenetrable barrier.

"There's actually a forest this big near my territory?" Shen Xing was surprised. He had never noticed it before.

"There's more," Xia Wanyin said cheerfully. "There's something good inside, too."

"Oh?" Shen Xing's interest was piqued, and he couldn't help looking forward to it.

They entered the forest and continued onward.

A few Lost Ones were hiding behind the trees, hoping to trick and ambush them.

But before they could get close, the Light Spirit archers beside Xia Wanyin shot them full of holes.

Shen Xing reflected that Light Spirits were indeed a powerful troop type.

Unlike ordinary starting troops, which could only develop in one direction, her Light Spirits also seemed able to evolve into troops of several different classes.

Shen Xing had already seen Light Spirit warriors wielding swords of light, archers firing arrows of light, and the Light Spirit guardian who had conjured a shield of light earlier.

As mentioned before, there were countless paths a troop's evolution could take, and it could be guided by human intervention.

Because Shen Xing's [Life-Sacrifice Evolution] greatly increased his troops' agility, his orcs had mostly evolved along agility-based paths.

Similarly, as troops grew, they could be taught to use different weapons and, with the help of certain treasures, evolve in the direction their lord wanted.

But such treasures were generally expensive. Ordinary lords couldn't afford them, and they wouldn't waste them on starting troops anyway.

It seemed Xia Wanyin must have spent quite a lot of money to evolve her Light Spirits into several different classes.

While he was thinking about this, the party reached the deepest part of the forest.

A peculiar area lay before him.

Several drafty wooden huts stood within a wooden fence, with a large processing plant in the middle. The sound of logs being cut came from inside.

[Lumberyard]

[Size: medium]

[Current status: cannot be occupied]

[Maximum extraction: 11848/19556 (refreshes every 30 days)]

[Output: 240-720 lumber per 24 hours (more workers increase output)]

[Workers: 4-12]

[Note: A medium lumberyard with abundant resources.]

Chapter 42: Recruiting Slave Laborers

"A lumberyard!"

Shen Xing was surprised, and he understood why Xia Wanyin had been acting so mysterious.

As a wild resource point, a lumberyard was rarer than either a crystal tower or a black iron mine.

Many lords never found a lumberyard near their territory, even after breaking through to transcendent rank.

With this resource point, his territory would have a steady supply of lumber, and he would never have to search for it all over the wilderness again!

However, this lumberyard seemed to be occupied already.

Figures moved back and forth through the surrounding forest, dragging felled logs into the lumberyard.

Two familiar figures also patrolled near the processing plant.

They had burly, two-and-a-half-meter-tall bodies, each holding a whip in one hand and seven or eight Fel Hounds in the other.

"Fallen Overseers, level-nine elite monsters," Xia Wanyin said softly.

"There are only two. I can handle them," Shen Xing replied. "Wait over there for a moment."

The lumberyard was an important resource point. He had to take it.

As for Xia Wanyin, she had already helped him a great deal, so there was no need for her to fight.

"I'll help you."

Xia Wanyin said softly, "Your orcs can charge in front, and I'll provide ranged support from the rear with my archers. It'll be faster that way."

Shen Xing thought for a moment, then nodded. "All right."

Without another word, he waved his hand. "Hellscream, attack."

"Yes, my lord!"

Hellscream, who had already broken through to Elite Three Stars and fused with the Lesser Demon's Blood, suddenly accelerated, charging forward like a phantom!

A layer of eerie green flames instantly ignited on his battle axe, and a pair of black wings spread from his back, making him look like a demon god from hell!

At the lumberyard, the two patrolling Fallen Overseers noticed the figure charging at them, and their eyes instantly turned red.

"Roar! An intruder! Smash him!"

They charged forward with their Fel Hounds, their heavy footsteps beating like drums.

Just as the two sides were about to clash, Hellscream leaped high into the air, raised his flaming battle axe in both hands, and brought it crashing down!

"Boom!!"

-Earth-Splitting Slam!

The ground shook violently as hellfire splattered in every direction. The immense impact knocked both Fallen Overseers off their feet.

Eerie green flames also clung to their bodies, burning them.

"Roar!"

The two overseers sprang to their feet with furious roars, then yanked hard on the leashes in their hands.

-Release Hounds!

More than a dozen Fel Hounds lunged at Hellscream like a pack of wolves pouncing on prey!

At that moment, a rush of air sounded from behind him.

"Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Arrows of light streaked past like meteors, piercing the Fel Hounds in an instant with a corrosive hiss.

In the blink of an eye, more than half the Fel Hounds had fallen.

Hellscream had now unleashed his full fighting strength.

With Wind Walk activated, he moved at his leisure.

Like a breeze, he closed in on the two Fallen Overseers.

As their whips lashed toward him, Hellscream turned sideways and dodged the blow.

Then, while they had just swung their whips and had no time to pull back, he swept his battle axe sharply upward!

"Squelch!"

With a crisp sound of slicing flesh, a thick arm flew into the air.

The overseer's face contorted in pain, and he opened his mouth to scream.

Just then, a cold glint rushed toward him at lightning speed, growing rapidly before his eyes.

"Slash-"

His massive head flew off, and he never got to let out that final scream.

As his head rolled to the ground, clarity gradually returned to his blood-red eyes, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

Now only one Fallen Overseer remained, and he could no longer put up any resistance.

When the battle ended, an orc pushed Shen Xing to the open ground in the center of the lumberyard.

A group of figures stood before Shen Xing, their bodies skin and bone and their clothes barely covering them.

Their skin was pitch-black, as though they had gone a long time without bathing and had been soaked in grease for days. Their faces were utterly haggard.

[Slave Laborer]

[Level: 1]

[Potential: ordinary ★]

[Attributes: strength 3, spirit 3, agility 2, constitution 2]

[Skill: Hardworking and Enduring (increases work efficiency by 10%, reduces food consumption by 20%)]

[Bond-Laborers: When more than 20 slave laborers are present, work efficiency increases by 10%, but desire to escape increases by 20%]

[Status: hungry, afraid, severely fatigued]

[Note: A group of pitiful slaves, the lowest cogs in the Land of Mist.]

Slave laborers?

Weren't these the workers I was looking for?

Shen Xing's heart stirred, but he kept his expression unchanged as he asked, "Where are you from?"

Faced with his question, the slaves kept their heads down, afraid to move or answer.

"I'm asking you a question." Shen Xing raised his voice a little, making the slaves flinch, their shoulders trembling involuntarily.