Outpost Barracks
Lin Xu immediately understood that this choice involved the future development direction of the territory. If Azure Cloud Mountain was chosen as the main territory, then the terrain of the territory would develop towards the mountain range in the future, eventually forming a blessed land of immortals.
If one chooses to become a Daoist temple, then one will develop into a Daoist kingdom, with a relatively larger and flatter territory, and a closer connection with human society.
"Focus on the Xuanwei Monastery!" He made the decision without hesitation.
This was a choice on the path of cultivation, not only because his self-created "Lamp Kindling Spirit Transformation Chapter" was closely integrated with the human way, but also because Lin Xu had vaguely sensed the true meaning of the lord.
Whether it's the gift of the Source Fire from the Will of Civilization, or the meaning of the term "lord," it implies that the connection between the Spirit Realm and civilization is closer than ordinary people imagine. So, can the elites of civilization truly detach themselves completely from civilization?
These days, he has vaguely sensed some kind of mysterious connection. The seeds sown in reality are taking root and sprouting, and as time goes by, this connection is becoming increasingly close.
He even had the illusion that his territory was "drifting" in the Spirit Realm, slowly approaching the real Meng City of Montreal.
With the choice made, the previously vanished Spirit Realm power resurfaced, and the previously calmed Earth Vein began to tremble again, extending and converging from the depths of the earth.
The mist that once separated the territories quietly dissipated, revealing a new desolate land in the center between the two territories.
He was focused on this unusual territorial fusion. According to the original script, the fusion of the two territories was to connect the underground Spirit Vein and dispel the Soul-Devouring Mist in the area.
But now, with the pulse of the Dungeon Heart, the Earth Vein that originally extended towards each other have quietly branched out into smaller spurs, extending into the vast area between the two places.
The merging of the territories did not finally end until more than ten minutes later.
At this time, the entire territory was oval-shaped like an egg, with the larger end at Xuanwei Monastery and the smaller end at Azure Cloud Mountain. The widest part from north to south was about 18 li, and the longest part was about 30 li.
This is almost the territory of a county town; normally, even a level 4 territory might not reach this size.
However, in the Spirit Realm, having a larger territory is not necessarily a good thing. Just now, when Lin Xu was inspecting his newly expanded territory, he deeply felt the disadvantages brought about by the expansion of his territory.
"The respawn rate of monsters in our territory has increased!"
He didn't even need to see it with his own eyes; when this newly formed territory came into view, he naturally knew the outcome.
This is a manifestation of the expansion of the territory while the lord's influence over the territory has decreased.
A lord's influence and control over his territory is not only reflected in his near-omniscient information gathering ability, but also in the development of his territory. Villages, farmland, caravans, armies, and everything else related to human life on the territory are the most powerful extensions of the lord's will!
His gaze swept across the desolate land, where groups of eerie, monstrous creatures roamed and moved about.
Interspersed among them were campfires and campsites, most of which were monster settlements, fragmenting the entire territory.
He even saw an underground tomb covering an area of about an acre, in which grotesque zombies roamed.
"Huh? A human-made structure has been spawned?" Lin Xu's eyes lit up as he looked at a stone watchtower.
Name: Outpost Barracks Level: 1 Camp Affiliation: None Range: 100 square meters Effect: Health Regeneration +20%, +1 Health every 5 minutes
Can build: Barracks, Watchtowers, Shooting Range, Armory. Available to recruit: 4 Pikemen, 2 Archers (4 Pikemen, 2 Archers/month)
Introduction: An unclaimed outpost, a lonely watchman. This was an unexpected surprise. If not for a last resort, Lin Xu would not have wanted to gather a motley crew of races on his territory.
"We must take this outpost as soon as possible—" His gaze fell on the outpost's spire, a stone building nearly 10 meters high, built on a hill, the highest point in the vicinity, offering a wide view.
The only problem is that, as outsiders, the soldiers at the outpost will have their vision blocked by the Soul-Devouring Mist until they join the territory.
Lin Xu scanned the watchtower; it was currently under attack.
A group of Weird Spider roamed the vicinity, discovered the outpost, and launched an attack.
This bizarre humanoid shape, formed by twisting the human body, is undoubtedly a manifestation of human fear and naturally carries a corrosive effect on the mind.
Although the NPCs are emotionally detached, they are still teetering on the brink of collapse under repeated mental attacks.
Besides inflicting psychological damage, the Weird Spider also possess powerful climbing abilities, scaling the outer wall of the outpost. The spearmen wielded their weapons, attempting to knock these monsters down, but they proved utterly powerless against the bizarre attacks.
"Without the cooperation of magic-based professions, encountering these strange creatures is a dead end~" Looking at the sturdy outpost that was about to collapse, Lin Xu shook his head slightly.
He clearly sensed the danger of the Spirit Realm at that moment; no wonder magic-based professionals were so popular.
Even if there were only one outer disciple of the Xuanwei Monastery here, who could use talismans and spells to dispel negative mental states, things wouldn't be this dire.
With a thought, a teleportation portal opened, and Lin Xu emerged from the clouds dozens of meters above the outpost.
He looked down at the outpost, a sturdy watchtower guarded by about twenty or thirty men, including seven archers with bows and arrows.
However, they were now almost in dire straits— the Weird Spider had broken through the blockade and entered the watchtower.
The lamp in his hand flickered, and arrows of fire shot out, piercing the Weird Spider like sharp arrows.
In the past two days, he took some time to look at the first few pages of the "Fire Magic Book," which contained a large number of basic fire spells. These spells were made by condensing Glazed Fire and were extremely powerful.
The fiery spirit ignited the Weird Spider, which howled and rolled, but burned to ashes in a few breaths.
"The Glazed Purifying Fire is indeed very effective against these strange things—" Even though he had learned many more spells, Lin Xu's favorite was still fire magic.
Because of his cultivation techniques and magical artifacts, fire magic could unleash even greater power in his hands.
The dozen Weird Spider didn't last a minute; soon, there were more than a dozen piles of burning ashes on the outpost.
The sentry soldiers stopped, raised their weapons, and watched Lin Xu was slowly descending from the clouds, with vigilance.
"Who is the leader?" He glanced at the expressionless NPCs, finding nothing surprising; they were all unawakened.
"Respected Mage, it is I." A spearman clad in leather armor stepped forward; judging by his equipment alone, he was no different from the other spearmen.
"I am the lord of this place, and the ground beneath your feet is also my territory. Soldiers, pledge your allegiance to me!" Lin Xu said calmly.
NPCs don't understand intricacies, but once they discard complex cause-and-effect relationships, they possess an almost intuitive sense of judgment.
"Greetings, my lord!" The spearman Captain knelt on one knee without hesitation.
"We salute you, my lord!" the soldiers saluted.
The Territory Panel flashed, and the ownership of this Outpost Barracks changed immediately.