LWGP - Chapter 172
Chapter 172: Goblins
The people from Cai Market had blurted out the truth, and figures like Tan Yingzhou and Luo Sheng naturally figured it out as well, their reactions varying.
Tan Yingzhou: So hard to please.
Luo Sheng: Heh!
Yan Guanqi: Good thing she never played competitive games before. Otherwise, she'd have been the most black-hearted captain.
So-called tactics were all about playing dirty.
But soon, they were all stunned by another piece of news. Their spies in the Gobi Territory had sent word.
The territory was bustling, with many new arrivals.
Many people were purchasing shops, but the shops were expensive, and only the elite could afford them.
But they were also all paying close attention to the PK between their lords over territory construction. When Wang Jiu finally made her comeback, the territory erupted in cheers, which then turned into ecstatic joy.
System: "Notice: To all residents of this territory, your Gobi Territory has activated the Territory's First Quarter Champion Array. All official residents of the territory will receive a territory pressure buff."
"Secondary Administrators: Permanently increase Crit Damage by 70%, Immunity by 40%, Armor Penetration by 40%, and All Attributes by 30%."
"Elites: Permanently increase Crit Damage by 50%, Immunity by 30%, Armor Penetration by 30%, and All Attributes by 20%."
"Regular Members: Permanently increase Crit Damage by 30%, Immunity by 20%, Armor Penetration by 20%, and All Attributes by 20%."
"PS: This buff will become invalid if you lose your territory resident status."
What a damn practical buff. Awesome-plus.
As more and more elites joined, Wang Jiu approved applications while continuing to work on the territory.
The territory warehouse was full of stuff. With the game update ongoing and plenty of time to spare, Wang Jiu was in the mood to tinker.
Previously, the construction had been haphazard. Now, she could organize it properly.
Qiao Xuejing happened to come over as well, but she was there to help Wang Jiu with her manor.
"Have you done your own yet?"
"Not yet, but I'm not in a hurry. It's not a good day to go out monster hunting." While chatting with Wang Jiu, Qiao Xuejing also took the opportunity to discuss the utilization of some game resources.
Wang Jiu never meddled in her subordinates' power-leveling plans, but if they asked, she would usually answer, unless she was in a bad mood or busy.
"Your attributes are already high. Most people would go for crit damage, but I think that's the first choice for primarily offensive classes. You're a Formation Master. The most important things for a Formation Master should be penetration, armor piercing, and either damage immunity or concealment. Crit damage is secondary, unless you're going for a full-attack formation route."
That being said, few people were willing to give up crit damage. The reason Qiao Xuejing hesitated was that she wasn't particularly fond of it.
An attack route? In Wang Jiu's team, there were plenty of people on the attack route. The only pure support members were Lin Guiwan and herself.
One's advantages had to be distinct, otherwise, there was no difference from being cannon fodder.
Because she wasn't Wang Jiu, who could perform powerfully on two different paths.
"I prefer penetration and armor piercing." When Qiao Xuejing said this, Wang Jiu glanced at her with a look of appreciation. The two then exchanged some resources, each getting what they needed.
After discussing game matters, Wang Jiu finished setting up the territory's framework. The finer details were none of her concern; it was up to the territory residents to sort them out.
And this sorting required a bit of incentive.
Wang Jiu set the appointments for administrators and elites to be automatic. As long as someone met certain conditions, they would automatically receive the status.
This was an internal setting available to large territories.
The conditions were simple—if the construction points of one's own sub-territory or manor reached 3% of the main territory's construction score, they would be promoted to administrator. Reaching 1% would grant them elite status.
Huh, that percentage seems pretty low.
But when Wang Shu looked at his own small territory's construction level, he suddenly felt sheepish. Oh, so I got my administrator status through the back door?
The feeling was so shameful, yet so exhilarating! Hahaha!
When the news about territory construction was announced, it caused quite a stir. Many people wanted to get better benefits, so they started grinding construction points—something they had to do eventually anyway.
And in doing so, their dependence on the territory would also increase.
Wang Jiu returned to her manor and, with Qiao Xuejing, moved back and forth between the fields and the workshop, quickly crafting some decorative furniture.
Using the territory manor as a starting point for decoration, features like a pond, a bamboo grove, an arched bridge, and a pavilion were brought to life from Qiao Xuejing's design blueprints, piece by piece. Details like bluestone slabs and flowerbeds were also added.
However, while the manor's environment leaned towards a pastoral style, the main building was more modern and minimalist. When the large house was completed and overlaid the original simple brick house, the system beautified and polished it. The entire manor finally looked presentable.
"The house really is the soul of the place," Qiao Xuejing smiled and looked at Wang Jiu. "Will the Old Lady like it?"
She had grasped Wang Jiu's core motivation.
The latter reached out and lightly patted Qiao Xuejing's shoulder.
"She has always liked people with good taste."
Qiao Xuejing paused for a moment, touching her slightly warm ear, and chuckled. Am I trying to please the Old Lady?
The one I'm trying to please is you, Captain.
Before long, Wang Shu arrived right on time for dinner. He was here to cook for Wang Jiu. Her kitchen suite was very convenient for cooking, and he also wanted to check out the manor.
The moment he stepped in, whoa! It was dazzling!
The scale was enormous, the layout open and grand, and the style elegant, creating a very relaxing atmosphere.
"A small bridge over flowing water, a lush bamboo forest… it's so damn beautiful… Sister Qiao, would you mind drawing up a design for my place?"
"No."
"I'll help you open chests."
"Okay."
Young ladies these days are so pragmatic.
Wang Shu lamented while stir-frying spicy chicken, noticing Xie Lu constantly sizing up Wang Jiu's house.
"What are you looking at? There's no room for you."
Xie Lu smirked slightly and flicked Wang Shu on the head. He then saw Liao Luo asking Wang Jiu and Qiao Xuejing for a planting list.
It couldn't be helped. As a pure assassin and a straight man who couldn't tell one grain from another and had never done a day of manual labor, he was completely clueless about planting vegetables and decorating.
His not-so-small manor looked like a livestock pen. Every morning when he woke up, he suspected he was either a chicken or a dog.
It was too hard.
Liao Luo felt that killing people was truly the simplest thing in the world.
In the open-air dining area under a grape trellis caressed by a cool breeze, Wang Jiu sat on a high-backed bamboo and rattan chair, sipping water. She offered a suggestion, "If you really don't know how to manage it, you can just buy a few NPCs."
Everyone soon saw the two new NPCs Wang Jiu had bought.
Wu Dalang and Ximen Qing.
The social relationship system of this manor is now complete and self-consistent.
No loopholes whatsoever.
Halfway through the meal, Wang Jiu's brow twitched. The butler, Ximen Qing, went to open the manor gate.
"Hello, beautiful young lady. I am Ximen Qing. Come in, come in quickly, you've made me so anxious."
Lin Guiwan, who had traveled a long way leading a cute and beautiful little girl, was speechless. "…"
Sorry, let me check again. I must have come to the wrong place.
In the end, Lin Guiwan walked into the manor with steady steps. By the time she saw Pan Jinlian watering flowers in the garden and Wu Dalang weeding in the vast fields, she had already calmed down.
Everyone was familiar with Lin Guiwan and greeted her warmly. Even the most cold and world-weary Liao Luo, who had planned to go out and kill monsters after eating, silently poured drinks and milk for the mother and daughter when he saw her arrive.
A healer is God.
Lin Guiwan didn't refuse. Instead, she accepted with just the right amount of grace, being approachable and kind. She also had her daughter greet everyone. When it was Wang Jiu's turn, she said, "Dong Dong, this is Big Sister Ah Jiu."
Dong Dong looked up and met Wang Jiu's eyes. For some reason, she couldn't read anything in them.
"Hello, Sister Ah Jiu."
Then, for reasons unknown, she timidly stepped forward and hugged Wang Jiu's leg. Her small backpack bounced twice, and she quickly hid behind Lin Guiwan again.
Lin Guiwan was a little surprised, but she knew her daughter well. She explained to Wang Jiu, "I told her before that you saved me, and I mentioned it again when I went back this time, so she probably recognizes you."
Wang Jiu didn't particularly care about this, nor did she feel any extra affection for children. She gave a slight nod and looked Lin Guiwan over. "You seem to have been in a hurry. Did Lin Jun give you trouble?"
She had noticed that Dong Dong's shoes weren't on properly. Lin Guiwan was a very meticulous person; she must have left in a rush.
"Almost." Lin Guiwan still felt a lingering fear when she thought about it, but now that she was here, she relaxed. "Thankfully, someone held him back and notified me in advance."
Wang Jiu didn't ask who it was, but after a moment of thought, Lin Guiwan asked, "A person named Song Yin. Do you know him?"
Song Yin. Many people knew of him, the second person on the Ninth District's large territory acquisition leaderboard.
Before the apocalypse, she had also known some dignitaries. This man was the heir to the Song family, his status far higher than Lin Jun's.
But she had never had any dealings with him.
A cup was set down on the table with a soft clink. Everyone heard Wang Jiu reply, "Not really."
Not really?
"But he was my former fiancé."
Everyone: "…"
They seemed to vaguely recall something about it from the last social circle incident.
Xie Lu had known about this for a long time, so he wasn't surprised, merely giving Wang Jiu another look.
The Song family used to look down on Wang Jiu. The only time they made a big fuss to see her was to express their wish that the Old Lady not include her in a legal guardianship. But they failed. Afterward, they remained very resistant to Wang Jiu, only inviting and calling for the Old Lady during holidays, never mentioning Wang Jiu.
The result of this behavior was that the Old Lady never returned to the Song family again, not even acknowledging Song Yuanqiao.
This forced the high-ranking official Song Yuanqiao to take time out of his busy schedule to visit them every time and constantly mediate with the Song family. However, as the Old Lady's status changed and she became more important to the country, and as Wang Jiu grew more and more outstanding—to the point where she was almost recruited herself—the Song family's attitude changed significantly. They would also show closeness during holidays.
Later, when they returned to the capital, the Song and Chen families joined forces to show goodwill, and they did interact. Then, the engagement was proposed.
In the early years, many people thought Wang Jiu had climbed the social ladder and actively sought it out. In reality, it was the Song family who initiated it. They were very sincere, putting forward an heir like Song Yin. The process went smoothly, and it was basically settled. But for some unknown reason, the engagement was abruptly called off later.
At the time, rumors flew in their social circles that the heir, Song Yin, looked down on Wang Jiu's commoner roots, while others said the Old Lady disliked Song Yin.
After that, the two had no further contact. If Konoe Kenjin hadn't brought it up at the last social gathering, Xie Lu would have forgotten about it.
Looking at it now, the two at least had some history.
But Xie Lu was still certain that Wang Jiu had accepted the engagement back then most likely to ensure a more stable relationship with the Old Lady. She was an adult, and the guardian relationship was becoming a mere formality. She needed to establish a new connection.
Just like her marriage to Yan Yanting.
Wang Jiu didn't elaborate, and no one asked further. After all, her background was complicated. If they really dug into it, it would take all night.
The group changed the subject, chatting about Konoe Kenjin, the income from the Mist Dungeon, and their respective resource allocations. They exchanged resources during the casual conversation. Dao Dao had a Goblin Trader's Invite that she got from a chest and asked if anyone wanted to use it.
"Let's save it for now. Wait for the results of the mall update before using it."
The one-month period wasn't for the update itself to last a month, but for the dungeons and other settings to be sealed for a month. However, the overhaul of the auction house probably wouldn't take that long.
The System was probably dying to start collecting taxes again.
"Oh right, after the update, maybe that trashy goblin merchant's inventory will be refreshed with more good stuff."
Thinking about it, everyone decided to hold back. Eventually, the topic shifted to the manors themselves.
Besides Wang Jiu, Wang Shu's manor was now the largest, but his spirit energy wasn't high enough, so his planting couldn't keep up. Thus, his manor as a whole was still inferior to those of Qiao Xuejing and the others.
"Let me see, Master, there's a manor leaderboard. With your current manor, you could definitely break into the top ten in the Ninth District."
Wang Shu loved looking through these leaderboards and felt it was a bit of a pity for Wang Jiu. But Qiao Xuejing, while distributing the egg pancakes Pan Jinlian had brought, said, "In terms of rewards, the manor leaderboard rewards are inferior to territory construction. Besides, Wang Jiu didn't have much time back then."
With only an hour left, it was indeed too rushed.
Wang Jiu wasn't too ambitious in this area, but she glanced at the leaderboard anyway. She found that the top ten included people from various countries in the Ninth District, but it was dominated by China, Japan, and Korea.
One name looked a bit familiar, ranked eleventh.
Considering he was Chinese, that was quite impressive.
"Does anyone know Zhao Si?"
"Me, me, me! That guy is a weirdo, very powerful, trending every day, but his reputation isn't great."
"Hmm?"
"I heard he's cunning, stingy, selfish, promiscuous, ruthless, a scheming old bastard…"
As he spoke, Wang Shu noticed the strange looks from everyone. He paused, a chill running down his spine as he met Wang Jiu's faint, smiling expression.
Fuck! I didn't mean it like that!
Fortunately, Wang Jiu didn't say much, just a single, faint sentence, "He's come to Gobi."
Everyone was surprised, but it wasn't hard to understand.
Gobi was currently an excellent choice. It was one of the top large territories in the entire Ninth District. Even if it didn't have enough people yet, its hardware configuration and construction level were already incredible—formerly number one, now number two.
"Wait, Master, there's a Liu Guang here too." Wang Shu had just been processing an application and thought the name was familiar. He clicked on the person's profile and recognized him.
It was the Liu Guang they had met during the pioneer phase.
"Whoa, he's so strong now. His average attributes are at 4000."
Hearing this, everyone looked at Wang Shu and asked about the pioneer phase.
To have produced a Wang Jiu from one pioneer phase was one thing, but there was also such a formidable Liu Guang.
Wang Jiu was thoughtful. "No wonder our pioneer instance was so difficult. It was probably because of him. That bastard really caused a lot of trouble."
Wang Shu: "…"
Master, I don't think it was because of him.
After dinner, everyone had things to attend to. In the manor, the moonlight was chilly, its light filling the world. Inside the elegant and minimalist house, in the bedroom, Wang Jiu, already in her pajamas, sat on a soft sofa and strengthened all the badges she had obtained from this dungeon: the Chameleon Badge, the Trickery Badge, and the Controller Badge.
In the end, her average attributes settled at 8000. After acquiring many titles and placing various pieces of furniture, her spirit power cap also jumped to forty thousand.
But these were all routine matters, and her mindset remained stable. Until she picked up the Twinbound Token.
Her cold fingers caressed the small, jet-black twin-ringed token. Her eyes trembled slightly, out of nervousness.
A little timid, yet eager, she still took off the glasses she wore and used them as a medium to activate the Twinbound Token.
The Twinbound Token levitated, releasing a stream of black and grey energy that formed a small, intricate array. Its purpose was to lure souls. It covered the glasses, and soft, silk-like strands of power enveloped them, attempting to draw out the soul aura they contained, and then use that as a foundation to find the true soul's location.
Spirit power was continuously channeled, and the token remained suspended. But an hour later, Wang Jiu's spirit power was depleted, and her face turned pale.
The Twinbound Token fell. She reached out and caught it, looking down at it with weary and silent eyes.
She really hadn't come back, because there was no vessel for her soul.
The glasses were the only thing she had left that had any connection to her.
Why did all those other people get items that could preserve physical matter, yet she, who needed it most, didn't?
If she had known such items existed back then, she would have definitely traded for one.
Wang Jiu's thoughts were in turmoil, always dwelling on things that could no longer be changed, and her expression grew darker.
The System said weakly, "I did remind you. To find your old lady's soul, you must find that Bloodthirsty Beast, or the scene of the pioneer instance where she died."
Wang Jiu's voice was a little hoarse as she looked down at the Twinbound Token in her hand. "I know. I just miss her a little."
Because she missed her so much, she had to try.
What if there was a one-in-a-million chance? What if the heavens favored her?
She had never been such an irrational person, but all her mistakes were because of the Old Lady.
The System was silent for a moment, then said, "I think you need a treasure to guide her soul's direction, then use the Twinbound Token to summon her soul, and then use a soul-bearing treasure to collect her soul… Actually, the soul is the hardest part. The body is secondary."
This could be considered guidance.
Wang Jiu was already preparing to exchange resources for the goblin merchant's points to get a related treasure. She put away the Twinbound Token. For the next two days, she focused on refining various aspects of the territory and manor. On the third day, the system update finally ended.
The auction house reopened.
As expected, there were three reforms.
"Taxing stalls, taxing transactions, and there are even limits on the prices you can list, to prevent high prices from disrupting the market… Why do I feel like this is aimed at me?" Wang Jiu carefully reviewed the system notice.
The System, however, said matter-of-factly, "Do you think you're that important? How shameless."
Wang Jiu: "That's true. There are countless talented people in the world. With all the financial experts running wild, a grand system wouldn't be so petty over my minor shenanigans."
System: "…"
Max-level sarcasm.
Wang Shu and the others had already gone out the next day to grind monsters for resources and experience. Sometimes they teamed up, sometimes they went solo. In any case, Wang Jiu's team, due to the captain's "unprofessionalism," didn't resemble a proper team. The members had a high degree of freedom, which, of course, wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Somewhere ten kilometers from the Gobi novice village, Wang Shu, who was soloing a group of mobs and a silver boss, couldn't help but complain in the small group chat: "I have a feeling that if Master's own luck is good, she won't call me for dungeons anymore."
Dao Dao: "How could you have such a misconception? Of course she won't want you!"
Wang Shu: "…"
Dao Dao: "It's not just you. As long as someone can be replaced, or if someone else is available, she doesn't care who is on the team. You saw what happened with Qi Shuanghan and Liao Luo last time."
Qi Shuanghan: "We're still in the group, Dao Dao. Could you be a little more tactful?"
Fine, it was a harsh reality. Wang Shu looked at the vast, long distance between him and his master's awesome, missile-withstanding, all-level-9 barrier and four masteries—a distance as long as the Qinghai-Tibet railway. He gritted his teeth and placed a few more buy orders.
Damn it, even placing buy orders is taxed now. Dog System!
Just as Wang Shu was feeling the pain of his finances, his arcane magic smashed a level 30 silver boss to death. As he was looting the corpse, he suddenly saw a strange grey mist seeping out from a crack in the canyon ahead.
Huh, could there be a boss inside?
In the eyes of Wang Shu, who had just hemorrhaged money, a boss equaled cash. So, he cautiously crept over…
Fifteen minutes later, the group, who were all scattered around grinding monsters and leveling up, suddenly saw a message from Wang Shu in their small group chat.
Wang Shu: "Bros, I found a place. There's a small monster clan inside, dozens of silver bosses, and three gold bosses, probably around level 30. I can't handle it alone. Anyone coming?"
They were all in their thirties, so this was a perfect match.
Mei Qingshu: "Weren't you fighting the poison crabs over in the mangrove forest?"
Wang Shu: "Yeah, I was fighting them and then I found this."
Mei Qingshu: "…"
That damn RNG God. She and Mei Qinghe's group had been searching all morning without finding a trace of the materialized dungeons announced by the system, and this fatty finds one just by fighting crabs.
Soon, people started joining the party.
Xie Lu, Lin Guiwan, Qiao Xuejing, Dao Dao, and Liao Luo were all there, along with Mei Qingshu and Mei Qinghe's teams. After all, a materialized dungeon of this scale couldn't be cleared by just a few people. Later, Lin Fengmian and Zhao Shanxiao's squads also joined. The combined teams numbered only a few dozen people, but their average attributes were decent, though Wang Shu's group was still the strongest.
Wang Shu: "Master, are you there?"
Wang Jiu: "Busy. You guys go ahead. Call for help if you can't handle it."
Busy with what? It seemed Wang Jiu had gone out early in the morning. Maybe she was soloing a materialized dungeon.
In any case, they had agreed to summon that annoying goblin merchant tonight.
Wang Shu and the others had no idea that at this moment, Wang Jiu was in a massive underground water channel fifteen kilometers from the novice village.
Not only did they not know, but even the goblins, who were huffing and puffing as they mined, were unaware that four or five meters away from them, Wang Jiu, completely invisible thanks to her chameleon ability, had been observing them for over half an hour and had already figured out everything about them.
This group of goblins was a small tribe within the goblin race, with a green eye as their totem, also known as the Green-Eyed Goblins. This time, under the instructions of the Green-Eyed tribe's elder, A Gali, they had found this mineral vein. Since this area was not within their goblin sphere of influence, they planned to finish mining the vein in five days and then leave.
"How much longer? Lord A Gali has already asked."
"We're almost at the deepest part. Lord A Gali surely knows that the most important part of a mine is the essence of the ore in its depths. A piece of Mutated Dark Crystal was already taken by humans. Are we really going to give up on the rest of the Mutated Dark Crystals?"
"Lord A Gali knows, which is why he told you to speed up and secure it as soon as possible. The other races have been very active recently. Since the barrier has opened, the number of other races entering and leaving this region will definitely increase…"
"I understand."
After the two large goblins finished their conversation, they suddenly heard the small goblins digging at the end of the tunnel cry out in excitement. They exchanged a look and immediately rushed in to see. Soon, they were overcome with ecstasy!
They found it!
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