On the other side, the suffering territory lord was still talking.
[F City — Xin Tong Town — Zhao Xin Tong: After suffering once, I understood that being low key was the best policy.]
[F City — Xin Tong Town — Zhao Xin Tong: Once my lord status is made public, the residents will have strange expectations of me. For example, hoping that the shops will greatly lower their prices, hoping that the territory will provide all kinds of benefits, and clearly lower the death rate of players.]
[F City — Xin Tong Town — Zhao Xin Tong: In reality, I am a normal player!! I cannot understand the game, just like them. Why is the fact that the residents did not survive my fault?]
[F City — Xin Tong Town — Zhao Xin Tong: Later, everyone thought that Xin Tong Town was a system territory like the other safety areas, and had more obvious benefits so more people started to praise it. In the past, I was cursed everyday like everything I did was wrong, and I almost got depression.]
Yun Ling:”……”
So tragic.
[F City — Xin Tong Town — Zhao Xin Tong: Right now, only Xin Tong Town and Rising Cloud City have upgraded the market to level 3. I wonder if there are other player lords in the game.]
Being able to recognize Yun Ling was pure luck.
If this was someone else, with their game id not the same as their real name, and their territory name not related to the player name at all, they would not have recognized each other even if they met.
Also, even if there were other player territories, they may not have unlocked the market.
If they were unlucky, and the residents were not cooperative, it was likely for a territory to be breached.
It would have been very hard to have met.
Yun Ling told the other, “There were only 10 beta survivors. In the final rewards, the ‘lord token’ choice may not appear. Even if it did, the player may not choose it.”
[F City — Xin Tong Town — Zhao Xin Tong:……]
[F City — Xin Tong Town — Zhao Xin Tong: Could it be that we are the only two lord players?]
Yun Ling said unconcernedly, “It does not matter how many, it is more important to set up our own territories well.”
[F City — Xin Tong Town — Zhao Xin Tong: That is true.]
[F City — Xin Tong Town — Zhao Xin Tong: It is almost winter, I have many residents here, but not many life skills players. Does Rising Cloud City have extra winter clothing?]
Yun Ling said, “Yes, how much do you want?”
Then the two discussed the number, price and type of clothing.
After the transaction formed, Zhao Xin Tong sighed in relief. She thought, this winter would be better than the last.
Seeing more income for the territory, Yun Ling smiled brightly. After bidding farewell to Zhao Xin Tong, she opened the market window and went back to buying.
**
When the market was upgraded to level 3, each day, 200000 unit transactions could be made. (Buying and selling was counted separately)
The “unit” encompassed a wide area.
For example 10 x Cotton Clothing was 10 units.
For example, 1 x Purple Quiver was 1 unit.
For example, 20 x Linen Cloth was 20 units.
For example, 5 x Coal was 5 units.
If one bought produced items, it would not take up many units. But Yun Ling’s habit was to hoard game materials, so each time she bought, she had to calculate and control the quantity.
Even so, after several days, half of her warehouse was filled.
Yun Ling could not help but sigh, “The meaning of the game is to fill the warehouse! This is so wonderful!”
The pity was that no one was selling fish nets or wooden boats. Even at high prices, no one contacted her, and she could only give up.
**
Day 220.
In the evening, Yun Ling opened the territory window.
[Territory Name: Rising Cloud]
[Level: City. (Max)]
[Tax: 5%. (0-100%, the lord has the power to adjust it independently)]
People poured in, and the territory became more lively by the day.
Because she had gotten so many materials from the market, and there was no need for the NPCs to go out to forage, Yun Ling led a forty person team to go out. Everyone else put away the masks, and stayed in the territory as guards and to keep the piece.
Once they found players who bullied others or attacked residents of the safety area, they were immediately exiled out of the territory.
Under her steel rule, the population had skyrocketed, but the air of the territory was as harmonious as before.
“It is almost winter.” Yun Ling’s tone was regretful.
The market had been unlocked too late. If she had ten more days, she could upgrade all of the buildings in the territory to level 3!
And now……
Yun Ling scanned the window, and saw there was enough money to upgrade the blacksmith shop.
[The Blacksmith Shop is upgraded to level 3.]
[The area taken up is expanded, the workshop is enlarged. You can employ 10 workers at maximum.]
After doing this, Yun Ling calculated, “There are two more building slots.”
She opened the list of buildings waiting to be unlocked, and carefully read and studied them with a serious expression.
**
Market
Qiao Qiao posted the newly knitted scarf, and then browsed the pages.
[Territory Name: Almond Flower Town]
[Items For Sale: 15 x Wild Vegetable, 10 x Rice]
[Price: 60 copper coins.]
[Inquiries: Shen Yi Hui.]
[Territory Name: Locust Tree Town]
[Items For Sale: 10 x Wood, 10 x Tree Branches]
[Price: 30 copper coins.]
[inquiries: Yuan Zhong Jun.]
Qiao Qiao quickly snapped it up.
Last autumn, they had not had much money. In order to raise livestock, she had gone out to forage for edible plants in order to make feed.
This year, her family’s condition had turned for the better. So she was too lazy to go out, and just bought from the market.
Qiao Qiao thought, “Going out will be dangerous, and the efficiency may not be high. By buying feed from the market, I can save more time to make more winter clothing, and earn more.”
After making the decision, she kept on buying until she had hoarded enough materials.
[-60 copper coins.]
[You have received 15 x Wild Vegetables, 10 x Rice.]
[-30 copper coins.]
[You have received 10 x Wood, 10 x Tree Branches.]
The system notifications continued to sound one after another.
Qiao Qiao put the items into a cotton backpack as she said with satisfaction, “I have feed, I have firewood, and I do not have to worry about passing the winter. The market is so convenient!”
**
Without realizing it, the players were welcoming Day 221.
In the morning, Yun Ling slowly woke up and found it was pitch black outside the house.
“Did I wake up too early?” She yawned and looked at the top right corner.
Day 221, winter, calamity day, 06:33:00.
Yun Ling stopped moving. It was not late, but not early. Logically, the sky should not be so dark.
She took out a torch from her backpack to light up, and then she went out to check.
In the territory, the residents had worried expressions. Everyone was gathered together in twos and threes, talking in low voices. “How come it is so dark today? Is there a problem?”
“I was thinking that I had prepared enough winter clothing, and the winter should be easy to pass. But the trash game now does this! The temperature is not low, but it is pitch black. I cannot see a thing.”
“We are by the bonfire in order to barely see the scenery around us. What if we want to go out?”
“If the darkness lasts 30 days……” someone suddenly said.
At this, the residents all shuddered.
Yun Ling calmly strolled through the territory, not in a hurry at all.
The hoarding fanatic had already hoarded enough wood, firewood, and coal. Even if all the bonfires in the territory had to burn through the night, she did not lack fuel.
She was just curious what was different about this winter compared to the last.
On the way, the discussions of the residents occasionally passed into her ears. “The sky is so dark, how can we go out to get water?”
“The well water is not expensive, you can just spend 1 copper coin to get it in the territory.”
“There are many places where I need water, cooking, bathing, dishwashing, I cannot always use the well water!”
Someone else said, “I wanted to work harder this year and save more. From this situation, it seems that I will be forced to stay in again……”
“If I make a few more torches, could I go out like usual?”
“Where will there be so much wood……I hoarded fuel like straw and tree branches!”
It seemed she had to order the woodworkers to make a few more torches. Yun Ling thought inside.
Just as she thought this, a panicked scream came from afar. “Enemy attack!!”
In the morning, not many people were up, and the scream spread far.
The residents were stunned. “Last year during winter, didn’t the monsters hibernate through the winter? How come they are active this year?”
“It is not yet light, and black outside the territory. We cannot see clearly, how do we fight?”
“I thought that the winter this year would be colder……I was wrong. I underestimated the shamelessness of the game.”
As everyone discussed, the territory guards arrived on the battlefield.
“Meteor Shower!”
“Burning Heavens!”
“Flaming Sky.”
The flame skills were cast, and turned the sky fire red.
With the fire light, Yun Ling could clearly see twenty stone people standing outside the territory, beating on the defensive shield.
“Sight is obstructed, and the monsters do not come close. Ordinary people would not have discovered this,” Yun Ling thought.
Because the sky was dark, and it was hard to see, the close combat players did not dare to go out. The mages and archers stood in the territory, and used their skills to quickly defeat the stone people.
But just as they finished here, there was a ruckus from another direction. There seemed to be an attack over there.
Yun Ling rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache. Now, it seemed that it was not good to have such a large territory. The area that needed to be defended had increased greatly, and there may not be enough people.
Thinking of this, she had the guards spread apart, and guard their own areas.
At the same time, the torches and bonfires were lit up in order to make sure the surrounding scenery was visible. Once the monsters came close, the guards could immediately warn.
Just after she sent the orders, a system notification jumped out.
[F City — Xin Tong Town — Zhao Xin Tong: Friend help!!]
[F City — Xin Tong Town — Zhao Xin Tong: Do you have extra wood? I am willing to buy at a high price!]
Not just Zhao Xin Tong, countless players sent messages asking, “Is there extra wood?”
Or “You are selling torches?”
Or, “Could you give me some wood, willow wood, and coal?”
Clearly, no one had expected the game to do this.
“Right now, the situation is not clear, and torches, wood, willow wood, coal, charcoal, and firewood are temporarily not being sold.” Yun Ling copied the message and responded to each one.
Then she told Zhao Xin Tong, “There is enough that I can share some with you. How much do you want?”
[F City — Xin Tong Town — Zhao Xin Tong: !!!]
[F City — Xin Tong Town — Zhao Xin Tong: Kneeling to thank you for saving my life!]
Yun Ling did not care. “This is a minor matter, no need to be polite.”