On the wall, the moonlight cast two shadowy figures, engaging in a continuous back-and-forth battle, accompanied by the creaking of wooden boards and the shimmering of water, as the night grew deeper.
The intense fight lasted for over an hour until a cloud floated by, veiling the moon. As the light in the room dimmed, a heavy sigh was heard, and the situation finally began to improve. One side welcomed the other, and both sides ended up agreeing to shake hands and make peace.
But the peace was only temporary, and another arduous battle was sure to follow another day.
Thus concluded a delightfully engaging exchange.
Zong Shen lay on the bed, feeling a bit empty. The figure beside him seemed tired too, resting her head on his chest.
"My lord, you lost today!"
Luna said lazily, drawing circles with her fingers.
At this moment, she was like a satisfied little cat that had successfully caught her prey.
"Yes, yes, I lost."
"But tonightâs well-drilling was still quite successful."
Zong Shen wiggled his legs, easing the numbness in his thighs, and said with a mischievous smile.
"Huh? What well-drilling?"
Of course, Luna didnât understand the joke, and asked curiously.
Zong Shen slightly curled his middle finger and twitched it rapidly.
"Hmm... longer drill bit, professional well-drilling; no water, no charge!"
...
Luna suddenly understood, realizing Zong Shen was teasing her, her small fists that could hammer a wild boar went "thump thump thump" on Zong Shenâs chest.
"Annoying!"
Damage numbers frantically popped up above Zong Shenâs head.
[-9]
[-6]
[-11]
...
Without his equipment, Zong Shenâs attributes werenât much higher than Lunaâs, who was a Tier Four Female Hunter King.
With Lunaâs nearly thirty points of strength attribute, her little fists might just send Zong Shen flying...
"Cough, cough, cough... stop, stop, stop!"
"Youâre going to beat me to death!"
Zong Shen quickly shouted, feeling as if he was being frequently hammered by the Dwarf Uncleâs iron hammer.
Only then did Luna realize and embarrassedly hid her hands behind her back.
The clouds floated away, moonlight spilled in, and under the moonlight, Zong Shen clearly saw Lunaâs two standout features, causing his index finger to twitch, prompting the well-drilling head to restart.
"Hmph, you hit me, Iâll ram you!"
...
The spring breeze blew through the night, and it wasnât until a little past six the next morning that Zong Shen was groggily awakened by the sound of soldiers running and farmers talking outside.
The space beside him was already empty. Zong Shen slowly stretched lazily.
Men, destined to be hardworking, all tasks were physical work. The saying goes, itâs not the fields that wear out but the oxen that get tired. This encapsulates the same logic.
Zong Shen shook his head. The Elf Race girls were incredibly formidable, not only in constitution but also in character. But last nightâs wholehearted exchange took not only his physical strength but also his stress, leaving him feeling much lighter.
Zong Shen donned his equipment, planning to undertake the territory expansion task today, and then form the [Legion] to begin rallying the surrounding Lordâs Influences.
He went downstairs directly and walked out of the Lordâs Courtyard to the entrance of the courtyard.
Wenresa was sitting side by side with Luna on the lawn outside the courtyard, chatting in low voices, while the Big Black Panther lay lazily beside them, dozing off.
Last night, Favide, who filled in on the front lines, had returned and was now resting.
So Zong Shen began to gather the remaining warriors of the Exploration Squad and all the Wolf Cavalry in the territory, as well as Wenresa, to assemble at the courtyard gate.
Before the territory expansion task, as usual, and to prevent things from going south, it was necessary to consult the guide module.
"Is it suitable to proceed with the territory expansion task now?"
"Will the Burrow Challenge affect the territory expansion task?"
(Now is a good opportunity, strive to upgrade the territory, and unexpected rewards await. However, try not to exceed a Level 8 Territory, or you might randomly be selected as the lucky guy.
As of now, the Burrow Challenge wonât impact your territory expansion task too much, although it will slightly increase the territoryâs defense burden during the expansion task.)
After reading the guideâs tips, Zong Shen breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he opened the [Rankings], where Chen Rui still prominently held the top spot in the [Territory Level Ranking], although his territory level hadnât increased in the past few days.
[Chen Rui1994613 Territory: lv4]
Still a Level 4 Territory, indicating this guy had hit a bottleneck, or he was temporarily slowing his upgrade pace.
Back then, this guy reached a Level 3 Territory on the second day after landing, unbelievably strong, which startled Zong Shen. Although even then, Zong Shen already had the confidence to expand his territory beyond Level 3, he chose to take it easy and put it off temporarily.
Zong Shen was hardly interested in the fame of such rankings, but he was absolutely determined to obtain the rewards associated with the rankings. The rewardâs thirty-day settlement period allowed him to decide when to expand his territory at his leisure.
Even up to now, he had merely decided to expand his territory today for the sake of forming a [Legion].
After gathering the soldiers, consulting the guide, and looking at the now well-organized territory, a sense of pride welled up in Zong Shenâs heart.
With walls protecting all sides, and gates in the middle section of each wall, numerous defense buildings were densely placed throughout the territory.
Currently, the territory had 11 Tier One Elemental Arrow Towers, 2 Tier Two Elemental Arrow Towers, 2 Tier Three Elemental Arrow Towers, 1 Tier Four Giant Cannon Tower, and four Ancient Guardians.
These defense buildings and Tree Spirits had turned Zong Shenâs territory into a fortress bristling with thorns, ensuring any enemy daring to invade would have no return.
With everything ready, Zong Shen prepared to initiate the challenge task.
Zong Shen opened the [Territory Options], and a line of text appeared, showing the current state of the territory.
[Territory: Level 1]
[City Lordâs Mansion: Level 2]
[Current Expandable Range: 2000 meters in circumference, complete the land expansion task to successfully expand]
[Click to Start Expansion]
A Level 2 Territory expansion will attract 20 randomly selected hostile targets from within 10 kilometers.
Subsequent territory expansion upgrades will follow this standard in succession.
Theoretically, the higher the expansion task level, the larger the hostile range covered, and the more hostile targets there are, but the proportion of hostile targets drawn will decrease.
Zong Shen already understood the tricks of the territory expansion task and directly clicked to start expanding!
Todayâs territory expansion task officially began!
Twenty randomly drawn hostile targets were heading towards Zong Shenâs territory from all directions.
Among these hostile targets, the majority were still those wild beasts active on the plains.
Zong Shen had anticipated this; mere 20 hostile targets wouldnât necessitate the mobilization of warriorsâthey could be easily wiped out just by relying on the territoryâs Arrow Towers.
Ten minutes later, when the last hostile target, the Grassland Ox, arrived outside the territory and just entered the range of the Ancient Guardians, it was met with a grand reception, being flattened into a meat pancake directly.
Just like that, the 2-Level Territory expansion was easily completed, with Zong Shen leaning against the Lordâs Courtyard gate, barely moving an inch throughout.
Until the expansion completion notice appeared.
[Territory: Level 2]
[City Lordâs Mansion: Level 2]
[Current Expandable Range: 3000 meters in circumference, complete the land expansion task to successfully expand]
[Click to Start Expansion]]
For the third-level expansion, he will face 30 randomly selected hostile targets within a 15-kilometer range.
To Zong Shen, itâs still no pressure!