Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Tiezhu Returns, Sitanos Village
In the first wave of billions of people teleported here, there were quite a few with strong adaptability and good luck.
This made him feel a bit of pressure!
But truly, it was just a tiny bit.
Zong Shen rubbed his chin.
This was his habitual action when he was deep in thought.
He had no idea who that number one ranker was, managing to expand their territory directly to lv3.
What a reckless move!
However, it was also an indirect display of strength.
Although Zong Shen also had the strength to continue expanding, he chose not to.
The reason was simple; he just didn’t want to pace things too tightly.
At the bottom of this leaderboard, there was also a countdown for settlement.
[Monthly Reward Settlement]
[28d17h58m]
Zong Shen took a quick look and found out there were rewards to be obtained for ranking.
As long as you ranked in the top ten thousand at the monthly settlement, there were different levels of rewards.
The rewards for the top three were especially generous.
The third place received two [Purple Rare Level Random Hero Recruitment Scrolls] and a [Silver Treasure Chest].
Second place got one [Purple Rare Level Hero Recruitment Scroll] and a [Golden Treasure Chest].
The first place received two [Orange Legendary Level Hero Recruitment Scrolls] and a [Golden Treasure Chest].
That got Zong Shen excited.
At first, he was indifferent about the rankings, but now it seems he needs to compete.
"Hmm, before the countdown ends, I need to find an opportunity to properly expand the territory."
Zong Shen estimated the strength of his territory.
Level 0 to level 1 required attracting 10 hostile targets within a 5-kilometer radius.
Which meant a circular region with a 10-kilometer diameter.
From level 1 to level 2 required attracting 20 hostile targets within a circular area with a 20-kilometer diameter, and so on, the difficulty increased.
Moreover, each territory expansion increased the radius by 1000 meters.
A level 2 territory covered 12.56 square kilometers, equivalent to 12.56 million square meters.
Quite significant.
"In the next few days, I’ll find some time to upgrade the territory."
Zong Shen still had a copy of the [Tier One Elemental Arrow Tower Blueprint] and planned to gather some farmers to finish building it after dinner.
To enhance the defense capability of the territory.
By now, the sky was completely dark, and the weather was nice for the day, a glance upward revealed a plethora of stars, truly beautiful.
The farmers ended their day’s labor and gathered around.
They drank clear water while chatting.
The soldiers also paired off, some closing their eyes to rest, others staring at the night sky dazed, and some meditating in silence.
All seemed harmonious.
It was now 7:33 PM, and according to last night’s pattern, around 8 PM was the mysterious time when the beasts would appear.
At that moment, from the eastern boundary of the territory, a shadow carrying a bulging package approached quickly.
All the soldiers opened their eyes and watched keenly.
The approaching figure was Tiezhu, sent by Zong Shen to explore the east.
They saw Tiezhu with a backpack, a round belly, and a joyful smile on his face.
"Lord!"
"I found an indigenous village to the east! It’s called Sitanos Village, quite a large settlement."
Tiezhu knelt on one knee and untied the bag, laying it open before Zong Shen.
Inside the bag, it was all food.
There were segments of large sausages, smoked beef jerky, and stacks of wheat cakes.
Zong Shen raised an eyebrow at the contents of the bag.
"An indigenous village?"
"You rascal didn’t just steal their food, did you?"
He asked suspiciously.
But saw Tiezhu laugh.
"Haha, Lord, you don’t know, the villagers of Sitanos were very hospitable."
"I just helped an old lady find her lost cat, and she gifted me a bag full of food."
"That Sitanos Village is very prosperous and peaceful, affiliated with a town called Boss Bang, the village has a population of about three to four thousand and occupies quite a space."
"The village raises a lot of cattle and sheep, cultivates large areas of wheat, and there are many traders traveling from Boss Bang, purchasing village products and bringing back new novelties from Boss Bang for profit."
"The village is about fifty to sixty kilometers east of our territory, though I can’t pin down the exact distance, it should be closer than the mountains to our north."
"Because of the grassland’s undulating terrain, it’s difficult to easily spot the village."
Tiezhu began to explain honestly.
Zong Shen’s eyes gradually lit up.
The population issue was always a concern, and having a village nearby meant a reservoir of population.
"Very good, Tiezhu, your discovery is extremely helpful to our development!"
Zong Shen flipped his hand, taking out two [Soldier Enhancement Pearls (Green)] and handed them to Tiezhu.
"This is your reward!"
Tiezhu quickly extended his hands, holding the two enhancement pearls.
With Zong Shen’s permission, he chose to use them immediately.
One increased 1 point in Strength and 2 points in Agility.
The other increased 1 point in Agility, 1 point in Strength, and 1 point in Charm.
Tiezhu’s attributes were now much stronger than when he first changed jobs.
"By the way, Lord, I also discovered another lord’s territory to the east.
"But its scale can’t compare to ours, there’s only three or four farmers, and even that one lord was cutting wood personally."
"Outside their territory, there was also a cow, it seems that lord has already made contact with Sitanos Village."
Tiezhu shared another important piece of information.
Zong Shen nodded.
He wasn’t surprised about discovering another lord; after all, there were thousands of lords in a single area.
As the exploration range expanded, encounters and contacts were an inevitable scenario.
But at this early stage, Zong Shen didn’t want much to do with those lords; with his abilities, exploration and combat were the most profitable paths.
Failing to accumulate advantages in the early stages would be wasting precious time.
That was also why he didn’t like being in the water [channel].
Apart from ventures like the water [market] that might yield profits, in the initial development stage, he wasn’t keen on mingling much with other lords.
"Tiezhu, you’ve done well, stay in the Lord’s Small Tower tonight, for now, go and rest."
"This pack of food need not be submitted, consider it your private property, handle it as you please."
Zong Shen praised Tiezhu.
Tiezhu’s exploration today pointed the way for his plans ahead.
Tiezhu bowed and picked up the bag, then sat by the side to rest.
Zong Shen stood up and went to the Level 1 Stove.
He had just learned a recipe today, it could serve as everyone’s dinner tonight.
[Bear Meat Soup]
[Each Serving Requirements: Bear Meat ×1, Salt ×8g, Black Pepper ×5g, Water ×200ml, Wood ×1]
[Effect: Restores Physical Strength, Supplements Protein, Relieves Physical Fatigue]
[Cooking Time: 30m]
[Effect: Restores 50 Hunger Level Points]
They had all the other materials.
The wolf cavalry had fetched several barrels of clear water today.
What they were lacking was salt and black pepper.
Zong Shen planned to check out the [Market].