In a narrow, cramped underground cavern, Du Yu hunched over, following the Red-armored Ant-man through a fissure until they reached the edge of a subterranean pool.
At the edge of the pool stood a silent, square altar.
A blue metal Card floated above the altar.
Du Yu strode forward, flicked his long spear, and aimed at a spot in the water to his front-left.
The spear tip struck the water like a venomous snake.
"GLUG GLUG GLUG..."
A torrent of bubbles rose to the surface. A moment later, the corpse of a Dark Tide Fishman floated up.
Du Yu retrieved his long spear. Without a second glance, he leaped lightly onto the altar and took the Card.
He reached into his robes and pulled out a small stack of Cards—red, yellow, purple, green, and now, a blue one.
"Is this the last altar? Are there more?" Du Yu gestured.
The Red-armored Ant-man nodded, then shook its head.
"I’ll head back first, then." Du Yu put the Cards away.
’This trip has been quite fruitful. The Lord will surely be pleased,’ he thought.
The two had just turned around when ripples suddenly spread across the pool behind them.
A blurry figure shot out from the water, lunging at Du Yu with the speed of a thunderclap!
Without even turning his head, Du Yu’s long spear struck backward like a venomous dragon looking back, thrusting past his waist.
The faster the figure charged, the deeper the spear plunged!
The spear struck it square in the chest, the tip protruding half a foot from its back.
The figure hung from the spear shaft, its limbs drooping lifelessly. Water Beads slowly dripped from its body, and its semi-transparent form was revealed.
It was a Dark Tide Fishman.
"You’ve been following me this whole time. Did you really think I was blind?" Du Yu’s gaze turned cold, as if looking at an insect caught in a spider’s web. "You started tailing me from the third altar and only made your move now."
The Red-armored Ant-man recognized this Fishman. "Water Ghost!"
"You know it?" Du Yu tilted his head.
A flash of hatred crossed the Red-armored Ant-man’s eyes. "The Water Ghost. It can turn invisible, makes no sound in the water, and has ambush-killed many of my kin."
Du Yu nodded in understanding. "No wonder I could never find any trace of it."
His hunter’s intuition had been warning him that there was danger, that prey was watching him from the shadows.
He had been searching for a long time but couldn’t find any trace of the prey. Still, he trusted his intuition and held back a third of his strength.
He was just waiting for the prey to walk into his trap.
In the end, it took the bait.
’An invisible Fishman is definitely a good find,’ he thought, picking up the Fishman’s corpse. ’The Lord will be delighted to have it back.’
They traveled all the way back to the Gated Community. The Red-armored Ant-man left only after dropping Du Yu off at the entrance.
"My Lord, I have successfully completed my mission."
Qin Ziwen gazed at the Fishman corpse Du Yu was carrying. He wouldn’t pay this much attention to an ordinary Fishman. ’For him to bring it back personally,’ he mused, ’it must be the corpse of an Extraordinary Fishman.’
"Go see Yan Da about it in a bit."
"Yes, my Lord. These are the Cards from this expedition." Du Yu handed five Cards to Qin Ziwen.
[Red Function Card] Level 1 Guild, 1 [Building Enhancement Card] Empower, 1 [Enhancement Card] Human Physique Enhancement Card (Two Stars), 1 [Recruitment Card] Ordinary Top-tier Insect Cultivator, 1 [Advanced Building Card] Level 1 Slaughter Hive.
After reviewing the functions of the five Cards, Qin Ziwen looked up.
Without a doubt, the most valuable was the Red Function Card.
Next was the Building Enhancement Card, followed by the remaining three Cards, which were of similar value.
The Advanced Building Card was only slightly less valuable than the others.
The Human Physique Enhancement Card he’d gotten this time would provide a direct Two-Star enhancement.
Of course, it could only raise one’s constitution to the peak of the ordinary Five Stars, not break through the limit to the Extraordinary realm in one go.
Even so, it was still very good.
Qin Ziwen thought of something and the corners of his mouth turned up. He said to a nearby person, "Go get Liangcai."
Before long, a serious-faced Jia Liangcai hurried over. He clasped his hands and bowed deeply. "My Lord, what is the matter?"
"Didn’t I tell you last time? If you performed well, I’d give you an extra reward. Here, for you."
Qin Ziwen tossed a green afterimage, which Jia Liangcai caught instinctively.
After getting a clear look at the Card, a hint of astonishment appeared on Jia Liangcai’s face.
He never would have imagined that the Lord would give him this.
A thought sparked in his mind, and a guess formed instantly. He couldn’t help but look pained as he sighed faintly, "My Lord, are you worried my daily workload isn’t heavy enough... and want to ’supplement’ my body so I can work even harder?"
"Hahahaha." Qin Ziwen laughed a few times before stopping. "Nonsense. I’m mainly worried about your health. Your workload is increasing every day. How can you keep up if your body isn’t well? I heard from the doctor that you’ve recently picked up several prescriptions for restorative medicine. Your health is your most important asset, after all."
Jia Liangcai clasped his hands again and bowed in thanks. "Thank you, my Lord."
After rising, Jia Liangcai crushed the Card. His body was instantly enveloped in a green halo of light.
His entire face was covered in the green glow. When the light gradually faded, Qin Ziwen used Insight again. Jia Liangcai’s physical constitution had now reached Five Stars.
Feeling his own incredibly strengthened body, Jia Liangcai shook his head slightly. ’According to the Lord’s way of thinking,’ he thought, ’the better your body is, the more of a nuclear-powered workhorse you become.’
He subconsciously rubbed his shoulders and lower back. But it was worth mentioning that his body did indeed feel much better than before.
He had been suffering from some aches and pains, but after using the Enhancement Card, he felt much more comfortable.
"Alright, you can go back to work. Find some time to exercise more. Also, about those canned goods, I’ll approve a quota of five for you. It’s best if you have them with all three of your daily meals. We’ll see if you can break through to the Extraordinary realm."
Jia Liangcai shook his head. "My Lord, breaking through to the Extraordinary realm isn’t just about eating. Based on my observations, one must not only eat but also train hard. Only then is there a sliver of a chance."
Qin Ziwen said, "Then you should train more when you have the chance. Don’t try to handle every single matter, big or small, yourself. You have to learn to cultivate talent. You’re already this exhausted with just a few thousand people. If we get any bigger in the future, won’t you collapse from exhaustion?"
Jia Liangcai was silent for a long moment before saying, "I don’t feel at ease entrusting matters to others. My Lord, your enterprise is still in its infancy. This is the time to build a solid foundation. If we don’t lay the groundwork properly now, it will be much harder to deal with things later."
"As long as you know what you’re doing." Qin Ziwen didn’t press the issue.
After Jia Liangcai left, Qin Ziwen took out the other Cards.
First was the Function Card. He crushed it.
The Red Function Card shattered, dissolving into specks of red light.
POP!
[Function Activated: Level 6 Guild]
[Authority has been increased. Current Authority: Level 4 Authority (15/16)]
[Level 6 Guild: You may choose to form alliances with other Lords of the Homeland. Maximum number of alliances: 60. The following functions will be unlocked after forming an alliance: Goodwill Alliance, Shared Buildings (5), Alliance Chamber of Commerce, Auction House, Cross-Server Communication, Member Recruitment]
’Just one more step to reach Level 5 Authority. It’s guaranteed to level up after next week’s settlement.’
Additionally, one new function had appeared.
...
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