Chapter 163

The first transaction with the Dwarf Stone Hammer Clan was completed smoothly, like dropping a stone into a calm lake, ripples slowly spreading within Guangtan Fortress.

The five Fine Grade Bloodthirsty Battle Axes were distributed to the combat personnel, immediately boosting the squad's overall combat power and morale.

The axe blade flashed with a cold light in the sunlight; its superb forging craftsmanship far surpassed the current common level of the human camp, and compared to the Tang Sword, it inflicted greater damage on large creatures, further strengthening Li Qingxuan's resolve to maintain contact with the dwarves.

"It seems the dwarf race truly lives up to the legend—straightforward and values contracts." Huang Rong waved the battle axe, feeling its balance and sharpness, admiration flashing in her eyes.

As a Night Walker, she has an instinctive judgment of the merits and demerits of weapons.

"The forging skill of this axe is more exquisite than some of the cold-weapon craftsmanship passed down in my family, and it's more suited to real combat."

Li Qingxuan nodded: "This is a good start. Weapon equipment is our shortcoming, while food is relatively easy for us to obtain. Subsequently we can increase the trade volume, striving to exchange for the city defense blueprint they promised. Feifei, reply to 'Heart of the Hills,' expressing our satisfaction with the trade outcome and proposing a trade intention."

"Understood." Li Feifei replied, her fingers swiftly operating the virtual control panel.

As a Spiritual Plant Master, although she does not directly participate in combat, she is extremely meticulous in logistical and diplomatic liaison work.

Chen Xiulan also had some concerns; the Night Watcher's profession made her especially sensitive to potential risks: "Qingxuan, although this transaction went smoothly, will trading away a large amount of food affect our own reserves?"

Li Qingxuan had already considered this problem: "Rest assured, with Mom and Feifei managing the greenhouse and breeding farm, plus the nourishment of the Life Spring Water, the 【Accelerated Growth】 and 【Bountiful Harvest】 abilities stack, yielding high output efficiency, enough to support a certain amount of trade. As for the details……appropriately showing muscle is necessary. Let the Dwarf know we have a stable and ample food source, then they will value us more and offer better things in exchange. The key is to grasp the scale; core rare resources such as Bodhi Fruit must be kept strictly secret."

At that moment, Li Qingge pointed at the World Channel, somewhat nervously saying: "Brother, look quickly! Someone mentioned us on the channel!"

Real Combat

Only one piece of information was repeatedly quoted, sparking a small-scale discussion:

User 【Wild Lone Wolf】: "Breaking news! Li Qingxuan, who ranks first with a huge gap on the Personal Strength Ranking, his 'Guangtan Fortress' is that monster on the Resource Reserve Ranking! The reserve index is close to 900,000, over four times that of second place! How much supplies must that be? Simply filthy rich!"

City Defense Blueprint

"Real or fake? Who is this Li Qingxuan? Strong personal strength, and the base still has so many resources?"

"@Guangtan Fortress, big boss, take me along! Need a little brother? I'm super capable!"

"Heh, a big tree attracts wind; be careful not to be treated as a fat sheep and slaughtered."

"What about the coordinates? Who knows Guangtan Fortress's coordinates? High price sought for purchase!"

"Don't dream; such a big boss wouldn't easily reveal coordinates. But speaking of which, if one could find it…"

Seeing these remarks, the atmosphere in the hall grew solemn again.

Chen Xiulan's worries became reality; the names of Guangtan Fortress and Li Qingxuan have already become a focus, drawing countless gazes of envy, jealousy, or greed.

"As expected, it has come." Li Qingxuan's eyes turned slightly cold: "Feifei, henceforth your statements on the channel and platform must be more cautious; any information that could leak our location, personnel composition, or core strength must not be mentioned at all. At the same time, strengthen information monitoring, and pay attention to gathering any intelligence related to us."

"Yes, I will keep a close watch." Li Feifei nodded solemnly.

Li Qingxuan surveyed the women, his voice low: "The pressure has arrived, but we must not lose our formation. Enhancing strength is the fundamental response to all threats. Ling'er, how is the progress of your shelter's upgrade?"

Zhao Ling'er immediately reported: "Materials are insufficient; at the current pace, we could reach Level 7 tomorrow, but the shortfall of wood and stone is relatively large."

"Prioritize resource allocation; we must upgrade to Level 8 as soon as possible to secure a ranking spot." Li Qingxuan gave the order, then turned to Li Xinxin: "Xinxin, you can try to incorporate the Icefield Demon Wolf into your possession to boost your combat power."

Li Xinxin's Contract and Life Link abilities, although not yet officially contracted with the mysterious, have huge potential.

Li Xinxin nodded slightly, after a moment's thought she said: "Qingxuan brother, the Icefield Demon Wolf has a Wolf King leader; after I contract it, the fortress's overall combat power does not increase, so it would be better to free up a spot to absorb new combat power."

"New combat power?" Li Qingxuan pondered, "Alright, then I won't insist."

Resource Reserve Index

Over the next few days, Guangtan Fortress operated like an efficient machine; under Li Qingxuan's command, various tasks proceeded in an orderly manner.

Two additional defense towers were added to the outer city wall.

Zhao Ling'er's shelter successfully upgraded to Level 8, but it has not yet entered the top ten of the level ranking; after another upgrade it can occupy a spot on the ranking.

Zhao Shuang'er and Zhao Ling'er sometimes practice together the Soul Dancer's Soul Resonance, attempting to boost their own and those around them's spiritual power; although the effect is not yet very noticeable, it is also a positive attempt.

Trade with the Dwarf Stone Hammer Clan was conducted two more times, exchanging for more fine-grade weapons, equipment, and a precious Rune Shield Tower.

The other party also showed sufficient sincerity; during the third trade, they proactively provided a blueprint for a Fine Grade Arrow Tower. Although not as good as an Epic Defense Facility, it excels in solid structure and long range, making it very suitable for installation on the city wall.

Wang Hongmei then utilized the Tailor's Enchant ability, beginning to try to add a basic Toughness effect to some armor, enhancing defense.

While Guangtan Fortress developed steadily, the outside world was already undergoing drastic changes. Through fragments of information from the World Channel and Trading Platform, Wang Hongmei and Chen Xiulan compiled the dramatic events unfolding in the external world:

【The Scarlet Dawn Camp was attacked by a squad of orc raiders; the camp was destroyed, with survivors less than one-tenth. Orc combat power is formidable, ordinary weapons struggle to breach defenses.】

【Morning Light Village attempted to contact the Elf Race, sending out an envoy team that mysteriously went missing; only in the border were bone remains entangled by vines found. The Elf Race's attitude is unclear, extremely dangerous.】

【Iron Wall reached deep cooperation with the Dwarf Stone Hammer Clan's Hill King Clan, exchanging rare minerals for a full set of fine-grade equipment; defensive strength greatly increased, and the shelter level ranking rose to fourth.】

【Wind Whisperer Camp discovered the entrance to the Ancient Ruins, organized an elite exploration team that entered and then lost contact; the surroundings of the ruins began to be shrouded in gray mist, with eerie whispers emanating.】

【The Frost Wolf Tribe encountered an area-level boss, the Frost Giant Wolf, suffering heavy casualties and being forced to migrate. This boss occupies a vein of rare minerals.】

【Multiple small and medium-sized camps reported material theft cases, suspected to be committed by insiders using special occupational abilities, causing panic among the populace.】

【The top-ranked Elizabeth Camp announced an alliance with the Dragon Race, gaining dragon protection, but requiring weekly tribute of large amounts of gold and gems.】

【Dark Night Fortress suspected of being infiltrated by the Demon Race, camp members' behavior abnormal, nightly often hearing chilling laughter.】

【The sixth-ranked Yang Chen Camp erupted in internal strife, the vice leader leading half the members to defect, suspected cause being unfair distribution.】

One piece of information after another sketched a picture of a world fraught with danger, where the strong prey on the weak. The arrival of foreign races not only brought new threats but also completely reshaped the internal power structure of humanity.

"It seems other camps are not having an easy time either." Li Qingxuan looked at the compiled intelligence, his expression grave: "Orc invasions, elf mystique, dwarf pragmatism, dragon arrogance... each foreign race has its own modus operandi. We must be more cautious."

Huang Rong gripped her battle axe tightly: "According to the intelligence, orcs' physical quality is generally above 200, with some elites possibly exceeding 500. If we encounter them, I will use Dark Night Stealth to conduct guerrilla warfare."

Wang Hongmei said worriedly: "Those camps that have been infiltrated and suffered internal unrest remind us that we must not only defend against external enemies but also ensure internal unity."

"That's right." Li Qingxuan nodded: "We should learn from other camps' experiences. Xiulan, strengthen the surveillance around the fortress, especially monitoring for signs of foreign race activity. Feifei, continue gathering intelligence via the Trading Platform, but be more careful, do not expose our location."

Chen Xiulan immediately responded: "I have already set up the 'eyes' of the Fortress Guard at key positions around the fortress's perimeter; as soon as there is any abnormal movement, I will detect it immediately."

Li Feifei added: "I have noticed that the Trading Platform has seen more inquiries for weapons and armor; it seems everyone has realized the urgency of increasing strength."

At that moment, the World Channel suddenly popped up a bold red announcement:

【Emergency Notice: The first Scarlet Chest will refresh near the coordinate (734,291) at the time of the full moon ten days later. High-intensity energy fluctuations have been detected around the Treasure Chest—Warning: high risk accompanies high reward!】

The entire channel went up in an uproar; this message was like a massive stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up thousands of waves.

Li Qingxuan exchanged a glance with everyone, and they all saw the solemnity and determination in each other's eyes.

The shifting tides of the outside world and the life-or-death fates of other camps reminded them: in this new era where myriad races stand tall, standing still means annihilation.

And the Scarlet Chest that is about to appear might be the key opportunity for them to further increase their strength.

"Get ready," Li Qingxuan said in a low voice, "we will participate in this Scarlet Chest contest."

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