Chapter 23
In the distant Ruìlán Empire of the constellation Xianying, far beyond a cluster of stars from the Milky Way,
it meant that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Ye Bai's territory would remain in a single-player state until mainstream players reached level 20 and made their first class change, encountering no other players.
However, the emergence of a second lord stirred a sense of urgency within Ye Bai. Faced with a deeply rooted cosmic civilization like the Ruìlán Empire, her initial advantage could easily be caught up with if she wasn't careful. She had to work hard to maintain her lead.
On the eighth day, her territory gained a bit of productivity, and there was still about 30% left to fill the next productivity slot.
Ye Bai allocated that initial productivity to the secondary technology of [Adventure]—[Hunting].
[Hunting] allows your villagers to craft traps; unlocks the Hunter's Lodge; unlocks proficiency in the Hunter profession.
Dedicated hunters differ from ordinary villagers in their hunting capabilities. Only after assigning villagers to work at the Hunter's Lodge do they secure a stable source of meat, and it also opens up the opportunity for those assigned villagers to transition into the Hunter profession.
However, Ye Bai wasn't in a rush to establish her first Hunter's Lodge. She spent her precious productivity to unlock this technology mainly for the ability to 'craft traps.'
In the blacksmith shop, all four workstations were occupied, with villagers working diligently to produce one item—a hunting trap.
Ye Bai stood at the entrance of the blacksmith shop, and with each trap crafted, she used [Basic Inlay] to punch holes, embedding these items with energy crystals.
All of this was in preparation for tonight.
[Eleven vagrants wish to join your territory. Do you agree?]
Here they come!
Ye Bai immediately chose to agree, then set aside her work and hurried towards the Tree of Creation.
[Your territory is currently facing a food shortage! If there is no food in one day, your villagers will go hungry!]
As she walked, Ye Bai received a system notification. Unlike the first batch of villagers who came with their own rations, the subsequent vagrants were truly 'vagrants.' The addition of eleven vagrants on the tenth day put immense pressure on her already limited food reserves.
But this was an inevitable phenomenon. Ye Bai chose to ignore it for the moment and approached the trunk of the Tree of Creation.
[You have met the level 1 territory upgrade conditions. Do you wish to upgrade?]
[Yes]
The moment Ye Bai confirmed, the Tree of Creation suddenly burst into brilliant light, its branches gently writhing and visibly growing, soaring from five meters to six in the blink of an eye.
Moreover, the branches, which had previously borne few leaves, suddenly sprouted numerous flower buds that bloomed in an instant, releasing a delightful fragrance.
The enchanting aroma spread throughout the territory, and at the same time, all the residents' needs and stamina values were restored by 50% from their previous levels.
The stamina Ye Bai had expended earlier was also replenished, bringing her stamina back to 90.
The crops in the fields, which were supposed to take another seven or eight days to mature, suddenly stretched their branches and leaves, growing rapidly to full maturity, leaving Lucy, who was in charge of tending the fields, utterly astonished.
This was the reward effect granted with each territory upgrade.
However, at the same time, Ye Bai received another system notification—
[The blooming of the Tree of Creation has attracted nearby beasts. Please prepare for defense tonight.]
This was precisely why Ye Bai had been busy crafting traps.
While upgrading granted a territory-wide reward effect, it also meant that the territory would inevitably face a monster attack that night.
In the early stages, the attacking beasts would be ordinary wild animals, but as the town level increased later on, it would turn into a spectacular monster exhibition...
Thus, a little trick for upgrading territories was to do it as early as possible. If one upgraded at night without preparation, a single attack could result in casualties among the villagers, and any constructed buildings would be destroyed—truly a disaster.
However, for Ye Bai, who was well-prepared, this crisis was no longer a crisis but rather a 'harvest.'
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**Chapter 16**
As night fell, Baiye Village was not shrouded in darkness.
The strange flowers blooming on the Tree of Creation released their enchanting fragrance while also dispersing glowing spores that illuminated the entire territory.
After a day of preparation, the villagers followed Ye Bai's instructions and hid in their homes, leaving only Kali and four villagers armed with bows to stand beside Ye Bai at the center of the village, ready to face the first attack following the territory upgrade.
Among these four villagers, aside from Roman, who had been assigned to scout the area, the other three were special talents: Lucy, Sean, and a villager named Wade from the third batch of vagrants.
Wade's talent was [Mineral Identification], more suited for the Blacksmith profession, prompting Ye Bai to change her training strategy for Sean, preparing to cultivate him as a Hunter for the territory.
Special talents were not easy to come by; having special talents in both batches of vagrants was already a result of Ye Bai's powerful 'First Lord' title effect combined with good fortune.
"They're coming!"
Ye Bai observed the movements of the territory from the vantage point of the Tree of Creation. As night fell, she spotted 'small black dots' appearing at the edge of the territory.
As soon as she spoke, the four villagers beside her, except for Kali, displayed anxious expressions, gripping their bows tightly. Yet, their loyalty of 60 allowed them to overcome their fear and remain in place instead of fleeing.
When upgrading from a level 0 territory to a level 1 territory, the monsters attacking the village would typically range from levels 5 to 15, depending on the types of 'wild beasts' nearby.
If wild animals were a source of meat that ordinary villagers could hunt, then wild beasts posed a threat to them, requiring villagers with some combat capability to confront them.
For instance, hunters working in the Hunter's Lodge could use bows and traps to deal with individual wild beasts, hunting deer and rabbits for leather and meat, provided they didn't encounter a pack of wild beasts. If they became professional hunters, they would be able to handle even more formidable beasts.
Additionally, military professions such as guards, sentinels, and patrols could also engage in combat with wild beasts.
The small black dots approached from three directions; they weren't simply spawning out of thin air but were the nearest wild beasts to the territory.
Under normal circumstances, when establishing a territory, if there were habitats for wild beasts nearby, they would migrate away from the Tree of Creation's range, just like wild animal herds. The stronger the wild beast, the farther it would be from the territory. Ultimately, similar to NPC towns, the farther one was from the town, the stronger the encountered monsters would be.
In terms of game mechanics, the Tree of Creation itself had a protective effect, allowing stronger animals to sense that this was their territory and to stay away.
However, the only exception occurred during territory upgrades, when the Tree of Creation would lose its protective barrier, becoming vulnerable. The fragrance of the flowers would spread nearby, driving surrounding creatures into a frenzy, compelling them to destroy it without hesitation.
The higher the level, the farther the scent would travel, which is why stronger monsters appeared at higher levels.
The wild beasts invading the territory would prioritize attacking the first living beings they encountered, namely the villagers. Once they locked onto a villager, even if that villager fled into a building, the monsters would attack the building until it was destroyed.
If they encountered no living beings, they would follow the scent to destroy the Tree of Creation.
The Tree of Creation was the most crucial core of the territory, possessing a 'health bar.' If it was attacked and damaged, resources would need to be invested to repair it; otherwise, related functions would be disabled. If the health bar reached zero, it would directly signal the destruction of the territory, turning all armies, professionals, and villagers into a leaderless faction.
Thus, Ye Bai had only brought five villagers to guard the Tree of Creation, while the others were locked in their homes, meaning all the attacking beasts would head straight for them.
However, the pack of wolves approaching from the northwest, moving the fastest, failed to reveal a single wolf in Ye Bai's line of sight—
“Clang! Clang! Clang…”
The northwest direction was designated for the future military zone of the territory, with no buildings present. As the pack of over ten wild wolves stepped into that area, they each triggered a sharp metallic device.
[Hunting Trap]
Level: Common
Hit Damage: 100-150 (+500)
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