Chapter 40: Successful Defense, Massive Gains!

Ruined walls, collapsed stone houses, and scattered agricultural tools lay crushed beneath the tender green grass. Though trampled, the grass remained delicate and full of vitality, adding a touch of greenery to this tragic battlefield.

...

Feng Zhong and the Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King could be described as having suffered mutual damage; they were evenly matched, neither truly prevailing over the other.

His leather armor was shattered, blood flowed steadily, and his large mouth gasped heavily. His resolute face was mottled with bloodstains—it was unclear whether they were Feng Zhong's own or those of the Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King's...

Opposite him, the Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King was also in a dire state. Despite its massive size, its snow-white fur was splattered with blood. Several massive wounds caused it to grimace in pain. Although both were heavily wounded, in terms of how long it would take for their blood to run dry, the Wolf King held a decisive advantage over Feng Zhong.

Watching the Wolf King across from him, with its blood-stained maw wide open and its long, crimson tongue flickering as it gasped for air, Feng Zhong knew that if he engaged in a war of attrition, he would certainly lose. He had to find a way to kill it with a single strike.

Feng Zhong’s eyes glared intensely, his mind racing with sharp calculations.

The Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King’s large, bell-like eyes were bloodshot and hungry for slaughter, and a majestic, ferocious aura radiated from it. It truly lived up to its title as the King of Wolves—fierce and unyielding!

Previously, during the battle, Feng Zhong had intentionally exposed openings in hopes of taking the Wolf King down in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, the beast's keen predatory intuition had sensed his intent; it hadn't fallen for the trap and had even lured Feng Zhong into a counter-attack, adding another wound to his body.

After a moment of thought, Feng Zhong decided that the only way was to trade his own injury for the beast's life. No time to lose. Charge!! Kill!!

After all, the Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King had already been crippled in one leg; Feng Zhong could use his advantage in speed to trade blood for life.

Feng Zhong struck first, sweeping his Yellow Spring Spear violently to force the Wolf King back slightly, then lunged forward to close the distance with the massive creature.

The Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King assumed this human wanted to engage in close-quarters combat again and did not maintain much vigilance. After all, its melee combat was highly advantageous, and its Wolf Essence had been exhausted, leaving it unable to fire wind blades.

Seeing the human attempting to close in, the Wolf King lunged forward suddenly, intending to tackle him and crush his throat with its sharp teeth.

Feng Zhong seemed to have anticipated this sudden pounce. However, he had no intention of letting the Wolf King bite his neck. He tilted his body slightly, offering his shoulder as bait. With calculated intent against an unsuspecting foe, the Wolf King's sharp teeth sank into Feng Zhong's shoulder. Although the beast sensed something was wrong, it felt that heavily wounding this human was well worth the cost.

However, just as the Wolf King's teeth bit into the flesh, Feng Zhong executed a whirlwind spear rotation, aiming to pierce through the Wolf King's jaw to deliver a killing blow.

Unfortunately, the sudden sense of mortal crisis made the Wolf King's fur stand on end. It actually managed to retract its blood-stained maw and the teeth already embedded in Feng Zhong's flesh, abandoning the chance to heavily wound the human.

The Wolf King's eyes turned sideways as it spread its front claws, using its tough talons to block the Yellow Spring Spear. *Clang!* A piercing sound, like metal colliding, rang out. Feng Zhong's offensive was once again broken by the Wolf King.

But it didn't matter; Feng Zhong had planned for this. As the Wolf King moved to defend, Feng Zhong simultaneously gathered strength for a leap. Using the impact of the claws against the spear, he surged upward with extreme speed, leaping onto the Wolf King's back.

The sense of impending death flooded the Wolf King's mind once more, causing it to panic. Unfortunately, it could no longer mount a defense in time. It could only widen its eyes and let out a roar, as if this were its final howl in this world.

Not letting a single advantage slip, Feng Zhong seized the rare opportunity. He braced his hands, gripped the spear tightly, and thrust with all his might. The sharp Yellow Spring Spear pierced directly into the Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King's skull, splashing blood like blooming crimson roses—ghastly and beautiful.

"Awoooo..." With a long wail, the mighty Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King finally collapsed.

Feng Zhong leaned against the shaft of his spear, gasping heavily. After the prolonged battle, his body was exhausted, and the intense concentration and ferocity of the fight had left him drained.

The rest of the wolf pack, seemingly hearing the death wail, began to slowly retreat. However, the soldiers would not miss the chance to strike a cornered foe, attacking ruthlessly and sparing not a single Moon-Howling Wolf!

A broken fragment of the Wolf King's tooth remained embedded in Feng Zhong's flesh...

As the Wolf King fell, four glowing cyan pouches rose from beside its body. Feng Zhong, expressionless, collected them without a word.

After Feng Zhong killed the Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King, a system notification rang in Lin Mu's ear

"Ding!"

"—System Notification: Congratulations to Lord Lin Mu. As your territory is the first in the world to kill a King-level Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King, you have achieved a hidden achievement. System rewards: +1000 Reputation, one Special Skill Book, and +1 to all Basic Attributes."

"—System Notification: Lord Lin Mu, as your territory is the first in the world to kill a King-level Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King, you have achieved a hidden achievement. The system needs to make an announcement. Would you like to hide your name?"

"Hide!" Lin Mu naturally wanted to keep a low profile!

At that moment, system announcements rang out to every player across the globe

"—World Announcement: Congratulations to player ** from the Huaxia Region for killing the King-level Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King. System rewards: +1000 Reputation, one Special Skill Book, and +1 to all Basic Attributes."

"—World Announcement: Congratulations to player ** from the Huaxia Region for killing the King-level Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King. System rewards: +1000 Reputation, one Special Skill Book, and +1 to all Basic Attributes."

"—World Announcement: Congratulations to player ** from the Huaxia Region for killing the King-level Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King. System rewards: +1000 Reputation, one Special Skill Book, and +1 to all Basic Attributes."

*Holy crap, I'm on the world news again! Haha, thanks to Feng Zhong's sacrifice! Even though he did the killing, he is Lin Mu's subordinate, so the credit for killing a King-level beast goes to Lin Mu! That is the privilege of being a leader! Simple, crude, and enticing, hehe...*

*Hard work, Feng Zhong! I bow to you! Haha!* Lin Mu was overjoyed, but he didn't attend to the rewards immediately; he had more important matters to handle.

...

"Holy shit, that scared the life out of me! A world announcement popped up right while I was focusing on the boss. Luckily I was quick-witted and used my ultimate skill to stab its backside and finish it!"

"Haha, someone in the Huaxia Region actually killed a King-level beast! I don't know what level a King-level Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King is, but it must be incredible to make it onto the world news!"

...

"Ah! Finally killed you, you beast!" Feng Zhong ignored his injuries and looked back toward the city walls to check on the soldiers.

To his delight, many soldiers were still standing on the walls, though the werewolf cavalry had dwindled. Now, it was a matter of several soldiers surrounding a single enemy.

Gradually, the wolf pack and the rebel soldiers were cleared out.

"Ding!"

"—System Notification: Lord Lin Mu, congratulations on your first victory. You have earned your first battle victory. Special rewards: +10 Reputation, +1 Command, +1% Territory Morale, and +1 Popularity."

"—System Notification: Lord Lin Mu, congratulations on your victory in this monster siege. Your territory has successfully upgraded to a Mid-level Village."

Looking at the corpses on the walls, he saw that there had indeed been significant casualties, and he sighed softly.

As soon as he relaxed, Feng Zhong felt as if his body were falling apart from the pain. Although he had the foundation of a Divine General, his current level was low, and many skills, formations, and equipment were restricted by the laws of heaven and earth. His actual combat power was only a fraction of what it could be; he couldn't fight to his full potential, which was frustrating!

Seeing that Feng Zhong had finally killed the Wolf King, a massive weight lifted from Lin Mu's heart. He was very happy. Although there were casualties, the village was basically intact. Aside from the buildings damaged during the fight between Feng Zhong and the Wolf King, everything else was well-preserved and only needed minor repairs to return to normal.

Lin Mu began ordering his subordinates to find physicians to treat and settle the wounded soldiers.

Lin Mu personally conducted a count: out of 3,000 soldiers, 79 had died and 128 were wounded, with over 20 of them being disabled and unable to continue military life.

Overall, it was a loss of over a hundred men.

For a first battle, such casualties were quite heavy. These were the core strength of his forces; losing them like this was deeply painful. These were soldiers with Grade 6 aptitude, several times better than the rebel soldiers. Every single death pained Lin Mu.

Under his leadership, the civilians in the village also began to emerge to help clear the battlefield.

Those were the families of the fallen soldiers. Seeing their loved ones' bodies, they wept uncontrollably. Lin Mu stepped forward to comfort them.

Though they had won, regrets remained. In the future, such situations might become more frequent. Lin Mu felt helpless, seeking only peace of mind.

After the fallen soldiers were laid to rest in the cemetery, the residents of the territory attended the funeral. This was the first time death had occurred in the territory, and the first time the cemetery had buried heroes.

Lin Mu instructed Chang Yin to compile a list of the fallen; death benefits had to be handled perfectly!

At the same time, Lin Mu personally visited families to offer condolences. This gesture deeply moved many residents. Lin Mu wanted to set an example; as more soldiers would fall in the future, the work of providing compensation and comfort had to be done well. While it wouldn't earn him great merit, it would bring him peace of mind.

Lin Mu also wanted to make this act of personal condolence a cultural norm for the territory—a way to honor the tragic glory of martyrs in their hometown.

Of course, in the future, such tasks would have to be handled by specialists; he couldn't do it forever, even if it made him appear more approachable and caring.

On this day, although the village had upgraded, a sense of sorrow permeated the air.

...

A Mid-level Village didn't change much, except for the population cap, which increased to 1,000. This meant that once the population reached 1,000, it could upgrade to a High-level Village, which Lin Mu upgraded without hesitation.

"Ding!" A pleasant sound rang out.

"—System Notification: Congratulations to Lord Lin Mu. Your village has successfully upgraded to a High-level Village. As the second player in the Huaxia Region to upgrade to a High-level Village, you have received one Yellow-grade [Nuwa Treasure Chest]."

When he upgraded from Primary to Mid-level, he didn't know what rank he was, but he received no rewards. But upgrading from Mid-level to High-level yielded a Yellow-grade Nuwa Treasure Chest. Not bad!

Upgrading from a Mid-level to a High-level Village does not trigger a monster siege; that only happens when upgrading from a High-level Village to a Primary Town.

Having experience, Lin Mu was not as cautious as other players.

A High-level Village didn't change much for Lin Mu's God-level village; the area of his territory was not limited by its level and could expand infinitely.

The population requirement for a High-level Village was 10,000.

The heavily injured Feng Zhong went to rest, and Lin Mu was also exhausted. However, after the upgrade, Lin Mu took out the four cyan pouches dropped by the Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King to see what rare items were inside.

Gray, White, Green, Blue, Purple—Cyan was third in the hierarchy, so it should be decent!

The cyan pouches were much more exquisitely crafted, featuring faint, shimmering patterns that added a sense of mystery to them.

Opening the first cyan pouch, Lin Mu found an ancient, weathered token

Name: [Ancient Soldier's Talisman] Grade: Black Grade Type: Item Attribute: Soldier Storage Space, can hold 100 soldiers. Description: Ancient. To solve the problem of soldier transport, countless ancestors explored and finally invented a spatial talisman capable of storing soldiers. This is ancient technology; it is unknown if it has been lost to time. If obtained, cherish it well!

It was actually an Ancient Soldier's Talisman! Haha, this was extremely rare, much like the legendary Great Summoning Spell. It could summon 100 soldiers out of thin air, though they had to be stored in advance to be summoned when needed, making it incredibly convenient.

Furthermore, the space inside the talisman was unknown; once stored, the soldiers remained in a sleeping state.

This type of talisman could only hold native soldiers; players could not be stored within it, for some unknown reason.

*Not bad, not bad. With this talisman, it's like having 100 personal bodyguards, haha!*

After the surprise of the first pouch, Lin Mu was even more eager for the remaining three.

He impatiently opened the second cyan pouch

Name: [Blood Coagulation Pill] Production Blueprint Grade: Yellow Grade Type: Alchemy Recipe Attribute: Allows one physician of Mid-level or higher to learn how to craft Yellow-grade Blood Coagulation Pills. Description: The Blood Coagulation Pill, when consumed, helps recover ordinary internal and external injuries and can be used during combat. Required materials: Hemostatic Grass, Coagulation Flower, Ginseng??? *Haha, it's actually a recipe for recovery items! This is on the same level as the Encyclopedia. It allows a physician in the clinic to learn how to make Blood Coagulation Pills. Unfortunately, it's just a blueprint that can only be learned by one physician.*

However, this was infinitely better than those basic hemostatic pills or powders. It seemed that ordinary internal and external injuries would no longer be an issue.

He would have to let the highest-level physician in the territory learn this recipe; the higher the professional grade, the higher the success rate and the greater the yield. It was much better than only knowing how to make basic hemostatic powders.

The tier was average and the recovery power was average, so it likely wasn't as good as a Yellow-grade Blood Coagulation Pill. Moreover, the herbs in the recipe should all be available; Lin Mu couldn't see the later ingredients, which were marked with question marks—likely only visible to a qualified physician.

With this, the wounded soldiers from today would recover much faster. Lin Mu hurried toward the clinic.

*Everything is good stuff! It seems the drops from the Moon-Howling Silver Wolf King are indeed extraordinary!* Walking and checking, Lin Mu opened the third cyan pouch.

Opening the third pouch, Lin Mu obtained a token—it was a Village Building Order!

However, this was a Black-grade Building Order, which wasn't very useful to Lin Mu; his God-level territory didn't need to expand through subordinate villages.

Since he had no immediate use for it, he tossed it into his backpack to sell for money or other items when he had time.

As for the last cyan pouch, after opening it, Lin Mu obtained a talisman

Name: [Divine Grant Talisman] Grade: Black Grade Type: Territory Attribute Item Attribute: After using this Divine Grant Talisman, the player's territory can gain one buff attribute. All work efficiency within the territory increases by 20% for one month. Description: A gift from the gods, its functions are heaven-reaching and all-encompassing. Of course, some may have poor attributes; the fortune lies with you.

It was actually a Divine Grant Talisman!

These "Divine Gifts" were items that appeared frequently in the game, ranging from Lord-class items to rogue-class items, with diverse functions and varying attributes.

By obtaining this Black-grade territory buff, Lin Mu could increase the efficiency of all work within his territory. Its effect applied to the entire territory, making it extremely powerful.

However, Lin Mu didn't want to use it yet. His territory's population was still small, and various work efficiencies had not yet reached their peak.

Lin Mu knew that one year after the game launched, the system would undergo an update. That update occurred because the Huaxia Region reached 100 territories, prompting the system to release related dungeons for players to conquer. That was the first official major update! Simultaneously, important events would occur during the update; that would be the best time to use this item. Lin Mu kept this in mind.

If Lin Mu's "little butterfly" didn't cause too much of a ripple, the update should happen in about nine months. Lin Mu planned to use it then.