ATPnovel Chapter 10: Wilderness Resource Points
Chapter 10: Wilderness Resource Points
"The Crystal Tower... can also produce [Black Crystals], what are those for?"
Shen Xing was somewhat confused.
He then took off his glasses, turned on his phone, and entered the China Pioneers Forum.
After all, it contains the experience of countless predecessors, so it must contain relevant information.
He typed "black crystal" into the search bar and quickly understood its function after a few searches.
"So that's how it is. The entire misty land is the ruins left behind by an ancient civilization."
"During their exploration, pioneers will encounter some abandoned buildings or resource points that have been shut down."
"After setting these buildings on fire using the [Lantern], they can be converted into our own strongholds."
"In addition, these buildings also produce different resources."
"For example, the Black Crystal produced by the Black Crystal Tower is an essential material for upgrading some buildings in the territory."
"There's also the 'Emerald Tower,' which produces emeralds, an essential material for upgrading troops' equipment."
Shen Xing nodded in realization, then carried the lantern closer to the black crystal spire.
"Buzz~"
Suddenly, a holy white light shone from the spire, shooting high into the sky and illuminating an area of ten meters in radius.
At the same time, a green marker appeared on the minimap, echoing the white dot on the village.
"That's good. Besides producing resources, this crystal tower can also serve as a transit point. We can rest here when we explore in the future."
"However, setting these outdoor structures on fire has a certain chance of attracting the attention of monsters."
Those high-level players will leave a portion of their forces to garrison their strongholds to prevent them from being wiped out again.
But Shen Xing obviously couldn't do that. His forces were already insufficient in the early stages, let alone sending troops to garrison the area.
Therefore, as a new player, you don't need to defend these buildings too much.
If you encounter something while exploring, light it up; how many [Black Crystals] you get depends on fate.
Even if they are wiped out by monsters, there will be no loss.
After a brief rest, Shen Xing relit the lantern and continued to direct the team to advance deeper into the fog.
Along the way, they encountered two or three more small-scale attacks by the Lost Ones, in numbers similar to the previous ones.
However, against Shen Xing's side, with all members at level 2 combat power and a three-star enhanced version of Hellroar, they were basically crushed.
After a series of battles, I obtained a total of 54 Soul Stones and 45 Vinar Silver Coins.
There are also 24 broken souls and one complete, dim soul.
This expedition was quite fruitful.
I glanced at the lamp oil in the lantern; there was about a third left, which meant about half an hour of burning time.
"We have to go back. If we continue exploring, we won't have enough lamp oil to return."
Shen Xing made a decisive decision and led the team back to the camp from another direction.
When they reached a pile of rubble, Hellroar stopped again.
"Boss... I smell the scent of a wild beast... and the smell of metal." His nostrils twitched, and his bronze-colored beast eyes looked into the distance.
"Are there still wild beasts in this world?" Shen Xing asked, puzzled, before realizing what was happening.
I do seem to have seen related records on the forum. In addition to the monsters in the fog, this world is also inhabited by some magical beasts and other races of creatures.
The fog seems to have an corrosive effect only on the lord and the troops under his command.
"Boss... the scent is in that direction." Hellroar pointed to the edge of the pile of rocks, near a raised black mound.
Shen Xing pondered for a moment, then glanced at the remaining time on the lantern: "Let's go take a look."
"Yes... Boss."
Hellroar responded and took the lead.
The other orcs followed him cautiously.
Soon, the group stopped in front of the black earthen slope.
What appeared before them was a pitch-black cave entrance.
The entrance to the cave was about two or three meters wide. Apart from a few blurry claw marks, there were also several rusty iron picks and shovels nearby.
Abandoned iron ore vein
[Level: Small]
Current status: Uncaptureable
[Minable black iron ore: 2751/6852]
[Note: This is an abandoned black iron ore vein. Many years ago, a group of dwarves mined here, but later left due to an unforeseen event.]
...
"It's iron ore? Looks like there are quite a few resource points near my territory."
This is one of the wilderness resource points mentioned in the forum guide.
The black iron produced from the ore veins can be used to forge weapons, armor, and more.
However, unlike Crystal Tower, mining veins do not automatically produce resources after being captured; instead, you need to send miners to mine them.
There is no unit called miner in Shenxing's territory.
No problem, we can buy some low-level unit nests later, such as Orc Peons and Goblin Workers, and then we can start mining them.
As for the threat of the fog, it seems that it can be resolved through some special buildings.
Just as he was about to enter the mine to explore, a foul gust of wind suddenly blew in his face.
"alert!"
Shen Xing immediately pushed the wheelchair to shield the orc in front of him.
Immediately afterwards, a huge figure emerged from the depths of the cave.
It has glossy black fur, a sleek body, and sharp fangs.
This is a black wolf, nearly 1.5 meters tall at the shoulder and about 2 meters long, with an astonishing presence.
Black Wolf
[Level: 4]
[Potential: Average ★★★]
[Attributes: Strength 24, Spirit 18, Agility 27, Constitution 22]
【Skill: Claw Sweep (Sweeps across a fan-shaped area in front of you with claws, causing tearing damage and inflicting 3 stacks of 'Bleed' effect)
Pounce (Immediately pounces on the target, dealing significant single-target damage and knocking them down.)
[Talent: None]
[Bond: None]
[Note: A solitary black wolf, it appears to have been hungry for many days.]
...
"A level 4, three-star Black Wolf is a bit tricky."
Shen Xing scanned the opponent's attribute panel and saw that his agility alone was as high as 27 points, almost comparable to Hellroar after the [Sacrifice Evolution].
Although we have a numerical advantage, we are likely to suffer casualties if a real fight breaks out.
He wanted to retreat, but the black wolf had already bared its fangs and stared intently with its eerie green eyes, clearly not intending to give up.
"We'll have to resort to tactics now."
Shen Xing's mind raced, and he swiftly gave the order: "Hellroar, flank! The rest of the orcs, hold the line!"
"roar……!"
The black wolf also completely lost its patience, and with a sudden burst of strength from its four limbs, it transformed into a black lightning bolt and pounced over!
An orc infantryman was pounced on by it, its gaping maw snapping open as it bit and tore at his shoulder.
Despite the other three orcs hacking and smashing at its back, it stubbornly refused to give in.
The wolf's ferocity was on full display at this moment.
The orc infantryman who got bitten was no pushover either.
Pain fueled his fighting spirit, and with his still-functioning right hand, he picked up the stone axe and smashed it wildly at the black wolf's head!
In the midst of the wild hacking and slashing, one of the axe blows struck the black wolf's eye.
"Awoo!"
The black wolf, in pain, finally opened its mouth.
The other orc infantry immediately surrounded them, and three stone axes came from all directions.
The black wolf was now enraged, and its front paws suddenly lashed out in an arc of light.
—A sweeping attack with sharp claws!
An orc infantryman was swept away on the spot, leaving three deep, bone-revealing bloody gashes on his chest, and almost rolled out of the range of the lantern's light.
Black Wolf, still enraged, launched another [Pounce] attack, knocking down another orc infantryman.
A level 4 three-star beast fighting a level 2 one-star orc is like a father beating his son; the difference in strength is too great.
Just as it opened its blood-red maw, preparing to bite off the orc's neck, it suddenly sensed a sharp gust of wind coming from its side and rear.
Its instinctive sense of crisis prompted it to stop attacking and prepare to retreat and create distance.
Just then, an invisible giant hand appeared out of thin air above their heads and slammed down.
"Bang!"
Black Wolf felt a thud on his head as he was slapped, his eyes glazed over.
Although the attack didn't cause much damage, it did cause it to freeze briefly.
In that instant, a green shadow swept in like a gust of wind.
The iron axe in his hand slashed down fiercely, accompanied by a piercing shriek, and struck the black wolf's neck hard!
"puff!"
The iron axe sank deep into the flesh, cutting through the black mane and the muscle layer beneath, almost severing the entire dog's head—no, the wolf's head!
Although it didn't kill instantly, the attack still inflicted a fatal wound.
The black wolf's head hung halfway from its neck, and blood gushed out like a fountain.
It staggered a couple of steps, swayed, and finally collapsed unwillingly.
"boom……"
The heavy corpse crashed onto the black ground, shattering several glittering items.
……