Night fell over Hope Village. The territory lit bonfires, and torches were lit on watchtowers and the city walls, brightening the whole area.
Zhou Bai had just returned and was a bit surprised to see the torches on the walls. As the territory lord, she had no idea where they came from.
Compared to other teams moving in groups, Zhou Bai’s lone figure stood out. Feng Lezhi, on duty, immediately recognized her. “You’re back?”
Everyone had witnessed Zhou Bai’s bravery, and being the daughter of their captain Zhou Zhengping made her well known.
“Where did those torches come from?” Zhou Bai asked first.
“A survivor named Meng Chengzhou made them last night. Each torch lasts four hours. When he was selling them, I bought some for the territory as lamps,” Feng Lezhi said with a smile.
“Thanks! Seeing the territory lit up really lifts my spirits,” Zhou Bai said sincerely.
“The territory is our home. Taking care of it is everyone’s job! Doing something for our home is nothing,” Feng Lezhi replied. Thinking of his daily wage, this was nothing.
Also, he hoped the territory would remember his contribution and promote him someday.
Zhou Bai smiled, not caring about his motives—what mattered was he did it.
After some small talk, Zhou Bai entered the territory.
The open space had become a small trading market.
Meng Chengzhou, the torch maker, was the undisputed center. Many tried making torches, but theirs were just ordinary sticks that burned fast. His lasted four hours.
“How did you make them?”
“Hehe, secret recipe.”
“Can you make them cheaper?”
“Making these torches takes time and effort, so no. I made 120 today! Only 60 left now. When others come back, they’ll sell even faster.”
“Alright, I’ll take one.”
“Me too! Can we borrow these torches to hunt monsters later?”
“Haven’t you hunted enough today?”
“No! There are so many resources outside. Early on, stocking up is key. Everyone knows it’ll get more dangerous.”
“True.”
…
Zhou Bai was about to squeeze in to buy one but was stopped by her mother.
“Don’t bother, I already bought some,” Ding Qiurou said, smiling. Seeing the dark sky, she came to wait in the territory.
Zhou Bai gave up and looked around, noticing many goods for sale.
“Bamboo tubes, fresh and lighter than stone bowls!”
“Honey, top quality, only 5 copper coins per portion.”
“Vine mattresses, tired of hard beds? Sleep well with these.”
“Various herbs, come see, some heal wounds fast.”
…
Seeing Zhou Bai’s gaze on the sellers, Ding Qiurou continued, “I bought what I could. They came back earlier and quickly made these. They’re quite useful. Wasn’t today’s resource haul especially rich?”
“Yes, many resource points appeared. Collecting enough triggers identification skill…” Zhou Bai briefly explained.
“I got a skill too,” Ding Qiurou said excitedly. “I triggered Basic Cooking while making food. Others making bamboo tubes triggered Basic Crafting. That Meng Chengzhou triggered Basic Woodworking…”
Ding Qiurou knew many skills well, clearly having put in effort.
“Thanks, Mom.” With her mother’s info, Zhou Bai saved much trouble.
Otherwise, she’d have to manage everything alone and miss chances.
“We’re a team. You and Dad earn money; I keep pretty and handle logistics.”
Knowing life in the territory didn’t have to rely on fighting, Ding Qiurou no longer insisted on strength through combat. She gathered info and saw time flying.
She realized a strong territory was like building a city—every part needed to work together for the whole to thrive.
For example, fighters hunted monsters and had no time to make tools. Now, dedicated makers produced goods, and fighters just bought them—a win-win.
“Good,” Zhou Bai agreed.
Just then, more people returned. One shouted excitedly, “Haha, I got seasoning today! Food will finally have flavor!”
With seasoning out, everyone rushed to surround him.
“What seasoning?”
“Hehe, salt blocks.”
“Damn, sell me some! Where’d you get it?”
“From the Rocky Forest. Few monsters there. I hung around, killed some magic wolves, got meat, and saw many stones. Figured I might as well collect. Suddenly, salt blocks dropped, but the drop rate’s low.”
“Low or not, it’s good to have!”
“How much salt do you have? Sell me some.”
“Just a little.”
“Okay, okay.”
…
Zhou Bai and Ding Qiurou exchanged looks and joined the crowd.
As more returned, the territory grew livelier, with more trading.
Skills spread widely too.
Though level 10 was still hard to reach, no one was too disappointed—they had skills, a foundation to stand on.
When Zhou Zhengping and Li Xingteng returned, the territory’s atmosphere soared again. Most had combat skills, and their boasting made many eyes sparkle.
“Tomorrow I’m not guarding the gate. I’m going hunting monsters,” Feng Lezhi said, eyes “red” with excitement.
“Remember, after 100 accumulations, you get basic skills, but effects are temporary. Work hard to master intermediate skills. Not sure how many tries that takes.”
“Got it.”
The lively scene buzzed with skill bragging.
**
Nearby, Diana and Harrison, drawn out by the noise, listened to talk of basic skills with different expressions.
Harrison sneered, “I thought something big happened, but it’s just basic skills. In my old territory, six-year-olds had these. Have humans really fallen this far?”
Diana shook her head. “This territory is different.”
“How so?”
“They don’t know where they migrated from. This territory was only established three days ago. They didn’t even know about the beast wave trial after the first upgrade. They recklessly leveled up with just over a hundred people, got invaded by level 5 monsters, but still won and passed the trial. Today is their territory’s official first day,” Diana explained. “To achieve this on day one is already strong.”
“How? Judging by their age, they shouldn’t be…” Such ignorance, especially the lord, who should be noble-born?
“So their origins are a mystery, unlike native Stan Continent residents,” Diana said sharply. “But now they’re here, part of Stan Continent, and we rely on this territory.”
Harrison: “…”
“I know your dwarf territories are strong, but you’re no longer on dwarf land. You’re undead now,” Diana emphasized.
Harrison caught the warning in her tone, grumbled, “I know!”
Seeing Harrison’s attitude, Diana softened and smiled at Zhou Bai’s family in the distance. “I just feel these unique humans might lead this territory down a different path.”
They might change humanity’s awkward status on Stan Continent.
Now, who knows how many human territories still hold on? If they fall, humans will become other races’ vassals. As a former human, I don’t want to see that.
Harrison snorted coldly, wondering what made these humans give Diana hope.
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