Chapter 117: Chapter 117

Just as she thought. Since the apocalypse began, she'd posted countless missing person notices on the forums, but they'd all vanished without a trace.

Though a little disappointed, Zheng Jing didn't lose heart. ""This is a sub-camp of Qingshan Territory, used just for farming. Only people who rent land can enter. The main territory is further ahead—just follow the gravel road to the end, then take the path we've cleared through the woods, and you'll find it.""

With that, she stepped back into the shield, the white mist hiding her from view. Shen Hao wanted to ask more about the sub-camp, but had to give up.

The group moved on.

At the end of the gravel road was the Qingshan Forest, where a well-trodden path led into the trees.

The path wasn't as neat or smooth as the gravel road, but it was wide enough for carts to pass without trouble.

This time, they finally reached the territory's main gate.

The low wall of intertwined vines, the sign and bulletin board at the entrance, and the glimpses of treehouses and aerial walkways inside all made it clear—they'd truly arrived.

""No unauthorized logging! I know this rule—only Qingshan Village has something this weird!""

""It's really just five copper coins!""

For their first visit to Qingshan Village, no one hesitated to spend a few coins—how could they not go in and take a look?

They entered wide-eyed, like country bumpkins visiting a grand estate, finding everything fascinating.

By now, it was almost evening. Players who'd been out were returning one after another, and the whole territory was bustling.

Scattered treehouses, delicate aerial walkways, the softly glowing mondo grass, the occasional mushroom-headed creature darting through the grass, the wolf pack washing bloodstains by the lake, the chubby little wolves playfully nipping at each other, and the fluffy girl with a basket of black bamboo on her back, crunching away as she was surrounded by returning birds—

All these sights blended into a single thought: ""What kind of dreamlike place is this?"""

"Looking at the amazed expressions of these newcomers, the original players of the territory couldn't help but straighten their backs and lift their chins, feeling incredibly proud.

Some even wandered around the territory on purpose, pretending to be casual as they explained things to the curious newcomers, just to bask in their admiration and envy.

Old Mao deliberately picked a spot where a newcomer would pass by, carefully and skillfully digging up the roots of the Ophiopogon japonicus (Mai Dong) plant. However, his movements were slow and a bit awkward.

Sure enough, a newcomer asked him curiously what he was doing.

Old Mao glanced at them sideways. “This is Mai Dong. You know Mu Ying, right? The one at the top of the rankings?”

“Of course I know! The lord of Qingshan Village, the level 4, 99% Druid,” the newcomer replied, giving a thumbs up.

Now it was Old Mao’s turn to be confused.

Aren’t they new here? Even I’m not sure who the lord is, so how do they know?

But as an old resident of the territory, he couldn’t lose face, so he quickly composed himself. “Yeah, that’s her. She discovered this mutated plant. If you dry and grind the tuber of Mai Dong and sprinkle it on a wound, it stops the bleeding. The flowers even glow at night, and it’s super easy to grow—you can stomp on it and it won’t die. Rumor has it the berries are edible, but it’s not fruiting season yet, so no one’s tried them. After Mu Ying discovered this plant, she planted a bunch around the territory. But you can’t dig up too much at once or it’ll hurt the plant’s growth. I’m just digging up a tuber.”

As he spoke, Old Mao almost convinced himself. If Mu Ying wasn’t the lord, would she go to all this trouble to plant these things for everyone’s benefit? He snuck a glance toward the lakeside. Amazing!

By the lake, Mu Ying—who had excellent hearing and wasn’t far from Old Mao—was full of question marks. Where did they get the evidence? Was her identity as lord really exposed just like that?

She looked at the wolves still grooming themselves, and at the little wolf pup tugging at her pants leg, trying to get her to leave. With a single motion, she transformed into her wolf form.

As long as she was a wolf, she couldn’t speak human language, so she didn’t have to worry about being questioned.

The “lord” they were talking about was Mu Ying—what did that have to do with her, a white wolf?

Mu Ying felt relieved.

She secretly wondered how her identity had been exposed. She never would have guessed it was all because Jiu San had a loose tongue. Otherwise, she’d never have brought him over.

At that moment, Jiu San, who was working on modifying and expanding an empty treehouse in a prime spot, suddenly shivered.

“Resident ID cards? Official residents exempt from entry fees?”

“Long-term recruitment at the quarry camp?”

“Livestock camp buying thornball grass?”

“Mushroom Folk Theater’s nighttime movies?”

“Public vegetable garden, free for moderate use?”

The newcomers who arrived on the first day had only one thought: These are all territories, so why is yours so amazing? How could anyone bear to leave?

Still, they couldn’t bring themselves to rent a treehouse, so they set up tents by the lake where there were fewer treehouses.

Rumors about her being the lord grew more and more rampant, and Mu Ying finally gave up hiding. Well, so be it—they know now, and she was about to reach level five anyway.

Now that she was skilled with both bow and sword, she wasn’t afraid of being ganged up on.

Unlike before, when all her combat power depended on Druid spells, her fighting style had become much more versatile. She actually used Druid attack spells less often now, and those support spells had become her new favorites.

She was already in the habit of buffing herself before heading out: Barkskin, Longstrider, Spider Climb, Attribute Enhancement—the whole set.

These spells all lasted for hours, so casting them once would last her half a day.

So she didn’t have to worry about running out of mana and being left helpless.

With her wolf form’s natural weapons, her human form’s swordsmanship and archery, plus Green Witch magic, and even a flying broomstick, her endurance in battle and ability to escape were both top-notch.

Looking at the rankings, with the second place player only at level 3, 85%, the threat from other players wasn’t that great anymore.

What’s more, based on the stats from the resident ID cards, there were only nine official residents. Excluding Professor Su, Professor Du, and Liu Luoluo—who got their status through work—only six people had earned official residency through the rankings.

Of those, aside from herself, she knew Huo Shaobai, Nie Ying, and Li Wei—all trustworthy people. The other three she wasn’t familiar with, but they had little influence in the territory and were at the bottom of the rankings, liable to drop off at any time.

So the threat within the territory was minimal.

“Boss Mu, are you okay?” Liu Luoluo came running over anxiously, lowering her voice.

Mu Ying shook her wolf head and quietly knocked over the little silver cub sitting on her paw.

“Sigh, I don’t know how the rumor spread, but don’t worry. If anyone tries anything against you, I, Liu Luoluo, will be the first to object,” Liu Luoluo said, raising her voice.

“Just look at other private territories and you’ll see—not everyone can be a good lord.

Ling Tian Village in the capital may be cheap, but they can’t even open sub-camps, and players with weak combat power can barely fill their stomachs there. Not to mention Luoxia Camp—the lord doesn’t even let outsiders in, treating it like a private manor. The worst is Feihong Village, where the lord is a total tyrant. Players there are less free than those in unclaimed camps.

Anyway, I think our Qingshan Village is the best—great development, great atmosphere, lots of opportunities, and so many adorable animal companions. Not just anyone could pull this off. Even if the lord could be replaced, no one could do a better job than Mu Ying!”

“Well said! I support Mu Ying too!” Huo Shaobai and his teammates stepped forward.

“Mu Ying!”

“Mu Ying!”