Chapter 184 - 125: Mercenary
[World Chat Channel (788211)]
Passerby A: "Has anyone else run into something weird? Our scouts confirmed the defending city was right there, but when our armies gathered to attack, it was just... gone."
Zhang Lv: "What? Your target city just disappeared on its own?"
Passerby C: "Yeah, it’s scary as hell!! ┌(.Д.)┐"
Passerby B: "A city over ten square kilometers, gone just like that. We only spent a little time—not even an hour—discussing how to deploy our troops and split the loot."
Zhao Zhaonan: "Are you sure you weren’t in the wrong place?"
Passerby D: "No, no, our scouts confirmed it several times. That big patch of barren land in the grasslands is right where the United Tribes’ city was."
Passerby A: "Here, look at a picture of the scene. [Image.jpg]"
Mi Qisheng: "Hiss... Is it really that bizarre?"
...
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[Beastman Race World Chat Channel]
"Fellow brethren, be careful! These enemies are too cunning. There were only a few of us lords in a joint defense, and they attacked with over a thousand lords at once. The five of us were completely powerless; we couldn’t hold them back at all."
"That can’t be right. Things are normal on my end. I’m fighting regular Human Race Lords, and we’re in a real back-and-forth."
"Trust me, man. Over 2,000 heroes showed up on our front. They didn’t care about our mechanisms, traps, or unit coordination. They just started tearing down the walls right away. Some even airdropped into the city for decapitation strikes. It wasn’t a fight."
"That terrifying?"
"You bet. The few of us have already used up one of our failure chances. Now we just have to wait for the system to reset it."
"Here, watch the recording of us getting wrecked. [Video.avi]"
"Holy crap!! That brutal?"
"Why are they all beasts? No, wait, Savage Beasts? Aren’t our opponents the Human Race?"
"Who knows? Maybe we ran into a mixed settlement?"
"The Human Race fights normally, but these Savage Beasts just have no honor. They just swarm you?"
...
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Lin Yu had no idea what a storm his corps’ first invasion had kicked up in the chat channels of both attackers and defenders. At that moment, he was addressing the soldiers and heroes of his territory.
"This invasion was a great success, but it also exposed some problems."
"The biggest problem is that some of you were greedy for glory and rushed ahead rashly, lacking team spirit and acting without orders."
"Don’t think that we’re already invincible. The Cosmos is filled with countless experts. We are nowhere near what I would call powerful."
"Even in the Lord tournament, we’ve only reached the second stage. There’s still a third and fourth stage to come."
"Among lords of the same level, we may not be weak, but we are still incapable of absolute domination."
"All of you have fought in the Cosmic Arena and the Eternal Battlefield. You’ve seen plenty of powerful enemies, so you should know the principle that there is always someone stronger, always a higher heaven."
"Remember! Never rush ahead alone. This territory does not encourage individual heroism."
"Of course, in an emergency, you must learn to be flexible and adapt. But when communications are clear and you can contact command, do not act without authorization."
"I hereby declare that those ’heroes’ who turned into birds and broke into the enemy city ahead of the main force will be punished. As this is your first offense, each of you will be fined 1,000 military merits."
"As for the ringleader, Zhu Liu, while he has the merit of being the first to charge, his merits and demerits cancel each other out. He will neither be fined nor awarded military merits."
"Remember, this cannot happen again in future invasions. If anyone rushes ahead again, the punishment will be doubled."
"Anyone who disobeys orders and rushes ahead three times this month will be barred from participating in invasions."
"Furthermore, Phantom, as their commander, you failed to stop their improper conduct in a timely manner. You will also be fined—10,000 military merits, to serve as a warning to others."
"Starting tomorrow, soldiers and heroes will rotate on invasion missions. One day will be for soldier invasions, the next for hero invasions. The Teleportation Arrays for the Cosmic Arena and the Eternal Battlefield will also open on a rotating basis."
"Therefore, tomorrow is for soldier invasions, and the Cosmic Arena’s Teleportation Array will be open."
"Phantom, create a rotation schedule for the heroes. During soldier invasions, dispatch a 200-person Hero Squad as a reserve force in case the enemy deploys powerful heroes."
The territory’s soldiers were happy to hear this, while the heroes hung their heads in shame, listening intently to their lord’s admonishment.
...
After the summary meeting ended and the soldiers and heroes were dismissed, Lin Yu opened the Teleportation Arrays to the Cosmic Arena and the Eternal Battlefield, allowing his subjects to enter freely.
He then returned to the Lord’s Mansion and took out the five Elemental Cores that Phantom had brought back.
The five Elemental Cores were only of Excellent grade: two Earth Element Cores, one Poison Element Core, one Wind Element Core, and one Blood-Attribute Energy Core.
’Sigh, if all the cores are of this quality, this month’s haul probably won’t be very good...’
Lin Yu shook his head and used the Territory Heart to place the Elemental Cores into Warehouse #8.
Just then, a private message from Li Hua came through the chat channel.
Li Hua (Private): "Hey, Brother Lin, you actually sent the same corps you used in the tournament!!"
Lin Yu (Private): "You have to show some sincerity. It wouldn’t be good if people thought I was just going through the motions. Better to do it right than to half-ass it and attract a bunch of trouble."
Li Hua (Private): "It’s definitely sincere. The surrounding lords heard you sent your Elemental Corps—the one from the final battle—and now they’re all interested in your services. But everyone thinks it’s too expensive. They’re asking if you can lower the price."