Chapter 69 Farewell to the Mutant Camel
As evening approached, Lin Nanxing finished dinner and leisurely strolled to the train station platform.
Despite the arrival of the beast tide, the train did not stop running and continued to shuttle between the two places on time.
The spring monster rush is frequent, and monsters will appear wherever people gather. However, the territory is actually quite safe because of the damage reflection barrier and the presence of many powerful players.
However, the train track from the territory to Yunpei Town, although belonging to the Star Territory, is only protected by a regular barrier, making it a vulnerable area that needs to be carefully guarded.
Lin Nanxing sent out all the magical plants under her name.
The coriander spirits, who have long resided in the Star Territory, have, with ample water and a sense of security, developed into an entire army of clover.
These little guys may be weak in one-on-one combat, but they excel at group attacks and are more than capable of dealing with low-level monsters.
The glowing mushrooms can block the senses of monsters within one meter. During the three months of eternal night, they multiplied quite a bit, and basically every monster plant in the clover army could get two.
Not to mention the other magical plants under Lin Nanxing's command. Da Tie and Da Rong are heavyweight combatants in themselves, and Da Zui and Bao Bao both have cherry pistols specially made by Da Tie. The combat power of these magical plants is no less than the overall combat power of a small town.
The Warcraft rush is over for today, and they can go home now.
As the last train slowly pulled into the station, the first thing to rush off was an army of clover, which surrounded the coriander extract, looking from afar like a moving lawn.
"Thank you for your hard work!" Lin Nanxing greeted her with a smile, carefully holding up the cardboard box full of milk tea.
The coriander spirit immediately emerged from the clover bushes, its leaves swaying merrily. Without a word, it tried to snatch the box from Lin Nanxing's hands, but was blocked by the large banyan tree with its many branches.
Like a loving father, Da Rong thoughtfully took the box from Lin Nanxing's arms, then directed the army of magical plants to line up and collect their milk tea.
Watching from the side, Lin Nanxing felt that life was full of hope.
*
On the second day of spring, just as dawn broke, the familiar beast tide alarm once again rang throughout the territory.
Xie Yuan, with his contracted beast Xiao Hui, walked out of the barrier with a tense expression and followed the crowd toward the defensive line.
As a summoner, his contracted monsters are agile, but their direct combat power is limited. He can only stay on the edge of the battlefield and command Little Gray to ambush low-level monsters that are alone or injured.
"Little Grey, that injured Shadow Wolf on the left!"
A gray shadow flashed by, and the little hamster precisely bit through the shadow wolf's throat. After the shadow wolf disappeared, the little gray hamster's experience bar immediately increased significantly.
"Great! Little Grey, let's keep going and kill a few more Shadow Wolves, then we can level up today."
However, such opportunities to pick up bargains are rare. More often than not, Xie Yuan can only watch as those powerful tank and assassin players show off their skills outside the barrier.
After a day of fighting, Xie Yuan dragged his exhausted body home.
He was now a complete mess, sweat mixed with sand stuck to his face, his pants were torn in several places while he was dodging monsters, and he almost fell down the stairs because his legs were weak.
Just as Xie Yuan was leaning against the wall, gritting his teeth as he walked upstairs, a familiar voice called out to him.
"Xiao Yuan?"
He looked up and saw Lin Nanxing preparing to go down the stairs.
"Sister Lin!" The boy subconsciously straightened up, then seemed to remember something and shifted his position, trying to hide the tear in his trousers.
Lin Nanxing looked at him with a hint of surprise in her eyes: "Where have you been? Why are you in such a mess?"
Xie Yuan never expected that Sister Lin would see him in such a disheveled state. His ears burned, and he silently lowered his head without answering her question.
Seeing this, Lin Nanxing understood everything. Her gaze swept over the boy's tattered clothes, and she recalled the bright and spirited look in his eyes that she had just seen. She opened her mouth, but in the end, she just smiled gently: "Go back and get some rest. Although the battle is important, you must act within your limits."
"Um... um, Sister Lin, I know." Xie Yuan replied haphazardly. "Xiao Yi is still waiting for me to eat at home, Sister Lin, I'll head back now."
Watching the boy's hurried departure, Lin Nanxing gently shook his head.
She suddenly remembered something, opened the leaderboard on the system, and after searching for a while, she saw Xie Yuan's name in the lower middle section.
Shu Yi came out of his house and found that Lin Nanxing hadn't come downstairs. Instead, she was standing at the door in a daze. He gently put his arm around her shoulder and asked, "We were supposed to go for a walk. What are you thinking about so intently?"
"I just ran into Xiao Yuan."
Lin Nanxing snapped out of her reverie and followed Shu Yi's lead downstairs. Her expression was troubled. She frowned and said, "I'm wondering if I haven't been helping this child enough. The job I introduced him to has enough income for the two of them to live on, not to mention Xiao Hui's extra income. Logically speaking, he shouldn't have any financial worries."
Looking at the name on the transparent leaderboard in the sky, she was somewhat puzzled: "In one day, his contribution points are more than the average combat player. Just how hard is this guy working out there?"
This question remained unanswered even after Lin Nanxing took a walk around the territory.
Shu Yi wasn't surprised by Xie Yuan's decision. He hadn't originally planned to say anything, since it was Xie Yuan's own business. But seeing his girlfriend worried about it, he explained, "In this world, strength is the safest thing. The protection of outsiders is ultimately not as good as one's own strength. I can understand his eagerness to level up."
Lin Nanxing disagreed, saying, "But his contracted beast is so weak. Going out at this time would be putting his life on the line."
A summoner's power comes entirely from their contracted beast. If the contracted beast is weak, then the master is basically no different from an ordinary player.
Lin Nanxing strongly disagreed with this idea of risking one's life.
As she spoke, she spotted a magical beast outside the barrier. A thought suddenly flashed through her mind, and her eyes lit up: "How about I help him contract a few magical beasts?"
Shu Yi followed her glowing gaze and, after seeing the appearance of the magical beast, immediately understood Nan Xing's meaning.
Shu Yi raised an eyebrow: "Are you sure you want to interfere in the Summoner's affairs?"
In the game's rules, all of a summoner's contracted beasts must be completely loyal to their master before they can be commanded. Contracts formed by external forces may backfire on the master.
"We should at least give it a try." Lin Nanxing's lips curled up slightly, and he said smugly, "After all, I've created quite a few miracles, haven't I?"
While marveling at his girlfriend's amazing imagination, Shu Yi gave an affirmative answer: "If it succeeds, the territory might have another means of transportation."
The following evening, Xie Yuan was hurriedly summoned to Lin Nanxing's villa.
He had initially thought that Sister Lin was just inviting him and his sister to have a meal together, but when he saw the mutated camel in the yard that was tightly bound by the banyan tree spirit's vines, he was completely stunned.
"Sister Lin, you want me to form a contract with this camel?!" The boy stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Although the camel was bound hand and foot, it was still struggling violently. Its powerful body stretched the vines so tightly that they creaked and groaned, as if they would break at any moment, which was terrifying to watch.
What is most striking is its scarlet eyes, which hold no trace of docility, only a ferocious killing intent. It stares intently at the creatures surrounding it, and a single glance from it will send an uncontrollable wave of fear through one's heart.
This was clearly not a monster that a novice summoner like him could control.
Lin Nanxing stood to the side and patted the boy on the shoulder encouragingly: "How do you know you can't do it if you don't try? I believe you can do it."
This was a monster that she specifically asked Da Rong to capture on the road. Da Rong had gone to great lengths to capture it alive.
Seeing the trust in Sister Lin's gaze, Xie Yuan suddenly felt a surge of courage. "Since Sister Lin says I can do it, then I definitely can!"
Although Lin Nanxing said that, she did not blindly let Xie Yuan sign the contract directly, but instead used a more gentle approach.
It's commonly known as giving a sweet treat after a beating.
She was the one who gave the stick, but Xie Yuan was the one who gave the sweet treat.
Lin Nanxing slowly walked up to the mutated camel that was still struggling. Looking at the still frenzied monster with bloodshot eyes, she gave the order: "Da Rong, hang it up and whip it, just don't whip it to death."
The banyan tree spirit had several branches broken off by the mutated camel, and in its anger, it lashed out with its whip without hesitation.
The mutated camel let out a mournful cry, but no blood was drawn from its body, demonstrating its formidable defensive capabilities.
Even the strongest monster can't withstand the pain. After the monster was beaten until it had no strength left to struggle, Lin Nanxing pushed Xie Yuan, who was waiting beside him, and said, "Go over there."
Xie Yuan took a deep breath and, following Sister Lin's instructions, carefully walked towards the weakened monster, holding a handful of fresh hay.
Looking at the monster, which was at least level 30, the boy felt a little scared, but even so, he still tried his best to hand over the hay in his hand and said softly, "Hello... here, have some."
Lin Nanxing, who was watching warily from the side, intending to suppress the camel at the first sign of trouble, looked at Xie Yuan's actions with a face full of question marks. Is he really that polite?
The mutated camel's violent temper had subsided considerably after being beaten. Looking at the humans approaching it, it wanted to attack, but it simply didn't have the strength.
The camel, under the eaves, had to lower its head. It cautiously sniffed the hay placed on the ground, and seeing no danger, it lowered its head and began to eat.
The fact that Xie Yuan could eat meant there was room for communication, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"You should talk to it and get to know it better. I'll come back tomorrow."
For the next three days, Lin Nanxing followed the same method, first ordering the mutated camel to be whipped in front of it, and then Xie Yuan would step forward to appease it.
Lin Nanxing knew the time was ripe when the mutated camel instinctively tried to hide behind Xie Yuan the moment it saw her.
"I know you can understand. Now I'm giving you two choices: either stay with me until you're beaten to death, or go with Xie Yuan and become his contracted beast."
Lin Nanxing's cold words were like a devil's whisper to the mutated camel. Coupled with the flickering lights of the night, the atmosphere was even more frightening, and it nervously scratched its hooves.
The beatings it has endured these past few days have completely subdued it, but as a proud beast, it is unwilling to give in easily.
Xie Yuan had been observing from the side. Seeing that it did not strongly resist Sister Lin's suggestion, he mustered up his courage and gently stroked the camel's neck without Sister Lin reminding him.
Unexpectedly, yet predictably, the mutated camel did not flinch; instead, it obediently lowered its head and allowed him to stroke it.
Lin Nanxing took in this scene and said with a smile, "It seems it has accepted you. Now, prepare the contract."
Under the lord's strong pressure, the contract proceeded surprisingly smoothly.
As the light of the completed contract faded, the mutated camel affectionately nuzzled its master's shoulder, its large eyes filled with tenderness and affection.
It is quite different from its original mutated and manic appearance.
Xie Yuan looked into his new companion's gentle eyes and subconsciously touched its head. The originally hard, bristly hair turned into soft down. He looked up at Lin Nanxing, who was standing to the side with a smile, hesitated for a moment, and then asked.
"Sister Lin, this camel is so wonderful, why don't you make a contract with it yourself?"
In his view, with Sister Lin's unfathomable strength, contracting a demon should be an easy thing for her, and there was no reason for her to give him such an opportunity.
Upon hearing this, Lin Nanxing raised an eyebrow and retorted confidently, "Why should I go through all that trouble?"
She deliberately leaned closer, lowered her voice, and put on a serious and "sinister" look: "I am the lord, how can I do it myself? Look, you now owe me a big favor. In the next few days, you'd better work hard, go out into the desert more often, and try to contract more camels."
"Ideally, you could get me a whole caravan of camels in the desert."
With this level 30 camel as a foundation, it will be much easier to form contracts with other monsters of the same type.
She's a lord, she has people under her command and doesn't have to do everything herself, she's not just bored.
Hearing her half-joking, half-serious words, Xie Yuan was not frightened at all. Instead, he felt a surge of warmth rising from the bottom of his heart, dispelling the unease of receiving such a generous gift.
He clenched his fist and nodded vigorously, "Sister Lin, don't worry, I will definitely work hard to get the car team up as soon as possible!"
The spring beast tide no longer poses a threat thanks to the Star Territory's tight defenses.
Xie Yuan currently possesses a high-level monster with high combat power, as well as a fast and agile monster that is growing. The camel is responsible for head-on confrontation, while the gray rat is responsible for sneak attacks to deliver fatal blows. With their complementary strengths, Xie Yuan's combat power has increased dramatically.
Any subtle change on the battlefield is noteworthy.
When Xie Yuan's transformation was discovered, he generously shared Lin Nanxing's method with others, sparking a craze for capturing monsters alive throughout the territory.
Most players have families, and even if they are not summoners, they always have acquaintances around them. If they can successfully tame a high-powered monster, it will be extremely convenient for both their lives and battles.
Summoner became a popular class for a time.
While other territories were still struggling to defend against monsters, the lord, who kept his achievements hidden, leisurely discovered a new source of amusement.
As per the pattern of previous years, when spring arrives and the eternal night dissipates, the swamps that formed with the arrival of the eternal night will also disappear, quickly drying up into deserts once again.
But this year, these areas that were originally swamps have not turned into sand; instead, they still retain the texture of moist soil and are covered with many unknown wild vegetables.
The game mechanics dictate that as long as the game sets the area to be muddy soil, the extreme heat and harsh environment will not force it to become desert.
The plants on the muddy ground were not available in Lin Nanxing's system shop. Her biggest pastime lately was to carry a small bamboo basket and search for and identify these naturally growing wild vegetables on the edge of the swamp during the intervals between beast tides.
After systematic testing, these wild vegetables that sprouted from the swamp were found to be non-toxic and usable. Lin Nanxing tasted them and found them to be even more delicious than carefully cultivated vegetables.
Shu Yi would sometimes accompany her, but most of the time he stayed on the watchtower to monitor the territory's surroundings in case of any unexpected events.
The sun was shining brightly that day, and Lin Nanxing, as usual, took Baobao out to dig for wild vegetables.
“This is shepherd’s purse…this thing looks like purslane, it’s also a good thing, it can treat bloating.” She squatted down and carefully dug up a tender green wild vegetable with a shovel, while Bao Bao stood guard beside her, occasionally using a nimble branch to help her clear away the weeds.
Just then, Wu Fan of the Sand Fox Caravan arrived with several of his team members.
"Lord Lin, we have come to bid you farewell." Many people in the territory already knew Lin Nanxing's identity, and Wu Fan, being a shrewd man, was no exception.
Upon hearing this, Lin Nanxing quickly stood up, patted the dirt off his hands, and asked in surprise, "So fast? Were you uncomfortable staying in the Star Territory?"
When Bao Bao saw someone coming, it immediately shrank and hid behind her.
This guy is ruthless when hunting monsters, but he's still incredibly socially awkward around players.
Wu Fan smiled and shook his head: "You're joking. This place is wonderful, so wonderful that it almost makes you forget that this is the end of the world."
He gazed at the endless desert in the distance and said firmly, "But the mission of the caravan is to travel between different inhabited places. We have rested long enough in the Star Territory, and it is time to leave once we have rested and recuperated."
“But the beast tide isn’t over yet, why not stay a few more days?” Lin Nanxing frowned, disagreeing with Wu Fan’s idea.
These days, the Sand Fox caravan members are always at the forefront of hunting monsters, and all 20-plus of them have made it into the top 100 on the leaderboard.
Lin Nanxing naturally didn't want such a fine fighting force to leave. Moreover, the Sand Fox Caravan members were now her official residents, and she should consider their safety.
"The beast tide mainly attacks densely populated towns. Small teams like ours are actually safe in the desert. Even if we encounter scattered monsters, our strength is enough to deal with them."
“This world is slowly recovering.” Wu Fan’s tone was filled with anticipation. “We should go out and see the world, and share what we’ve seen and heard here with people in other places.”
Having said all that, Lin Nanxing knew she couldn't persuade him to stay, so she wisely refrained from saying anything more. However, after thinking for a moment, she took out something she had prepared beforehand from her storage bag: two wines that Shu Yi had selected as suitable for diplomatic purposes.
These two wines are packaged in a gift box with the Star Territory Water Park logo, making them perfect for gifting.
"Since you're leaving, do me a favor."
She handed the wine to Wu Fan, saying, "Whenever we arrive in a town, please pass on this message to the local authorities and tell them that Xingxing Territory is willing to be on good terms with all parties. This will also help you establish relationships with the management."
Cigarettes and alcohol are always valuable commodities, especially in a world where water resources are scarce. With such gifts, most normal people would treat the giver with great courtesy.
As soon as Wu Fan took the gift box, he saw the system notification that the wine could only be given as a gift and not sold. He was not annoyed by this somewhat guarded move, but instead solemnly said, "Don't worry, Lord, the Sand Fox Caravan will definitely live up to your expectations."
When do you plan to leave?
"We'll leave when it gets dark; our things are all packed."
Clearly, Wu Fan's coming to say goodbye indicates that he was prepared to depart.
That evening, as the Sand Fox caravan gradually disappeared on the distant horizon, Lin Nanxing unexpectedly received a system notification: [Territory Reputation +1]
Um? !
What did she do to suddenly gain reputation points?
Shu Yi was taken aback when he heard her question, but then he understood. "It must be that your action of asking the Sand Fox Caravan to give you wine triggered the system's reputation value requirement."
Reminded by this, Lin Nanxing realized that the Sand Fox Caravan, as traveling merchants, could indeed enhance the territory's reputation by spreading the news of the Star Lord's friendly relations.
At this moment, Lin Nanxing understood once again why rescuing the Sand Fox Caravan had become an urgent, time-limited mission.
The system was indeed more intelligent and thoughtful than she had imagined.
[Thank you for the compliment, host! ^▽^]
A spring breeze swept by, bringing with it the sweltering heat typical of high-temperature weather. Lin Nanxing gazed in the direction the caravan had gone, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Let's go back. The next beast tide is probably coming soon, so we need to be prepared."
Although the Sand Fox caravan has left, the combat strength in the territory has not decreased. On the contrary, because spring is a good time for long journeys, the number of players arriving in the Star Territory every day is increasing, and many of them are new faces.
These players who came from afar were mostly high-level players, since not all players have the ability to travel alone in the desert.
"Boss, when do we make our move?" A man's malicious voice suddenly rang out from the dark corner.
"Wait a little longer." The one who spoke was an exceptionally burly man. He was surrounded in the middle and squinted at the brightly lit street not far away. "The people in this territory have just experienced a large wave of beasts. They are more vigilant than usual. Now is not the best time."
A man standing next to him, who looked somewhat frail, chuckled and said in a sinister tone, "Why do we need to go to such lengths? To catch the thief, we must first catch the king. As long as we find the actual person in charge of this territory and control him, this territory will naturally be ours."
The burly man glanced back at the man who had given the idea. Although he disliked the man's gloomy personality, he had to admit that he was indeed quick-witted and very clever.
"Let's listen to him. These next few days, we'll observe carefully, gather good news, and try to take over this territory in one fell swoop!"
Meanwhile, Lin Nanxing, completely unaware of these conspiracies, sat sullenly on Shu Yi's sofa.
"Why the rush? Are you leaving today?" She swung her legs, her voice filled with obvious reluctance.
Shu Yi was packing his things when he heard this. He turned around and explained in a gentle tone, "A high-level monster's nest has been discovered in Yunpei Town. According to the reconnaissance, there is a rare mineral inside. Mayor Yun invited me to lead the team. After the mission is accomplished, the mineral will be split equally."
He walked up to Lin Nanxing and gently took her hand: "Didn't you say that the forge was running out of raw materials again? This batch of ore will be just enough to replenish them."
During this period, the people in the territory were resisting the beast tide, and the weapon wear and tear rate was rising sharply. The blacksmith workshop was about to face a situation where there was not enough material to repair the weapons.
The forging workshop is officially run, and if it lacks such basic functions, the residents will soon have something to say. Lin Nanxing has been worrying about forging materials for several days now.
“But this trip will take at least half a month,” Lin Nanxing understood this perfectly well. That kind of top-grade ore was crucial to the forging workshop. However, she and Shu Yi had only been together for a month and were still very much in love. She pouted and suddenly had a brilliant idea: “Why don’t you take me with you?”
Lin Nanxing is actually a girl who is not yet 22 years old. When facing her first love, she always unconsciously reveals her girlish coquettishness.
Shu Yi loved her look so much that he leaned down and kissed her on the lips, then cruelly rejected her under his girlfriend's sparkling gaze: "No, that nest is full of high-level monsters, and I can't be sure of your safety during the battle."
Lin Nanxing wanted to say something more, but was kissed on the lips again. Shu Yi promised, "I will come back as soon as possible and won't keep you waiting too long."
"There's no need to rush. Safety should be the priority," Lin Nanxing advised.
She only said those words on impulse; she knows her own limitations very well.
Her combat power comes from the magical plants she contracts with, but for her personally, even though her personal level has reached level 30, her only combat experience is killing monsters while standing inside the barrier.
Such experience was naturally insufficient for her to delve into a high-level monster's lair; following along would only be a burden.
However, if her attack power is weak, could she increase her defense? She has to take care of one side, right? It would be troublesome if something unexpected happened and she wasn't in the territory.
Thinking about it this way, Lin Nanxing suddenly felt a sense of crisis and realized she should start planning her gear. At the very least, she needed to be armed to the teeth with defensive equipment!
The next morning, Lin Nanxing reluctantly saw Shu Yi off on the train to Yunpei Town, then turned and ran to the commercial district, intending to put her idea from the previous day into practice.
After several months of development, the commercial district is no longer the simple place it used to be. Many shops have opened on both sides, and the second territory upgrade task was completed long ago. But the most bustling place is still the open-air market that Zhou Qisheng specially planned.
Here, you only need to pay a stall fee of 300 game coins per day to rent a standard stall, which attracts a large number of players to set up stalls.
These days, players are hunting more and more monsters, accumulating a large amount of unused monster materials. Setting up a stall is much cheaper than opening a shop, and the market is bustling with people, with shouts of vendors filling the air.
"High-grade serpent venom sac, in exchange for healing potions of equal value."
"Special quiver, with twenty armor-piercing arrows included."
Lin Nanxing stopped in front of a jewelry stall, carefully examining a necklace with defensive capabilities, when he suddenly sensed someone approaching.
A nervous-looking stranger lowered his voice and said, "You're the actual person in charge of this territory, aren't you? I have something important to tell you."
He glanced around warily and added, "It's not convenient here. Could we talk in private for a moment?"
Lin Nanxing looked at the unfamiliar face, his mind filled with doubts.
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