Strongest Lord by Opening Blind Boxes

Chapter 334: Chapter 259: S-Class Eco-Core

Qiao Meng left the County Yamen and his own territory. Alone and on horseback, he sped straight for Huaguo Mountain.

Before leaving, however, the County Magistrate posted a public notice. It announced the imminent appearance of a Void Rift and the impending invasion of an army from the Otherworld. He also ordered the populace to evacuate and stay far away from the County Yamen.

’I, Qiao Meng, am just a small fry with limited ability. I’m not cut out to be a Chaos Lord, and I’m probably an incompetent County Magistrate, too. An ordinary person like me probably won’t earn that great lord’s favor... When I get to Huaguo Mountain, even if I have to kneel and kowtow, as long as I can get them to send troops and save Kaiyuan County, as long as my three wives can be safe, I’ll be satisfied.’

Qiao Meng was filled with trepidation. He hoped Wang Yi would send troops to help him defend Kaiyuan County, but he couldn’t think of any reason why he would. He felt this trip to Huaguo Mountain would most likely be for naught.

He had already prepared himself to become an Adventurer. He just felt terribly sorry for his three wives, as well as for all his subordinates at the County Yamen.

Qiao Meng wasn’t a skilled rider, so his pace wasn’t very fast. It took him the entire morning to reach Eggshell City’s East City Gate.

He couldn’t go any farther. Today’s Eggshell City was no longer the open territory it once was. Walls had been built around it, with Guards posted on all sides. It wasn’t easy for an ordinary person to enter the city.

The East City Gate, moreover, was not usually open. People traveling to and from Eggshell City mostly used the South City Gate!

Qiao Meng obediently announced his identity before the gate, submitted to questioning, and then waited for his arrival to be announced. He even knelt before the Guards defending the gate of Shanhai Pass, offering them Gold Coins as he said, ”My good sirs, the Void invasion is a matter of extreme urgency! I hope you can pass on my message as quickly as possible. I am Qiao Meng, the Kaiyuan County Magistrate, and I thank you on my knees!”

The ones standing guard at the foot of Shanhai Pass were merely new recruits to the Civilian Militia who had only recently completed their training. Seeing a County Magistrate kneel before them, they dared not be slow to act.

”You wait here, I’ll go and report this!”

One of the militiamen hurried off to make the report. He had no access to the higher-ups, so he ran toward the General’s Camp. The person he had to consult was Yang Dazhuang.

Yang Dazhuang was the current head of the Civilian Militia.

This Yang Dazhuang was feeling rather frustrated. He was one of the original militiamen, having trained alongside people like Yang Qingniu and Zhang Lengzi.

But now, Yang Qingniu was practicing Cultivation, Zhang Lengzi had become the Chopping King, and even Hu Fenqiu and Zhang Mazha had gotten lucky. The Lord, their big boss, had gifted them divine items, and they had reclassified into a Holy Light Knight and the King of Heavy Strike, respectively.

The four of them had, for all intents and purposes, left the Civilian Militia and entered the Military Department.

Of their original batch of militiamen, only Yang Dazhuang had yet to receive a fortuitous opportunity. Though he was now the head of the Civilian Militia, wielding considerable power and looking quite impressive, Yang Dazhuang himself was not satisfied. He didn’t care whether he entered the Military Department or not; what he truly longed for was to reclassify.

When he heard the Kaiyuan County Magistrate was kneeling outside Shanhai Pass, begging for an audience with the big boss, Yang Dazhuang dared not delay. He personally rode a Rock Giant Scorpion to the Eco-Castle to report. Just as he arrived at the First Dining Hall, he saw Wang Yi ”hitching a ride.”

”Big Boss!” Yang Dazhuang hurried forward and bowed. ”Reporting to the Big Boss, the Kaiyuan County Magistrate is at the East City Gate, kneeling and begging for an audience. He says there’s a Void invasion, and it’s extremely urgent...”

”The Kaiyuan County Magistrate, Qiao Meng? He’s here to ask for reinforcements, I assume.”

Wang Yi’s impression of Qiao Meng was actually quite good. He thought for a moment, then said, ”Dazhuang, bring the Kaiyuan County Magistrate to the First Dining Hall and have him wait for me there. Tell him not to worry about a thing.”

”Yes!”

Yang Dazhuang bowed and withdrew.

Wang Yi quickly repaired his Bronze War Chariot, then hurried toward the Wukong Dojo.

In truth, he hadn’t been back from Yamero Star for long. He had just finished placing two Starlight Arch Bridges and was on his way to the Wukong Dojo to upgrade his Eco-Core.

As for the reason for Qiao Meng’s visit, Wang Yi had guessed it immediately.

’I could use this Kaiyuan County Magistrate for an experiment...’

Wang Yi mused silently, then turned and entered the Giant Crab Camp.

The Giant Crab Camp was the temporary base for the Western Factory Brocade Guard. There, Wang Yi mobilized them and summoned Governor Wadu, telling him, ”Wadu, go to the Eastern Depot and find Hai Zhongxian. Mobilize some of the Eastern Depot’s experts, then take the Brocade Guards from both the East and West Depots to Kaiyuan County. Deal with the upcoming Void invasion, guard the government yamen, and protect the populace. Go, quickly!”

”Yes, Boss!”

”Also, remember this: after you’ve repelled the Void invasion, find Kaiyuan County’s Heart of Chaos and... destroy it!”

”Yes!”

Wadu accepted the command and immediately led a team toward Kaiyuan County. His loyalty, much like his energy reserves, was always full, and he was eager for a chance to prove himself.

’Sending the Brocade Guards from the East and West Depots should be more than enough to defend against the Void invasion. Qiao Meng’s territory is close to mine. If he also survives the fifth wave of the Void invasion, his territory will expand and overlap with my own. Who knows what might happen then... Kaiyuan County can be saved, but as for Qiao Meng... he’s better off without a territory!’

Wang Yi mused silently as he opened the Sanctuary’s information panel and added Qiao Meng’s name to the protection list.

This, too, was part of Wang Yi’s experiment.

The Sanctuary could protect Players without territories. Wang Yi was very curious: if he used the Sanctuary to protect Qiao Meng, would the system still strip him of his Lord status and force him to reclassify once his Heart of Chaos was destroyed?

Wang Yi felt this was an excellent opportunity to find out.

However, the matter of Kaiyuan County was trivial to Wang Yi, and he didn’t waste much thought on it. After making his arrangements, he hurried to the Wukong Dojo and approached the Eco-Core.

”Ding! Do you wish to consume one hundred million points of Chaos Energy to upgrade the Eco-Core to S-Class?”

”Confirm!”

”Ding! Upgrade successful!”

”Ding! Congratulations, your Eco-Core has been upgraded to S-Class. Storage Compartment +1, Durability +800. You have obtained a core skill. Calculating...”

”Ding! Congratulations, your Eco-Core has obtained the Core Skill [Natural Covenant]. All residents of your territory will abide by it by default. The territory’s environment will be protected, and the speed of its ecological Evolution will increase by 100%.”

”Ding! Under the influence of the Core Skill [Natural Covenant], the territory’s residents and its flora and fauna are considered allies and are automatically in a party together. Most physical attacks from residents will not harm the territory’s flora and fauna. In certain situations, the flora and fauna may assist residents in combat. Please explore the specifics for yourself.”

As the system prompts sounded, the Eco-Core in front of Wang Yi began to glow with golden light. It expanded rapidly, and in the time it took to draw a dozen breaths, it had transformed into a massive, crystalline sphere nearly thirty feet in diameter.

The system prompts continued: ”Ding! Your territory’s core has reached S-Class. Achievement Unlocked. Collecting your territory’s information... Awarding one Territory Legacy. Calculating...”

”Ding! Congratulations, your territory has obtained the Demon Spear Knight (Original Version) Legacy. For Ten Thousand Points of Chaos Energy, you can create a Demon Spear Knight’s Reincarnation Certificate via the Heart of Ecology!”

”Ding! Upgrading the Eco-Core to SS-Class requires one billion points of Chaos Energy.”

Wang Yi sized up the enlarged Eco-Core, feeling a bit disappointed. He muttered to himself, ”One hundred million points of Chaos Energy, gone just like that. I doubt an ordinary Player could save up that much Chaos Energy in decades, or even a century...”

Shaking his head, Wang Yi studied the description of [Natural Covenant] more closely. On second thought, he felt this core skill was actually pretty good.

’The speed of ecological Evolution is doubled. On that point alone, the [Natural Covenant] core skill is incredibly powerful! As for being allies with the territory’s flora and fauna? Partied up by default? It’s a little abstract, but it must be a good thing. It probably grants a home-field advantage when fighting within the territory!’