C18 The Gathering of the Beasts

Wang Changqing was jolted back to reality by an alert from his Mechanical Butler.

"Master, there's a significant convergence of wild creatures around the Dawn Territory. Based on intel from the Nano Reconnaissance Robots, it appears intelligent beings may be orchestrating their movements."

Gathering? Intelligent beings?

While the wilderness teemed with endless creatures, to date, only the Giant Iron Man—a type of Arm—had been identified as an intelligent species.

"Rafe, pull up the surveillance feed."

The screen before him lit up, offering a bird's-eye view. It showed dozens of wild creature groups converging on a small hill near the Dawn Territory, where five groups had already assembled.

Curiously, among these five groups, three were herbivores and two were carnivores.

Normally, such creatures would struggle to coexist peacefully, yet here they were, oddly clustered together without any sign of conflict or bloodshed.

"Rafe, mobilize the Mechanical Legion. We need to eliminate those wild creatures on land!"

There was no need for encirclement; a direct assault would suffice.

Despite being within a protective period, the gathering of such creatures near the territory was a clear threat. It was imperative to act while the protective shield was still in place.

As time ticked by, Wang Changqing had dispatched his entire Mechanical Legion into the wilderness to hunt the creatures headed for the hill, yet their numbers on the hilltop continued to rise—eight groups and counting.

Your forces have slain 275 Level-6 Wild Demonic Boars, wiping out a Wild Demonic Boar group and securing a minor war victory. You've earned 859,375 experience points and 859,375 units of Soul Crystals.

Congratulations on reaching Level 8.

Level: 8 (2,156/7,812,500)

The Mechanical Legion had once again eradicated a group of wild creatures, propelling Wang Changqing to Level 8. However, his mood was far from celebratory. As the Nano Reconnaissance Robots expanded their scouting range, a steady stream of intel flowed in. Even without Rafe's summary, the mounting red dots on his screen were a stark indicator that the situation was far from promising.

"Master, the Nano Reconnaissance Robots have reported that 326 wild creature groups have left their usual territories and are converging on Point A. The count includes 5,452 Level-5 creatures, 12,658 Level-6 creatures, 4,513 Level-7 creatures, 756 Level-8 creatures, and 23 Level-9 creatures. No Level-10 energy fluctuations have been detected."

"Clean up the battlefield immediately and withdraw to our territory!"

There was no question that this beast tide was instigated by creatures of Level 10 or even Level 11. His recent hunting sprees in the wilderness had provoked a high-level wild beast, and now it seemed intent on teaching him a lesson.

As the Mechanical Legion returned with their loot, stepping through the cerulean light screen, Wang Changqing was already there waiting. He swiftly took the spoils and displayed them in the Lord's Trading Market.

For lords who had secured their standing on the Initial Continent, even the lowest level Magic Beast Meat was a coveted commodity, second only to Soul Crystals. They were more than willing to pay for it.

Yet for those lords still scraping by, there was little distinction between Level 5 and Level 1 Magic Beast Meat; its sole purpose was to stave off hunger.

Feeding high-level Magic Beast Meat to one's Arm was a method discovered by the Lords of the Blue Planet to promote creature advancement.

Wang Changqing's frequent sales of premium meats had drawn the gaze of many Blue Planet lords. But since he seldom spoke in the World Channel, preferring to observe, his silence left the more inquisitive lords in a state of frustration.

Now, with another batch of high-grade Magic Beast Meat hitting the market, the world chat was abuzz.

"Qing, that trading deity, is back at it, selling meat!"

"I just don't get it. What kind of Arm does he command?"

"Enough guessing. It's got to be a Dragon!"

"Are you kidding? Considering a Dragon's diet, it's a miracle they can sustain themselves, let alone have surplus meat to sell! Fool!"

"My bet is on an Undead Arm!"

"I'm convinced it's the Undead too!"

Wang Changqing, swamped with problems, didn't have the luxury to peek at the World Chat. He was busy monitoring the sale of his Magic Beast Meat. In no time, all of the meat he had listed sold out, bringing in a hefty sum of resources. But these resources lingered in his personal Resources Panel only briefly before he spent them all.

He invested in building a Combat Robot production line, upgrading the Mechanical Legion, erecting defensive turrets, enhancing Territory Architecture, and manufacturing more Combat Robots...

The substantial resource expenditure paid off handsomely, yielding an impressive force of 500 Level-8 Combat Robots and 1,000 Level-7 Combat Robots.

"It's still not enough! Nowhere near enough! Rafe, keep up the hunt!"

The Mechanical Legion's skirmishes in the wilderness raged from the dead of night until the break of dawn.

In the chilly morning, with the sun of the Initial Continent yet to crest the distant horizon, the eastern sky was tinged with the palest dawn light, casting a reddish hue on the wispy clouds.

A cascade of footsteps sounded from beyond the azure barrier, and a swarm of over a thousand black specks entered Wang Changqing's view, rapidly closing in on the Dawn Territory. It was his Mechanical Legion.

The Mechanical Legion marched through the dawn as if they were mythic warriors bathed in divine light. But the pungent stench of blood and the grisly Magic Beast carcasses they shouldered shattered that illusion. If an analogy was needed, Wang Changqing thought they resembled a hellish army, emerging from the gates of the underworld, advancing over mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

The thick scent of blood didn't faze him. Having been on the Initial Continent for five days, he'd witnessed such gory sights no less than twenty, if not thirty times, and had grown increasingly accustomed to it.

The spoils brought back by the Mechanical Legion were promptly listed on the Lord's Trading Market, more abundant than the last haul. The impact of this news on the World Chat was like pouring cold water into a sizzling pot of oil, sparking another uproar.

"Has Master Changqing lost his mind? This is a slaughter!"

"Master Changqing? From now on, let's call him the Green Emperor!"

"I can see that this young man's bones are unique, suggesting the stature of a Great Emperor..."

"So, who exactly is this big shot? I'm curious if he hails from that nation we heard about..."

"He's definitely from our glorious Goryeo!"

"Nonsense! He's surely one of our own from Nihon!"

"Pfft, keep dreaming. He's undoubtedly one of our Chinese brethren!"