C8 Losing 100 Million

After the last of the Giant Armored Rhinoceroses vanished from Wang Changqing's view, he cautiously gave the order for the Mechanical Legion to begin their withdrawal.

Back on Blue Planet, he might not have tangled with rhinoceroses, but he had scrapped with dogs and understood the principle well enough: intimidate your opponent, but don't turn tail and bolt immediately.

Only upon glimpsing the vast azure light barrier did he truly breathe a sigh of relief.

Wang Changqing paid no mind to Moo Niu, who appeared eager to report something, and strode straight into the Lord Hall, slumping into the steel chair with a heavy sigh.

Today had been perilously close to disaster. If not for discovering and exploiting the Giant Armored Rhinoceroses' vulnerability, he might have met his end in the wilderness. Yesterday's triumphs had emboldened him, leading him to believe his Mechanical Legion could sweep through the wilds unchallenged.

But today's encounter with hundreds of Level 5 Giant Armored Rhinoceroses brought him face-to-face with the specter of death, delivering a resounding slap that shattered any illusions of his legion's invincibility.

The day's harrowing experience taught Wang Changqing the true meaning of reverence.

Pushing aside the turmoil within, he accessed the Lord Trading Market and listed his day's haul, 25 cubic meters of meat, which fetched nearly 300,000 gold coins.

It was the second day since the Lords of Blue Planet had arrived on the Initial Continent, and the food shortage was becoming increasingly dire, driving prices ever higher.

He tuned into the world chat channel, which buzzed with activity and was rife with grievances.

"What good are these subjects? They won't let me levy grain, and now they're demanding it from me..."

"Yesterday I tried to collect grain from those wretches, and they claimed they had none. Furious, I ordered a raid and uncovered over 100,000 kilograms of grain. Those deceitful curs had the gall to lie to me. Had I not been lenient, I'd have ordered their execution. By the way, has anyone here ever dealt with rebellious subjects? Any advice?"

"Hahaha, I've fed all my subjects to the demons. These devilish troops won't touch anything but meat—no coarse grains for them. They're quite the handful to cater to..."

"Have no merchants come to your lands to gather slaves? I sold all my subjects to slave traders today. Ahahaha, I made a killing!"

It appears that many Lords from the Blue Planet still see this world as a mere game, exploiting the chaotic nature of the 'Fourth Calamity' to its fullest. Sadly, they're mistaken; this isn't a game, it's reality. The bond between subjects and their Lords is vital. Without subjects, can one truly call themselves a Lord?

Wang Changqing had a hunch that, in the later stages of territory upgrades, the number of subjects might become a crucial metric. Ignoring this issue now could lead to significant headaches down the line.

That's why he had Moo Niu, his administrative officer, establish a purchasing point for wood and stone. He aimed to create a symbiotic relationship with his subjects. With the territory currently small and the population sparse, there was no better time to establish such a dynamic. Once the territory expanded and the population grew, achieving this would be no small feat.

While the Mechanical Legion could be tasked with logging and quarrying, the effort hardly matched the yield. Leading 160 Combat Robots on a morning hunt in the wilderness could net 50,000 units of meat, valued at 300,000 gold coins. Yet, using the same robots for gathering wood and stone would only yield 1,600 units in a morning.

Not to mention, there's the critical matter of experience points, which are essential for any Lord.

While browsing the Lord's Trading Market, Wang Changqing stopped in his tracks, struck by the realization that he had overlooked something crucial.

He frantically continued his search through the market listings. After some time, he pinpointed the issue—it was the Soul Crystal, a resource he had consistently underestimated. Since he had no use for them, he hadn't given them much thought. Now he saw that Soul Crystals were even more sought after than food. While food might be slightly overpriced, it was still available for purchase. Soul Crystals, on the other hand, were a different story; the market was flooded with buy orders, yet not a single offer to sell.

He quickly navigated to the world chat channel to scour for information and at last, he uncovered the purpose of Soul Crystals through the grumblings of several Lords.

"What in the world? Recruiting a level 2 Arm requires a whopping 50 units of Soul Crystal!"

"Damn it all! A level 2 monster only drops 5 units of Soul Crystal? To take down that beast, I lost a dozen level 1 Saber Tooth Tigers!"

"Level 1 Arms are the real deal! They only set you back 10 units of Soul Crystal!"

"Any top players out there with Soul Crystals to spare? I'm begging here! My forces just got decimated, and I'm in dire need of Soul Crystals to recruit troops and stay alive!!!"

Soul Crystals, it turned out, were an essential resource for Lords to recruit Arms, and could only be acquired through defeating enemies. This led to the current predicament of them being in high demand but short supply.

"Why does recruiting consume ten times more Soul Crystals than what's dropped from a kill?"

This burning question loomed large in Wang Changqing's mind. He realized it might touch upon the fundamental logic of this world, but as of now, he lacked the power to uncover the truth. He had no choice but to file this question away, resolving to seek answers once he grew stronger.

"I think I sold 2000 units of Soul Crystal for a gold coin each when I first arrived..."

He glanced at the soaring purchase prices for Soul Crystals on the Lord's Exchange Market, then at the meager quantity of Soul Crystals in his personal resource interface. A tidal wave of remorse engulfed Wang Changqing.

The going rate for Soul Crystals was 128 gold coins per unit.

Soul Crystals in possession: 442 units.

"Ahhh! I can't take this anymore!"

"I want to chop off my hands! They've cost me 260,000 gold coins!!!"

"All that effort this morning, nearly dying, and I've barely broken even??"

With tears in his eyes, Wang Changqing listed his 442 units of Soul Crystals for 150 gold coins each on the Lord's Exchange Market. Watching them get snapped up in seconds provided a small solace for his heavy heart.

Reinvesting in a hefty stock of iron and energy, Wang Changqing embarked on a fresh wave of base construction.

"Constructing the Sniper 2 Combat Robot production line will cost 1,000 gold coins, 1,000 units of iron, and 1,000 units of energy. Proceed with construction?"

[Construction Complete!]

[To build the Destroyer 2 Combat Robot production line, it will cost 1,000 gold coins, 1,000 units of iron, and 1,000 units of energy. Proceed with construction?]

[Construction Complete!]

[Destroyer 2 Combat Robot: Energy Level: 2, Height: 4.5 meters, Weight: 3.2 tons, equipped with a quad missile launcher, Combat Range: 100 kilometers]

With a heavy heart, Wang Changqing swiftly constructed six more Level 2 Combat Robot production lines: three for Destroyers, one for Snipers, one for Butchers, and one for Defenders.

Once these six production lines were up and running, the daily output of Level 2 Combat Robots soared to an astonishing 240 units.