Chapter 25
【025】 New “Fans”
Ji Xiuwen and the others were really stunned. They had accepted that there must be Earth survivors who arrived earlier than them in this territory and had established some standing within it.
However, they never expected… that this territory had actually been built by Earth survivors from the start.
“Awesome, this is amazing!”
“Where is this big shot now? Do you know her? Did she set up the location? What’s the reason she called us here? Can we meet her?”
Meeting her—hugging her legs!
Another Earth survivor, and also from China. A big leg to cling to like this, of course, they had to hold on tightly!
But, hearing Ji Xiuwen’s words, the Earth survivors chuckled bitterly.
The first thought of the newcomers was to cling to someone for support—what about them at that time? Although they didn’t say it out loud, the others probably had already figured it out clearly.
Seeing the expressions of the Earth survivors, Ji Xiuwen asked, “What’s wrong? Is there something you’re not saying?”
“No.”
“This location was probably not set up by the Lord.”
“In this territory, we rarely encounter her. Even when we do, it’s hard to approach and disturb her.”
“The Lord is a good person. As long as we do our work well in the territory, that’s enough.”
“…”
Just a few simple sentences still gave Ji Xiuwen and the others the information they needed.
The Earth survivor who was the lord of this territory hadn’t gathered any Earth survivor groups in the territory. Instead, she allowed them to develop freely.
Whether this was good or bad, it was hard to say.
However, knowing that the lord of this territory was an Earth survivor made them all feel much more at ease.
“Is there an Earth survivor organization in this territory? Is there a leader?” Ji Xiuwen continued.
“No. After most of the teams arrive in the territory, they tend to separate for various reasons. Our previous team also broke up, and now only five of us remain. But in this territory, as long as you’re willing to work, you can live well. If you want to level up or achieve more, joining the army or going outside to hunt magical beasts is… a good choice,” the Earth survivors kindly offered their opinion.
Hearing this, Ji Xiuwen and the others felt more assured.
When something is acknowledged by someone from your homeland, you know it’s true.
The Earth survivor who was the lord of this territory was truly impressive. In just one month, she had established such a territory, and everything appeared to be running smoothly.
“When did you arrive in this territory?” Ji Xiuwen asked.
“Before the beast tide, we migrated with other refugees. They suddenly saw the upgraded Qingyun Village, and we came along with them. Refugees in this world can always see certain territories within a specific range when they first arrive.”
“Then, did the Earth survivors’ page show the map of Qingyun Village on the day the beast tide occurred? Did something happen?” Ji Xiuwen asked again.
The Earth survivors listened and exchanged glances.
In fact, they also thought that the appearance of the Qingyun Village location marker was related to the citizen task they triggered that day.
Afterward, they speculated and concluded that the territory established by this Earth survivor was their future.
However, these conclusions were based on their own experiences, and they weren’t sure if they could directly tell them.
Seeing their expressions, Ji Xiuwen misunderstood a bit and couldn’t help but say, “If there’s any information, we can buy it from you with copper coins.”
“We don’t mean it like that, but since our task was triggered, it might not be a good idea to tell you. However, the location of Qingyun Village did indeed appear after we dealt with the beast tide, and it might be related to our hidden task.”
“Hidden task?”
“We can only say the hidden task is related to this territory.”
“Thanks, that information is enough,” Ji Xiuwen quickly replied.
He didn’t press the issue any further and shifted the conversation, “So, can I ask what you’re doing in the territory right now?”
“We’re just gathering a team to hunt magical beasts, gain experience, and level up. We feel that leveling up is more important for us.”
“What about the other Earth survivors?”
“Right now, most of them are the same as us, just accumulating experience to level up. The strongest one should be Brother Tang. He’s already successfully entered the soldier team, and now he manages some people. After joining the army, his leveling speed is very fast. If nothing unexpected happens, he’ll soon become a professional!”
“A professional? Isn’t that level 10? That quickly?” Ji Xiuwen couldn’t help but ask.
Thinking about how he had worked so hard to level up and was only at level 6, with most of his team still at level 5, the difference was huge!
“That’s a real big shot!”
“The true big shot should be the Lord. She’s already a professional! It’s just that we don’t know how far she’s leveled up recently,” the Earth survivors said, and their expressions showed admiration.
“Have you seen her in action?”
“Yeah, during the beast tide.”
“Was she a powerhouse, fighting everywhere?” Ji Xiuwen asked, and the others immediately became excited, as if they could imagine the scene.
“No, she wasn’t at the forefront, but she [efn_note]”The backbone for everyone” means that someone is the crucial support or foundation for a group, providing strength, stability, or guidance in difficult situations. [/efn_note]became the backbone for everyone. With her there, the army’s morale was steady, everyone felt safe, and the confidence was overflowing,” one of the Earth survivors who had participated in the battle couldn’t help but speak up, his mind filled with the scene from that time. Even now, recalling the image after the beast tide retreated, he felt… passionate.
Then, Ji Xiuwen and the others learned everything that Gu Qing had done from these Earth survivors.
As they listened, their eyes grew brighter.
She was a mage! Although of the earth element, she was still dazzling when used effectively!
Suddenly, just as they were about to inquire more about Gu Qing, they received a notification from the system.
【Congratulations, host. Your favorability with the Lord of Qingyun Village has reached 50, triggering the citizen task. Assist the Lord of Qingyun Village in upgrading the territory to a city within three years. Successful completion will grant a generous reward. Do you accept?】
Ji Xiuwen naturally heard the notification.
He froze for a moment, then immediately asked, “Did you guys get the notification?”
Ji Xiuwen wasn’t sure if everyone in the group had received it, but he was the first to ask.
Ji Xiuwen’s companions listened and nodded.
At this moment, Ji Xiuwen turned to them and asked, “Is the hidden task you mentioned the citizen task?”
“Yes, you’ve received it. That quickly?”
“Just a few words, and your favorability with the Lord is already this high?”
The Earth survivors found it somewhat unbelievable.
Didn’t the attitude of these fellow countrymen change too quickly? Did they accept it so fast?
“Is that not possible? This territory really is quite good,” Ji Xiuwen replied with a question.
“Have you been to other territories?”
“Yes, we stayed in one territory, but it was a small one, not much bigger than Qingyun Village. They charged an entry fee just to get in, and an overnight fee to stay. For the entry, we paid the fee, and once inside, it was lively, but the liveliness was someone else’s. The ordinary residents were living in hardship, and we almost got robbed in the territory. Fortunately, we were cautious, and there were many of us, so they didn’t succeed. You can imagine how chaotic that territory was! Of course, they saw us as refugees and thought we were easy to bully. Later, we learned that the residency requirement there was that you had to be a professional, so we gave up. However, one Earth survivor didn’t give up. They used their skill card to pretend to be a professional but were quickly exposed. Afterward, they disappeared, and we were scared. We didn’t dare to stay and fled, eventually arriving here. After just a little understanding, we knew that this territory was different from the previous one.”
“Now I finally understand what’s different. It’s because… the Lord is different, and the philosophy is different.”
Ji Xiuwen spoke at length, expressing his honest thoughts. The other companions nodded and agreed.
“Later, we heard from other refugees that the situation in that territory was common, because there were too many people. Sometimes, in the eyes of the lords, people become worthless. As long as they are willing, a resident might disappear, but soon there would be countless refugees queuing up behind.”
“After leaving that territory, we planned to find a temporary one to live in, keep the secret of our skill card, and level up by fighting monsters in the territory. We’d wait until we became professionals and then make a better choice. Later, we followed other refugees to another territory, planning to fight monsters and survive the beast tide. However, when the beast tide came, that territory did manage to survive, but many people died. At that time, we received the location for Qingyun Village, a territory given by the Doomsday system. We subconsciously thought this territory would be better, so we packed up again and set out.”
“When we arrived at this territory, just by learning a little, we knew this was a place where we could stay for a long time. Plus, the Lord of this territory is also an Earth survivor, so it’s highly unlikely they’d cause chaos. With everything you said, isn’t it normal that our favorability is high?”
Ji Xiuwen and his companions shared their thoughts and experiences with the Earth survivors in front of them.
They could tell that these survivors most likely hadn’t been to other territories or seen the darker side of other lands, which was probably why they had such doubts.
They really were… a lucky bunch!
“Is Qingyun Village the first territory you’ve stayed in?”
“Yes.” The Earth survivors exchanged glances, nodded, and although they hadn’t arrived at the territory earlier than Ji Xiuwen and the others, they had really never been to any other territories. When they first arrived in this world, it was on a deserted outskirts, and they ended up in Qingyun Village purely by chance.
Compared to the experiences Ji Xiuwen’s group had gone through, they could be considered lucky.
Perhaps it was because of this luck that they, the first group to arrive in this territory, became overly self-assured.
Looking back now, they all thought of one thing: we were so foolish back then!
Ji Xiuwen, observing the looks of regret on their faces, silently began to calculate in his mind. The expressions of these people showed embarrassment, and since they were among the first Earth survivors to arrive at the territory, and they had an unusual expression when mentioning the Lord, it was very likely that they had some kind of encounter with the Lord of Qingyun Village when they first arrived.
After understanding the situation, Ji Xiuwen didn’t say much more, and instead subtly shifted the conversation to other topics.
With the cooperation of Ji Xiuwen and his companions, they managed to gather more information about the territory from the mouths of these survivors.
After a while, once they had finished eating, Ji Xiuwen and the others parted ways with the survivors.
As they stepped out of the cafeteria, Ji Xiuwen turned to his companions and said, “Brothers, the Earth survivors ahead haven’t yet begun to make their move. Now, I have a plan…”
The others looked at Ji Xiuwen, their eyes gradually filling with trust.
At the same time, Gu Qing also received a system notification.
【Congratulations, host, Earth survivors’ recognition +1, experience +10, copper coin +1.】
【Congratulations, host, Earth survivors’ recognition +1, experience +10, copper coin +1.】
【……】
After hearing the system notification, Gu Qing paused for a moment, then looked at her screen.
At that moment, she immediately noticed the changes in the situation within her territory.
There were actually quite a few more Earth survivors in her territory?
Curious, Gu Qing glanced at the Earth survivors’ list and immediately saw that the ranking had changed. A “new” person had jumped straight to second place.
This person’s name was—Ji Xiuwen.