Chapter 21
【021】Special Reward
In the following moments, Tang Ruiming fought like a man on fire, killing monster after monster, each one collapsing beside him.
The Earth survivors on one side widened their eyes in shock. Was Brother Tang really this powerful?
At this moment, as if sensing their gaze, Tang Ruiming spoke directly: “Just now, Lord gave me a green card. It’s a defensive one, probably because of my good performance earlier.”
Hearing his words, the Earth survivors’ eyes went wide.
A green card!!
Only one of them had a green card, and the rest had white cards.
Now, the Earth survivor lord actually gave out a green card—without a doubt, she must have quite a few of them.
But why give it to Tang Ruiming?
Suddenly, the survivors thought back to the previous interactions. Only Tang Ruiming seemed to have the clearest intentions, always wholeheartedly protecting her. Also, during the recent battle, Tang Ruiming was the most dedicated, charging forward as if without a second thought.
Thinking this way, it was understandable that he would be rewarded by her.
However, one thought started to rise in their minds.
Did this mean that everything they did was under her watch?
As soon as they thought about it, the survivors’ faces turned pale. They had harbored some mischievous thoughts earlier, like wondering if there was a way to take over this territory.
Would the other know about these thoughts?
The more they thought about it, the more frightening it seemed, and their focus shifted away from the battle.
At that moment, a monster rushed through the front line and almost knocked them flying.
“Watch out!” Tang Ruiming called out.
By the time they noticed, it was already too late to act.
In the critical moment, a wall of earth suddenly appeared in front of them, blocking the monster’s attack.
The survivors snapped back to their senses and quickly began attacking the monster that had been blocked.
They dared not lose focus again, staying fully engaged in the battle, but there were still lingering doubts in their minds.
Who was it that saved them just now?
Soon, they had their answer. The person who saved them was none other than Gu Qing, the Earth survivor lord.
Gu Qing wasn’t just saving them, she was also helping the soldiers and residents in the battle.
She stood alongside the longbowmen on the wall, assisting the residents below.
Whenever anyone faced a life-threatening danger, whether it was her or the longbowmen, their earth walls or arrows would instantly help block the lethal damage.
With such support, both the soldiers and residents fought the monsters with incredible courage.
Especially Gu Qing’s earth walls, almost everyone knew that their Lord had already become an Earth Mage, and these earth walls were her masterpiece.
Not only had their Lord personally stepped forward to deal with the beast tide, but she was also secretly protecting them. Thinking of this, the residents felt their hearts ignite with a burning flame.
“For the Lord, charge!”
A resident shouted loudly from the crowd, and the others couldn’t help but echo with a unified shout of “Charge!” Their morale surged in that instant.
【Congratulations, host. You have triggered the morale of the residents. As the lord, the host has gained the ‘One-Strike Momentum’ skill.】
One-Strike Momentum: When this skill is used, it boosts the soldiers’ courage and increases combat power by 30%.
Gu Qing, who was focusing on protecting the lives of the residents, suddenly heard this prompt in her mind, her expression showing some surprise.
Her skills could actually be triggered through the residents? Was it because of her lordship?
She thought about it and then asked.
999 System: 【Yes, as the host and lord, you have a certain chance to gain corresponding skills through your territory or the residents within it.】
Gu Qing: 【Just like the leadership skill from the lord’s token bonus?】
999 System: 【Yes.】
Listening to this, Gu Qing’s understanding of the lord and the territory was once again refreshed.
She now better understood just how precious this territory and token were.
Heh, compensation! Such valuable compensation requires her to invest quite a bit of effort.
She reined in her thoughts and decided not to think too much about the hidden things.
Anyway, she had already unintentionally fallen into the trap, and now all she had to do was climb out of it.
Seeing that Gu Qing didn’t ask further, the 999 system quickly went silent.
Although her host was a newcomer in the quick transmigration world, her intuition was quite sharp. It wasn’t the right time to speak more, as it could risk being guessed, and the main system would punish it for that.
At this moment, the beast tide continued.
However, the shadow the beast tide had cast over the residents was beginning to fade.
With the boost from the One-Strike Momentum skill, everyone faced the monsters with only one thought in mind.
Kill, kill, kill…
Countless monsters, one after another, passed through several defense lines, slowly wearing down the residents.
Compared to the first beast tide in this territory, the scale was now controlled within a certain range.
Under the residents’ fierce attacks, the casualties among the monsters had reached the critical point for this beast tide’s scale. As a result, the monsters at the back began to “retreat in the face of difficulty.”
Gu Qing could see this clearly through her territory map. The red dots, once densely clustered outside the territory, were now spreading further apart.
The beast tide… was starting to retreat!
But the residents, still passionately fighting, had no idea.
With the enemy retreating, we advance.
Seeing the monsters retreating step by step, they pressed forward, taking full advantage of their victory.
Besides avenging their previous defeat, the more important reason was that this beast tide had brought them a rich harvest. Many residents felt that their backpacks were nearly full.
This meant that the beast tide would allow them to live in the territory comfortably for a long time. Most importantly, such an opportunity was rare. Normally, there wouldn’t be so many monsters, and with so many people around, there wouldn’t be the protection of the lord and the longbowmen… With all these bonuses, no one wanted to miss this chance.
Thus, the battle lines of the beast tide began to push forward relentlessly.
When the monsters at the rear had retreated, and the ones at the front were wiped out by the residents, everyone looked around at the empty surroundings, momentarily stunned.
“The beast tide… is over?” One person spoke hesitantly.
This sentence was like a trigger, and soon, everyone began to cheer.
“The beast tide is over!”
“It’s over! It’s really over!”
“We won!”
“Great! The beast tide is over, we’re safe!”
“I thought we…”
Some people, as they spoke, couldn’t help but cry, especially the first batch of refugees. They knew best what the territory had been like back then, and how fearful they were every day after entering the territory, waiting for the beast tide to destroy it. They also knew how many days they would have to wander before finding a new territory…
Looking back, all those moments now felt like a dream.
“Captain, the beast tide is over,” one of the soldiers leading the group said to Bart.
As the first line of defense directly facing the monsters, they had endured tremendous pressure. In fact, when the leaders were fighting the monsters, they had prepared themselves for the possibility of sacrificing their lives at any moment. But to their surprise, with the lord and the longbowmen’s assistance, they avoided multiple deadly crises. Now, although they were badly injured, they had survived.
Most importantly, they had pushed back the beast tide!
Just thinking about it made them feel deeply excited.
“Yes! It’s over!” Bart said firmly, then his gaze shifted over the crowd, looking directly at Gu Qing on the wall.
They had not betrayed the lord’s trust.
On the wall, the longbowmen and assisting residents, seeing the retreating beast tide and the excited residents below, couldn’t help but break into wide smiles.
The beast tide was over! This was truly wonderful!
At this moment, a bright light began to appear in the sky.
It was as if the light had torn open the sky, quickly spreading across the entire heavens.
It turned out that dawn had arrived.
Back in the territory, the residents who had stayed behind hadn’t slept a wink throughout the night, anxiously awaiting news of the beast tide.
Mei Li was no different. She was preparing breakfast in the cafeteria, just like usual, but her mind was inevitably unsettled.
Especially since her husband, Tang En, had also joined the team fighting the beast tide.
“It’s over, it’s over! The beast tide is over!”
Soon, she heard a loud cheer from a woman’s voice.
When she clearly understood what had been said, she became even more excited.
She couldn’t have heard it wrong, right? The beast tide was over?
Quickly, Mei Li rushed out of the cafeteria.
As soon as she stepped outside, she saw the countless cheering crowds in the territory, excitedly heading toward the walls.
Unable to resist, Mei Li joined them.
In no time, they arrived at the village gate and the walls.
The gate was tightly closed, with soldiers stationed behind it.
When they arrived, they saw the soldiers on guard slowly opening the gate.
As the gate was opened, they saw the surging crowd outside.
These people were… the brave warriors who fought against the beast tide.
They… had returned!
So… they had won!
Step by step, leading the soldiers, Bart and his team entered the territory.
At this moment, Gu Qing also descended from the wall.
When they saw her, Bart and the soldiers immediately knelt down.
As they knelt, the residents behind them also knelt, and the residents around them followed suit.
“Lord, we did not fail you!” Bart said respectfully.
They had resisted the beast tide, protected the territory, and safeguarded their home.
“Quickly, get up.” Gu Qing immediately helped Bart up and said, “Everyone, rise.”
However, Bart insisted on staying kneeling and said, “Lord, if it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be here today. I, Bart, swear to be loyal to you forever.”
“I understand. I accept it.” Finally, Gu Qing spoke, her eyes showing a hint of unknown emotion.
“Forever loyal to the lord!” Bart and the soldiers shouted loudly.
This sentence was like a bomb, and after it exploded, it rapidly spread throughout the crowd.
“Forever loyal to the lord!”
“Forever loyal to the lord!”
“Forever loyal to the lord!”
“…”
Both the soldiers and the residents were shouting these words loudly, their faces filled with fervor.
The Earth survivors, mixed in the crowd, were also shocked by the grand scene before them.
They could feel Gu Qing’s strong reputation in the territory, but they never expected it to be so powerful!
It was as if the entire population had united under her leadership!
What was even stranger was that just now, they had joined in, shouting wildly with these people.
But they had to admit—it felt like they, too, had been conquered!
Just as they were thinking this, suddenly, a system notification appeared in their minds.
【Congratulations, Host. You have assisted Qingyun Village in successfully repelling the beast tide. Experience points +1000.】
【Congratulations, Host. The favorability of Qingyun Village’s lord has reached 50. The “Villager Mission” is triggered. You must assist the lord in upgrading the territory to a city within three years. If successful, you will receive a generous reward. Do you accept?】
The Earth survivors were stunned when they heard these two notifications—they had triggered a hidden mission related to this Earth lord.
This Earth survivor, as the lord, must be the chosen one of their world, right?
At that moment, everyone had a vague sense that their future prospects were tied to this Earth lord, to this territory.
So, should they accept the hidden mission?
Of course… accept!
【Yes.】
Everyone unanimously selected “Yes.”
At this moment, Gu Qing also received a system notification.
【Congratulations, Host. You have gained the recognition of the Earth survivors. The main quest has been triggered: Recruit Earth survivors. For each survivor you gain the recognition of, experience points +10, copper coins +1, and a chance to receive hidden rewards.】
【Congratulations, Host. You have earned the heartfelt recognition of all the native residents. Reputation +1.】
【System Announcement: On February 1st, the apocalypse calendar, Gu Qing led Qingyun Village to successfully repel the first beast tide.】
【Congratulations, Host. You led Qingyun Village to successfully repel the beast tide. Experience points +10000, copper coins +50000, Special Reward +1.】
Listening to these notifications, Gu Qing’s attention was drawn to the final reward.
She had already anticipated the previous messages. At this point, seeing them no longer fazed her. What she cared about was the special reward that appeared for the first time.
What kind of special reward could one beast tide trigger?
Thinking this, Gu Qing clicked on the special reward.
And at the moment she did, a new message appeared in front of all the Earth survivors who had successfully logged in.