Chapter 50 - 039: Territory War Is Coming_2
"We really aren't lacking in food, what we're short on are condiments."
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"Heh heh, now that more and more people are arriving, there will also be increasingly more things."
"I heard that tomorrow they will even change up the offerings."
"..."
Watching and listening, there was a sense of happiness akin to the warmth of everyday human life. The dozens of people who joined today had invigorated the territory.
At this moment, Zhou Zhengping and Li Xingteng truly realized that the territory had changed without them noticing.
But, it had changed for the better!
Everyone had gradually let go of the past and started integrating into the new life of the Doomsday Game world.
Soon after, they quickly spotted Lord Bayer and others amidst the bustling crowd.
After all, it was mealtime, and everyone had put down their work—those heading home and those heading to the cafeteria were apart from the others. Those, like Yu Ziming, who continued laying stone on the road, were particularly noticeable.
Especially these few, gazing hungrily at the cafeteria, yet their hands didn't dare to stop moving.
"They're behaving so well?" Li Xingteng found it somewhat unbelievable.
"It's probably because Lord Bayer is too formidable," Zhou Zhengping pointed out the core issue at a glance.
And he was right.
After an exhausting afternoon, Yu Ziming had thought about escaping while only Lord Bayer was around, but he, alone, had handled the dozens of them effortlessly, leaving them beaten and bruised.
In their eyes, Bayer was like a Great Demon King and they didn't dare to make any rash moves.
Bayer, who was keeping an eye on them, also noticed Li Xingteng and his companions returning and straightforwardly asked, "Back already? How did things go?"
"We've taken notes, and we also discussed the roads that need to be constructed on the way..." Li Xingteng hurriedly reported with enthusiasm. From their brief interaction and the slight changes in the territory, they knew he was a decisive man and naturally didn't dare to waste time.
Bayer unfolded the map of the territory and while listening to them, his mind matched their locations onto the map. He then offered some suggestions regarding their route, "This stretch of road you're planning is too close to the Chaotic Stone Forest and the path is too flat, not good for concealment. Take a detour."
"But that would bring us closer to the Cloud Mist Forest, there are more Demon Beasts there, and they appear frequently."
"The low-level Demon Beasts active on the outskirts are actually a good training opportunity for the residents. Though the road is being constructed for the convenience of transport, we must also consider wartime conditions," Bayer reminded.
Once Bayer mentioned this, the two immediately remembered the Territory War and hastily nodded, amending their plan.
And so, with adjustments here and there, a new road was planned.
After the decision, Bayer turned to Yu Ziming and the rest, "You can go back to the Prison now."
Yu Ziming: "We can still work a bit more."
"The Experience Points you've earned from road construction are enough to cover for what you'd lose in the Prison. Rest up early; you have more tasks tomorrow," Bayer said expressionlessly.
It was then that Yu Ziming and the others noticed their Experience Points had indeed increased significantly.
Looking at Bayer, their expressions instantly changed; they were truly at his mercy.
Subsequently, they obediently departed.
After sending them off, Bayer continued speaking to the two men, "The territory has recruited 20 new Soldiers, personally selected by me. I've had them all reclassed as Archers and I'm temporarily in command of them. As for you, there will be targeted training in the barracks. From tomorrow, you'll follow my lead. Any questions?"
"No."
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"Then you all go back and rest well today, there's no need for you to stand guard tonight, come and report to me tomorrow morning."
"Yes."
After speaking, Bayer left.
Following that, Li Xingteng looked at the group of people behind him and said directly, "Since we can rest tonight, just do as you please!"
"Great." Hearing this, the crowd immediately cheered and ran towards the canteen.
On the stone-paved road, only Zhou Zhengping and Li Xingteng were left strolling leisurely.
"The territory changes visibly with each passing day," Li Xingteng couldn't help but exclaim as he looked around, filled with joy inside. Watching something grow from the ground up felt genuinely special.
"Yeah, I still remember the broken-down state on the first day," Zhou Zhengping recalled the shock when he first saw the territory built, a smile involuntarily spreading across his lips.
"I remember too. Thinking about it, it's only been a few days since the Doomsday Game, but looking back, it feels like a very long time has passed."
"It's because we've experienced so much," Zhou Zhengping reflected on the past few days. It had indeed been challenging, but fortunately, they had now weathered the toughest early period.
"Nevertheless, it's all in the past, and our focus should be on the future," Li Xingteng continued.
Facing this unknown world, their journey ahead would still be hard, and they needed to continue to strengthen their abilities.
"Mm-hmm," Zhou Zhengping nodded.
"The territory has quite the vision, expanding the soldiers' ranks again! There's even a new overall commander for the barracks. With his leadership, things will undoubtedly get better and better," Li Xingteng thought of Bayer and couldn't help but say, "But there's one thing I'm suddenly curious about. Do you think the territory and its NPCs are controlled by the system, or... the Lord?"
Hearing this, Zhou Zhengping's heart skipped a beat, "Why would you ask that?"
"From what we know of other people from different territories, their territories all have Lords, and that NPC Diana said as much," Li Xingteng replied, "I just feel like this territory should have a Lord too."
"But when the three of us came here, the territory was already here, and to date, no one has come forward. You don't think it's one of us, do you?" Zhou Zhengping casually mentioned their family in his calm response.
Hearing this, Li Xingteng directly said, "I believe it's not you. I'm just wondering, if there were one, who could it be?"
Zhou Zhengping paused, "Knowing that, do you have any particular thoughts?"
Li Xingteng shook his head, "No, I don't have any more thoughts on that. I did before, but over the past few days, I've realized that if there really is a Lord controlling things from behind, then I definitely can't compare to him, at least I can't do it as well as he does. I just suddenly felt very grateful."
"Since that's the case, why bother speculating about who the Lord might be?" Zhou Zhengping asked directly.
Li Xingteng smiled and patted Zhou Zhengping's shoulder, "Yeah, I won't think about it anymore. We just need to follow the rhythm of the territory. I have a premonition that our territory will be very strong."
"What's strong about being strong, it's enough to have the chance to develop properly. I just worry about attracting unwanted attention."
"Territory War is inevitable. If they dare to come, we'll face them one by one, or in pairs if necessary, united as one," Li Xingteng spoke confidently.
Zhou Zhengping chuckled, "Right!"
The development of the territory so far, combined with all the information they had, gave him some confidence.
At that moment, the two of them, engaged in casual conversation, were unaware that a Lord was browsing through potential territories to challenge, his expression nonchalant. In his view, those ranked below him were all easy prey, not to mention one that was so far behind.
But the thought of gaining the resources of the challenged territory prevented him from looking too far down the list.
Finally, his gaze settled on the word "Hope."
Hope, huh! He thought about how to turn it into despair.
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