Chapter 2: Bonfire Upgrade, Recruiting Arctic People!
Clearly, for the talent of Eternal Power to be effective, more territory troops needed to be raised.
“It seems I’ll be developing into a Lord from now on,” Cao Xing mused.
At this moment, Cao Xing noticed a countdown above his head.
【Time until nightfall: 4 hours 32 minutes…】
【Note: During the novice protection period, no monsters will attack the camp. Remaining novice protection period: 5 days 17 hours…】
“Only 4 hours left until dark!”
Cao Xing’s scalp tightened instantly.
He knew that in this extremely cold world, the temperature would drop sharply at night.
Cao Xing looked at the bonfire in front of him.
【Camp Bonfire: Level 1】
【Bonfire Effect: Can increase the temperature by 5~20℃ in a 10-meter radius】
【Consumption】: 15 minutes/1 wood.
【Materials required for upgrade】: Stone*5
The temperature near the current bonfire had already reached -32℃, and at night, the temperature would plummet by more than 20 degrees.
Clearly, the heat emitted by this Level 1 bonfire would not be enough for him to safely endure the night.
Cao Xing then looked at a collapsed small house next to it.
【Damaged Lord’s Cabin: Repairable】
【Materials required for repair: Stone*10, Wood*20.】
Cao Xing’s eyes lit up instantly.
This was it!
Once repaired, it would unlock the territory interface, and he could go inside at night to avoid the severe cold.
However, repairing the Lord’s Cabin required materials like stone and wood.
Cao Xing looked at the surrounding snowy ground; near the bonfire, there was a pile of white stones and some cut wood.
【Stone (White): A basic material.】
【Wood (White): A basic material.】
Just as Cao Xing was about to pick up wood, he heard Liu Muxue softly ask, “A Xing, that prompt asked me to choose a profession. What should I choose?”
Clearly, this woman had already processed the system information and accepted the fact that she had come to a new world.
Cao Xing secretly nodded; her adaptability was quite fast.
“Sister-in-law, choose Aurora Knight.”
Cao Xing had a selfish reason for letting her choose this profession.
Because Aurora Knights would have many powerful buff skills in the later stages, but their effects were very short-lived.
With his Eternal Power talent, these buff effects could be made permanent.
One could imagine how terrifying Cao Xing’s combat power would be when he commanded a group of troops with permanent buffs.
Although Liu Muxue, whether in temperament or appearance, did not seem to fit with a knight.
Especially since she was wearing white stockings today.
The image of Liu Muxue later wearing armor with white stockings on her lower body made Cao Xing feel a strong sense of incongruity.
Uh… no, maybe it’s not bad?
White-stockinged knight… hehehe…
“Okay, then I’ll choose Aurora Knight.” Liu Muxue did not doubt Cao Xing’s decision.
In this unfamiliar world, Cao Xing was the only person she knew.
Cao Xing nodded, then he saw a small wooden box next to the bonfire.
【Territory Storage Box: Level 1】
【Storage Box Capacity: 40 slots】
【Note: It contains some initial supplies and tools. Please open it as soon as possible.】
Cao Xing walked over and opened it, and immediately many supplies appeared inside.
【Opened successfully: Obtained Bread*20, Obtained Iron Pot (White)*1, Obtained Stone Axe (White)*4, Obtained Stone Hammer (White)*4, Obtained Wooden Staff (White)*1, Obtained Wooden Round Shield (White)*1】
The supplies inside were for four people; the system did not deduct supplies just because they were a two-person team.
Cao Xing nodded with satisfaction.
With the stone hammer, he could start building the Lord’s Cabin, which was crucial for them to safely get through the first night.
Then he started to quickly collect nearby stones and wood, moving them over piece by piece.
System prompts kept appearing.
【Stone +1】
【Stone +1】
【Wood +2】
…
These stones were quite heavy, and after moving for a while, Cao Xing was drenched in sweat.
As a modern person, his physical fitness was ultimately a bit lacking.
However, after nearly twenty minutes of his effort, the materials for repairing the Lord’s Cabin were all gathered.
Cao Xing came to the small house.
【Do you want to start repairing the Damaged Lord’s Cabin? This repair will take 17 minutes…】
“Yes.”
Then, Cao Xing began to swing the stone hammer himself, striking with a ‘clanging’ sound according to the blueprint given by the system.
There was no other way; only after repairing the Lord’s Cabin could other territory buildings be unlocked.
Before recruiting Arctic People, Cao Xing could only do it himself.
Looking at his busy figure.
Liu Muxue was squatting on the ground, the severe cold making her hug her arms, her perfect body curves fully revealed.
She asked with curious eyes, “A Xing, do you need any help?”
Cao Xing glanced at the bonfire on the ground, then at the scattered stones and wood on the snowy ground, and nodded, “You go collect nearby stones and wood first, then upgrade the camp bonfire as soon as possible.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Muxue did not hesitate at all.
She stood up directly and began to walk outside the bonfire area.
Soon, she was seen clumsily carrying a stone over.
It was clear that the weight of this stone was a bit strenuous for her.
Liu Muxue held it in her arms, her arms red from the cold.
But she still gritted her teeth and persisted, continuing to move stones.
【Stone +1】
Her high heels were inconvenient, so Liu Muxue took them off and walked barefoot on the snowy ground, her small face pale from the cold.
Cao Xing, who was building the Lord’s Cabin, did not stop her.
In this world, everyone had to contribute to survive.
“Mmm…”
When Liu Muxue put down the stone, her perky buttocks were facing Cao Xing, fully revealing their rounded curves, a sight that made blood rush.
Cao Xing quickly averted his gaze, focusing intently on his work.
He was repairing the Lord’s Cabin.
Liu Muxue was moving stones to upgrade the bonfire; they worked in cooperation.
Soon, Cao Xing heard a system prompt.
【Your Camp Bonfire has been upgraded to Level 2.】
【Camp Bonfire: Level 2】
【Bonfire Effect: Can increase the temperature by 10~20℃ in a 20-meter radius】
【Consumption】: 13 minutes/1 wood.
【Materials required for next level】: Stone*10
…
The upgraded bonfire’s coverage area was significantly larger.
Even Cao Xing, who was working, felt a bit of warmth, and his work efficiency increased.
A few minutes later, a system prompt appeared.
【Lord’s Cabin successfully built, territory interface unlocked, congratulations! You can now build more infrastructure.】
Cao Xing’s face lit up with joy; he could finally build other buildings!
The next step was to build the Arctic People’s Cabin, and then summon a few Arctic People to officially begin his journey as a Lord!
At the same time, a second system prompt appeared.
【As you are the first survivor on the entire server to build a Lord’s Cabin, you receive a reward: Ice Healing (Skill Book)】
【Ice Healing (White): Consumes a certain amount of mental power to cast Ice Healing on the target, restoring 0.8*mental power in health per second, effect lasts 3 seconds.】
Clap!
On the snowy ground in front of Cao Xing, a yellowish skill book appeared.
Good heavens! It’s actually a skill book!
And it’s for his own use.
Although battles rarely occurred during the novice protection period, this skill book undoubtedly gave Cao Xing a lot more confidence.
【Do you want to learn Ice Healing (White)?】
“Yes.”
Cao Xing directly clicked to learn.
At this moment, many functional panels appeared in front of Cao Xing.
They were: 【Territory】, 【Buildings】, 【Personal Inventory】, 【Crafting】, 【Channel】, 【Personal】, 【Territory Troops】.
These interfaces covered almost all functions.
Cao Xing first clicked on 【Inventory】; it only had 20 storage slots.
Of course, it was empty.
Then, he clicked on 【Buildings】.
After clicking, a large number of Level 1 buildings immediately popped up.
Such as: 【Level 1 Simple Furnace】, 【Level 1 Simple Stove】, 【Level 1 Smeltery】, 【Level 1 Lumber Mill】, 【Level 1 Blacksmith Shop】, 【Level 1 Arctic People’s Cabin】 and so on…
He ignored other infrastructure for now.
Cao Xing first clicked on the introduction for 【Arctic People’s Cabin】.
【Level 1 Arctic People’s Cabin: Can summon Arctic People to work for you by consuming food.】
【Footprint: 12 square meters】
【Capacity: 4 people.】
【Materials required for construction: Stone*10, Wood*30.】
【Construction time: 45 minutes (can add people to participate in construction to accelerate construction time, limit: 2 people)】
…
Cao Xing mused, “It needs 45 minutes; building it alone is a bit slow.”
“There are only three hours left until dark, and I still need to do other things.”
So, he looked at Liu Muxue next to him, “Sister-in-law, come help me.”
…
…
Liu Muxue’s physical strength was greatly depleted from moving stones and wood, and her dress was soaked with sweat.
Through her dress, the outline of her white lace underwear could be seen.
Hearing Cao Xing call her, Liu Muxue put down her work and slowly walked over.
“A Xing, what do you need me to do?”
Cao Xing pointed to the open space in front and said, “I want to build an Arctic People’s Cabin here, but it takes too long to build.”
“If you help me build it, the speed will be much faster.”
Liu Muxue’s eyes were slightly bewildered; she seemed not to understand, but still nodded.
Then, the two began to cooperate in building the Arctic People’s Cabin.
“Clang! Clang!”
In this open snowy area, rhythmic hammering sounds immediately echoed.
Half an hour later.
A system prompt appeared.
【Successfully built: Arctic People’s Cabin, Territory Population +4】
【Now, you can recruit Arctic People to work for you by consuming food.】
【Note: As a Lord, you need to provide food for your subordinates daily. If you leave them hungry for a long time, they will abandon you.】
On the snowy ground in front of them, a small cabin, less than two meters high, similar to a camp tent, suddenly appeared.
At this moment, another system prompt appeared in Cao Xing’s ear.
“As you are the first survivor on the entire server to build an Arctic People’s Cabin, you receive a reward: Bread*50.”
Seeing this system prompt, a look of surprise flashed in Cao Xing’s eyes.
Good heavens! A full 50 food items, this reward is really good.
Cao Xing couldn't help but feel fortunate that he had played this game before, which allowed him to build these structures in the shortest time, ahead of everyone else.
Cao Xing mused, “Recruiting one Arctic Person requires 5 food items. Without this system reward, I could only recruit 2 at most.”
“But now, I can directly recruit all 4 Arctic People.”
Thinking this, Cao Xing directly clicked to recruit.
【Do you want to consume Food*20 to recruit Arctic People*4?】
“Yes.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the camp tent in front of them began to tremble.
Then, the door was pushed open.
Four rough-looking dwarves, less than 1.5 meters tall, wearing thick snow cotton jackets, emerged from inside.
These were the Arctic People.
After coming out, they looked at Cao Xing and Liu Muxue and respectfully bowed.
“Respected Lord, the Arctic People serve you!”
Liu Muxue, meanwhile, was completely stunned by the scene of people appearing out of nowhere.
Her small mouth slightly agape, she exclaimed, “A-A-A-A Xing, they… they came out!”