Chapter 31: Fate Crystal Stone
Hang Yu had not yet made a move.
The Players started shouting.
"A bunch of rabble still dares to resist!"
"You think you can oppose the Lord? You're just overestimating yourselves!"
"Better surrender quickly! As long as you pledge loyalty to our Lord, not only will your village survive, but you will also live a life of luxury with us!"
"......"
The Players could not defeat the dual bosses of Hexi Village.
They could only hide behind and bluff to save face.
Li Niu obviously did not believe these people in front of him, nor did he trust this unknown Lord.
They treated their own subordinates or companions with cold-blooded cruelty, killing at will as if dealing with weeds — how could they possibly treat villagers kindly?
"Die!"
Li Niu took the initiative to attack.
A flash of white blade light slashed towards them.
Hang Yu did not dodge or evade, but directly shattered it with Iron Armor Technique.
Li Niu's full-force strike failed to inflict any damage and instead sent himself flying several meters away.
Mad Blade Old Wang and other warriors watching this scene breathed heavily.
Everyone could see the strength of this Level 4 Elite NPC, and yet such a fierce and overbearing attack could not shake the Lord's Iron Armor Technique in the slightest.
Could a Player ever train a skill to such a level?
There was still so much to explore in this game!
"You're too weak!"
Hang Yu casually shot a Flame Arrow that hit Li Niu’s shoulder.
A miserable scream rang out as he immediately lost his right hand, instantly resembling a certain one-armed hero, and lost the ability to continue fighting.
"Ah Niu!"
Wei Ji, shocked, instantly realized how terrifying the man before him was.
However, although this person possessed powerful physique and defensive means, his defense skills seemed mainly targeted at physical attacks.
Only a powerful spell launched unexpectedly could have a chance of defeating him!
"Brother Yu, be careful!"
"This old bastard is trying a sneak attack!"
When the Players saw Wei Ji summon a Lightning Talisman again, they hurriedly warned him.
They had witnessed the speed, trickiness, and strong attack power of this skill earlier.
It was too late!
The lightning instantly struck Hang Yu.
It made him stagger back a step or two.
Iron Armor Technique had no defensive effect against lightning attribute attacks.
This attack caused about forty points of HP loss.
But compared to the strong physique and vitality of a Level 6 Lord, this tiny injury was no different than a scraped knee, hardly enough to pose any threat.
Hang Yu casually cast a Healing Spell on himself, instantly restoring his slight burns and full HP.
He patted the dust off himself, looking completely unaffected, and said, "You do have some ability."
Wei Ji’s face showed despair: "This... Impossible!"
The Taiping Lightning Talisman was his strongest destructive and killing spell.
If even this strike could not cause fatal damage to the person before him, it could only mean that their strength gap was too vast and not even on the same level.
"My turn!"
Hang Yu lightly flicked his fingers.
Another Flame Arrow shot out.
Without suspense, Wei Ji was blasted away and lost a leg on the spot.
The battle had ended.
From beginning to end, it had only lasted a few seconds.
There was no back-and-forth excitement as imagined, only the Lord crushing the Hexi Village dual bosses with overwhelming force!
"That’s it?"
"Way too fast!"
"Hexi Village’s dual bosses were no match for Brother Yu at all!"
"Our Lord is way stronger than we imagined!"
"......"
Although Hang Yu’s Flame Arrow Spell was extremely powerful, these were still elite-level units.
He had deliberately avoided fatal points, so Wei Ji lost a leg and Li Niu lost an arm.
They had merely lost combat ability, but their lives were not in danger.
"These two are useful. Let's control them!"
"Yes, Lord!"
The Players were now filled with admiration for the Lord.
Especially a few female Players — stars sparkled in their eyes.
A handsome and powerful leader — who could resist that?
It was far more attractive than idols in the real world!
Wei Ji and Li Niu were quickly restrained by the Players.
"Such idiots!"
"The Lord gave them a chance!"
"And they paid for their arrogance and stupidity!"
"If it were me, I would have chopped them down already!"
"......"
Wei Ji and Li Niu could not understand.
A Lord who did not care for the lives of his citizens.
Why were these citizens so loyal and even worshipful?
No matter what, Hexi Village's defeat was decided.
The two could only resign themselves to fate!
Black-Eyed Rui Ge, Chimera Wraith, Mad Blade Old Wang, and other Players followed the Lord into the stone tower.
The stone tower was not large, only three stories high.
Inside was only a few dozen square meters.
A shrine was placed within.
There were no gods enshrined, only a crystal stone the size of an egg floating in the air.
"Finally found it!"
Hang Yu nodded with satisfaction.
Chimera Wraith asked in confusion: "Lord, is this the core of Hexi Village? But what exactly is it?"
Hang Yu explained: "This is a crystal formed by the condensation of the world’s Fate. You can understand it as a shard of this world's Fate, which has the functions of protecting natives from corruption, assisting in cultivation, and resisting evil invasions."
"Is this why the villagers of Hexi Village didn’t become demonized?"
At this moment, Black-Eyed Rui Ge couldn’t help but ask: "But what use is it to our territory?"
"Each time a territory devours a Fate Crystal Stone, it absorbs the Fate within and creates a town node, thereby expanding the territory’s map."
Hang Yu paused slightly.
He thought this explanation might still be too complicated for Players to understand.
After thinking for a moment, he added: "Here’s the simplest example — once Hexi Village is incorporated into the territory’s map, it becomes our land. You’ll then be able to teleport directly here anytime through the Lord Core."
The Players were all astonished.
"What?"
"There’s such a benefit?"
"So it’s like activating a teleport point!"
"Yeah, it’s similar to the bonfires or blessing points in soul-like games."
"Awesome! It takes several hours to run from the territory to Hexi Village, and along the way, we might encounter wild monsters or other dangers. If there’s a teleport point, it’ll be so much more convenient."
"I think it’s more than just activating teleport points. Don’t forget, this is also a conquest game. Securing an occupied zone means gaining a huge population."
"......"
Ignoring the Players' discussions.
Hang Yu directly touched the crystal.
Suddenly, a prompt sounded in his ears.
【Ding, you have discovered the "Fate Crystal Stone of Hexi Village". Would you like to proceed with the annexation? Yes/No!】
Hang Yu said: "Annex!"
【Annexing 1%... 100%!】
【You have successfully occupied "Hexi Village", and received "Fate Treasure Chest (White)" ×1!】
【You can check Hexi Village’s construction details, income status, and population information through the Lord Panel.】
Success!
Hexi Village had become part of the territory.
Thanks to the knowledge he had learned from the Lord Academy, Hang Yu knew very well how important seizing land was for a Lord.
A good plot of land not only brought high-quality population and resources to the territory.
It also generated a continuous income like Essence or Abyssal Magic Crystals due to the Fate Core's influence.
Hang Yu summoned the Lord Panel and found the relevant information.
【Hexi Village】, White Area, Abyss Barracks construction limit +1, will generate 50 Abyssal Magic Crystals per month for the territory...
Introduction: A village established by survivors of the Luoshui Execution Ground along with villagers, current permanent population 296.
After occupying Hexi Village.
The territory’s troop cap could be raised.
Additionally, a guaranteed monthly income could be obtained.
Of course, due to the small scale and population of Hexi Village, the quality of the Fate Stone condensed here was low — it was only a White territory.
However, even White-quality territories, if accumulated in sufficient numbers, would produce a very considerable income.
Such base incomes from territories were often crucial to the finances of many Lords!
Aside from guaranteed income and manpower resources.
Each territory occupation also granted a Fate Treasure Chest.
From it, rare materials, top-grade equipment, skill stones, construction blueprints, and other precious items could be randomly drawn.
【You opened the Fate Treasure Chest and obtained "Magic Crystal" ×500, "Skill Stone: Qi Gathering Slash" ×1, "Skill Stone: Taiping Lightning Talisman" ×1, and "Construction Blueprint: Small Spirit Field" ×1.】