Chapter 34: End of Day Four!
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"My lord, dinner is ready."
Kaiden had just finished writing the last piece of information on the paper spread before him when the door opened. Sidra entered carrying a large, steaming food tray, and behind her, her two assistants came in carrying additional trays. Casper had informed her on his own initiative to bring the food here — having noticed how deeply absorbed the Lord was, and understanding that his discussion with the two expedition commanders would likely run long.
Casper took it upon himself to arrange the dishes before the Lord and before Golan and Laura. Kaiden thanked the cook, then turned to his Head Steward. Seeing Casper preparing to take his usual place standing at the back, Kaiden raised his hand and pointed to the empty seat, saying in a tone that brooked no refusal: "Sit and eat with us, Casper. You too are one of this territory's pillars."
Casper hesitated for a moment. But when he saw the Lord's look that admitted no argument, he bowed: "Thank you for your generosity, my lord," and sat with them at the table.
While eating dinner, Kaiden set down his utensils and looked at Golan and Laura. "The greatest threats we currently face are the spider race and the green-skinned race. You are the ones I rely on most, and you have faced these races in person. I want to hear your thoughts."
Golan set down his cutlery and wiped his mouth slowly. His deliberation was clear in his eyes before he began to speak.
"My lord, as for the green-skinned race — this race appears weak. Their bodies are short, barely reaching a human's waist, and thin to the point that their bones protrude beneath their skin. They weren't wearing clothing in any real sense — just tattered rags. Their weapons were sticks. Even the best among them carried nothing more than a rusty sword I doubt could pierce anyone properly. The only advantage they possessed was numbers. What we saw outside their protective barrier alone was in the dozens. How many remained inside? No one can say."
Golan took a drink of water and continued: "I believe the best strategy for eliminating them is to advance in a single tight formation — a line that moves like a human wall. As we advance, we cut down everything that stands in our way. This will prevent them from launching low attacks from the flanks, which I believe is where their strength lies."
Kaiden visualized the formation in his mind: a line of steel moving slowly forward, harvesting everything in its path. He nodded slowly.
When Laura saw it was her turn, she spoke without hesitation: "My lord, as for the spiders — they excel at climbing. Their attack style is sudden and treacherous, and it must be noted that they can launch webs. It would be best to avoid attacking from the side where the forest lies — that is their hunting ground. If we intend to attack, we should choose a direction of barren open plains, where the spiders will lose their primary advantage."
She paused for a moment, recalling scenes from the battle, then continued: "I also believe it would be best to adopt the circular formation. These spiders particularly favor launching sudden attacks from behind. A tight circle with everyone facing outward will increase our advantages and reduce the spiders' advantages in equal measure."
The discussion continued throughout dinner. They examined the details, analyzed strengths and weaknesses, and laid out the broad strokes of future strategies. When they finished, Kaiden dismissed them to rest.
He climbed the staircase to his apartment on the second floor, and as he did, a notification appeared before him for a quest he had nearly forgotten:
[Quest "Age of Poultry!" Completed! Reward dispatched: Poultry Feed Seed Bundle ×1.]
He smiled. Tomorrow I'll see the chicks, he thought as he continued up the stairs.
In his room, he changed into his comfortable sleeping robe. He took out a variety of fruit from his inventory as was his habit and began eating at his ease. He then took out the two treasure chests Golan had given him and placed them on the bed before him. He rubbed his hands together and started with the Bronze chest first.
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Opened — You have received:
- Wood × 80 units
- Iron × 30 units
- Instant Noodle Cup × 10
- Apprentice Soap-Making Workshop Bundle Blueprint × 1
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When Kaiden saw ten instant noodle cups with their shiny green packaging, he stopped. A sudden wave of nostalgia swept over him. How many nights had he spent in his old apartment, too short of time to cook, turning to these small cups. How many meals had he eaten alone in front of a computer screen. He smiled with a faint touch of sadness. At one point, these were the most frequent thing I ate. Then he noticed the soap-making workshop blueprint and felt pleased. These were good gains, even for a mere Bronze treasure chest.
He then turned his eyes to the Black Iron treasure chest and opened it.
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Opened — You have received:
- Wood × 250 units
- Stone × 250 units
- Iron × 120 units
- Table Salt × 50 units
- Earth Magic Skill: Subterranean Vision (Rare) × 1
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"Another skill!" Kaiden exclaimed with joy. He loved acquiring skills more than anything else. He read the skill description eagerly: as its name suggested, it allowed him to see through the earth in any direction he chose. The range depended on his level — at his current level, he could see up to 120 meters. Its activation cost was 10 mana points per second.
He would test this skill's limits and benefits tomorrow. For now, he had something more important to do.
Kaiden picked up a banana-like fruit and took a bite. It was so delicious he closed his eyes in enjoyment. He hadn't paid its steep price for nothing.
While eating the fruit, he opened the World Chat. He had a final quest to complete today. He began composing a message, putting into it as much information as he could about the end of the seven days:
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[World Chat]
Lord of the Fertile Lands Territory: "I have very important information — please read carefully: As everyone knows, the voice told us at the start that the protective barrier would be removed at the end of Day Seven. But… what you don't know is that when the protective barrier is removed, a defensive wall will be placed in its stead! And this is the most crucial part of the information: the level of defense and durability of the defensive wall depends on the tier of your Lord's Crown. So… you absolutely must raise your Crown level as high as possible before the end of Day Seven to increase your chances of survival.
Source of this information: when you upgrade the Lord's Hall to Level Six and above, books begin to appear. I believe there are those who have reached this level and can confirm what I am saying.
Finally… do your absolute utmost to raise your Crown tier. As for anyone who still doesn't believe me after all of this — good luck to them. My conscience is clear either way."
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After Kaiden reviewed the message and felt there were no issues with how it was worded, he pressed "Send."
It took less than a single minute.
Then the World Chat began to boil.
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— End of Chapter Thirty-Four —