Chapter 18: With seven dead in one night

Edward opened the Territory's Warehouse information to check on the stockpile of basic resources.

[Warehouse]

[Level: Low]

[Storage Capacity: 100,000 units]

[Stored Resources: 7,903 units of food, 2,650 units of wood, 1,900 units of stone, 1,470 units of iron ore, various monster materials]

[Next Level: Medium Warehouse]

[Upgrade Requirements: 1,000 units of wood, 500 units of stone, 300 units of iron ore]

…

Edward glanced again at the Meat listed on the [Island Trading Platform]. Just as he expected, it had all sold out, converted into wood, stone, and iron ore, and stored in the Territory's Warehouse.

"Now, the basic resources stored are sufficient for the Territory's upgrade," Edward thought. "The prosperity of the Territory has also long met the requirements. All that's missing are Fences and Watchtowers."

"If I can get the blueprints for these two types of buildings and construct them, I can simultaneously upgrade the Territory to a medium village."

Edward felt an urgency in his heart. Once the Territory reached the level of a [Medium Village], the summoning of four-winged Angels would be unlocked, something he had long anticipated.

He then reopened the [Island Trading Platform] and searched for [Fences Blueprint] and [Watchtowers Blueprint]. He quickly found about twenty trade listings. Two-thirds of these were for Fences blueprints, and one-third for Watchtowers blueprints.

"Overnight, more blueprints have surfaced," Edward noted. This was expected, given the large number of professionals on the island. After yesterday's transition period, these professionals had started to get on the right track with hunting, and every moment, a large number of wild monsters were falling at their hands.

The drop rate for blueprints and equipment in the Worlds' Floating Isles was indeed low, but the sheer volume made up for it. Millions of professionals killing wild monsters meant that dropping a dozen or twenty blueprints was quite normal, much like winning a lottery. With so many buying, there would always be a few hitting the jackpot.

"The highest asking price for Fences blueprints is 700 gold coins, and the lowest is 500 gold coins. The prices for Watchtowers blueprints are even higher, with the most expensive reaching up to 1,300 gold coins… They really are out to make a buck."

If these blueprints had been dropped by Lords, they would have used them themselves and not sold them. "At this stage, probably no Lord can afford these blueprints. Or perhaps, the professionals selling these blueprints aren't even expecting to sell them right now. Rarity creates value. They don't have to worry about these blueprints depreciating, at least not for the next half month, because every Lord needs to build Fences and Watchtowers."

Edward shook his head. Regardless, he couldn't afford these blueprints now. Even if he had enough gold coins, he would only use them to summon Angels, not waste them on buying blueprints.

Next, Edward searched for trade information on Spirit Grain, demonic plants, and magical medicine seeds. He saw no listings for demonic plants or magical medicine seeds. There were quite a few listings for Spirit Grain seeds, but unfortunately, they were still very expensive and also required gold coins for purchase.

"Looks like I've gotta roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty if I want to keep my shirt on my back and food on the table," Edward muttered to himself as he closed the [Island Trading Platform]. "Every fighter on this island wants to squeeze the Lords dry with blueprints, Spirit Grain seeds... they're practically vampires."

Edward could understand the drive for profit, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "No rush, this is just temporary."

Edward had an ace up his sleeve, the [Blacksmith Shop Blueprint]. Once he found a blacksmith and started crafting weapons and armor, it would be his turn to bleed those fighters dry. After all, what they needed most was gear.

With the capability to produce his own equipment, Edward could easily start hoarding the fighters' gold coins and valuable blueprints by selling them top-notch gear. Equipment merchants were among the richest on the Worlds' Floating Isles.

Suddenly, Edward's gaze drifted to a group of fully armed Goblin warriors not far away. Each was decked out in leather armor, wielding broadswords and spears. But due to the rules of the Worlds' Floating Isles, fighters couldn't just use this equipment—they had to earn it by defeating these Goblins. If they were lucky, they'd get to keep the gear.

Clearly, Edward wasn't about to drink poison to quench his thirst. If the equipment didn't drop, those fanatical followers would have died in vain, and what's a little experience worth in the grand scheme of things?

"Right now, I just need to wait," he thought. "Wait for the Angel squad to hit the jackpot, for their strength to skyrocket... Wait to handle the Goblin Tribe. Then, my good days will come."

Just then, Edward felt a surge of immense energy within him. This energy transformed him, rapidly enhancing his physical condition. Moments later, he felt as if a barrier inside him had been shattered.

"I've leveled up," Edward clenched his fists, feeling powerful enough to knock out a bull with a single punch. "Just as I thought, I've advanced to a level two profession."

Last night, when the Angel squad returned to the Territory, he was already on the brink of leveling up. This morning, including Virginia and Carolyn, seven Angels had gone out hunting. With the Angel squad expanded, their efficiency in killing wild monsters had increased, making his promotion to a level two profession a breeze.

"Twenty-four hours a day... To advance from level zero to level two profession at this speed should be considered pretty fast." Edward had every reason to believe that his leveling speed was among the top on the island.

While he wasn't arrogant enough to claim he was the fastest, anyone quicker than him would be a rare exception, likely due to some 'special circumstances'. After all, his Angels were a [top-tier units] with formidable combat abilities and fierce hunting skills.

...

Just as Edward leveled up to a second-tier profession, on a vast prairie somewhere, the Golden Behemoth Lord was also eyeing a promotion to a second-tier profession. However, the young lord's face was twisted with a mix of anger and heartache.

The reason was simple. In an attempt to emulate Edward's explosive reveal of level five equipment and to flaunt his status as a top-tier Lord in the chat channels, he had dispatched all dozen or so of his Golden Behemoths from his Territory the previous night. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned...

Half of his fourteen Golden Behemoths had perished shortly after leaving the Territory. It was a devastating loss. Even now, his heart was still bleeding.

However, he had also proven a fact—the nights on the Worlds' Floating Isles were indeed perilous, whether in the jungles or the endless prairies.

"I'm down to just 500 gold coins," the young lord lamented as he glanced at his 'wallet,' his face filled with sorrow.

Yesterday, he had formed a [Core Team] in the Alliance's Hall of Kings, managing to snag a whopping thousand gold coins from other alliance members. He had spent half of those coins recruiting Golden Behemoths. With seven dead in one night, the remaining five hundred gold coins were earmarked for bidding on the [Snake Armor].

"The loss of the Behemoth squad is too great; I must replenish them."

"No choice but to give up the Snake Armor," he decided, painfully letting go of his desire for the armor. When it came to equipment versus level, he knew which was more crucial.

With a heavy heart, he used the last of his 500 gold coins to recruit ten more Golden Behemoths. Including the survivors, he now commanded a total of seventeen Golden Behemoths. For a moment, he felt empowered again.

"Whatever happens, my strength is definitely the greatest among all the Lords on the island. What's equipment in the grand scheme of things? Level is what truly matters."

"Today's goal is to advance to a second-tier profession."

"I need to widen the level gap between myself and the other Lords as quickly as possible."

With renewed determination, the young lord immediately dispatched his expanded Golden Behemoth squad out of the Territory.

With seventeen top-tier units, who could compete with him?