Chapter 9, Returning Home with a Full Load_1

Gnolls are not a powerful race.

In past battles, they leveraged their numerical advantage and some simple tactics.

Their combat strategies were also quite simple.

But now, facing an undead army that outnumbered them, they were clearly outmatched.

The skeletons piled up against the walls of the village and struck down the gates with fierce blows.

The wave of skeletons flooded into the camp like a rampaging torrent, initiating a brutal melee.

The Gnoll soldiers within the camp did not coordinate with each other.

Each one fought their guild's target.

Soon, under the relentless assault of the relentless skeletons, the Gnolls were overwhelmed.

When the camp once again fell silent, the still, unmoving skeletons waited for orders.

It was only then that Fang Hao walked over from a distance.

Looking at the chaotic battlefield, he commanded, "Clean up the battlefield. Gather all the equipment and resources."

The skeletons, no longer stationary, began to collect the fallen gear from the ground.

Logically, there should be a boss in the camp.

Perhaps a village or a clan leader.

But now, after being pulverized, it became rather difficult to distinguish who were the leaders and who were the followers.

In the face of death, all creatures are equal.

As the skeletons busied themselves with cleaning up the battlefield, Fang Hao, leading a dozen skeletal soldiers, entered the largest wooden hut of the tribe.

This was likely the Clan Leader's room, or some sort of meeting hall.

The furniture was styled in a savage fashion.

"We'll take this bear-skin rug back. Move the table and chairs out, we'll take them along later," Fang Hao directed from inside the hall.

The skeletons began to move, hauling everything outside.

All the items would be packed and taken along soon.

No helping it, resources were lacking in his territory. The only furniture was a pile of hay, which served as his bed.

There was another room behind the hall.

Upon opening the door, he saw a large bed in the room, draped with a fur blanket.

In the corner of the bedroom, there was a black chest with a metallic sheen.

"Yay!" Fang Hao made a fist in celebration.

He now had a bed.

As for it being previously used by the Gnolls.

He didn't mind. Given their current situation, he couldn't afford to be picky.

He could just clean up the fur blanket once they got back.

At least, no longer would he have to sleep on a pile of hay.

Once again, he turned his attention towards the chest.

The chest in front of him was different from the wooden chests from before.

You could tell it was of a higher grade, which also meant that the rewards inside would be more substantial.

"Move the bed and fur blanket outside. Be careful not to damage them," he ordered.

The skeletons began to haul out the bed.

Fang Hao approached the chest, rubbed his hands together, and asked for blessings from the God of Luck before opening the chest.

[Obtained: Marketplace Building Blueprint, Cart Making Blueprint, Battle Axe Making Blueprint, 20 Warfire Coins]

Generous!

Just as he had imagined, the reward was generous.

He had opened two wooden chests before, and their rewards were basically two common items.

This metal chest contained three blueprints, all of which were practical.

He even got 20 Warfire Coins, the camp was quite wealthy.

Having received the equipment, he left the building.

In the central space of the camp, the collected supplies piled up into a small mountain.

Without lingering, Fang Hao continued to the warehouse.

The warehouse was stocked with various materials, wood, stone, food, beast skins, and some weapons and tools.

"Move also the goods from here.", Fang Hao commanded the moving operation, while continuing to rummage for other goods.

Beyond the living quarters of the Clan Leader, the rooms of the general Gnolls were quite crude.

Calling them houses wasn't quite right. They were more like hovels or makeshift shelters.

Around the sweep, there wasn't much left to loot.

Back in the open space.

Fang Hao started to sort out the inventory.

Resources: 122 Wriggling Spines, 5520 units of wood, 3220 units of stone, 47 units of iron, 3225 units of food, 144 units of beast skin, 20 Warfire Coins.

Equipment: 120 Iron Daggers, 72 Single-edged Swords, 45 Battle Axes, 12 Flatbed Carts.

Furniture: 1 Large Iron Cauldron, 1 Solid Wood Table, 6 Chairs, 1 Double Bed, 1 Bear-skin Rug, 1 Set of Fur Blankets, 12 Wooden Ladders.

Blueprints: Marketplace Building Blueprint, Cart Making Blueprint, Battle Axe Making Blueprint.

As Fang Hao took inventory, a smile spread slowly across his face.

As expected, looting was the quickest way to develop.

The spoils from seizing this camp would sustain his operations for quite some time.

Of course, there were no small losses on his side as well.

He lost at least one-third of his forces.

But this wasn't a problem. Worker skeletons could be summoned for free, there was only a cooldown time.

And the situation with the skeletal soldiers was even better. The Wriggling Spines yielded 122 new additions. If he desired, by using the 100-fold amplification, he could recruit an army of 10,000.

No matter how you looked at it, he didn't lose out.

"Alright, start loading up."

With the 12 flatbed carts they acquired, it was just right for transporting these things and it would be more convenient.

However, he underestimated the amount of looted goods. The 12 carts weren't able to fit everything.

He had no choice but to open the crafting menu and start making more carts.

Besides, they would be useful in the future, so he might as well have them made now.

[Flatbed Cart: 22 Wood, 8 Hemp Ropes]

Fortunately, only basic materials were required, and they were readily available.

Construct.

[100-fold Amplification Triggered: Successfully Constructed 101 Flatbed Carts]

As the flatbed carts appeared one after another, the skeletons started to load goods onto the carts and tightly secured them with hemp ropes.

Meanwhile,

Fang Hao was eyeing this camp again.

A few ideas started coming to his mind.

His advantage was the large number of skeletons that required no food or sleep and worked tirelessly.

The resources in the vicinity of his territory would eventually be depleted.

This place was a decent stronghold. Once everything was in place, he could deploy a portion of the worker skeletons here for collection.

The warehouses and residences were already in place, so no additional construction was needed.

As he was lost in thought,

All the goods had been loaded.

After boarding up the village gate, the majority of the forces left the Gnoll camp and headed back to their own territory.

Due to the carts and the cargo,

They couldn't cut through the forest like they did when they arrived, so they had to take the main road back.

Lying on the flatbed cart, resting on the fur blankets,

He opened the Book of Lords to pass the time.

"This damn stone axe is a piece of crap. It's so slow at cutting trees, and it breaks after a few swings."

"Stop complaining. This is how it is now. Just gather more and upgrade your buildings quickly. You can also trade the surplus with Boss Hao for some food."

"Such bad luck, I have a river near my territory. I made a net and I could catch a couple of fish every day, but today, when I went to check, I was nearly scared to death."

"What happened?"

"A net full of bones! I hauled in the net and it was full of skeleton bones. Some skeletons still had stone axes in their arms, it scared the hell out of me, damn it."

"That's eerie, you aren't near an unmarked grave or something, are you?"

"I don't know, I dug out the fish and buried the bones. I also kowtowed a few times, I dare not eat the fish, so I put them up for sale."

"The guy above, I bought your fish, you bastard scammed me."

"How did I scam you? The fish are fine, still wriggling."

"Why didn't you eat them then?"

"I was worried they might be poisonous."

"Damn you, you wait and see."