Chapter Twenty-Eight: Preparing for Action

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Regional channel, current users: 539.
“Is anyone near the Withered Woods? I’ve made a huge discovery! This is a one-time chance to strike it rich!”
Seeing this message, Colin perked up, because he was almost certain the sender was referring to the base of Crow Mountain, where he’d gone yesterday.
However, Colin didn’t reply, choosing instead to observe from the shadows.
Shortly after, someone responded in the chat: “I know that forest, saw it yesterday, but I was afraid something was off and didn’t go in. What did you find?”
“No wonder that when I was being chased by a few mutants, I ran in there and they stopped pursuing. Didn’t expect there’d be a boss in there…” someone said, still shaken.
Colin skimmed through—about twenty people had either approached or entered those woods.
This also meant, to some extent, that these people weren’t far from him.
“Looks like a region isn’t that big. What about beyond it?” Colin wondered curiously. Then, he saw the person who started the topic appear again.
“Check this out! [Lustre Stone][Sunshine Mushroom] I risked going into the woods yesterday and found a collapsed open mineshaft, filled with these things. Unfortunately, I only had time to grab a little before monsters showed up…”
Colin had already seen Lustre Stone. Curious, he clicked on Sunshine Mushroom: a faintly glowing white fungus, growing in clusters like slender needles.
Note: Eating it can dispel inner fears and provide a certain boost to attributes. Contains a mild toxin; overdosing leads to adverse effects.
[Hint: You seem to hear the faintest whisper from the mushroom: “Praise the Sun!”]
[If you eat more than three servings a day, you’ll involuntarily praise the sun; more than five, you’ll temporarily become a simpleton obsessed with praising the sun; more than ten, you’ll become a glowing, sun-praising fool.]
This thing is a bit dangerous, Colin shivered, feeling an ominous energy.
At that moment, the regional channel exploded with excitement over the two items.
Then, the original poster continued: “I’m planning to form a team—meet up in the morning, explore in the afternoon, split the loot in the evening—uh, I mean the profits…”
“I’m interested, but how do we meet up? That forest seems pretty big…”
“I’ll mark the outer paths. Just follow the signs, I’ll wait outside until around noon.”
“How much blood you got, bro, to be able to wait that long?”
“No, you misunderstood—the mine area isn’t covered by gray mist, so I can wait as long as I want.”
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“Friendly reminder, there’s a giant monster in the woods—I saw its footprint yesterday, bigger than me lying down.”
“And how do we know you’re not lying? Nobody would share something this good out of the kindness of their heart.”
“Alright, there are monsters in the mine too—I can’t handle them alone, so I need more people for a chance at success.
“And as for that giant creature, I know about it—it’s pretty dumb. If you stay in the mine area for a while, it’ll wander off on its own, though I don’t know where it goes. Take the chance to escape the forest then.”
“Guys, I have a feeling there’s something in the mine that can permanently drive away the gray mist. You don’t want to carry a lantern and worry about running out of blood forever, right?”
“Also, the most important thing is the Lustre Stone—you can enchant weapons with it. It’s definitely good stuff.”
“And people who can’t even travel far shouldn’t bother coming along.”
“…”
He’s lying, Colin thought as he read the messages, certain of it.
If it were really that easy, the person they found dead yesterday wouldn’t have been so hopeless.
But Colin couldn’t quite figure out the reason behind the person’s lie.
After all, that lord-class monster really would abandon a fight if it couldn’t kill anyone, seeking a more attainable goal instead.
So Colin guessed, maybe this guy wanted to use others as a distraction to escape, just like he did.
“I’m willing to try. Noon, then?”
“Count me in!”
“I’m not going, just be careful, guys. Schemes in the gray mist happen all the time now.”
People in the regional channel were already gathering.
Colin considered it and ultimately decided not to go, knowing very well just how terrifying that lord-class mutant truly was.
Without a way to kill it, Colin would most likely avoid that area altogether.
This kind of operation was too unpredictable—in other words, it was reckless with one’s own life.
With hints available, Colin didn’t have to take such risks.
Meanwhile, he kept an eye on the regional channel while browsing the trading market, but found nothing worthwhile to buy or sell, so he could only shake his head.
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It was time to act.
“One, here’s one hundred milliliters of blood. Your job is to gather as much water as possible. Remember, only put in water boiled to level three. If you find any ore, especially iron ore, mine it and bring it back to the warehouse…”
A level-two domain came with a warehouse, like a backpack, capable of storing vast quantities of supplies.
Servants also had backpacks, but theirs were small—just one slot, with a weight limit of about ten kilograms.
As for finding their way, Colin wasn’t worried. His starting point was excellent—you could see the river within minutes.
As long as proper notes were kept, it was easy to remember the route.
“Oh, and if you’re in danger and feel you can’t handle it, run. Don’t try to resist—survival comes first. As long as you make it back to the domain, there usually won’t be a problem.”
“Yes, my lord!” One replied with a nod.
After giving these instructions, Colin checked on Two’s team. He drilled them for a while—although they still weren’t standing perfectly in line, they were much better.
A neatly formed group didn’t guarantee combat effectiveness,
but if a unit couldn’t even stand in formation, there was no hope for their performance.
“Alright, food’s ready. We set out fifteen minutes after eating!”
As he spoke, Colin took out a dozen black breads and several lightly spoiled pieces of meat in front of everyone.
He would have liked to buy some fresh meat from the market, but unfortunately, now that everyone knew the value of food, there was everything for sale except meat.
On the other hand, after half an hour of frenzy, the price of water finally dropped…
“After exploring all day yesterday, I didn’t see a single animal track. Maybe the priest killed them all…”
Colin muttered under his breath, then, under his subordinates’ eager gazes, placed all the ingredients onto the synthesis table.
[30 pieces of hard black bread + 3 pieces of lightly spoiled rat meat + 2 pieces of lightly spoiled deer meat + 4 pieces of lightly spoiled wolf meat… = One big pot of mixed meat porridge (a hearty, revitalizing meal—just one bowl will keep you energetic all day~).]
“Dinner is served!” Colin announced with a smile, no longer keeping them in suspense.
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