Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 306 Gains and Losses

Li Yue remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Scarface Ge Lan is someone's son, and you're unlucky enough to be affiliated with the Ministry of Commerce. Do you think you'll be targeted when you go back after this happens? I just don't want to suddenly receive news of your death one day."

“The personnel arrangements in Li Wei’s territory are now following the procedures of Duke Will, which have higher priority than the Ministry of Commerce. If you choose to stay, you will immediately cease to be a member of the Ministry of Commerce. So, you should stay.”

"Hmph! You'd be so kind!" Liang Yuzhi continued to sneer, staring into the distance with a stern face, but all that remained of her stubbornness was her words.

"Of course I wouldn't be so kind. Repairing enchanted equipment and replenishing magic power are very important in the future. I don't want to have to put up with other people's attitudes anymore. I can't just openly fleece you, haha! Just thinking about it makes me happy. Let's go. You should be able to run into Ah Dai on the way! Don't forget to bring the necessary supplies. Li Wei probably won't move the territory more than 500 miles away, but he might move it to the small town base. Talk to him about the specific gains and losses. Don't rush. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you miss it."

"You talk too much nonsense, you're just like an old woman!" Liang Yuzhi said coldly and turned away.

"Each each other!"

Li Yue rolled her eyes. They really were mutually disgusted. After all, they had been plastic best friends for their entire lives. Sixty years ago, the three of them were fortunate enough to meet in a newbie mission. Tsk tsk, those were the glorious years of scheming, each displaying their unique abilities, open and covert attacks, and sword fights.

But only after dying once and truly losing everything did they sadly realize that, although it was ridiculous and laughable, the only thing they could possess in the end was each other.

Initially, they were habitually stubborn about it, even unconsciously, until Li Wei appeared and acted as a buffer, breaking the ice that had bound them for decades.

Their kindness towards Li Wei stemmed less from genuine appreciation and a desire to make this place their retirement home, and more from a way of placing their limited concern for him within Li Wei.

After all, we've been sisters for life, and only I can bully her; no one else can.

Sigh, this twisted mindset.

-

Around 10 p.m. that night, Liang Yuzhi arrived, looking travel-worn.

"Second Aunt, is the road safe? There's no need to rush. There are still three days until the end of the month." Li Wei was pleasantly surprised and happy.

"You know there are only three days left. You still need to set aside one day to build a special structure. Also, have you decided where you want to focus your territory's development? The future development pattern of the territory will be determined in these few days. To put it bluntly, this is a major event in your life. If you don't manage this territory well, do you think you will have such an opportunity again in the future?"

Liang Yuzhi spoke quickly, appearing even more anxious than Li Wei; she had thought a lot about things along the way.

"Second Aunt, let's not talk about that for now. You've all seen the announcement that's being made throughout the region, right? I'm formally inviting you, or Xiaoyue, to stay. I think we might be able to work together very well."

Li Wei smiled and said that he was sincere. Although Li Yue and Liang Yuzhi did have their own flaws, they were not bad to get along with.

Liang Yuzhi nodded. "Otherwise, why do you think I came here so quickly? Xiaowei, Li Yue gave me the opportunity. Sigh, I don't want to owe her a favor. So, we need to manage the territory well. Let's not talk about this now. We need to seize the time to deal with other more important things. We need to get into the swing of things."

"Okay! Second Aunt, do you think we should take advantage of that migration opportunity next?"

"I don't think so. I can only offer a suggestion. Li Yue and I have already asked me for a suggestion. The specifics are nothing more than seeking stability, longevity, and greater benefits."

"First of all, let's talk about stability. If you choose to make our current scavenging camp the center of your territory, then it's about stability, because nothing needs to be changed. You just need to relocate the population here later."

"This is a choice that will absolutely not cause any problems and will not allow your base to be raided."

"But the problem there is that it is not near mountains, water, or forests, and there are few resources. It is easy to become resource-poor in the later stages. Even if you have two years of development, you will eventually go bankrupt in fifty or sixty years. This is almost inevitable."

"Because there is no territory that does not go bankrupt, just as there is no company that does not fail or a country that does not perish."

"Secondly, let's talk about long-term sustainability. Li Yue and I both believe that placing the territory in the small county town where Duke Blazing Flame once lived falls into this category. To the north of this place are mountains, and Base 349 is only 60 miles away. There are also more than 500 buildings in the town, and these buildings themselves are a kind of resource."

"Furthermore, looking at the three bases we currently control, the underground base with the most complete facilities, the largest area, and the highest level of defense is undoubtedly the small town base. Can you imagine that when the radiation storm wasn't so intense, the elevator in that high-rise building could still operate normally?"

"However, there is also a minor drawback here, namely the remaining eight hundred or so natural people in the underground base. Since the base has never been breached and they are well-fed and clothed, they will inevitably be very xenophobic. They are especially wary of outsiders. If you choose to place your territory there, how to deal with the conflict between these eight hundred or so natural people and the free people whose relationships have been straightened out is a very important issue."

“Xiaowei, basic humanitarian care is for our protection and also for the protection of these natural persons. This means that you can only deal with many things through the rules, instead of doing whatever you want. There are thousands of people, especially those who have experienced the apocalypse. Many of them have become neurotic and have severe paranoia. So, you may need to give up some interests and make some compromises.”

"In short, these are the first two types; the third type—"

"No need to say anything more, I won't move here. No matter how high the benefits are, it's useless; the risks are too great." "Alright, then it's a choice between two options. Which one do you want to choose?" Liang Yuzhi nodded and asked.

"I need to think about it some more, Auntie. Do you have any ideas on how to relocate the 54 elderly, women, and children here within three days?"

"Hehe, I'm just a second-tier spellcasting witch, not a great mage. I can't open a portal when there's nothing there. Let's wait until next month. I don't need to go back for the end-of-month summary this month. Once the special building is completed, you just need to invite me. But before that, which type of special building do you plan to build first?"

"I'm not sure, so I need to consult my second aunt." Li Wei really lacked sufficient intelligence support in this matter, and Liang Yuzhi and Li Yue were his best advisors.

"Alright, I'll make the decision for you. Let's build a one-star magic mine first. It's a magical building whose main function is to collect disordered magical particles, sort them out, and purify them into magic. You don't need to know the process and principles. Just understand that it's an essential building that any territory must have, and it's also an important resource for maintaining the operation of the magic shield."

"The magic mine can be upgraded to three stars, which can increase the amount of magic collected by about 100%. It is also the only way for the territory to obtain magic from the outside after the expansion card is activated and turns into a magic shield."

"Of course, this doesn't mean it's a one-time solution. Even if you upgrade the magic mine to the highest three stars, you still can't avoid the bankruptcy of your territory in the end. But it's still very important, just like the talent bones you have to unlock when you play a game!"

"Also, upgrading the magic mine to three stars is quite difficult. Upgrading from one star to two stars requires five silver tokens or five level 5 universal gold cards, as well as 5000 standard gold coins. Upgrading to three stars requires twenty silver tokens or twenty level 5 universal gold cards, as well as 50000 standard gold coins."

"It doesn't sound too harsh—"

Li Wei subconsciously said, "Anyway, it seems that obtaining the Universal Gold Card is quite easy so far."

Liang Yuzhi shook her head. "Xiao Wei, tell me, are you planning to raise the difficulty to 180% again before October next year?"

"Um—I don't have that idea yet."

"Temporarily? I want to give you a serious warning: don't even think about that anymore. For the next two years, just focus on developing and growing quietly. As long as no one messes with us, we'll just do our job. Don't think that just because you're strong now and I'm there to help you, you can take on another special boss. That's a very dangerous idea!"

"I would even suggest that you keep the difficulty level at the baseline until the end of this month, not even 30% higher! If you don't agree, then I won't stay, and Li Yue will have the same attitude. We think you have potential, are trustworthy, and we have the friendship of fighting side by side, so we think we can cooperate with you, but we don't want to team up with a young man who can't control external risks and acts recklessly."

Liang Yuzhi spoke with great seriousness, which startled Li Wei.

"So, Auntie, can you tell me the reason? Even just a little bit?"

"Sure, it's actually quite simple. You've already taken away someone else's cheese and stolen their cake, but you did it through your own abilities, so others can't do anything about it for now. However, it's best to stop now. Otherwise, others might not be able to deal with you directly, but they can easily trip you up or use underhanded tactics."

"Special BOSSes are the easiest targets for underhanded tactics and tricks. Not to mention those people, even I know one or two ways to make special BOSSes even more special."

"So, do you understand what I mean? In the first year, a special boss might only spawn at 180% difficulty. In the second year, it might appear at 150% difficulty. And by the third year, it might spawn at 90% difficulty!"

"So you understand now, the reason you feel that you are getting the Universal Gold Card so quickly this month, with so much money coming in all at once, is because you have turned the difficulty up to the highest level and encountered a special BOSS."

"Don't you think about it? If you hadn't defeated the special boss, wouldn't all of this have been for nothing?"

"And in fact, besides you, how many Universal Gold Cards do you think the other side quests will get this month?"

"Take my own experience as an example. In the first year of the pioneering mission, I increased the difficulty to 120%. As a result, the power of the radiation storm was almost halved. That month, I put in all my effort and used every trick in the book. Guess how many universal gold cards I finally got?"

"Not many, only 6 cards, all level 4. Do you know what my final ranking was on the pioneering points leaderboard? Fourteenth, last place. In three years, I didn't even get more than 20 universal gold cards in total. That's how I obtained my three-star territory, five square kilometers, and got a three-star tavern and a one-star magic mine. Finally, forty years later, with my crushing defeat, it all vanished into thin air."

"This is the normal, well-developed state of a three-star minor lord's territory."

"As for Scarface Glenn, he and the other four were practically pre-selected. Do you understand what I mean? We can say that fortunes change every thirty years, and we should never underestimate a young man's potential, but there are some things we have to learn to compromise and protect ourselves from."

"That's all I have to say. You need to get going quickly. Time is of the essence, and you need to make a decision as soon as possible."

Liang Yuzhi's words seemed to come from the heart; it's rare to see her so emotional. It seems she has really suffered a lot in the past.

"Okay, Auntie, please be careful here."

After leaving those words, Li Wei took Ah Dai with him, gave Liang Yuzhi the prestige card that managed 54 free agents, and then left the place, disappearing into the night.

(End of this chapter)