Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 379 The Death of Ron
“This place is truly a geomantically auspicious location. The chaotic magical particles are indeed more active here. When I was stationed here last year, I noticed that the soil here was extremely fertile.”

It was June 4th, the fourth day after the second magic mine was completed. Liang Yuzhi finally couldn't resist coming over to check it out. In just four short days, the magic mine had automatically absorbed nine units of standard magic power.

“Yes, Second Aunt, now I understand why the Ice Duke attacked Socrates first. Socrates’ territory is located upstream of this river, backed by a large snow mountain. Hathaway said before that Socrates’ magic mine has a reserve of one hundred units of magic. I was quite curious about where he got so much magic. He didn’t kill any special BOSS. This is very likely the answer.”

Li Wei also sighed.

"Hehe, this little girl is not easy to deal with, is she? She's Night Owl's prized student, she's not that simple. Of course, you're not simple either, don't be ungrateful after getting the benefits."

Liang Yuzhi chuckled, her expression meaningful.

Li Wei nodded in agreement. He even began to doubt whether Hathaway had ever told the truth before.

How could Socrates possibly refuse to form an alliance with her?
It's clear she's afraid to ally with Socrates; she's quite certain that if she does, she'll be completely dominated.

The consequences will be dire.

In comparison, allying with Li Wei, even though he was suppressed and could only become a vassal lord, was actually the best outcome.

"Now that the Riverside Fortress also has a magic mine, you can try recruiting a second-tier spellcaster from the tavern to manage the magic mine. Whether you have a spellcaster or not is a different matter. However, their prices will be very high, so be prepared. You won't be able to get one for less than 8000 gold per month. In short, it's up to you to decide."

"As for the territory, you don't need to worry about anything. I'm almost figured out the magic structure of the mage tower. I guarantee I'll build you a one-star mage tower by the end of this year. Of course, I'd prefer you apply to build two magic portals so that we can provide quick support if anything happens. Oh, and I have three Duke's Honor Medals here. When Xiaoyue comes back, let's pool them together. With magic portals, we can go and hire those unreliable spellcasters."

After saying that, Liang Yuzhi left in a hurry.

But she quickly turned back and tossed a magic emblem blueprint to Li Wei.

"Xiaowei, your second aunt is sorry. Although I used to consider myself a genius, I have to admit that in terms of mastering advanced magic, I'm still a bit behind that bitch Night Owl. I'm busy researching the mage tower right now and don't have time to make you this kind of Sequence 3 magic emblem. Your little lover is Night Owl's top student, maybe she can make it for you. Don't make that face. Women will soften if you coax them a little. That's all, see you later!"

Liang Yuzhi hurriedly left again, leaving Li Wei standing there in a daze. "No way, Second Aunt, is this all you've got?"

That's great!

He thought that after several months, this second-tier spellcaster had made a major breakthrough. My God!
Of course, it must also be understood that perhaps his second aunt really didn't have the time, the foundation, or much talent.

Indeed, the profession of spellcaster is not one that just anyone can be competent for.

Putting away the magic emblem blueprints, Li Wei had no choice but to put the matter aside for the time being. Fortunately, there was no rush; he could get it sorted out before the cross-border mission began.

He did not participate in the construction of the bridge or the Black Mountain Fortress thereafter.

It's already June, the season when everything grows, but we can't let our guard down because July and August are the rainy season.

Last year, we didn't know if the river would flood, but this year we must be prepared.

For example, build a dike to block the water for those 500 acres of farmland.

At the same time, the dikes along the riverbanks need to be reinforced and repaired. What if the dikes breach when the flood peak arrives?
These are all big things!
On this day, Li Wei was busy building dikes for the farmland when suddenly several lines of information appeared on his phone—it was a nationwide announcement!

[Nationwide Announcement!]

[Zhao Kewu, the pioneer number 1, led his army through the encirclement, slaying a barbarian cross-borderer! He killed 572 superhumans, successfully breaking through the encirclement, and continued the pursuit, killing Marquis Bison, a key general under Duke Frost. Duke Frost's power in this area has been shattered!]

He earned 500 campaign points, 30000 standard gold coins, and a Duke's Medal of Honor.

-

Wow!

Zhao Kewu has really stepped up! Awesome! Amazing!

Li Wei praised it highly, saying he wished there would be more and more such nationwide announcements!
In this way, the pressure he faces will gradually decrease.

Perhaps we can go and visit Zhao Kewu next, and see if we can join forces to destroy and remove that bridge fortress in the east!
Ok?
[Nationwide Announcement!]

[Socrates, the second pioneer, successfully killed a barbarian cross-borderer during the siege and repelled the twelfth attack by the army led by the Ice Duke.]

He received 500 campaign points, a Duke's Medal of Honor, and a reward of 54000 standard gold coins.

-

what?
What day is it today that everyone is posting so much on social media?

Or is something about to happen?

It's Ron!
Holy crap, Ron's going to die.

A sudden realization flashed through Li Wei's mind.

The Ice Duke is going to take him away. It was precisely because the Ice Duke was not there that Socrates was able to take the opportunity to kill a Neanderthal cross-border traveler!

Just as Li Wei was thinking of this, another announcement flashed across the entire territory, carrying a bloody light and a cruel chill.

[Nationwide Announcement!]

[Ron, the Pioneer No. 4, was misled by the Ice Duke and fell victim to dark magic. He was caught off guard and faced the Ice Duke's army, whereupon he was instantly killed! His territory fell, his Pioneer Card was obtained by the Ice Duke, all four of his class cards were lost, and his soul was corrupted and taken by the Ice Duke, making resurrection impossible. The Ice Duke gained new magical knowledge and new power; once he completes his comprehension, his overall strength will become even greater, potentially breaking through to six stars+, or even seven stars.]

[The remaining pioneers, please prepare for war.]

-

I'm so rough!

really!

Li Wei sighed slightly. Ron was an old friend, but he ended up like this.

Unable to be resurrected! The price is too high.

But he was truly powerless to participate, much less to intervene.

Because Ron's territory is two thousand miles away from him, and he only brought Hathaway over from three thousand miles away, it has only been less than six days. It is impossible for him to interfere at this time.

Sending Li Yue was already the limit. In fact, Li Wei even doubted whether Li Yue had arrived near Ron's territory at this moment.

Because this happened so quickly and decisively.

This almost means that when he successfully met up with Shanghai Servy and fled into the desert more than ten days ago, Duke Frost had already decided to take action against Ron.

He will become even stronger, and although Socrates has just won a small victory, this advantage cannot last. Once the Ice Duke comprehends more new magical knowledge and becomes even stronger, that will be the moment when Socrates' territory is breached.

Fortunately, he has already gained the upper hand, and in any case, the Ice Duke will be unable to launch an attack this year.

All that's needed now is to build the magic portal and store enough magic power. Then, even if the Ice Duke personally leads his army to attack, it won't be a big problem.

Of course, we cannot be careless before that; we still need to have the most basic safeguards in place.

With this in mind, Li Wei forgot about building dikes for the farmland and immediately returned to the riverside fortress, remotely opening the recruitment interface of the Three Star Tavern through the Prestige Card system.

He hasn't recruited anyone this month, nor does he plan to, because he feels he can control the situation.

But that won't work now. The Ice Duke is accelerating, and those Neanderthals might be accelerating too, so he needs to recruit a spellcaster to guard the riverside fortress in his place, just in case.

After all, it's a waste to have magic mines but no spellcasters to oversee them.

He then scrolled directly to the last part of the recruitment interface, which was the spellcaster recruitment area.

There are still many spellcasters who were originally lords but went bankrupt for various reasons. Some spellcaster lords whose territories were on the verge of bankruptcy or were barely surviving would also take on odd jobs.

For example, Anna the Red Witch is this type.

Of course, the total number is not large, with only three remaining, two of whom are second-tier spellcaster witches and one is a third-tier spellcaster wizard.

Moreover, the prices for hiring them are very high. The prices for the first two witches are 10,000 standard gold coins per month and 13,500 standard gold coins per month, respectively.

As for the third-tier spellcasting wizard, he was offered a price of 30,000 standard gold coins per month.

Damn, these are beings at the level of Night Owls, what are you doing here getting involved?

Li Wei automatically ignored this one and chose the second spellcasting witch. Currently, the magic mine in the riverside fortress has already absorbed twelve units of magic power. Even if a great god is invited, it's like a skilled cook trying to cook without rice.

Therefore, it is sufficient to deal with small-scale harassment.

Incidentally, Li Wei's magic mine is located on the north side of the bridge, less than three kilometers north of the riverside fortress, and eight hundred meters southwest of the Black Mountain Fortress.

Two kilometers to the northeast lies Li Wei's farmland.

In short, everything is within the coverage area of ​​the magic mine, and any second-tier spellcaster could easily defend this place.

Soon, with 13,500 standard gold coins spent, the recruitment was successful.

A dozen seconds later, a faint gray mist appeared outside the fortress, and then a woman in her thirties, wearing huge black-rimmed glasses, with messy hair and wrinkled clothes, walked out. She was definitely a woman with personality.

Li Wei hurriedly walked out of the fortress and saw that this person had already gone to the magic mine on the north side of the bridge. Then, he took out all sorts of things from the resource card, including but not limited to a huge, dirty tent, two rabbits the size of dogs, a slanted donkey that could only bray, three big white geese, and a huge iron pot covered with all sorts of unknown grime.

This demeanor, this aura, it's practically screaming "dangerous."

When Li Wei stepped forward, the disheveled woman looked up and revealed two expressionless eyes behind her thick glasses.

"Hello, my lord, it's a pleasure to serve you. What is my task?"

"Simple. While guarding this magic mine, you also need to keep an eye on this fortress, that farmland, the bridge construction site, and ensure that the construction of the fortress on the south bank is not disturbed. You don't need to worry about the areas outside the magic mine's coverage."

“Oh, that sounds simple, but you only have twelve units of magic power here, so it’s difficult. Of course, as a five-star spellcaster mercenary, if I can’t solve my employer’s problems and back down at the first sign of difficulty, it would be against my professional ethics.”

"Here's what we'll do: as long as the total number of attacking enemies doesn't exceed fifty, and there's only one five-star target, then I can guarantee that I can handle any enemy below this limit, no matter how many times they come."

"But once we cross that line, I'm sorry, we'll have to pay you more. For every doubling of the enemy's numbers and strength, you'll have to double my wages."

"However, I am not omnipotent. If the number and strength of the enemy triples from that level at once, then I'm sorry, I would rather be warned and blacklisted by the Tavern Mercenary Association than not turn around and run away."

"Of course, if you, my lord, are willing to fight alongside me and have an elite army stationed here, then the conditions can be doubled."

"Furthermore, if there are no enemies, I can also take charge of the daily operation of the magic mine. This place is close to the river, and the river water can constantly bring chaotic magic particles. I must say, Lord, you have really chosen a treasure land."

"Well, that's roughly it. I don't know if you understand what I'm saying. If you don't agree, that's fine too. Leave 10% of your wages for travel expenses, and we'll part ways amicably and go our separate ways. How about that?"

"agree!"

Li Wei nodded, thinking that what the other party said made a lot of sense. One Neanderthal cross-border traveler plus fifty ability users already made for a large team. If the team were to double in size, it would be 150 ability users plus three Neanderthal cross-border travelers. To be honest, in the current eastern and central regions, that was unlikely.

Moreover, he will most likely not go out again. His focus will be on daily training, taking care of farmland, and flood control and disaster relief. The rainy season is coming soon. What will happen if the flood breaks the river embankment?
Just as Hathaway said, it's time to hone one's skills and develop steadily.

“Very well, then, Your Excellency, would you like to make some other trades? I am a mercenary, and according to the rules, we can trade items worth no more than 10,000 gold coins. Although this requires paying a 15% tax, it doesn't matter; we can share the tax. Are you interested?”

"Okay, I can take a look." Although he knew he might be ripped off, under the current circumstances, being able to trade with foreign entities was an opportunity in itself.

Upon hearing this, the sloppy-looking woman finally looked at Li Wei properly, even managing a slight smile. She immediately produced twenty pet cards.

"There are twenty two-star warhorses here. My price isn't high, ten thousand gold coins. We can share the tax burden, how about it?"

(End of this chapter)