Why is my territory in a 2D anime art style?

Chapter 156 Power Testing and Recruitment

However, judging from the trail of flames in the sky, it was estimated that it shot out about two or three kilometers before exploding. That means that it can indeed break through the 1-kilometer target acquisition mechanism, but it is not very meaningful, since accuracy is also an issue.

This is just a crystal bomb, not a nuclear bomb. Given the blast radius, accuracy is obviously very important.

In fact, the technology level of the old world also included such cannons.

However, the advent of primal energy rendered the explosive impact of gunpowder, a pure substance, obsolete, as it was extremely ineffective against primal energy.

This brings us to a test conducted by our predecessors.

If you use gunpowder to blast the ground and energy shells to blast the ground, and you adjust the two types of explosions to have the same destructive effect on the ground, and then use the same two methods to bombard a professional whose body is covered with energy, you will find that the damage of gunpowder to the energy on the body surface is negligible, but the energy shells can easily shatter the energy on the body surface.

The final conclusion is that the existence of source energy, an energy that was incomprehensible in the old world, may have many strange properties, one of which is that it has a stronger ability to absorb the kinetic energy impact of matter that does not contain source energy.

Even if it weren't explosives, but rather metal projectiles propelled by explosives, the result would only be slightly greater damage.

As long as the impact is mixed with sufficient source energy, the effect will be completely different.

However, source energy itself is very stable and will almost never be detonated by ordinary people like gunpowder. The only things that can power source energy projectiles are either builder's turrets or long-range attack weapons crafted by blacksmiths.

Source energy may not cause more terrifying damage, nor can it easily help you blast open a mountain with a small amount of source energy, but it will definitely have a stronger ability to resist material attacks.

This forces you to take this path, or you will be eliminated.

This is also why the world's technology has gone astray.

Aside from some conveniences in daily life, there has been almost no technological development in other areas besides energy sources.

Sui An thought for a moment and released the fire crystal bullet again. This time, he didn't aim at the sky, but instead used his vision to lock onto the river not far away. The river surface was already covered with a thick layer of ice, but as the vision of the golden firework gradually zoomed in, it seemed that there was an aquatic source beast sleeping there. It was as if the source stone in the source beast's body was glowing to tell him its location. Through the thick ice layer, the existence of the source stone could still be vaguely detected.

"Wow, forget about its power, its reconnaissance effect alone is comparable to that of a surveillance platform projection!"

Sui An laughed. The poor source beast was still hibernating, but sorry, it was because you were the closest to me.

"boom!"

This time, Sui An finally witnessed the power of the purple cannon. Before the roar in his ears had even stopped, the huge ice surface in the distance had already shattered.

The next second, a huge flame erupted from the bottom of the water like a volcanic eruption, and water vapor rose all around. The already dry river surface, which was only about ten meters wide, was completely melted by the flames within a range of more than ten meters. Even the river water was blown off, creating a scene that resembled a river being cut off.

A faint ray of soul essence, almost invisible in the sunlight, rose from the river and flew towards him.

The unknown underwater beast had been reduced to dust, leaving no trace.

Sui An felt a strange sense of relief, as if he had achieved something.

Sure enough, no matter what era a man is in, his favorite thing to do is to throw firecrackers into the river to blast fish.

"Judging by the blast radius, it is still smaller than the Firebird of the Sword Star Totem, about half the size, but its power should be significantly stronger than the Firebird."

"The Firebird's main damage is just high-temperature burning, but the Golden Flower Salute is enough to make up for some of my weaknesses."

Sui An was very satisfied. As expected, the products made by the Golden Finger were almost universally well-received. This was only the fire-attribute rose crystal bullet; he hadn't yet tried the metal and ice attributes, but he figured the effects wouldn't be too bad.

"Xiao An, were you the one who set off the cannon just now?" Wang Hu nervously ran up from the side of the city wall.

The first roar had already caught his attention, and the second roar, which came shortly afterward, compelled him to come and investigate.

Fang Si followed along.

Fang Si had actually seen Sui An just climb up the city wall, presumably testing the power of the intermediate-level building.

In fact, he had already tested it many times from yesterday to today, and Fang Si was already used to it.

However, what he had just heard seemed to be the sound of artillery fire. In his memory, there were only the Broken Gold Cannon in Sui'an territory, which was only a level 2 building and did not need to be tested at all.

So, seeing Wang Hu come up, curiosity drove him to follow.

Sui An turned his head and patted the huge cannon barrel in front of him at Wang Hu. Even though it wasn't a gunpowder cannon from the old world, the barrel was still a bit hot, so he didn't dare to keep it firing for long.

"Yes, I got a purple level 4 cannon, it's incredibly powerful!"

"Is this cannon also purple?"

His initial nervousness turned to surprise, and he widened his eyes as he moved closer: "So thick, so big!"

Sui An's brows furrowed instantly, and he quickly complained, "Could you please add the words 'cannon barrel'? It sounds weird—"

"What a thick cannon barrel! What a huge cannon barrel!"

"You don't need to repeat yourself."

"Hehe~" Wang Hu circled around the Golden Flower Fireworks, only to find that it didn't have a manual control button, unlike the four...

The Gold-Shattering Cannon was different, so he could only turn his head and ask.

"Is this an automated attack? What's it called?"

"Just call it the Golden Flower Salute. It's semi-automatic; it can only fire continuously after I locate the target, until the target disappears."

"Golden Flower Salute—Salute, isn't a salute just for making a sound?"

Wang Hu scratched his head, clearly puzzled. He had heard of the old world having salutes, but weren't those firecrackers and fireworks?

Not to mention Wang Hu, even Fang Si, who was standing to the side, couldn't hold back anymore. Although he vaguely guessed that Sui An had his own blueprints and even sources of core building materials.

But this fort's shape is probably the most serious among Sui'an's abstract buildings. As a result, its appearance is ordinary, but its name is extraordinary. There's always one thing that makes people laugh and cry.

If the purple intermediate cannon can only be considered a ceremonial cannon, then what is the Gold Shattering Cannon? A firework tube?

Sui An twitched the corner of his mouth. Who knew why the names of these buildings given by the golden finger were all so abstract?

"Yeah, but that's his name. You can call him Golden Flower Cannon, it's not a big deal."

"Okay, I didn't see it just now. Can you fire another shot and see?"

Wang Hu was somewhat envious. He had a violent streak at heart; otherwise, he wouldn't have spent most of the day playing with crossbows when he first arrived in the territory.

Sui An laughed: "Sure, but one shot is a bit expensive, it'll cost you ten days' wages."

"It's so expensive, forget it, I won't get it done!"

Upon hearing that it was so expensive, Wang Hu immediately shook his head, thinking it best to save Sui An some money.

"It's alright, I have money. I'll show you what's what!"

Sui An laughed. This time he didn't have a source beast to lock onto, but it wasn't a big problem. He directly chose the furthest point on the ground with a range of one kilometer.

"boom!"

Without any warning, the sudden roar caught the two off guard, causing them to instinctively take a step back.

Before they could react, another roar came from afar. They looked closely and saw a huge ball of fire rise in the distance, then quickly dissipate, leaving behind a huge charred crater on the ground.

"It's so far!" Wang Hu leaned against the wall, his eyes gleaming, looking like he really wanted to have sex with himself.

Fang Si unconsciously stepped forward, raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight, and squinted, trying to see the results of the battle in the distance.

Sui An himself was also checking. The first shot exploded in the air, the second shot hit the icy river, and only the third shot hit the ground properly.

But the result of the explosion did not disappoint. Even from a distance, the huge crater was still visible, which proved its power.

After a while, Sui An looked at the core energy of his territory again. The turret had been replenished with all the crystal bullets, and he found that his energy reserves had dropped by 1%.

Based on this, the energy consumed by releasing the crystal bomb should be very small. It would only consume about 1% of the energy if the crystal bomb was released three times and then replenished with three more crystal bombs.

Wang Hu reluctantly shifted his gaze from the cannon, turning to Sui An, who was staring at the control panel of his territory. "Which is more powerful, this one or your great fire sword?"

"They each have their own merits; they're not exactly the same in terms of function."

Sui An only used fire-attribute shells; he hasn't used metal or ice-attribute shells yet.

However, it's estimated that the Golden Flower Salute is more powerful, since it's a purple building with an initial level of 4.

Even if it's on par now, the Golden Flower Salute will still be upgraded later, destined to be its main weapon in the future.

However, he now has a new problem: should he still learn the purple [Azure Feather Giant Crossbow]?

Ignoring the blueprints, it requires two sets of core materials, and the price of one set of these core materials is almost equal to the price of the purple materials in your cheat system. Therefore, its cost is nearly twice that of the Golden Flower Fireworks. This statement is basically correct.

Moreover, the metallic rose crystal bullets of the Golden Flower Salute are also designed for penetrating effects, which seems to be somewhat redundant in terms of function.

Looking at his Golden Flower Cannon, Sui An suddenly thought of something.

"No, once the limited-time offer ends, the exchange price of purple materials will increase fivefold. Even if I sell this blueprint, it will only give me a few more purple buildings. But in the long run, the cost of this giant crossbow is relatively stable, and I can replenish it at any time."

"The intermediate construction engineer's time limit is quite long, so I'll keep it for myself."

Erhu and Zhao Feng are back.

Two cars returned with a group of people and another car.

Ye Tengyang has arrived.

"Uncle Ye, you're willing to come?"

"Zhao Feng talked to me and said you're short-staffed, you need someone you can trust, so I came here. Will you take me in?"

Ye Tengyang was carrying a large package on his back and another package in his hand, clearly not expecting Sui An to refuse him.

Sui An smiled and said, "Of course I'll take it. Go to the innermost row and pick an empty room. I'll come find you later to discuss your arrangements."

"Okay, I'll go first, you go ahead with your work."

Ye Tengyang turned his head and glanced at another car. There were even more people there, all of whom seemed to have been brought by Sui An.

Erhu led the group over: "This is Lord Sui An. You can call him Boss Sui."

"Boss Sui!"

The group greeted each other. Sui An looked them over and realized that there were indeed ten level-three combat professionals who had come. The oldest of them looked to be no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. They were indeed all new-generation professionals, which explained why they recognized Erhu.

"You're too kind, everyone. Please put your things in the car first. I'd like to discuss some details about the territory with you all to avoid any misunderstandings later. You can also raise any opinions you have today."

"This way, please!"

Sui An led Erhu and the ten people to the kitchen, where there was a long table, which was just right for the moment.

After the group sat down, Sui An didn't waste any time and spoke directly.

"Since we're all friends who enjoy playing the erhu, I'll say this upfront: if you have different opinions, we can discuss them later."

"Erhu has already given you a general overview of the territory, so I won't go into details."

"Regarding salary and benefits, Erhu should have already told you, but I'll confirm it for you again. It's 120 Originium per month, and I'll cover your food and lodging. I'll handle any work-related injuries. If you unfortunately die in the line of duty, according to the normal practice in Jiangcheng, I'll provide a one-time compensation of one year's salary, which Erhu will then pass on to your family. You will be the witnesses."

"Of course, as you can see from my city walls, as long as you follow my orders and don't act recklessly, you're basically safe. Even if you're seriously injured, I can save you. Since I started developing this territory, no one has died here yet!"

"Regarding benefits, there aren't many at the moment. It's just a special building in my territory that can quickly restore a professional's source energy and stamina. Level 3 members can use it for free for 15 hours per month. After that, you can use it at cost price. Erhu will show you how to use it later and see if it's worth it."

"Your job duties currently consist of three things: assisting in the fight against the rifts, cleaning up the battlefield, and patrolling and standing guard. Erhu will arrange the details for you later. You can take care of yourselves during the rest of the time, whether you are resting or practicing."

"As for the requirements, there are currently two. First, private fights are not allowed within the territory. If there are any problems, please contact Erhu or me to handle them. Second, during the battle against the source beasts in the territory, all spoils belong to the territory. No one is allowed to hoard or hide source stones or spoils of war. If anyone is found to have done so, I will confiscate the spoils and even deduct wages."

"I've finished speaking. If you have any opinions, please speak up now."

After Sui An finished recounting all the information he had confirmed, he looked at the people.

"Boss Sui, how is leave pay calculated?" One of the tall men suddenly raised his hand. "I have relatives in Jiangcheng, and I need to go back to check on them regularly."

Sui An glanced at it and said with a smile, "Four days off a month, you can arrange it yourselves, but no more than five people can take leave on the same day. Leave without rest will be calculated based on the average daily wage."

"Boss Sui, are you hiring so many people to prepare for frequently opening rifts? Does that mean we'll have to go down the city walls and fight among the source beast hordes?"

Another voice came from the side. The person asked very directly. Sui An turned his head and looked over. It was a somewhat thin young man, but he had bright eyes and looked very energetic.

Sui An asked curiously, "What's your name, brother?"

"My name is Zhao Tong, and I am a water-based energy combat professional."

"Water-based, not ice-based?"

"right!"

Sui An glanced at the erhu and saw him nod with a smile, which immediately put him at ease.

Ice and water are both water-based, but pure water-based combat professionals are generally not very strong in the mid-to-late game. This is because the destructive power of water-based energy is very limited, and they are often used as support characters.

In a sense, such professionals are rare and precious.

Because there are no orthodox priests or similar professions in this world, those who indirectly possess healing abilities, apart from alchemists' healing potions, are the three types of energy practitioners specializing in wood, water, and light.

Of course, at lower levels, the healing function is very poor, naturally because their source energy attributes are not very obvious. It becomes somewhat useful at intermediate levels.

Just like Aunt Zhao's fire attribute source energy, at the low level it is not much different from other attribute source energy. At the intermediate level it has a more obvious high temperature attribute, but it still has not completely become a flame state.

Wang Zhen's level 4 metallic source energy is also significantly sharper than other attributes, making it much more effective in dealing with energy shields or when attacking strong points.

When you reach a higher level, everyone's source energy attributes will become more apparent.

If we divide source energy and attribute characteristics into two components, the ratio might be 9:1 at the lower level and approximately 6:4 at the intermediate level.

In higher-level cases, the ratio reverses, reaching 4 to 6.

After a slight pause, Sui An organized his thoughts.

"I had this plan when I was at Level 4, but I probably wouldn't do it more than 4 times a month."

"As for going down the city walls to fight among the source beasts, I can't guarantee that it won't be necessary, but in most cases it won't be. Just defending the city walls will suffice. My territory has an extremely strong ability to resist rifts, and you'll see later."

"Okay, I understand!" Zhao Tong nodded and sat back down.

Sui An glanced at everyone, and seeing that no one else was asking questions, he thought for a moment and then smiled and said.

"Since no one has any other opinions, it seems that everyone agrees. So, please introduce yourselves so that I can get to know you."

Sui An looked at the first person on the left, who immediately understood and took the lead in introducing the person.

"Wang Feng, 25, Level 3 Fire Attribute Professional."

"Zhao Tong, 24, Level 3 Water Attribute Professional."

"Wei Ge, 27, a level 3 metal-attribute professional."

The ten people ranged in age from 28 to 23, with the oldest being a year younger than Erhu. Most of them were around the same age as Erhu. Indeed, Erhu was not exaggerating; his progress in breaking through the barrier was quite rapid.

Most professions have the attributes of metal, fire, and earth, with only Zhao Tong having the attribute of water. As for the attribute of wood, it is equally rare. In fact, the attribute of wood is mostly found among planters, just like the attribute-less energy source is mostly found among alchemists.

As for the four attributes of wind, thunder, light, and darkness, they are even rarer.

The only wind-element instrument I know of right now is the erhu.

Sui An registered all the people's information in a notebook, confirmed it with them again, and that was the end of it.

They were settled in the first row of stone houses, ten rooms in a row, just enough for the ten of them.

After settling the ten people in, Erhu took them to experience the stage. After all, seeing is believing, and without this stage, Erhu might not have been able to summon these people so quickly.

Erhu's elder brother Hu Ming, sister-in-law Ding Yu, and Erhu's father Hu Cheng were arranged in the innermost row, together with Zhao Feng's family.

Erhu's elder brother and sister-in-law, as well as Fang's parents, were all assigned to assist Wang Hu's father, Wang Ping. After all, cooking every day would be a big job from now on, and Wang Ping alone certainly couldn't handle it.

For an average person, Sui An's monthly salary was 10 source stones.

The area in front of the girls' stage was now surrounded by people.

Erhu helped his father down from one of the platforms, but it was clear that his broken leg could not be restored by the Girls' Stage.

The two weren't too disappointed; they were just giving it a try.

Sui An stood to the side, glanced at the onlookers, and said with a smile, "Uncle Hu, from now on, these three platforms will be yours."

"I've taken over management."

"Level 3 members can use it for free for 15 hours per month. If they need to use it for more than that, they can just pay for it with Originium by the hour. It costs 5 Originium per hour. If they need to pay less, they can pay the average price."

"I will give you a list later. You can follow the welfare schedule recorded on the list."

"Okay, as long as you don't mind that your uncle is disabled!"

Hu Cheng smiled broadly, seemingly unaffected by his earlier disappointment, and stood upright on one leg.

Upon hearing Sui An announce the price, the ten new employees breathed a sigh of relief, as they already had a general idea of ​​the stage's reception.

For these level 3 professionals, it would take about an hour to fully recover.

You get half an hour of free use every day, and you only need to pay a little extra for it.

This is equivalent to their monthly salary being 195 Originium Stones, which is indeed not low according to the market rate for Tier 3.

If there were no time for gifts, and if they wanted to diligently cultivate, they would have to spend all their daily income on it. They would truly spend their money wherever they earned it, without ever thinking of taking a single penny home.

In fact, Sui An had considered not giving them free time, but after thinking about it, he realized that they might not have enough source stones to spend, which would not be attractive enough, so he took the initiative to add one more time.

Even so, their treatment is almost the same as Wang Hu's at level three, but Wang Hu is his confidant, and he can give him some extra benefits when he has nothing to do, so it's not a big problem.

After settling Erhu's father in, Sui An hurried to the kitchen.

Wang Ping was already waiting here. Since Sui An did not actively bind him, he would not receive the blessing effect, but it did not affect his ability to use the kitchen function.

Sui An described the functions of the kitchen to him one by one, emphasizing that to understand a recipe, one must know the basic steps of the recipe, which meant he had to learn from other professional chefs first.

The stove and kitchen originally did not have the function of increasing experience, but the third enlightenment effect indirectly gave it that function.

【Mastering Culinary Skills: This mode can be unlocked by binding a chef. Once unlocked, the blessing will be adjusted so that when a chef is making a recipe they have unlocked, they will more easily gain professional skill insights, and their mastery of that recipe will increase faster.】

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