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

Chapter 167 Wolf Pack Territory (Seeking monthly votes at the end of the month)

"This matter is well-known in Cloud City. The Wolf Pack Territory can make a special disposable locator, which their blacksmiths have assembled into their flags. If there are any special circumstances, they can choose to use the locator to send out a signal, and the Wolf Pack Territory lord can find the location of the signal."

"This flag is similar in concept to the flag of Ping An Bank, but it is only a one-time use item, although its reach is much wider."

Ye Tengyang frowned and explained to Sui An, "If you encounter professionals fighting in the wild, this thing is only so-so. But if the territory dares to attack them, then it's a different story!"

"How can they find a signal transmission point over 400 kilometers away?"

"Pretty much, but there aren't many of these flags. Only the core personnel truly responsible for field operations within their territory can have them, and they're bound to specific individuals—only the person bound to them can use them!"

Sui An was somewhat incredulous: "What kind of lousy method is this? It's too underhanded. So, if I really want to wipe them out, I have to wait until they're far away from my territory?"

Ye Tengyang quickly advised, "It's best not to do that. The Wolf Lord was a gang leader in the old world. He values ​​loyalty above all else and is known for repaying kindness and avenging wrongs. Whenever something happens to a core member of his territory, if he can't find the culprit, he will even ruthlessly wipe out any forces that are nearby and have the corresponding strength. He is very domineering."

"Unless they're forces of equal strength, they're a real headache!"

Sui An's eyes widened immediately: "Damn, this world is really unreasonable. If they get killed by this giant, I might end up being buried with them?"

"Who can argue with that!"

Ye Tengyang was both amused and exasperated: "But since they're still alive, let's not covet their things and just let them go. We saved them, and they've become core members of the Wolf Pack's territory. They're unlikely to repay kindness with enmity. Besides, everyone knows the Wolf Pack's principles. Once they realize they might have incurred enmity and are being retaliated against, if someone else takes action, they're doomed. It's a lose-lose situation."

"Even if you're really eyeing the treasure they might get, follow them a little further away before making a move. But there's no guarantee they won't use some other methods to expose your identity."

Sui An shook his head, dismissing the idea. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he started cursing, "When I get up, I'll do the same thing and see who beats whom!"

"Stop complaining, they're coming!"

The erhu also sounds rough, but poor skills inevitably lead to limitations; everyone starts from the bottom.

Turning his head to look at the car approaching from a distance, Sui An didn't prepare to go down the city wall to meet it. He simply walked out of the watchtower and quietly waited for the car to arrive.

This vehicle didn't come with a cargo bed, but it wasn't small; it looked even taller than the off-road vehicles from my previous life.

The car stopped in front of the city gate, and a burly man in black armor stepped out. He glanced at the crowd on the city wall and called out.

"I am Liu Qi, the leader of the Black Wolf Hunting Group, a subordinate hunting force of the Wolf Pack Territory. Thank you for your assistance, lord. May I ask your name?"

"Sui An!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Qi took a small pouch from his waist: "Lord Sui, we don't have many useful items left on this trip. These are two mid-grade sky-blue pearls; consider them a small token of my gratitude!"

"Commander Liu, you're too kind. I only intervened to protect myself. There's no need for a thank-you gift!"

Sui An was somewhat surprised, as the price of intermediate-grade sky-blue pearls was not low, and he was given two of them.

From this perspective, they might not have really wanted to harm themselves; they were simply being chased by the crowd and had nowhere else to turn.

He had no intention of accepting their thanks. After learning about the situation of this territory from Ye Tengyang, he didn't want to get involved with them. He had saved you, so you should hurry up and leave.

Liu Qi visibly froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered and didn't take the small bag back.

"Our Wolf Pack territory always repays kindness, so we must still give the promised gift."

He placed the items directly on the ground, and when he got up again, he didn't leave but continued to ask questions.

"Also, I wonder if your territory has any mid-level healing potions in stock? I'd like to exchange some. Two of my team members were seriously injured by this Ice Source Crocodile, and we've run out of our current healing potions. If we don't have enough, I'm afraid..."

They won't survive in the territory.

Sui An was somewhat surprised by the attitude of the black-armored giant. Although the mid-grade sky-blue pearl was not priceless, it was still quite valuable. The giant was so willing to part with it, even after Sui An had clearly expressed his unwillingness.

However, Sui An had some stock of the treatment medicine he needed. Although he had a stage to treat his injuries, he still kept some commonly used medicines on hand, though not many.

After thinking for a moment, Sui An replied, "Yes, we do have some, but we only have a few in stock."

Liu Qi visibly relaxed: "That's good. Can you sell them all to me? I'll trade them for Sky Blue Pearls!"

It's clear that this group had a good harvest in Pinghu; they can easily produce these azure pearls.

Seeing that this seemingly level six expert was so sincere, Sui An couldn't very well refuse.

"Then wait a moment, I'll send someone to fetch some!" Sui An called Erhu over and asked him to run to the courtyard, where the items were stored in the icy cellar.

The erhu player moved very quickly, and soon arrived at the city gate with a box, opened the gate, and went out.

Liu Qi planted the spear to the side, indicating that he had no intention of attacking. Erhu then moved closer and handed the box over.

He opened the box and glanced at the medicines inside. His face lit up with joy; they were indeed all healing medicines.

He took out another pocket from behind him, and without even checking how much material was in it, he handed it over directly.

"Thank you, Lord Sui. Here's the payment for the medicine!"

Erhu turned his head to look at Sui An on the city wall. Seeing that he nodded, he reached out and took the bag from the ground.

Liu Qi handed the box to the red-armored man who stepped out of the car. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly turned around, raised his head, and shouted at Sui An.

"Lord Sui, a riot broke out at Pinghu Lake today. This giant ice crocodile suddenly emerged from the bottom of the lake. Not only this giant ice crocodile, but many other source beasts also broke through the ice and surged out. Many professionals fishing for Sky Blue Clams there were robbed. This giant ice crocodile even chased our vehicle for twenty kilometers, which is very abnormal!"

"There may be other changes in the near future. Although you are far away, I still suggest you be careful!"

Liu Qi's reminder startled Sui An slightly, but he quickly realized what he meant.

"Okay, thanks for reminding me. I'll be careful. Have a safe journey home!"

To be honest, Liu Qi completely overturned his view of professionals. Professionals possess all kinds of extraordinary powers and can decide life and death at will. It would be unbelievable to outsiders that a level 6 being like Liu Qi would treat a level 4 territory so politely.

But as Sui An glanced at the giant crocodile in the distance, he suddenly realized that he had ultimately prevailed in terms of firepower.

The other party is the one who should be cautious.

After Liu Qi got into the car, he drove off towards the stone bridge again, under the watchful eyes of the crowd on the city wall.

After everyone left, Sui An called out to the men behind him, "You guys drive the transport truck and bring the big guy back. It's probably a bit heavy, maybe you should bring another one!"

"Oh, and shovel that bloody mud back into the mushroom house too, it's good stuff!"

"yes!"

Excitedly, everyone started running out from the city wall. The men seemed to have a natural fear of the giant beast, yet also a longing for it, which made them all curious as they followed Erhu.

Hmm, there's also a bouncing, bouncy young lady who's quite curious!

Sui An summoned Ye Tengyang and Zhao Feng, and asked with a frown, "Do you have any leads on the Pinghu riot that Liu Qi mentioned?"

Fang Si shook her head, while Ye Tengyang frowned as if deep in thought.

Zhao Feng then had an idea: "Could it be that a crack has appeared at the bottom of the lake, and a source beast has emerged, disrupting the stability of the lake?"

Fang Si continued to shake her head: "It shouldn't be. Even if it's a wilderness rift, it should only open under a blood moon. Apart from the architect's assessment, I've never heard of a rift appearing during the day."

"That's true, but what kind of disturbance would cause an uproar across a lake spanning several hundred square kilometers?"

Zhao Feng was puzzled, but couldn't think of any other factors for the moment: "I don't think I've ever encountered this situation before."

Sui An added, "Liu Qi also said that this Ice Source Giant Crocodile chased him for twenty kilometers without giving up. If they hadn't stolen some rare treasure guarded by the Source Beast, it's hard to imagine what reason could have made this giant crocodile persist like that."

"Let them drag that giant crocodile back and take a look; perhaps this source beast has some unusual behavior."

"Little Anzi, the shipment is complete!"

The sound of the erhu came from below the city wall. Sui An turned his head to look down at the city wall and saw the erhu running over with a blue trophy orb.

"What's inside that makes you so happy?"

Guess!

Erhu trotted up the city wall, grinning as he tossed the blue orb in his hand: "So far, none of the blue trophies I've blessed seem weak. Does that count as good luck?"

"Brother Hu is still too strong, so what is it?"

Sui An put the matter of Pinghu out of his mind and asked curiously.

Erhu handed over the ball of light in his hand: "This time it should be a secret treasure!"

Sui An took it and examined it closely. Sure enough, it looked like a secret treasure, a secret treasure shaped like a wine pot.

"Quickly open it and see what the effect is!" Erhu urged from the side. Although he was very curious, he was sensible enough not to crush the light ball and take out what was inside.

Sui An crushed the ball of light, and a tall, slender, silver-white wine pot appeared in his hand. The pot had a delicate handle and a narrow neck. There were also some fine patterns on the pot, but its purpose was not clear.

As soon as Sui An came into contact with this treasure, a stream of information was transmitted through the pot.

[Treasure Name]: Purification Pot [Treasure Level]: Level 6 [Treasure Quality]: Blue [Treasure Effect]: The Purification Pot automatically absorbs surrounding wandering energy, condensing it into purifying spiritual water, capable of purifying energy levels not exceeding 6.

The blue-quality toxins, pollution, and erosion have continuous negative effects. The removal effect is related to the amount of Pure Source Spirit Water. The higher the concentration of source energy near the pot, the faster the condensation speed. When the pot is full of Pure Source Spirit Water, the condensation will stop.

"Wow, this is definitely a good thing!"

Sui An's voice immediately attracted everyone's attention. He handed the wine pot to Erhu and explained to everyone.

"Level 6 Blue Treasure, a resource-type treasure that can automatically condense purifying spiritual water, said to be able to remove a certain degree of toxins, pollution, and erosion."

"real?"

Zhao Feng exclaimed in surprise, "That's definitely a good thing!"

Ye Tengyang also recovered from his thoughts: "If it can even remove pollution and erosion, it is indeed a good thing. This is equivalent to producing a mid-level purification agent. Purification agents are further subdivided into several types according to the type of negative status. This special spiritual water can even purify them."

After the erhu player touched the wine jug, he happily handed it back, saying, "I told you I had good luck. You'd better keep it safe; don't let anyone steal this little trinket!"

"Don't worry, you won't lose it!"

Sui An took the wine jug, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Was there anything special about that giant crocodile?"

Erhu paused, then asked, "Special circumstances? What do you mean?"

Seeing Erhu's bewildered expression, Sui An explained again: "It's about the monster rampage in Pinghu that Liu Qi just mentioned. Nobody can guess the reason, and Liu Qi even said that he was chased by this thing for twenty kilometers. If it wasn't for the treasure, then it's a bit unusual."

Erhu looked even more bewildered and shook his head repeatedly: "No, it doesn't look special to me. It's just an ordinary source beast, except that it's big and heavy, there's nothing special about it."

"How about we go take a look together?"

At Erhu's suggestion, the group went downstairs and watched as the large vehicle was towed back by two small transport trucks.

Erhu picked up the scattered scales from the side and tapped them with his long sword, producing a sound like metal clashing.

"Your armor-piercing shell was really powerful. This guy's scales were harder than my knife, but it still got pierced through and exploded like this from the inside!"

Sui An also reached out and touched it. It was clearly scales, but it felt incredibly cold to the touch, just like the effect of metal.

"Impressive, right? That was bought with money. It took me 13 crystal bullets to kill this guy, which cost over 500 source stones—almost as much as my spirit pet!"

"This huge thing, just its body and scales alone, could sell for at least three thousand source stones. You're still making a profit!"

"Of course! Why would I bother with it if it wasn't profitable?"

"Weren't you doing this to save your life?"

While the two were chatting, Ye Tengyang and Zhao Feng stood on the back of the giant crocodile, using their weapons to cut a piece of flesh from the wound and examine it closely. Ye Tengyang seemed to find no problem and then breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's probably not because the Dark Abyss has been corrupted; there must be some other reason!"

"Uncle Ye, you suspect it's Dark Abyss?"

Sui An was stunned for a moment. The term "Dark Abyss" was from a long time ago. It must have been six or seven years since the last time.

Rumor has it that when the Dark Abyss opens, it will connect to a special world filled with peculiar dark energy, seemingly completely different from the world connected by the rift. Each opening will trigger various disasters, making it extremely terrifying.

"right!"

Ye Tengyang nodded, picked up the piece of meat with his long knife, and handed it over.

"If the Dark Abyss opens, the Source Beasts will be corrupted by that extremely special dark energy and go berserk, which is very similar to the scene Liu Qi described. However, the corrupted Source Beasts usually have black-like dark energy residue in their bodies. This guy's body is very clean, so it shouldn't be him."

Erhu moved closer: "I don't think so either. I heard that the opening of the Dark Abyss is a huge event, even causing earthquakes. If it opens beneath the lake, the lake's water might overflow and dry up completely, right?"

But to everyone's surprise, Ye Tengyang shook his head: "No, the entrance to the Dark Abyss is one-way; no one can get in from the outside, and water can't get in either."

"Is that so?" Erhu's eyes widened. This was the first time he had ever heard of it. After all, when the Dark Abyss near Jiangcheng opened last time, he was not a professional and had not experienced it up close.

"Is it possible to get into that crack?"

"It should be possible, but I've never seen it. I only know that arrows and cannonballs can penetrate it. As for what happens after these things go in, I don't know. After all, a rift isn't like a dimensional portal where you can see directly inside."

Ye Tengyang truly lives up to his reputation as a professional from the previous generation. Although he wasn't among the first batch, his experience far surpasses that of his peers.

They have probably already experienced most disasters once. If the world after the invasion of the Origin Realm is just like usual, it cannot be considered a true apocalypse.

It's because there are too many unstable factors. Just like the previous ice fog wave, so much territory was lost along Line 7 alone.

Not to mention the other lines further away.

Seeing that no one else could find anything special, Sui An could only shake his head.

"Then let's leave it at that. We should get concrete information from the trading company by tomorrow or the day after at the latest!"

"You all go back to what you were doing."

Seeing that there was no gossip to hear, the onlookers began to disperse, some digging, some transplanting, and some refining gold.

Suddenly, Zheng Xu walked over to Sui An and said, "Boss Sui, are you interested in hearing something from me?"

Sui An, who was about to leave, turned his head and looked at Zheng Xu with curiosity. Since this young master entered his territory, he rarely took the initiative to contact him.

Although he liked to wander around the territory and chat with people when he had nothing to do, he rarely chatted with himself. Since there were more people in the territory, he also started to be active in the guard team. After all, the members of the guard team were all about the same age as him, no more than three or four years apart.

"Is there anything you want to say to me, Brother Xu?"

Zheng Xu pointed to the giant crocodile and said softly, "I've heard of the Ice Source Giant Crocodile, a level 6 elite source beast. Although it is a water-attribute source beast, it lives on the shore most of the time and doesn't hibernate at the bottom of the lake even in winter."

Sui An was taken aback for a moment, but quickly understood Zheng Xu's meaning: "You mean, this giant ice crocodile isn't a source beast that lives and breeds in the lake?"

Zheng Xu nodded: "I've been to Pinghu a few times. It's all wilderness with no cover, and there are hardly any amphibious source beasts living there. If there were source beasts living on the shore, they would have been killed by countless professionals long ago. Only those in the water can escape being hunted by professionals."

"The conventional methods for transferring large quantities of source beasts from other places are nothing more than a few: either rifts, or..."

It could be a dimensional secret realm, or a source beast caught in various calamities.

Sui An looked at Zheng Xu, who was speaking eloquently, with surprise: "You're not trying to say that a new dimensional secret realm has appeared in Pinghu, are you?"

"If a dimensional secret realm appeared out of thin air in the lake, the initial anomaly should have been the lake water flowing back into the dimensional space gate, as Erhu mentioned. That would have caused a huge disturbance, and there's no reason why a professional like Liu Qi wouldn't have noticed it."

"No!" Zheng Xu shook his head, smiling as he looked at Sui An: "Boss Sui, you're still too young, and as a construction engineer, you rarely go out on adventures."

"There are several types of dimensional secret realms. The most common one is the kind of dimensional space portal with a fixed passage, as you mentioned."

"There's another type: those that are blocked by dimensional membranes, like your barrier. Imagine your territory is submerged at the bottom of a lake, relying on a barrier to hold back the water. What would happen if the barrier suddenly collapsed one day?"

Sui An blurted out, "We'll be smashed into mincemeat by thousands of tons of lake water—"

"Uh~"

Zheng Xu was stunned, but he quickly recovered: "If it were a human, it would indeed be smashed into mincemeat, but it might not be the case for a source beast like the Ice Source Crocodile."

"That's certainly a possibility, but even if a secret realm appears in Pinghu Lake, what does that have to do with me?"

Sui An smiled and shrugged: "The strongest individual fighter in my territory right now is just a professional who has just broken through to level five. If you threw that little bit of strength into a calm lake, it wouldn't even make a ripple."

"Moreover, if a secret realm were to appear in the world in this way, I doubt many valuable items would still be intact."

Zheng Xu's eyes lit up, and he suddenly whispered, "But what if the people in that car have already gotten the good stuff?"

"As I said, I know that the Ice Source Giant Crocodile is a source beast that can keep him chasing it for twenty kilometers without letting go. It must be either a high-level treasure or the Ice Heart Lotus Root."

"This is a companion treasure that grows in the habitat of the Ice Source Crocodile. It has a very good effect on ice-attribute source beasts or professionals. It can temper one's own water or ice-attribute source energy and make the attribute effect more prominent."

"Even setting aside the possibility of a secret realm, the fact that they were chased so far by the Ice Source Giant Crocodile makes that possibility very likely."

It wasn't until Zheng Xu mentioned this that Sui An understood why Zheng Xu had taken the initiative to find him.

"You don't mean for me to intercept that car, do you?"

"There's a Level 6 professional and two Level 5 professionals in that car. Even if I could catch up, I wouldn't be able to defeat them!"

But Zheng Xu suddenly asked a surprising question: "Boss Sui, do you really have no way to deal with them?"

"What do you mean by that?" Sui An's expression remained unchanged, but his mind was in turmoil.

Did Zheng Xu discover something? Why would he suddenly say these things?

But Zheng Xu raised an eyebrow, circled around Sui An, seemingly not quite believing it. He lowered his voice and asked again.

"Boss Sui, were you really not the one who destroyed those level 3 territories around you?"

>