novelraw Chapter 273: A Rare Title
Chapter 273: A Rare Title
On the rooftop of the central tower, Li Wei and the others sat on the ground without a word between them, focused entirely on eating the bread Li Yue had produced and tearing into the braised pork knuckle Liang Yuzhi had handed out. Occasionally someone took a sip of water. A warm breeze swept past, carrying away the sweat, leaving a welcome coolness behind.
The post-battle settlement hadn't arrived yet — because it wasn't over. Perhaps it would only trigger once they forced open the underground base's doors. But how to do that was a question in itself.
Their Level 4 Scavenger Camp could accommodate at most another hundred or two hundred people before it was full.
And yet this underground base likely held over a thousand natural persons.
More importantly, those natural persons almost certainly had a strict management structure. They had been kept completely separate from the Flame Duke and the two or three hundred Ability Users — no direct contact between the two groups.
That was probably by the Flame Duke's own design.
Li Wei had gone to check the hidden rooms behind the concealed doors earlier. All dead ends.
In other words, under normal circumstances, the Flame Duke had kept all those Blood Plague-infected Ability Users imprisoned. He supplied them with food and drink while also providing small quantities of natural persons' blood to maintain their sanity. Their existence was both a danger to the natural persons and a wall of protection around them.
For these reasons, Li Wei suspected the natural persons in the underground base wouldn't simply comply.
The Flame Duke's death alone wouldn't make them obedient.He turned this over in his mind, leaning against the rooftop wall with his eyes closed, resting. After more than half an hour, he opened his eyes and said to Liang Yuzhi, "Second Aunt, head back with Thomas, Leon, and Zhang Jinjun. The Scavenger Camp can't afford any mishaps. I'll have Adai keep watch for you."
"Got it!"
Liang Yuzhi didn't waste a single word — she stood and left. She still needed to keep grinding for her Rare Scholar Card, and she had Isabel to cultivate on the side. As for the post-battle settlement, whatever was theirs wouldn't be a single point less.
"Thomas, you and the others carry this one back." Li Wei pointed at the test subject, who was still unconscious from his wounds. "Keep an eye on him. If anything seems off, tie him up first."
Li Yue glanced over with a questioning look. Li Wei gave a slight shake of his head. He didn't want to force the issue.
Next month was when the Radiation Storm would hit. As long as the underground base's defenses held, it could weather the storm — but if they forced their way in and the Scavenger Camp couldn't absorb the influx of natural persons, the consequences would be severe.
He wanted to talk to the people below first.
"Xiao Yue, stay here and keep watch. I'm going down."
Li Yue nodded, then gave He Yuying a look that was somewhere between a smile and a smirk.
This woman had been trying to drag her feet during the battle — and hadn't even gotten the chance. Now she looked stunned.
Li Wei climbed down through the elevator shaft, all the way to the lowest level. He stood still and listened for a moment. The picture became clear: roughly twenty meters away, behind a concrete wall at least a meter thick, at least twenty people were waiting in tense silence.
They were not unaware of what had happened outside.
But what approach should he take with them?
Many ideas flashed through his mind — being straightforward, showing goodwill, even pretending to be an envoy sent by the Frost Duke.
None of them felt convincing enough.
In the end, at a moment like this, words meant nothing. He knew it clearly: most people feared power far more than they valued kindness. If he spoke first, he would be surrendering the initiative. These natural persons had nowhere to run anyway — what was the rush?
The ones who should be anxious right now were not him.
He'd settle the battle results first.
After a brief silence, Li Wei climbed back out of the elevator shaft without hesitation.
He waved, and the group withdrew.
The moment they stepped out of the city and set foot in the outskirts, everyone felt a jolt — and then a cascade of notifications flooded their vision. The post-battle settlement had finally arrived.
[Under the leadership of Head of Household Li Wei, you have successfully and ahead of schedule triggered the hidden boss of the current Pioneering Side Mission — the Flame Duke. (Note: this description is used for ease of understanding only and does not imply the Flame Duke was pre-arranged by the Tactics Department. In theory, the timing of his loss of control is entirely dependent on the intensity of the Radiation Storm.)]
[Under the command of Head of Household Li Wei, you have initiated a battle of extraordinary difficulty, rated Five-Star+. Note: Battle Mode differs from ordinary combat — settlement can only be processed after leaving the battlefield. You have now exited the battlefield and settlement is in progress.]
[This battle resulted in the cumulative elimination of 278 Level 3 Radiation Zombies and the defeat of the Flame Duke, completing the occupation of the current region. As a result, the Level 4 Scavenger Camp will be upgraded to Level 5, and a large amount of Pioneering Points has been earned. Note: Regardless of whether the natural persons consent, they have already become freemen under the Scavenger Camp's jurisdiction. They will be responsible for garrisoning this location — the effect is the same.]
[The Level 5 Scavenger Camp can now unlock new buildings.]
[The Level 5 Scavenger Camp's member cap has increased by an additional 4.]
[The maximum Contribution the family can accumulate has increased to 100,000 points.]
[Total family Contribution earned in this battle: 30,000 points.]
[The impact of this battle will extend to two neighboring Pioneering Side Missions, which will lack their necessary Pioneering Point sources in the second year. (Note: Under normal circumstances, defeating the Flame Duke requires the combined strength of three Pioneering branches...)]
[The bonus reward for this campaign is — Rare Title: Flame Baron! The highest contributor in this battle will receive this title. This title can be carried out of this world and can be linked to a territory, if one is possessed.]
[All player contributions are being calculated. Details as follows — (Note: calculation is based on the overall campaign difficulty, not purely on kill contribution.)]
[Head of Household Li Wei's contribution: 60%. Breakdown — agreed to initiate this campaign and bore all risk and responsibility: +5%; infiltrated as a scout in advance and obtained critical intelligence: +10%; destroyed two of the Flame Duke's life cores in combat: +20%; stepped forward to turn the tide when the situation deteriorated and all others were at a loss, and assisted teammates in destroying the Flame Duke's third life core: +20%; protected a critically wounded teammate while simultaneously eliminating a Level 5 Radiation Zombie: +5%.]
[Family Member Li Yue's contribution: 18%. Breakdown — destroyed one of the Flame Duke's life cores in combat: +10%; destroyed one of the Flame Duke's life cores with teammate assistance: +6%; cleanup kills: +2%.]
[Family Member Liang Yuzhi's contribution: 18%. Breakdown — assisted teammates in destroying the Flame Duke's second, third, and fourth life cores: +15%; protected teammates and completed cleanup kills: +3%.]
[Family Member Thomas's contribution: 1.8%. Breakdown — performed excellently in combat, assisted in destroying the Flame Duke's second life core, and completed cleanup kills.]
[Family Member Leon's contribution: 1%. Performed excellently in combat and completed cleanup kills.]
[Family Member Zhao Xuanxuan's contribution: 1%. Performed excellently in combat and completed cleanup kills.]
[Family Member Zhang Jinjun's contribution: 0.1%. Average performance in combat.]
[Family Member He Yuying's contribution: 0.1%. Average performance in combat.]
[Summary: Head of Household Li Wei has been awarded the Rare Title: Flame Baron. As he has not yet acquired a territory, the title cannot be linked to one — but he may now be addressed as Baron. Specific stat data is confidential and visible to the individual only.]
[Flame Baron Li Wei has earned 18,000 Contribution points. Current total: 28,600 Contribution points.]
[Family Member Li Yue has earned 5,400 Contribution points. Current total: 9,500 Contribution points.]
[Family Member Liang Yuzhi has earned 5,400 Contribution points. Current total: 8,900 Contribution points.]
[Family Member Thomas has earned 540 Contribution points. Current total: 2,740 Contribution points.]
[Family Member Leon has earned 300 Contribution points. Current total: 2,400 Contribution points.]
[Family Member Zhao Xuanxuan has earned 300 Contribution points. Current total: 2,500 Contribution points.]
[Family Member Zhang Jinjun has earned 30 Contribution points. Current total: 1,530 Contribution points.]
[Family Member He Yuying has earned 30 Contribution points. Current total: 30 Contribution points.]
[Total Contribution earned by the family to date: 56,200 points.]
—
Excellent. The Scavenger Camp had jumped straight to Level 5.
Li Wei smiled — genuinely, for once. The gains from this battle were truly enormous.
He immediately switched to the Rare Title: Flame Baron, and the relevant information appeared before him.
[Title Name: Flame Baron]
[Quality: Rare]
[Life +50, Stamina +50, Strength +3, Agility +3, Defense +3, Spiritual Power +3]
[Property: Not yet unlocked — requires territory link.]
[Temporary Property: Exerts a powerful intimidating effect on certain natural persons. Disappears when the mission ends.]
—
Outstanding. A rare title worthy of the name.
Li Wei equipped the Flame Baron title on the spot and headed straight for the northern camp. This time he didn't say a word — he simply stood outside the entrance for a moment. Then came a low hum, and the entrance to the underground base slowly opened. Three figures emerged: two men and one woman, all appearing to be in their fifties or sixties, clearly members of the base's management.
He had no idea what his presence looked like to them, but the way all three stared at him — terror mixed with reverence — made it clear. The Flame Baron title apparently carried some trace of the original Duke's aura.
Li Wei was still considering this, just about to put on a friendly smile and say something diplomatic, when Li Yue stepped forward and said coldly:
"Skip the pleasantries. Right now you have two choices: endure the Radiation Storm in twenty-seven days, or open the base doors and cooperate. I don't care what excuses you have, what reasons, or what you think — none of it matters anymore."
"The Flame Duke lost control. We were sent by the Frost Duke to deal with him. This location is now under our management. You're welcome to resist — and we'll turn around and leave immediately. Come spring next year, the Frost Duke might send an Ability User army to collect your remains."
"Get back inside. You have ten minutes to decide."