Lord of the Myriad Worlds

Chapter 278: Mark

Li Wei immediately pulled out a Mason Card, a Craftsman Card, a Blacksmith Card, a Woodcutter Card, and a Miner Card.

These had all been accumulated over recent days by Thomas, Leon, and Zhao Xuanxuan — once they each hit 500 experience points, they traded with each other and converted it into a Profession Card. Convenient, though it had certainly taken effort on their part.

"Mark, come pick one. Whichever feels right for you."

"Mark... Mark..."

Mark looked confused. Even Li Wei seemed to understand something this time — the man's eyes and expression were expressive enough to read. His basic intelligence was still intact.

"Mark — these are Profession Cards. Blacksmith, Mason, Craftsman, Woodcutter, Miner. Come on, pick one."

The patrol member named Carter pulled Mark over. The freemen were all quite familiar with this process by now, and they were happy to watch.

"Mark... Mark..."

Mark called out, looking a bit embarrassed. But at that moment, Li Wei suddenly tossed all the cards into the air — and in an instant, a Mason Card shot forward as a streak of light and sank into Mark's brow. A second later, a Miner Card followed.

Two at once?Wait — no, that wasn't right.

While the Profession Cards were binding, Li Wei focused intently — and sure enough, there it was.

Mark had become a natural person, yes. He had lost an arm, yes. But traces of Ability User genetics still remained in his body — or perhaps the right way to put it was that his genes had already been altered at the microscopic level.

For instance, the moment he bound and activated the Mason Card, it instantly jumped to Two-Star — because his experience and understanding in that field had long since surpassed any ordinary person.

Mark's Mason Destiny Grid had shot up to 36 in an instant.

That was nearly on par with Leon. Leon's current Mason Destiny Grid was only 38. Unbelievable.

A Level 3 Ability User brought back from the brink had this much potential?

And his Miner Card had also jumped to Two-Star instantly, with his Miner Destiny Grid automatically reaching 24. Absurdly good.

On top of that, his starting Life was 100 — already at Level 1 Awakening. Stamina 200 — Level 1 Awakening. Strength 20 — Level 1 Awakening. Agility 8. Defense 15.

A three-attribute Level 1 Awakening Professional Warrior right out of the gate.

And he still had 20 free attribute points unspent.

Calling him heaven-blessed was an understatement.

"Mark? Mark! Mark..."

Mark kept calling out, clearly realizing something extraordinary had happened. He could see his own stats now, and apparently hadn't expected to be this strong.

"Mark — prioritize Stamina, Strength, and Defense first. Then Life. Agility last. The specifics are up to you, but your future path is clearly Defense and Strength. In short, you can be a tank who absorbs damage, or a Strength-type damage dealer — your choice."

Li Wei offered the guidance. Mark had lost an arm, but his growth potential was genuinely impressive. Worth developing.

"Mark... Mark..."

Mark called out happily, then in one go raised his Life to 200, Stamina to 250, and Defense to 20 — four attributes at Level 1 Awakening.

In a single step he had surpassed Zhang Jinjun, matched Zhao Xuanxuan, and was closing in on Leon — and he was still unequipped, with only two Profession Cards.

He could advance to Three-Star at any time. Give him a proper set of gear and he'd be a smaller Thomas, a fully-loaded Leon.

Of course, Mark needed some time to adjust first.

"Benjamin — have someone take him to the canteen and get him some food. Plenty of meat. As much as he can eat."

"Yes, my lord!"

Benjamin immediately gave the order, looking at Mark the way a man looks at a new continent. He had always considered himself talented, but he had never been this impressive straight out of the gate.

Li Wei headed straight to Farmland No. 4 to begin harvesting. The wheat quality here was undeniably better than the three rooftop fields — more Three-Star wheat stalks throughout.

By the time he finished cutting from one end to the other, the Three-Star quality wheat alone came to over 100 kilograms.

And that was just one and a quarter acres.

Satisfying.

Li Wei felt like his Farmer Destiny Grid was on the verge of breaking through. Time to keep going.

Once he finished harvesting the Two-Star wheat as well, the total came to 223 kilograms.

Then came the One-Star wheat — no ordinary wheat, just under 370 kilograms of it.

[You have completed the harvest of 1.25 acres of wheat fields. You have earned 500 farming experience. You have additionally earned 150 Contribution points, cumulative total: 28,750. Your Farmer Destiny Grid has increased. Current value: 21.]

[Warning: Per the agreement signed before joining the Pioneering Mission, you are required to sell the designated quantity of wheat to Weir City at market price within 24 hours.]

Got it, no need to rush me.

Li Wei was genuinely curious — Three-Star quality wheat. What would bread made from it taste like? Dumplings? Noodles? It had to be extraordinary.

What a shame he couldn't enjoy it.

He called Benjamin and the others to carry all the wheat to Warehouse No. 1. The freemen weren't yet eligible to eat One-Star wheat — just as he himself wasn't eligible to eat Three-Star. Food made from One-Star wheat would be sold as goods in the market. Want some? Buy it with standard copper coins. The price wouldn't be high — but this was the key driving force behind market exchange.

It was also a major step toward the household-based social structure Li Wei planned to build in the future. Otherwise, eating communal meals indefinitely — once the momentum stalled and there was nothing to strive for — the territory would start to have problems.

The internal market needed to be established early.

None of this was new, of course. There was nothing new under the sun.

Li Wei then activated the Prestige Card's monthly trade function right there in Warehouse No. 1.

In an instant, a grey mist rolled in and a dimensional space formed. At the far end of the mist stood the familiar Trade Counter No. 8, belonging to the Medical Department.

"Ahem — friend, we meet again. I've heard your department has had a fine wheat harvest. Our department, under the command of the great Six-Star Lord, is authorized to purchase all Grade 2 and Grade 3 wheat, and to handle related transactions. If there is anything unsatisfactory, please point it out and we will do our best to accommodate."

The tone was noticeably different from last time.

Li Wei didn't think much of it. He simply handed over all the Three-Star wheat and two-thirds of the Two-Star wheat without even asking the price. There was no need — this was essentially a variation of paying taxes. Trying to sell Three-Star quality wheat on the black market was an option, but not one worth the trouble.

After a brief calculation, the other side tossed back 1,500 cold, emotionless standard gold coins.

Just then, the trade official added:

"Your maid Xiao Ning has sent you some local specialties. This is a permitted act of humanistic care — but during your mission, it is allowed only this once."

With that, a package was tossed over. The next instant, the trade channel closed.

Li Wei stared. There was a benefit like this?

He immediately tore it open. Inside: fifty kilograms of Two-Star winter wheat, one hundred kilograms of Two-Star corn — and a Resource Card.

The moment he touched it, he knew who had arranged this.

Who else? His mentor, benefactor, and direct superior — Night Owl.

The Resource Card was packed to the brim with exactly five hundred One-Star Profession Cards.

Now that was a lifesaver.

He had been worrying about where to find One-Star Profession Cards. Without them, settling the newly arrived freemen would be nearly impossible.

Li Wei did a quick scan of the contents.

50 Farmer Cards, 50 Craftsman Cards, 50 Miner Cards, 50 Hunter Cards, 50 Chef Cards, 50 Butcher Cards, 50 Mountaineer Cards, 50 Fisherman Cards, 50 Woodcutter Cards, and 50 Blacksmith Cards.

All ordinary, standard Profession Cards. Perfect.

He took out the 500 cards, and the One-Star Resource Card dissolved into a wisp of smoke and vanished. A consumable item.

Worth noting: Li Wei had originally had three Resource Cards, and they were nearly all used up.

At that moment, a feeling stirred in him. He went downstairs and stepped outside the camp walls to find four electric buses slowly pulling up — Nelson, Thomas, Santiago, and the others returning, along with Zhao Xuanxuan. Li Yue was still at the small city base.

Zhao Xuanxuan stepped forward to report.

"Li Wei, everything's been handled. The natural persons over there are getting ready to dismantle the small nuclear power plant from Base 379 and bring it back. Li Yue said she'll stay there for a few days to ensure their safety."

"Once the dismantling is complete, she'll come back. The natural persons have also promised to seal all access points going forward — they won't be opening them again. They'll wait out the Radiation Storm in the underground base. We just need to run regular patrols over the next few months. Barring any unexpected events, this really is the best solution available."

"Good work, everyone." Li Wei nodded, unsurprised.

Li Yue was the independent type — she had no patience for Zhao Xuanxuan, considering her a liability. If something went wrong, rescuing her or not would both be difficult choices. Better to send her back early and spare everyone the headache.

But speaking of which — the two neighboring Pioneering branches wouldn't be so furious that they'd launch a raid this very month, would they?

Li Wei found himself wondering about this as he watched Nelson and Thomas each direct their groups, splitting the 208 natural persons into two batches. From the outside, most of them looked normal — but he could smell a faint, sour rot on some of them, and they were clearly running high fevers, listless and drowsy.

Some of the more severe cases showed visible physical abnormalities — scale-like patches of skin, bony growths. Some were flushed red as lobsters; others shivered uncontrollably, their bodies seemingly wreathed in a faint frost.

Without question, the Blood Plague toxin in their bodies was spreading rapidly. This wasn't a disease — it was uncontrolled magical essence rewriting their genes. Given enough time, once the toxin broke through the threshold, they would transform into Level 3 Ability Users.