novelraw Chapter 68: Taking Stock of the Spoils
Chapter 68: Taking Stock of the Spoils
All the spoils from defeating the bandits were now piled up in front of Wang Yi. He examined them piece by piece, sorting and storing them by category.
First were the coins. These were mainly taken from the Black Mountain Stronghold’s Treasure Vault. In total, there were 4,621 Gold Coins!
There was also a large pile of Silver Coins and a large pile of Copper Coins, enough to fill several chests. Wang Yi couldn’t be bothered to count the exact amount since there were so many. He planned to deposit all this loose change into the Eggshell Money Shop for Jelena to manage.
Next were the Skill Books, all of them for Martial Arts.
Among them, the elite mountain bandits had dropped ten copies of [Body Forging Long Fist], ten of [Mountain-Opening Saber], twelve of [Green Forest Saber Technique], ten of [Chaotic Fist], ten of [Mad Dog Fist], four of [Hundred Battles Saber Technique], two of [Grapple Hand], one of [Wind-Breaking Saber], and one of [Eighteen Nao]!
There were 60 books in total, all in a sealed state. The Lord Player needed to spend Chaos Energy to unseal them, with each book requiring only 1 point of Chaos Energy.
Wang Yi read through all of their descriptions and found that the so-called [Body Forging Long Fist], [Chaotic Fist], and others were just low-level external martial arts consisting of routine moves. An ordinary person could probably learn them with a few years of diligent practice.
Using these Skill Books, however, would undoubtedly bypass the need for diligent practice, allowing for immediate mastery.
In Wang Yi’s opinion, these low-level Martial Skill Books couldn’t compare to the [Hundred-Step Arrow Manual].
The latter could directly turn someone into a Divine Archer capable of Hundred-step Piercing Willow. And Hundred-step Piercing Willow wasn’t something that could be achieved through hard practice alone; it probably also required natural aptitude and talent.
So, in a way, the [Hundred-Step Arrow Manual] Skill Book could directly change a user’s natural aptitude and talent, which was a ridiculous item.
Wang Yi didn’t care much about those 60 low-level Skill Books, but the ones dropped by the bandit chief were different. There were six in total: Skill Books for [Flaming Saber], [Iron Cloth Shirt], [Diving], [Night Traveling Book], [Python Ox Strength], and [Ground-Laying Saber]!
These Skill Books had more of a "Wuxia" feel to them.
Among them, [Diving] was considered a special Skill Book. It was related to Martial Arts because it came with a corresponding breathing and air exchange method called "Diving Inner Strength." With this skill, one’s diving ability would be ridiculous.
[Ground-Laying Saber] was an advanced ground-based technique, and it also came with a matching Heart Method and Body Technique.
[Iron Cloth Shirt] was even more amazing. Once mastered, channeling the skill would turn one’s skin black, making them Invulnerable.
[Night Travel Technique] was a type of Lightweight Skill, emphasizing silent movement, making it suitable for stealthy travel at night.
[Flaming Saber] wasn’t actually a Saber Technique, but a type of Inner Strength Palm Technique. After mastering it, one could project their Inner Strength out of their body, forming a flame saber, which was already bordering on the Mystic.
And [Python Ox Strength] was likely the most powerful of these Cultivation Techniques. The other Skill Books only required 10 Chaos Energy to unseal, while [Python Ox Strength] needed 12.
According to the Skill Book’s description, Python Ox Strength was a Body Refinement Inner Strength technique. Once mastered, one’s breath would become long and sustained, their strength would greatly increase, and they would possess the power of a giant python and a wild bull.
After putting the Skill Books away, Wang Yi checked the other spoils of war. There was: one Purple Chaos Egg that could hatch a "bear child," one [Black Mountain Stronghold Martial Arts Enhancement Scroll], one Farmland Deed, one blue blind box, and two Purple Blind Boxes!
Wang Yi used the [Black Mountain Stronghold Martial Arts Enhancement Scroll] to enhance the [Python Ox Strength] Skill Book, and it actually transformed into a [Dragon Elephant Skill] Skill Book!
Looking at the Skill Book’s information, Dragon Elephant Skill was already an advanced Body Refinement Inner Strength technique. It could be described as a completely enhanced version of Python Ox Strength. It even had a level system. Using the Skill Book would grant the user Level 1 Dragon Elephant Skill, also known as the first layer, and its enhancement effect was already comparable to a fully mastered Python Ox Strength.
It could be upgraded later through proficiency, with the highest layer being the thirteenth, or LV13. Once mastered, one’s Inner Strength would be formidable, granting them the power of thirteen dragons and thirteen elephants.
’The power of thirteen dragons and thirteen elephants... just how strong is that? I can imagine the elephants, but the dragons are a bit more abstract. I wonder if it means Divine Dragons or dinosaurs...’
Wang Yi muttered to himself. He already had a preliminary idea of how to distribute these Martial Arts Skill Books.
In fact, Wang Yi’s spoils of war weren’t limited to the above. He himself had gained 2,200 Lord Experience, and he had also taken a large quantity of jade artifacts, antiques, Swords and Sabers, and more from the Treasure Vault.
The value of those items was difficult to estimate, but Wang Yi guessed they were worth at least several thousand Gold Coins. He would need to find an opportunity to deal with them later.
By the time the Floating Mountain returned to Eggshell Village and landed, Wang Yi had finished sorting all the loot. He had placed most of it on the back of the Hardworking Turtle, and all the Skill Books had been unsealed, ready to be distributed at any time.
Wang Yi then checked his expenditure. He had consumed a total of 5,612 Chaos Energy, and now had 88,918 points remaining!
In addition, he had used 11,160 of the Feathered Arrows equipped in the Floating Mountain’s skill slot, with only 750 remaining!
’What a massive haul!’
Wang Yi was delighted. He strode down from the Floating Mountain and saw Jelena, who looked like a fairy-tale princess, coming to greet him. His mood improved even further, and he immediately gave an order: "Inform all the factories and teams that they have a half-day off. This afternoon, we’ll hold a victory celebration in the central square of Eggshell Village. Everyone can participate, no one will be turned away, and there will be more than enough food! You can start preparing for the celebration. I’ll put the necessary supplies in the warehouse courtyard; have someone go and get them..."
"Yes, Father!"
Jelena gave an elegant curtsy, but when her gaze fell upon the two large piles of coins, she couldn’t look away.
After that, all of Eggshell Village burst into a lively commotion.
The workers from the Production Team, the Gourmet Processing Plant, the Huanghua Fishery, and the Giant Crab Sandfield quickly arrived at the Eggshell Village square. They were talking, laughing, and playfully roughhousing with one another.
The "square" was actually a temporary space, located just south of Eggshell Castle and next to the First Dining Hall.
Soon, word spread to Stone Village and Pottery Village. The villagers there who didn’t work in the factories also grew excited and hurried toward Eggshell Village.
Just after noon, the Eggshell Village square was already packed with people. Most of them sat or squatted on the ground, though some had brought small stools. Children were playing and chasing each other, women were gossiping animatedly, and villagers were boasting and shooting the breeze...
The villagers’ clothes were mostly old and ragged. Accustomed to poverty, they didn’t pay much attention to their appearance. Gathered together, they looked like the Beggar Gang holding a meeting. The scene was lively, but also chaotic.
Jelena was so alarmed that she called in the Civilian Militia to maintain order.
After preparing the celebration supplies in the Chaos Warehouse, Wang Yi cheerfully went to the south of the village to use the Farmland Deed. This time, he gained 50 acres of fertile land, bringing his total to 70 acres.
’Letting this fertile land sit idle is a waste. Maybe I should have Yang Wanli make another trip to the county town to buy some farming tools, seeds, and the like. We need to plant these fields first, otherwise it’s too wasteful. We should also procure some daily necessities. Eggshell Village is lacking everything right now...’
Wang Yi made his plans in silence.
A moment later, Wang Yi returned to Eggshell Village. Standing in front of Eggshell Castle, he looked out at the villagers in the square, who had quieted down considerably. He thought that this would be a good opportunity to use the Talent Assessment Machine to evaluate them and see if he could scout out any more talented individuals.
’There’s still a bit of time... maybe I should go open those three blind boxes now.’
The moment the thought occurred to him, Wang Yi felt an itch he couldn’t resist.
After all, two of those three blind boxes were Purple Blind Boxes!
And he had never opened a Purple Blind Box before!
A moment later, Wang Yi was in his bedroom in Eggshell Castle. He swiped a finger lightly across his Storage Waistband and carefully took out one blue blind box and two Purple Blind Boxes.
"I’ll open the blue one first!"
Wang Yi bowed three times to the blue blind box, then opened it. A selection window quickly appeared before him.