After sleeping for what felt like ages, Zhou Bai caught the scent of food, sniffed subconsciously, and quickly opened her eyes.
Getting up and pushing open the simple door, she saw the table already covered with dishes.
Seeing Zhou Bai awake, Ding Qiurou hurriedly said, "You're up? Go wash up and you can eat. Your dad has prepared hot water for you."
"Where's Dad?" Zhou Bai asked.
Just as Zhou Bai spoke, Zhou Zhengping came in from outside, happening to hear the question. "Just finished changing shifts and wanted to check the situation."
Hearing this, Zhou Bai paused. "How's it outside?"
After what happened last night, today's territory probably wouldn't be so peaceful, would it?
Subconsciously, Zhou Bai glanced at her control panel. The Lord panel had already finished upgrading, but before she could look closely, Zhou Zhengping's words took her attention away.
"Most people stayed in the territory to rest! Still, some went out—and once outside, they found things were different," Zhou Zhengping said directly. "The scenery around us changed."
"Changed?" Zhou Bai was surprised.
"Originally, the scenery was just the layout of our old villa area, but after last night, everything's different—can't find any trace of the past. Though there's a plus, the types of plants around us have increased. Looks more like a world now, not just a game."
From another angle, it's like the whole game leveled up, becoming more realistic.
"Maybe in the eyes of the Doomsday Game, only territories that endure the initial trial are truly starting the game. I'll check the content after the system update; I feel like something is about to happen." Zhou Bai said, her expression urgent.
After last night's events, Zhou Bai had a basic understanding of the game's brutality.
She didn't believe the game would give them more resources for free.
This update was bound to bring something big.
Zhou Bai immediately looked at her Lord panel.
[Territory: Hope Village]
[Level: Level 1 Village (Upgrade)]
[Population: 192/1000]
[Area: 1000 mu]
[Tax Rate: 10% (adjustable)]
[Wealth: 331 Gold, 39 Silver, 49 Copper]
[Buildings: Lord Mansion (Level 1), fence, Basic Blacksmith Shop, restaurant, Basic Tailor Shop, Level 1 House, Special Building*1, Optional Building*2] (Upgradeable Buildings)
[Mall: Territory exclusive, materials only]
[Current Ranking: 192 (regional ranking)]
[Territory War: 0/1 (selectable territory) (Time limit: 30 days)]
[Note: Territory can only be claimed by the Lord. Newbie Protection Period: 1 month (Countdown: 27 days)]
Just a few more lines of data, but seeing some of them, Zhou Bai's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.
There's a ranking now, but it's a regional ranking. So what about the bigger ranking? Wasn't that the native territories in the game world she'd wondered about? Where are they? When will they run into them? What will those territories do to them?
And Territory War: does the number mean they have to choose a territory for combat within 30 days? It looks like you can pick a territory, but what if someone picks them first? So, to avoid stronger ones, should they choose a weaker one early? The territory hasn't even developed yet and it's already preparing for battles between territories?
Every piece of information carries hidden implications, making it impossible for Zhou Bai, as the Lord, to relax.
In these brief moments, Zhou Bai's expression kept changing, and both Zhou Zhengping and Ding Qiurou noticed.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Zhengping quickly asked. Judging by Xiao Bai's look, this was no small matter.
"After the update, the content shows that territories must undergo a Territory War within one month. The selectable territories are regional ones. Looking at our current ranking, it should be among the territories built by Blue Star people. The game is forcing us to kill each other." Zhou Bai said seriously.
Hearing Zhou Bai's words, Zhou Zhengping's expression shifted as well. "Did it mention any punishment for failure?"
Zhou Bai shook her head. "Probably only after the battle will we know."
"This Doomsday Game is ruthless!" Ding Qiurou couldn't help but say.
Zhou Zhengping thought a bit deeper. "Maybe that's the norm in this game? It's just getting territories used to it early."
Zhou Bai understood, letting out a long sigh. "I guessed something from the note before, so I formed the Guard Team just in case. I didn't expect things to come this fast, but since it has, we can only pace ourselves to its rhythm—we don't have any initiative."
"So what's your plan?" Zhou Zhengping asked.
"We're a territory that's only three days old, and the others are about the same. After that war, most territories probably won't choose early. Let's use this time to build our strength!" Zhou Bai said earnestly. "Also, everyone in the territory needs to know and have time to process it. If we're unlucky and someone selects us first, we'll fight back at all costs! Dad, what do you think?"
Though Zhou Bai had an idea, she wanted to know if her dad had a better one.
"Go with your plan." Zhou Zhengping agreed with Zhou Bai.
His daughter had thought it all through.
As for going first, there are pros and cons—he couldn't judge, so better to follow Xiao Bai's cautious approach.
"Okay, then I'll check this round's rewards to see if there are any buildings that can quickly boost our strength!" Zhou Bai immediately thought of the buildings she hadn't yet unlocked.
According to the game's logic, if there's a danger to face, there must be opportunities to support the territory.
She had a hunch the chance for development was within these buildings.
**
Looking again at the Lord panel, Zhou Bai clicked straight into the special building above.
This was the reward building after the initial trial, labeled "special"—she wondered what it'd be.
Soon, the system popped up with a building and its introduction.
[Dear Host, congratulations, you've drawn Special Building: Heroic Spirit Hall]
[Building: Heroic Spirit Hall]
[Level: 1]
[Function: Can summon Heroic Spirits. The Lord decides whether to hire. Once hired, the Heroic Spirit will serve the territory.]
[Attempts: 1/daily]
[Dear Host, do you want to spend 100 Gold Coins, 10,000 units of wood, and 20,000 units of stone to construct the Heroic Spirit Hall?]
It was something for summoning people?
The price was massive.
Should she use it?
Of course!
At this moment, Zhou Bai's eyes were shining.
You could tell the rarity from the price alone.
Plus—it could summon Heroic Spirits! She had a hunch that those summoned would help develop the territory.
Zhou Bai didn't hesitate and chose yes.
Then a building appeared on the territory map—and Zhou Bai placed it next to the Lord Mansion.
Next up were the optional buildings.
Out of habit, Zhou Bai checked the selectable buildings. Most she already knew well, but she was looking for any new ones.
Sure enough, after a scan, she spotted several newly added buildings—two of which were exactly what she urgently needed now.
[Basic Military Camp: Allows residents to transfer jobs to soldiers. Construction requires 20 Gold Coins and necessary materials.]
[Basic Watchtower: Allows observation of territory range. Construction requires 10 Gold Coins and necessary materials. Can be built multiple times.]
After selecting, Zhou Bai checked and purchased the needed materials, then directly unlocked them.
[Spend 20 Gold Coins, 3,000 units of wood, 3,000 units of stone, 3,000 units of iron ore to unlock Basic Military Camp?]
[Spend 10 Gold Coins, 500 units of wood, 500 units of stone, 500 units of iron ore to unlock Basic Watchtower?]
"Yes."
[Basic Military Camp completed. Please transfer jobs promptly.]
[Basic Watchtower completed. Can be built multiple times. Please choose the number.]
For Basic Watchtower, Zhou Bai chose three—one in each direction except the mountain in the back.
With another round of placement, seeing the new buildings on the territory map, Zhou Bai felt noticeably relieved.
The Doomsday Game is a pit, but it isn't completely devoid of hope.
It's just a matter of whether people can seize it.
But after everything that happened from last night to today, she had reaffirmed one thing.
To survive in this game in the future, you have to fight—fight constantly!
Before, she'd never put the word "fight" in her life's dictionary, but from today—it's in!