After Zhou Ping opened the gift pack, he saw the following two items.
[Item: Infantry Uniform Blueprint (Green)]
[Introduction: Increases Damage Value and defensive power by 20%]
[Defense: 50]
[Attack: 50]
*
[Item: Infantry Machete Blueprints (Bronze) (Upgradeable)]
[Introduction: Increases Damage Value by 20%]
[Attack: 50]
They're not physical items, but blueprints.
Zhou Zhengping couldn't help but mutter in his heart, "Did Xiao Bai do this?"
As soon as the thought came up, Zhou Zhengping forcibly suppressed it.
Though Xiao Bai loves money, she would not be stingy about things like this.
Looks like this is very likely the big gift pack given by the system.
Thinking about how Xiao Bai always says the system is a stingy bastard, Zhou Zhengping suddenly grasped the answer.
Calming himself, Zhou Zhengping asked the others, "What did you all receive?"
"Captain Zhou, I chose cavalry, so I got the Cavalry Uniform Blueprint and Mount Taming Guide," Feng Lezhi spoke up from the side.
With Feng Lezhi breaking the ice, the others chimed in as well.
"I got the Shield Soldier Clothing Blueprint and Shield blueprints."
"Mine is the Spearman Uniform Blueprint and Long Spear Diagram."
"I received the archer blueprint and bow and arrow blueprint."
"I have the Staff Uniform Blueprint and Training Soldiers Guide."
"..."
Depending on the Profession each person selected, everyone got something corresponding.
Obviously, the gift pack is good, but they need to provide the materials themselves.
Why is that? Why go through all this trouble?
Just as they were wondering, the system delivered a new notification.
[Dear soldier, you've obtained the corresponding equipment blueprints. Please gather the required materials yourself. Once you've collected them all, you'll get an unexpected surprise~]
When this notification arrived, everybody's eyes instantly lit up.
So it's a pre-quest! Surprise? What surprise will it be?
Hearing this, Zhou Zhengping felt at ease.
Looking at the notification, he knew clearly—it could only be the Doomsday game system.
So, what was the purpose behind all this?
Vaguely, Zhou Zhengping had a guess in his mind.
He made a mental note, then looked at everyone and said, "Everyone should keep using the Guard Team's uniforms and weapons for now. Let's head back and rotate with Team 2."
"Okay." The group nodded.
Moments later, they returned to the city gate.
Seeing them return, Li Xingteng's squad couldn't wait to size them up.
But aside from the Guard Team changing to Soldiers above their heads, nothing else was different, leaving Li Xingteng and his people a bit surprised.
"Anything change after the Profession transfer? Like suddenly being full of power or something? Any change in Levels or Attributes?"
"The first formal position in our territory, shouldn't there be some differences?"
"Are you guys planning to hide something?"
A bunch of them chattered and asked.
Li Xingteng also questioned Zhou Zhengping, "What's going on?"
Zhou Zhengping briefly explained the situation.
Li Xingteng listened, first a bit surprised, but then quickly showed a look of understanding.
"What did you figure out?" Zhou Zhengping asked. He always thought Li Xingteng was smart.
"I just think this Doomsday Game wants to make it clear: even though everything appears like a game, don't treat what happens here as just a game. No skills or abilities will magically appear out of nowhere. If you want to be a real soldier, you have to learn what being a soldier requires." Li Xingteng replied, "Overall, it's probably good for us."
Zhou Zhengping nodded, "I think so too. Maybe it's not just soldiers, but also our upgrades."
So much has happened since this morning; many people realized this world is very real.
So whether upgrading or Profession, looks like you have to truly work hard for it.
They had a feeling—Level 10 was only the beginning.
The two looked at each other, expressions in sync.
The rest, hearing their conversation, vaguely grasped the meaning and quickly spoke up.
"Isn't it just gathering materials? We can do it!"
"Yeah! While searching, we can also get stronger."
"We became soldiers to improve our strength anyway!"
"Ever since everyone learned Profession unlocks at Level 10, the residents have gone crazy. Pretty much everyone able to move is out and about."
"As the territory's first line of defense, we can't fall behind."
"..."
Each one said their piece, full of fighting spirit.
Seeing them, both Zhou Zhengping and Li Xingteng laughed.
Everyone's got drive!
Without further ado, after Li Xingteng's team finished their Profession transfer, four soldiers stayed to guard the gates, and the rest all went out to collect materials and hunt monsters.
And since this squad was strong, many low-Level residents who had been rejected by other teams quietly followed behind them.
As for these following residents, Zhou Zhengping and Li Xingteng didn't turn them away.
Seeing their willingness to accept, more and more followers tagged along.
In a short time, the territory, which had recently lost quite a few people, felt even emptier.
**
While Zhou Zhengping and his team were out leveling up, Xiao Bai unexpectedly saw the little green dots on her territory map start to show labels.
[Hope Village·Soldier]
The moment she saw it, Xiao Bai was pretty happy—at least now she could track their status.
Knowing Zhou Zhengping wasn't in the territory, Xiao Bai didn't bother to ask him about the soldier team gift pack and went straight to the tailor shop to find Ding Qiurou.
Ding Qiurou was still chatting with Diana, learning about this world.
Knowing Ding Qiurou is the Lord's mother, Diana answered every question.
Ding Qiurou listened, her face growing more and more "done with life."
When Xiao Bai arrived, she saw this scene and wondered, "What's up with Mom?"
Seeing Xiao Bai, Diana instinctively bowed.
Seeing no one else was around, Xiao Bai relaxed a bit and hurriedly said, "Diana, you don't have to bow to me anymore. Just treat me as any normal resident; whatever attitude you'd naturally have is fine, even privately."
"…Alright." Diana saw Xiao Bai meant it and replied; this time she really took it to heart.
This Lord really is different from other Lords.
Xiao Bai started checking out the tailor shop, instantly spotting the difference between having people here and nobody around.
The previous six items had been neatly hung up, with lots of empty space around, clearly waiting for more items to be stocked. Plus, there was now a bulletin board listing materials the tailor shop wanted to buy.
[Wind and Rain Orchid, Rain Tree Resin, bamboo strips…]
[Eucalyptus Resin, Mint Leaves…]
[honeysuckle, Cedar Resin…]
[camphor tree resin, Wind-stopping Grass…]
[…]
All the materials listed here weren't ones Xiao Bai recognized; she hadn't seen any of them in the items she could buy.
"Do you urgently need these materials? If you do, I can get them for you," Xiao Bai offered.
"You can get them?" Diana was a bit surprised. She had checked the Lord Mansion's bulletin; none of these materials were listed. She figured the territory didn't have them—after all, it was only established three days ago—so she posted for residents to collect some if they stumbled across any.
"Yes, but the Price will be double the normal buying rate," Xiao Bai replied. The system store sells materials, but they're twice as expensive. She'd already decided that unless absolutely necessary, she'd mostly source materials internally from the territory.
Besides saving money, this could also boost the territory's economy and make things more lively.
"Then send me some first! Send 100 units of each. I'll make some products and then keep buying afterward." Diana said directly. She didn't know where Xiao Bai's materials came from, but as long as she had them, that was enough.
"These materials are for making special-effect equipment?" Xiao Bai asked, noticing the standout names.
"Right, all these are urgently needed for a territory." Diana nodded. "Your territory's gear is way too basic."
"Urgently needed?" Xiao Bai asked, sensing this might be an important info point.
This moment, Ding Qiurou walked over to Xiao Bai and spoke softly, "The weather here is really different from ours."
"How is it different?" Xiao Bai wondered. The past few days seemed pretty normal.
Ding Qiurou gave a helpless smile. "The climate here is chaotic. Most days are normal, but sometimes it changes suddenly. One day it's sunny spring, the next could be torrential rain. One day wild winds, the next maybe a snowstorm. The weather shifts unpredictably, with no pattern and variable duration…"
The rest, Ding Qiurou didn't need to say—Xiao Bai understood.
The first few days were the system's trial period. If they'd faced this world's random weather right away, probably not a single territory would survive.
Now that the trial is over, the Heroic Spirit Hall is granted, NPCs summoned, everything's ready. It's time to follow this world's rhythm.
No one knows what weather tomorrow will bring. If you don't have proper gear, you might just get stuck in the territory.
This world is really… just shit!