All the viewers who had been glued to the live broadcast suddenly heard the game's notification chime. At that moment, everyone held their breath, waiting anxiously for good news for their respective countries.
"Ding—The inventory statistics of all adventurers have been completed. The results of the first round of activities will now be announced."
The game even paused for a few seconds, as if to allow a time buffer for everyone to receive the message.
"First place: Stauff Pierre from Country A. His country will receive a 1,000-hectare grassland and one million rabbits. He himself will receive a High-grade Resource Chest as a reward."
"Second place: An Xiaomei from the Dragon Kingdom. Her country will receive a 100-hectare freshwater lake and 100,000 grass carps. She herself will receive a Mid-grade Resource Chest as a reward."
"Third place: Smith Lawrence from Country M. His country will receive a 100,000-square-meter coal mine. He himself will receive a Low-grade Resource Chest as a reward."
"A total of 20 adventurers have perished in this first round. Their slots will be refilled through re-selection, but the replacements will not receive the chance to draw starting items."
"The second round of activities is scheduled to open in three days. During this period, all adventurers are free to explore. The trade channel will also open for one hour per day."
The game dumped a flood of major announcements all at once, leaving viewers dizzy and overwhelmed.
But while the audience was still processing the information, the upper echelons of each country—especially the top three—were already moving into action.
In the Dragon Kingdom, the nation's highest leader, Elder Wang, gave solemn, authoritative orders:
"Immediately use satellite imaging to locate the newly manifested lake resource within our territory. Deploy troops to guard it strictly—no private fishing or poaching allowed.
Send condolence envoys to the families of our fallen adventurers and grant them the highest honors. We must not let them feel abandoned…"
Meanwhile, the citizens of the Dragon Kingdom erupted in national celebration. Their country had just received a tangible resource reward—it was a brilliant start to the game of nations.
[Granny An really nailed it this time. I hereby declare her my idol.]
[This is great! We now have freshwater and fishery resources—though the quantity could be higher.]
[As one of the only three nations to receive physicalized resources, Dragon Kingdom is clearly in the lead already. We shouldn't be too greedy.]
[Still, I can't help thinking that the top three will become targets. Everyone knows they're loaded with supplies now.]
[Yeah, I saw an adventurer get killed earlier—the attacker got 30% of his items from his backpack!]
[From now on, I won't casually criticize those risking their lives out there. We've already lost one brave Dragon Kingdom adventurer… I can't imagine what his family must be going through.]
The mention of such a heavy topic seemed to press "pause" on the entire chat—gone were the earlier cheers and laughter.
On the other side, An Xiaomei herself was surprised by the result. She hadn't even gone all out this round—she'd held back a bit because of the live broadcast cameras—and still managed to clinch second place.
Well, she'd have to maintain her lead from here on… and find that island nation man who killed her in her previous life.
Thinking of the announcement she'd just heard, An Xiaomei eagerly opened her Mid-grade Resource Chest.
"Ding—Congratulations! You have obtained:
Flint ×2, Iron Pot ×1, Cold-Resistant Tent ×1, Iron Sword ×1, Seasoning Kit ×1, and a Winter Clothing Blueprint ×1."
Everything inside was highly practical—especially that blueprint for winter clothing, which felt like it had been made just for her.
The viewers couldn't see the personal rewards adventurers received, but judging from the smile tugging at An Xiaomei's lips, they could tell her haul was substantial.
Suddenly, the wristwatch on her arm began to beep rapidly. When she checked it, she found an overwhelming flood of friend requests and private messages.
She ignored the foreign adventurers first and looked through the ones from Dragon Kingdom. Anyone begging for free supplies was instantly skipped. Ah—but this one deserved help.
The sender was Xu Qiang, a soldier from Dragon Kingdom—the same man who, in her past life, had killed the islander who murdered her. He had, in a way, avenged her former self.
Since he was currently suffering from water shortage, An Xiaomei sent him three apples—repaying that past kindness on behalf of her original self.
Xu Qiang felt a rush of warmth upon receiving them. His initial starter pack had included potable water, but he'd lost it when he encountered a few adventurers pretending to be fellow Dragon Kingdom citizens on an island.
When they learned he was a soldier, one of the women had tearfully pleaded:
"Big brother, all my things were stolen by an island-country adventurer! I barely survived thanks to one lucky draw. I have nothing left now. This island is just an empty mine—no water at all. I really can't live like this…"
Driven by his duty and moral instinct, Xu Qiang gave her a bottle of drinking water. But the group exchanged glances—and suddenly pounced on him.
Using their items, they robbed him of everything. If not for his Swiftwind Boots that let him escape, he'd have lost his life too.
When all his earlier messages had gone unanswered, he'd sent one to An Xiaomei as a last-ditch attempt.
Not wanting to freeload, Xu Qiang decided to send something in return—he still had some ores stashed away.
"Ding—You have received: 5 Ores from Xu Qiang."
Receiving the gift, An Xiaomei's impression of Xu Qiang improved further, and she accepted his friend request.
After that, she continued browsing through her messages, selectively trading with those she found suitable.