Wang Yi treated Pang Damao to a good meal, then urged him to hurry back to Lu Family Stronghold. He instructed him to suck up to Lu Junsheng and make sure he became one of his most trusted men.
Of course, Pang Damao was going to be a spy. Wang Yi needed him to provide more intelligence on Lu Family Stronghold.
Pang Damao wiped away tears as he left, looking back with every step. He couldn't bear to leave, but he was even more terrified of being forced back into hard labor at Lu Family Stronghold!
He just couldn't handle that kind of harsh life.
A moment later, Wang Yi climbed the Basic Watchtower. He gazed into the distance, his mind still processing the information Pang Damao had brought.
'A Golden Lion Mount, a Food Barrel Tree, two Defense Arrow Towers, a Big Saber Team of over a hundred men, plus a Wood Armor Workshop, a Blacksmith Shop, and a Material Warehouse... They can log wood, everyone has Wood Armor, and they can forge iron sabers... This Lu Family Stronghold is quite something. And that General's Tomb... is it really a Dungeon Realm?'
Wang Yi narrowed his eyes, a cold glint on his face.
Lords didn't necessarily have to fight to the death, but when their territories were this close, it posed a potential threat.
Wang Yi dared not be careless. During his ten years of fighting to build a business in the dog-eat-dog world of Earth Star, he had been through far too much. He had once lost a massive order over a tiny mistake and had his entire operation stolen out from under him by a rival because of a moment of soft-heartedness.
He understood perfectly well that whether in a game or in reality, in the marketplace or on the battlefield, success required decisiveness and resolve. There was no room for foolish sentimentality.
'Lu Family Stronghold must be eliminated. In this initial stage, I can't allow any potential threats to exist. The General's Tomb dungeon must also be brought under my control...'
Wang Yi silently made his decision.
「The next day」
Stone Village's Production Team started its operations as usual.
Under Zhang Dashan's management, the Production Team now had only three main tasks: logging, quarrying, and scraping pine resin.
There was also a wild vegetable squad, managed by Zhang Xiaohu, that was practically independent.
Zhang Dashan knew that Wang Yi placed great importance on pine resin, so most of the time, he could be found in the pine forest south of Chaotic Stone Slope, leading the others in its collection.
At that moment, Zhang Dashan had just entered the forest. While the others used stone slabs or wooden planks to scrape the resin, he used a gleaming big saber.
The saber had been looted from Zhang Gouzi back when he was killed. It was very sharp and considered a treasure in Stone Village, where iron goods were scarce. Zhang Dashan had originally presented it to Wang Yi, but Wang Yi had no use for it and gifted it back to him.
With this saber, Zhang Dashan gained a certain air of authority.
However, all the villagers knew that the Sha River Overlord Spears belonging to the Civilian Militia were the real treasures.
Yang Qingniu and the others certainly never missed a chance to show them off.
Zhang Dashan desperately wanted a Sha River Overlord Spear, but unfortunately, they were only issued to members of the Civilian Militia. Even as the captain of the Production Team, he couldn't get one.
"I heard the Lord is going to issue Giant Scorpion Mounts to the Civilian Militia in the future. Don't know if it's true, but we're not jealous. Those guys in the militia are black and blue every day. Big Head Guard beats them half to death on a daily basis..."
Just as Zhang Dashan was chatting with a person beside him, he looked up and saw Hu Fenqiu, a member of the Civilian Militia, passing by with a Sha River Overlord Spear slung over his shoulder. He called out, "Fenqiu, where are you off to?"
Hu Fenqiu was only eighteen and a generation younger than Zhang Dashan in the village's hierarchy. He replied, "Uncle, the Boss told me to stand guard at Chaotic Stone Slope. He said Rock Giant Scorpions might still show up there, so he wants me to keep a close eye out."
"The Boss" was Wang Yi!
Wang Yi didn't like people calling him "Immortal Master." By comparison, he found the title "Boss" to be acceptable.
"Oh, what about your Uncle Qing Niu? No training today?"
"Nope, no training today! My captain, Big Head Guard, and the Lord all went out to take care of something!"
"Take care of something? What kind of something?"
"That, I don't know!"
"What about your Uncle Lengzi?"
"He's on guard duty at the Immortal Temple. Mazha and Dazhuang are on patrol with the Chicken Squad. Can't talk now, I'm heading to Chaotic Stone Slope!"
Hu Fenqiu waved his hand and departed.
Zhang Dashan scratched his head and muttered, 'Today's a bit strange. The Lord took Big Head Guard with him... He must be off to handle something important...'
At that moment, Wang Yi was slowly driving a repeating crossbow tractor. Yang Qingniu led the way on foot, while Man Datou leisurely followed behind on his Rock Giant Scorpion.
The place they were heading was none other than the General's Tomb.
Pang Damao had provided the exact location of the General's Tomb. With Yang Qingniu leading, Wang Yi figured they shouldn't have any trouble finding the place.
'I have to go and confirm for myself whether that General's Tomb is a Dungeon Realm. But I can't make a big scene. It's not yet time for a direct confrontation with Lu Family Stronghold...'
Wang Yi mused silently.
The General's Tomb wasn't hard to find. The people from Lu Family Stronghold had already cleared the surrounding weeds and loose stones, leveling out an open area.
To Wang Yi's relief, Lu Family Stronghold hadn't stationed anyone to guard the place.
To an ordinary person, the General's Tomb was just a desolate, wild grave. In Wang Yi's eyes, however, it was different. The small burial mound had an information panel.
====
Name: General's Tomb
Setting: Dungeon Realm, burial place of an unnamed general.
Current Status: Inactive (Opening in: 22h 26m 30s)
Dungeon Description: This dungeon is based on a skirmish from the unnamed general's life. Inside, the unnamed general appears as a Skeleton General with enhanced Life Force. He is equipped with the General's Battle Armor, a Bone Warhorse, and an Iron-Clad Bow. He possesses a masterful Shooting Skill and commands 100 melee Skeleton Infantry.
Dungeon Loot: Loot is purely drop-based; there are no clear rewards. Killing the Skeleton General has a chance to drop: General Armor (Green-tier cosmetic), Iron-Clad Bow (Green-tier weapon), Hundred-Step Arrow Manual (Green-tier Skill Book), and Mysterious Items. Killing Skeleton Infantry has a chance to drop Bone Arrows (Green-tier consumable).
The drop rate for Mysterious Items is 1 in 10,000!
Victory Conditions: Kill the unnamed general and all Skeleton Infantry, OR topple the Skeletal Banner on the battlefield.
Note 1: Entry is restricted to non-Lord Players and Indigenous People. The maximum number of entrants is 100.
Note 2: A safe zone exists within the dungeon. If all entrants remain in the safe zone for over five minutes and forfeit all loot, it will be considered a withdrawal. They may then leave through the Teleportation Gate.
Note 3: The dungeon will reset only after it has been cleared, a withdrawal occurs, or all entrants have died. Only then can a new party enter.
Note 4: This dungeon can be reset a maximum of 5 times per day.
====
After carefully reading the General's Tomb's information panel, Wang Yi took this Dungeon Realm even more seriously.
'It produces equipment and Skill Books... I absolutely cannot let anyone else have the General's Tomb. I was originally planning to play the long game, but it looks like I'll have to accelerate my plans...'
As this thought crossed his mind, Wang Yi turned to Man Datou and Yang Qingniu. "We're heading back. Rest and conserve your energy!"
A moment later, Wang Yi and his party returned the way they came.
The trip had served to scout the map, but unfortunately, aside from familiarizing himself with the terrain, Wang Yi hadn't gained anything.
However, upon returning to his territory, Wang Yi was delighted. Hu Fenqiu reported that a second Rock Giant Scorpion had spawned at Chaotic Stone Slope.