Lilith took a deep breath, feeling the fatigue of battle and logistics settle on her shoulders. She summoned the global interface once more, and her gaze rested on the population counter.
Currently, approximately 9 million Demon Kings remained alive.
Nearly one-tenth of the players in her faction had been eliminated in just over a dozen hours since the end of the protection period. Most had fallen victim to lightning raids by Heroes who capitalized on their starting privileges. Fortunately, after that gargantuan massacre of the first night, the decline in numbers had begun to stabilize slowly. Those who survived were apparently capable of hiding or, like her, biting back at their attackers.
She stared at the empty message window for several minutes, her lips pressed tight. She was just about to close the interface when a private message popped up with a soft notification sound.
Forest Fairy Izera: "I have a lot of seeds of various species for sale. I saw your post; are you interested?"
Lilith glanced at the player's ID. By default, the system set IDs as a combination of race and name, but the first part could be hidden. Lilith, not wanting to draw attention or reveal her unique bloodline, had already shortened her signature from the full [PRIMORDIAL SUCCUBUS MONARCH] to a simple: Lilith.
Most players, however, did not use this option, proudly displaying their origins. In the case of her interlocutor, the race was apparently Forest Fairy and the name Izera.
Lilith: "What seeds specifically do you have?"
Forest Fairy Izera: "I have over a dozen types, from edible to magical. I'll give a discount for bulk purchases. Satisfaction guaranteed! Take a look at the list."
An itemized window appeared before Lilith. She ran her eyes over the names and descriptions, her eyes flashing with satisfaction. These seeds were of truly good quality,much better than anything the wild Valley of Eternal Darkness or the primitive goblin crops in their old village could offer.
The vision of returning to the abandoned goblin huts just to dig in the dirt for a few low-quality grains was repulsive to her. Izera's offer seemed like a godsend.
"Looks like we're in luck," Lilith muttered to herself, ignoring Graaz, who was still wallowing at her feet. "This little fairy might be the key to finally making our Fields of Spirit Cultivation pay for themselves."
Lilith was analyzing the list when another message from Izera appeared in the chat. The fairy clearly knew how to market her wares.
Forest Fairy Izera: "If you're looking for a base to feed an army, I definitely recommend Giga Potatoes for cultivation. They're a real breakthrough. Each mature potato weighs about 5.5 kg, and a single plant yields a crop of around 100 kg! Their average growth cycle is three months per harvest."
Lilith raised her eyebrows. One hundred kilograms from a single bush? That sounded like a logistician's dream. Izera continued writing, clearly sensing interest:
Forest Fairy Izera: "This type of food also has a great texture. More importantly, long-term consumption increases your subordinates' Strength stat. This will make them better prepared for expanding territory and defending against hero attacks. They're perfect as a staple food, you know!"
Lilith looked at Graaz's scrawny, emaciated goblins. The vision of an army of green servants who, after eating magical spuds, suddenly gained mass and strength was incredibly tempting. If these potatoes could truly passively bolster her workforce, their value was priceless.
Lilith: "Sounds interesting. How much do you want for them?"
The answer came almost immediately, as if the fairy had been waiting for that very question.
Forest Fairy Izera: "My prices are fair! For retail sales, you get 3 seeds for 1 gold piece. But if you buy over 100 seeds at once, I can give you a 20% discount."
Lilith quickly did the math in her head. With 100 seeds planted in her Fields of Spirit Cultivation, she could obtain an unimaginable amount of food in record time. She remembered that thanks to the soil magic and the goblins' farming talents, the three months of growth would be shortened to just over three days...
It was a golden deal. With 100 kilograms per bush and one hundred plants, she would gain 10 tons of food in 15 days. With such stockpiles, she could feed not only the current hundred goblins but a whole future army, and sell the surplus to other Demon Kings who were starving in their dungeons.
Lilith hovered her finger over the interface for a moment, narrowing her eyes. Three seeds for one gold piece? Isn't that suspiciously cheap? the thought flashed through her mind. In the current situation of the Demon Kings, food should still be a luxury item worth a fortune. With such powerful stats on these potatoes, Izera could demand ten times that price.
After a moment, however, Lilith sighed, realizing the brutal truth. "Growth time..." she muttered under her breath.
For the average player, three months of waiting for the first meal was an eternity. Most of them would die of hunger or by a hero's sword before their first seedling sprouted a leaf. Few had the luxury of possessing Fields of Spirit Cultivation, which were practically a "code for infinite resources," or an army of specialized goblin farmers.
Suddenly her eyes glowed with an unnatural light, and a smile so wide and greedy bloomed on her face that Graaz, seeing it, instinctively backed away a meter, trembling with fear. Lilith could already see mountains of gold in her mind's eye, earned by selling finished products to all those desperate demons in the chat.
However, her human nature, shaped by years of penny-pinching as a student, took over. Since she's selling this so cheap, it means she has tons of it and desperately needs cash, she thought. Following the principle that cheaper is always better, she decided to hit hard.
She looked at the chat and tapped out a message:
Lilith: "5 seeds for 1 gold piece. If you agree, I'll buy 2000 seeds immediately!"
After sending the message, silence fell. One minute, two, five... Fairy Izera remained silent. The chat window stayed dead, and Lilith's enthusiasm began to melt away, giving way to rising panic.
Dammit, you idiot! Your stingy nature ruined everything! she scolded herself, biting her lip. You overplayed your hand. You scared off the only person who had the goods you need. Now you'll be left with an empty field and hungry goblins!
She was just about to write an apology and agree to the original price when the notification window suddenly flickered.
Forest Fairy Izera: "Are you serious? You really want to buy two thousand pieces at once?"
Lilith exhaled with such relief she almost felt dizzy. She immediately donned the mask of a confident businesswoman and replied with icy composure:
Lilith: "I'm not bored enough to joke about such things in the middle of this massive chaos. So? Do you have that many in stock, or are you just wasting my time?"
As Lilith sent the message, she held her breath. After a few seconds that stretched like hours, the interface glowed a joyful green.
Forest Fairy Izera: "Yes! I have plenty of seeds. Since you're taking such a quantity, I'll sell them to you at a special VIP price. A total of 400 gold for 2000 Giga Potato seeds!"
Lilith felt a sudden rush of adrenaline. She quickly tapped out a reply, giving the fairy no time to change her mind.
Lilith: "Then let's trade. Waiting for the transfer."
Forest Fairy Izera: "Okay! Sending the trade now!"
An elegant, semi-transparent trade window materialized before Lilith's eyes. The system asked for confirmation of the transfer of 400 gold pieces. Lilith, with a heavy heart but full of hope, clicked the "OK" button. She heard the characteristic clink of coins, and her gold counter decreased by 400 gold coins.
Suddenly, the space in front of her rippled. A strange structure began to emerge from the void,a golden, richly decorated pipe with intricate engravings that looked more like a work of art than a transport tool. It hung in the air just above the ground.
First, one brown, shiny seed fell out. Then a second. And then... suddenly, there was an explosion.
A gargantuan torrent of seeds burst from the pipe, a literal avalanche of brown grains that slammed into the ground with a thud. Lilith instinctively jumped back, but Graaz, who was still kneeling too close, was buried up to his waist in a fraction of a second. Small seeds drummed against his head, and he covered himself with his hands, letting out sounds of pure terror and disbelief.
When the last grain left the outlet, the golden pipe dissolved into the air as quickly as it had appeared, leaving no trace behind except for the massive mound of seeds.
So that's how items move between territories... Lilith thought, running her fingers through one of the brown pellets. It was heavy and radiated an aura of life.
Her chat window flickered again.
Forest Fairy Izera: "Thank you for the successful deal! If you need more seeds, write to me anytime. I guarantee quality and quantity, and the VIP discount stays for you permanently!"
Lilith smiled broadly, feeling that she had just gained her most valuable trading ally.
Lilith: "Thanks for the trade. The seeds have arrived. I'll definitely reach out for more in the future."
She closed the interface and looked at Graaz, who was slowly digging himself out of the mountain of seeds, staring at them as if they had fallen straight from heaven by the will of a goddess. Lilith pointed to the pile with her hand.
"Well, Graaz. You have your seeds. And now..." a fire flashed in her eyes, "...get to work. I want to see these fields green before the next full moon."