Chapter 141 - 106: Demon Cannon Platform, The Official’s Mysterious Gift

Chapter 141: Chapter 106: Demon Cannon Platform, The Official’s Mysterious Gift

Shen Xing took the spoils of war that Hellish Roar handed over.

[Acquired: Large Soul Stone x3]

[Acquired: Demon Flame Cannon Platform Crafting Blueprint (Tier Two) x1]

[Acquired: Advancement Materials - Demon Bone Blade]

[Acquired: Hellfire Seed x16]

[Acquired: Hell’s Finest Gold x255 grains]

...

"Huh? A blueprint and even an Advancement Material!"

Shen Xing was delighted.

Killing these Hell Creatures doesn’t drop Souls, because they lost their souls long ago.

But the rewards were still quite good.

Besides the blueprint and material, there were also 3 Large Soul Stones, equivalent to 1,500 regular Soul Stones.

"Counting the five hundred or so Soul Stones I already have, I’ve gathered over two thousand Soul Stones from that cave today alone."

’If I grind here for a few days, my territory’s Soul Stone reserves will skyrocket. I might even be able to raise an Inferior Demon Legion a hundred strong.’

Shen Xing thought with great anticipation, then took out a dark red parchment scroll from his inventory.

After unrolling it, he checked its Attributes.

[Demon Flame Cannon Platform Crafting Blueprint]

[Tier: Two]

[Introduction: A cannon platform from Hell, capable of firing powerful Flame Bombs. It inflicts massive Flame Damage to enemies within an 8-meter radius and is effective against Tier Two creatures.]

[Range: Max 1,000 meters]

[Charge Speed: 3.5 seconds]

[Energy Cost: Consumes one Large Soul Stone for every 10 shots fired.]

[Crafting Requirements: Intermediate Forging Mastery, Black Crystal x500, Black Iron x100, Dark Fire Stone x50, Molten Core Golden Block x5]

(Note: Hell Technology, buddy. Get with the program?)

"What a powerful cannon platform. To think it can effectively harm Tier Two creatures."

’If I build a few of these and place them on the city walls, monsters below Tier Three won’t pose much of a threat to me.’

A glint appeared in Shen Xing’s eyes.

Of course, a cannon platform this powerful had an extremely high cost to both craft and operate.

The crafting materials alone were something the average player couldn’t afford.

What’s more, even if one was built, every use thereafter would consume Soul Stones.

shots = 1 Large Soul Stone.

That’s equivalent to burning through 50 Soul Stones with every shot.

How is that waging war? That’s just burning money!

’This thing requires Intermediate Forging Mastery. It just so happens I recently recruited an intermediate-level Blacksmith. I’ll have him build one first to see how powerful it is.’

’As for the required [Molten Core Golden Blocks], they’re synthesized from 100 grains of Hell’s Finest Gold each.’

Shen Xing checked his inventory. Counting the two hundred-plus grains Hellish Roar had just turned over, he now had a total of 600 grains of Hell’s Finest Gold.

That was more than enough to craft one [Demon Flame Cannon Platform].

So, Shen Xing synthesized 5 Molten Core Golden Blocks and then handed the blueprint to the giant Blacksmith, Logan.

He told him to start working on the cannon platform after finishing the Light Armor.

Next, with a thought, Shen Xing transferred the Advancement Material, the [Demon Bone Blade], into the real world.

This Bone Blade was an Advancement Material for a Demon Warrior General, which he couldn’t use himself.

He prepared to list it for consignment on the official trading channel to exchange it for Advancement Materials for the Soldier Types in his own territory.

He took off his glasses, and his vision switched back to the ceiling of his new house.

Shen Xing opened his phone, logged into the Pioneer Forum, and listed the item for consignment in the Trading Section, selecting the at-home pickup option.

This feature was quite convenient, allowing transactions to be completed without leaving home, though it did require a small extra service fee.

DING DONG.

Half an hour later, the doorbell rang. It was probably the courier from the Anomaly Handling Bureau.

Shen Xing, holding the wrapped Advancement Material, wheeled himself to the front yard.

This time, the courier wasn’t that young guy, but a middle-aged man who seemed a bit older.

"Hello, Mr. Shen Xing. I’m the courier here for your pickup."

The middle-aged man smiled, glanced at Shen Xing in his wheelchair, then swept his gaze over the yard behind him. The man’s eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.

Shen Xing nodded, confirmed the information on his phone, and handed him the package.

Now, he just had to wait for the official platform to find a match, and he would have his sixth Tier Two Soldier Type.

Just thinking about it was exciting!

After sending off the package, Shen Xing returned inside and checked his ranking.

After a day of fighting, his cumulative points had skyrocketed from 752 to 1,772, an increase of more than a thousand points.

Despite such an exaggerated increase, his rank had actually dropped from 95th yesterday to 112th.

’As expected, getting into the top hundred isn’t that easy.’

’After a day of adjustment, everyone has figured out the rules for gaining points and found their own way to climb the ranks.’

Shen Xing analyzed inwardly.

However, he had secured an excellent grinding spot. His point increase tomorrow would be even greater than today’s, so he should be able to break back into the top one hundred.

Then, humming a little tune, he wheeled himself around his new house.

When he rolled into the dining room, he discovered an appliance he didn’t have in his rental apartment—a coffee machine.

And it was an imported one, at that.

"Whoa, such a rare item. Let me give it a try."

Shen Xing took a bag of coffee beans from the cabinet and fiddled with them for a long time before finally succeeding in grinding the beans into powder.

He poured in hot water, and a rich coffee bean aroma filled the air.

"Mm, smells great!"

Shen Xing picked up the cup and took a deep sniff. "Truly a drink for the elite. I feel like I can see the stairway to the upper class!"

He took a sip and spat it out with a "PFFT!"

"Holy crap, that’s bitter!"

"You guys can be the upper class. I’m not going to suffer like this."

Shen Xing decisively poured out the coffee, then opened a food delivery app and ordered a milk tea.

Half an hour later, the leisurely Grand Lord Shen was on the second-floor balcony, holding a cup of lemonade.

Across the street was the Bailong River, which ran through the entire Jiang City.

Gray raindrops fell continuously, sending ripples across the river’s surface.

’Not bad at all. I can even enjoy the river view from home.’

Shen Xing thought with satisfaction, then opened the forum to look at the day’s posts.

Right now, the number of new players around the world was still increasing.

Recent studies showed that outbreaks of anomalous energy were becoming more frequent in the real world, and Mist leak points were constantly appearing.

People affected by the Fog had a high chance of receiving a spot in the game.

According to incomplete statistics, Hua Country had gained over 20,000 new Novice Lords in just two days.

Extrapolated to a global scale, that number was likely much higher.

’At this rate, I’m afraid even more people will enter the Land of Mist in the future.’

’Likewise, the world will undergo even greater changes as Mist Energy continues to surge.’

’As for what extent this will ultimately reach, probably no one knows.’

After some analysis, Shen Xing clicked on the post by Wudu Bai Xiaosheng again and glanced at the top 100 list for Hua Country.

After two days of competition, two more newcomers had broken into the top hundred, officially bringing Hua Country’s total number of experts in the top 100 to ten.

Wu Wen of Celestial Gate City had even broken into the top ten, becoming the only Lord from Hua Country to do so.

Besides them, some other players who had briefly entered the top hundred before being pushed out were also recorded on the list.

Among them was Shen Xing.

Just as he had guessed, Wudu Bai Xiaosheng had already figured out his identity.

The post listed his location as Jiang City, as well as his recent achievement of taking first place in the Void Realm.

In addition, there was some speculation about his current strength.

However, since his rank had fallen out of the top one hundred, not many people were paying attention anymore.

There were, however, still some people commenting in the comment section below.

Donut: "Haha, I told you! This Shen Xing is from our Jiang City, and you guys still argued with me!"

Aurora-chan: "So what if he is? He’s already been pushed out, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be able to fight his way back in."

Lao Mountain Cola: "I looked at this Shen Xing’s info. Seems like he’s been in the game for less than a month. His foundation is too shallow, there’s no way he can compete with those top-tier Lords."

Sha Renfan: "True. After a day of getting used to it, the experts are all making their move. His point gain today was huge, but ultimately, he can’t compare to those big shots with deep foundations."

"..."

Shen Xing looked at the comments about him and scoffed.

’Hmph, how can a sparrow understand the ambition of a swan? How could mortals like you possibly see through me, this Lord?’

’The day I return to the top hundred, you all... COUGH COUGH!’

He cleared his throat in embarrassment, then closed the thread and started... browsing guides.

...

...

Meanwhile, in a conference room on the ninth floor of the Jiang City Pioneer Association headquarters.

"The little guy’s momentum seems to have stalled a bit," Elder Wang said, sitting in a large office chair. A ranking list was reflected in his eyes.

"He’s already doing great. He gained over a thousand points today alone. He’s working very hard."

A gentle, mature female voice spoke up from the side.

Sitting across from Elder Wang was a woman in a uniform with a gentle and graceful demeanor. It was none other than Jiang Rong, the one who had previously summoned the Oracle Priest.

She said softly, "If he maintains this pace, he should have no problem staying in the top three hundred."

"Yes, it’s already very good." Elder Wang smiled and shook his head. "But it’s not every day that Jiang City produces a prospect who can make the top hundred. To see him get pushed out... it’s a bit of a shame."

Jiang Rong smiled and said, "There’s nothing to be done about it. After all, he’s been in the game for less than a month. His foundation is too shallow."

"But with his growth potential, his future achievements won’t be any less than those of the other newcomers in the top hundred."

Elder Wang didn’t speak, merely gazing out the window as if contemplating something.

"Since his foundation is shallow, let’s give him a hand."

As if he had made up his mind, he took a black box from his pocket. "Take this to him."

Seeing the box, Jiang Rong’s gaze trembled slightly. In disbelief, she said, "Elder Wang, this is the treasure you obtained at great cost by repelling that legendary creature."

"Isn’t it a bit too valuable to give to a newcomer?"

"It’s fine. This thing isn’t of much use to me anymore." Elder Wang waved his hand dismissively. "In his hands, it might show its true worth."

Jiang Rong pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I’ll make the arrangements."

’I hope the little guy can grow stronger and at least make it into the top hundred. Then Elder Wang’s kindness won’t have been in vain.’

She took the small black box and turned elegantly to leave.

...