Chapter 166 - 122: Counting the Spoils, Rich Gains

Chapter 166: Chapter 122: Counting the Spoils, Rich Gains

Shen Xing spread his hands, and a white stone and a black stone appeared in his palms.

The white stone on the left glowed with a soft light and had a star pattern on its surface.

The stone on the right looked unremarkable, encased in a black, rocky outer layer. Only by breaking open this shell could one discover what it held inside.

These were the [Unit Nest Reinforcement Stone] and the [Self-Selected Golden Gemstones].

These two items needed no introduction.

The former was an excellent item that could raise a Unit Nest’s star level by one, up to a maximum of Elite Three-Star.

The latter, as its name suggested, allowed one to choose three golden Gemstones of any attribute to socket into a Unit Nest, increasing the Soldier Type’s combat effectiveness.

’In that case, I’ll use the [Nest Reinforcement Stone] first and upgrade my three main Unit Nests: the Beastman, Inferior Demon, and Skeleton Archer Nests.’

After all, these three were his main Soldier Types; investing resources in them would definitely pay off.

With this in mind, Shen Xing wheeled himself over to the structures and initiated the upgrades.

[Do you wish to use an ’Enhancement Stone’ to upgrade the Beastman Barracks to Elite★★?]

[Do you wish to use an ’Enhancement Stone’ to upgrade the Inferior Demon Nest to Elite★★?]

[Do you wish to use an ’Enhancement Stone’ to upgrade the Skeleton Archer Nest to Elite★?]

He clicked confirm, and the three stones in his backpack disappeared.

The lava pool and Burial Ground on the territory’s outskirts, along with the central Beastman Barracks, were once again enveloped in a white glow and began upgrading automatically.

As for the three golden Gemstones, Shen Xing was in no hurry.

After all, these Elite Nests only had one Gemstone socket each. The Beastman Barracks was already socketed with a [Power Gemstone], and the Inferior Demon Nest with a [Flame Gemstone].

The other nests, the Wolfman Nest and the Skeleton Archer Nest, were still normal-grade.

’Speaking of which, I also have a golden [Dark Gemstone] in my backpack. That makes a total of four golden Gemstones I can socket.’

After using the Enhancement Stones, Shen Xing held out his right hand. With a flash of light, a fist-sized Soul, radiating a brilliant light, floated above his palm.

It was the Leader-level Soul from his system rewards.

He checked its attributes.

[Glowing Leader-level Soul]

[Type: Advancement Item]

[Effect: Allows a Boss★★★ Soldier Type to evolve into a Leader-level creature, or allows a Leader-level creature to increase its star rating. Success Rates: 40% (Boss→Leader★), 35% (Leader★→Leader★★), 30% (Leader★★→Leader★★★)]

...

’As expected, the higher the advancement, the lower the success rate.’

’The chance for a Boss to evolve into a Leader is only 40%? That’s way too difficult.’

’But... what does that have to do with my guaranteed-success [Sacrificial Evolution]?’

Shen Xing even considered just selling this Soul in exchange for resources.

After all, for him, a Leader-level evolution was just a matter of waiting a day.

For other players, however, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

They would be willing to pay an enormous price just to gamble on those less-than-forty-percent odds.

’Sure enough, the further I progress, the more important and overpowered my [Sacrificial Evolution] Talent becomes.’

’I could just sell all the precious Souls I find to trade for resources that are more important to me, like Soul Stones, Enhancement Stones, Recruitment Scrolls, and so on.’

’Then I can use those resources to strengthen my Soldier Types and obtain even more powerful Souls.’

’Then I can sell those, get more resources, and create a virtuous cycle.’

Shen Xing decided that tomorrow, or the day after, he would visit the Player Association to see if he could find anything good.

’Alright, on to the next item.’

He put the Soul away and took out a bright, glittering gold coin.

CLINK!

When tossed into the air, the coin made a crisp, ringing sound.

Shen Xing caught it and checked its attributes.

[Kingdom Gold Coins]

[Artifact Type: Currency]

[Item Introduction: Ancient gold currency common throughout the Land of Mist. Can be used in any kingdom. 1 Gold Coin = 1,000 Silver Coins.]

(Note: "Oh, the smell of money... it’s intoxicating~")

...

’Oh? A universal currency, and with such a high exchange rate.’

’The system gave me 50 Gold Coins as a reward this time. Doesn’t that mean I have the equivalent of 50,000 Silver Coins?’

Shen Xing was stunned.

After all, at the Wandering Merchant’s shop, a golden-grade Legion Treasure had only cost 30,000 Silver Coins.

In other words, his fifty Gold Coins were enough to buy a decent golden-grade treasure.

’Not bad. I’ll have to see if I can run into another Wandering Merchant later. Then I can really go on a shopping spree.’

He put the Gold Coins into his backpack.

At this point, he had checked almost all the rewards for placing first on the leaderboard.

Only one item remained, and it was also the most precious treasure: the Hero’s Certificate.

He held out his right hand, and a palm-sized seal with an ancient, simple design appeared.

Just as he had seen on the forums, the seal’s main function was to allow a Soldier Type to evolve into a Heroic Unit.

Furthermore, since it was a system reward, there was no chance of failure—it was a guaranteed success.

’But... who should I give this [Hero’s Certificate] to?’

Previously, Shen Xing had planned to have Hellish Roar evolve into a Hero.

But with the rise of Hei and Black Arrow, he was starting to waver.

After all, all three were incredibly powerful and had limitless Potential, making the decision truly difficult.

’Sigh... having too many promising candidates in my territory is its own kind of trouble.’

So mused Grand Lord Shen.

After pondering for a moment, he made his decision and put the Hero’s Certificate back into his backpack.