When Shen Xing pushed his wheelchair to the village entrance, he saw Hellish Roar had already assembled a squad of five Beastmen, all ready to go.
He had to admit, after some special training, these Beastmen had become much more disciplined. Their stances were no longer as crooked and sloppy as before.
Just as Shen Xing was about to set off, a figure approached from behind.
"My Lord, Blood Roar requests to join the battle!" Blood Roar announced, riding his Warg over at a quick pace.
Hellish Roar’s brow furrowed slightly, seemingly displeased by this unauthorized action.
Shen Xing, on the other hand, wasn’t surprised. He knew this guy had just achieved a breakthrough and was eager to show off his strength.
However, now was not the time. Someone needed to stay behind to guard the territory.
So, Shen Xing gave him a little lecture, explaining how important the territory’s defense was, entrusting him with this great responsibility, and so on and so forth.
Blood Roar stood there in a daze, finally understanding the gravity of his mission. He puffed out his chest and swore to defend the territory to the death!
Then, the straightforward Beastman went off to train with the other Soldier Types.
After dealing with his belligerent Beastman underling, Shen Xing waved his hand. "Let’s move out."
The Horse Lantern was lit, and the Fog receded. The small party ventured into the depths of the Fog.
This time, they headed south, as the Sickness Village they had discovered last time was due west.
Shen Xing planned to get a rough understanding of the terrain surrounding his territory before doing anything else.
Visibility was limited due to the thick fog, making it impossible to scout every single corner.
But that didn’t matter. The game’s built-in [Minimap] function would help record their path.
It was worth noting that the places they explored would be briefly revealed on the map, only to be covered by a layer of fog again after they left.
However, the minimap would record the general outline of that area.
For example, if Shen Xing discovered a forest, some tree-like shadows would appear on the map.
If he found a tall mountain, an image of misty peaks would appear.
This was quite a nice feature. Without this minimap function, 99% of the Lords in this world wouldn’t even be able to dream of exploring the Fog.
After all, not everyone had a superb sense of direction that would allow them to navigate through the Fog.
They continued onward like this for nearly an hour.
Along the way, they were attacked by two or three waves of monsters, but the Lord dealt with them all using his world-shaking wisdom.
DING! Soul Stones +35, Silver Coins +27, Souls +15.
Thanks to the Lost Ones for the resource care package.
Half an hour later, the party halted their exploration.
A massive, pitch-black river stretched across the black earth, blocking their path.
"SPLASH... SPLASH..."
The black water churned, cresting in wave after wave. Even the spray was as black as ink.
The river’s surface was shrouded in fog. Due to the limited range of the Horse Lantern’s light, they couldn’t see exactly how wide it was, but they estimated it was vast.
"A river this big... I wonder if there are fish in it?" Shen Xing mused, leaning back in his wheelchair.
"Lord, there’s a stone tablet over there," Hellish Roar said suddenly, pointing into the distance.
Following his finger, they did indeed see a stone tablet half-buried in black mud at the edge of the firelight.
They moved closer and saw some words carved into the tablet.
[Black Water River: 172m–324m wide. So dense, a feather cannot float; so vast, a bird cannot cross.]
...
"’So dense, a feather cannot float; so vast, a bird cannot cross...’" Shen Xing muttered, repeating the phrase. "It sounds like a dead river. I guess we can’t cross it for now."
He was a little disappointed, but had no choice but to lead the party along the riverbank to see if they could find anything.
THUMP... THUMP...
The Beastmen’s footsteps fell upon the muddy, black earth, leaving a trail of prints behind them.
The Black Water River stretched for an unknown number of kilometers, and even the sand on its banks was black.
However, amidst the gravel, he saw some weathered shells and the ruins of old buildings.
’Seashells? Looks like there are living things in this river. There might even be fish.’
Shen Xing’s eyes lit up. ’Does this mean I can come here to fish in the future?’
He mentally noted the location, planning to make a simple fishing rod later and come back to show off his masterful fishing skills.
While he was lost in these thoughts, the party continued to advance.
The orange-red glow of the Horse Lantern illuminated a 20-meter radius, and the sound of rushing water filled their ears.
After advancing another two or three hundred meters, they suddenly spotted several dark figures lying on the riverbank.
The Beastmen immediately raised their weapons and entered a combat stance.
As they drew closer with the Horse Lantern, they got a clear look at the figures.
They had the upper bodies of humans, a pair of barbels on their chins, and the lower bodies of fish, covered in shiny, pitch-black scales.
[Dark Naga Warrior (Deceased)]
...
’Naga... And they look like they were very strong when they were alive. Who killed them?’ Shen Xing wondered.
Hellish Roar walked forward, crouched down, and inspected them carefully. "Lord, based on their wounds, they can’t have been dead for long."
"There are also significant residual traces of the Light Element in their wounds. Their opponents must have been numerous."
’Traces of Light?’
’Could there be other Light Forces nearby?’
’Or... other players?’
At this thought, a sense of crisis suddenly washed over Shen Xing.
He wasn’t ready to make contact with other players in the game just yet.
After all, unlike in reality, all Pioneers were constrained by laws and official regulations. If anyone dared to use their in-game abilities to act recklessly, a stronger Pioneer would show up to teach them a lesson.
But in the game, there were no laws to control them.
Shen Xing had read on the forums about incidents where Pioneers whose territories were too close ended up in bloody conflicts over resources.