Chapter 114: The Aftermath and Player Expansion!
The operation at Shansang Ancient City had drawn widespread attention.
It might have been one of the most influential events in the entire gaming community.
Even before the operation began, tens of thousands of Cloud Players had pooled their ideas, assisted in analysis, and offered suggestions.
Once the Calamity Legion decided to act, tens of thousands of Cloud Players and viewers watching the livestream crowded into the forum, each of them frantically slamming the F5 key until their keyboards were about to give out.
It was way more thrilling than chasing TV dramas!
Every time the latest development or a mix of real and fake intel was revealed—
The moods of tens of thousands of viewers soared and plummeted like a roller coaster.
This mission wasn’t just suspenseful and incredibly engaging in itself, like watching an interactive, ultra-realistic adventure livestream in another world—setting aside the fun factor—even from a profit perspective, it was closely tied to every viewer.
If the Calamity Legion took Shansang Ancient City and expanded their territory capacity, the number of internal testing slots for Players would also increase!
This game was not only super fun, but also extremely lucrative. Even grinding low-level monsters and brick-farming for over a dozen hours a day, then selling Contribution Points to high-level players, was far more profitable than a proper job.
Because of that—
After countless twists and turns—
When Black-Eyed Rui Ge personally logged onto the forum and declared victory, the entire forum boiled over. Information flooded the screens like a tidal wave. It was as festive as the Lunar New Year, and all kinds of mission details were quickly revealed.
“Holy crap!”
“Thrilling and intense!”
“Who would've thought the mission would be so perilous?!”
“For this mission to succeed, aside from the indispensable element of luck, the real key was the unity and unyielding spirit of the twelve top players and NPC Zhou Ji!”
“I think this mission was truly worthy of song and praise!”
“This is a hymn to courage, a hymn to unity, and a hymn to humanity!”
“Although the twelve top players did everything they could, if not for Wang Zhi, the City Lord of Shansang City, experiencing a brief return of humanity in the final moment, then all their effort and sacrifice would have been in vain!”
“That’s true. Even though Wang Zhi was just a background character, his backstory seems worth exploring. Maybe he’s actually a tragic villain with a deep history!”
“Why did Wang Zhi turn into a monster over a piece of bone?!”
“Is ‘pollutant’ a new game mechanic?!”
“Feels like there are tons of new stories, new plotlines, and new settings!”
“This is so interesting, I’m dying to know the behind-the-scenes. Please, lore masters, dig more into the characters and these new settings!”
“I feel like this mission at Shansang Ancient City could totally be adapted into a movie!”
“……”
Countless discussions flooded the forums. All the Cloud Players were stunned by the mission’s process and outcome. While they worshipped the outstanding performances of the top players, many also developed strong interest in the background of Shansang Ancient City and its characters.
This game update would likely produce a massive trove of content.
Countless content creators now had a goldmine of material.
It was like discovering a colossal treasure vein.
More details continued to emerge.
As players who participated in the operation leaked more detailed intel, the entire gaming forum exploded again—especially when certain live screenshots surfaced, including photos of the Crimson Follower and some cool shots of the Lord himself.
One particular photo drew massive attention and even went viral!
In that photo, Hang Yu was clad in golden battle armor, holding a mighty Dual-Edged Spear, riding a majestic warhorse. The steed was engulfed in flames and even had a pair of wings, resembling a legendary Magic Steed from the depths of hell.
The Lord was already striking and heroic, but now with such a dashing mount, the moment he faced off against the Crimson Follower could only be described as breathtaking—no surprise it triggered another wave of fan frenzy.
“Holy crap!”
“Too cool!”
“City Lord forever YYDS!”
“Post more photos of the Lord!”
“In the end, it had to be our Lord who cleaned up the mess!”
“The Crimson Follower is a Tier-Two Commander monster, and it’s clearly stronger than both Pei Yuanshao and Ma Yuanyi! Yet even such a monster got wrecked by our Lord—what’s his strength level now?!”
“Totally in love!”
“Having a Lord like this feels so safe!”
“……”
All sorts of posts and various pieces of information continued to erupt.
For instance, the stats of one brand new piece of equipment after another were exposed on the forum, immediately attracting countless players who eagerly fawned over them. The appearance of the first batch of Tier-Two Players also drew widespread attention.
“So many people broke through to Tier-Two at once?!”
“Wasn’t it said that leveling from 10 to 11 required a staggering 20,000 Essence?”
“What’s so strange about that? First, they wiped out a squad of Dragon-Lizard People, then they destroyed Pei Yuanshao’s stronghold, and finally they completed the mission to occupy Shansang Ancient City. The top players definitely made a fortune this round!”
“Yeah, with that much gain, it would be strange not to level up!”
“This Tier boost in power is way too high. The Calamity Legion should now be able to clash head-on with the Dragon-Lizard People, right?”
Besides these more hardcore shares—
Many smaller details also became hot topics of discussion.
Take for example, Ye Li Meng and several top players, who threw a grand banquet in the Territory Canteen to celebrate the victory. Hundreds of newbie Players enjoyed a lavish feast as a result. Photos of the group pictures and the abundant dishes were shared, immediately sparking waves of envy from the forum users.
“What kind of requirements is this?!”
“Treating others to a meal inside the game!”
“Having a meal in-game now costs more than dining at a luxury restaurant in the real world!”
“This game world is just too blissful. Not only can you play and earn money, even eating isn’t a problem. The only thing left to wonder is whether your lower half still functions!”
“I’m starting to feel like reality isn’t worth living anymore!”
“Following top players is the way to go!”
“I want to live inside the game!”
“The first thing I’ll do when I enter the game is cling to the top players’ thighs!”
“By the way, when is the game going to release the guild and faction system? With the current prestige of these top players, once they establish a guild or faction, they’ll surely have overwhelming support!”
“……”
All kinds of shares.
All kinds of discussions.
Just like that, an entire night passed.
At dawn the next day, another heavy-hitting post appeared on the forum. The poster was none other than Chimera Wraith, the major contributor to the Shansang Ancient City operation and a well-known player in the gaming world.
The title of the post was: “All Kneel in Allegiance! Entire Military and Citizens of Shansang Ancient City Officially Submit!”
It was only after reading the content that everyone realized—
Merely occupying the core of the city wasn’t enough.
Assimilating the population and controlling the territory were equally important.
Shansang Ancient City had just held a large-scale ceremony. Nearly ten thousand indigenous men, women, and children were all kneeling before the Lord, formally pledging their allegiance.
From that moment, the entire city and its population were integrated into the territory.
The Lord had taken a solid first step in expanding influence across the Wo Niu Mountain region!
Because Chimera Wraith was present on-site, she took on the role of a journalist and used the Photography Crystal to capture many images, allowing forum users to witness the grand event.
“So magnificent!”
“There are so many NPCs!”
“There must be plenty of useful characters among them!”
“Each NPC is an independent AI. Just how did they create this massive sandbox of AI that interacts with both the environment and with each other? The game’s tech has already reached levels beyond what black technology could even imagine!”
“I only care whether the territory is going to expand recruitment after this mission!”
“Please, devs, give me a slot!”
…………
On the forum—
Players continued to discuss furiously.
Every hour, tens of millions of comments flooded in.
In the Abyss Three Kingdoms world, Shansang City at Wo Niu Mountain was just as lively at this moment.
With the strong support of Feng Yi, the guard of Shansang City, and Zhou Ji, the renowned chivalrous hero of the Wo Niu Mountain region, Hang Yu had formally established a foothold in Shansang City, taking control of the entire population in the area.
【9,210 citizens of Shansang City wish to pledge allegiance to you. Do you accept?】
“Accept!”
【Ding, you have accepted the allegiance of Shansang City. You have fully occupied Shansang City!】
【Monthly Abyssal Magic Crystal income +500, Crude Abyss Barracks construction limit +5, Skill Tower construction limit +1!】
“Finally done!”
Hang Yu not only received a huge supply of resources from the Fate Treasure Chest (Green), but also gained an additional fiscal income of 500 Abyssal Magic Crystals per month—roughly sixteen to seventeen per day. Additionally, he unlocked the construction rights to 5 more Crude Abyss Barracks and 1 Skill Tower.
The territory already had six Tier-One Crude Abyss Barracks, so the population cap was 600. Currently, there were 580 Players and 20 Personal Guards, fully staffed.
Now that the Crude Abyss Barracks limit had increased by 5—
It meant the population cap of the territory increased directly by 500!
In theory, Hang Yu could issue 500 new internal testing slots at once, recruiting 500 new Players to the territory in one go. This would significantly boost the territory’s Essence income, resource production, and strengthen the Calamity Legion!
The territory would soon have eleven Barracks.
Only four more needed to meet the upgrade condition.
Once Hang Yu had enough resources, he could upgrade all fifteen Barracks, gaining not only a multiplied population cap but also many additional benefits from the advancement.
This time, he also unlocked permission to construct one Skill Tower, which was undoubtedly extremely useful.
There was a limit to how many Skill Stones could be embedded into a single Skill Tower.
The more Skill Towers the territory had, the more skills it possessed. They also provided more training rooms to improve soldiers’ skill proficiency, as well as space and facilities to pass on skills, giving Players more chances to learn from NPCs.
Though it was a major breakthrough—
It did not mean they could rest easy!
Two urgent issues still needed to be addressed.
One was the matter of resources, and the other was the threat from the Dragon-Lizard People.
Once Hang Yu absorbed the Fate Stone of Shansang City, the Fate Barrier around it would vanish. From then on, the city could no longer resist Abyssal Nightmares and the invasion of Abyssal Creatures.
The Dragon-Lizard People would soon notice this development.
And the Dragon-Lizard Lord would certainly understand what had happened.
Once he realized the largest town in the Wo Niu Mountain region had fallen into the hands of an enemy Lord, he would undoubtedly feel a strong sense of crisis and might launch a frenzied assault at any cost to prevent Hang Yu from gaining a firm foothold and becoming a major threat.
Overall, the Dragon-Lizard Lord’s forces were still much stronger.
And those Dragon-Lizard People remained a persistent problem.
Preparations for countermeasures were necessary.
Hang Yu instructed Xiao Ba to report on the current state of the Calamity Legion.
Xiao Ba immediately responded, “Reporting, Master, there are currently 580 Players. Level 11: 8 players, Level 10: 14 players, Level 9: 19 players, Level 8: 20 players, Level 7: 29 players, Level 6: 41 players, Level 5: 92 players...”
Player growth was still rapid.
There were already 223 who had reached Level 5 or above.
Hang Yu had set Level 5 as the threshold for entry into Wo Niu Mountain.
This meant these 200-plus Players could all move into Wo Niu Mountain to develop!
This division of the Calamity Legion, along with over a thousand soldiers from Shansang City, formed a solid force. With the defensive advantage of the city and the Calamity Army’s undead nature, they could confront the Dragon-Lizard People head-on!
As for resource supply, that too was a major issue.
This included not only the vast amounts of Abyssal Magic Crystals and materials required for territory development, but also the food and rations needed by the tens of thousands of residents.
The provisions of Shansang Ancient City had long been depleted.
The city was now experiencing severe famine.
This was one of the reasons Hang Yu had managed to win the people over so easily.
Zhou Ji and Feng Yi had promised the citizens that by pledging allegiance to the Lord, everyone would be able to eat their fill. If Hang Yu failed to fulfill this promise, unrest or even rebellion might erupt in no time.
Of course—
Ordinary rations were relatively easy to handle.
Hang Yu’s territory had stockpiled a large quantity of food. Players also turned in large amounts daily, so the warehouse wasn’t lacking in ingredients—in fact, there was even surplus being exported through the Trading Hall.
However, all these were Extraordinary Ingredients imbued with Abyssal energy harvested from Abyssal Creatures.
Such Extraordinary Ingredients were typically reserved exclusively for territory soldiers or production-class citizens.
Feeding them to ordinary civilians would be too extravagant and wasteful.
After all, combatants or producers consumed vast amounts of mana daily in combat or production. They needed Extraordinary Food to gain buffs and other enhancements. If they ate mundane food lacking spiritual energy for prolonged periods, it could impair mana recovery or even affect Essence absorption.
Ordinary civilians had no such demands.
As long as they didn’t constantly expend mana, regular food fully met their needs.
Hang Yu planned to import basic rations through the Trading Hall. This type of food was often extremely cheap—what it cost to feed one soldier could support dozens of ordinary laborers.
Once the food issue was resolved—
The matter of resources still remained.
Because the territory’s population limit was about to expand.
Tens of thousands of Players on the forum were already crying out, hoping the devs would release a new wave of internal testing slots. Naturally, Hang Yu had no intention of holding back. He planned to publish the corresponding recruitment notice shortly to meet their expectations.
After this operation—
Players would fully believe in the direct correlation between the Calamity Legion’s size and the scale and capacity of the territory.
This, in turn, would further motivate Players to expand the territory and seize more ground. However, recruiting more Players would also require more Abyssal Magic Crystals and supporting resources.
As both the developer and Lord—
It was only natural to prepare in advance.