Chapter 387 - 360 Lumber Development Plan_2
It seems that this is the only way to go. His meaning is that ordinary Tree Spirits can hold on for a day, and since mine are Elite Tree Spirits, they should have even less of a problem.
Da Fei had no choice but to say, "Thank you, elder sir, for taking us in. I’ll go out immediately to meet up with the troops!"
...
Now, Da Fei and Tai Da hurried back to the Black Forest, heading straight for the lumberyard. In fact, Da Fei still had an advantage, as it hadn’t taken him long to discover this place, and there should be enough time.
Da Fei then asked, "If we directly cut a path to this place, will we have enough time?"
Tai Da shook his head. "Not possible. It’s impossible to do it in a day. We can only have the Tree Elf Army stand guard in place to protect our lumber. I don’t know how powerful the Mercury Fog is, but Tree Spirits are not plants; they’re essentially Spiritual Creatures and should be able to resist the corrosion of Mercury Fog."
Da Fei sighed, "Then that’s the only way!"
Although these Tree Spirits were not his soldiers, if this damn Mercury Fog affected their combat power or even caused losses, it would definitely have a big impact on his subsequent journey. Therefore, the only remedial measure was to try to get along with these Hobbits and hope they could lend him a helping hand.
As the two approached the lumberyard, the sound of wood chopping was no longer heard.
Da Fei’s complexion changed drastically, "Not good! There’s a situation!"
Could it be that not a day could go by in an army without a commander? Just after leaving for a while, did the troops immediately run into trouble? Da Fei was incredibly anxious, but he had to actuate Phantom March to sneak up slowly. Soon, the map displayed the green dots of the woodcutters.
Da Fei was taken aback. What’s going on? There’s no enemy? Although he didn’t know what exactly had happened, as long as no one died, everything was negotiable.
As they got closer, they saw the woodcutters lying haphazardly on the ground. Da Fei couldn’t help but shake from head to toe, a chill running down his spine. Poisoned? No way!
But Tai Da immediately reacted, roaring, "You lazy ghosts, all of you get up!"
In that moment, the workers scrambled to their feet, grabbing their axes and rushing to their positions, resuming their clattering tree cutting!
Da Fei was stunned!
Tai Da said angrily, "Workers, they just fall asleep if you don’t keep an eye on them all the time! Lord, do we retreat now, or have them also transport some of the lumber?"
Damn it, you scared the hell out of me! Da Fei finally snapped back to his senses and said furiously, "Transport the lumber! I want them overloaded! One person carrying two units!"
Tai Da immediately shouted, "All of you slept enough, right? All of you, transport the lumber!"
Now, Da Fei left the remaining 39 elite Tree Spirits to guard the lumber pile. As for the Crossbow Cannons, they were also unable to pass through the forest, so they were left behind as well.
The so-called guarding is actually just stationing. The difference is, stationing happens when there are building facilities, and as long as there is enough food left, troops will not desert, and they don’t occupy the player’s Command Power. However, guarding in the wild without any building support is different; troops still use up the player’s Command Power, and if left unattended for a long time, they could desert or turn into wild creatures. To that extent, guarding is equal to disbanding.
Then came 300 workers, carrying 600 units of lumber, slowly starting on their way. 600 units, that’s as much as one full load on a large ship. But unlike the ship, this journey was truly sluggish! Da Fei finally got a real sense of what overloaded speed meant! Compared to it, the Crossbow Cannon’s one-meter-per-second marching speed seemed fast! Does that mean I have to lead such a tortoisely slow troop through various unknown spaces, facing various unknown dangers, like that Abyss Furnace the elder spoke of, and then back to Radiant City?
Damn, that’s totally unreliable! Let’s not even mention that my current troop configuration is too poor to sweep through everything; just how much time would it take to make stops on this journey? A day? Two days? Three days? I still have a Divine Artifact mission to take on the day after tomorrow at noon!
In any case, long-distance transportation back home just isn’t feasible, at least not without a heavy military escort at present. It’s essential to think long-term, and this Habbit Village is the only entity I can rely on.
That means, I must establish a solid relationship with them, then store supplies and even workers here, yes! Keep the workers here too, and when there’s nothing else to do, organize these slackers to chop down trees. When they’ve cleared out this vast woodland, it will be about time for me to bring an army over to take over!
Yes! That’s the way it should be. The more Da Fei thought about it, the more he felt this was the only reliable method, and clearer became the overall development strategy in his mind.
Having made his decision, Da Fei declared seriously, "Mr. Tai Da, I believe that this last Habbit Tribe is critical to our World Tree’s defense. I wish to establish a friendly, no, a military alliance with this Habbit Village. I plan to station you in their village as our city’s ambassador. All the workers will also be left to you, and the main task would be logging, storing all the timber in their village. Then, when I assemble an army to come and receive it, what do you think?"
Tai Da bowed deeply, "Lord City Lord is wise. The discovery of this Habbit Remnant is not only a stroke of luck for you but also for our Elf Kingdom. I am honored to accept this glorious mission!"
Da Fei was immensely relieved, "Then I’ll leave it to you, Mr. Tai Da!"
Tai Da then remembered something, "My Lord, if my main task is logging, there might be conflicts with the Hobbits, as they might claim the Black Forest as their territory."
Da Fei frowned, "That is a problem. They might not realize the difference with these Mercury Trees, right?"
Tai Da frowned, "For a druid like me, who majored in World Tree studies, it’s quite easy to discern the attributes of wood. But for the cooking-and-collecting enthusiasts like the Hobbits, perhaps it’s not that easy?"
Da Fei’s eyebrows twitched, World Tree major? Damn, no wonder you were sent to my Pool of Radiance, a perfect match in expertise?
Da Fei hurriedly asked, "So, not every druid can differentiate the attributes of wood?"
Tai Da smiled confidently, "Ordinary druids can still tell good wood from bad, but an expert like me who can categorize wood is on another level!"
So that’s how it is! Da Fei already had a plan, "Bet on it! Bet that the old Habbit gent is clueless and doesn’t recognize these Mercury Trees, let’s just buy them! Buy at the price of ordinary wood! Maybe they’ll be so pleased they won’t just agree to our logging but even help us out?"
Tai Da nodded, "Makes sense. If they do mistake them for deadwood, the quality might even be worse than ordinary wood, meaning they would price it even lower. It’s just that, I don’t have money."
Money an issue? I almost forgot to deposit the 2.4 million I got from yesterday’s competition at the bank! Damn, imagine how much I’d lose if I died! Right now, during the fundraising period for city-building, city funds are the same as personal funds. Time to spend money quickly!
Da Fei waved his hand generously, "Take this 2.4 million Gold Coins and use it freely, spend it to show off our city’s style!"
——System Prompt: You have issued 2.4 million Gold Coins as an operational fund to your resource collection advisor Tai Da.
Tai Da trembled with excitement, "Rest assured, my Lord, I will use it well! But, But if we’re so fixated on this forest, they might still become suspicious, right? If they do, it might not be conducive to establishing a cooperative relationship based on mutual trust."
Damn it! After seeing my style and the support of the Elf Kingdom, what choices do they have? Can’t really spoil them rotten!
Da Fei chuckled, "Just say that this Black Forest will be the main battlefield between our army and the Hell Army. All the obstructing timber must be cut down and repurposed. Once they hear a great battle is about to take place next door, they’ll surely cooperate obediently and honestly!"
Tai Da gave a thumbs up, "Lord City Lord is brilliant!"
Haha, Wahahaha!
(Today I am busy, there’s only one Chapter) (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)