18: Chapter 18 The Legendary Black Dragon Lord

"Troop Potential Upgrade Card? And it's an Elite limited edition?" Lin Tian finished reading the description, his expression a vivid display of emotions—first surprise (Upgrade potential!), then astonishment (Elite limited?), and finally, a helpless, bitter smile.

"This... this thing is even more useless to me!" He held the card, gesturing at the air. "My troops either start as ordinary Militia or are Fusions of Elite, Rare, or even Excellent quality."

"This 'Elite quality'... where am I supposed to find that? In my system, this quality simply doesn't exist!"

Thinking of his own troops, all fused from ordinary Militia, he couldn't help but sigh: "System, did you send the wrong item? Since I only have ordinary troops, are you deliberately giving me something useless to balance things out?"

However, having gained experience, he quickly adjusted his mindset. Rubbing the card with its golden patterns, his eyes became shrewd again: "But then again... for those Lords whose starting troops are Elite quality but are struggling because their potential is too low to promote to higher levels, this is probably a priceless treasure, right?"

"Being able to raise a troop's core growth potential by a major stage is equivalent to gaining a seed that might promote to Silver or even higher in the future!"

Lin Tian placed the two types of cards side by side on the table, a fox-like smile on his face. "These two Silver Chests didn't give me immediate combat power, but rather two potential, massive 'strategic resources'."

"It doesn't matter if I can't use them myself. If I can find someone who needs them and trade them for the supplies, blueprints, or special materials I desperately need, that would be putting them to good use."

After carefully weighing the value of the two special cards, Lin Tian rubbed his chin in thought: "I can keep the Troop Potential Upgrade Card and wait for a good price, but these three 'troop capacity +1 card's must be sold as soon as possible."

"Right now, everyone's troop numbers are still low; this is the time when they most need to quickly replenish their combat power, so the premium is at its highest."

"In a few days, when everyone's numbers and levels are up and resources are abundant, the value of this card will definitely plummet. Money (resources) in hand won't breed; only by exchanging it for urgently needed items can I enhance my strength faster."

Having made up his mind, he immediately opened the [Trading Platform]. Considering that selling all three together might not be as profitable as selling them separately, he listed the three troop capacity +1 cards, setting them to be auctioned one at a time, one hour apart, with a one-minute interval between auctions.

He then began browsing the dazzling array of items on the Trading Platform. After looking for a long time, one item instantly caught his eye:

[Auction Item: City Wall Blueprint (Permanent)]

Seller: Ye Xuan

Requirement: Equivalent permanent building blueprints or special functional items

Status: Untraded (Listed for 5 hours)

"Permanent City Wall Blueprint!" Lin Tian's eyes lit up. "This is good stuff! With it, I can truly enclose my territory, and my sense of security will double!" He looked at the seller's requirements. "Permanent blueprint or special item... It seems this Brother Ye has high standards; he doesn't care for ordinary resources or one-time blueprints."

He tried contacting the seller, whose ID was Ye Xuan.

[Lin Tian]: "Brother Ye, hello. I'm very interested in your City Wall Blueprint and would like to ask what exactly you want to trade it for?"

[Ye Xuan]: "The requirements are written very clearly: equivalent permanent blueprint or special item. If you don't have it, don't ask."

Lin Tian didn't mind the other person's attitude; instead, he felt the directness saved him from polite pleasantries. He continued sending messages:

[Lin Tian]: "I understand. But 'equivalent' needs to be measured. I do have a special item in my hand that might suit you very well. However, I need to understand the quality and type of your troops first to determine its value to you."

[Ye Xuan]: "Are you sure? Not here to waste my time again?"

[Lin Tian]: "Of course. Trade is based on integrity. There's no benefit to me in playing games with you."

[Ye Xuan]: "Fine. My starting troops are Elite-grade Shadow Assassins. They excel in stealth and assassination, but their frontal combat and survivability are weak. What can you offer?"

Lin Tian felt a surge of joy. Elite-grade? This matched perfectly! He stopped playing coy and sent the attributes of the [Troop Potential Upgrade Card (Silver)].

[Lin Tian]: "[Item Info] Brother Ye, look at this card. Is it worth your City Wall Blueprint?"

After the message was sent, the other side was silent for a full minute. Just when Lin Tian thought the other party wasn't interested or had gone offline, a reply came.

[Ye Xuan]: "Troop potential increased by a whole major stage! From Elite-grade to Rare-grade? This... this thing is too useful for me! I was just worrying about the Shadow Assassins' low potential and how to deal with the Beast Tide later! Brother Lin, where did you get such good stuff? I admire you!"

[Lin Tian]: "You're too polite, Brother Ye, it's just luck. Your City Wall Blueprint is also a strategic-level item for me. Let's take what we need, shall we?"

[Ye Xuan]: "No problem! Trade! Let's trade now!"

Both sides were very straightforward and quickly completed the trade. With a flash of light, a blueprint emitting a faint white glow with complex patterns appeared in Lin Tian's hand. He examined it carefully:

[Blueprint: City Wall (Permanent)]

Special Item

Effect: Master the technique of building permanent city walls. The height and thickness of the wall can be built based on the type and quantity of materials (stone, wood, metal, etc.) provided. Can be built repeatedly to form a complete defensive circle.

Note: A sturdy wall is the first line of defense for a home. As long as you have the materials, build away! — A certain unknown master architect

"Good stuff! Although materials are in short supply right now and I can't afford to build it, having the blueprint gives me planning and a direction to work towards!" Lin Tian carefully put the blueprint away, already calculating where to get a large amount of stone.

Meanwhile, on the other side, in a territory with slightly dim lighting and a secretive architectural style, a lean young man with sharp eyes, Ye Xuan, was staring intently at the pale golden card in his hand, his breathing somewhat rapid.

"Hahaha! Heaven helps me! Just when I was feeling sleepy, someone brought me a pillow!" He couldn't help but chuckle, his face full of irrepressible excitement. "Shadow Assassin potential upgraded to Rare-grade!"

"This means a higher growth limit, stronger attributes, and perhaps even the awakening of new Rare skills! Those guys in the channel showing off their Rare troops might not necessarily be stronger than me in the future!"

He had originally loved and hated his Elite-grade Shadow Assassins—loving their unpredictable nature, hating their limited potential. This card perfectly solved his biggest worry.

As for the City Wall Blueprint? Although important, compared to a qualitative leap in his core troops, he could temporarily abandon peripheral defenses and take an extreme path of assassination and stealth development. Besides, the materials to build city walls were astronomically expensive, which also deterred him.

"Lin Tian... I've remembered this name."

Ye Xuan carefully put away the card, his eyes flashing with sharp light. "To be able to take out such an item, this person is either incredibly lucky, or... not simple."

Lin Tian had just finished the trade and was in a good mood when another message arrived from Ye Xuan in his friends list.

[Ye Xuan]: "Brother Lin, hurry to the Regional Chat Channel and take a look! It seems some guy named 'Long Ao' is publicly shouting for you, with a very arrogant tone, related to your auction."

"Looking for me?" Lin Tian was stunned and, with confusion, switched to the [Regional Chat Channel]. Taking one look, good grief, the messages were scrolling by rapidly, almost all discussing the three [troop capacity +1 card]s he had listed.

He scrolled up to find the source. A Lord with the ID Long Ao had a very prominent posting style:

[Long Ao]: "@Lin Tian, I, the Black Dragon Lord, want those three troop capacity +1 cards of yours. I'll give you a chance: cancel the auction immediately and trade directly with me. As a reward, this Lord can make an exception and take you as my Subordinate Lord. In the Beast Tide seven days from now, with the protection of the legendary-quality dragon under my command, I guarantee you'll pass safely."

[Long Ao]: "Reply as soon as you see this. Others can't even beg for such an opportunity; I know you can see this."

As soon as these two messages appeared, the chat exploded: