89: Chapter 89 I have 500,000 soldiers, what's the point of negotiating?

Krenda · Dwarf Race: "Um, sorry to interrupt?"

Krenda · Dwarf Race: "Is this flying building an elite monster spawn?"

Flame Bird Lord · Flame Bird Clan: "Not a monster. I just flew over to take a look; there are troops moving on it."

Ye Shi · Thorn Clan: "Then that is... a Lord?"

Flame Bird Lord · Flame Bird Clan: "Correct. Undead Race."

The entire channel fell silent instantly.

A few seconds later.

Chen Ge · Murloc Clan: "The Undead Race territory is floating?"

Sylvia · Elf Race: "When the elf birds I sent out approached, the other side had orange glowing areas. This isn't a structure ordinary territories possess."

Krenda · Dwarf Race: "It really is a Lord. My scout team just reported back that the other side has already dispatched troops in my direction."

Victor · Human Race: "What? Is his attack target you?"

Krenda · Dwarf Race: "Uh... doesn't seem like it. They are moving toward the mines."

Ye Shi · Thorn Clan: "Here to mine?"

Gerald · Thunder Lizard Clan: "Never mind the number of troops, the problem is that after my scout units got close, their morale completely collapsed. How many things have these undead fought exactly? The death aura is so heavy."

Tao Zhuo · Werewolf Clan: "My wolf riders are the same. Their howls have even turned into whimpers."

Krenda · Dwarf Race: "Latest data: the gathering team at the mining area is at least between twenty and thirty thousand."

Gerald · Thunder Lizard Clan: "What? Twenty to thirty thousand? You didn't miscount?"

Krenda · Dwarf Race: "How could I miscount that?"

Tanton · Stone Spirit Clan: "Report... the other side's Combat Readiness Platform is still deploying troops."

Sylvia · Elf Race: "What do we do now? Assemble?"

Victor · Human Race: "Wait, don't move yet."

Victor · Human Race: "This batch of undead—their numbers, equipment, and that flying territory—comprehensive look... it's not something we can provoke casually."

Ye Shi · Thorn Clan: "So we just watch it mine our resources?"

Victor · Human Race: "I didn't say watch. I said don't move yet."

...

Xu Qin finished reading this chat and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Yours? Then whose are you? You can actually say such idiotic things?"

Honestly, it was quite interesting.

He originally thought that arriving in a new place would require at least one fight to establish status.

He hadn't expected these dozen or so Lords to chat back and forth, only to be calmed down by the strongest one.

Not bad, not a bunch of brainless idiots.

He closed the channel, opened the command panel, and pondered with a frown.

"Tian Ming, hurry up and mine resources. Ignore them."

"Master, should we set up a defensive perimeter?"

"Counterattack if struck. For now, focus all efforts on mining resources."

"Yes."

The activity within the Oasis grew larger and larger.

Bone Transport Carts drove into the Oasis one after another.

Minotaurs, Sand Jackals, and Troglodytes swarmed toward the trees and stone belts, covering the ground.

The gathering speed was ridiculously fast.

This was not a scene a normal Lord could witness.

For an ordinary Lord, a gathering team of a few hundred was already their entire family fortune.

On Xu Qin's side, the Sand Jackals responsible for timber alone numbered over fifteen thousand, and they were all +60 elite enhanced units.

The sound of sawing wood merged into a continuous sheet, and trees fell one by one.

Bone Transport Carts shuttled back and forth inside, transporting them neatly toward the Floating City.

At the edge of the Oasis, the scout units of various Lords silently retreated several steps, keeping their distance.

...

The regional channel in the dead of night became lively again.

Sylvia · Elf Race: "No! My trees..."

Tao Zhuo · Werewolf Clan: "Good heavens, this is my first time seeing large-scale logging like this."

Chen Ge · Murloc Clan: "There's also the stone. It's digging that too. Pushing through on three fronts."

Gerald · Thunder Lizard Clan: "Quick question, with this scale, can we win if we join forces?"

This question killed the conversation instantly.

Ten seconds later...

Krenda · Dwarf Race: "Why don't you go ask Brother Tanton? His troops are the best at tanking. Let him go first."

Tanton · Stone Spirit Clan: "Not going."

Krenda · Dwarf Race: "..."

Flame Bird Lord · Flame Bird Clan: "Everyone, I just finished scouting the enemy's formation from the air. There is a group of nearly five-meter-tall skeleton monsters in the front row, with extremely high density."

Flame Bird Lord · Flame Bird Clan: "The enemy has melee, ranged, and heroes, and they even have equipment. When I saw it clearly just now, I felt my hair stand on end."

Ye Shi · Thorn Clan: "Then why the hell are we fighting? Even if all of our dozen or so factions send out troops, can we beat his gathering team?"

Silence again.

Victor · Human Race: "I don't think we can win."

Tao Zhuo · Werewolf Clan: "Then let's just keep watching."

Flame Bird Lord · Flame Bird Clan: "Will they attack us after they finish gathering resources?"

Krenda · Dwarf Race: "How about we make contact first? See what their attitude is?"

Victor · Human Race: "I'll handle this."

A few seconds later.

A notification popped up on Xu Qin's chat panel.

Victor · Human Race: "@Xu Qin · Undead Race, hello, sorry to bother you. I am Victor, a Lord near this Oasis. I would like to ask about your purpose in coming here, and... how long does your territory plan to stay?"

The wording was polite and flawless.

Xu Qin · Undead Race: "Gather resources, upgrade territory."

Victor · Human Race: "Understood. May I ask approximately how much you need to gather?"

Xu Qin · Undead Race: "Naturally, the more the better. Striving to upgrade the territory to the max level, you know."

As soon as this was said, the regional channel exploded instantly.

Ye Shi · Thorn Clan: "What do you mean by the more the better??"

Gerald · Thunder Lizard Clan: "This Oasis is only this big. Do you want to take it all?"

Sylvia · Elf Race: "Then what do we do..."

Tao Zhuo · Werewolf Clan: "If you really finish gathering everything, this place will be ruined."

Krenda · Dwarf Race: "@Xu Qin · Undead Race, can you leave some?"

Victor · Human Race: "Lord Xu Qin, there are over a dozen other Lords developing nearby. I wonder if it would be convenient to negotiate a gathering range? We are willing to give up part of the area in exchange for the sustainable use of the Oasis."

Xu Qin stared at this message and smiled slightly.

Xu Qin · Undead Race: "How many troops do you have?"

Victor · Human Race: "...About seventy thousand."

Xu Qin laughed out loud when he saw this reply.

Good heavens, you have seventy thousand all together?

Who are you trying to scare?

If it weren't for the rats pulling the general data, he almost would have been fooled by them.

Xu Qin didn't expose them and continued to reply.

Xu Qin · Undead Race: "Is that so few? I have five hundred thousand troops."

Victor · Human Race: "..."

Xu Qin · Undead Race: "I told you my troop strength not to fight you. I'm just telling everyone that I have no need to negotiate."

Xu Qin · Undead Race: "Do you all understand now?"

The channel fell silent instantly.

This silence lasted longer than the previous times they had communicated.

Tao Zhuo · Werewolf Clan: "Five hundred thousand? Is that real or fake?"

Krenda · Dwarf Race: "He wouldn't be bluffing, would he?"

Flame Bird Lord · Flame Bird Clan: "What if he is bluffing? With the troops he has deployed right now, do you think our 'seventy thousand' army can win?"

Gerald · Thunder Lizard Clan: "That flying territory, does it have that much carrying capacity?"

Tanton · Stone Spirit Clan: "Stone buildings can fly, so it's reasonable to carry some bones, right?"

Ye Shi · Thorn Clan: "Damn, then we're screwed."