I Live on the Land in Global Games
Chapter 249 - 246: The Returning Team (Part 1 of 4 of the 400 Character Addition)

Chapter 249: Chapter 246: The Returning Team (Part 1 of 4 of the 400 Character Addition)

"Lord! Long time no see!" From afar, on the cobblestone road, a throng of people and horses were moving slowly toward her, many of them waving their arms excitedly in her direction while others looked on with curiosity.

As Mu Ying finished digging the tree holes and placing the saplings inside, she heard the voices and turned to look back.

It was Huo Shaobai’s team, and it was Lu You who was shouting at her.

She took off her straw hat and waved back, "Long time no see! Welcome back!"

Their team had taken on the task of constructing the furthest stretch of the cobblestone road, and it had been a long time since they had left the territory. While the other teams had returned one after another, there had still been no sign of them.

Now they were finally back, and it seemed they had brought many newcomers with them, no wonder they were so slow.

After the mini-models were all buried, Mu Ying had completed the road construction. Logically, they should have returned faster, yet it had taken them so long because they were bringing people back.

With so many people, it was only right to give them some bonuses.

To be honest, Mu Ying was still quite worried; she always had an ominous feeling that something big was about to happen in the Doomsday Game soon, and their prolonged absence, staying out in the wilderness, was very dangerous.

Huo Shaobai’s team could be said to be the strongest in Qingshan Town, even Xie Sen had joined their operation this time.

The team got closer, and Mu Ying could see more clearly.

The familiar faces were all there, it was fortunate their team had not lost any members.

Then looking at those curious strangers staring at her, there must have been about a thousand of them. Mu Ying nodded and smiled at them as a sign of welcome, then gave a thumbs up to Huo Shaobai and Lu You, "I’m giving you a raise!"

"Haha, I knew it, you wouldn’t let us down," Lu You laughed heartily. They brought back people to earn more, didn’t they?

"Hard work," said Mu Ying with a smile.

Xie Sen winked at her, "You’re not doing too shabby yourself. Looking at this little forest, I can tell how much you’ve been grinding. You’re about to level up, right?"

Mu Ying glanced at the Player Manual and nodded.

[Profession: Druid Lv6 (2097/2100)]

Just 3 points away, "I should be able to level up today."

"Awesome! It took me quite an effort just to reach level 5 and a half on this trip out!" Xie Sen said admiringly.

Mu Ying shook her head, "Stop flattering me, with your leveling speed, you’ve already surpassed me!"

In this period, he had jumped from level 4 at 10-odd percent to level 5 and a half in less time than her.

Moreover, he is not a Trialist, unlike her who can leverage the time difference in the Trial World to cultivate new plants and then transplant them to reality for a large amount of Experience rewards.

So Xie Sen’s leveling speed is indeed commendable, even stronger than hers—he’s quite something.

He had only been behind before because he was taking care of Fool, indulging in a fluffy world.

Now settled in Qingshan Town and with Fool’s safety no longer a concern and having playmates, he quickly caught up, hadn’t he?

"How could I match that? The further you go, the harder it gets, and I was just lucky this time. Over at Linji, we came across a sizable Jackal Wolfman Tribe. Everyone was maxed out on Slaughter Experience, so they let me have the last hit, allowing me to catch up quickly," Xie Sen modestly said, his face showing an unmistakable air of pride.

The Forest Patrol’s professional trait allows earning both Slaughter and Professional Experience by killing archenemies, but once an archenemy is designated, it cannot be changed.

The Jackal Wolfman was Xie Sen’s first choice of archenemy.

It appeared their trip was quite fruitful, having wiped out a Jackal Wolfman Tribe.

Then Xie Sen, half joking and half serious, said, "But Zhan Qing is falling behind a lot. He’s not as easygoing as you, worrying about the territory all the time. I think he should come to Qingshan Town for a while to learn your hands-off approach to territory management."

Mu Ying: "..."

She gave him a speechless glance, "Is that how you speak? What I’m doing is called prioritizing; the people in our territory are at ease, so naturally, I don’t have to worry too much!"

But has Zhan Qing fallen a lot? She hasn’t been browsing the forums much lately, she’s been busy planting trees every day!

She took a glance at the forum’s level leaderboard.

[Level Ranking]

[No.1 Mu Ying (Druid Level 6 99%)]

[No.2 Li Luoxia (Priest Level 6 20%)]

[No.3 Huo Shaobai (Warrior Level 5 76%)]

[No.4 Xie Sen (Forest Patrol Level 5 59%)]

[No.5 Miao Guowei (Warrior Level 5 53%)]

[No.8 Zhan Qing (Wanderer Level 5 52%)]

...

During this period, not just her, but everyone else has been striving hard as well.

Xie Sen jumped from eighth to fourth, which can be said to be the most significant progress.

Li Luoxia has also narrowed the gap with her somewhat, at least they are the same level now.

Huo Shaobai also moved up by one rank, while that Miao Guowei, whom she had never seen, remained in the seventh spot. As for Zhan Qing, he has fallen behind a bit, from third to eighth.

It seems that the affairs of Lingtian Town’s territory are indeed occupying much of his attention.

Li Luoxia and Mu Ying are also managing territories, but the only difference with Zhan Qing is that they rank their personal advancement above everything else—their number one priority is always self-improvement.

As for Zhan Qing, his profession before the apocalypse and the heavy responsibilities entrusted by the senior leader have greatly impacted him.

He can’t do what Zhou Hongfei did before, having the whole territory’s players guard and facilitate his cultivation. With distracted efforts, it’s normal for him to fall behind.

Mu Ying thought for a moment and then said, "You should advise him not to neglect his cultivation; otherwise, he might suffer a great loss later. And the rest of you as well, those who can intensify their training should do so, don’t slack—this period is very critical."

She always remembered that the quota for Trialists from Blue Star had not yet been produced; how it would be allocated when the time comes? Surely, strength must be an important part of it, right?

Otherwise, why would the Doomsday Game’s Player Manual set up a level ranking and a record of accomplishments? And why make it completely public and disallow anonymity?

What benefits are there to being on the list, other than showing one’s profession and level progress?

Xie Sen picked up on her implications, and even though he didn’t know what was specifically critical, jokes aside, he still trusted Mu Ying very much, "I’ll make a trip to Lingtian Town after I go back."

"Okay, you guys should go now; I still have a bit left to plant!" Mu Ying told them.

She watched the team depart, and Mu Ying continued planting trees.

The tree seedlings she had stored in her seedling grass basket for the winter weren’t that many left, and she could finish planting them today.

[You have conducted a professional cultivation, gaining double the Professional Experience; you have reached the experience limit for level 6, with 1 point of Professional Experience overflowing.]

[You have met the upgrade criteria; please prepare and level up as soon as possible.]

Mu Ying glanced at her attribute panel.

[Profession: Druid Lv6 (2100/2100) ▲]