Chapter 69 | Fear Not, Witch — A Player Is Here to Rescue You

Wu Yao stood on the roof, spinning her staff in her hand, her eyes sweeping across the countdown in the upper right corner of her vision.

Only one minute left.

Wu Yao cracked her wrists, making a few crisp, light sounds. Since it was the final wave, she had to reap a big harvest.

Her mana was still nearly half full, which was already a luxury in a battle that had lasted for almost an hour.

If not for something constantly helping her gather the Corrupted Cores, she would probably be looking everywhere for Mana Cores by now.

But since she still had surplus mana, she had to squeeze out every last drop before the time ran out.

The fire and wind elements responded to her summon simultaneously.

Wind aided fire, and fire borrowed wind's power. Under her control, the two elements wove into a fan-shaped sea of fire, sweeping outward from the roof.

The flames were an almost incandescent gold, turning the corrupted creatures directly to ash wherever they passed, leaving only a ground full of rolling Corrupted Cores.

This single attack consumed a whopping 60 points of her mana.

She didn't stop to look at the results. Under her control, the water and earth elements wove into a swamp, spreading across the path the monsters had to take to charge.

The corrupted creatures at the very front stepped right in, their entire legs sinking into the churning mud. Those behind couldn't stop in time, crashing into them layer upon layer, piling up into a mountain in front of her.

Wu Yao hurled down several compressed Fireballs. The kill notifications cascaded down the edge of her vision like a waterfall, flashing by so quickly she couldn't even read each line clearly.

She wanted to cast a few more large-area spells to clear the field, but the system prompt finally popped up.

【Territory Cabin Upgrade Complete】

A silver pillar of light shot into the sky from the center of the cabin.

The runes inside the pillar of light were denser than during the last upgrade, climbing up like silver fish before exploding at the top.

A translucent shield expanded rapidly from the center, sweeping across the entire territory with unstoppable force.

The moment the corrupted creatures came into contact with the shield's light, they began to disintegrate, turning entirely to ash from skin to bone.

The shield continued to expand outward, pushing past the boundaries of Wu Yao's territory before finally closing at the top.

【Territory shield rebooted. Current shield value: 1000/1000】

The entire territory was bathed in the light of the newborn shield, leaving only a ground covered in Corrupted Cores, densely scattered across the fresh grass.

【Main Quest 1-1: Territory Foundation Completed!】

【Rewards Obtained: EXP +1000, Territory upgraded to Lv.2, unlocked [Territory Residents] system】

【Current Territory Level: Lv.2】

【Territory has unlocked more permissions!】

【Level Up! Current Level: Lv.17 (427/9800), obtained 3 free attribute points】

Before Wu Yao could look at the specific numbers, a new quest prompt popped up immediately after.

【New Quest Issued!】

【Chapter One: Foothold】

【Main Quest 1-2: Territory Stabilization】

【Recommended Level: Lv.12】

【Quest Objectives: 1. Recruit at least 5 residents (0/5) 2. Build at least 3 defensive structures (0/3) 3. Build at least 5 different production facilities (2/5)】

【Quest Rewards: EXP +2000, unlock [Territory Reinforcement] system, unlock [Resident Attributes] interface】

Now this was a satisfying battle!

Wu Yao stood among the Corrupted Cores covering the ground. Leveling up twice in a single hour—this wasn't a monster horde, it was a massive EXP gift pack!

Not to mention how much profit she would make once all these Corrupted Cores scattered across the ground were purified.

If she had to name one point of dissatisfaction...

In tonight's battle, she had consumed at least seventy or eighty Mana Cores. According to the price Tiechui mentioned, that meant she had spent—

She didn't want to calculate it. Her heart would bleed if she did.

She had to find a way to get mana potions.

At the very least, she needed to learn a passive mana-regeneration skill like Meditation. Otherwise, if she faced a few more battles of this scale, no amount of Niveya's Stones would be enough for her to swallow.

Next time she saw Sylvia, she must ask about mana regeneration.

Still, tonight's harvest was already excellent, so she shouldn't be too picky.

Wu Yao patted the ash off her robe and was about to head back to the cabin to check the changes after the territory upgrade when she heard hurried footsteps in the distance.

Tiechui and Tongque were running over from the southeast corner.

Both goblins were also covered in grayish-black debris, and their stamina was clearly depleted. They ran with wobbly steps, but their speed wasn't slow at all.

When they reached Wu Yao, Tiechui almost couldn't stop herself. Fortunately, Tongque was quick-witted and grabbed her, allowing the sisters to barely come to a halt in front of Wu Yao.

“My Lady!” Tiechui panted heavily, her large ears pinned tightly to her scalp, her brown eyes filled with nervousness and guilt. “We have something to confess to you!”

Tongque nodded vigorously beside her, her messy auburn curls plastered all over her face, though she didn't even have the mind to tidy them.

Wu Yao raised an eyebrow as she looked at them, wondering what new plotline these two NPCs had triggered. She asked casually, “What is it?”

“Just now—after you gave us the thumbs-up—” Tiechui took a deep breath, her voice trembling, “we reflected deeply on our actions!”

“Yes, we reflected!” Tongque repeated, nervously twisting the hem of her robe. “We know we didn't do well enough and disappointed you!”

“You left the southeast corner in our care, but we only killed those few corrupted creatures...”

“Our efficiency was too low, and we didn't push far enough forward...”

“Next time we will definitely work harder and never fail your trust!”

“Please give us another chance, My Lady!”

The two goblins chimed in one after another, speaking faster and faster, their voices growing lower and lower, until they sounded almost like they were pleading guilty by the end.

Wu Yao was completely bewildered.

She clearly remembered giving them a thumbs-up. That was praise, wasn't it?

Why on earth were they self-reflecting?

“Wait, wait, wait.” Wu Yao raised her hand to interrupt their self-criticism. “When did I ever say I was disappointed in you? You guarded it perfectly. Not a single corrupted creature got past the southeast corner. Wasn't I praising you?”

Tiechui and Tongque froze at the same time.

The two goblins stared at each other, their four large ears slowly rising from their tightly pinned state, then slowly drooping, and then slowly rising again.

“...Praise?” Tiechui's voice was very soft, as if she were confirming something. “You're saying... that thumbs-up... was praising us?”

“What else would it be?” Wu Yao asked back, her expression perfectly natural. “You held the southeast corner, so I gave you a thumbs-up to show my approval. Isn't that normal?”

“...So that was it,” Tiechui murmured to herself.

Then she looked up and gave Wu Yao a brilliant smile, her large ears unfurling completely. “Thank you for the praise, My Lady! We will continue to work hard!”