[System Notification: The player is required to name the territory.]
[Please input the name you desire.]
Li Chunhua rolled her eyes and ignored the system prompt. She trotted toward the threshold of the stick fence. In front of a meter-high wooden gate made up of thin, withered barks weaved together by a dried vine.
Suddenly…
Her eyes widened, seeing the numbers on the golden screen above the fence. She rubbed her eyes, trying to see if she was mistaken.
She was not!
Surprisingly, the HP of her fences that seemed so frail was actually [Durability: 500/500] and had [Defense: 10]!
Durability was the amount of damage the defense facilities could withstand before they became unusable. Players needed to gather certain materials to repair it before it could serve its purpose again.
While 'Defense' is the amount negated every time the fence is attacked, the white rabbits before had a strength of 5–10, which means if they ever stumble upon her territory, their attacks will be nullified and won't reduce the fence's durability, commonly called health points by the players.
This only made her feel relieved. If that is the case, then in the early stages, she won't need to constantly chop trees or gather vines to fix it.
Ah wait! Would the necessary material for repair also be different from ordinary territory? Or perhaps the amount is several times higher?
Li Chunhua nearly wanted to test it out out of curiosity, but when she recalled the amount of damage her single flick caused Huo Yan, even when she made sure to rein in almost all of her strength, she still almost killed the man.
Thus, she can only restrain her urges and curiosity. Who knows what her territory will become if she does so? She will be left crying if it gets destroyed. She'll wait for tomorrow, when the monsters will be back, and test it by luring them to her house.
The wooden fence of a Level 0 territory only has [Durability: 100/100] and [DEF: 2], but hers has five times the durability and DEF stats.
The dissatisfaction in her face lessened, and a smile budded on her lips, causing some of the dirt to fall off. She began to look forward to the sort of surprise her dilapidated, thatched cottage held for her.
Maybe it isn't as dilapidated as it appears to be. Could there be some surprises? Or possibly this is some sort of disguise like those illusion arrays from her previous world?
Her muddy hand pushed the gate, and the moment it came into contact with the dried skin of the barks, Li Chunhua felt she was pushing a thick metal door instead because it was heavy. It took her more than two seconds to open it. That says a lot for someone whose stats were abnormal.
She nodded, quite pleased, and raised her eyes to inspect her humble abode.
A cold wind blew over the loose tendrils on the sides of her face. The smile on her face cracked, along with the dried mask made of mud on her face.
Li Chunhua vomited blood. Before her sight, there was 200 meters of square land with yellowish wilted grass, littered with stones, and in the center was a twenty-meter-square house that was dilapidated. dilapidated... dilapidated.
With her super-enhanced eyesight, she could see every crack on the wall, even the spiders spinning their webs on the eaves of the roof and those green molds on the bottom of some wooden planks.
She couldn't find another word to describe it other than dilapidated.
Another soft wind blew over.
Bang-
Li Chunhua jolted.
The wooden plaque hanging on top of the door fell down and split into two. There was a rickety sound, and she could see a section of the straw roof was uprooted and flew with the wind, never to come back. A big, glaring hole was left, revealing the termite-infested roof beams.
('◉⌓◉')
Li Chunhua wanted to complain, but a golden screen appeared before her face.
[System Notification: The player is required to name the territory.]
[Please input the name you desire.]
"I just wanted to be a salted fish. System why can't you give me a better house?" Li Chunhua pressed her lips into a thin line and swatted the screen. Didn't you see that her face was on the verge of tears? She had a lot of hopes, but the reality in front of her shattered them. When the words left her mouth, the tip of her fingers grazed over the 'yes' option box accidentally. It was too late for her to retrieve it.
Oh no!
Beep-
[System Notification: Congratulations on naming your territory!]
[The given name is too long. The system shortens it for the player's convenience.]
[From now on, there will be a land under the sun of the Green Planet with the name 'Salted Fish' Territory' with Player Li Chunhua as its landlord.]
Hold on! Please let me rename it!
Li Chunhua rubbed her eyes, smeared with dirt, and leaned towards the golden screen to make sure it really was not an illusion. It really wasn't. "Salted Fish's Territory," she mumbled in a daze and didn't suppress her tears anymore.
Come to think of it, she shouldn't really be disheartened because her goal was to be a salted fish. No one would know her territory exists. That's her plan...
[The glorious battle ahead will be perilous. Player Li Chunhua must do everything to guard the 'Salted Fish' Territory's dignity...]
Her heart was stabbed. She already lost dignity just from her name alone.
Just please let me rename it!
[Every time the territory successfully defends against the monster tide, which will occur weekly, the system will determine the performance of each territory, and rankings will be made with corresponding rewards given. So, Landlord Li Chunhua, let the world know that your 'Salted Fish' territory is not full of weak fishes that just want to bask under the sun, just like its name!]
An invisible arrow struck her chest. Does the system mean everyone will know her territory's idiotic name?
No, she won't let it!
Whoosh-
The sky split, and a golden beam descended on the top of the straw roof and left the words in golden fonts atop the roof, shining with incandescent light akin to a proud peacock as if it wanted everyone to know its existence.
[Salted Fish Territory]
Her mouth was left agape, able to fit an egg inside.
To worsen the matter, a shimmering golden rectangular screen appeared above her head besides her level.
[Salted Fish Territory's Landowner]
Li Chunhua's veins popped, and she quickly ran inside the thatched cottage at the speed of light, afraid someone would see her.
Closing the shabby door with a bang, she slid to the ground and started complaining about the system in all the languages she knew. "I want to file a petition..."
"Let me rename it!"
In the middle, she raised her head, and the rest of the words lodged in her throat. She pinched herself until her arm was red, and only then did she burst into tears of happiness.
This is my house? It's better than she expected. System, thank you for the compensation! My heart has healed.
Because the interior of her thatched cottage was actually larger than what appeared outside, and it even had ready-made furniture.
All her frustrations vanished. Li Chunhua scurried inside and inspected her home full of excitement, forgetting the uncool name.
She finally had something to be happy about. It looked like the house was cast in an illusion. She needed to check the vicinity later.
___
An hour after the first territory was built, the second, the third, and so on were announced, but the rewards were not as rich as the first one.
[System Notification]
[Congratulations to Player Xun Mingsheng (Newbie Mountain No. 37) for being the tenth player to establish territory.]
[The system will reward the player, Xun Mingsheng, with 20 Earth points and a copper chest.]
Xun Mingsheng was gloomy, staring at Huo Yan, who was sipping water. To save the man from death, Mei Ying traded off almost all the supplies, especially the wood. They needed to chop fast in order to secure a spot in the top ten and were only able to occupy the last place. He had an impulse to strangle someone.
"Leader, thank you so much for saving me. This little life of mine is yours." Huo Yan patted his chest and saluted Xun Mingsheng, unaware of the villain's inner thoughts.
Xun Mingsheng eyed him with a dim look before asking, "Who beat you to the brink of death?"
Huo Yan thought Xun Mingsheng wanted to avenge him, and he felt gratitude in his heart. He began to narrate what had happened hours ago and describe the monster's appearance, painting it as something ferocious, colussus, six arms, steel skin, and difficult to defeat to cover up his shame.
Xun Mingsheng's eyes lit up, and he pondered if that was another hidden boss that wasn't mentioned in the book. He became greedy for the loot. "We'll set out in an hour. You will lead the way." He ordered and went out of the makeshift tent, never knowing he had just shot himself in the foot.
Huo Yan had a bit of fear but still trusted Xun Mingsheng's ability, thinking he could be a match.
An hour later, Li Chunhua had just finished eating the meal Player Hua had sent when she sensed that Huo Yan was moving towards the previous spot where she had beaten him or flick him.
Before leaving the crime scene, she branded him with a tracking mark made of her qi essences because a single flick won't really end it all. That inner demon might come back.
(A/N: Part of the reason I wrote this story was to relieve stress. I hope yours will be as well. Right, Little Baozi?
Little Baozi: As long as there's delicious food, you're right. (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
Little Baozi: Please support us! I'll share you my delicious food. ⊂(･ω･*⊂))