Merchant From Earth in the Magical World

Yan Xing's words stunned Steel Fang. He had truly never considered that these magical beasts could be good for anything besides fighting and hunting. It was likely that no one in the Swamp Tribe had ever thought about it either. Each clan was either on guard against invasions or plotting how to pilfer from their neighbor's territory, so who would think about using these powerful magical beasts for farming?

But if what the Lord said was true and the internal strife of the Swamp Tribe ceased, what should be done with all these magical beasts? They definitely couldn't just be allowed to eat and sleep, then sleep and eat. They had to work!

Feeling utterly convinced, Steel Fang said to Yan Xing, "My Lord's eyes can see the distant future, and my Lord's wisdom is the beacon that illuminates the path ahead in the darkness..."

Yan Xing spoke gravely, "As long as you understand, that's good. These Snakehide Buffalos and Lizardman captives are now your responsibility. I will lead the main force onward. After you've completed the handover with Li Zhua, catch up quickly with the supplies."

Steel Fang respectfully replied, "Yes, My Lord."

After glancing at the Snakehide Buffalos, Yan Xing turned and left.

Truth be told, when Yan Xing entered the Thunderous Swamp, he held great expectations for the powerful magical beasts that resided within. However, after one battle, he realized that his expectations for the swamp's magical beasts were perhaps too high.

Consider their performance. The Poison Flies of the Lizardmen, when faced with an attack from his Carnivorous Birds, would simply hide and wait to be found and eaten. The Carnivorous Birds, during their assault, focused almost all their attention on hunting for Poison Flies, even obsessively ignoring the Lizardmen beside them. Confronted with a wall of fire, the Swamp Lizards would just lie motionless in the water. When facing attacks from Combat Werewolves and human crossbowmen, the Snakehide Buffalos' battle strategy was simply to attack whoever hurt them the most.

Although magical beasts possess a certain intelligence, there is still a great gap between them and the sapient races. They can execute simple and clear tactics. But when it comes to making proactive tactical changes according to the flux of battle, their performance is very poor. Especially when there is no Beast Tamer issuing battle commands, they truly rely entirely on instinct.

Yan Xing's requirements for the comprehensive abilities of each soldier in his main force were extremely high. They needed to know what to do in any given situation without always waiting for orders. Therefore, upon learning that the Snakehide Buffalo could not be ridden, Yan Xing lost much interest in this type of magical beast. Their numbers were also so few. Rather than keeping them in the ranks, unsure how to use them and wasting food, it was better to send them all to the rear. There, they could work to earn their keep while their numbers grew. Besides, there was indeed a lack of draft animals for labor in the rear.

After cleaning up the battlefield and leaving a troop to guard the captives, Yan Xing led his main force. Driving the Carnivorous Birds and newly subdued Swamp Lizards, they continued their majestic march toward Blood Crown Mountain. Meanwhile, on the road, Yan Xing examined the rewards from this war.

[You have gone through a fierce battle and achieved a glorious victory]

[You gain Experience: 120,000]

[Your level has increased]

[Your level has increased]

[You gain Reputation: 9,000]

[For your excellent performance in battle with exceedingly low casualties, you are awarded Experience: 80,000]

[You receive a construction blueprint: Griffon Tower]

[You receive God-given gold coins: 15,000]

Alas... there were casualties.

In the battle against the Lizardmen, Yan Xing's forces lost a total of fourteen Carnivorous Birds, five Poison Flies, four Combat Werewolves, three Werewolf Archers, and one human crossbowman. It was the most grievous loss Yan Xing had ever suffered since he started commanding troops. However, compared to the complete annihilation of the enemy army, these losses were indeed insignificant, and the rewards felt well-earned.

Leveling up twice raised Yan Xing's hero level to 19, bringing a modest increase in strength. A considerable sum of God-given gold coins was also awarded.

What Yan Xing valued most, however, was the special building blueprint he acquired—the Griffon Gao Ta.

Griffon Gao Ta: When built upon a Griffon Tower, it increases the griffon production of that tower by one hundred percent.

One hundred percent!

Eternal Domain was currently a Fifth Level Territory. Once upgraded to a Seventh Grade Domain, it would be possible to construct Seventh Order Griffon recruitment buildings—Griffon Towers. With each subsequent territory upgrade, an additional Griffon Tower could be built. A max-level, twelfth-order domain could have six Griffon Towers. Possessing one Griffon Gao Ta was equivalent to having an extra Griffon Tower.

The griffon was the human faction's only conventional flying unit, crucial for their army to contest air superiority. This was also why humans cherished griffons so much.

Now that Yan Xing had obtained a Griffon Gao Ta blueprint, it meant that Eternal Domain's griffon production would double upon reaching Seventh Grade Domain status. This would definitely aid Yan Xing in rapidly assembling his own aerial forces.

Loved it, absolutely loved it!

Yan Xing planted a firm kiss on the Griffon Gao Ta blueprint before carefully storing it away.

Now there was even more motivation to upgrade his territory.

Marching on with the momentum of their great victory, Yan Xing's troops headed towards Blood Crown Mountain.

The Lizardmen atop Blood Crown Mountain learned the battle's outcome from the returning Clan Leader Long Jaw. They had never anticipated such a thorough defeat for their forces sent to ambush the invading werewolves. Nearly a thousand troops were wiped out, with only a battered Long Jaw escaping to return. Moreover, not the slightest sign of defeat or despair showed on Long Jaw's face. When he met the two Lizardman kings, he did not kneel; instead, his demeanor was filled with arrogance. Could defeat in battle actually grant such honor?

King Red Eye's expression was extremely grim. Long Jaw's clan was one of the Lizardmen Clans affiliated with him, and it was upon his suggestion that Long Jaw's clan had been given this ambush mission. Ambush was the Swamp Tribe's forte. Long Jaw's clan was familiar with the terrain, while the invading werewolf troop from the edge of the Thunderous Swamp was not.

A guaranteed ambush victory, and Long Jaw had turned it into such a disarray! He'd abandoned his clan warriors and fled, yet here he was, strutting around so arrogantly. It truly made Red Eye's blood boil. If King Green Tail weren't sitting beside him, he would have certainly taught Long Jaw a lesson.

Red Eye's eyes turned even redder, flames seeming to dance within his pupils. He spoke sharply to Long Jaw, "Long Jaw! You just ran back like this? Other than your face being slightly singed by fire, you don't seem injured anywhere else. Your cowardice shames me! You have destroyed all the honor that Long Jaw's clan has accumulated over a long time!"

Long Jaw, still holding his head high in pride, responded to King Red Eye in a tone befitting an equal, "King Red Eye... My name is now Long Jaw Dragon. I did not join my warriors in battle because, at the start of the fight, the gods awakened my Dragon Clan bloodline! The newly acquired power made my body extremely uncomfortable during the battle, so I had to leave the battlefield. Now, I can control this power. I am no longer a Lizardman, but a... Dragon Clan member!"