“In that case, ‘Overlord’s Demeanor’ is definitely a talent with immense potential!”
Xia Tian’s eyes gleamed.
Of course, the ‘Son of the Plane’ talent was by no means weak; it was clearly modeled after the famous ‘Archmage’ from ancient China!
Therefore, Xia Tian looked at both talents with burning desire.
“But seriously, the third talent, ‘Midas Touch,’ might be the more suitable choice.”
But Xia Tian suppressed his impulse and focused his gaze on the third talent option.
“Power of Creation, Reward Enhancement, Heavenly Wonders!”
Although he wasn't yet clear about the rules of the “Eternal Land” after the fusion of all heavens, a talent with a phrase like “Power of Creation” would undoubtedly have a high prestige.
Moreover, being placed alongside “Son of the Plane” and “Overlord’s Demeanor” indicated that it was in no way inferior.
Furthermore, the first two talents had certain shortcomings.
While “Son of the Plane” was powerful and comprehensive, its effects were diminished outside the territory, and the specific rewards were entirely “dependent on luck.”
As for “Overlord’s Demeanor,” it required a large population to show its advantages, and given the complex location and environment of his territory, acquiring a large population in the early stages would likely be incredibly difficult.
Only the “Midas Touch” talent had broad applicability; it could be effectively utilized in various environments. He particularly remembered what his professor had said during his market economics elective in college: when the market is large enough, the benefits brought by product quality far outweigh quantity.
“I choose ‘Midas Touch’!”
So, after some consideration, Xia Tian made his final decision.
【You have chosen the Lord Talent “Midas Touch.” The number of times this talent can be triggered without consumption is: 10.】
【Note: All Lord Talents require the consumption of the territory’s “luck” when used. Thanks to the generosity of Earth’s will, all Lords will initially have a certain amount of free usage time or turns.】
“Wow, I can even get it for free? Praise Mother Earth!”
Xia Tian said with delight.
“I found a treasure chest in the Lord’s Manor that can open up initial supplies. Everyone, hurry and open the chests! There are also mysterious surprises inside!”
At this moment, someone in the “Regional Chat” in the lower-left corner of his vision revealed new information.
“Treasure chest? That’s great, I love treasure chests the most!”
Whether in games or novels, treasure chests are something that fills people with anticipation.
Xia Tian’s eyes lit up, and he also prepared to enter the Lord’s Manor to open the treasure chest.
【Do you want to use “Midas Touch” on the ‘Lord’s Manor’?】
And as his hands touched the red lacquered gate of the Lord’s Manor, a golden prompt suddenly appeared in his vision.
“Huh, can this talent also work on ‘buildings’? Why don’t I try it first?”
Xia Tian’s heart stirred.
Immediately, a golden light, centered on where his hands touched, spread like flowing light rapidly across the entire Lord’s Manor, covering every corner.
About ten seconds later, after the golden light dissipated, the Lord’s Manor had completely transformed. The surface of the black wooden plaque was gilded with a thick layer of gold, the red-lacquered wooden pillars had become white marble pillars with coiling dragon patterns, the two-meter bluestone wall had turned into a ten-foot-high sturdy granite wall, and some patrol towers where people could stand had even appeared.
Especially the two stone lions at the entrance, which had transformed into the legendary “Suanni,” one of the nine sons of the dragon, majestic and imposing, with lifelike eyes that almost made Xia Tian think they were alive.
“Hiss, this change is too big, isn’t it? It’s like upgrading a slingshot to a cannon!”
Xia Tian said in surprise.
The original Lord’s Manor, aside from being quite large, generally appeared somewhat plain.
But the current Lord’s Manor, even in the most prosperous ancient dynasty, would at least be equivalent to a Grand General’s residence.
“If I continue to choose ‘Midas Touch,’ wouldn’t it reach the level of a prince’s mansion or an imperial palace? Maybe even a ‘Heavenly Creation’ in the middle, becoming a so-called ‘Heavenly Wonder,’ like a sky-high pavilion or a Cloud Palace?”
Xia Tian’s imagination ran wild, but he didn’t continue to try. Instead, he pushed the door and entered his Lord’s Manor. Following the chat channel’s instructions, he found the iron treasure chest placed in the corner of the Lord’s Hall, which was paved with white marble.
Using the “Eye of Insight” among his Lord skills, several lines of information appeared above the treasure chest.
【Exquisite Iron Treasure Chest】
【Level】Mortal (Item level within is limited to Mortal)
【Description】After opening, you can obtain some initial supplies, and you are guaranteed to receive at least one ‘green’ quality item.
And as Xia Tian reached out and touched the chest, another golden prompt appeared.
【Do you want to use “Midas Touch” on the ‘Exquisite Iron Treasure Chest’?】
“It seems treasure chests fall under the category of ‘rewards’? Use it, of course I’ll use it!”
Xia Tian said without hesitation.
Just like with the Lord’s Manor before, the golden light radiating from his fingertips enveloped the entire iron chest.
By the time the light dissipated, the material of the treasure chest had changed from iron to bronze, and the intricate patterns and overall design were much more exquisite!
【You have obtained a ‘Rare Bronze Treasure Chest.’ Do you want to use “Midas Touch” on it?】
The golden prompt reappeared.
Without much thought, Xia Tian consumed two more “Midas Touch” opportunities, changing the chest’s material from bronze to silver, and finally transforming it into a treasure chest entirely cast from gold. It was exquisitely carved with divine beasts like dragons, phoenixes, and qilin, with every detail perfectly rendered; there were also cloud patterns, as if surging!
【Precious Gold Treasure Chest】
【Level】Mortal
【Description】After opening, you can obtain some initial supplies, and you are guaranteed to receive at least one ‘gold’ quality item.
At this point, the “Midas Touch” prompt no longer appeared in Xia Tian’s vision.
“So, gold is already the highest quality, or at least the highest for now?”
Xia Tian pondered thoughtfully.
“Phew, next, it’s time to witness a miracle!”
However, he quickly refocused his attention on the luxurious golden treasure chest in front of him.
Snap!
Xia Tian opened the chest with anticipation, and in an instant, his vision was swallowed by a kaleidoscope of colors.
【“Five Animal Play” (Gold), Arm Crossbow Blueprint (Gold), Small Vagrant Recruitment Scroll (Gold), Random Troop Training Manual (Silver), Residential Building Guide (Blue), Warring States Bronze Sword (Green), Maotai Liquor – 1 box (White)】
【Note: Items obtained from opening treasure chests will be automatically stored in the Lord’s Space, initially 100 cubic meters, which can be expanded by consuming luck.】
“Hiss, three gold items! Worthy of the name ‘Midas Touch’… Hmm, wait a minute, something strange seems to have snuck in, Maotai?”
Xia Tian’s thoughts stirred, and a red-labeled, white-bottled bottle, familiar to most Chinese people, appeared in his hand.
“What use is this thing?”
Opening a box of Maotai in a resource chest made Xia Tian feel slightly speechless.
Because he didn’t drink baijiu at all.
Moreover, the value of Maotai was entirely hyped up; even on Earth, outside of China, not many other countries would buy it!
What’s more, now that Earth itself was gone, would this thing still have any value?
At this moment, Xia Tian’s gaze swept across the “Regional Chat” channel in the lower-left corner.
“Awesome, you can actually get items from Earth in this treasure chest. My goodness, can you believe it! I actually got a box of instant noodles, and it’s the pickled cabbage flavor. Suddenly, I feel so much peace of mind. I thought that after becoming a Lord, I would only be able to eat abalone, lobster, delicacies, and rare game, dragon liver and phoenix marrow, and never get to eat my favorite Kang Shi Fu instant noodles again!”
“I got ten packs of Zhonghua cigarettes from the treasure chest. On Earth, I couldn’t afford them at all, but now I can finally smoke to my heart’s content. By the way, since all heavens have merged, lung cancer should be curable, right?”
“I got a box of Jissbon, but my territory seems to be built next to a graveyard. This thing is useless, isn’t it?”
“To the graveyard Lord in front, if you’re brave enough…”
At this time, the messages in the chat channel were much more relaxed.
Perhaps opening familiar items from the material treasure chest had significantly reduced the confusion and sense of unfamiliarity in the hearts of many Lords.
“Selling toilet paper at a high price, each roll for 10 units of resources. Esteemed Earth Lords, you wouldn’t want to solve your problems with leaves or bamboo strips, would you?”
“Does anyone want red wine? ‘82 Lafite, one bottle for 100 units of grain or resources, only four bottles, first come, first served!”
“I’m Zhou Xiaoyu, a Kuaishou streamer. Does anyone need underwear! Brand new, not second-hand.”
Some people were even shouting in the channel, trying to sell the items they had opened from the chests.
This also made Xia Tian realize that his judgment was completely wrong.
The value of something like Maotai in this Eternal Land might even be higher than on Earth, because it was “out of print.”
Of course, compared to alcohol, cigarettes should have stronger monetization potential. For many middle-aged men with nicotine addiction, they would definitely be willing to spend their resources to buy them.
What, if I sell my resources, how will my territory develop? Let me smoke a cigarette and think carefully!
“Stop fantasizing, everyone. I carefully checked the ‘Trading System,’ and it’s not open at all. It’s either non-existent or requires certain conditions to be met.”
However, someone quickly came out to pour cold water.
Although it was “Lord of the People” (All People Are Lords), it seemed that trading resources was not possible from the start, meaning all territories initially had to rely on themselves.
“In that case, the quality of initial supplies becomes even more important. My choice was indeed correct; the resources opened from the gold treasure chest are definitely much better than those from the iron treasure chest!”
Xia Tian’s thoughts stirred.
With a flash of light in his hand, he took out a golden-backed, black-lettered scroll-shaped item from his Lord’s Space.
【Small Vagrant Recruitment Scroll (Gold)】
【Level】Mortal
【Attribute】Summons 100 mortal vagrants from the Sea of Illusions near your territory to your domain, and among them, there is guaranteed to be one “Hero” (Hero) with top potential.
【Description】Among vagrants, there may also be hidden talents.
To develop a territory, the first element is naturally “population”!
“Guaranteed to get one hero, worthy of gold quality. I hope the one I recruit is a combat-oriented hero, so the early development of my territory will be secured.”
Xia Tian eagerly unrolled the golden scroll in his hand, and a white light shot out from it, flying towards the outside of his territory.