After Lin Mu finished looking at the territory's attributes and had a good understanding, he arranged for Chang Yin to manage the refugees and oversee the overall situation. Feng Zhong was to first patrol the area around the territory. A village-level territory only had a simple, low-defense, and low-durability fence. If fierce beasts attacked, there would be no effective defensive measures. Furthermore, there were almost no soldiers at present, and public order was extremely poor.
Moreover, Lin Mu was completely bewildered by many aspects of the village established by the divine village-building token, the 【Yellow Dragon Token】. Many of his past life experiences might not even be applicable.
Since the territory was located in this isolated wilderness, there would undoubtedly be many wild beasts attacking the village, so precautions had to be taken.
In his previous life, many players' territories were built in the wilderness, which attracted many fierce beasts to rampage through their lands, making it impossible for the people to work in peace and leading to the slaughter of all their soldiers. It was a tragic sight. Lin Mu knew of such tragedies and had to prevent such a fate from befalling his own territory.
With Feng Zhong, a general as mighty as a god, guarding the territory, Lin Mu felt very relieved. Although Feng Zhong at this time only possessed the strength of a junior military general, it was still a stable presence.
After arranging everything, Lin Mu went to another building in the territory.
After the divine village-building token 【Yellow Dragon Token】 was successfully used, five types of buildings appeared in the territory: a Village Council Hall, a residential house, a Junior Mining Field, a Junior Refugee Camp, and finally, the place where Lin Mu currently stood—the 【Dragon Temple】.
The Junior Mining Field should be an additional product after the system rewarded a special mineral vein.
As for the 【Dragon Temple】, Lin Mu speculated that it should be a special product after the successful use of the divine village-building token 【Yellow Dragon Token】. Otherwise, with Lin Mu's many years of experience, he had never heard of it. Lin Mu also knew that he was truly ignorant and secretly reminded himself not to be complacent, but to act cautiously.
Lin Mu gazed at the 【Dragon Temple】, feeling incredibly awestruck. The 【Dragon Temple】 building did not occupy a large area, about half an acre, but the door panel on one side of the 【Dragon Temple】's main entrance was about a meter larger than an ordinary door, making the overall width about four meters, and its height was also around four meters.
The door was large, yet very exquisite. Countless dragons were carved upon it; some were ferocious and fierce, some rode the clouds and mists, mysterious and profound, some soared through the nine heavens, dominating the world, and some appeared to be sleeping, yet were still majestic and auspicious... various forms, too numerous to list.
The lintel was also meticulously carved, adorned with auspicious beasts, making Lin Mu dizzy from looking at them.
Most astonishingly, the top of the 【Dragon Temple】 was invisible. Countless yellow clouds swirled above it, making it incredibly mysterious, as if a colossal beast resided there, sending shivers down one's spine. Lin Mu looked up, as if he could hear the incessant roars of dragons from the nine heavens, as if his very soul could hear their sound, and he was filled with immense awe.
In his previous life, Lin Mu had never seen such a sight, not even in the divine capital of Luoyang!
The overall feeling the 【Dragon Temple】 gave Lin Mu was one of extreme luxury, auspiciousness, and mystery, while also exuding an atmosphere of solemnity and majesty, as if a giant beast was coiled within it.
Lin Mu slightly composed himself. No matter how mysterious it was, since it appeared in his territory, it was his. He had all the time in the world to explore its mysteries, Lin Mu thought to himself.
He pushed open the large door, which clanged loudly, echoing within. Lin Mu stepped inside without fear, filled with anticipation.
What greeted his eyes were two rows of neatly arranged yellow wooden seats. In the center front was an altar, covered with rows of red wooden plaques, arranged in a staggered fashion. The red wooden plaques should have some characters written on them, but Lin Mu couldn't see what was written, as if he was not yet qualified to behold their mysteries. Lin Mu didn't mind this.
What surprised Lin Mu the most was that there was a person sitting calmly at the very end of the right row of seats. In such a solemn place, the person who appeared must be extraordinary. Lin Mu quickly surveyed his surroundings and immediately walked towards that person.
Upon seeing Lin Mu approach, that person also stood up to greet him.
Lin Mu bowed slightly and politely spoke first, "I am Lin Mu, the lord of this village. May I ask who you are, esteemed one?"
"Greetings, Lord. I am merely a humble merchant and do not deserve such a title. Lord can call me 9527, or Yuan Zhi will suffice."
9527, Lin Mu silently thought, 'Might as well call you Tang Bohu.' Lin Mu recalled a classic old-era movie he had seen long ago.
"—System notification: Lord Lin Mu, congratulations on being the first in the world to encounter a Fate Merchant! Your good fortune is boundless! You are rewarded with 10,000 Reputation points and access to the Fate Merchant trading authority."
It was a Fate Merchant!!!
Fate Merchants, as the name implied, were merchants who appeared like fate itself. They were very special merchants in the world, buying and selling everything, as long as certain conditions were met.
A reward of 10,000 Reputation points! What an unexpected joy! He only received a meager 200 Reputation points for establishing the second village in the world, but now it was 50 times more! Haha, Lin Mu's face lit up with a smile, feeling that exhilarating sensation.
It seemed this hidden achievement was extremely valuable to players, truly like fate.
Lin Mu had also met Fate Merchants in his previous life, but he didn't know how many people had met them before him, so of course, there was no such reward. Thinking back, he had indeed missed out on many things, but this lifetime, he would make up for all of them.
The Fate Merchant Yuan Zhi looked at Lin Mu, who had suddenly become all smiles, somewhat puzzled.
"May I ask if you are the legendary Fate Merchant?" Although he had heard the system's prompt, Lin Mu still asked the person in front of him, as a way to make small talk and build a connection.
"Oh, Lord, have you heard of us?" The Fate Merchant Yuan Zhi was also surprised. After all, their group were special merchants, dispatched by the great goddess Nuwa to descend upon Shenzhou after this world was opened, even later than the arrival of the 'Outsiders.' For this lord to already know about them was truly extraordinary. Moreover, this person could obtain a divine object like the 【Yellow Dragon Token】, which was truly an achievement beyond ordinary mortals. His potential and insight were exceptional. It seemed he would have to rely on this person much more in the future, Yuan Zhi thought to himself.
Yuan Zhi also smiled broadly and praised, "I never expected Lord to be so knowledgeable, learned, blessed with boundless good fortune, brilliant in strategy, exceptionally brave, wise and mighty... Flowers bloom when you pass, cars stop to give you a ride, dashing and unrestrained, a friend to women, a friend to married women..." He rambled on for several minutes, talking endlessly, a true master of flattery.
Countless praises poured out of his mouth. Lin Mu's face was covered in black lines, and he was on the verge of tears from the later compliments, which became increasingly outrageous. This person was truly a gem. He really wanted to openly complain, 'Where is your integrity? Where is your immortal aura?'
Actually, it wasn't Yuan Zhi's fault. Lin Mu, after all, had this extraordinary encounter, obtaining the divine object 【Yellow Dragon Token】 not long after the opening of "Mythical Three Kingdoms." In Yuan Zhi's eyes, he was an extraordinary person. Moreover, Yuan Zhi knew his own background: he was just a merchant under a sage. In the future, he would need Lin Mu's assistance. The more extraordinary Lin Mu's abilities, the more outstanding his own performance would be, and the more rewards he would receive from the great goddess Nuwa.
Regardless of what Yuan Zhi thought, in Lin Mu's eyes, this group of supposedly high-and-mighty Fate Merchants was actually fawning over him and showering him with countless compliments. Lin Mu truly didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
In his previous life, when Lin Mu met a Fate Merchant, he was just a minor general, and later a county lord. In the vast land of Shenzhou, there were countless talented and extraordinary individuals, and he was not prominent. In the eyes of players, Fate Merchants, who were so revered, were generally aloof and extremely arrogant. However, no matter how arrogant they were, Fate Merchants were meticulous and dutiful in their dealings with players.
Fate Merchants were a very special kind of merchant. They sold everything, even divine artifacts. However, the currency they used for transactions was incredibly mysterious: reputation and the fortune of feudal lords, not yellow and white gold or silver coins.
Their style was high-end, grand, and classy. Even if players were cheap, for divine artifacts and such, countless players curried favor with them. Of course, Lin Mu was one of them. Haha, for divine artifacts and such, what did it matter if one's integrity hit the floor!
Lin Mu thought of the contrast between his past and present, and couldn't help but smile bitterly... "You don't have to be like this. If you call me Lord, then I'll call you Yuan Zhi. Let's not be so formal with each other!"
"Alright, alright! From now on, I'll be freeloading under Lord's command!" Yuan Zhi was also very pleased with the Lord's politeness. For a long time to come, being able to get along amicably with this person would be very beneficial for his work.
"So, Yuan Zhi, what do you have for sale right now? Do you have divine artifacts?" Lin Mu immediately cut to the chase.
"Uh, I am currently in the Junior Merchant stage and temporarily do not have the right to sell divine artifacts. However, as long as Lord's territory develops rapidly and grows stronger, and my transaction volume with you increases, I will also upgrade. Once I reach a higher tier, I will have the authority to sell divine artifacts. I hope Lord will take good care of my business." Yuan Zhi explained with a wry smile. Coming right out and asking about divine artifacts, he really didn't know how to answer.
"Haha, I was just joking!" Lin Mu was too excited and forgot that Fate Merchants also had rank distinctions, so he gave a slight embarrassed smile.
Fate Merchants also had a hierarchy, from high to low: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow tiers. Lin Mu had never heard of higher tiers.
Divine artifacts began to be sold from the Earth tier upwards, but even in his previous life as a county magistrate, he didn't have enough currency or reputation to buy them, which showed how difficult it was to acquire them.
Lin Mu chatted with Yuan Zhi while opening the trade panel. As he guessed, there were six options: 【Lifespan】, 【Weapons】, 【Equipment】, 【Items】, 【Resources】, and 【Other】.
Among them, 【Items】 and 【Resources】 were both very complex, containing so many things that Lin Mu couldn't remember all the information.
As for the first option, Lin Mu couldn't forget it the moment he saw it; he would never forget it in his entire life.
【Lifespan】 was the ultimate goal that all players eagerly pursued and yearned for.
All levels of Fate Merchants displayed this:
【Lifespan】
One Yuan of Qi can be exchanged for a hundred years of lifespan * soul, stackable. (Requires a foundation of Qi; if Qi is exhausted, it cannot be exchanged).
One Dragon's National Fortune can be exchanged for 1 year of lifespan * soul, stackable (Requires a foundation of Qi; if Qi is exhausted, it cannot be exchanged)... Those marked with *soul* indicate that they can affect the real world. That is, if one exchanges for a hundred years of lifespan in the game, then one can also gain a hundred years of lifespan in the real world, driving countless people mad.
It was truly insane. When players exposed this information, countless people rushed into the game, leveling up frantically, investing frantically. Many large financial groups, big merchants, politicians, national elites, social elites, and other figures had already received secret messages and continuously invested in "Mythical Three Kingdoms." The development of "Mythical Three Kingdoms" also flourished.
"Mythical Three Kingdoms" also became a huge field of interest!
All under heaven bustle for profit; all under heaven rush for gain!