More than ten pieces of level 50 high-quality equipment, all above the dark gold tier, would be worth a fortune if sold in the market. Additionally, there were about sixty or seventy other pieces of decent quality, which were also quite valuable.
All the equipment dropped by the players of Naga Tribe had been collected.
“How many people did we lose?” Nie Yan asked Knight’s Dirge.
Knight’s Dirge did a quick tally and replied, “Over a thousand, most of whom were killed by area magic attacks.”
“How many barrels of black powder were lost?” Nie Yan had heard several explosions during the battle, but fortunately, most of the black powder had been preserved.
“Five barrels were destroyed, and the rest have all been gathered here,” Knight’s Dirge pointed toward the pile of black powder barrels among the crowd. Feeling guilty about the loss, he was reluctant to face the executive president.
The barrels of black powder were neatly arranged. Transporting these heavy items had been quite a challenge. Each barrel weighed about twenty pounds without the container, and approximately thirty pounds with the jar. Even a strong warrior would soon exhaust his strength after carrying one for a distance, necessitating a rotation. Carrying them with two people was quite inconvenient.
“Only five barrels? The loss isn’t too bad,” Nie Yan said after counting. There were still seventeen barrels left, which would be sufficient until they could produce their own black powder.
After a while, Sun, Cui Can Dao Guang (Blazing Blade), and others arrived. Altogether, there were more than thirty top-tier team members. If they hadn’t arrived in time, the members of War Blade Bloodthirsty, Mage Alliance, and Sacred Guardian wouldn’t have easily withdrawn.
“We arrived a bit late,” Cui Can Dao Guang apologized. They had heard several deafening explosions from afar while riding. At that moment, they were extremely anxious, fearing that all the black powder had been destroyed. Fortunately, only a small amount was lost.
“Not too late,” Nie Yan smiled. The loss of five barrels of black powder wasn’t a significant blow.
Nie Yan and his team remained vigilant at the site for defense. They had less than a thousand people left, and if they were ambushed again, it would be a serious problem.
After a while, the remaining 5,000 reinforcements arrived, significantly strengthening the group escorting the black powder. The team then slowly set off toward the Bastion of Neverfall.
The Bastion of Neverfall had a teleportation array that could directly transport them to the Krips Bastion. After spending over an hour, Nie Yan and his team finally arrived at the Bastion of Neverfall and then teleported the black powder to the Krips Bastion.
Guo Huai recruited five high-level alchemists, one high-level potion master, two high-level runemasters, and one high-level enchantment master. He signed strict agreements with them and specially set up a secret laboratory in Krips. After gathering all the necessary materials, he settled them in.
Nie Yan handed over the design blueprints for the level-1 Goblin Magitech Cannon to them, and they immediately began working. It was expected that the first Goblin Magitech Cannon of Naga Tribe would be completed in six days.
Nie Yan inspected the secret laboratory, which was located in the residential area behind the Naga Tribe guild headquarters, deeply buried underground with only a hidden entrance. Inside, however, it was very spacious, a lavishly decorated grand hall with a good environment and all kinds of experimental tools available. Hundreds of materials were neatly categorized and replenished daily by dedicated personnel. Nine high-level production class players were busily working.
After arranging all this, Nie Yan finally felt reassured and checked the time, thinking it was about time to log off.
Nie Yan took off his helmet and got up.
It was another morning. Today was Xie Yao’s birthday, and her birthday banquet would be held at the Mo Luo River Hotel, under the Long Yue Financial Group, starting around 2 p.m. Xie Yao’s relatives would attend, and Nie Yan felt somewhat awkward but composed. Eventually, he would have to meet Xie Yao’s parents, relatives, and friends.
Nie Yan thought for a moment and went to a jeweler to pick out a very delicate necklace.
He had already received the admission notice from the First Military Academy, which allowed him to choose between its two top majors. Only those ranked in the top three overall had such a privilege. In this life, he had finally fulfilled his father’s dream without any regrets.
He visited his father’s company and met briefly with Shen Ge. The War God Tribe was developing smoothly, having just given several guilds of the Toba family some trouble. They had captured their first bastion and were beginning their conquest journey from this stronghold.
The rise of the War God Tribe was impressive. Additionally, several other guilds in other cities were also emerging, such as Divine Slayer’s Sword and the Light and Darkness Empire.
Nie Yan recalled these guild names. Divine Slayer’s Sword was a guild from Moonlight City, currently relatively weak. It would take at least a month for them to develop. As for the Light and Darkness Empire, in his previous life, it was a guild from Carol City. Nie Yan had thought his arrival had caused a butterfly effect, eliminating this guild from history. However, the Light and Darkness Empire had moved to Lianyan City and was developing better than in his previous life.
The moment Nie Yan appeared, history had taken an intriguing detour.
It seemed the future of Naga Tribe wouldn’t be lonely.
Nie Yan stayed at his father’s company until around 1:00 p.m., then drove to the Mo Luo River Hotel.
Mo Luo River was the most famous hotel in Huahai, a six-star hotel with a 167-story building shaped like flowing water. Each floor of the building could rotate automatically, disassembling and reassembling to change the room layout, allowing views from all directions. It was located next to the world’s most famous commercial street. The name Mo Luo came from a religious scripture, meaning dreamlike. Each shop along the street had a unique and bizarre design, making it seem like a magical world.
In such a place, every inch of land was extremely valuable. The Mo Luo River building alone was worth billions. The financial power of the Long Yue Financial Group was impressive. The Nie family had just risen, with total assets merely a fraction of the Long Yue Financial Group, clearly inferior to such a major financial group.
Nie Yan arrived at the entrance, passed the identity verification, and a female server in a cheongsam approached.
“Sir, please follow me,” she said in a crisp voice.
“Okay,” Nie Yan nodded and followed her.
The female server led Nie Yan to the elevator, which went directly to the 131st floor. Passing through a red carpeted corridor, they entered a grand hall. Although it was still early, the hall was already bustling with people exchanging greetings. The men were in suits, and the women were in elegant evening gowns. This place gathered the upper echelon and business elites from Huahai and even the entire Federation.
This spacious hall could easily accommodate thousands of people. Nie Yan looked around and didn’t recognize anyone. He then found a seat by the window.
He had never attended such a grand banquet before. In his previous life, when his father was alive, he was a spoiled son who wasn’t brought to formal banquets. After his father’s death, he had even fewer opportunities to attend such events.
Although somewhat out of place, Nie Yan remained calm. He ordered a glass of juice and sat in a corner, leisurely looking out the window. The beautiful sea view in the distance, with clear water and blue skies, refreshed his spirit.
Looking into the hall, among these well-dressed elites, who knew how many were merely polite on the surface but corrupt underneath? There were many beauties present, each with a graceful figure, wearing low-cut, backless evening gowns, blooming like a hundred flowers competing for beauty.
Occasionally, one could see middle-aged men with large bellies, accompanied by beauties more than a decade younger, prompting sighs about a flower being stuck in dung.
Nie Yan could understand why his classmates were heartbroken when they heard Jiang Yingyu had married a wealthy businessman, wishing they had been born decades earlier.
He checked the time; it was almost two o’clock, so Xie Yao should be arriving soon.
Nie Yan quietly sipped his juice when a gentle piece of music filled the hall, silencing the conversations. Everyone turned their attention to the front of the hall, where a beautiful young girl appeared. Dressed in a white dress, she looked stunning under the lights. The top part of her dress was tight-fitting, accentuating her beautiful curves. It was a sleeveless design, highlighting her delicate shoulders, collarbones, and fair arms, as if carved from white marble, flawless.
She was elegant and charming, like a beautiful fairy.
As soon as Xie Yao appeared, she became the center of attention. Many couldn’t help but admire her quietly, causing jealousy among all the women present. Xie Yao was only eighteen now; when she grew a few years older, she would be even more enchanting and captivating.
Xie Yao was holding the hand of a man in his forties, tall and handsome, bearing a strong resemblance to her in facial expressions. It was easy to guess that he was Xie Yao’s father. Xie Yao’s mother would arrive a bit later.
There were also some other people nearby, who were Xie Yao’s relatives.
Everyone at the scene offered their congratulations. Xie Yao politely responded with a smile, her gaze occasionally scanning the crowd as if searching for something, but not finding it, showing a hint of disappointment.
The banquet began.
Too many people gathered around Xie Yao and her family, making it inappropriate for Nie Yan to approach now. He would wait a bit.
His gaze swept over the guests, and a figure seated near a distant window caught Nie Yan’s attention. Nie Yan’s body stiffened, he gripped his cup tightly, and the veins on his arm revealed his inner unrest at this moment.
The person was around forty years old, tall and imposing, giving off a strong and majestic aura. Dressed casually, he stood out from the surrounding people in suits, appearing more relaxed yet exuding an air of authority. Standing beside him were two men dressed in black suits, standing straight like ready-to-pounce leopards hidden beneath their attire, clearly seasoned fighters. These were his bodyguards.
Nie Yan was all too familiar with this person—Cao Xu, the chairman of Century Group!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage