Lords Scramble to Purchase Equipment!

**On the Shelves of the Trading Zone**

Over time, the resources placed on the "Trading Zone" were all sold out. The spoils garnered included:

- Wood: nearly twenty thousand units.

- Stone: over three thousand units.

- "Thanks to the diligent efforts of the Hominids, my spatial storage now holds close to forty thousand units of wood."

- "The stone count is just over ten thousand."

- "Steel, almost eight hundred units."

While it seemed there was still a significant gap to meet the requirements for upgrading the human altar, You Qian was acquiring resources at an accelerated pace! As long as everything proceeded smoothly, this disparity would soon be made up. The overall enhancement of the Hominid tribe indirectly sped up the development of his territory. Unlike other leaders who toiled day and night to level up and expand their territories, the demand for resources to upgrade their domains remained a daunting hurdle!

Many leaders couldn't help but feel frustrated about why You Qian could advance so rapidly, becoming so powerful. "I work tirelessly day and night; how can I lose to the levels of your troops?"

Please, don't be naive. If hard work alone sufficed, what need would there be for talent and luck?

Meanwhile, a prompt suddenly echoed in You Qian's ear.

["Your Hominids have conquered the Gnome Stronghold, securing the Chieftain Stone and bringing it back."]

They've retrieved the Chieftain Stone already? You Qian stroked his chin. "What use are chieftain stones from other factions?" he inquired.

[Acquiring Chieftain Stones from Other Factions]

[1. Choose to imprint a new chieftain mark to occupy the territory.]

[2. Choose to destroy it, gaining a large amount of magic crystals.]

[3. Choose to bring it back for your own chieftain stone to devour, enhancing its defense.]

You Qian nodded. It was a decent item. "My Hominids truly understand me, knowing I have no interest in a petty stronghold," he chuckled.

But after retrieving the chieftain stone, should he merge or destroy it?

**At the Gnome Stronghold**

The moment the Hominid forces took away the chieftain stone, the entire stronghold crumbled into ruins. Promptly, You Qian received notification.

["Due to your troops' overwhelming strength in destroying the Gnome Stronghold, the prestige of your territory has increased."]

["Notice: Your territory's prestige is rising swiftly; more native factions are hearing of Avalon Village's might and beginning to pay attention!"]

This notice didn't overly concern You Qian. Expected, yet understandable. Before the Heavenly Dao Blessing Barrier disappeared, he didn't need to worry about it anyway. All he needed to do was focus on developing his territory.

...

Before long, the Hominid forces returned with a wealth of resources. However, due to the sheer volume, it took them several trips to transport everything. You Qian greeted the victorious troops at the courtyard entrance, warmly encouraging and cheering them on, earning another wave of excited and reverent gazes.

Seated in the courtyard, You Qian began tallying the spoils of the recent battle. There were nearly four hundred pieces of equipment, mostly weapons of lower grades. Among them were one greatsword, two hundred banners, and three weapons classified as Psionic Equipment. Close to two hundred magic crystals, nearly three hundred skill books, and even over a hundred units of steel.

...

Though the material gains were ample, You Qian felt the greatest benefit was the improvement in the strength of the Hominids. Illusionist remained at 7-star level, but her spiritual energy fluctuations indicated significant progress. Archer Artemis was still at 6-star, yet her power had also seen considerable growth. Farmers Yan Jú and Yan Gěng had advanced to 6-star, while the rest of the farmers had stepped into the 5-star realm. The Hominid tribe had taken another leap forward in collective power! Their rate of enhancement would leave any leader astounded!

...

Following routine, You Qian adeptly listed the skill books and water the Hominids had managed to collect on the "Trading Zone." Indeed, after days of development, the overall strength of all leaders had improved. But for most, the low proficiency levels of their troops and themselves remained a persistent pain point. Although proficiency could gradually increase, the window for early development was limited to these few days. Who would wait for you to catch up slowly? Other leaders? Native factions? Exotic beasts? Apologies, reality was harsh; no one would wait. Leaders desperately needed them. Skill book drop rates were low, and many leaders' troop levels were still low. With billions of leaders, the reasons for lacking skill books were myriad. Thus, universal skill books remained highly sought-after treasures. You Qian wasn't worried in the slightest. He saw clearly. On the contrary, due to his renowned reputation as a "celebrity merchant," the enthusiasm for purchasing only soared higher.

After the skill books, he listed the weapons and equipment taken from the gnomes. Over four hundred pieces of equipment, which he even bothered to categorize roughly. Amassing around two hundred sets was not an issue. The same bidding system applied, highest bidder wins. Every time You Qian appeared in the "Trading Zone," it elicited awe from the crowd. This time was no exception. The previously somewhat quiet global discussion area heated up once more.

"Damn, Mr. You Qian is relentless against the gnomes, I bet they're bald by now from being robbed!"

"You Qian, invincible! This is nearly four hundred pieces of equipment; the gnome clan must be wiped out by now!"

"I worship Mr. You Qian, the true number one among leaders. Mr. You Qian will surely unite the realm!"

"If my troops had a fraction of Mr. You Qian's troop's strength, I wouldn't be stuck fighting 2-star exotic beasts every day."

"..."

Currently, as leaders grew stronger, instances of troops dared not engage against exotic beasts vanished. Yet, the capability to single-handedly annihilate a gnome clan still left all leaders feeling inadequate. Even those with top-grade bloodline troops could only begrudgingly acknowledge "Mr. You Qian's primacy." For, strong as they were, they dared not claim they could assault a native intelligent clan – even one as lowly as the gnomes on this continent. Even those envious of You Qian had to admit he was absurdly powerful!

The global discussion area remained lively.

"Finally, waiting for Mr. You Qian to sell equipment. Everyone, step aside, I'm buying it all!"

"Who are you to say that? Do you think we have no resources?"

"Hehe, when it comes to wealth, you're all amateurs. I foresaw Mr. You Qian's triumph again, so I made my troops gather resources like mad, neglecting hunting and territory development, all for this moment!"

"The above, you're too much, why didn't I think of that?"

"Territory development is crucial, but strong troops are pointless without it. We're all smart!"

"With Mr. You Qian here, we just need to stockpile resources and grab good stuff; no need to worry about anything else, comfortable!"

"Mr. You Qian still thinks of us, sharing good things, showing the demeanor of a true leader!"

"Flattery, you all talk nicely, but leave some for me, you've snatched it all!"

"..."