To Alex's immense delight, not only could he research the units obtained from upgrading his territory, but even the units he had mutated were eligible for study! Unbeknownst to him, this had given him a significant advantage over other lords, as his variety of units far surpassed theirs. This unexpected boon filled him with a quiet sense of triumph.
After calming his excitement, Alex turned his attention to the two remaining buildings. Over the past few days, he had tasked his plants with gathering stone, accumulating over a thousand units. Without hesitation, he decided to proceed with the construction.
A deep, rumbling sound echoed through the air as an exquisite treehouse emerged from the ground, built into the trunk of the Tree of Life. A spiraling staircase extended from the base of the tree, leading up to the treehouse. Simultaneously, on a nearby patch of land, a rudimentary workshop appeared, its chimney puffing out wisps of smoke. Inside, several plant-like figures resembling ginseng spirits bustled about, tending to the workshop.
[Building Name: Lord's Castle]
[Building Level: Tier 1]
[Description: A residence for the lord, providing a place for rest and daily activities. Increases the durability limit of the territory, which cannot exceed the territory's level.]
[Durability Increase: 50]
[Upgrade Requirements: 50 Wood, 50 Stone, 100 Mana]
[Building Name: Production Workshop]
[Building Level: Tier 1]
[Description: Produces various offensive and defensive equipment, walls, weapons, armor, and daily necessities. Production speed and material consumption vary depending on the item.]
[Upgrade Requirements: 50 Wood, 50 Stone, 100 Mana]
These two structures couldn't have come at a better time. The Production Workshop, in particular, caught Alex's attention. It could process animal hides and bones into clothing, weapons, and armor, making it incredibly versatile. With a surplus of monster carcasses at his disposal, Alex immediately ordered his plants to transport some to the workshop for processing. He prioritized crafting weapons and clothing, while reserving a portion of the meat for sustenance. The rest was fed to the King of the Man-Eating Flowers or absorbed by other plants using their Devour ability to replenish their energy and keep them active.
With these tasks completed, Alex turned his focus back to the Tower of Units. Using the remaining materials, he upgraded it to Tier 4, enabling the research of Tier 4 units. Naturally, his first choice was the Spirit of Flora, a unit capable of long-range magical attacks. Alex opened the unit's interface.
[Researching a Tier 4 Rare Unit requires 500 Mana. Proceed?]
"Proceed!"
Alex was taken aback. The Mana cost for research was twenty times that of recruitment! He quickly rationalized that this was likely due to the Spirit of Flora being a rare unit. Though the expense was steep, he had no choice but to accept it. Once the research progress bar appeared, Alex closed the interface and used the remaining materials to upgrade the other two buildings to Tier 4. This not only increased the territory's durability but also expanded the range of items the Production Workshop could produce.
These upgrades were immensely beneficial. Fortunately, the material requirements for building upgrades were lower than those for territory upgrades, allowing Alex to maximize their potential. The main obstacle now was obtaining the Territory Essence required for Tier 5 upgrades, which he had yet to acquire. However, with his expanded unit roster, resource collection had become significantly faster, alleviating concerns about lacking materials once the essence was secured.
Finding a Tier 4 monster gathering spot was no easy feat, let alone dealing with the potential threat of a Tier 5 leader. Alex only had River as his sole Tier 5 unit, and losing her would be catastrophic. To safely upgrade to Tier 5, he needed to bolster his strength further.
Reluctantly, Alex opened the regional chat, hoping to find useful information.
"Haha! I survived the beast wave and even killed two Tier 4 monsters!"
"Two? I took down three!"
"You're all pros. My walls were breached, but I managed to protect my territory core."
"Help! My units are all dead, and the monsters are breaking through my gates. I don't want to die!"
"The monsters are overwhelming me. Can anyone assist? I'll reward you handsomely!"
The aftermath of the beast wave was a mix of triumph and despair. Many would not live to see another day, their lives claimed by the relentless horde. While Alex felt a pang of sympathy, he knew there was little he could do. Self-preservation was the priority for everyone.
With a sigh, he continued scrolling through the chat. However, after a long search, he found no information about upgrading to Tier 5. Even discussions about Tier 4 upgrades were scarce. Disappointed, he closed the chat and turned his attention to other tasks.
As evening fell, a sudden notification broke the calm.
[Congratulations to all lords for successfully enduring the beast wave.]
[The Regional Rankings have officially opened.]
[The rankings will assess each lord's overall strength and assign a position.]
[Higher rankings yield greater rewards, which will be distributed every three days. For details, please refer to the ranking information.]
The announcement was abrupt, halting all ongoing discussions in the chat. Lords began exclaiming in surprise.
"Rankings? What's this? A leaderboard for lords?"
"It seems like there are rewards for making the list!"
"Is this real? I wonder where I'll rank."
Curiosity and anticipation filled the air as everyone opened the newly appeared [Regional Rankings]. However, it wasn't long before a wave of shock swept through the chat.
"Holy crap! I'm ranked over five million!"
"Same here! Five hundred ninety thousand! This is insane!"
"You're lucky. I'm at Tier 3 with all Tier 3 units, and I'm ranked over eight million!"
"This is ridiculous!"
The regional barrier's collapse had already increased the volume of messages in the chat, but now it exploded with activity. Every second, countless messages flashed by, all expressing disbelief at their rankings.
It became clear that the regional rankings encompassed all lords within the area, seemingly tallying up to ten million individuals. The sheer scale was staggering. Before anyone could fully process this, familiar names began appearing on the list.
"I see Sebastian's name! He's ranked in the seven thousands!"
"Even he's only in the seven thousands?!"
"Are the top ranks all Tier 5?"
"This is insane…"
In a castle atop a hill, Sebastian stared at the regional rankings, his face dark with frustration. He had never imagined his rank would be so low. Seven thousandth place meant there were over seven thousand individuals stronger than him—and this was just one region. If this were the global rankings, he might not even make the list. The thought was unbearable.