Chapter 259 - Chapter 259: Illusory Ring: Hero Promotion (2)
Chapter 259: Illusory Ring: Hero Promotion (2)
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“My Lord, I have brought the people as you requested. Please consider them.”
Ji Chen nodded and swept his gaze over them.
The twenty residents appeared quite apprehensive. They entered with heads bowed low and now, seeing Ji Chen scrutinizing them, they seemed even more nervous and uneasy.
Some of their faces were slightly pale, and they clutched their clothes, their hands and feet trembling.
These residents were extremely anxious, their minds a blank slate. Before them stood the supreme being of this territory, the one who held dominion over all races and beings under the Crown of the Ocean. In their hearts, he was akin to a deity.
Approaching closer, only casting a cautious glance, they discovered that Lord was truly majestic. A sense of nobility and dignity naturally emanated from him, evoking a sense of reverence within them.
When Master Wikis had instructed them to greet him, fear had rendered them incapable of speaking. They could only bow their heads like ostriches.
Seeing them in this state, Ji Chen felt somewhat amused and exasperated.
He sighed inwardly, realizing that he had unintentionally become the elevated lord in their eyes.
“Don’t lower your heads any longer. Each of you should introduce yourselves, starting with you.”
The male resident pointed out by Ji Chen immediately raised their heads. His face might have appeared strong and robust, yet his expression was nervously reminiscent of young child.
“My name is Halwei, a shipwright from the Crown of the Ocean. I’m responsible for ship repairs…”
Halwei quickly finished his introduction, and Ji Chen smiled, nodding and patting his shoulder, causing Halwei to feel unexpectedly honored.
Seeing Halwei receive such special attention, the residents behind him became increasingly excited and anxious as they awaited their turn.
“Lo-lord, my name is Kali. 1 am an intermediate tailor responsible for crafting clothing for the residents…”
“I am…”
One resident followed another, quickly stating their skills and responsibilities.
At this point, Ji Chen finally understood how underdeveloped the Crown of the Ocean’s aspects of daily life were.
These twenty residents were among the strongest in terms of life skills.
Yet, their skills were only at the intermediate level, and there wasn’t a single one with advanced skills.
This gave him a glimpse of how much lower the majority of residents’ skills must be, possibly even lacking basic skills.
The entire Crown of the Ocean, excluding the Lizardmen race, had a population exceeding ten thousand, but only about two hundred possessed life skills. This proportion was far below the average level of other players.
The growth of daily life and military strength had diverged, leading to a somewhat imbalanced progression.
Realizing this, Ji Chen began to take it more seriously.
This batch of Heroic Soul Essences might be able to alleviate this distorted state.
Looking at the twenty residents before him, Ji Chen’s expression turned serious.
“Since you have been called here, you should understand the reason I’ve summoned you, right?
The twenty of you, are you willing to become the pioneering group of lifestyle heroes in the Crown of the Ocean?”
These words hit them like a heavy hammer, leaving their minds momentarily blank. “Lord, are you speaking the truth?”
“Of course, when has this lord ever deceived you? Well then, do you not want to?”
“No, no, no!!! We want it!!”
Even the most foolish person knew the concept of becoming a hero. They all nodded vigorously in unison.
Seeing this, Ji Chen didn’t waste any time. He directly took out twenty white Heroic Soul Essences and used them on each of them.
Soon, the panel of the Crown of the Ocean displayed twenty white lifestyle heroes, accompanied by a system upgrade.
“Ding- Due to the promotion to hero, intermediate shipwright Halwei has been promoted to advanced blacksmith.”
“Ding- Due to the promotion to hero, intermediate tailor Kali has been promoted to advanced tailor.”
“Ding-…”
Ji Chen felt a sense of joy.
Could it really be done this way?
Becoming a hero while also having the possibility to raise life skill levels?
This was an unexpected delight.
Upon closer inspection, not everyone could be upgraded. Out of the twenty people, thirteen had a quite high probability of upgrading.
Out of the 37 white Heroic Soul Essences used, 20 were consumed, leaving 17 remaining, and none of the green or higher-tier Heroic Soul Essences were used.
Ji Chen decided to use them all to enhance military strength.
From the existing forces of the Crown of the Ocean, he selected seventeen to become white heroes, twelve to become green heroes, and five to become blue heroes, totaling thirty-four.
After a round of selection, he chose the Naga Berserker, Dragon Blood Murlocs, Elemental Sea Pixie, Lobster Rider, Murloc Rangers, Elite Pirates, and Half-Orc Warrior—seven unit types.
Other than these seven, the rest weren’t quite suitable for cultivating hero units.
For example, the Self-Detonating Water Spider. Should they cultivate a hero unit only to blow it up?
As for the Ruins Guardians and other alchemical creations, Heroic Soul Essences couldn’t be used at all.
Selecting individual units to become hero units from these military forces was also straightforward: selecting the highest-ranked ones would do.
After a final round of busy work, among the four unit types—Naga Berserker, Dragon Blood Murlocs, Elemental Sea Pixie, and Lobster Rider—each gained one blue hero, two green heroes, and three white heroes.
Among the remaining three unit types—Murloc Rangers and Half-Orc Warriors—each gained two green heroes and two white heroes.
As for the last group, the Elite Pirates, only one white hero was added.
There was no particular reason; there weren’t many pirates, and their tier was relatively low, so one white hero was enough to lead them.
The distribution of white and green Heroic Soul Essences was complete, leaving only one blue and one red.
The sole remaining blue Heroic Soul Essence was set aside for now. He would wait until Sparrow returned from his expedition with Raymond before being using it for promotion.
As for that precious red Heroic Soul Essence, Ji Chen already had a plan for it.
At his call, a familiar and graceful figure appeared at the doorway.
“Lord, is there something you need from me? 1 was actually thinking about going to the beach.”
The newcomer was none other than the Siren hero, Alice. She wore a meticulously modified maid outfit that made her look incredibly adorable. Her long legs, adorned with white silk stockings, were both charming and alluring.
Ji Chen thoroughly appreciated the results of his excellent design and aesthetics.
Maid outfit + white silk stockings, an unparalleled combination!
“Ahem, I called you here for a reason.” Ji Chen withdrew his gaze and produced the red Heroic Soul Essence. “I intend to promote you to the level of a Red-Legacy tier hero, which represents the pinnacle of your potential.”
Hearing this, Alice’s initial reaction wasn’t one of happiness or acceptance; instead, there was concern and a faint sense of refusal.
“Is it really okay to use something so precious on me? After all, you had to work hard to defeat the Skeleton King Solin to obtain this, and your arm was even injured in the process.”
Her gaze turned towards Ji Chen’s left arm, which had already fully regenerated. The snowy-white skin contrasted with the slightly darker right arm, creating a distinct difference.
Ji Chen raised his left hand and shook it, casually saying, “Other than the difference in skin color, my left arm is just the same as before. And in that battle, without you, Alice, I’m afraid we would have already perished in a foreign land.”
When Solin’s barrier shattered, more than a dozen Skeleton Wyverns launched an attack. If it weren’t for Alice’s song creating a distraction, he might have been blown away by a single breath, let alone defeating Solin.
Alice had accompanied Ji Chen through the most difficult period at the beginning, enduring so many battles. In terms of merits and position, she was undoubtedly at the top of his list.
Moreover, he also wanted to see what Alice would become when she ascended to the level of a complete Red-Legacy tier hero. How her strength would change.
Alice wasn’t someone who hesitated or was shy; she had always been quite obedient to Ji Chen. Soon, she agreed.
In the palm of her hand, the crimson Heroic Soul Essence, as clear as a ruby, transformed into a beam of light that enveloped Alice, shooting straight into the sky.
A magnificent evolution unique to the Sirens was unfolding within the column of light..