Seeing this, Fang Hao already understood the origin and purpose of the Wriggling Spine.
Someone had mentioned it in the chat channel before.
Building barracks didn't allow for unlimited recruitment of units.
In the human faction, a consumable called Soul Crystal was dropped. It was an essential material for recruiting units.
Just like how Fang Hao summoned skeleton soldiers, which required 300 Beast Bones.
However, Beast Bones were slaughter byproducts, usable for recruiting undead soldiers but not the primary recruitment material for the Undead Clan—more like a temporary substitute.
The Wriggling Spine was the real recruitment material for the Undead Clan, equivalent to the function of Soul Crystals.
The skeleton soldiers cleaned the battlefield rather quickly.
The supplies had already been collected.
[Harvest: 21 Iron Daggers, 8 Wriggling Spines, 1 flatbed cart, 2 Unicorn Corpses, 1 Giant Horned Deer Corpse.]
There were over twenty gnolls, but only 8 Wriggling Spines were dropped.
Evidently, the drop rate wasn't guaranteed—not all corpses yielded one.
Fang Hao didn't take immediate action but instead fell into contemplation.
It was clear there was a gnoll stronghold or camp nearby; otherwise, a gnoll hunting party wouldn't appear here.
Locating their position and assessing their military strength had become critically important.
Fang Hao picked up an Iron Dagger and fastened it to his waist.
[Iron Dagger (White)]
[Category: Dagger]
[Attributes: Tier 1 damage]
(Description: Stick an iron shard onto a wooden handle—does this really count as a weapon? Who came up with this idea?)
"You guys, switch your weapons." Fang Hao selected twenty uninjured soldiers to replace their current Stone Axes.
The Stone Axe was also categorized as "White," but its function was vastly different.
While it had the capability to deal damage, it didn't qualify as Tier 1 damage and was primarily used for logging.
In combat, its damage was inferior to the Iron Dagger.
Upon hearing Fang Hao's orders, twenty soldiers immediately stepped forward to change their weapons.
"Alright, follow me," Fang Hao continued.
Now wasn't the time to return. They needed to locate the gnoll camp and assess their numbers.
Waiting for the enemy to attack wasn't his style; he'd much rather gather intel and prepare for a preemptive strike.
Their location wasn't hard to find.
There were wheel tracks left on the ground.
And within the dense forest, a path had clearly been carved out.
Passing through the deepest part of the forest, they finally saw a defensive wall made of logs and a tall watchtower.
It wasn't much different from a human settlement.
Many gnolls were coming and going, chopping wood, mining stone, and gathering basic resources.
If not for the absence of a protective barrier, Fang Hao might have mistaken this for a human territory belonging to a special race.
Unfortunately, it was not.
Other gnoll hunting parties had also returned, bringing back more than just beast corpses on their carts; there were human corpses as well.
Fang Hao roughly estimated that the camp housed around five to six hundred gnolls.
Beyond the numerous gnoll slingers, there were also gnoll warriors wielding Iron Blades and champions with Iron Axes.
"Let's head back," Fang Hao said, leading his soldiers out slowly.
This camp had to be eliminated, but the time wasn't right yet.
Enough manpower was required before launching an attack.
They retreated out of the forest, taking the flatbed cart and the food they had seized back to the territory.
When they returned to the territory, the sun hung high in the sky.
"You guys, continue patrolling," Fang Hao instructed.
He pushed the flatbed cart inside the protective barrier. The skeleton soldiers resumed their patrols, ensuring the laboring skeletons wouldn't be harassed by wild beasts.
Of course, wild beasts weren't entirely unwelcome; they could augment the food reserves.
[Tier 1 Warcraft Unicorns*2, Tier 1 Spotted Deer—slaughter them?]
Slaughter!
[Slaughter complete: Gained 1200 Food, 90 Beast Skins, 60 Beast Bones.]
Aside from acquiring the Wriggling Spines, the flatbed cart and food were decent gains for the day.
Most importantly, they had discovered a gnoll camp near the territory.
Thinking about the significant number of gnolls being so close to his territory made Fang Hao feel *uneasy.*
This wasn't a game—it was reality.
*People were dying every day for one reason or another.*
He wasn't one to hesitate. He immediately went to the barracks.
[Tier 1 Burial Grounds]
[Recruitable: Skeleton Soldier]
[Skeleton Soldier: 1 Wriggling Spine]
(Note: This building can recruit faction-specific units. Upgrading the building unlocks higher soldier types and tiers.)
[Upgrade requirements: 500 Wood, 720 Stone, 80 Leather, 240 Rope, 5 Shadowstones.]
Previously, summoning skeleton soldiers required 300 Beast Bones.
Now, it only required 1 Wriggling Spine.
In other words, 1 Wriggling Spine equaled 300 Beast Bones.
[Recruitable: Skeleton Soldier, Cost: 8 Wriggling Spines—Recruit?]
Confirm recruitment.
The system notification sounded again.
[Hundredfold Amplification triggered—successfully recruited 808 Skeleton Soldiers.]
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!
Aside from the eight skeleton soldiers crawling out of the Burial Grounds, light flashed throughout the territory.
The entire camp was filled with new recruits.
This kind of scene was one Fang Hao had witnessed many times, so he didn't find it surprising anymore.
He then crafted 808 Wooden Shields and 808 Stone Axes to equip them.
"Some of you, go hunting for food. The rest of you, transport the laborer skeletons' harvested resources to the warehouse," Fang Hao ordered.
The skeleton soldiers, receiving their orders, stiffly turned around and left the territory to carry out their tasks.
After giving instructions, Fang Hao lit the extinguished campfire and began slicing meat with the Iron Dagger, preparing to grill meat.
He had already resolved to annihilate the gnoll camp.
Before that, however, he would settle his lunch.
Once his stomach was full and his thirst quenched...
Compared to yesterday, where chunks of meat were cut with a Stone Axe, the slices cut with the dagger were much more suitable for barbecuing.
He only lacked seasoning—and soda.
Otherwise, it would've been even more enjoyable.
Soon, the aroma of grilled meat spread, tantalizing his appetite.
As he savored the juicy, tender barbecue, he opened the chat channel to check what everyone was discussing.
"Does anyone have Soul Crystals? Undead appeared outside my territory—I'll trade resources for Soul Crystals."
"Same here. A farmer got killed by something. The remaining farmers are too scared to go out and work."
"Resources in exchange for weapons. Is anyone selling weapons?"
"We all have stone tools—where are we supposed to get weapons?"
"I'm Ren Yongning. Whoever can take me home gets to be the CEO of my company."
"Never heard of you. CEO of a noodle shop?"
"I'm so hungry. Fang Hao, are you putting food on the market at noon? My farmers and I have saved up lots of resources, waiting to exchange for food!"
"Calling Big Boss Fang Hao!"
"Same here!"
"Same here...!"
...
Seeing the flood of "same here" messages in the channel, Fang Hao smirked helplessly.
The essence of humanity really was repetition.
*Even when the opportunity to speak was precious, they'd still waste it repeating others.*
Today marked the second day of everyone's transmigration.
Judging by the messages, disparities in territory development were already evident.
Most people were still in the initial stage, chopping wood, mining stone, and gathering resources.
Some, because of fortuitous encounters or personal abilities, had already established barracks.
They were beginning to understand the importance of Soul Crystals.
In the human faction, Soul Crystals were essential for recruiting units from barracks.
But whether one had units or only farmers...
Food remained a necessity.
Without sufficient food, the loyalty of residents would decrease; in severe cases, they might even defect.
The larger the population of a territory, the greater the food requirements.
Thus, food was currently a highly sought-after commodity.
With that in mind, Fang Hao immediately listed 2,000 units of food for trade.
All at once, the buzz in the chat channel went silent.
Two seconds later, the silence was broken by a chorus of exclamations.
"Big Boss Fang Hao listed food! Who said he was in trouble? Your mouth is cursed!"
"Fang Hao is amazing!"
"Fang Hao is amazing!"