Chapter 395: Reduce Inventory, Cultivate Mindset, Herald

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

In fact, Ji Chen had provided weapons and gear to Gilder and his team in the Northern Continent, but this didn’t impact his sales to the Lienhardt Grand Duchy.

The reason these four countries along the northwest coast of the Midland Sea, including the Lienhardt Grand Duchy, were distinct was due to a colossal mountain range stretching from southeast to northwest, setting them apart from countries like the Maple Principality and the Elven Empire.

So, these four countries were nominally part of the Northern Continent, but geographically, they weren’t.

However, Ji Chen was quite pleased with the opportunity to promote products from his own territory.

Thanks to his ongoing “reduce inventory” efforts, the weapons and equipment that the lizardmen had accumulated in warehouses over the years had mostly been depleted in several large-scale exports. The order from the Lienhardt Grand Duchy had also cleared out the last batch of inventory.

What was exported next were weapons and equipment products that had incorporated dwarven forging techniques and contained higher technological content.

After chatting for a while, the young commander took the initiative to bid farewell.

Ji Chen agreed without hesitation and arranged for someone to escort them to their guest room.

The next afternoon.

The port.

“Don’t you want to stay here for a few more days to rest? After all, you have come all the way from the Lienhardt Grand Duchy, and despite the comfort on the ship, there must still be some fatigue from the journey.”

The young commander shook his head.

“This mission is to support the Crown of the Ocean and intercept the fleet of the Bass Kingdom. Since Your Excellency has already defeated them, we have no reason to stay any longer.

Moreover, the naval power of the Bass Kingdom is stronger than that of the Grand Duchy, and by taking this special task force away, the pressure on the Grand Duchy’s sea area will only increase.

So we need to hurry back to prepare for any possible conflicts and wars that may erupt at any time.”

Ji Chen couldn’t deny this and nodded.

“Then 1 wish you a safe journey.”

“Thank you for your advice, Your Excellency.”

As if remembering something, Ji Chen took out an envelope with the seal of the Crown of the Ocean and handed it over.

Facing the young commander’s puzzlement, he revealed a mischievous grin.

“Please deliver this letter to Monica for me, and be sure to hand it to her personally.”

He added with a supplementary remark, “There are some secrets concerning the Crown of the Ocean and the Lienhardt Grand Duchy inside, so please do not open it before delivering…”

The smile disappeared from the young commander’s face, and his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

Damn it!

What secrets could there possibly be? Could it be a love letter you’re sending to Her Highness!?

And 1 have to personally deliver it to Her Highness, too. This is too much!

He gritted his teeth and said, “1 will absolutely make sure no one else sees its contents. Your Excellency, so please rest assured.”

Ji Chen looked at the young commander’s changing expressions and the awkward way he received the envelope, nearly bursting out in laughter.

Young man, go through some challenges in life and strengthen your mental fortitude.

Fortunately, at this moment, shouts from the soldiers on the warship came from above.

Sir, the last batch of cargo is loaded and ready to depart at any time!”

The young commander nodded to them, then turned back to look deeply at Ji Chen. After giving a naval salute, he walked up the gangplank onto the deck.

A long and drawn-out ship’s horn sounded gradually.

This special task force, which had visited the Crown of the Ocean and made a brief stop, set sail once again for the open sea, returning to their homeland to defend against ambitious adversaries.

Ji Chen watched them disappear on the distant sea horizon, then turned and headed back.

This time, Monica had sent a whopping 200,000 units of rare resources, partly due to the limited capacity of the warship’s warehouse.

Such extravagance was fitting for the daughter of a Grand Duke.

The saplings planted during their earlier adventure had now grown into abundant fruits.

This unexpected windfall significantly expanded the Crown of the Ocean’s inventory. It replenished most of the rare resources spent on upgrading units, bringing the quantity back to approximately 570,000 units.

This gave him more confidence for the upcoming hero upgrades.

Meanwhile, the severely injured half-orc hero, Daro, and the weakened Verena were recuperating.

Thanks to Irona’s potions, Daro’s injuries were fully stabilized. With the half-orcs robust vitality, he was quickly regaining his strength and would be combat-ready in just two weeks.

Verena, on the other hand, was a bit more challenging. Centuries of continuous damage had left her body riddled with hidden injuries.

Despite the assistance of potions, her recovery was slow. Her current level had only recovered to 28, and her combat strength was less than one-thousandth of her prime.

It seemed unlikely that she could carry a significant burden in the near future.

Ji Chen had to focus his attention on the bottle of Deep Sea Naga Original Bloodline.

According to the system’s explanation, it could create a powerful Naga hero, but the specifics were unknown.

Without wasting time, he summoned a blue excellent-tier Naga Guardian hero.

Only Naga Guardian heroes with a certain foundation of strength could withstand this original bloodline enhancement pressure, and only hero units could maximize the value of this vial of original bloodline.

He handed it over.

“Drink it.”

The Naga Guardian hero didn’t hesitate and immediately downed the bottle. Even if Ji Chen had ordered him to die right now, he would have cut off his own head without hesitation.

In the eyes of the units, the Lord was the supreme being, and his commands were like divine decrees.

The original blood quickly took effect. The Naga Guardian hero turned bright red all over, with bulging blood vessels and clenched teeth, as if enduring immense pain.

Crack!

Perhaps because the energy was too intense, the scales on his body shattered one by one. Drops of blood fell from his body, and his bones crackled like popcorn.

Under the raging energy, his breath gradually weakened until there was no vitality left.

Alice and Anina on the side widened their eyes. Did he die from being unable to resist the energy?

“My Lord, he…”

Ji Chen made a gesture for them not to speak and kept his eyes fixed on the Naga Guardian hero, who remained motionless on the ground.

Suddenly, everyone present heard a heartbeat coming from the lifeless body.

One beat, two beats, three beats.

Like thunderclaps, the heartbeats continued, gradually becoming regular. A vast and surging energy radiated from his body, stirring up countless specks of dust on the ground, creating a whirlwind around him.

An invisible force shot straight into the sky, dispersing nearby clouds.

Until he slowly opened his eyes, revealing a gaze as cold and sinister as the depths of a 10,000-meter-deep sea. The system notification sounded in Ji Chen’s ears.

“Ding- Naga Berserker hero has successfully evolved, bloodline evolved into Deep Sea Naga, tier upgraded to orange (legendary).”

Ji Chen’s gaze slightly intensified.

The Crown of the Ocean had gained another legendary hero.

Upon closer inspection, his body had expanded to a height of three meters, resembling a giant. Resilient scales covered his entire body, even his face was covered in blue scales, with only cold and malevolent pupils visible.

His eyes faintly flickered with thunderous light.

The broad bone blades on his hands transformed into a pair of claws, each thirty centimeters long, gleaming with a metallic sheen. No one would overlook their lethality.

Most striking were the bone wings on his back. As they trembled lightly, the sharp edges of the wings gave off an extreme sense of danger.

From head to toe, he was born for slaughter and combat, destined to be accompanied by death.

This appearance somewhat resembled the four-winged Naga Ji Chen had seen in the Kreig Laboratory.

The snake-like pupils of the Deep Sea Naga hero rotated slightly, then fixed their gaze on Ji Chen before lowering his head deeply.

In a hoarse and shadowy voice, he said, “Great master, thank you for granting me a new life. Please bestow upon me a name, and let me carry your fame.”

Ji Chen nodded slightly.

“Your name shall be Herald.”

“Herald…” The Deep Sea Naga hero murmured to himself, his shadowy gaze filled with excitement. “From now on, my name is Herald, and 1 will prove it with slaughter and combat!”

[Herald (Hero)]

[Race]: Deep Sea Naga

[Level]: 1

[Current Tier]: Orange (Legendary)

[Potential]: Orange (Legendary)

[Skills]: Thunder Control (Orange Skill, Deep Sea Nagas are naturally adept at manipulating lightning, capable of releasing terrifying lightning attacks on enemies)

Bloodline Instinct (Orange Skill, the bloodline contains countless experiences of Deep Sea Naga battles, granting formidable combat abilities)

Body of the Deep Sea Naga (Orange Skill, the Deep Sea Naga bloodline strengthens the body, increasing endurance and protection by 150%, immune to most curses, poisons, and other negative effects)

Naga Wings (Orange Skill, flapping the wings on the back can increase swimming speed by 150% in w^ater and allow flight in the air)

Undying (Orange Skill, when life is threatened, all recovery abilities increase by 500%, and combat powder increases by 200% until the threat is eliminated)

[Unit Characteristics]: Naga Lord (When leading Naga units, an additional 50 morale is granted, and combat power is increased by 300%)

[Evolved into a Deep Sea Naga, destined to make countless ocean races tremble]

Wow!

Is this a legendary hero?

Five orange skills were extremely luxurious. Not to mention his terrifying combat power, he could also provide significant bonuses to his Naga units.

A 200% combat power boost would make fifth-tier 3-star Naga Guardians as powerful as sixth or seventh-tier 5-star units.

The addition of a legendary Naga hero significantly increased the strength of the Crown of the Ocean’s heroes.

With Herald, he now had two legendary-level forces. If he counted himself, the Crown of the Ocean possessed three legendary forces.

Among the indigenous people, this was enough to establish a large-scale power.

Ji Chen was in a great mood.

Herald’s bloodline had changed, and as a result, he had reset his level. To tap into his full potential, he would have to gain experience and level up.

Currently, the Crown of the Ocean had seven main units, but the newly recruited army units were mostly at the initial level, ranging from level 15 to 25. This was clearly insufficient to face increasingly powerful enemies.

Therefore, the next thing he needed to do was to properly level up his army and the various heroes.

So, he immediately ordered Alice and Anina, the two heroes, to take a portion of the army and Herald and go out to hunt monsters and level up.

The two heroes complied with the orders and departed..