Ethan opened the system, and there was a new option in the architecture column: Blacksmith’s Shop.

The shop’s effect was to enhance the efficiency of the Divine Dragon Craftsmen by 30%.

Checking the specific details of the Blacksmith’s Shop, it only required 30 wood to build, but it would take a full 2 days!

After some thought, Ethan felt that the 2 days during which the Earth Dragon Laborer couldn’t do anything else but build the Blacksmith’s Shop seemed a little unprofitable.

He asked the Divine Dragon Craftsman, “How long does it take to craft a tool now?”

“Master, it takes half a day to create F tools and weapons. It requires 3 iron and 5 wood.”

With an accurate timeline, Ethan felt that the priority of the Blacksmith’s Shop could be postponed, and he should focus on development for now.

He nodded, keeping 30 iron, which was precisely the summoning condition for the Divine Dragon Warrior, and gave all the remaining iron resources to the craftsman.

This way, they wouldn’t lack tools.

Now that the Protection Period was over, he wasn’t afraid of Hero invasions.

However, the combat capabilities of the Earth Dragon Laborers were really too low.

To prevent reckless Heroes, Ethan was cautious and retained resources to summon the Divine Dragon Warrior.

With this arrangement, the altar was at the center.

If someone invaded, they could summon the Divine Dragon Warrior in a minute to deal with the invaders.

If they summoned the Divine Dragon Warrior now, Ethan would barely be able to handle the daily food consumption.

It’s better to save resources when possible.

…

Meanwhile.

Inside Riverside (City).

Several Heroes who had chosen the Hero faction were conspiring in an alleyway.

As members of the Hero faction, they temporarily formed a small team.

However, there seemed to be quite a bit of discord within this team…

“Why hasn’t Mia come back? Benjamin, do you know what she’s up to?”

Benjamin replied disdainfully, “Who knows, a few days ago, she was excitedly telling me about a big job, something about escorting a caravan.”

“Escort a caravan? Doesn’t that require at least a D weapon? Where did she get the money for a D weapon? Samuel, her room is next to yours, you must know something.”

Upon hearing his name, Samuel gestured helplessly,

“I don’t know, don’t ask me, captain. I know you like her, so I haven’t paid much attention to her… But a few days ago, she did ask to borrow money from me. I didn’t lend her any.”

ƥαṇdαs ηθνε| The man called the captain pondered for a moment, then said,

“Never mind, since we can’t get in touch with Mia for now, we can still complete this quest.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up at his words.

If the whole team went out, it was sure to be a Major Quest with generous rewards!

Captain Daniel looked at everyone and pulled out a map.

“As you all know, the Dark Lord’s Protection Period is now over. The NPCs have started to post quests to crusade Dark Lords. I’ve noticed one closest to our city, and rumor has it that a caravan disappeared near his area, making him the prime suspect.”

“That’s why out of all the Dark Lords hunting quests, his bounty is the highest and the rewards are the most generous!”

Upon hearing Daniel’s words, the team felt as if they’d been doused with cold water.

Could they really handle a Dark Lord capable of raiding a caravan?

Still going after the Dark Lord?

Isn’t that just finding their own death?

The team’s interest noticeably declined, with Benjamin even raising his hand and saying,

“Captain, may I leave first? I just remembered I haven’t finished my gathering quest, and it’s almost time.”

Watching as the group scattered just like rats abandoning a sinking ship, Daniel hastily said, “I’ve considered whether we could beat him, which is why I’ve spent a lot of money hiring an NPC expert! He’s a D+ expert!”

Upon hearing this, the group returned to their seats.

A D+ NPC expert on their side?

Then this quest could be possibly completed.

Daniel looked at the group helplessly.

This quest required a team, and since he didn’t trust other teams, he had to form this in-name-only team.

They then discussed some detailed issues, especially about how to distribute the rewards.

After a full 2 hours of arguing, they finally settled on a plan.

In the end, Daniel would take 50% of the rewards, and the rest would evenly split 40%.

The remaining 10% would go to the member who performed exceptionally well in the fight.

Once everyone agreed, Daniel looked at the time.

“Let’s leave now and end this quickly.”

“Okay!”

Seeing the unanimous agreement, Daniel was somewhat proud.

“Don’t worry, as long as you work hard, I won’t let you down! Let’s do it!”

Daniel then went to the square and recruited some F NPCs for 2 gold coins each.

With F combat power, they were perfect cannon fodder for wearing down the Dark Lord’s energy.

Soon, he led the ten F NPCs and the team members out of the city to meet the D+ NPC.

The group did not rest along the way.

The distance was not far, and fearing that other teams might get there first, they reached the outskirts of the abandoned temple in just over an hour.

The Heroes’ system then issued a warning:

[Ding! There is a Dark Lord within a 30-kilometer radius! Host, please be vigilant!]

Daniel heard the system’s voice and then commanded the team to continue.

He calculated that 3 days had passed since the safe period, so even if the Dark Lord developed rapidly, his strength would be at most D.

With their team’s current strength, they could even fight against a C Dark Lord!

And this Dark Lord was only his first target!𝓞𝒱ℯ𝗅xt.𝗇𝓔t

After collecting the rewards and upgrading his gear to the latest D Equip, he wouldn’t need to rely on others and could solo fight the Dark Lord!

This would create a cycle of rewards from the quests, getting Exp to level up and rewards to upgrade Equip– killing two birds with one stone!

And killing 300 Dark Lords would mean a successful clearance.

Here, the Dark Lord in the abandoned temple would become his first stepping stone, his first foothold, laying the foundation for his great life!

Soon, Daniel arrived at the outskirts of Ethan’s abandoned temple.

[Ding, a Dark Lord has appeared within a 3-kilometer radius!]

Daniel whispered to Benjamin,

“Benny, you’re the fastest among us, go and check out the situation first. If anything feels off, come back immediately!”

Benjamin frowned.

This scouting was not an easy task, and if he got caught, the others would most likely abandon him and run.

He looked distressed and was about to refuse when he suddenly remembered the deal made earlier in the day…

“Anyone who performs exceptionally well, I, Daniel, promise here to give an additional 10% of the rewards!”

Benjamin gritted his teeth, thinking to himself:

With that 10%, I can get some better Equip, which will make any future quests much easier.

“Okay, I’m going now!”

Benjamin exclaimed, full of fighting spirit.

Daniel patted Benjamin’s shoulder approvingly, his eyes filled with praise.

Benjamin found a high ground and used his innate skill.

Innate skills are abilities that every Hero possesses, and they vary in power.

There are unimaginably powerful skills like transforming into a Dragon and inheriting its abnormal abilities, but there are also weak ones like farming.

Benjamin’s innate skill was Hawkeye.

This skill allowed him to observe targets from a great distance.

As a scouting skill, “Hawkeye” was very suitable, but it also had its drawbacks.

Benjamin had tested that if he used the Hawkeye on others, those under the gaze of Hawkeye would feel a certain inexplicable unease, which could potentially alert them.

If he was lucky and the target was somewhat careless, then they wouldn’t notice a thing.

He couldn’t help but pray that this Dark Lord wouldn’t notice him…

Benjamin started from the plain, and the first thing he saw was a plantation.

The plantation was in the open, with no obstructions around.

He saw the shapes of the Earth Dragon Laborers and felt a chill.

Earth Dragon Laborers didn’t have any particularly obvious Dragon characteristics and were often mistaken for lizards by creatures unfamiliar with Dragons.

Benjamin was no exception and mistook the Earth Dragon Laborers for lizards.

Such a big lizard… could it be a Lizard Dark Lord?

If it was a Lizard Dark Lord, their combat power would be not bad.

However, they would still be no match for their team!

Benjamin excitedly ended the Hawkeye skill and hurriedly ran back to Daniel.

“Captain! The Dark Lord is a Lizard Dark Lord! Its combat power is not bad.”

Daniel gave him a thumbs up:

“Good, well done! Now that we know the enemy’s details, let’s start formulating a battle strategy!”