Chapter 419 - 417: External Recruitment, Transaction, Attack
Chapter 419: Chapter 417: External Recruitment, Transaction, Attack
Killing a top-ten player on the leaderboards would be no easy feat.
Controlling one would be just as difficult; you never knew what kind of items or trump cards they had up their sleeve.
After all, Logan Langdon wasn’t alone. He had plenty of human followers and Otherkin by his side.
To control a leader of his stature, you truly had to be prepared for all the consequences.
So, Faye Yardley’s idea remained just that—a thought.
After hanging up on Zachary Pierce, Faye Yardley looked outside. It wasn’t just cold; a powerful wind had started to blow. ’The System doesn’t even need to create an event,’ she thought. ’This horrifically extreme weather is more than enough for everyone to deal with.’
Resources were already hard to come by. With a wind this strong, it could probably sweep someone with average Attributes right off their feet. How could anyone continue to rely on ice fishing?
She was surprised when Wyatt Thorne contacted her. He wanted to know what her plans were for the two new residential districts and to inform her that the lab was requesting permission to build an arsenal.
He also reported on other civil affairs, but everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion, so Faye Yardley didn’t need to worry too much.
A great deal of new farmland and hillsides had been cultivated and planted with fruits, vegetables, rice, and wheat, enough for the island’s inhabitants to be self-sufficient.
Faye Yardley now noticed that the island’s harvest system had also deposited a considerable amount into her warehouse.
But releasing her personal stash into the market would be a mere drop in the bucket. Besides, she couldn’t afford to play the saint.
"Thorne, what kind of talent do you think the island is lacking right now? We should have plenty of young people already. Is our male-to-female ratio a bit skewed? Should I try to recruit more women this time?"
"Even if you want to, I’m afraid it won’t be easy. Any woman who has managed to survive on her own until now is certainly more than capable. Still, you can give it a try."
Faye Yardley hummed in agreement. She planned to ask Eleanor Jonas for help with this. Plus, she could make use of those two massive group chats she shared with her brother.
She then posted a recruitment message in both group chats, specifying that women would be given priority.
After a moment’s thought, she expanded her search, posting the message on the National Channel and using an item to pin it to the top.
[Faye Yardley: My island is publicly recruiting islanders for the first time (women will be given priority). I have posted a special transaction on the Trading Market. Interested parties can submit a brief self-introduction. Before being allowed on the island, you must also answer three questions about law and the humanities. If you’re tired of surviving at sea, you are more than welcome to apply! This recruitment drive is for five to six thousand people. Families may apply as a unit.]
[Whoa, whoa, whoa! A wild Yardley appears! I’m applying, boss!]
[Questions about law and the humanities? I think I can handle that. But we have to apply as a family, and what if my dad doesn’t want to leave this ’exciting’ world?]
[If your troublesome dad wants excitement, let him have it. Just take your mom, apply, and find yourself a new dad you actually like on the island. Problem solved.]
[Why is everyone recruiting for their islands lately? Does Yardley need people for mining too?]
Faye Yardley happened to see that comment. After a moment of consideration, she took the system-recorded footage from when she first landed on her island, clipped the aerial segment showing the area from the pier to the residential zone, and posted it to the National Channel, pinning it to the top again.
She was confident that of the only three islands that currently existed, hers offered the best living conditions.
[Whoa, Yardley, you have to approve my application! I can’t say I’m that strong, but my Talent is Planting! When I saw all that cultivated land, my heart skipped a beat!]
[Not gonna lie, life on Yardley’s island really does look like my old hometown.]
[Hahaha... The people who went to Island Master Langdon’s island to mine are going to lose their minds when they see this.]
[What’s so funny? You’re not even qualified to mine on his island.]
[Hmph. A wise bird chooses where to nest. I was just waiting for Yardley’s offer.]
RING RING RING~
Faye Yardley glanced at the caller ID, raised an eyebrow, and scoffed. Still, she answered. "Mr. Langdon. What can I do for you?"
"I never expected Gorgeous Yardley’s island to be so well-developed. I was wondering if you might have a spare town creation blueprint? I could trade you other things for it."
Faye Yardley spread her hands. "You know how it is. Finding even one blueprint of that type is a matter of extreme luck. I’m not a Map Maker, so how could I possibly have a spare to trade?"
Logan Langdon didn’t doubt her words. After all, his own Luck Value was incredibly high, and despite opening several Silver Treasure Chests, he had never managed to get a blueprint like that.
’But it doesn’t hurt to ask,’ he thought. ’If she did have one, all the better.’
’If you want your beasts of burden to work harder, you have to give them a little hope.’
"What a shame. Well, if Gorgeous Yardley happens to find one in the future, my offer to trade will still be open."
Faye Yardley hummed in acknowledgment. "Sure. If I get one, I wouldn’t mind trading it. My island is only so big; one town is plenty. By the way, Mr. Langdon, I’d like to buy some more of the ore your island produces."
"I can sell, but the price has gone up. Are you still interested?"
Faye Yardley mentally cursed him. ’Profiteer.’ "Oh? And what’s the price now? If it’s gone up too much, I won’t be able to afford it."
"It hasn’t gone up by much. Just from the original 10 Gold Coins per ton to 15."
After he spoke, Logan Langdon watched as Faye Yardley fell silent, seemingly conflicted.
’She can’t be out of Gold Coins, can she?’ he wondered.
’Did I ask for too much?’
Faye Yardley said, "If you’re willing to drop the price to 12 Gold Coins per ton, I can accept that. Any more than that and my funds won’t be able to handle the expense."
Logan Langdon put on what he considered his most charming smile. "For Gorgeous Yardley, I can accept a small loss. We’ll go with your price. How much do you need this time?"
Faye Yardley fell silent for a good while, as if calculating how much she could afford. "I’ll take five tons, then. I can’t afford any more."
After hanging up and collecting the five tons of Egg Ore from the Trading Market, Faye Yardley thought to herself, ’In the future, I probably won’t be able to buy Egg Ore directly from Logan Langdon anymore.’
’Otherwise, he’d likely not just raise the price again, but stop selling it to me altogether.’
’Still, if it’s just for my own use, crafting all of this into bullets should be more than enough.’
Even with the shield active, the strong wind could still be felt on the raft. It seemed the Energy Protection Shield only protected against attacks that could actually damage the raft.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!
The sharp blare of the radar alarm echoed out.
Faye Yardley immediately rolled to her feet and jumped off the raft. Since there was nothing visible above, the attack had to be coming from beneath the sea’s surface.
A moment later, the High Level Dragon Coiling Stick materialized in her hand. Not far from the edge of the raft, she leaped into the air and brought the stick down hard on the ice.
With a loud CRACK, a massive fissure appeared in the ice before her...