Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'

The preparations for pioneering were all in order. Li Banfeng and Ma Wu each set up their camps. Ma Wu spent the night next to the plot, while Li Banfeng put the key in his tent and returned to sleep in his Portable Residence. This was how things had been these past few days.

The next afternoon, a full twenty-two hours had passed since Li Banfeng had sprinkled the blood. In another two hours, the Pioneer assessment would begin.

According to the rules, the two of them had to enter the plot in advance.

Pointing at the green Boundary line of the plot, Ma Wu said, "Brother Li, once we enter the plot, we can't come out for three days. If you have anything to do outside the plot, hurry up and get it done."

In fact, there wasn't much to do. Their food was still plentiful and their water barely sufficient. Besides, Li Banfeng had plenty of supplies stored in his Portable Residence.

The only thing left to arrange was finding a suitable place for Ma Wu to stay.

"Brother, head south all the way to the Orange Orchard. Set up camp there and rest.

"The Oranges there are edible. Besides eating Oranges, don't do anything else. And importantly, don't damage anything in the Orange Orchard.

"After three days, come back here to find me. If the pioneering succeeds, we'll clean up this place together. If it fails, we'll look for another opportunity."

Ma Wu was stunned. "Brother Li, what do you mean by that? Are you planning to pioneer this place alone?"

Li Banfeng did indeed want to pioneer alone.

If entering his Portable Residence didn't count as leaving the Boundary, then pioneering would be very simple for him. Keeping Ma Wu around would only be a burden.

"Brother, I have ways to deal with those Strange Monsters. Don't forget, I managed to escape from the Straw Moth Lady before.

"If I stay here to pioneer and succeed, that's great. If I fail, I won't be able to pioneer within a hundred miles of here anymore.

"But you haven't participated; you didn't sprinkle blood or pioneer, so you'll still have opportunities in the future."

What Li Banfeng said was the truth. He genuinely liked this plot near the Orange Orchard. If the pioneering failed, Ma Wu might still have a chance here.

With Li Banfeng putting it that way, Ma Wu had no choice but to agree. He cautioned repeatedly, "Brother Li, once you enter the plot, hide yourself first. If you encounter Strange Monsters, try not to fight them.

"Da Boyins gave this advice for pioneering on my family's land. Within a one-li territory, there are plenty of places to hide. The less you fight, the better.

"And about the Straw Moth Lady you mentioned—I must remind you again—if she comes, you must not engage in a prolonged battle, no matter what.

"They're not sent by the Local Deity to test you; they're Wandering Monsters, roaming Strange Monsters. Encountering them is just bad luck."

Li Banfeng asked, "If I encounter a Wandering Monster and step out of the Boundary, will that count as failing the pioneering?"

"Stepping out of the Boundary is considered a failure." Ma Wu knew this was quite unfair, but those were the rules of the New Land.

Ma Wu left all his equipment for Li Banfeng. "I'm giving you all the water and food. I'm also leaving you these Weapons and Spiritual Objects. I'll just go to the Orange Orchard to eat Oranges."

Li Banfeng knew Ma Wu was looking out for him, but he didn't need these items. "Take the Weapons with you, and the Spiritual Objects too. There might be villains even in the Orange Orchard.

"And remember my words: once you're in the Orange Orchard, eat as many Oranges as you like, but don't damage anything."

Ma Wu took Li Banfeng's advice to heart and headed south.

Li Banfeng entered the territory and quietly waited for the assessment to begin.

At four o'clock, the time Li Banfeng had sprinkled the blood the day before, a ball of green flame slowly emerged in the pitch-black sky, seemingly watching over Li Banfeng.

This was the Local Deity.

Is he planning to strike me down personally?

It was just a one-li territory, so a major conflict seemed unlikely. Nevertheless, Li Banfeng still clenched the key, ready to defend himself.

Two minutes later, the green flame disappeared.

The Local Deity had no intention of fighting Li Banfeng. Considering his rank and status, he shouldn't have intervened.

He was just there to take a look, to confirm that someone was really attempting to pioneer.

By ten o'clock that night, the first Strange Monster drawn to the pioneering effort finally appeared.

CRACK!

The Strange Monster, stepping on dry leaves and branches, emerged from the forest. It moved on all fours, was over three meters tall, and had a massive head, a rounded body, and a stiff tuft of mane behind its head. Two gleaming white tusks protruded from its mouth.

It was a wild boar. Apart from its large size, it seemed to have no other peculiarities.

The boar cautiously stepped into the plot, wary of the Pioneer's ambush. It walked from the edge of the territory to near the offering table but didn't spot the Pioneer.

"Damn it! Another bunch of tricksters!"

"Hey! Are you lot here to pioneer or what? If you are, come out and meet me! I'm just following orders. If you're up for a fight, we'll trade a few blows. If not, we can have a couple of drinks. I won't make things difficult for you."

The boar could speak human language. Hearing it speak so amicably, one might wonder if showing up and sharing a drink could turn hostility into friendship and even gain a friend in the New Land?

That was wishful thinking. The boar was not here to make friends; it was here to kill.

It had received a bounty from the Local Deity specifically to kill Pioneers. Killing one Pioneer would earn it three months' worth of cultivation level from the Local Deity. Forcing a Pioneer to leave the territory, or killing all the Pioneers and causing the pioneering to fail, would earn it an additional year's worth of cultivation level.

Pioneering was a test, not just for the Pioneers but also for the beings of the New Land brave enough to fight to the death.

"I'm telling you, if you don't show yourselves soon, I'll get nasty! If I have to find you, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The boar walked from the offering table to another Boundary point, but still, not a single person was in sight.