"It's finally over."
The results of this battle were excellent. Total losses were less than 500 zerglings, but the combined kill count of leopards and grey wolves exceeded 3,500.
All the corpses on both sides could be recycled and turned into new insects.
With this calculation, the strength of the Zerg had actually experienced an explosive growth.
However, the current production speed of the swarm was still a bit slow, so Xia Jin immediately increased the number of queens to five.
At the current rate, even accounting for combat losses, the daily increase in the swarm reached 800 units.
Because there were still countless wild magic beasts in the occupied territory that hadn't been killed yet, Xia Jin slowed down the expansion and began ordering the insects to clear out the monsters within their sphere of influence.
"Next, let's prepare for some infrastructure."
A hundred drones with nothing else to do began collecting massive stone blocks to use as building materials.
Sometimes, idle zerglings would also run over to help.
Under Xia Jin's request, the foundation for a grand building was laid.
After all, she couldn't live in a carriage forever, especially during heavy rainstorms; being confined to such a small space was truly uncomfortable.
Three days later...
The insect count was tallied once again.
Zerglings: 5,000
Hydralisks: 1,000
Drones: 500
The number of combat units had reached 6,000.
These insects were divided into 500 squads, each consisting of 10 zerglings and 2 hydralisks.
With both long-range and close-quarters capabilities, their combat power was significantly enhanced.
Furthermore, even if they encountered flying magic beasts, the hydralisks' venom could easily bring them down.
The next level of the Zerg Hive required 1,000,000 units of ordinary energy. If she didn't produce any insects, she could reach it quite quickly, but currently, she was spending 70,000 to 80,000 resources a day on swarm production. Consequently, she could only accumulate about 100,000 units of energy per day.
In other words, it would take about ten days to gather the necessary resources.
The more troublesome parts were the gold and mithril.
The mithril reserves were currently at only half, still 15 units short.
As for the gold, it could only be seized from other factions.
Unexpectedly, no new goblin tribes were found in the surrounding area. From the looks of it, she could only turn her attention toward the city states and the Kingdom of Clear.
"I can't afford a conflict with the kingdom for the time being. Perhaps I can try trading for gold. However, a quantity like ten thousand units isn't something a typical small business can handle."
On the way to the city states, there was also the obstacle of the City of Darkness.
It wasn't convenient for her to occupy it, as that would immediately alert the kingdom.
"I'll just have to take a detour."
Next, she dispatched a branch of the swarm to expand toward the northeast, carving out a path to bypass the north side of the City of Darkness.
But thinking about it carefully, the distance was truly far, and it might take a considerable amount of time.
As for the elves to the west, Xia Jin's current principle was to delay as much as possible.
After all, that previous encounter made her feel that the other side was quite strong.
The power of those arrows was immense. Even with hydralisks stationed there now, she couldn't guarantee a victory.
"Better to focus on the kingdom."
Xia Jin sighed softly and walked over to several people chatting nearby.
"Princess."
The people present immediately bowed.
"I have a question for you. Do you know of anything produced in the Border Forest that is very expensive and in high demand?"
After thinking for a moment, a soldier raised his hand. "I know."
"What is it?"
"Kegu Fruit and Red Radish Flower. The former is a delicacy highly popular among nobles, but because it grows deep in the forest, it's very difficult to obtain. A single fruit often sells for one gold coin. The latter is a precious medicinal herb, priced at about two silver coins per kilogram."
After finishing, the man seemed to think of something else and said awkwardly, "There are also elves. Each one starts at a hundred gold coins, and some even go for thousands or tens of thousands. Even a lesser half elf can be worth dozens of gold coins."
"Forget about the elves."
She didn't have the strength to mess with that for now.
When she truly had the strength, she wouldn't need to trade in elves anyway.
"Can you help collect some samples? I want to see what they're like."
"No problem, but please send two subordinates to protect me, Your Highness."
"Don't worry about that. There are no creatures above Tier 1 in the surrounding area anymore. You're safe." Xia Jin smiled slightly.
The man left the hive area.
About ten minutes later, he returned to Xia Jin with the samples.
The Kegu Fruit was a red fruit about the size of a fist. Taking a trial bite, a sweet flavor immediately filled her mouth.
"It tastes wonderful. No wonder it's valuable."
Rare and delicious.
As for the Red Radish Flower... holding the small flower, Xia Jin glanced into the distance and realized there were quite a few within her sight.
"Are you sure these can really be sold?" she asked with some doubt.
"They can. These grow alongside magic beasts and aren't even seen within twenty kilometers of the forest's edge, so they're difficult to obtain. However, these flowers have miraculous effects on many illnesses, so the demand is very high."
"Alright then."
Next, Xia Jin ordered a drone to attempt harvesting.
She had originally thought the creature wouldn't be able to handle such delicate work, but its performance was surprisingly good. It didn't damage the plant in the slightest.
"That makes things easier. Starting tomorrow, you will assist me in forming a merchant caravan. We'll enter the kingdom to sell goods under the guise of merchants from the city states," Xia Jin ordered.
Rate on N.U.
