Evening, seven thirty.
The players of the entire Tian Ji City had almost all returned to the city, quietly awaiting the opening of the new map, Goblin Treasure. The major guilds were already sharpening their blades, only waiting for the descent of a great battle. Meanwhile, the core players of the Scarlet Moon Knights were gathered in front of the blacksmith shop, with fireworks nearby. Each of them wore a solemn expression. Undoubtedly, for the Scarlet Moon Knights, this was a major battle, a tough one that could not be taken lightly.
Chen Xue briefly narrated the battle plan for the evening. Allies: Wu Wang, Guang Han Palace. Strategic objectives: an S-grade gem mine and an A-grade oil refinery.
"The battlefield will definitely be chaotic tonight," Lin Zhao said, holding his Ben Lei sword and leaning against a nearby anvil. "We can only fight in separate groups. Everyone will have to do their best. Whether we can reforge the glory of the Scarlet Moon Knights depends on everyone's performance today."
"Mm!" Ding Chi, Lu Han, Chen Xue, and the others nodded.
Currently, the Scarlet Moon Knights were divided into eight regiments. The First Regiment, the White Clothes Regiment, was personally led by Lin Zhao, with Shen Xingchen and Shao Nian Xu Du as deputy commanders. The Second Regiment, the Youth Regiment, was still led by Lu Han. The Third Regiment, the Thousand Cities Regiment, was led by Chen Xue. The Fourth Regiment, the Embers Regiment, was led by Ding Chi. The Fifth Regiment, the Ling Feng Regiment, was led by Zhang Jun. The Sixth Regiment, the Little Deer Regiment, was led by Luo Man. The Seventh Regiment, the Deep Blue Regiment, was led by Deep Blue Blade, who possessed considerable command ability and personal prestige. The Eighth Regiment, the Magic Sound Regiment, was led by Mo Yin. The first seven regiments were all main forces, while the Magic Sound Regiment, consisting mostly of assassins, was mainly responsible for important tasks such as reconnaissance and surprise attacks.
Each regiment had about 1,000 people, totaling 8,000 people. This was the current full strength of the Scarlet Moon Knights.
"Is there an order?" Deep Blue Blade frowned. "Do we attack the S-grade gem mine first, or the A-grade oil refinery?"
"We have to send people to both," Shen Xingchen said, her bright eyes glancing at Lin Zhao. "The competition for the S-grade gem mine will certainly be the most intense. There's no need for us to enter the fray too early. So, the first thing we do upon entering the map is to concentrate our superior forces to capture that A-grade oil refinery, and grant everyone a 10% attack and defense bonus."
"Mm," Lin Zhao nodded. "White Clothes Regiment, Youth Regiment, Thousand Cities Regiment, and Deep Blue Regiment. Four regiments will head directly to the A-grade oil refinery upon entry. I will personally lead the team to capture the oil refinery. The remaining four regiments will follow the Embers Regiment, with Lawyer Ding leading them to approach the S-grade gem mine. The members of the Magic Sound Regiment will disperse and sneak in to scout the terrain around the S-grade gem mine. Once we secure the oil refinery, we will prepare to enter the S-grade gem mine and gain the gold income bonus from the gem mine as soon as possible."
"Sounds good!" Everyone nodded and smiled.
"That..." Deep Blue Blade scratched his head. "I'm a common man, Commander. I'd like to ask, after capturing the gem mine, there's a 10,000 gold income every 10 minutes. Do we, the guild, share this? Or do we just get a basic salary and be laborers?"
Lin Zhao couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't worry, I'm not a capitalist. If we have money, we'll naturally earn it together. We went through hard times together before, and now we'll have good times together. Shen Xingchen, Chen Xue, and I have discussed it. After the Scarlet Moon Knights obtain the gold income from the gem mine, we will regularly distribute at least 50% to you as dividends, which is income beyond your salary. The remaining half will be retained as guild expansion funds. After all, we have overdrawn too much to sign everyone before, and we need to recoup some funds to cover living expenses. Furthermore, for the guild to develop and grow, there will be many places where money is needed. What do you all think?"
"..." Deep Blue Blade felt a bit awkward, sweating with shame. "It was a narrow-minded thought of mine. Commander, you're awesome!"
"Distributing 50% as dividends is quite generous," Lu Han said with a smile. "I knew that following Boss around would mean good food and drinks in the future."
Lin Zhao glanced at him. "Youth Regiment, from now on, you will no longer be a mercenary group. Stay with the Scarlet Moon Knights. You are our permanent main force from now on."
"Mm, got it, Boss!"
Lin Zhao looked back at Shen Xingchen. "When we charge the oil refinery later, I'll lead the heavy armor, and you'll lead the ranged units. We'll support each other and make sure we don't get split up."
"Don't worry," Shen Xingchen gave him a sideways glance. "I'm not that stupid..."
Lin Zhao chuckled and said no more.
Time trickled by. At precisely 7:55 PM, the system began broadcasting in advance.
"Ding!"
System Announcement: Attention all players in Tian Ji City, the brand new map [Goblin Treasure] will be refreshing within the borders of Tian Ji City at coordinates (33354, 77723)! Goblins are spirits of the deep earth. They are skilled at discovering heavenly materials and earthly treasures in the world and can manipulate the flow of mountains and water to concentrate these treasures. However, these spirits have dispatched a large number of guards to protect their treasures. To claim the treasures, one must pay the corresponding price. Wishing everyone good luck!
"Let's go!" Lin Zhao opened the map. "The Goblin Treasure map is to the northwest of Tian Ji City, not too far. Let's go together. The heavy armor and infantry teams should not separate and should depart the city in an orderly fashion."
"Set off!" Chen Xue mounted her horse, holding her spear and leading the way, with the Thousand Cities Regiment going out first. Lin Zhao led the White Clothes Regiment closely behind. The 8,000+ people of the Scarlet Moon Knights were not too many, nor too few. They filled almost the entire west square. Coincidentally, everyone chose a location relatively close to the new map's coordinates, giving them an invisible first-mover advantage.
Outside the city, Lin Zhao, Lu Han, Chen Xue, Ding Chi, and others led the Scarlet Moon Knights out of the city one by one. Outside the city, they formed battle units at the regiment level and quickly advanced towards the Goblin Treasure map. At this point, anyone who opened the map could see a golden new map refreshing to the northwest of Tian Ji City, replacing a previous map called Wild Pheasant Ridge. The Goblin Treasure map was not large, not even as large as the Titan's Secret Realm. Therefore, this map was bound to become a meat grinder! It would be impossible to claim the six treasure cores without paying a bloody price.
Lin Zhao and Shen Xingchen exchanged glances, seeing determination in each other's eyes. Whether other guilds would fight desperately was unknown, but the Scarlet Moon Knights certainly would. They had no choice; they were too poor. Other guilds had financial backing, while the Scarlet Moon Knights were the only ones who had risen from humble beginnings in the entire national server. Initially, the Youth Regiment had been hired almost for free. Later, their contracts were signed using the meager funds painstakingly earned by Lin Zhao, Chen Xue, Ding Chi, and others. Therefore, the Scarlet Moon Knights were the guild that needed the money from the S-grade gem mine the most. If not now, then when!
Ten minutes later, Lin Zhao, leading the White Clothes Regiment on horseback, was the first to enter the Goblin Treasure map. His eyes lit up. Opening the minimap, he could see the distribution within the Goblin Treasure. The six treasures were divided into upper and lower three pieces. The upper row, in order, was: B-grade oil refinery, S-grade gem mine, A-grade gem mine. The lower row, in order, was: A-grade oil refinery, S-grade oil refinery, B-grade gem mine. Therefore, following their previous strategy, the Scarlet Moon Knights only needed to charge directly towards the A-grade oil refinery from the southwest corner. After capturing the oil refinery, they could advance northeast and enter the territory of the S-grade gem mine. In fact, the two maps were diagonally adjacent.
"Clang~~~" Lin Zhao directly drew his Ben Lei sword, pulled on the reins, and headed towards the A-grade oil refinery on the left, saying in a deep voice, "White Clothes Regiment, Youth Regiment, Thousand Cities Regiment, Deep Blue Regiment, follow me!"
Everyone followed. Not far away, Ding Chi also raised his sword and rode forward, saying, "The remaining regiments, follow me, let's go scout the S-grade gem mine!"
Lin Zhao led four regiments westward. Along the way, they encountered many players from Tian Ji City, most of whom were independent players on horseback. Seeing the formation of the Scarlet Moon Knights, they immediately and consciously retreated to the sides. Chen Xue, Lu Han, and Deep Blue Blade, three senior heavy infantry players, stayed close to Lin Zhao's flanks, ready to support the White Clothes Regiment at any time. In fact, with Lin Zhao, the commander-in-chief, personally leading the White Clothes Regiment, this regiment was different from others, essentially serving as the Scarlet Moon Knights' "Imperial Guard," with a unique status.
"Beep!" A message came from Shen Xingchen, who was following behind: "Xun Xian is going to attack the S-grade oil refinery."
"No need to worry," Lin Zhao smiled slightly. "S-grade oil refinery, with a 15% attack and defense bonus. Xun Xian is not the only one eyeing it. Wu Wang, Guang Han Palace, Cang Zhi Qi Shi Tuan, and other guilds should also be going for it."
"Yes," Shen Xingchen nodded and smiled. "The Buff from the S-grade oil refinery is something everyone wants. It's the first target many guilds choose to capture. Our choice of the A-grade oil refinery is practical rather than ambitious. As long as we get the Buff first, we will have considerable influence later."
"Mm," Lin Zhao frowned. "If we have spare capacity later, we can put the S-grade gem mine aside for a moment and go to support Wu Wang, Guang Han Palace, and the like. We'll discuss this later. Let's first see our own situation."
"Okay~~" Shen Xingchen carried her staff and walked alongside Lu Li, Qing Ning, and Mo Chen Xue. She narrowed her beautiful eyes, feeling quite happy. Shen Xingchen's position in the Scarlet Moon Knights was that of a strategist. Her collaboration with Lin Zhao, the commander of the three armies, made her feel very comfortable. This was because Lin Zhao not only valued and adopted her suggestions but also had his own ideas, constantly refining Shen Xingchen's tactical arrangements. This made her feel very happy. In contrast, when she was in Xing He, Su Xing He was generally obedient, and there were no tactical adjustments, making Shen Xingchen feel that planning the entire situation alone was too exhausting.
Shortly thereafter, they arrived at the S-grade oil refinery. From a distance, it was a valley map. In the valley was a rich oil field, where crude oil extraction devices were operating. Goblins, only half a person tall, tirelessly carried barrels of oil from the depths of the refinery. This oil, with a little refinement, could be used as fuel for lamps, catapults, and other equipment. The technology tree of the Great Merchant Dynasty was not particularly developed, but it was not absent. Outside the oil refinery, a group of goblins wearing iron helmets brandished battle axes and roared at Lin Zhao and the others, as if guarding their territory. Behind the goblin army was a mounted knight, clad in silver armor, holding a silver long spear, and looking at Lin Zhao and the others with a cold expression. He raised his spear and shouted, "Intruders, die!"