NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 583: Hero
"The wonders have misled the nation, Your Majesty!"
Though this is a jest, it is not entirely without reason.
As the strongest construction of a civilization, the effects of the wonders need not be overstated—they can bring about a qualitative improvement to a civilization.
The Yellow Turban is an example, without wonders, the Yellow Turban is worthless, ranking absolutely lowest among first-order civilizations. However, with wonders, the Yellow Turban turns into noble mages, standing at the pinnacle of first-order civilizations.
One wonder makes all the difference, a chasm between heaven and earth!
For this reason, constructing wonders demands a great sacrifice, not to mention the various basic resources, some even require the consumption of rare resources; for instance, the construction of Taiping Temple in the Yellow Turban Civilization needs five hundred units of Spirit Stones.
The value of five hundred Spirit Stones is much higher compared to the tens of thousands of units of wood and stone already mentioned, and nearly no pathways to obtain them easily exist, they are monopolized and consumed by the major forces. It was only because of the association with Zhang Yan this time, otherwise, Xu Yang would not have conceived the idea of building a Civilization Wonder in the short term.
Now the shortage of five hundred Spirit Stones is no longer a problem, and the resources of wood, stone, and iron ingots can also be accumulated. However, meeting the population requirement of ten thousand Yellow Turban Army members is somewhat difficult.
He currently has only five hundred and eighty Yellow Turban troops, having just lost twenty-one infantrymen. Gathering ten thousand members of the Yellow Turban Army would require development over time and the expansion of his territories, as such a small island could not sustain over ten thousand people.
Apart from resource consumption, constructing wonders also triggers various events, such as the Han Dynasty's conquest against the Yellow Turban Civilization. From the start of construction to its completion, they will face the attacks of small troops and the large army of the Han Dynasty.
Once constructed, they will be considered a common enemy by the lords of the Han Dynasty civilization, constantly vulnerable to attacks from Han lords.
He had confidence in resisting the former, but the latter was somewhat unclear.
All the hostility and attacks of the Han Dynasty civilization?
Does that include high-level lords?
Do the attacks require Conquest Orders, and can they attack simultaneously or in turns?
These were not specified in detail, but Xu Yang guessed there would likely be some restrictions, after all, the Sky-reaching Tower is relatively fair; it wouldn't be possible for one to build a first-order wonder only to have a tenth-order lord come to attack.
If that were the case, what would be the point of the Yellow Turban Civilization's existence? As long as the Sky-reaching Tower wasn't malfunctioning, there would definitely be restrictions allowing room and possibilities for the development of the Yellow Turban Civilization, rather than completely blocking them off.
In any case, the wonder had to be built.
Currently, the Yellow Turban Civilization has only three constructs: Yellow Turban Camp, Yellow Turban Training Ground, and Taiping Temple.
Without building wonders, there would be nothing else significant to build.
So next, the efforts would focus on constructing wonders, primarily through expanding territories and increasing the population of the Yellow Turban Civilization.
Expanding territories requires world fragments, available only through three channels: attacking other lords, expensive purchases, or sheer luck through mission rewards.
Xu Yang had no money and only average luck, so attacking other lords was his only option.
But before that…
"Bang!"
Xu Yang brought out an item that emitted dazzling brilliance, even causing a rupture in the void, revealing a bizarre scene of countryside landscapes with men plowing and women weaving, and battlefields with soldiers and horses.
A figure stood amid it all, clad in cold iron armor with a fluttering cape, his face unclear, yet a piercing gaze shot through time and space...
"Bang!!!"
With the final resounding sound, light and shadows shattered, coalescing into a figure half-kneeling on the ground, bowing before Xu Yang.
"Hua Mulan, at your service, General!"
Her clear voice resounded, and before Xu Yang could respond, he was distracted by the notification sound from the Sky-reaching Tower.
"Heroic Soul Contract used!"
"Contract successful, Hero acquired—Hua Mulan!"
Hua Wanjun
Hero Level: First-order (Epic)
Hero Attributes: 10 Physical Strength, 15 Intelligence, 20 Charm
Heroic Skill: Substitute for Father (Hua Mulan taking her father's place, inspired countless heroic daughters to join the battlefield, doubling the recruitment numbers of all initial recruitment buildings, with a chance of female troops appearance)
Heroic Skill: Heroic Woman (Disguised as a man to enlist in her father's place, both heroic and valorous, when Hua Mulan is present, the morale and combat efficiency of all male and female troops increase by 25%, with personal guard species in her command range gaining double effects)
Heroic Soul Special Skill: Heroic Woman General (A legendary heroic woman general, +3 growth in Charm Attributes, +2 growth in Intelligence, and capable of training special troops—Mulan Heroic Female Guards in all training buildings)
Common Skills: First-Order Strong Body LV5, First Order Strong Strike LV5, First Order Strong Bow LV5, First Order Martial Arts LV5, First Order Riding Skill LV5, First Order and Shooting LV5, Level 1 Coach LV5, First-order Commander LV5.
Weapon Skills: One-handed Weapon (proficient), Bow and Arrow (proficient), Long Pole Weapon (proficient)
Hero Introduction: Substitute for Father, a legendary Heroic Woman!
…
Looking at Hua Mulan's attributes, Xu Yang was both unsurprised and surprised.
The Heroic Soul Contract he used was of the Epic Level, and he was bound to gain the loyalty of an Epic Hero after its utilization.
The epic of this Epic Hero is not just about rank; it also represents the origins of the hero.
Without exception, all Epic Heroes are legendary figures extolled through the histories of great civilizations.
Just as epic tales are, so are legends; they exist in the folklore of major civilizations, and beyond them, the Immortal Spirit Heroes, as the name suggests, originate from mythology and are truly of the Immortal Gods.
As a legendary woman whose name has gone down in history, it was only natural for Hua Mulan to become an Epic Hero of the Sky-reaching Tower.
Not just her—heroes from epic legends across all ancient nations and major historical civilizations have been contained by the Sky-reaching Tower using incredible power, waiting for their destined Lords to join them in battle.
Moreover, given the uniqueness of this world and the commonality it shares with the Ten Thousand Realms, Xu Yang did not find it unusual to see the heroine from his previous life's "Mulan Poem" appear before him. After all, when the world had already become like this, what difference would a little more make?
The key was the attributes of this extraordinary woman.
Was she useful?
Of course, she was immensely useful!
Being an Epic Hero, it goes without saying that Hua Mulan's abilities were remarkable. Though still First-Order Level 1, Xu Yang had only five points in all attributes, while her Physical Strength was ten points. Her Intelligence and Charm were even more exaggerated, one at fifteen points, the other at twenty points—compared to a typical Lord, she was an entirely superior presence.
Additionally, she possessed three Heroic Skills. "Substitute for Father" could double the recruitment numbers of initial recruitment buildings.
What are initial recruitment buildings?
All buildings that recruit initial troop types are initial recruitment buildings, such as Xu Yang's Yellow Turban Camp and Fish Market Pier, which recruit the civilization's initial troops "Yellow Turban Army" and the common initial troop type fishermen. Under the influence of Mulan's "Substitute for Father," their recruitment numbers would double.
At first glance, this might not seem so powerful—after all, the Yellow Turban Camp could recruit thirty Yellow Turban troops a day, and doubling it only amounts to sixty. Not too many, but not too few either.
But that is just one day, one building. Mulan's influential skill affects the entire territory, even the whole world. If Xu Yang built ten Yellow Turban Camps, in one day he could recruit an additional three hundred Yellow Turban troops, three thousand in ten days, thirty thousand in a hundred days...
With quantity comes a change in quality. The special skill "Substitute for Father" is definitely a divine skill for enhancing military strength and explosively developing troops, especially when combined with the special skill "Yellow Turban" from the Yellow Turban Civilization—it yields a uniquely effective combination.
Beyond this, there's a certain chance of female troop types appearing that she can train and upgrade into the special troop type—Mulan Heroic Female Guards.
Just this alone holds significant strategic value. Add to this her second special skill "Heroic Woman," which boosts the entire army's morale and combat strength. Under her command, personal guards can receive a double boost and a significant increase in the growth rates of Charm and Intelligence attributes... becoming the special skill "Heroic Woman General."
This is what an Epic Level Commander Type Hero looks like!
If unleashed, she could undoubtedly cause countless Lords to fight fiercely enough to break skulls and brains.
As a solo-playing Lord, Xu Yang greatly needed such a Commander Type Hero to complement his deficiencies.
So...
Xu Yang stepped forward, supporting her with both hands, "Stand up."
"Yes!"
She did not resist and rose to her feet facing Xu Yang.
Only then did Xu Yang take a good look at her appearance. Dressed as a man, with sharp brows and starry eyes, aside from her fair skin and slight delicacy, it was hard to associate her with being a woman; at most, she looked like a dashing young man, with a heroic spirit and a brisk manner that instantly made one feel a sense of favor, involuntarily drawing one closer.
No need to say, it must be the hidden effects of the Heroic Skills "Substitute for Father," "Heroic Woman," and "Alluring Female General," along with her high Charm Attribute.
But beyond these, Xu Yang was more concerned about...
"Mulan, may I call you Mulan?"
Xu Yang asked, seemingly casual but with a hint of probing.
Hua Mulan smiled lightly, unconcerned, "At your command, General, as you wish!"
"Good!"
Xu Yang nodded, then asked, "Mulan, could you tell me how you entered the Sky-reaching Tower and how you became this hero?"
A probing question, straight to the point!
Although he had speculated—the Lords are a variant of Earth Deity Law, and troop heroes could be considered as Taoist Soldiers nurtured by the Earth Deities—the nature of this variant and the nurturing process were still unclear to Xu Yang.
Beyond that, he was also very curious about the origins of these Epic and Legendary Heroes.
Epic and legendary mean they are from the past, and these histories, these civilizations are exceedingly ancient. Some existed before the founding of the Sky-reaching Tower, some during the era when the Desire Realm Demon Race ruled, and some even before, during the era of Immortal Gods' governance.
Thus, the question arises, how did the Sky-reaching Tower manage to utilize these Epic, Legendary, and even Mythic Heroes?
Could it truly have the power to traverse past and future, extracting these historical civilization's heroes from the river of history and transforming them into so-called heroes?
Even if it had this power, what purpose would it serve? Regardless of the value of these Epic and Legendary Heroes, even if valuable, could it outweigh the cost of time travel? Such an action would be completely uneconomical.
So, where exactly did these heroes come from? Were they flesh-and-blood real people, or creations of the Sky-reaching Tower?
Xu Yang was very curious about this and always wanted to uncover the truth, but had no way to learn about it.
After all, he only had Low-Order troops previously, who were dull and not very intelligent, unable to provide him with precise and exact information.
But now things were different. Even Low-Level Heroes had intelligence comparable to a normal person, which might give Xu Yang some clues.
When questioned by Xu Yang, Hua Mulan did not evade; she directly narrated her background, "Reporting to the General, Mulan hails from a Northern Wei military family. My father is often ill, and my siblings are young..."