Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 58: The real jackpot

"Master, the ranged units have taken no casualties, and the Vestal unit remains unharmed."

"Both Seraphina and Cicero have been injured, but their wounds don’t seem too serious. They should recover quickly."

"As for the Silver Pegasus Knights, originally, six of them had fallen in battle. However, the Vestal unit managed to trigger a special skill—’Blessing of the Sacred Dragon’—which successfully revived one of them. So, the final casualty count for the Silver Pegasus Knights stands at five!"

Elynn reported swiftly and methodically, her tone steady and composed. frёeωebɳovel.com

"The resurrection skill actually activated?" Ethan was slightly taken aback. He quickly pulled up the system notifications and, sure enough, there it was.

"Congratulations! The player ’Valkarion’s’ 6-Tier unit—Vestal—has successfully triggered its innate skill, ’Blessing of the Sacred Dragon,’ reviving one Silver Pegasus Knight!"

Seeing this, Ethan couldn’t help but blurt out, "Well, that’s some good luck."

To be honest, he hadn’t placed much hope in the Vestal’s resurrection ability, Blessing of the Sacred Dragon, because the activation chance was ridiculously low—just 1%.

Yet, against all odds, fortune had smiled upon him this time. A skill with only a 1% activation rate had actually worked! That meant he had just saved an 8-Tier Silver Pegasus Knight from being permanently lost.

At this stage, losing a single 8-Tier Silver Pegasus Knight wasn’t something Ethan would normally lose sleep over.

But if he really crunched the numbers... the base cost alone was 100,000 gold coins.

That translated to roughly 60 to 70 million dollars.

And if he were to sell one? The price would be even higher.

Easily 300,000 to 330,000 gold coins, if not more.

And if this resurrection skill kept triggering over time, saving more and more high-tier units from being lost, the long-term benefits would be massive.

After all, small gains add up over time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and even the mightiest empire is built one stone at a time.

Sayings like that exist for a reason.

As for the five Silver Pegasus Knights that were lost? That was completely acceptable.

Not to mention, when compared to an 11-Tier Unicorn, an 8-Tier Silver Pegasus Knight wasn’t even in the same league.

And then there was the Unicorn Glade—a wild Creature Dwelling that could be used for recruitment. Its value alone far exceeded the loss of five Silver Pegasus Knights.

Because this wasn’t just about a single battle.

This was the beginning.

The beginning of Emerald Castle’s rise to power.

"Next up... that castle in the Swamp Forest."

Ethan’s eyes burned with determination as he gazed toward the northwest, where the Suffocating Swamp Forest lay.

Right now, the biggest obstacle standing in the way of Emerald Castle’s rise was that fortress hidden deep within the Swamp Forest.

If he could take it down, the rewards would be immense.

And let’s not forget—this wasn’t just any fortress.

It was an NPC castle.

No matter how you looked at it, the potential and value of any castle far surpassed that of the Unicorn Glade.

If he could claim it, it would be a game-changer.

A true turning point.

"Cicero," Ethan spoke slowly.

"Roar..."

Immediately, the little dragon in his arms straightened up, sitting upright with a serious expression.

A deep, low dragon growl rumbled from his throat.

His usually adorable dragon eyes were now filled with determination as he locked eyes with Ethan.

He knew—when it was time to slack off or act cute, he could get away with it. But when it truly mattered, when it was a critical moment, he had to step up without hesitation.

For Emerald Castle.

For Ethan.

He would give everything he had.

"The castle inside Suffocating Swamp Forest—I need you to gather every bit of intel on it. The heroes, the defenses, the troops stationed there—everything. Understood?" Ethan commanded.

"Roar!" Cicero nodded immediately, signaling his understanding.

"Elynn."

At the same time, Ethan turned to Elynn, who was just as serious. His voice was steady as he continued, "Now that we’ve taken Unicorn Glade, there shouldn’t be any major threats left in Wishing Valley. For the next few days, I’m assigning both 11-Tier Unicorns to you. Take them and scout every inch of Wishing Valley. I want this entire region fully explored and under our control. Understood?"

Previously, they had been cautious about Unicorn Glade, avoiding unnecessary attention and not wanting to alert potential threats. Because of that, Elynn and her team had only conducted a surface-level exploration of Wishing Valley.

But now?

The biggest threat—the sharpest thorn in their side—had been removed.

That meant it was time to close the net.

If everything went smoothly, Ethan wanted to secure and fully control Wishing Valley before launching the assault on the NPC castle inside Suffocating Swamp Forest.

That way, his rear flank would be completely secure.

No unexpected ambushes.

No sudden attacks catching them off guard.

Once they successfully captured the NPC castle, they could use Wishing Valley and Emerald Castle as a strategic stronghold—a launching point for further expansion.

From there, they would push outward.

Further and further.

Until Wishing Valley, Suffocating Swamp Forest, Verdant Ravine, and even the Doom Mountains were all under Emerald Castle’s banner.

That was the first step toward his greater goal.

It was clear—Ethan had already mapped out a precise blueprint for Emerald Castle’s future.

A plan.

A goal.

Because victory favors the prepared.

"Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be in danger in a hundred battles."

Ethan had always believed in that principle.

And he wasn’t about to stop now.

"Understood, Master." Elynn nodded immediately.

She also understood Ethan’s intentions!

"In that case, let’s split up and take action." Ethan nodded as well. Cicero and Elynn both moved out separately.

As for Ethan himself, after thinking for a moment, he logged out and went to Carter Group to borrow 3 million coins.

Since there was an extra troop reward for being the first to capture a wild Creature Dwelling, the number of Tier 11 Unicorns available for recruitment at Unicorn Glade was three. However, with his previous gold and resources, he had only been able to recruit two, leaving one Unicorn still unclaimed.

And there was no way Ethan was going to let such a crucial powerhouse sit there gathering dust!

Even though Glory Lords X was a real-world simulation, it still had some virtual game mechanics. For example, players could transfer various resources and gold to each other through the system—except for troops and troop heroes.

The catch? A hefty 10% transaction fee.

That meant sending 3 million coins would cost an additional 300,000 coins in fees—a significant amount.

But Ethan didn’t care.

As long as he could successfully recruit that third Unicorn, whether it cost 3 million or 3.3 million coins made no real difference to him.

And why borrow 3 million coins instead of just the 1.2 million needed for a single Tier 11 Unicorn?

Simple. First, to have a safety buffer.

Second—because Elynn had just brought him some fantastic news after thoroughly searching Wishing Valley again!

Two Days Later, Inside Emerald Castle

"Master, I’ve finished scouting the entire Wishing Valley region!" Elynn reported to Ethan, her voice filled with excitement.

"Good..." Ethan nodded, giving her a curious look. "Tell me the details. Judging by your expression, it seems like you found something good? A big discovery?"

"Yes, Master!"

Elynn nodded vigorously, her excitement barely contained. "Over the past two days, I meticulously searched every inch of Wishing Valley—and I actually found a very special ravine!"

"It’s called Crescent Ravine. Not only is it quite large, but it also contains several resource points... and even a gold mine!"

"A new map?" Ethan was momentarily stunned, but then his eyes lit up with excitement. "Go on!"

A new map—what did that mean?

More resource points. More gold mines. More wild creature training spots. More Creature Dwellings for troop recruitment!

No matter how many there were or what tier they belonged to, these were all critical strategic assets.

And for him, this was definitely something worth celebrating!

"Yes, Master!"

Elynn nodded, recalling the details as she continued. "Inside Crescent Ravine, I found a medium-sized lumber resource point, a medium-sized gem resource point, two small gem resource points, two small crystal resource points... and a medium-sized gold mine!"

"What a treasure trove." Ethan couldn’t help but marvel at the discovery.

No wonder Wishing Valley had such a reputation—this place was unbelievably rich!

Resource points and gold mines were already rare enough, but to find so many packed into a single ravine, covering such a wide variety? This place was practically blessed by the heavens.

Absolutely incredible.

"What about wild creatures and Creature Dwellings?" Ethan asked next.

"I searched every corner of Crescent Ravine—there aren’t many wild creatures or Creature Dwellings there."

Elynn didn’t hesitate, immediately reporting, "I’ve already cleared out most of the wild creatures! As for Creature Dwellings, there are about a dozen, but most of them are lower-tier recruitment sites—Pixie Gardens, Greater Pixie Gardens, Altars of Air, Altars of Storms, Centaur Stables, Greater Centaur Stables, Dwarf Cottages, and Dwarf Barracks... But—"

"But what?" Ethan’s eyes lit up as he pressed for more details.

His instincts told him—

This was the real jackpot.

The moment Ethan spoke, Elynn responded, her voice filled with excitement. "But deep inside Crescent Ravine, I found two high-tier recruitment sites—one for Tier 9 Moon Doe and another for Tier 10 Sun Deer! The Moon Glade and the Sun Garden!"

"Tier 9 Moon Doe and Tier 10 Sun Deer?!" Ethan’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

Even though Tier 9 Moon Doe and Tier 10 Sun Deer weren’t as powerful as Tier 11 Unicorns,

They were still Champion Units! And Champion Units were never weak—no matter what tier they belonged to.

More importantly, Ethan had a strong hunch—

These Moon Doe and Sun Deer weren’t just ordinary Tier 9 and Tier 10 units. There was a high chance they were hidden special units exclusive to the Forest faction!

If that were true, their value would skyrocket even further!

Just like the Castle faction’s Tier 6 special unit—the Vestal!

The thought alone made Ethan’s heart race with anticipation.

ROAR!

Just then, a thunderous dragon’s roar echoed from outside Emerald Castle.

Ethan and Elynn looked up—

Cicero had just returned!