“Respected and benevolent Lord, as per your command, all personnel in the territory have assembled.”
Wang Fugui, that old geezer, stood at the very front, bowing respectfully.
The rest of the villagers, including the four Wang siblings, stood in two rows, heads held high, standing ramrod straight.
No kidding.
When Lin Yi first saw Wang Fugui, he looked scrawny and hunched, as if he could drop dead at any moment.
Later, due to the territory’s special characteristic effect, his white hair turned black overnight, and the old geezer became a middle-aged man!
Perhaps in the future, just by promoting his territory's longevity reputation, large numbers of Niu Ma will scramble to join him.
“Cough, cough, cough…. Tie Zhu, lower it, the light is too bright.”
Lin Yi cleared his throat and returned to the main topic, “Old Wang, the barracks have been built. Aside from your four children, quickly arrange for the other villagers to transfer to Scarlet Tassel Spearman.”
“Currently, besides your family of five, the territory's defensive power is extremely weak. If we encounter an enemy attack, the losses would be disastrous!”
Wang Fugui nodded, “Qianqian just reported an important piece of news to me, which I haven't had a chance to report to you, my Lord.”
“It is indeed as you said, my Lord. Besides the cattle and savage beasts in the southern hills around our territory, groups of exotic beasts have also been found in the depths of the dense forest!”
“Furthermore, about ten kilometers east of the plains, a Monster Mountain Range hidden by mist has been discovered, and it is extremely dangerous!”
Holy crap~
There's a mountain range to the east?
And it's a Monster Mountain Range?
Lin Yi's eyes widened, and he turned to look at the empty plains.
The mist was only ten kilometers from his territory. If monsters really attacked, there wouldn't be much time to defend.
“Quickly arrange the transfers!”
“Let me take a look at the new troop type.”
Lin Yi immediately ordered.
“Yes, my Lord!”
Wang Fugui also knew the seriousness of the situation and dared not delay. He immediately led the villagers to the military camp for the transfer, then turned and instructed, “A Huang, you go first!”
“Alright, Village Chief!”
A tall, thin, ruffian-looking young man left the crowd and walked straight to the military camp gate.
After pushing the door open, the strange patterns covering the surface of the military camp immediately began to flicker slightly, like the breathing of a giant beast.
“My Lord, your servant has prepared some nuts for you.”
Wang Qiu'er, carrying a wooden basin full of raw melon seeds, approached Lin Yi, bringing with her a faint fragrance of a young girl.
“Oh? You can even get these?”
Lin Yi raised an eyebrow, sat down on a stool, “Add a bottle of cola, and this would truly be the life of my dreams.”
Saying that, he casually grabbed a handful of melon seeds and waited quietly for the transfer to finish.
The phenomenon lasted for a full hour.
Finally—
“Creak!”
The main gate of the military camp was pushed open by a strong, powerful hand wearing a leather wrist guard.
“He's finally out!”
Wang Fugui's spirits lifted, and he quickly reported, “Lord….”
“I see him.”
Lin Yi waved his hand, his gaze fixed on the young man in brand new hard leather armor, holding a sharp Scarlet Tassel Spear—A Huang.
“After twenty-five years of illusion trials, A Huang has returned having lived up to Lord Lin Yi's expectations!”
“A Huang is eternally grateful for Lord Lin Yi's cultivation!”
“I swear to be loyal to you, my Lord, until death! Through mountains of blades and seas of fire, I will not hesitate!”
A Huang knelt on one knee, his voice strong and resonant.
Looking closely, his entire demeanor and spirit had undergone a significant change compared to an hour ago!
Not only was the ruffian air gone, but his resolute and murderous eyes were enough to make a child stop crying in the middle of the night!
“My goodness~”
“Old geezer….”
“For the next three days, all recruited villagers will be trained as Scarlet Tassel Spearman!”
After seeing A Huang's new appearance, Lin Yi instantly couldn't sit still.
.....
【A Huang】
Race: Human
Level: 17
Profession: Scarlet Tassel Spearman
Constitution: 12, Strength: 12, Agility: 11, Spirit: 5
Skills: Formation Breaker Spear (Rare Mid-grade), Spear Formation (Rare Mid-grade), Long March Army (Rare High-grade, Marching speed increased by 50%, Load capacity increased by 100%).
......
“It's not an illusion, it's a genuine 15….”
“No! After being strengthened by the Pure Land's characteristic, his attributes have already reached Level 17!”
“The three innate skills also include offense, defense, and support; they couldn't be more comprehensive!”
Lin Yi stroked his chin.
He didn't understand the new world, he was just weak!
But he wasn't stupid!
Flipping through the chat interface, almost no one discussed troop types, nor did anyone display data panels above Level 10.
Now, a Scarlet Tassel Spearman, by his individual strength alone, was enough to dominate all other Lords.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, Lin Yi raised an eyebrow, noticing a few messages in the channel.
“Selling wild game! Twenty catties of fresh venison! For a little money, building materials!”
“No… dude, you just sold 20 catties, how do you have new stock again! Are the initial territory resources that exaggerated?”
“Long-term collection of all types of food, blueprints, treasure chests. Also, Lords with Excellent-grade or higher characteristics can apply to be friends.”
“Save the children…. I just upgraded my Level 2 territory by selling everything I owned, but I don't have food to feed the villagers…. They're looking at me like I'm a roasted chicken with no clothes on right now.”
“Brother, elaborate, how is it so scandalous?”
“According to textbook statistics… the early food shortage will last for more than half a month…. It won't be until some Lords' armies are formed that large quantities of cheap meat will flood the market…. For now, just gnaw on some tree bark.”
“.........”
Lack of food….
Lin Yi pondered seriously, his gaze gradually falling on the southern low hills.
The beast resources there were quite abundant….
It's just that he didn't know if there were any other stronger monsters besides those strange cattle….
“Let's do it!”
Recruiting the five members of the Wang family almost exhausted most of the bonus he had painstakingly earned.
He heard that territory warriors also needed to be paid a fixed military salary every week, otherwise, their morale would waver, increasing the risk of rebellion.
Although there was a territory characteristic bonus, he didn't want to increase the cost of error for a few coppers.
Furthermore, he heard that researching military, logistics, and other tech trees would also cost huge resources in the future.
With the Scarlet Tassel Spearman, utilizing the strong period of their level, selling food in the early stages was a good way to make money!
“One per hour, let's get fifty people first!”
He hadn't obtained the Level 3 territory upgrade materials yet, so Lin Yi wasn't in a hurry. There were always more solutions than problems.
Maybe the materials would be like treasure chests, growing legs and running right to him!
Thinking of this, he asked the surrounding villagers, who were packed together like spectators, “Folks, conscription! Who wants to go in next and try?”
As soon as he finished speaking, every villager, regardless of gender or age, as if injected with stimulants, flushed red and eagerly shouted, “Me! Me! Lord! I want to join the army!”
“My arms are thick, and my physique is strong, I'm most suitable to be a warrior and defend the homeland!”
“Although this lowly commoner is a woman, as long as Lord Lin Yi nods, I can enter the illusion trial at any time!”
“Lord, I want to come too! If there are no spots for Scarlet Tassel Spearman, I can also handle being an ordinary archer!”
............
“Hahahaha, heaven helps me!”
“Ordinary High-grade Troop Blueprint!”
Long Tao excitedly held the grayish-white blueprint in his hand, his face flushed.
With the knowledge imparted by the Alien God, in just half a day, he had found two deeply hidden treasure chests nearby!
And he had obtained a troop blueprint!
Although it was only of ordinary grade, completely incomparable to Lin Yi's rare one, however, in a situation where everyone was ‘naked accounts’, a Level 9 troop blueprint in his hands could generate enormous profits!
“Then, I'll be the first to take a bite out of this big cake of early-stage trade hidden quests!”
Although he was mentally prepared, Long Tao's heart was still pounding!
The reason was simple! Based on countless trial summaries, the ancestors of the Great Xia Empire had unearthed numerous randomly appearing hidden quests in the early stages.
As long as one completed them first, they could obtain rewards of varying degrees.
Among them, the 【Trade Tycoon】 was coincidentally in an active state among their generation's hidden quests!
If one could attract enough attention, participation, or increase influence in a single trade, the Lord's Will would grant a certain amount of prestige rewards!
The importance of prestige points was self-evident….
It was true that Lin Yi's rare troop type was stronger than his, but… as the former's “good brother,” Long Tao knew his financial situation all too well.
The military expenses and energy supply for soldiers of that level simply couldn't be sustained without external help!
“Damn, this is too expensive!”
Long Tao glanced at the various materials required for the troop type and grumbled.
【Short Axe Infantry】
Type: Troop Blueprint (Consumable)
Grade: Ordinary High-grade
Effect: Transforms villagers into Level 9 troops.
Military Pay: 50 silver coins/week
Race Restriction: Human, Sub-human
Cost: Beast hide x12, Hardwood x5, Iron ore x10, Gold coin x2, Transformation time (5 hours)