"Mm, very good." Shen Mu nodded calmly. "Sit down. You must be exhausted after traveling all this way."
"Thank you for your concern." Everyone in the room sat back down.
Whether they were the twenty peasants from the Kingdom of Swadia or the ten Lake Rats Recruits from Sturgia, they were all slumped against the walls, gasping heavily, still shaken by the ordeal.
The battle just now had truly been far too intense for them!
The moment they arrived in this world, endless Undead Monsters had launched attacks against them.
The fact that only a handful had suffered Minor Injuries was thanks to their familiarity with war. They knew how to fight and how to organize themselves into formations to resist the enemy, allowing them to hold out until Shen Mu arrived with his troops to rescue them.
"Lift the Cloth Curtain by the Wheat Field and let these immigrants and Lake Rats Recruits rest over there."
Shen Mu also noticed how overcrowded the room was.
It was a tiny thirty-square-meter room.
And that was before subtracting the space taken up by the toilet, beds, and piled-up clutter.
Yet forty-five people had been crammed inside.
It was unbearably crowded!
"Understood." A Swadian Militia member stood up to direct them, lifting the Cloth Curtain and leading the newcomers into the Wheat Field to rest.
At least that somewhat freed up the room.
There was no absolute darkness on the other side of the Wheat Field.
Nor was there any gray fog.
Although it was also shrouded by night, no Undead Monsters would descend there.
So it was relatively safe.
Furthermore, the ten Lake Rats Recruits—Tier 2 Units from Sturgia, the predecessor of the Kingdom of Vaegirs in the Warband World of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord—were fishermen, pirates, and Water Bandits from the Great Swamp. They followed them over, partly to rest and partly to protect the immigrants, making the area even safer.
At the very least, Shen Mu trusted these Lake Rats Recruits.
They were called Recruits.
Recruits of the Lake Rats Family, Low-Tier Troops.
They wore Belted Leather Armor, Leather Caps, and carried Small Bladed Axes and Kite Shields. In close combat, they possessed the ruggedness and ferocity of the Sturgians, who would later become the Vaegirs.
Moreover, hanging from the hooks between the leather armor and their belts on their backs were two slim javelins, each fitted with four Fishing Darts.
They were normally thrown while fishing to spear fish.
But in battle—
They could still throw them with precision, hitting any enemy they wanted within ten meters!
"Now that the new immigrants have been settled, it is time to deal with my own matters."
Shen Mu sat on the bed.
A dialogue box appeared on his retina.
Ding! You have won this battle! Because you and your subordinates fought bravely, you have received 'Bronze Chest' ×1; Denar ×500. You have soldiers 'Swadian Militia ×5' available for promotion. You have civilians 'Swadian Peasant ×20' available for promotion. You may choose to upgrade them into troops of the 'Neutral Faction/Swadian Faction'.
Before Shen Mu's eyes was the settlement screen for the battle.
It was all about rewards and troop promotions.
Those could be dealt with later.
"Next." Shen Mu shifted his thoughts.
A new dialogue box popped up.
Ding! It has been detected that the total number of you and your subordinates has reached 46. You have met the requirement of 30 people needed to form a "Stronghold." The majority are 'Swadians,' so you may choose to establish a "Swadian Stronghold." If you choose to establish a "Swadian Stronghold," you will receive the 'Swadian Trait (Brave People) (Beginner)': ① soldiers gain +20% courage when fighting around the stronghold. Ding! It has been detected that you may establish a "Swadian Stronghold." Your special item, "Robber Rendezvous Point," may now be constructed.
"Establish the Swadian Stronghold." Shen Mu made his decision without hesitation.
This was also what concerned him the most.
You have confirmed the establishment of a "Swadian Stronghold." Loading Building Interface... Swadian Stronghold Lord: Shen Mu Trait: Brave People (Beginner) (soldiers gain +20% courage when fighting near the stronghold) Civilians: 20 peasants Soldiers: Swadian Footman ×10; Militia ×5; Sturgian Lake Rats Recruit ×10. Buildings: 1 mu of Wheat Field. Constructible Buildings: Stronghold Main House (can be completed immediately), storage room, granary, walls, livestock pen, Robber Rendezvous Point (can be completed immediately). Output: Wheat (extremely low yield) Recruitment: Unable to recruit (at least 30 civilians must be maintained)
"So this is a Swadian Stronghold?" The dialogue box before Shen Mu immediately refreshed.
Complete information soon appeared.
Bzzzz!
During the process, a mysterious force spread outward from Shen Mu once again.
It swept directly across the apartment room where Shen Mu was located, as well as the one-mu Wheat Field next door that occupied the space of twenty apartments.
That mysterious force even swept through the entire seventh floor, penetrating the six floors below and the other three apartment buildings outside, which were shrouded in darkness and gray fog.
Vaguely, Shen Mu realized that after establishing the Swadian Stronghold on the seventh floor—
The entire apartment complex counted as being near the stronghold.
As long as his soldiers remained anywhere within the apartment complex, they could enjoy the Swadian Stronghold's Trait and gain a +20% courage boost in battle!
Increasing courage meant increasing morale, while bravery also increased combat strength and defense power.
Even when facing enemies that were too strong, they would not collapse easily.
It was a very good Trait.
"There are also constructible buildings. Two of them can be completed immediately."
Shen Mu's gaze swept over the contents of the stronghold interface.
He looked at the only two buildings.
"Stronghold Main House... and Robber Rendezvous Point."
Shen Mu's thoughts immediately stirred.
As he connected with the system—
Bzzzz! That mysterious force descended again.
Only this time, Shen Mu's viewpoint directly became a Third-person Perspective again, just as it had when he deployed the Wheat Field.
He was already familiar with the process.
In Shen Mu's mind, a card depicting a Square Tower-like building made of stone and wood appeared.
Along with another card depicting a wall marked with a crossed "X" symbol.
The former was the Stronghold Main House.
The latter was the Robber Rendezvous Point.
Stronghold Main House (Swadia) Description: A typical Kingdom of Swadia structure, a sturdy Square Tower made of stone and timber. Six meters high, covering fifty square meters, and divided into two floors. The upper floor can be used for living quarters, while the lower floor can gather subordinates and serve as a kitchen. Soldiers may be stationed on the roof for defense. Effect: The core building of a stronghold. ... Robber Rendezvous Point Description: A street method commonly used by robbers from the Kingdom of Swadia. As long as it is placed in the corner of any building, robbers who notice the mark will quietly come over. Effect: Black market purchasing or fencing stolen goods.
The secondary pages for those two buildings naturally appeared before Shen Mu as well.
"Then let's build them."
Shen Mu's thoughts shifted.
Then, before his eyes, a tall six-meter Square Tower appeared in phantom form.
It happened to overlap perfectly with the room Shen Mu currently occupied at the edge of the apartment building, along with the corridor outside.
Its top floor even broke through the ceiling and reached the rooftop terrace.
It directly formed a special small tower leading to the top of the Apartment Building, rising even higher than the rooftop terrace!
Deploy 'Stronghold Main House'?
A dialogue box appeared before Shen Mu again.
"Confirm deployment!"
Shen Mu immediately made his decision.
His eyes gleamed. Looking at the main house and apartment floor that could be edited again through the Map Editor, some ideas formed in his mind.
For example, without damaging the Load-bearing Walls, he could have this main house, which was larger than the room, absorb both the room and the corridor outside.
On the side facing the corridor, he opened around twenty Firing Ports in the main house walls, aligned with the floors.
They would be used once Ranged Shooters moved in to garrison the place.
Furthermore, all the ceiling slabs on the apartment's top floor between the corridor and the Elevator Room were removed along the direction of the corridor.
In other words, as long as any enemy turned past the Elevator Room and entered the corridor—
They would immediately enter, within that thirty-meter stretch—
The attack range of the deployed Stronghold Main House: a six-meter-tall structure with Firing Ports on both floors and crenellations along the roof, called the stronghold's main building but actually a Square Tower!
The corridor was only one and a half meters wide.
For the Kingdom of Swadia's Ranged Shooters, soldiers who all used crossbow weapons—
It was simply the perfect terrain!
"Yes, just like that."
The corners of Shen Mu's lips curled upward.
Data Stream surged rapidly within his brow.
The building was deploying.
The apartment room changed according to his thoughts as well.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself seated at the head of a long table inside the main house.
Before him stood an ancient Solid Wood dining table.
And in the fireplace against the wall—
Crackle, crackle.
The fire burned brightly, with plenty of wood and silk fabric piled nearby, ready to be fed into it at any moment.
Smoke drifted out through the fireplace chimney.
There was not much smoke inside the room.
Seated in a Solid Wood High-backed Chair, Shen Mu stared for a moment before smiling. "This really is... perfect!"
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