Stronghold Main House.
Shen Mu was climbing the steep, narrow wooden staircase and reached the second floor.
There were three separate rooms here.
They were Shen Mu's bedroom, the storage room, and the room for the guards specifically responsible for protecting him.
The guards' room was also beside the corridor, with inward-tapering firing ports built into it.
If enemies attacked, the guards could set up crossbows or bows at any time and fire outside through the firing ports.
Even if something happened inside the stronghold, they could immediately break away and come to Shen Mu's side to protect him.
"Not bad." Shen Mu inspected them one by one. When he looked at his own room, which was roughly ten square meters, a smile appeared on his face.
At last, he no longer had to squeeze in with everyone else. Even sleeping had felt somewhat suffocating before. This was quite nice.
Moreover, a torch had been placed along the walls inside the stronghold's square tower every four or five meters for illumination.
This ensured there was no complete darkness anywhere in the building.
"Still, the inside of this square tower seems rather like the Wheat Field." Shen Mu came to the wooden stairs on the Second Floor.
He turned his head to look at the relatively dim light, his expression thoughtful.
There was indeed darkness inside this Stronghold Main House.
But it was normal darkness.
It was not the absolute, pitch-black darkness filled with Necromantic Rules—a darkness from which there was no escape, one that could freeze even the soul and drag one into eternal ruin.
"Darkness that hasn't been contaminated by Necromantic Rules." Shen Mu thoughtfully looked at the dim Second Floor under the light of several torches, as well as the narrow windows on the Second Floor blocked by Wooden Boards.
Removing the Wooden Boards would reveal the truly deep darkness beyond the narrow windows, along with gray mist that seemed to flow like solid matter.
Shen Mu understood that once morning came, this would be the southeast corner of the apartment building, the end unit where his former apartment room had been located.
He would be able to see many residential compounds outside, as well as shopping malls and neatly arranged suburban roads.
Of course, right now—
There was only darkness shrouded by Necromantic Rules.
"And the third floor." Shen Mu stood at the stairwell and looked up at the third floor, or rather, the top of the tower.
He frowned slightly.
Stepping on the creaking wooden stairs, Shen Mu held the railing and made his way to the top of the tower.
Shen Mu could now confirm that there was a boundary line roughly three meters high atop the empty tower.
Below three meters was normal darkness.
There was only dim light.
There was no gray mist.
Above three meters, however, was directly the darkness of the Necromantic Rules, filled with dense gray mist swirling overhead.
It carried waves of chilling cold. Even Shen Mu, standing atop the tower in three layers—a Cotton Robe, Chainmail, and a Linen Robe—felt his heart palpitate from the cold.
Physical cold, and the chill on the Soul Level.
"And the corridor." At that moment, Shen Mu came to the edge of the tower top and saw the corridor below through the crenellations.
Perhaps due to the tower's influence, he could faintly make out the outline of a narrow, pitch-black corridor.
There was still some thin gray mist drifting through it.
But compared with the gray mist elsewhere, it was incomparably thinner.
It was so thin that Shen Mu could even see two or three Undead Monsters swaying about in the sparse mist, wandering aimlessly as if blind, their ghostly blue Soul Fire extremely conspicuous!
Of course, once they were ten or so meters away, he could no longer see clearly.
The power of the gray mist and darkness returned to normal.
"It should be because of the light coming from the firing ports." Shen Mu thoughtfully lowered his head and looked at the faint light on the first and second floors.
Even the faintest light weakened the Necromantic Rules.
"Let's go back."
Shen Mu returned to the first floor by the stairs.
At that moment, the Swadian Footmen were also curiously examining this tower in the typical style of Swadian civilization, their eyes filled with excitement.
Nothing was more delightful than seeing something from their homeland again in another world.
That included the Swadian Peasants.
They also pulled aside the Cloth Curtain leading toward the Wheat Field, poking their heads through to curiously inspect the newly appeared square tower.
"Oh, right. There are also these Swadian Soldiers' upgrades."
Shen Mu connected his thoughts to the system.
A dialogue box immediately popped up.
You have soldiers who can be upgraded: ① Swadian Peasants ×20, can be upgraded to 'Mercenary Sentinel (10 Denars per person)/Swadian Recruits (5 Denars per person).' ② Swadian Militia ×5, can be upgraded to 'Swadian Footman (20 Denars per person).'
"Upgrade all the militia into Footmen."
Shen Mu made the decision directly.
As for those peasants, he hesitated slightly.
Under the Mount & Blade Rules, peasants, as Tier 0 Units, generally followed the upgrade path of becoming Tier 2 Unit Mercenary Sentinels, with subsequent upgrades all belonging to the Mercenary Faction.
But now, due to the fusion of various Mount & Blade versions, there was also an upgrade route based on the peasants' original birthplace—the Kingdom Faction troop line.
"Peasants upgraded into Mercenary Sentinels are similar to Tier 2 Swadian Militia. They have Light Crossbows and spears, and their combat power is roughly equal."
"Mercenary Sentinels can then be upgraded into the ranged Mercenary Crossbowmen or the cavalry-type Caravan Guards."
"After that, Caravan Guards can be upgraded into the cavalry-type Mercenary Riders and Mercenary Cavalry, as well as the infantry-type Mercenary Swordsmen and Professional Warriors."
Shen Mu pondered.
He was quite familiar with the mercenary troop line for peasants.
Low-Tier Troops such as Mercenary Sentinels and Mercenary Crossbowmen, Caravan Guards and Mercenary Riders, were all fairly useful.
The key was that their upgrades were cheap, their upkeep costs were low, and they required little Experience Points.
They could quickly become a fighting force.
But the higher they were upgraded, the worse their combat effectiveness became. They could not compare with the Kingdom Faction troop lines or the Slaver Faction troops.
In other words, the higher they were upgraded, the lower their cost-effectiveness became.
"But if I remember correctly, Mercenary Sentinels, as Tier 2 Units like Swadian Militia, don't use Hunting Crossbows. They use the more powerful Light Crossbows."
Shen Mu rubbed his chin. "And their use of crossbows is considerably stronger than that of Swadian Militia."
Among crossbow-wielding ranged soldiers, the crossbows they carried were, from lowest to highest: Hunting Crossbows, Light Crossbows, War Crossbows, heavy crossbows, and Sniper Crossbows, which only Rhodok Sharpshooters could equip.
There were five tiers in total.
The higher the crossbow's tier, the greater its power.
That was why Shen Mu had hesitated.
After all, upgrading peasants into Mercenary Faction Mercenary Sentinels meant directly skipping Tier 1 Troops and reaching the level of Tier 2 Units.
It was indeed a major boost to his combat strength.
Even Mercenary Crossbowmen at Tier 3 were considerably more effective than Swadian Skirmishers, who were also Tier 3.
It was just that Mercenary Faction ranged troops stopped at Tier 3 Mercenary Crossbowmen.
There was no subsequent upgrade path.
However, if Shen Mu wanted, he could also upgrade Tier 2 Mercenary Sentinels into Caravan Guards starting from Tier 3.
They had packhorses, wore cotton armor, and carried spears, Combat Hoes, simple round shields, and long-handled cleavers.
Though their combat strength was still relatively poor among cavalry troops—
They became cavalry as early as Tier 3.
Among troops of the same tier, only the Khergit Khanate, that nation of horsemen, could field cavalry at Tier 3.
"There are enough melee troops now. What we truly lack are ranged troops."
Shen Mu made up his mind. "Then upgrade ten into Mercenary Sentinels and ten into Swadian Recruits."
A fifty-fifty split.
Ding! You consumed 350 Denars and completed the upgrades.
'Buzz!'
Data Streams surged from Shen Mu's brow.
They then enveloped all five Swadian Militia and twenty Swadian Peasants, beginning the upgrades.
The light quickly faded.
Five Swadian Footmen appeared, clad in Chainmail and holding Sword and Shield.
Ten Swadian Recruits also appeared, wearing coarse Linen Robes and carrying Long-handled Sickles, looking slightly sturdier than before.
But the most eye-catching were the ten Mercenary Sentinels. They wore Leather Caps, Cotton Robes, and short leather-sleeved coats, with simple round shields on their backs. They carried Light Crossbows and were equipped with spiked maces and spears nearly two meters long, looking quite capable.
They could be said to be the most cost-effective and reliable Tier 2 Units in the Mercenary Faction troop line of the Warband setting!
"Greetings, Lord Shen Mu!"
These newly upgraded soldiers all stepped forward and respectfully saluted Shen Mu.
"Mm." Shen Mu raised a hand, a bright smile on his lips. "Very good."
With these ten Mercenary Sentinels, the three firing positions in this square tower now had Ranged Shooters to station there.
Shen Mu was thoroughly satisfied.
But just then, Shen Mu's heart stirred slightly.
Ding! A group of robbers from 'Dhirim' has quietly arrived at your stronghold and recognized your 'Robber Rendezvous Point.' You may now conduct Black Market Trade or fence stolen goods with them.
Before you continue