Subdued Halflings

So, when Shen Mu came down the spiral staircase from the tower, his soldiers had already returned to the castle.

Fifteen Swadian Footmen stood in the front row, behind them were the thirty Swadian Footmen, and next to them were the ten Lake Rats Veteran Thugs. At this moment, they were all puffing out their chests, looking arrogant and proud like they had won a battle.

This made Shen Mu a little confused.

Especially looking at the approximately 5-meter high, stone-built dome in front of him, as well as the spacious castle hall, and the already opened castle main gate made of four-finger wide wood and iron nails, his expression was strange.

These buildings were indeed modified by him using the Magic Ball Modifier.

But it was also the first time he had seen them.

Especially this spacious castle main body, which covered half an acre, compared to the stronghold main house which was only about 50 square meters, the difference was like heaven and earth.

"This is really good." Of course, when Shen Mu entered the castle hall and looked up at the magnificent building, he couldn't help but nod.

"Greetings to you! Lord Shen Mu!"

And just as Shen Mu came over, these chest-puffed Mount & Blade Soldiers all heavily hammered their chests with their hands, respectfully and boldly saluting Shen Mu.

"Mm." Shen Mu nodded. He naturally knew that these soldiers had won a battle, so he praised them, "Well done."

"Everything for the glory you bestowed upon us!"

These Mount & Blade Soldiers responded again.

Their faces were flushed with excitement.

To receive praise from Shen Mu was the greatest honor for them.

Shen Mu understood this.

Because right before his retina, the post-battle settlement dialog box from the Mount & Blade System had just disappeared.

[Ding! Congratulations! You and your subordinates fought bravely and successfully routed the enemy in a short time!]
[You have achieved a perfect Great Victory!]
[Based on the perfect battle evaluation! You have obtained 'Silver Tier Treasure Chest' ×1.]
[You have soldiers who can be upgraded.]

"Another Silver Tier Treasure Chest. In that case, I have two treasure chests waiting to be opened."

Shen Mu glanced at the dialog box.

However, what he cared about more was the dense list of soldiers who could be upgraded, which had been omitted at the end.

It also included the list of peasants and robbers who had come out of the Spiritual Realm Scene and were waiting for subsequent upgrades.

[You have soldiers who can be upgraded:]
[① Swadian Peasants ×50, can be upgraded to 'Mercenary Sentinel (10 Denar per person) / Swadian Recruits (5 Denar per person)'.]
[② Mercenary Sentinel ×10, can be upgraded to 'Mercenary Crossbowman (50 Denar per person)'.]
[③ Robbers ×25, can be upgraded to 'Outlaw Bandit (20 Denar per person) / Lake Rats Recruit (20 Denar per person and requires Lake Rats Training Camp)'.]
[④ Swadian Footmen ×30, can be upgraded to 'Swadian Footman (100 Denar per person) / Swadian Heavy Cavalry (100 Denar per person)'.]

"After these two battles, my strength has really increased greatly." Shen Mu looked at the content in the dialog box, and the smile on his face did not disappear.

However, the smile on his face stiffened for a moment, and Shen Mu also realized that if he were to upgrade these hundreds of soldiers...

The amount of Denar needed would be terrifying!

At least the less than a thousand Denar stored in the storage room of Shen Mu's current stronghold main house would not be enough.

"This is extremely awkward." Shen Mu felt helpless.

Lack of an effective way to obtain Denar was one of the problems he was currently facing.

The only thing he could rely on now was Narot, the robber who came from a bankrupt merchant family, who had already left and hadn't returned yet.

"I wonder when he'll be back." Shen Mu missed him.

Shen Mu shook his head and didn't think too much about it.

Instead, he looked up.

He saw the guests standing foolishly in front of the two castle main gates, which were not only extremely thick but also 3 meters high.

His ally, collaborator, and Liu Na, who had obtained the Spiritual Realm Druid profession.

And her 12 Halfling followers.

"Let them come over."

Shen Mu raised his chin, signaling to the soldiers who were still standing there waiting for orders.

"Understood." A Lake Rats Veteran Thug responded, then turned around and, while saying "please," also monitored Liu Na and the 12 nervous and clearly frightened Halflings, and invited them to Shen Mu's presence.

Shen Mu knew that Liu Na and her Halflings were probably affected when he used the Magic Ball to modify the terrain.

Then they just happened to arrive at the castle gate and also discovered Shen Mu's secret.

But it didn't matter.

Now that he knew his secret, Shen Mu looked at the female druid whose small face was still pale, and the Halflings beside her, who were known for their diligence and dexterity. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth:

"I think I can safely entrust the wheat field on the seventh floor to this druid and these Halflings."

Shen Mu didn't want to let these ready-made laborers escape.

Moreover, the other party already knew his secret.

"Greetings, Lord Shen Mu..."

Liu Na walked over tremblingly, followed by the Halfling Elder Polo, who also had an extremely astonished look in his eyes, staring at the castle and Shen Mu, his face full of surprise and awe.

His attitude towards Shen Mu was also more respectful and fearful.

"Mm." Shen Mu came to the head of the Castle Hall at this time and sat down on the only Lord's stone stool.

It was as if he were a true noble receiving visiting guests.

And Liu Na, who was always socially anxious, and the Halflings, who were originally from the Spiritual Realm, didn't feel that anything was wrong.

After the changes in the apartment floors, the sudden appearance of the castle, and Shen Mu's elite soldiers easily defeating the attacking bandits, these Halflings and Liu Na truly regarded Shen Mu as a high and mighty controller.

Psychologically, they also placed themselves in a disadvantaged position.

Of course, this was indeed the case.

"I have two wheat fields, about two mu of land, and I really need your help to look after and cultivate them."

Shen Mu spoke directly at this time.

Looking at these obviously intimidated Halflings, he finally turned his gaze to the Halfling Elder Polo, reached out and pointed at the armrest of the chair, which was also carved from stone, and said lightly:

"To show my gratitude to you, I will provide daily food and safe protection, as well as fulfill any reasonable requests you make that are within my ability."

Shen Mu was not asking a question, nor was he discussing.

In response, Elder Polo, who was nominally a follower but in reality had always been the decision-maker for Liu Na, just smiled bitterly.

Then, looking at Liu Na, who was still bewildered and didn't understand what he meant, and the young Halflings beside her, who still looked panicked, he pursed his lips and took half a step forward, respectfully placing his hand on his chest and nodding:

"It is our honor, Lord Shen Mu."

He knew very well.

This was not a multiple-choice question.

"Mm, a wise choice." Shen Mu nodded, then instructed the Swadian Footmen beside him: "Escort them to the Stronghold Main House on the seventh floor. They can rest there for now, and they can move freely within the seventh floor."

"Understood!" Immediately, 10 Swadian Footmen stepped out of the ranks and began to carry out the order.

Halfling Elder Polo pulled Liu Na's hand, sighed, and without saying anything, walked with these soldiers wearing chainmail, carrying longswords and fan shields, towards the corner of the Castle Hall, where the Tower with the Spiral Staircase was located.

At least in Polo's heart, pledging allegiance to someone who possessed a Lord Mark and had become a Lord was a good thing.

Walking up the half-meter wide Spiral Staircase.

Polo reached out and touched the thick wooden stair treads and the hard stones beside them. A few more surprises appeared on his furry face:

"This texture, this craftsmanship, it doesn't look like a typical border territory's shoddy, hastily built simple castle. It's more like the kind of castle tower in a kingdom territory that took decades of painstaking effort to build after a family poured their heart and soul into it."

He had also traveled to human kingdoms before.

He was well-informed.

Looking ahead, he saw the soldiers wearing iron helmets, cotton robes with a layer of chainmail over them. Whether it was the longsword at their waist, the fan shield on their left arm, or the spear in their right hand, they all showed signs of Standardized Equipment.

At this moment, Polo was even more thoughtful:

"It seems that what Lord Shen Mu has obtained is the inheritance of a Lord from a wealthy kingdom territory!"

That was truly good.

At least if it developed, it would have the strength to contend with Undead Monsters or ill-intentioned bad guys.

It could absolutely protect them, the Halflings, and Liu Na, whom he regarded as his daughter.