So, after Shen Mu came down the tower's spiral staircase, the soldiers under his command had already returned to the castle.
Fifteen Swadian Footmen stood in the front row, with thirty Swadian Light Footmen behind them and ten Lake Rats Veteran Thugs beside them. All of them had their chests puffed out, wearing the arrogant air of victors fresh from battle.
Shen Mu was momentarily dumbfounded by the sight.
Especially when he looked at the roughly five-meter-high stone dome before him, the spacious Castle Hall, and the open castle gates made from four-finger-thick timber and iron nails, his expression turned strange.
He had indeed used the Magic Ball Modifier to alter these buildings.
But this was also the first time he had seen them.
Especially this spacious castle, which covered nearly half a mu. Compared to the Stronghold Main House that was barely fifty square meters, the difference was like heaven and earth.
"Not bad at all." Shen Mu could not help nodding as he entered the Castle Hall and looked up at the magnificent structure.
"Salutations, Lord Shen Mu!"
As Shen Mu approached, the Mount & Blade soldiers standing proudly slammed their fists against their chests and greeted him with respect and boldness.
"Mm." Shen Mu nodded. Naturally, he knew these soldiers had won a battle, so he praised them. "Well done."
"All for the glory you have bestowed upon us!"
The Mount & Blade soldiers responded once more.
Their faces were flushed with excitement.
To receive Shen Mu's praise was the greatest honor imaginable to them.
Shen Mu understood that as well.
Because the post-battle settlement dialogue box from the Mount & Blade System had only just faded from his vision.
Ding! Congratulations! You and your subordinates fought bravely and successfully defeated the enemy in a short time! You have achieved a perfect, overwhelming victory! Based on the battle's perfect rating! You have obtained a 'Silver Tier Treasure Chest' ×1. You have soldiers available for promotion.
"Another Silver Tier Treasure Chest. That means I now have two treasure chests waiting to be opened."
Shen Mu glanced at the dialogue box.
But what he cared about more was the densely packed list of soldiers available for promotion, which had been omitted at the end.
It also included the list of peasants and bandits awaiting further promotion after leaving the Spiritual Realm Scene.
You have soldiers available for promotion: ① Swadian Peasants ×50, can be promoted to 'Mercenary Sentinel (10 Denars per person)/Swadian Recruits (5 Denars per person)'. ② Mercenary Sentinels ×10, can be promoted to 'Mercenary Crossbowman (50 Denars per person)'. ③ Bandits ×25, can be promoted to 'Outlaw Bandit (20 Denars per person)/Lake Rats Recruit (20 Denars per person and requires Lake Rats Training Camp)'. ④ Swadian Light Footmen ×30, can be promoted to 'Swadian Footman (100 Denars per person)/Swadian Heavy Cavalry (100 Denars per person)'.
"After these two battles, my strength has really increased considerably." Shen Mu's smile did not fade as he read the contents of the dialogue box.
Then his smile stiffened slightly as Shen Mu realized that if he truly promoted all these hundred-plus soldiers...
The number of Denars required would be terrifying!
At the very least, the fewer than one thousand Denars currently stored in the storage room of Shen Mu's Stronghold Main House would not be enough.
"This is incredibly awkward." Shen Mu felt helpless.
The lack of an effective way to acquire Denars was one of the problems he currently faced.
The only person he could rely on now...
Was Narot, the bandit who had once been a bankrupt merchant and had yet to return.
"I wonder when he'll be back." Shen Mu found himself missing him.
Shen Mu shook his head and stopped dwelling on it.
Instead, he raised his head.
He saw the guests standing foolishly before the two extremely heavy, three-meter-tall Castle Main Gates.
His ally and partner, Liu Na, who had obtained the Spiritual Realm Druid profession.
And her twelve Halfling Followers.
"Bring them over."
Shen Mu lifted his chin, signaling to the soldiers still standing beside him awaiting orders.
"Understood." A Lake Rats Veteran Thug answered, then turned around and escorted Liu Na and the twelve frightened Halflings, who were clearly scared out of their wits, before Shen Mu. It was more like surveillance than an invitation.
Shen Mu knew that Liu Na and her Halflings had probably been caught up in the effects when he used the Magic Ball Modifier to reshape the terrain.
That was why they had happened to arrive before the castle gates and discovered Shen Mu's secret.
But it did not matter.
Since they already knew his secret, Shen Mu looked at the pale-faced female Druid and the Halflings beside her, who were renowned for their diligence and dexterity, and smiled.
"I think I can safely entrust the Wheat Field on the seventh floor to this Druid and these Halflings."
Shen Mu had no intention of letting such ready-made labor slip away.
Especially since they already knew his secret.
"Greetings, Lord Shen Mu..."
Liu Na walked over trembling, followed by Polo, the Halfling Elder. His eyes were equally wide with shock as he looked at the castle and Shen Mu, his face filled with surprise and awe.
Their attitude toward Shen Mu had become even more respectful and fearful.
"Mm." Shen Mu walked to the head of the Castle Hall and sat on the only stone lord's chair.
He looked exactly like a true noble receiving visiting guests.
And Liu Na, who had always been socially anxious, along with the Halflings who had originally come from the Spiritual Realm, did not feel that anything was amiss.
After the changes to the Apartment Building floors, the sudden appearance of the castle, and Shen Mu's elite soldiers effortlessly crushing the attacking bandits, these Halflings and Liu Na truly regarded Shen Mu as a lofty ruler.
Psychologically, they had placed themselves in a disadvantaged position.
And in truth, that was indeed the case.
"I have two Wheat Fields, about two mu of land in total, and I need you to help tend and cultivate them."
Shen Mu spoke directly.
Looking at the clearly intimidated Halflings, he finally turned his gaze toward Polo, the Halfling Elder, and lightly tapped the stone-carved armrest beside him.
"To show my appreciation, I will provide daily meals and protection, as well as any reasonable requests you make that are within my power to fulfill."
Shen Mu was not asking a question, much less opening a discussion.
Polo, who was nominally a Follower but had actually always been the one making decisions for Liu Na, merely gave a bitter smile.
Then, looking at Liu Na beside him, who still seemed dazed and did not understand what this meant, as well as the young Halflings nearby whose faces still showed panic, he pursed his lips. In the end, he stepped half a pace forward, placed a hand over his chest, and nodded respectfully.
"It is our honor, Lord Shen Mu."
He understood clearly.
This was not a choice.
"Mm, a wise choice." Shen Mu nodded, then ordered the Swadian Light Footmen beside him, "Escort them to the Stronghold Main House on the seventh floor. They can rest there from now on and move freely within the seventh-floor area."
"Understood!" Ten Swadian Light Footmen immediately stepped out of the formation and began carrying out the order.
Polo, the Halfling Elder, tugged at Liu Na's hand and sighed. Without saying anything, he followed the soldiers wearing Chainmail, carrying longswords and Fan Shields, toward the tower with the spiral staircase in the corner of the Castle Hall.
At least in Polo's heart, pledging themselves to someone who possessed a Lord Mark and had become a lord was not a bad thing.
Walking up the half-meter-wide spiral staircase.
Polo reached out and touched the heavy wooden stair boards and the hard stone blocks beside them. A trace of surprise appeared on his furry face.
"The material, the workmanship... this does not look like some shabby, hastily built simple castle in an ordinary frontier territory. It is more like a castle tower in a kingdom territory, painstakingly built over decades after a family poured its heart and soul into it."
He had once traveled through human kingdoms.
He had seen much of the world.
Then he looked ahead at the soldiers wearing iron helmets, Cotton Robes beneath a layer of Chainmail. Whether it was the longswords at their waists, the Fan Shields on their left arms, or the spears in their right hands, he could see the traces of Standardized Equipment.
Polo became even more thoughtful.
"It seems that what Lord Shen Mu received was the Lord Inheritance of a prosperous kingdom territory!"
That was truly not bad.
At the very least, once they developed, they would have the strength to contend against Undead Monsters or ill-intentioned villains.
They would be able to keep these Halflings, and Liu Na, whom he regarded as his own daughter, absolutely safe.
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