A Lively Territory

"There are [100] Lizardfolk, including [30] Shortbowmen and [50] Lizardfolk Spearmen, along with over [20] Lizardfolk Warriors left in that Lizardfolk camp. That's the minimum number required to defend the camp and ensure hunting, and we also need to rely on them to transport food to the bunker," Avina reported to Landen, holding a thick notebook and speaking with utmost seriousness.

The notebook was originally her alchemy and magic notes, but since she became Landen's steward and scribe, it had taken on a new function.

"However, there are still some issues. The number of rooms in the bunker is no longer sufficient. This problem already existed when Miss Vivian visited, but her troops were only temporarily stationed, so it wasn't a major issue. But now, these Lizardfolk are going to live here long-term, so this problem must be resolved."

"Is it completely full?" Landen asked.

"Not entirely. If each Lizardfolk were to occupy one room, they could barely fit, although it would take up two storage rooms. But the Lizardfolk themselves are quite large, and having one person per room is already very cramped, and it could easily lead to hygiene problems..."

"Let's allocate them like that for now," Landen interrupted Avina. "As for the hygiene issue, they can solve it by swimming in the Blackwater River every day. As for the room shortage, it should be resolved soon."

"Huh? Sir, do you already have a solution?" Avina asked curiously.

Landen shrugged and didn't answer. It wasn't that he was pretending; he actually didn't know the specific solution. Based on experience, if the territory could be upgraded, the Lord's Mansion would naturally expand. As for how it would expand, he didn't know.

Yes, Landen was pinning his hopes on the territory upgrade. Reaching the required Territory Prosperity seemed a bit far-fetched for a territory that currently only had Prosperity, but it wasn't actually that difficult to achieve. After all, with the Heart of the City, the soil quality in the entire Yumaas Region had significantly improved. As long as Landen could reclaim enough land and he possessed skills like All Things Grow, it was indeed possible to push the Territory Prosperity to the required level in a short period.

"Speaking of which, your territory is really strange, Sir," Avina said. After the previous events, Avina seemed to have developed a strange sense of trust in Landen. Hearing him say he could solve the problem, she immediately stopped worrying about it. The reports were finished, but for some reason, the young lady didn't want to leave just yet, so she thought for a moment and came up with this topic.

"Strange, what do you mean?" Landen asked curiously.

"Look at the territories in the Surface World. They are often centered around the Lord's Castle, forming the largest town within the territory, with over half of the territory's inhabitants living in that town. The remaining inhabitants, even if they don't gather there, also congregate in various settlements, forming small and large communities."

"It's even more so in the Underworld. Most of the races in the Underworld are mixed together, unlike the Surface World where almost all races live separately, like Human Kingdoms, Orc Kingdoms, or Elf Kingdoms. However, even so, territories in the Underworld are basically centered around cities."

"Most of the inhabitants in that territory, especially the higher races like Dark Elves, Dark Dwarves, Lizardfolk, and even Hobgoblins and Goblins, mostly live in the cities that rule the territory. Those who leave the cities to live outside are either races that are almost not ruled by anyone, like Mind Flayers, or some wild races."

"But your territory is completely different. All the inhabitants remain where they originally lived after being conquered. And your Lord's Mansion has always been isolated like this, with only you and your subordinates living there. It doesn't feel like a settlement at all. This feeling is really strange."

You think I want it this way!

Landen rolled his eyes speechlessly.

The territories Avina mentioned were fully developed territories with a ruling class, a higher inhabitant class, a common inhabitant class, and a slave class. Various races gathered in a city, playing completely different roles and identities, thus forming a complete territory.

However, Landen's situation was completely different. Before he came here, this was just a wild land. He was forcibly appointed as a so-called Lord, but that didn't change the composition of this place. It was called a territory, but in reality, it was a wild land.

And even now, although he had conquered most of the races here, the situation hadn't changed much. Because there were still only two tiers: the ruling class, which was Landen, and arguably Hogg and Avina, and then the entire common inhabitant class. The essential components of a territory, such as higher inhabitants, nobles, or slaves, were still missing.

Furthermore, the terrain around the bunker wasn't good. Most of it was rocky mountains, and these rocky mountains didn't produce any special resources. Such a place had no potential to form a settlement, let alone a city.

However...

"It should be resolved soon," Landen murmured.

Avina seemed to want to say something more when there was a rapid knocking sound. Landen responded, and the stone door was pushed open. Little Lari quickly entered and said in a deep voice, "Lord, we've found some traces near the bunker. It seems someone is spying on this place."

"Oh?" Landen was startled. He lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, "It's probably similar to the origin of that Death Warrior before. Don't worry about him. If he dares to infiltrate the bunker, Miss Lilith will take care of him. By the way, have you checked on those crops in a few days? Let's go take a look."

In the days since returning from the Lizardfolk camp, Landen hadn't immediately let Hogg start planting. Instead, he sent her to Magra Cave to train the [20] Bear Hobgoblins. Although her Planting Technique level was high, she couldn't carry out large-scale planting alone, so the number of farmers was crucial.

The group set off immediately. Landen, along with Avina, Kazvito, and the Lari Brothers, escorted by [10] Lizardfolk Spearmen, headed to the location of the experimental field.

As soon as they arrived, Ibaka, who was responsible for taking turns watching the fields, came forward and reported in a slightly anxious voice, "Lord, unidentified individuals have appeared near the fields these past few days!"

"Here too?" Landen was startled, then gave a wry smile. "Why do I feel like my territory has suddenly become very lively?"