Seeing their names, Cao Xing's mouth twitched again.
They were all flower names, and they did sound nice.
But Cao Xing felt that these names were too elegant and didn't suit his style.
So he pointed directly at one of the women and said, "From today onward, your name is Big Flower."
"And the others will be called Second Flower and Third Flower."
The three human women knelt again and said respectfully, "Thank you for naming us, kind Lord."
You have successfully named resident: Big Flower. Loyalty has increased. Current loyalty: 75 You have successfully named resident: Second Flower. Loyalty has increased. Current loyalty: 73
Cao Xing glanced at their attributes.
Resident: Big Flower Level: 1 Attributes: Strength 3, Agility 2, Spirit 3, Constitution 3 Talent: None Loyalty: 75 Hunger: 41 Resident: Second Flower Level: 1 Attributes: Strength 3, Agility 3, Spirit 2, Constitution 2 Talent: None Loyalty: 73 Hunger: 37
All three of them had fairly high loyalty, though their hunger levels were a little low.
It was clear that they really hadn't eaten in a long time.
So Cao Xing said, "Go start a fire and cook something first. Get some food in yourselves. We haven't built a dining hall yet, so the stove is inside the Lord's Hut."
The three of them immediately nodded respectfully.
"Yes, Lord."
After they left, Cao Xing continued thinking beside the bonfire.
These newly recruited people needed small shelters where they could rest at night.
Then he also needed to build a proper dining hall for the residents to eat in.
But whether he was constructing or upgrading buildings, both required a great deal of time.
Cao Xing looked at the eight busy Polar People and sighed. "We still don't have enough hands..."
"If we had more people, we could divide up the work and greatly speed up the territory's development."
"Is there any way for me to recruit more people?"
Cao Xing couldn't help recalling his experience playing games on the tablet before.
There,
the game characters faced the same problem of being short-handed.
However, there were several solutions in the game.
First, once the territory reached a certain level and gained enough prestige in the surrounding area, nearby tribal residents or drifters would take the initiative to join.
Second, one could send out troops to wander around like Assam, with a chance of bringing back some manpower from the wilderness.
Third, one could visit taverns in the cities, villages, or towns of this world and pay a certain reward to recruit NPCs with special abilities.
Fourth, one could directly wage war against nearby tribal residents and force them to submit.
In short, there were many methods, not limited to those above.
But clearly, none of these methods suited Cao Xing at the moment.
Just then, after the three new residents had eaten their fill, they brought Cao Xing some news.
Upon hearing it, Cao Xing's expression immediately brightened.
He looked at Big Flower and asked, "You mean you escaped from the camp of a group of hunters?"
"And that camp is still holding many humans captive?"
Big Flower nodded. "Yes, Lord. Those hunters are extremely vicious, practically devoid of humanity!"
"Many of our companions have already fallen victim to them."
"If possible, I hope Lord can lend us a hand and save them!"
At that, Big Flower knelt on the ground, her voice full of pleading.
Cao Xing was in desperate need of manpower right now.
Upon hearing this information, he nearly wanted to take action immediately.
But he quickly suppressed his excitement and helped Big Flower up.
"How many hunters are there? Do you know how strong they are?"
Big Flower had lived amid ice and snow all year round. A trace of recollection appeared on her pale, Western-featured face.
Then she said respectfully, "Lord, there are roughly twenty to thirty hunters in that group."
"Most of those hunters feel about as strong as you, Lord."
Cao Xing considered it for a moment, then nodded.
He was currently a level 3 Frost Mage. In other words, those hunters were around level 3 to level 5.
After speaking, Big Flower added, "Aside from the ordinary hunters, they have two squad leaders who are slightly stronger than this Snakefolk lady."
"Besides them, there is one strongest captain whose aura is about the same as Mr. Assam's frost wolf."
It was clear that Big Flower was intelligent and highly articulate.
Through her description, Cao Xing already understood the strength of that group of hunters.
One level 10 hunter, two hunters above level 5, plus over twenty hunters below level 5.
If he only had his previous strength, he might not have been able to deal with them.
But now that Assam had advanced into a second-tier creature, and Cao Xing also had an Icefield Druid recruitment scroll, dealing with those hunters would be no problem at all.
Moreover, those hunters were said to have some treasures hidden away...
Clearly, Cao Xing was tempted.
Assam had also seen through Cao Xing's thoughts.
"Lord, the location Big Flower mentioned is about seven kilometers from the camp."
"At our speed, it should take roughly an hour and a half to get there."
Cao Xing nodded.
Traveling through the snow was slow to begin with, and an hour and a half was still acceptable. At the very least, they could definitely return before nightfall.
Liu Muxue, who was standing nearby, said softly, "A-Xing, I'll go with you too."
Cao Xing nodded. "All right."
After saying that, Cao Xing gave her the Black Iron Plate Armor (Green) and the Aurora Blessing skill book.
Looking at the equipment and skill book in her hands,
Liu Muxue gave Cao Xing another grateful look.
Of course, she knew how important this equipment and skill book were at the current stage.
Liu Muxue said nothing more. She silently learned the skill book, then put on the armor.
Cao Xing looked over.
Liu Muxue now wore black armor over her upper body, while her lower body was bare, exposing her long legs beneath a thick wolfskin coat.
It's dozens of degrees below zero, and she's still showing her legs. Even with my brain turned off, I can barely take this.
The outfit had a rather suggestive style.
Cao Xing himself also learned Ice Spike, then took out the Icefield Druid recruitment scroll.
A system prompt appeared.
Consume the Icefield Druid recruitment scroll to recruit a Druid with the strength of a level 15 elite? Icefield Druid population cost: 3
Cao Xing directly selected "Yes."
At the same time,
a hexagram formation five meters in diameter, even larger than the previous one, appeared before Cao Xing.
Blinding waves of light erupted from within the hexagram formation.
Then, a powerful and ancient aura emerged.
Through the curtain of light, Cao Xing could see a humanoid creature standing two and a half meters tall with a robust build.
It stood there without moving, yet it gave off a terrifying pressure.
After the curtain of light dispersed, everyone finally saw its full appearance.
It was a human-shaped creature covered in snow-white mane, with sharp bear claws and thick, powerful limbs.
Yet its fur-covered face held an expression of devotion.
Then he placed his right hand over his chest and bowed slightly. "The power of nature shall guide me onward."
"Guardian Andrew, reporting to you."
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