Deen and Ariel were talented administrators Loren had stumbled upon by chance on his way back to Gray Eagle Territory. The system's evaluations of them had been exceptionally high.
Ariel in particular. Even Fiana, a Platinum-grade powerhouse, hadn't received the evaluation "genius."
That shy girl's standing in his eyes had soared as a result.
Afterward, he'd made a point of carefully searching among the slaves.
But the results hadn't been what he'd hoped for. Aside from a few slaves with some skill, such as blacksmiths and carpenters, everyone else had been rated as nothing more than ordinary people.
That only made him appreciate Deen and his daughter, Ariel, all the more.
So he summoned them every day to talk.
Deen had been through a lot and had plenty of life experience. He was a seasoned old hand, careful with his words and never offending anyone.
Ariel, on the other hand, had been protected too well by Deen. She hardly seemed like a girl who'd been through slavery at all—she was remarkably naïve and innocent.
Her talent was greater, but she still needed more guidance.
Thinking this over, Loren looked at the two of them and spoke slowly.
"I'll be establishing a City Hall soon.
"When the time comes, Deen, I'll appoint you and Ariel as the first officials, to help me manage the territory."
Deen's heart lurched. He almost jumped, unable to hide his delight, but a moment later, his expression stiffened.
His eyes grew conflicted.
He was no more than an ordinary slave. Becoming an official of Gray Eagle Territory meant joining the ruling class and escaping the miserable fate of being exploited.
There was no need to think twice about choosing between remaining a slave and becoming someone important.
What troubled him was that Loren hadn't done this for his sake.
He watched Ariel smile and felt as if his precious treasure had been snatched away.
"Ding! Quest triggered: Establish a City Hall.
"No well-developed territory can do without an administrative system. Please establish a City Hall and appoint at least five officials within ten days.
"Quest reward: Papermaking Technology."
"Ding! Quest triggered: Rebuild the Arrow Tower.
"The Arrow Tower is the territory's most powerful defensive weapon and its enemies' most terrifying nightmare. The unusable Arrow Tower needs to be repaired.
"Please restore the Arrow Tower to working order within ten days.
"Quest reward: Elemental Tower Construction Blueprint."
Loren's face brightened. Another quest had been triggered?
The reward for establishing a City Hall had nothing to do with combat strength, but it would greatly strengthen the territory's foundations.
Paper was an absolute luxury in this world. Very little was produced, and only nobles had the resources to afford it.
Even if he didn't use it himself, he could trade it. Gray Eagle Territory would have another source of income.
And the reward for rebuilding the Arrow Tower was even more impressive! An Elemental Tower Construction Blueprint. Just from the name, he could tell it had to be a legendary magical creation.
This was a world where Spellcasters stood at the top of the food chain. Anything connected to magic was bound to be extraordinary.
Loren could hardly contain his excitement as he imagined Gray Eagle Territory building a thousand mage towers, then blanketing its enemies with magic the moment they appeared.
His mood lifted considerably.
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Loren."
Ariel's voice rang out, soft as a nightingale's first song, and gratitude shone in her clear eyes.
Loren looked at the pretty, shy girl, his smile growing brighter.
"The future development of the territory will require all of us to work together.
"Ariel, I have high hopes for you. I expect a lot from you.
"I hope you'll prove even more useful and not disappoint me."
He didn't wait for the blushing girl, who didn't know how to respond, to say anything. Instead, he looked toward the old steward, Bohr, who had just returned from the back.
"Bohr, arrange two rooms on the second floor. From today on, Deen and Ariel will live in the manor."
He wasn't comfortable with the two of them living elsewhere. They were future core officials who would help him govern the territory.
Deen would be fine. He was a seasoned old hand and wouldn't suffer much. Besides, with that huge beard, no one would be interested in him even if they were into men.
Shy and innocent Ariel was different. She looked like an easy target.
He'd finally found a top-tier talent. If anything happened to her, it would break his heart.
Deen looked even more conflicted at those words. He wanted to say something, but when he saw Ariel's shy expression, he closed his mouth with a gloomy look.
Lord, could you be any more direct? I'm still right here!
You're arranging rooms for the two of them in your own manor. This is just too much.
But in the end, Deen didn't have the courage to refuse.
The choice between remaining a lowly slave at everyone's mercy and becoming someone important wasn't a difficult one.
Once Bohr had two maids take Deen and his daughter, Ariel, upstairs to choose their rooms, Loren finally relaxed.
He leaned back slightly in his chair and let out a long breath.
There was no hurry to establish a City Hall. He only needed to do it within ten days, and there were no prerequisites.
But he needed to hurry up and rebuild the Arrow Tower. It was a major undertaking.
The Elemental Tower Construction Blueprint it would reward him with was priceless. He couldn't afford to pass it up.
Besides, the Arrow Tower would be needed to support them against the terrifying Blood Moon at the end of the month.
Seeing how tired Loren looked, the old steward Bohr was quick to offer help.
"My lord, I'll have two maids come massage you and help you relax."
As soon as he said it, he turned to leave and call for them.
Loren's mouth twitched. So this was the life of a noble? You really knew me too well.
"Never mind. Maybe later.
"Bohr, have you finished taking stock of the warehouse supplies?"
Bohr turned around elegantly and nodded with a smile.
"My lord, the inventory is complete.
"Including the supplies you brought back in twenty wagons, we now have a total of forty tons of Blue Heart Fruit in storage.
"Based on one kilogram of food per person each day, that's enough to feed five hundred people for two and a half months."
People in this world were physically robust. One kilogram of food a day wasn't an exaggeration.
Blue Heart Fruit was a plant similar to potatoes. The farmland outside Decker City, where white flowers bloomed, was used to grow it.
It ripened every two months and could be planted year-round. It was the main food source in this world.
Crops such as wheat, which could be harvested twice a year, were also grown by some farmers, but most of the time, only nobles could afford to eat them.
Forty tons was forty thousand kilograms. At five hundred kilograms a day, it would last eighty days.
At least he wouldn't have to worry about food for the next month or two.
Loren felt reassured. Food was the foundation of everything. With food in hand, he had nothing to fear.
He silently opened the status panel.
Gray Eagle Territory Level: Village Lord: Loren Grant (View detailed attributes) Special Attribute: Level Up (Anyone who joins Gray Eagle Territory's army gains the ability to level up by killing monsters. Their maximum level depends on their bloodline potential; the greater their potential, the higher their level cap.) Defensive Buildings: 1 Black Iron Grade Arrow Tower (can be upgraded to a Bronze Grade Arrow Tower); 1 Wooden Wall (can be upgraded to a Grey Soil Wall) Life Buildings: Lord's Manor, Blacksmith Shop Residents: 110 + 67 (new slaves) Army: Barbarians (120): 1 Gold Grade, 12 Silver Grade, 107 Bronze Grade. Human Soldiers (40): 1 Silver Grade, 39 Bronze Grade. Kobolds (140): 9 Silver Grade, 131 Bronze Grade. Spellcasters: Kobold Bloodline Mage, 1 Silver Grade Soul Power: 1157 Evaluation: On the Endless Wasteland, only adventurers dreaming of becoming lords would establish such a crude territory. Perhaps by the next Bloody Day, this territory will no longer exist.
The territory's population had now reached 478. It was still weak, but it had grown considerably compared to a few days ago.
However, the barbarians were bottomless pits. Each could eat as much as two or three people, so the current food supply might last only sixty days instead of eighty.
Another thing worth mentioning was Soul Power, which he still didn't know what to do with. He'd accumulated more than a thousand points over the past few days.
After a quick calculation, Loren looked at Bohr, whose face was covered in wrinkles.
"Have someone keep a strict watch on the warehouse. No one is to enter or leave without my orders."
"As you wish, my lord."
"Has Kool, the guard commander, arrived?"
When he'd returned to the territory, he'd ordered all the soldiers to gather. Quite some time had passed since then.
"Sir Kool has led the guards to the manor entrance to await you."
"Good. Come with me."
He stood and headed outside with the old steward.
In front of the manor, on a wide expanse of withered yellow grass, the dispirited soldiers stood in a crooked, disorderly formation. Their armor was haphazardly fastened. They looked utterly incapable of fighting.
Kool, the guard commander, still had a wound on his forehead that hadn't healed. As soon as he saw Loren, he stepped forward and saluted with a fist to his chest.
"Lord Loren, the guard army has assembled. Please give your orders."
Loren stared at the soldiers standing in a loose, sloppy group below him, his brows furrowing.
In this state, they couldn't even beat a pack of kobolds, let alone withstand the terrifying Bloody Day.
Compared to the barbarians, these soldiers were far worse!
He had to change that!
His forces had grown considerably over the past few days, but as time passed, the pressure of the approaching Bloody Day weighed on him more and more.
On the last day of every month, terrifying creatures emerged from other planes under the light of the Blood Moon and began the most frenzied slaughter.
According to his predecessor's memories, those tireless, fearless, bloodthirsty monsters were a nightmare no one wanted to face.
Gray Eagle Territory hadn't survived the last one. This time, he absolutely couldn't follow in his predecessor's footsteps.
Gray Eagle Territory was too weak to endure another fall.
This time, he had to give it everything he had.
These Human Soldiers were a force he couldn't afford to abandon. Gray Eagle Territory had no other soldiers to spare.
Even if they were scraps of iron, he'd melt them down and forge them into blades!
The soldiers below suddenly sensed a powerful aura rising around him. Instinctively, they focused their attention on the only king in the territory.
The moment they felt the sharp, commanding presence around Loren, their hearts trembled.
The lord seemed to have changed.
He'd grown more imposing, more worthy of their respect.
Loren narrowed his eyes slightly, opened the territory panel, and selected the army tab.
A new panel appeared beside the forty Human Soldiers: "Class Change."
Human Soldier Class Change Options
Spearman (D-class) — Thrusting Spearman (C-class) — Blood Rage Spearman (B-class)
Javelinist (C-class) — Berserk Javelinist (B-class) — Berserk Hunter (A-class)
Loren's eyes lit up when he saw Javelinist.
Before you continue