After Zong Shen made his third choice about his background.
The light screen refreshed once again.
[What did you become after your youth?]
[Knight's Squire]
(Strength +1, Agility +1, Riding +1,
Weapon Mastery +1, Power Strike +1, Command +1,
One-handed +30, Two-handed +30, Polearms +30, Bows +10, Crossbows +10, Throwing +10,
Starting Money +20, Disheveled Leather Tunic, Tattered Leather Boots, Rusty Sword, Hunting Crossbow, Crossbow Bolts, Old Travel Horse, Smoked Fish)
[Bard]
(Charisma +2, Weapon Mastery +1, Persuasion +1, Command +1, Pathfinding +1, One-handed +25, Crossbows +10, Starting Money +80, Sturdy Short Robe, Disheveled Light Leather Boots, Rusty Sword, Hunting Crossbow, Crossbow Bolts, Old Travel Horse, Smoked Fish)
[Small Trader]
(Intelligence +1, Charisma +1, Riding +1, Trade +1, Pathfinding +1, Item Management +1, Starting Money +90, Leather Gloves, Leather Jacket, Disheveled Leather Boots, Fur Hat, Wooden Club, Hunting Crossbow, Crossbow Bolts, Travel Horse, Pack Horse, Linen, Pottery, Wool x2, Smoked Fish)
[Apprentice]
(Intelligence +2, Weapon Mastery +1, Surgery +1, First Aid +1, Persuasion +1, One-handed proficiency +20, Crossbows +20, Starting Money +80, Sturdy Linen Tunic, Wool Trousers, Rusty Sword, Hunting Crossbow, Crossbow Bolts, Old Travel Horse, Smoked Fish, Random Book)
[Blacksmith]
(Strength +1, Intelligence +1, Weapon Proficiency +1, Engineering +1, Tactics +1, Trade +1, One-handed Weapon proficiency +15, Starting Money +100, Disheveled Leather Boots, Vest, Short Robe, Sword, Hunting Crossbow, Crossbow Bolts, Tools, Travel Horse, Smoked Fish)
[Poacher]
(Strength +1, Agility +1, Power Throw +1, Tracking +1, Scouting +1, Athletics +1, Polearms +10, Bows +35, Starting Money +10, Notched Axe, Rawhide Jacket, Animal Skin Boots, Hunting Bow, Barbed Arrow, Heavy Pack Horse, Dried Meat x2, Fur x2)
Zong Shen looked over the choices. He already had a plan in mind, and decided to start with a Strength build, then adapt as needed.
So he decisively selected [Knight's Squire].
With the Strategy System, he could see the hidden items and attributes behind every choice.
The choices were all fairly balanced; they simply emphasized different attributes.
For instance, the Small Trader gained Intelligence and Charisma.
The Bard, on the other hand, focused entirely on Charisma.
As Zong Shen saw it, it was best not to get too fancy at the start. Specializing in one area was the most reliable approach, especially Strength. It was bound to matter in combat, which would be a major help with surviving the early game.
That was the reasoning behind his choice.
After he finished this round of selections, the light screen changed again.
[Why did you become a lord?]
(Hang in there. Just one last choice.)
[Personal Grudge]
(Strength +2, Power Strike +1)
[Lost Lover]
(Intelligence +2, Ironflesh +1)
[Love of Adventure]
(Agility +2, Pathfinding +1)
[Driven from Your Family]
(Strength +1, Intelligence +1, Weapon Mastery +1)
[Desire for Power and Wealth]
(Agility +1, Intelligence +1, Plunder +1)
There wasn't much to consider with this one either. Since he was going for a Strength build, Zong Shen chose [Personal Grudge].
Once he had made his choice, the entire light screen began to crumble into blocky fragments, like a mosaic.
Everything around Zong Shen went pitch-black. He couldn't see his own hand in front of him.
But he wasn't the least bit alarmed.
A line of golden Strategy Guide text appeared before him.
(Don't panic. Your career as a lord is about to begin.)
He had figured it out by now.
The Strategy System responded to his thoughts. Whenever he wondered about something, a strategy prompt appeared.
And whenever he wanted, he could make the prompts disappear with a thought.
Sure enough, seconds after the prompt appeared, a beam of light descended from above and shone on Zong Shen.
Then the scenery around him changed abruptly.
The darkness gradually gave way to light.
The blurry world gradually came into focus.
In the blink of an eye, Zong Shen found himself in a completely new place.
Soft grass lay beneath his feet.
The air was wonderfully fresh.
Birdsong drifted from somewhere nearby.
Zong Shen glanced around.
Behind him stood a decrepit house, its roof full of holes.
Around him was a small courtyard enclosed by a ring of similarly ruined blue-brick walls.
The walls were uneven, varying in height, with broken bricks scattered everywhere.
The entire courtyard covered roughly two hundred square meters.
Besides that, a large wooden chest stood by his feet, just as dilapidated as everything else.
As Zong Shen looked around,
the house's rotten wooden door swung open.
Three short, stout figures came tumbling out.
Their hair was a mess, like bird's nests. They wore ragged hemp clothes and broken straw sandals. They looked even more destitute than beggars!
They also reeked of sour sweat.
The three of them dropped to their knees in front of Zong Shen, wrapped their arms around his legs, and wept as they complained.
"My lord, we've finally been able to welcome you!"
"That's right, that's right. We haven't had a full meal in three days. We've only had a few berries."
"Ah, my dear lord, your beauty could captivate the goddess, your talent could unite the continent, and your strength could subdue an epic dragon..."
All three talked over one another, giving Zong Shen a splitting headache.
"Enough, enough! Shut up!"
Zong Shen shouted, then struggled to pull his legs out of their grasp.
"Who are you?"
As soon as he asked,
before the three could answer,
the light screen appeared again.
Different information appeared over each man's head.
[Farmer: Er Gou (Name can be changed)]
[Potential: Dull]
(Potential can gradually improve through learning and mastering work skills. The higher the potential, the greater the work efficiency.)
[Level: Lv. 1]
(Experience can be gained through combat and learning to level up. At level ten, you can advance once, at the cost of a certain amount of resources.)
[Attributes: (Click to expand)]
(Each level grants 1 point of base attributes.)
[Hunger: 59]
[Loyalty: 70]
[Farmer: Gou Dan]
[Potential: Dull]
[Level: Lv. 1]
[Attributes: (Click to expand)]
[Hunger: 59]
[Loyalty: 70]
[Farmer: Tie Zhu]
[Potential: Average]
[Level: Lv. 1]
[Attributes: (Click to expand)]
[Hunger: 59]
[Loyalty: 70]
The three men's names and profiles were displayed clearly above their heads, just like game NPCs.
Zong Shen looked at the three foolish-looking farmers before him, at a loss for words...
Just then, the Strategy System offered its advice.
(These three simpletons will be utterly devoted to you as long as you keep them fed. They can handle simple labor, and their potential will gradually improve. I suggest you form them into a squad. Tie Zhu, the one with average potential, is the best candidate for squad leader right now!)
Emmmm...
Zong Shen was embarrassed.
A broken little courtyard and three foolish farmers. This was it...
Was this what they called being a lord?
He was more like the leader of a dirt-poor beggar gang!
But this wasn't the time to think about that.
"Ah, I'd better take stock of my starting supplies first."
Zong Shen sighed and turned toward the large wooden chest.
Before you continue