Battle Axe

"Yes, my Lord!"

They responded with thunderous voices, secretly resolving to stake their lives on ensuring the flame would endure during any operation.

"Leave the items here. Each of you come forward to take a set, and make sure to store the Synthesis Table in your backpack."

Colin distributed the Hurricane Lamps, Synthesis Tables, and various materials.

He had already filled each Hurricane Lamp with at least one hundred milliliters of ordinary blood, enough for three hours of burning.

As for what would follow, Colin was equally confident he could keep them supplied.

Afterward, Colin gave the nine squad leaders three minutes to each select three to five servants and reassemble.

By mixing one-third "veterans" into each squad, he used the old to lead the new, allowing each team to grow rapidly.

"Set up the pots!"

At his command, the nine servants simultaneously used their Synthesis Tables to craft.

The Synthesis Table had nine slots; as long as the materials were placed in the correct order and orientation, one could craft whatever they desired.

When blueprints were available, they could even craft items that were impossible to create under normal circumstances.

Suddenly, nine large pots were set up.

This time, Colin had experience; he prepared the food first before recruiting personnel.

This prevented the frantic chaos that might lead to someone starving to death.

After all, those sold servants were at a hunger level of around one, a state where being a step too slow to eat could result in death.

This time, expanding to recruit nearly a hundred people at once meant that if not handled properly, deaths could easily occur.

"Are you ready!"

Colin asked in a deep voice.

"Ready!"

"Very well. Do not let me see a single case of starvation in any of your squads, otherwise..."

Colin's expression was stern; he didn't state the consequences, but it made them unable to stop themselves from imagining the worst.

Of course, the main reason was that he couldn't think of what the "otherwise" should be at that moment.

"Everyone, drip blood to light the lamps!"

As Colin gave the order, nine bright lights ignited within the Gray Fog.

At the same time, over a hundred servants were projected out from the Parchment in Colin's hand at incredible speed.

Just as Colin had anticipated, these servants were swaying and barely able to stand the moment they appeared.

The prepared squads quickly stepped forward, selected the corresponding number of people to bring into their teams, and distributed food.

Soon, without any accidents, the expansion was complete.

Including Colin's own, the ten squads totaled one hundred and sixty-two people.

Except for Colin's squad, which remained at a strength of fourteen, the others were all organized into groups of sixteen.

Having Shana as his close-quarters guard was enough.

Having anyone else around would only be a nuisance.

At this moment, Colin looked at the nine squads lined up before him, watching those pairs of eyes filled with awe fixed upon him, and he took a deep breath, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

This finally feels a bit like being a lord.

On the other side, the four survivors watched the scene before them, their hearts filled with complex emotions.

They knew there was no chance of escape now.

Bang—

A wooden table was tossed out by Colin, slamming onto the ground.

The four survivors' faces twitched at the sight; who the hell brings a table when exploring outside?

When they went out to explore, they wished they could fill their backpacks with supplies and not carry a single scrap of trash, yet this person had the leisure to carry furniture, as if he were out on a vacation.

However, Colin didn't care about their strange looks. He took out a pile of materials, synthesized weapons, and slapped them onto the table.

Then, meeting their gazes, Colin said in a deep voice:

"Those without weapons, all step forward. One for each person."

It was axes again—over a hundred of them, the improved second-generation Battle Axe.

Savage, violent, and destructive; dealing with those Aberrations didn't require any fancy techniques.

It was a contest of who could use more violent and bloody means to destroy the opponent before they were destroyed themselves.

Either you die, or I land another axe blow!

Without a doubt, the combat effectiveness of the Battle Axe had been tested in melee encounters against common Aberrations.

Therefore, Colin chose the Battle Axe as the standard-issue weapon for his subordinates without hesitation.

As for long-range units, the only thing that can be crafted right now is bows and arrows, which generally pose almost no threat to an Aberration.

If the damage output isn't high enough, even if you are a master marksman, you will only see "hedgehogs" charging at you out of the fog when facing an Aberration.

Furthermore, the current visual range, including the reach of the Hurricane Lamp, is only a little over twenty meters.

The effectiveness of bows and arrows is suppressed indefinitely.

Therefore, Colin has temporarily abandoned such ideas for the time being.

In short, one swing of the Battle Axe; if it doesn't die, swing again, and if it still doesn't die, run away.

At the same time, starting from the second team, they stepped forward in an orderly fashion to take the axes from the table as weapons.

Over a hundred people stood neatly before Colin, holding their Battle Axes, waiting for him to issue orders.

Colin looked at those awe-struck and nervous faces with a blank expression, though he was thinking about one thing in his mind.

How could he stir up their "morale"?

Among the servants present, some had become "spirited" after eating, while others had not; they just needed a final push.

It was obviously not the time to repeat the "I can't hear you" routine, especially since they were in the Gray Fog and there were people nearby coming to deliver "gifts."

It would be bad if he scared them away.

After a dozen seconds of silence at the scene, Colin took fifty jin of wild boar meat from his backpack and slammed it onto the table with a loud thud.

Instantly, this captured the attention of most people.

After all, Colin hadn't let everyone eat their fill; he kept most of them in a state of hunger.

Sounds of swallowing echoed throughout the ranks.

Colin looked at these people, gathered his thoughts, and spoke:

"Before long, you will face a trial. During this trial, every action of yours will be recorded.

"As long as you complete it excellently, this will be your dinner, and the team with the most outstanding performance will receive a reward of ten jin of dried meat.

"However, if you fail to do so, then, this will be your dinner."

At the end of his sentence, he pointed to the nine stone pots that had only a few grains of rice left in them.

Colin's words quickly took effect; the servants all chose the brighter future, filled with motivation.

This time, for those who came knocking, Colin did not intend to participate directly, nor did he plan to use Shana, his trump card.

Instead, he sent out nine teams, letting them perform on their own, to persuade those people as much as possible, reach a consensus, and hand over the Parchment, Hurricane Lamp, and Synthesis Table.

Judging from the information provided by the prompts, these groups were all very small, likely consisting of only three or four people, or even fewer.

Moreover, they didn't pose much of a threat, making them excellent targets for practice.

"Can I go with them?"

Before they set out, a voice suddenly came from the side. Colin turned his head to see that it was the man with the keen nose who wore iron armor.

The armor had been confiscated by Colin earlier, but after seeing it was just a piece of common equipment, he had returned it to him.

This trash equipment took up inventory space.