My Village

Hill installed the Shop Core Obastian had once used in the general store within his territory. This core had withstood the players' relentless bombardment in the capital, so it should be able to handle buying and selling.

Just as he had expected, many players came to his territory within a single week. The large inn Hill had prepared quickly filled up.

The cooking skills Liszt had trained into the three cooks were enough to satisfy these players. Many people insisted on staying at Hill's inn, then traveling dozens of miles during the day to read in Falan's territory.

Hill felt it was more likely because the inn here was cheaper. Falan's place had high-end rooms suitable for Mages, and they were extremely expensive.

Though Hill's village was small, he had covered it in magic arrays.

All the shops and inns were set to directly throw anyone out if they detected fighting inside. If someone tried to force their way in, the Magic Arrow Towers would activate automatically.

The buildings were also thoroughly protected. Even if players fought in the village, it would not affect much. Hill had taught his villagers not to interfere in conflicts between the Undead and simply hide.

Following William's example, he received players in the Lord's Manor at the center of the village every morning at nine sharp. After staying for one hour, he left.

After keeping this up for a week, more and more players came to his territory to gather, mine, and hunt in the nearby mountains. Hill's general store took in a great deal of material.

These players had grown accustomed to staying on Hill's side and going to Falan's side to buy weapons and equipment. After all, Hill's village inn was much cheaper. Besides, Hill bought everything, while Falan only bought herbs and ores.

Hill, who had been sitting in the Lord's Manor early in the morning waiting for players, suddenly felt a force brush across the village's magic arrays.

This was the divine power of the God of Space-Time. Though powerful, it was filled with holiness and warmth.

When that divine power lightly brushed over Hill, it seemed to sense the Divine Dew he had once received. Without hesitation, it thoroughly cleansed his body once more.

This deity was perhaps accustomed to organizing Elemental Bodies for millions of players. Hill keenly sensed Its familiarity with elementalizing bodies.

He almost instantly became a High Archmage. With no aftereffects whatsoever, his human body had been completely elementalized.

Hill felt that he might become a Magus within two years. What he lacked now was merely an accumulation of magical power.

He had so fortunately passed through the High Archmage stage, the strongest and most problematic stage for a Sorcerer.

As he examined his body inch by inch, even the beastial genes had been firmly restrained beneath his human genes.

Divine power was truly terrifying and awe-inspiring.

Without a long bodily transformation period, Hill's soul had never been invaded by beastial nature. Once his entirely human soul entered the Magus rank, the World Law it connected with would only possess human attributes. The beastial laws of the Earth Bear would no longer pay any attention to Hill.

Hill did not care in the slightest about losing such powerful laws. So what if the Earth Bear could shake the earth and mountains with a stomp? So what if it could turn into a mountain range with a thought?

Hill had no need for any of that!

As long as he did not turn into a bear! Hill wanted to build a church for the God of Space-Time!

Overjoyed, Hill paced in circles inside the Lord's Manor. Only when a player entered did he force himself to remain calm and softly ask, under that player's gaze as though looking at a madman, "What is it?"

"The great God of Space-Time has just issued a divine decree. This territory may permit us to settle here, but we must obtain the lord's consent.

What are my conditions for settling here?"

Hill silently lowered his head. Sure enough, there was no such thing as a free lunch.

"I only just learned of it as well. The conditions will be posted on the notice board once they are decided."

"Understood, my lord. Sorry to disturb you."

Hill raised his head and looked at the exceedingly polite Undead. "The villagers' favorability will definitely be included."

"Of course. We will do our best to get along with the original residents."

Hill nodded and watched him leave.

Then he rushed into the underground control center beneath the Lord's Manor to inspect the changes in the magic arrays.

The moment he entered, Hill saw a transparent crystal ball floating brazenly in the center of the Five-Pointed Star Formation. His own controller was gone.

Hill helplessly rubbed his face. Gods!

He placed his hand on the crystal ball, and a territory control panel appeared before him.

Looking at this typical lord-management game panel, Hill felt endless emotion. Population, buildings, shops, fields... the valley beyond had been designated as the lord's residence garden, and entry was forbidden.

Then there were resident favorability and loyalty.

Below that were the Undead's favorability and contributions. Hill needed to list the conditions for accepting the Undead.

Hill silently examined the territory's defensive structures. The Magic Arrow Towers had been enhanced to the absolute limit. They could directly shoot a Magus to death.

The defensive magic arrays had also been strengthened. Hill could only reach this level by relying on his Mage Tower.

At the very end, it was also stated that if the Undead fought within the territory, the Magic Arrow Towers would fire immediately.

Hill had nothing to say. The crystal ball also contained a question: Hill's favorability toward the God of Space-Time was extremely high. Did he wish to build a Space-Time Church?

Hill could personally appoint the church's Priests, and the God of Space-Time could directly turn them into His own Priests, so long as they sincerely swore to belong to the deity from then on.

Hill was deeply shocked by this straightforward, unpretentious scheme.

Hill suspected William was pulling the strings behind this. Had the players driven him mad?

As the future head of the church, William truly needed to promote the deity, build churches far and wide, and prepare to raise the deity onto the Divine Throne.

Could the God of Space-Time actually permit such a direct method?

Where had the deity's incomparably noble face gone? Had William swallowed it in one bite?

Were they running the faith like a company?

After thinking it over, Hill decided to ask for Falan's opinion.

When he told Falan, there was silence on the other end.

After a long while, Adrian said, "A crystal ball was placed here as well, in the Magic Town outside. It is mainly to prevent the Undead from fighting in town. It did not ask whether we wanted to establish a church. It only asked whether we wished to welcome only Mages and Sorcerers to enter or stay.

Teacher believes the street for merchant caravans can be open to everyone, but only Mages and Sorcerers may enter the library area. Undead Mages may also settle here. The library side will be designated Mage Street, welcoming all Mages who wish to study.

Space-Time Churches come with Teleportation Arrays, so we do not plan to open one here."

Falan spoke up. "What about your valley?"

"The divine power paused as it passed through. It connected the defensive magic arrays on the mountains to those in the village and strengthened all of them. It did not touch the ones in the valley.

As soon as I returned, I went down to look. The divine power did not enter at all, but I can now directly connect the Mage Tower's power to the village's magic arrays.

This deity understands magic arrays very well. It set the mountain arrays up as relays.

It was also very polite and did not intend to enter the area around my Mage Tower."

"It went around my Mage Tower as well," Falan said lifelessly. "It casually strengthened all the external magic arrays, including the offensive ones. I can kill even a Legendary from inside the tower now."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Hill asked cautiously.

"What exactly does It want?" Falan grew angry. "Does It think we're too weak? That Its Undead might hurt us?"

"Of course!" Hill said sincerely. "At least, I'm very afraid. There are tens of thousands of Sky Knights and Magi among the Undead. If they really start fighting here, my territory will be completely ruined."

"Shut up, Hill." Falan no longer wanted to speak to this little bastard.

Adrian asked with a suppressed laugh, "Do you want to build a church?"

"Yes, Uncle Adrian. I remember that among the younger members of your family you brought back last time, there was a girl whose talent you said was not high, but whose fate would not be good if she remained in the family. Did she ask you to take her away?"

"You mean Olivia? Yes. She did not want to become a tool for the family to bear children, so she begged me to bring her along. That child has a resilient temperament and works very hard. Unfortunately, her aptitude is not even as good as Bourne's. Even after twenty years, she will not become a Mage. The only thing I can do is allow her to remain on Apprentice Street.

Do you want her to become a Priest?

Indeed, she has some aptitude for magic. If she receives a baptism of divine power, she might be able to advance."

"Ask her, Uncle Adrian. She is your younger relative after all, so let her make her own choice. If she does not want to, ask the other apprentices."

"Alright, Hill. I'll contact you later."

Hill waited silently. Sunny and Dean had actually been the first people to come to mind, but he restrained himself.

He no longer had much karmic connection with that family. If he treasured his friendship with Bourne, he should not do unnecessary things.

If Sunny and Dean became the territory's Priests, Lina would certainly want Locke to become the village chief.

It was not because Lina was greedy, but because that was the noble tradition of this world.

No matter how well Hill treated Sunny and Dean, the one who had feelings was Lina, and the one Hill ought to promote was also Lina.

Appointing Sunny would only make people think Hill wanted to use her. Only appointing Lina would make them think he was promoting his own nanny.

Hill absolutely could not act according to his Eastern way of thinking.

It was perfectly normal for him to seek out Adrian's relatives, because they were all born nobles. If there was a position available, nobles naturally had priority.

Even if Lina's family heard of it, they would not feel any resentment. Their identities and status were worlds apart, and Hill had already arranged things very well for them.

Hill leaned against the bay window and waited silently. Whenever this happened, the soul of a Chinese person within him had to struggle for a while. It was much better now; his desire to bring everyone around him to prosperity had rarely appeared lately.

Adrian contacted him soon. "Hill, she wants to go. I'll send her over tomorrow."

"Alright, Uncle Adrian. I'll wait for you at the Lord's Manor at nine."

"Alright. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Hill saw Alice sitting across from him, waiting. "What is it?"

"What was that power? Nature was trembling."

"The great God of Space-Time. The only divine being currently manifested in the mortal world."

"The God of the divine war?"

"That's right."

"Who is the enemy? Are they just as powerful?"

"A deity unrelated to us. The Supreme God of the human nobles."

"I think this one is stronger. Merkel wet himself from fright."

Hill laughed. Right, Merkel lived by the mountains. When that power altered the magic arrays, Merkel must have been scared half to death.

"Don't worry. It means well. My territory is safer now."

"Alright, Hill is human too." Her blue-green eyes spun with curiosity. "Hill, you've been going to the villages outside every day lately. Is there anything fun?"

"Until you become a Magus, you can't leave, Alice."

"Why can Hill go? Meow~~ How did Hill suddenly become stronger?"

"Because I study and train diligently. Alice is too lazy!"

Hill felt that his skin was getting thicker and thicker too.

Alice wailed miserably, cried, and ran away. Her greatest virtue was that she feared death and believed Hill would not harm her. Since Hill was so worried about her leaving the valley, the outside world must be dangerous. Compared to having fun, her life was more important.

Hill smiled faintly. Alice, who had just advanced, had become a little carried away and had spent the past few days playing all over the valley.

She should obediently go cultivate instead! Two days ago, when she argued with Merkel and he called her a stupid cat several hundred years old, she had not reacted at all. Hill felt Alice needed to be tightened up a little.