First Subjects (Please Follow)

Zhang Rui opened his mouth, then fell silent for a long time, not knowing how to answer his son's question.

He instinctively glanced at the map in his hand and carefully compared it with his memories. Other than the endless sea of flowers, the rest of the buildings were no different from when he had accidentally entered Longwind Fortress.

"It should be here. Those shrines around it are proof enough."

Zhang Rui pointed in the direction they had come from. At the hazy edge of the distance, a small phantom stood quietly.

At this point, Zhang Rui's wife spoke weakly. "But would that lord be willing to take us in?"

"We have nowhere else to go. Other than this place, I can't think of anywhere that would take us in."

Zhang Rui sighed helplessly. "The people of Flint City won't let me go. Even Black Iron City has people they've bribed."

"But why are they trying to kill us?" Eight-year-old Zhang Han asked with his chubby little face raised, his large eyes full of confusion.

Zhang Rui shook his head and rubbed Zhang Han's hair. "Kids shouldn't ask so many questions."

The three of them lingered outside Longwind Fortress for a while. In order to leave a good impression on Lincon, they did not enter the city without permission. Instead, Zhang Rui went in first to pay him a visit.

Unfortunately, Zhang Rui could not find Lincon. The three of them could only gather together and wait silently.

Under his parents' watchful eyes, the playful Zhang Han plunged headfirst into the Sunlight Sunflower patch, enjoying the clean, warm aura up close.

Xu Wan sat on the ground and slowly took a deep breath. Somewhat amazed, she said, "It's been so long since I breathed air this fresh. If we can really live here, even if it's a little dangerous, it'll be worth it."

Zhang Rui squeezed Xu Wan's hand and sat beside her.

"That lord has lived safely here for so long. He must know many ways to defend against dark creatures."

"What I'm worried about is whether he'll let us stay." Xu Wan gave a bitter smile.

Just then, Zhang Rui noticed a figure approaching from not far away.

He hurriedly stood and took the initiative to greet him.

Lincon carried a bucket on his back as he stared at Zhang Rui, who had appeared before him.

He had not expected the visitor to be the messenger who had left before. At the same time, he saw the woman at the foot of the city wall and the child in the flowers.

Zhang Rui stepped forward and bowed to Lincon, lowering his posture considerably.

"My lord!"

Those two words immediately established the nature of their relationship.

Lincon raised an eyebrow, unsure what Zhang Rui was up to.

He said nothing and simply waited quietly for Zhang Rui to explain himself.

Zhang Rui did not beat around the bush. In an almost pleading tone, he said, "My family is being hunted by Flint City. We have nowhere left to go, and I ask that you take us in."

Lincon was surprised. When they first met, Zhang Rui had wanted to take him away from Longwind Fortress. Yet after only a short time apart, not only had Zhang Rui returned, he wanted Lincon to shelter him.

The sudden contrast left Lincon baffled.

"Was Black Iron City taken over by the Black Tide?"

That was the only possibility Lincon could think of. Otherwise, he could not understand why Zhang Rui, who had been living well in Black Iron City, would instead want to join Longwind Fortress.

After all, Zhang Rui had once described to him just how safe Black Iron City was and how powerful its city lord was.

"No."

Zhang Rui looked somewhat awkward as he slowly explained, "After I delivered the letter to Flint City, I offended someone. They not only wanted to kill me, but even after I returned to Black Iron City, people still came looking for me.

"If a close friend hadn't warned me in advance, I'd probably already be dead!"

Lincon narrowed his eyes slightly. His icy gaze swept over Zhang Rui, carrying a chilling air.

"You caused trouble outside, and now you want to hide from it here? Sorry, I don't shelter criminals."

"No... It's only because I said some things I shouldn't have." Zhang Rui pressed his lips together and gave Lincon a meaningful look.

"I merely spread word about you, and that brought Flint City's pursuit down on me. The messengers who knew the news also met with disaster."

"People who know about me have to die? What kind of logic is that?" Lincon said flatly.

Although his main class had awakened the Lord Talent and he did need some subjects, he had no desire to bring in evildoers.

Zhang Rui shook his head. "At first, I didn't understand either. It was only later that I slowly came to my senses.

"In this era, the country has splintered apart, and governments and laws have collapsed. Without a nation like before, one with firm beliefs, the weak can only seek shelter beneath the strong, while the powerful ability users hold authority.

"To those in power, news about you is not something they want to see. Even the slightest sign that it might shake the spirits of those below them will be crushed immediately."

By this point, Lincon roughly understood what Zhang Rui meant.

The safe zones outside, established and ruled by ability users, protected ordinary people while also gradually feeding the ambitions of those ability users.

A single city was a single nation.

It sounded somewhat exaggerated, but in an age where everyone was in danger, it was not an overstatement at all.

News that someone was still holding out in Longwind Fortress was insignificant in itself, but once a ruler believed it might affect his rule, he would immediately reach out and uproot it.

"It seems the safe cities you spoke of before aren't actually as good as you made them sound."

Lincon smiled, glad that he had not abandoned Longwind Fortress to leave with Zhang Rui back then.

Rather than being a slave, he preferred being the master of slaves.

The peaceful and stable order of the past no longer existed in this era. The strong could freely decide the lives and deaths of the weak, while ordinary people could only submit.

Lincon did not know how many dangers Zhang Rui's family had faced to get here, but since Zhang Rui had helped him complete his reputation point mission, Lincon naturally had no reason to drive them away.

"It's getting late. Go inside first."

Lincon glanced at the woman, who was so weak she needed the wall to remain standing, then carried the bucket into the city.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Rui immediately grew excited and repeatedly thanked Lincon's retreating back.

He knew that they had passed the first hurdle.

Zhang Rui hurriedly called Zhang Han over, supported his wife, and followed Lincon into the city.

The dilapidated city gate could not actually keep much out. Its symbolic value far outweighed its practical use.

The moment he entered the city, the young Zhang Han began looking around everywhere, like a curious little child.

Compared to the Black Iron City where they had lived before, Longwind Fortress was practically a wreck. Aside from a few relatively intact buildings, almost everything else was ruins.

The three followed Lincon all the way to the courtyard where he lived and stopped outside.

Lincon placed the bucket inside the courtyard and turned to look at Zhang Rui's family of three.

"Find yourselves a place to live."

Zhang Rui nodded and found a house not far from Lincon's residence.

While Zhang Rui and Xu Wan were cleaning up the room, Zhang Han secretly slipped out. Standing on tiptoe outside Lincon's courtyard, he peered inside.

Lincon was carving a shrine at the time. The chisel and hammer struck the stone, producing clear, crisp sounds.

With his Spirit stat as high as 36, he had long noticed the boy sneaking glances. He temporarily stopped working and looked over.

"Stop peeking at the entrance. Come in."

The sudden voice startled Zhang Han badly. His leaning body lost balance, and he stumbled face-first onto the ground with an "Ow!"

In truth, Lincon had a rather favorable impression of Zhang Rui's family.

It was not because they had helped him complete the reputation mission, but because Zhang Rui and the other two were among the few people Lincon had seen in the past three years.

Zhang Han in particular, lively and energetic as he was, possessed such vibrant life and youthful spirit that it always stirred something within Lincon.

Zhang Han swiftly climbed to his feet and cautiously leaned against the courtyard gate. He glanced at the Sunlight Sunflowers growing in the yard, then at the shrine in Lincon's hands.

Children who had experienced the outbreak of darkness matured far beyond their actual age. Although Lincon had allowed him into the courtyard, Zhang Han remained wary. He only stepped a little closer and stood at the entrance.

Lincon said nothing and continued carving the shrine.

He worked quickly during the early stages. Before long, the stone had become the rough shape of a shrine.

Next came the face and finer details.

Lincon switched from the chisel and hammer to a carving knife, and his movements slowed. Stone chips gradually fell from beneath the blade.

Suddenly, a child's voice sounded by his ear.

Zhang Han was only a few steps away. He cautiously asked, "Did you plant all those sunflowers outside the city?"

"They aren't called sunflowers. They're called Sunlight Sunflowers."

Lincon merely glanced up before lowering his head again, his hands never pausing.

"Sunlight Sunflowers? No wonder they smell like sunlight." Zhang Han's voice carried a hint of delight. "On the way here, I saw several shrines. I know you carved them all, but none of them are as pretty as the one in your courtyard."

As he spoke, Zhang Han pointed at the Purification Shrine to the right of Lincon's door.

Lincon smiled but did not answer.

One adult carved while one child watched, the two of them sharing a quiet understanding.

Nearly an hour later, Zhang Han could no longer sit still and prepared to leave.

Just then, the shrine in Lincon's hands was complete, and he called Zhang Han over.

"Go get your father."

Zhang Han answered with an "Okay" and turned to run off.

Lincon carried the shrine into the house. Only after drawing a purification rune upon it did he come back out.

By then, Zhang Rui was already waiting outside the courtyard.

"My lord, you called for me."

Lincon raised an eyebrow but did not object to the form of address.

He handed over the Purification Shrine. "Place it before your door and light a candle. It can ward off some low-level dark creatures."

Lincon spoke casually, but to Zhang Rui, the words were like crashing waves. His breathing caught, and his heart began pounding rapidly.

"My lord, are you an ability user?" Zhang Rui carefully accepted the shrine and asked tentatively.

"Something like that."

Lincon had no intention of hiding it.

When he had lived alone in Longwind Fortress, there had been no need to conceal many things. Now that Zhang Rui's family had joined them, he needed a suitable explanation when using his talent.

And being an ability user happened to fit his circumstances perfectly.

In the future, whenever he used the panel to improve the fortress or move buildings around, he could attribute it all to his ability.

There was another reason as well. Lincon wanted Zhang Rui to know who the true master of this fortress was, to prevent certain things he did not wish to see from happening in the future.

After all, human nature was complicated.

Zhang Rui might be respectful now because Lincon had taken them in, but no one could say what would happen after a long time.

Zhang Rui trembled with excitement all over. At that moment, he was incomparably grateful for his decision to come to Longwind Fortress.

In the age of darkness, ordinary people feared Weird Calamities and Anomaly Calamities the most. The former often caused massive casualties, which was why powerful ability users had come to occupy cities and establish themselves as rulers.

For ordinary people, ability users were the guarantee of survival in the age of darkness.

At that moment, Zhang Rui's gaze toward Lincon grew even more respectful, and he bent even lower.

All his previous doubts had been resolved.

No wonder Lincon had been able to live in Longwind Fortress, a place crawling with dark creatures, for so long. If he was an ability user, it all made sense.

He just did not know what level of ability user Lincon was.

Zhang Rui did not dare ask more. Seeing that Lincon had no interest in chatting, he carried the shrine back to their still-unfinished residence.

The sky was just beginning to darken. He placed the shrine at the entrance, added candle wax to the stone dish within it, found a wick, and lit it.

The instant the flame rose, an unprecedented feeling wrapped around Zhang Rui's heart.

Peaceful, tranquil... even the air seemed much fresher. The burden that had long weighed on his shoulders felt as though it had been lifted.

Xu Wan came out of the house and looked at her husband crouching by the door in confusion.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing!" Zhang Rui shook his head and suppressed the excitement in his heart. "Keep cleaning up. We have to finish before dark."

There were only five hours of daylight, and time was tight for everyone.

In the end, Zhang Rui's family still failed to finish cleaning the house before darkness fell. They could only light candles inside and continue their unfinished work.

Fortunately, before it became completely dark, Zhang Rui used tools to seal up the windows.

Like Lincon's home, they only left a few small ventilation holes.

The candlelight burned quietly. By the time they finally finished cleaning, they had no idea how much time had passed.

Zhang Han was young, and after fleeing for so long, he had fallen asleep early. Yet Zhang Rui and Xu Wan could not sleep at all.

Longwind Fortress was ultimately not Black Iron City. It was an abandoned place standing completely within the darkness, and no one knew how many dark creatures wandered outside.

Zhang Rui kept his bloodshot eyes open, constantly scanning the room, afraid that dark creatures might break in.

Although Lincon had said the shrine could ward off low-level dark creatures, Zhang Rui had never seen it for himself and could not set his mind at ease.

Unable to sleep, he could only force himself to remain alert as he sat by the bed and watched over his wife and child.

Suddenly, his ears twitched as he heard a faint sound outside.

In an instant, Zhang Rui tensed up. He grabbed the iron hammer beside him, his entire body like a beast poised to strike.

The room was filled with lit candles, leaving no blind spots. If a dark creature appeared, he would notice immediately.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

However, the noise outside grew louder. Each impact sounded like a hammer smashing rotten flesh, relentlessly tormenting his nerves.

Even Zhang Han was awakened by the commotion and rose from his sleep.

Zhang Rui stood and signaled for his wife and son not to speak.

He walked to the ventilation hole they had deliberately left and narrowed his eyes as he looked outside.

Outside, the candle flame in the Purification Shrine remained steady and bright.

Yet Zhang Rui's pupils suddenly contracted, as though he had seen something utterly unbelievable.

In the darkness not far from the house, a lantern stood on the ground.

Within the area illuminated by its light, a person was swinging his fists, pinning a dark creature to the ground and smashing it repeatedly.

Only after the dark creature stopped moving completely did the person slowly stand, pick up the lantern, and continue onward.

Not long after, he encountered another dark creature and repeated the same actions.

Zhang Rui watched the scene from inside the house, drenched in cold sweat as an absurd feeling rose in his heart.

Am I dreaming right now?