Hearing the leader's praise, the four players immediately became happy.
Even if this leader is just a leader in the game, or even just an NPC, the unparalleled immersive experience of " World of Disorder " made them subconsciously ignore this fact.
After all, who doesn't like to be praised?
But Alfonso hadn't summoned the four just to praise them; after seeing them bow, his expression hardened slightly, and he said:
"My decision today will certainly be met with opposition from many sides. After all, the mountain people of Green Forest Territory rarely cooperate with the Empire, and those people will have some prejudice against you."
Upon hearing this, [ Practice More If You're Bad ] immediately replied:
"Please rest assured, Commander, we will do our utmost to prove the correctness of your decision. As for our hometown, we will try our best to find more companions to come over."
Seeing how responsive his newly appointed confidant was, Alfonso couldn't help but nod in satisfaction.
"That's good. I was just worried that you wouldn't understand the reasoning behind this—if I promoted you, but the subsequent effects weren't as significant, then it wouldn't just be me who would be in trouble."
"My father, the current head of the Lang Family, the Marquis, doesn't only have one son, nor just one confidant."
"Understood."
[ Practice More If You're Bad ] once again demonstrated his attitude.
"Understood."
The other three players, who were skilled in combat, were clearly not as good at interpersonal communication as [ Practice More If You're Bad ], but their learning abilities were outstanding, and they immediately followed suit and began to flatter him.
Alfonso waved his hand, but his words now carried a hint of sincerity:
"There's no need for these meaningless formalities. Although what happened last night can be considered a necessary step to rebuild, it's also true that my team has suffered heavy losses."
"Don't launch any attacks in the next few days. Just increase patrols around the camp. Don't cause any major trouble before we recover our strength."
"And those ordinary soldiers and auxiliary soldiers who have been assigned to you also need to be disciplined. If you have any questions about these things, you can come to me or Saili."
"This is the first time you've led so many men, and your positions are quite special. At the centurion level, an officer's job is much more than just leading a charge."
"Thank you for your guidance, Viscount."
[ Practice More If You're Bad ] The group thanked them again, but after a whole night of turmoil, Alfonso was now completely disheartened.
"If there's nothing else, you can leave. But like I said before—you've risked your lives for me, and I won't treat you unfairly."
"All I've ever wanted is power in the military and status in my family. For these, I'm willing to give up everything, even trade my soul to the devil!"
After a passionate speech, Alfonso that everyone could leave, but suddenly noticed that several northern mountain people were looking at him with strange eyes.
"What... does this mean?"
Seeing that the group had stopped moving, Alfonso was filled with doubt.
He didn't think the newly promoted officials would betray him, but what exactly did they want? Were the ways of thinking of the northern mountain people really so unpredictable?
Alfonso tilted his head in confusion, waiting for someone to answer his question.
[ Practice More If You're Bad ] cleared his throat and then asked earnestly in an extremely sincere tone:
"Your Excellency, are you... truly willing?"
"Willing? Willing for what?"
Faced with this sudden question, Alfonso was completely bewildered—what was wrong with the mountain people? Had he broken some taboo?
Even assuming the villagers have violated some taboo, shouldn't [ the Practice More If You're Bad ] have informed them promptly?
Although [ Practice More If You're Bad ] was a conscript he had recruited near the capital, his identity as a northerner was no secret.
Faced with the puzzled viscount, the four northern centurions exchanged glances, then simultaneously pushed [ Practice More If You're Bad ] forward to answer:
"Your subordinate asked... was what you just said true? The one about being willing to sell one's soul to the devil?"
"[ Practice More If You're Bad ]" he asked cautiously.
Are you all so good at arguing? Are you guys born with crowbars?
Alfonso's expression wasn't good, but to maintain his composure, he spoke earnestly:
"Yes, so? Do you have a problem with that?"
[ Practice More If You're Bad ] His lips twitched, and he looked at the Viscount, saying:
"Then... would you like us to introduce you to a devil?"
"Wh... what?"
Alfonso was completely stunned. Although the other party's Imperial language was stiff, it was not difficult to understand.
So what does this mean?
You... you really know the devil?
"You... know... the devil?"
Alfonso's throat was incredibly dry, and he didn't know why he had blurted out his true feelings, but clearly there was no more reasonable question at that moment.
The group of northern mountain dwellers exchanged glances, then nodded in unison. [ Practice More If You're Bad ] pondered for a moment and said:
"What we know is the devil..."
"But it shouldn't be too different from the devil, right?"
With that said, [ Practice More If You're Bad ] turned to ask the other three for their opinions.
Three professional gamers are good at playing generals, but when it comes to knowledge in this area, even if they were all together, they couldn't compare to one [ Great Wei Boxing Champion ] or [ Zhong Lele ]. They could only nod confidently.
[ Practice More If You're Bad ] ignored all that and turned to ask Alfonso:
"Do you need anything?"
Alfonso's brain completely shut down; he was a demon, a devil—there was a difference, but also a subtle one.
They all seem to be legendary monsters capable of granting wishes in distorted ways.
So, do the northern mountain people of Green Forest Territory actually have a way to summon such monsters?
No wonder they performed much better than ordinary soldiers; could it be that they had already sold a part of their souls?
The young viscount met the gazes of the four men again, one by one, only to find that all four were staring intently at him, showing no intention of avoiding eye contact while lying.
It's as if... it's as if they're waiting for me to join them.
As if his soul had been manipulated by some unknown force, Alfonso could hardly believe he had asked such a question:
"Can I refuse the deal if I'm not satisfied with the terms?"
"Sure!"
The four Soul Returner nodded in unison:
Even demons must abide by basic laws.
Demons, law-abiding citizens.
Alfonso never imagined these two words would be linked together, yet he found it all so natural that the people in front of him were saying it.
"This..."
He couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with his understanding, but a sliver of hope still led him to ask the others:
"Why don't you give it a try?"
"OK!"
The four centurions smiled happily.