Chapter 196

They continued on their way and soon arrived at the inner city.

On the open ground beside the Bonfire, I saw a group of figures dressed in coarse linen clothes, their clothes tattered.

There were about fifty or sixty people, and everyone's face was etched with exhaustion, but they still insisted on standing there.

However, these people were different from the slave laborers they had encountered before.

The slaves were all blackened, as if they had been dug out of a coal mine.

But these people, though their skin was dark, were much better off than those slave laborers.

Among them were even several plump, fair-skinned women.

If I had to pinpoint it, it would be the difference between commoners and slaves.

"Rippling... ripples..."

The sound of wheelchairs scraping the ground reached their ears, and the group of refugees all looked up.

When they saw the handsome young man in the wheelchair and the stunningly beautiful, aloof red-haired woman standing quietly behind him, their faces showed astonishment.

But soon, they lowered their heads again, not daring to look directly at these two imposing figures.

"I've kept you waiting. I am the master of this territory."

Shen Xing's calm voice approached from afar, then he asked, "I heard you want to join my territory?"

Chapter 144: SSR-level talent, Master Rank Cooking Mastery

"I heard you want to join my territory?" Shen Xing asked, looking at the group of refugees before him.

The crowd exchanged glances, and a middle-aged man dressed in rough leather armor with a long whip hanging from his waist stepped forward.

"May you be well, my esteemed lord."

The middle-aged man first bowed, then introduced himself, "We are a group of homeless vagrants who happened to be passing through your esteemed place during our wanderings, so we came here specifically to pay our respects."

"If you are willing to take us in, we will repay you with work and labor."

Shen Xing glanced at him, his expression unchanged. "I can take you in; the territory is short of people right now."

Upon hearing this, the group of refugees all showed joy on their faces.

But Shen Xing's next words froze their expressions. "However, before that, you need to tell me where you're from, and... whether you can stay here long-term."

He could naturally see the essential difference between these refugees and the slaves.

The slaves all had unfocused eyes, looking like they were just trying to get by day by day, and they would work as hard as long as they were given food.

But these refugees had a light in their eyes, as if they were carrying some kind of goal.

If they run away after a few days, it would be a significant loss for Lord Shen.

Faced with the young man's pointed question, the homeless people fell silent.

The middle-aged man in leather armor stepped forward again. "Your Excellency, we are just a group of homeless refugees, with no special status whatsoever."

"Moreover, we will definitely work here long-term."

"Are you sure?"

Shen Xing looked directly into his eyes, his voice slightly deep.

The middle-aged man stiffened, his gaze instinctively shifting away.

For some reason, this lord, despite only being at the Tier Two of strength and being younger than himself, was...

But when I looked into his eyes, I actually felt nervous and even breathless.

He sighed, knowing he couldn't hide the truth any longer, and solemnly replied, "My esteemed lord, to be honest, we actually come from the Weideng Royal City."

"But please rest assured, we will definitely work here for you long-term, as long as there is food and a place to stay."

He paused, a bitter smile playing on his lips, "Besides, we have nowhere else to go."

"Weideng Royal City..." Shen Xing recalled for a moment, then asked, "Is it the giant city Control by Lord Haidesen?"

He had heard the slave laborers mention this place when he conquered the Silver Holy Land.

The map shows that this is the closest royal city to their territory, only a little over 100 kilometers away.

"Yes," the middle-aged man replied.

"As far as I know, wasn't the Weideng Royal City already sealed off?" Shen Xing narrowed his eyes. "So how did you get out?"

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment before replying, "Actually... we escaped."

"The continuous heavy rains of the past few days have caused many guards to exhibit symptoms of losing control, and monsters have appeared in the mist, plunging the city into chaos."

"Taking advantage of this moment, I led over a hundred civilians out of the sewers. Many died along the way, and now only these remain."

Shen Xing didn't speak, but instead pondered the information in the other person's words.

Clearly, this middle-aged man still had some things he hadn't explained.

But it doesn't matter, as long as he's sure these people can work here long-term.

"I'll take you all."

Shen Xing said in a deep voice, "Regardless of your past identities, once you join my territory, you will all be treated equally."

"Of course, I will also provide you with enough food, warm shelter, and a safe environment."

After saying this, he launched a 'Group Recruitment' of these refugees.

[Recruitment successful! Kyle Sanders, Ruisi, Gordon... have joined your territory, territory population +54]

The moment the notification sounded, all the refugees felt a special power surge into their bodies.

They looked at each other, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes!

"What... what happened?" A young man clutched his head, his face full of surprise. "I feel like my brain has suddenly become much clearer, and a lot of things I couldn't remember have become much clearer."

"Me too, suddenly my mind is filled with so many cooking and culinary skills," a middle-aged woman exclaimed in amazement.

"Gods above... what's going on?"

All the refugees were utterly astonished, seemingly unaware of how they had suddenly become so intelligent.

Shen Xing understood; this was clearly the effect of the [Rain God's Blessing] secondary profession level +1 and the [Golden Ancient Tree] aptitude enhancement taking effect.

"Your Excellency..." the middle-aged man asked tentatively, "May I ask, is this the ability you bestowed upon us?"

"Hmm." Shen Xing nodded. "This is a special ability within my territory; only my people can enjoy it."

Upon hearing this, the group of refugees were filled with deep shock and awe.

"Gods above, to possess such miraculous abilities, this must be a territory blessed by the gods!"

"That's right, we're so lucky to have joined such a sacred territory!"

Praise be to the Lord!

All the refugees knelt down, their voices filled with sincere respect.

Shen Xing remained silent, his gaze sweeping over the kneeling refugees.

[Zakari Knight]

[Level: 4]

[Potential: Common ★]

[Skills: None]

[Life Skill: Intermediate Carpenter (Can craft high-end wooden furniture and carve exquisite patterns)]

[Qualification: 7+10]

[Anna Hart]

[Level: 3]

[Potential: Common ★]

[Skills: None]

[Life Skills: Intermediate Sewing Mastery]

[Qualification: 4+10]

Upon seeing the information about this group of refugees, Shen Xing's eyes lit up slightly.

Most of these people were Common refugees with no skills.

However, many people have also mastered one or two life skills.

Although it's just Common crafts like sewing, carpentry, stonemasonry, and bricklaying, it's still pretty good.

After all, he possessed the Legendary Rank [Rain God's Blessing], which could instantly elevate their skills to a higher level.

Tailors can sew processed leather into leather armor, increasing the mobility and defensive capabilities of soldiers.

Carpenters can create more wooden furniture, raising the living conditions in people's homes to a new level.

Stonemasons can assist in the expansion of the city walls, speed up the construction of the outer walls, and repair statues, among other things.

Overall, these newcomers are quite useful.

At this moment, Shen Xing glanced at the middle-aged man in leather armor at the very front of the crowd.

[Kyle Sanders]

[Level: 14]

[Potential: Elite ★★]

[Skill: Beast Taming Whip Technique (Waving a specially made beast taming whip, dealing extra damage to beast-type targets and applying a brief intimidation effect)]

Beast Herd Driving (Can command multiple wild beasts to fight together; the attack power and obedience of the controlled beasts are increased)

[Life Skills: Advanced Animal Husbandry, Advanced Beast Taming]

[Talent: Beast Affinity (Can understand the basic language of animals or wild beasts and communicate simply)]

[Qualification: 17+10 (Excellent)]

Shen Xing: "!!!"

Good heavens, Advanced Animal Husbandry and even Advanced Beast Taming!

This is a highly skilled individual with dual abilities, equivalent to an SSR character in a card game!

Of course, he only possessed these two advanced masteries thanks to the Rain God's Blessing; otherwise, he would at most be considered an SR.