Chapter 582

[Quality: Unknown]

[Effect: An ancient key seems to open the door to a secret chamber beneath Black Hawk City, which may contain some treasure.]

"Oh? The key to the secret underground chamber in Black Hawk City?"

"Could this be... where that guy keeps his treasures?"

Shen Xing's mind stirred, and as she looked at the key in her hand, a smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.

I had just said that this guy, as the deputy city lord of Black Hawk City, must have made a lot of money and amassed considerable wealth over the years.

It's a bit of a shame that we don't know where he put those treasures.

Now, with this key, the treasure inside that secret room is practically his for the taking!

As for your question about how to find this secret room with just one key?

Don't forget, Shen Xing has an [Omnipotent Compass] on him.

With this compass and some clues, we can find the location of any treasure in the world.

"Looks like I'll have to head to Black Hawk City later."

"However, we still need to make some preparations before that."

"After all, that giant city doesn't just have a Grandmaster Rank expert like the Deputy City Lord; there's also an even more powerful City Lord!"

"According to intelligence, the opponent reached the peak of the Grandmaster Realm many years ago."

"After all these years, he might have already advanced to the Great Grandmaster level."

"If he finds out that I'm the lord who killed the deputy city lord, he'll probably take action against me directly."

Shen Xing currently lacks the combat power to contend with Great Grandmaster.

Therefore, the matter of going to Black Hawk City to search for treasure can only be discussed at another time.

At this point, all the loot dropped by the deputy city lord had been examined.

Overall, it's quite good.

Not only did they gain a large number of Soul Stone and gold coins, but they also obtained a valuable Tier Five skill book and Overlord Rank Soul.

In addition, there's a key to a secret room that might hold a treasure.

"Not bad, not bad at all, these Grandmaster Rank experts are all money-giving gifts."

"If this happens every day, I won't need to go out and explore anymore."

"By staying within their territory, they can continuously acquire resources and grow stronger with each battle."

Shen Xing thought to himself with a smile, then pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked at the generals beside him.

"Let's go, the prisoners should all have assembled by now, let's go take a look."

After saying that, he maneuvered his wheelchair and glided towards the eastern district of his territory.

"Yes."

The generals responded in unison and then followed behind him.

When they arrived outside Dongcheng District, they immediately saw a large number of people standing in the spacious open space in front of them.

At the very front of the procession, thousands of knights had already dismounted and stood with their horses at the ready.

Behind them followed an even larger infantry regiment.

At the very back was an equally large legion of archers.

Interspersed among them were scattered groups of mages, artillerymen, buglers, and so on.

In total, the number exceeds 15,000.

The army that attacked the territory this time numbered nearly 30,000.

However, they lost a large number of troops in the great battle, and now only about half of their original strength remains.

More than ten thousand faces bowed their heads, their expressions filled with trepidation and unease.

They all knew that they were now surrendered soldiers, prisoners of war.

Throughout history, regardless of the world, the fate of surrendered soldiers and prisoners of war has generally been unfortunate.

They worried that the young Chosen lord would find it troublesome and simply wipe them all out.

Now that their weapons have been taken away, they don't even have the ability to resist.

While the surrendered soldiers were filled with anxiety, they suddenly sensed powerful auras coming from ahead and all looked up.

Suddenly, a young man was seen slowly walking towards them in a wheelchair.

Behind him followed a group of figures of varying shapes and sizes, each exuding a powerful aura.

The more than 10,000 surrendered soldiers straightened up; some had despair in their eyes, while others prepared to flee.

Shen Xing was unaware of their thoughts, and glanced around the crowd.

After a moment, he nodded slightly.

These surrendered soldiers are quite strong, with an average of at least Tier Two, and most being Tier Three powerhouses.

In addition, they all wore matching armor and underwent rigorous training, making them true elites.

Then, he tallied the number of these surrendered soldiers.

The most common troop types here are cavalry, infantry, and archers.

The number of cavalry exceeded 2,300, the number of infantry exceeded 8,000, and the number of archers exceeded 4,000.

Adding in all the miscellaneous troop types, the total number approached 15,000.

"If I can take over all these surrendered soldiers, my territory's military strength will immediately exceed 20,000."

"Moreover, these soldiers are all highly skilled in combat and don't require much training; they can go straight to the battlefield."

"It's just that because they were subdued, their initial loyalty is definitely not high; it needs to be cultivated gradually."

"Besides that... the addition of over ten thousand mouths to feed will also be a considerable burden on the territory's food reserves."

Shen Xing quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind and then made a decision.

He looked at the more than 10,000 soldiers and said loudly, "Warriors from Black Hawk City, all of you, pay attention!"

The deep voice resonated throughout the open space through spiritual resonance.

All the soldiers fell silent, watching the man in the wheelchair with trepidation, waiting for him to continue.

"As you all should know, your deputy city lord attacked my territory without cause."

"He lost, and you have become prisoners."

"According to the rules, the victorious side has all rights to dispose of the prisoners, including their life or death."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers' shoulders trembled slightly, and a hint of fear appeared in their eyes.

At this moment, Shen Xing changed the subject. "However, this lord is not a bloodthirsty person."

"Therefore, from now on, all of you must join my territory and obey my commands."

"Furthermore, I will give you two choices."

"First, retire from military service, abandon your warrior status, and join the territory's logistics team."

Second, continue to fight for me in your current capacity.

As mentioned earlier, there is a severe shortage of logistics personnel in our territory, currently just over two hundred.

This place suddenly took in over 10,000 people, and just feeding them every day is a huge expense.

Moreover, the territory has expanded again this time, and there are still tens of thousands of acres of wasteland that have not been cultivated, which requires a lot of manpower.

Below, the surrendered soldiers exchanged glances, each seeing surprise and confusion in the other's eyes.

To everyone's surprise, this young lord not only spared their lives but also gave them a choice.

A tall knight, bearing the insignia of a captain, stepped forward. "This... this powerful lord."

"Are you really willing to let us join, and even let us choose our own status?"

"Of course." Shen Xing nodded calmly, his voice low. "I know that not everyone here is willing to go to the battlefield."

"I feel the same way; I don't like spending all my time fighting monsters and humans, living in constant fear."

"But in this cruel world, we have no choice but to survive."

"But here, in this territory, I can give you a choice."

The more than 10,000 soldiers below were deeply moved upon hearing this.

It seems that, as far back as they can remember, no one has ever given them a choice.

As a child, he worked in the fields for the nobles, and as an adult, he was directly pulled into the battlefield.

Watching his comrades fall one by one in battle, and then being disposed of like weeds.

But now, this young lord says he can give them a chance to retire.

This was something that had never happened before in their decades of life experience.

But amidst their excitement, they also felt some worry.

They worried that this was a trap deliberately set by the lord to filter out those who were afraid of death and dared not go to the battlefield, and then deal with them directly.

This kind of thing has happened before.

Shen Xing naturally saw through their thoughts and spoke again, "I promise you that whether you choose to join the logistics team or choose to fight for the territory, you will be treated equally."

"But the prerequisite is that you genuinely work for the territory and make contributions."

"Anyone who slacks off, shirks responsibility, or tries to cheat will be severely punished."

Upon hearing this promise, the soldiers' anxiety lessened somewhat.

Although it was only a verbal promise, for some reason, they sensed a special power emanating from this young lord.

He makes people subconsciously want to follow him and believe what he says.

At this moment, an elderly man in a long robe with white hair and beard in the crowd showed a slight change in expression.

He recalled a sentence from a book he had read before, "Where the aura of a king gathers, the hearts of the people turn to him."

The general idea is that when a true monarch is born, a group of talented and extraordinary people will automatically gather around him.

All who encounter him will involuntarily feel a sense of submission.

He glanced behind the young man, where a group of generals, like stars among the heavens, surrounded him in the center.

The wheelchair beneath him seemed to have transformed into a throne.

The firelight and moonlight fell on the young man, causing a moment of disorientation.

"Emperor... Your Majesty!"