Factions had always been a very frequent term Shen Mu heard from those Spiritual Realm Followers and Spiritual Realm creatures.
Such as the Lawful Faction, the Chaotic Faction, and the Neutral Faction.
And also Good, Evil, and Absolutely Neutral, etc.
There were nine major types in total.
Similar to overlapping combinations.
But they were absolutely opposed to each other.
Shen Mu was not clear about the specific details, as he didn't know much about it, and there was no such setting in the Mount & Blade System.
However, upon careful thought, he could understand that this must be a pillar-level rule power that maintained the operation of that mysterious fantasy-side Crystal Wall System.
"But what exactly it is, is truly a bit profound." Shen Mu also shook his head at this time, not continuing to think too much, because even he, if he thought carefully now, was a bit unclear about the specific details.
The nine types of factions, while seemingly easy to combine and arrange, had many differences in their details.
Similar to the simplest Lawful Good and Lawful Evil.
And Lawful Neutral.
They all seemed to be divisions within the Lawful Faction and could be categorized together.
But just as Elder Polo had said, those human kingdoms and empires, as well as human knight principalities, mostly appeared to be Lawful Factions, but according to the deities they worshiped, they were also divided into Good, Evil, and Neutral, and then they would still wage war against each other.
Some were even brutal bloodbaths comparable to the Hell Devil of the Lawful Evil Faction and the Abyssal Demons of the Chaotic Evil Faction.
They would fight until dog brains were splattered.
Therefore, how their respective factions were divided, and how they coexisted, and even in some powerful human empires, Lawful Good and Lawful Evil could even coexist harmoniously.
This further added to some special characteristics of these factions.
At least in Shen Mu's opinion, it was quite troublesome.
Moreover, simply distinguishing friends and enemies based on faction divisions was also quite unreliable.
"The secrets of the Spiritual Realm still need to be dug deeper." Shen Mu also felt a special kind of fatigue at this moment.
After all, that mysterious Spiritual Realm indeed held many secrets.
Of course, Shen Mu would have plenty of time to meticulously explore these secrets in the future; for him, the most important thing right now was.
How to improve his own strength!
After finishing lunch, Shen Mu did not stay in the Noble Residence but instead prepared to set off again, planning to go and see the wheat field outside the Town Area.
Because he still needed to use Faith Power to accelerate the growth rate of the wheat in the fields.
After all, this concerned his own food security.
"The others can go back and rest first, then Manid, come with me alone." Shen Mu also made arrangements.
After all, the next task was just to verify how Faith Power could accelerate the growth of wheat in the fields.
Fatis, Bandak, Bestour, and Lezalit were all military generals, so there was no need for them to continue following this matter.
And James, as a doctor, was still in the Torch Tower of the Holy White Council, learning how to use magic with the Eden Guard Believers, so there was no need for him to continue getting involved in these civilian matters.
It was enough to have Manid, as a merchant, follow along.
"You mean, you can accelerate the growth rate of this wheat through special power?" Manid's face was extremely surprised.
Especially when he was following Shen Mu outside the city gate and heard Shen Mu introduce his abilities to him, the surprise on his entire face felt somewhat absurd.
Yes.
Absurd.
After all, he was a general from the Mount & Blade World, which was based on an alternate history.
Although he had seen some supernatural powers since coming to this world, and had even seen creatures from myths and legends, as well as terrifying Undead Monsters.
He had already understood that in this world, there was some connection to the myths and legends he had heard in Calradia.
It was even related to the gods of legend.
But even after knowing this information, when Manid heard Shen Mu say that he could accelerate the growth rate of wheat, and not just wheat but other crops as well.
He still felt some disbelief and absurdity in his heart.
"Yes, that's right, Manid, this is indeed one of my abilities." Shen Mu walked ahead, and although he didn't turn his head, he could already guess the extremely shocked expression on Manid's face.
A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Shen Mu also said, "I don't think you should be so surprised by this, after all, you have already seen how those buildings were rapidly constructed in a short period of time."
What Shen Mu was referring to was how he had previously accelerated the construction time of buildings using Faith Power.
In essence, it was the same.
Since Faith Power could accelerate the flow of time, shortening the construction time of various buildings and allowing them to be built faster.
Then now he could once again accelerate the flow of time, allowing those crops, which were originally just seeds, to sprout quickly, then break through the soil, and finally grow, eventually maturing, allowing Shen Mu to achieve a bountiful harvest.
The principle was the same.
After Shen Mu's explanation, Manid's state of mind gradually returned to calm.
Of course.
At this moment, Manid's gaze towards Shen Mu was even more piercing, and there was an absolute reverence and adoration in his eyes.
After all, as a merchant, he dealt with civilian matters quite often, so he was absolutely shaken to the core by the ability to rapidly accelerate plant growth and the quick maturation of crops.
And for Manid, there was also a concept deep in his heart.
This was something only a deity could accomplish!
"Lord Shen Mu... is he not just a figure from legend, not just a savior, but also the embodiment of a certain deity?"
This was a thought that appeared in Manid's mind at this very moment.
And this thought grew stronger and stronger in his heart, even filling his inner being, his mind, and his thoughts.
"Lord Shen Mu..."
"Is a deity!"
Manid thought so.
And almost instantly, a dialogue box suddenly appeared on Shen Mu's retina.
"Ding! Your mount & blade general 'Manid' has opened his heart to you! And your image has been completely established in his mind! You can use 'Mind Codex Gift (Special Mental Skill)' to bestow upon him the corresponding skills!"
"Upon detection, your current 'Nature Summoning Skill' can barely be bestowed upon him. Among them, the Nature Summoning Skill is 'Bee Swarm Harassment'."
"Tip: Using Mind Codex Gift will consume 10,000 Faith Power."
"Tip: After you choose to bestow the skill, each time this subordinate releases the skill, it will consume 100 Faith Power. And it must be successfully released within your territory or near you."
"Hmm!?" Shen Mu was slightly startled at this moment.
He turned to look at Manid, who was following him.
Although he also saw the extremely respectful gaze on Manid's face, he didn't expect such a pleasant surprise.
"Confirm bestowal!" Shen Mu didn't hesitate at all at this moment, immediately confirming to use Mind Codex Gift to bestow his Nature Summoning Skill, Bee Swarm Harassment, upon Manid.
"Ding! You have consumed 10,000 Faith Power and used the Mind Codex Gift skill, successfully bestowing the Nature Summoning Skill, Bee Swarm Harassment, upon your mount & blade general, Manid."
"Tip: Your mount & blade general Manid has now learned how to use this special Nature Summoning Skill, Bee Swarm Harassment. At the same time, he understands how to summon Spirit Realm Killer Bees to harass enemies."
"Tip: Your mount & blade general Manid's current Bee Swarm Harassment skill is Lv1. Also, because it is not affected by divine power enhancement and upgrade points, the Bee Swarm Harassment released by this general is a regular Bee Swarm Harassment type skill."
Then, a new dialogue box popped up again on Shen Mu's retina.
It was a prompt and explanation of the skill for him.
And just as Shen Mu confirmed, a stream of white data flowed directly from his glabella, instantly reaching Manid's glabella, who was following him, and directly entering it.
'Buzz!'
At the same time, wisps of emerald green light particles appeared, just entering the depths of Manid's glabella and mind.
Manid, whose face was already quite serious, seemed to sense something, and instinctively stood still, stunned for more than ten seconds before recovering.
However, at this moment, Manid looked at Shen Mu.
His hands trembled.
No, it should be said that his whole body was trembling.
"This power... this power is..." At this moment, Manid was truly excited; his mind was completely filled with an expression of ecstasy.
Especially when looking at Shen Mu, the reverence and excitement in his eyes, as well as that fanatical emotion.
It was simply like a generator, making his eyes sparkle with light!
Because Manid was truly excited.
Especially when he could communicate with that mysterious thing in his mind and could at any time reach out and release a swarm of Spirit Realm Killer Bees.
This use of extraordinary power made him unable to control himself!
This was extraordinary power.
Now that he had so easily obtained the right to use this power, and through the exploration of this extraordinary power, Manid could confirm that the source of this extraordinary power was Lord Shen Mu, whom he revered and worshipped!
It was the extraordinary power bestowed upon him by Shen Mu, which allowed him to summon these Spirit Realm Killer Bees!
"Take it easy, Manid, this is just the beginning." Shen Mu said with a smile at the corner of his mouth, "This is indeed your first extraordinary power, but it is not your last extraordinary power."
"Yes, Lord Shen Mu, I am very grateful for your bestowal." Manid quickly composed himself at this moment, and at the same time, respectfully bowed to Shen Mu.
Although it was still the same posture of putting his hand on his chest and bowing.
But this represented Manid's heartfelt reverence.
Or rather, in addition to the extreme loyalty trait originally bestowed upon him by the Mount & Blade System, it was also Manid, who had become a living, complete individual, once again expressing heartfelt reverence for Shen Mu.
“This is very unusual.”
Shen Mu then stepped forward, looking at the lush wheat field with young seedlings that had appeared before him. The smile on his face indicated his even greater joy: “Next, our wheat field will make us even happier.”
“Of course,” Manid nodded.
At this moment, Manid no longer knew how to respond to Shen Mu. His mind was still blank, filled only with reverence. He now completely obeyed Shen Mu.
Just like what was said earlier.
Previously, Manid had pledged allegiance to Shen Mu due to the Mount & Blade System’s strict demands.
It was a kind of righteousness, a subconscious thought, a natural trust like that of a young beast towards its mother, born from the Mount & Blade World, the Mount & Blade System, and the Mount & Blade Rules.
Now, however,
It was after growing up, having gained the admiration of the Mount & Blade System, Mount & Blade Rules, Mount & Blade World, and the individual people of mount & blade.
Plus, Shen Mu had indeed shown him scene after scene comparable to miracles.
And then, it was placed before his eyes, and it also gave him the ability to possess extraordinary power.
How could Manid not begin to worship Shen Mu from the bottom of his heart?
So, that was why he was now completely obedient.
Of course, Shen Mu didn't care about Manid's inner turmoil. He was more concerned with how his Faith Power could make wheat grow rapidly.
After all, for Shen Mu, the mount & blade characters from the Mount & Blade World already had loyalty towards him.
As long as their relationship was cultivated slightly, it would turn into a state of extreme fanaticism.
For example, Aleron, and Manid before him.
It was because of his verbal encouragement and consistent high regard that they established trust and rapport, ultimately leading them to open their hearts to him, allowing for the Mind Codex Gift skill. This further deepened the mutual trust, a positive feedback loop.
Moreover, within this positive feedback, he could also bestow his various skills upon these mount & blade characters, allowing them to acquire the ability to use these skills, which was indeed excellent.
“Let’s choose this 1 mu of Wheat Field outside the East Gate and see how it accelerates growth.”
Shen Mu stopped his steps at this moment.
Before him, a 1 mu of Wheat Field was lush and green, swaying gently with the breeze, as if each wheat seedling was greeting him.
At the same time, the air was filled with a fresh scent from the soil and wheat seedlings, making his mind quite pleasant.
“Then let’s begin.” Shen Mu’s eyes flickered.
He communicated with the system through his thoughts.
At the same time, he also directly activated his time acceleration ability, “Natural Food Blessing,” which he had obtained after absorbing the Hell Devil’ rules!
‘Buzz!’
As Shen Mu confirmed, a profound power instantly appeared between his eyebrows.
Then, a rule-level aura began to spread.
There was even a feeling as if a special authority had been activated, directly spreading with this rule-level aura, completely controlling the Mount & Blade Rules in the area where Deherim was located.
“This feeling… it seems like I can manipulate the time rules in the area where Deherim is located.”
This thought suddenly emerged in Shen Mu’s mind.
However, this thought was only for a moment.
Then a dialogue box appeared before his eyes, and at the same time, the content after activating this ability began to appear in the dialogue box.
【Ding! You have used the special rule power ‘Natural Food Blessing’.】
【You can consume 100 Faith Power to accelerate the time flow of crops in 1 mu of land by 1 day.】
“Then accelerate the time flow of this 1 mu of Wheat Field before me!” Shen Mu didn’t hesitate at all, as he had already known how to use this ability before.
Then his thoughts communicated with the system again.
The dialogue box refreshed immediately.
New content reappeared on the dialogue box.
【You have consumed 100 Faith Power, accelerating the time flow of this ‘wheat field’ by 1 day. Time has sped up, and this wheat field has also undergone some subtle changes.】
‘Buzz!’
Almost as soon as the dialogue box appeared, a stream of data surged out from between Shen Mu’s eyebrows.
Then it transformed into a white light, just covering the 1 mu of Wheat Field in front of Shen Mu.
In almost the blink of an eye, the white light flashed and disappeared.
At the same time, before Shen Mu’s eyes, a special breeze seemed to blow, and after these wheat seedlings swayed with the breeze, they actually grew a tiny bit.
“Something… seems to have happened here.” Behind Shen Mu, Manid subconsciously murmured to himself.
He had also keenly noticed something just now.
Especially when he saw the breeze that had just swept by, he subconsciously took two steps forward and squatted at the edge of the wheat field.
Frowning, he looked at the wheat seedlings in the rows of wheat field, which seemed to have no change.
He pursed his lips and softly said, “These wheat seedlings seem to have grown a little bit. Although it doesn’t look obvious, I usually walk among the farmlands, so I have a deeper understanding of the growth of these crops.”
“Yes, these wheat seedlings have indeed grown a bit,” Shen Mu said with a slight smile, nodding, “And it’s indeed not very obvious.”
After all, it had only grown for one day.
He had only accelerated the time flow by one day.
It certainly wouldn’t appear too obvious, as even if wheat seedlings grow, it takes about three months to fully mature. One day, for wheat seedlings, is truly a drop in the bucket.
However, this drop in the bucket was only due to a lack of sufficient time. With accumulation over time, the wheat seedlings would certainly mature completely.
And the ability Shen Mu now possessed was precisely to rapidly condense this accumulation into a mere 10 seconds.
“Natural Food Blessing, activate again!”
Shen Mu did not hesitate at all.
He once again communicated with the system through his thoughts, activating this special ability.
And this time, it wasn’t just accelerating one day of growth.
Instead, it accelerated the time flow by 10 days.
‘Buzz!’
White data streams surged out from between Shen Mu’s eyebrows, and among them were also distinct, tiny green light spots.
They directly fell onto the 1 mu of already planned wheat field in front of him.
And this time, the changes that appeared were much more obvious.
‘Buzz!’
When the white light dissipated,
The wheat sprouts, which had just germinated and emerged from the soil, noticeably increased by another one or two centimeters, and sharper leaves also appeared.
Although they still looked lush and quite tender,
It was also clearly discernible that they had grown larger.
This was growth.
10 days of growth for wheat seedlings.
“Indeed, this time the change is truly immense.” Manid’s eyes also showed surprise as he looked at the even lusher wheat seedlings that appeared in this 1 mu of Wheat Field.
He couldn’t help but swallow: “This seems to be the state of wheat seedlings after a week or two.”
He noticed the growth state of these young seedlings.
“That’s right, this has increased the time flow by another 10 days or so.” Shen Mu looked at the 1000 Faith Power that had disappeared, without much heartache on his face.
The Faith Power he now possessed was quite substantial; after all, he still had over 15,000 points in total.
And more Faith Power was stored in the handle of the Dragon Flag fragment placed in his Noble Residence bedroom.
Therefore, he didn’t care about the consumption of this Faith Power at all.
So, with a smile, he once again communicated with the system: “What if I directly increase the time flow by about 30 days this time?”
Then, before Shen Mu’s eyes, data streams surged out once more.
‘Buzz!’
However, this time, there were even more green light spots within the white data stream.
At the same time, a cool sensation began to spread from Shen Mu’s beating heart in his chest, as if the power of the natural collective consciousness permeating his heart was also helping him.
Or rather, helping the crops in the natural world before him to grow even healthier within a faster time flow.
‘Buzz!’
Then, Shen Mu and Manid watched as the green wheat seedlings, originally the size of a finger joint, swayed and began to grow at a rate of one second per second, promoted by the white data stream and green light spots.
And within 30 seconds, they directly grew to over 30 centimeters tall, and also sprouted many thick stems and leaves.
And they grew extremely robustly.
Like young children raising their heads, receiving the heat released by the sun in the sky.
They diligently promoted photosynthesis and continued to grow vigorously.
“My God.” Manid’s expression was even more shocked at this moment, because he was still squatting at the edge of the wheat field, watching the seedlings, which were originally only the size of a pinky finger, directly grow into wheat stalks as long as an adult’s forearm.
And for some better-developed wheat stalks, he could even see the ears of wheat that had already appeared at the top, starting to head and pollinate.
“These are definitely wheat that have been growing for over a month, and they are about to head and pollinate. After pollination, it will take another month or so for them to bear individual wheat grains,” Manid’s voice trembled slightly.
Because he knew very well that in less than a minute.
A power akin to a miracle was being used by Shen Mu.