“Huh? Accept these Blue Star Humans, and then activate the subsequent special module?” Respected Lord Shen Mu was still a bit bewildered looking at the dialogue box that appeared before him.
He didn't know what was happening.
Why did a temporary system quest suddenly appear, and it even said that completing this quest would unlock a subsequent special module?
He also didn't know what that subsequent special module was.
It left Respected Lord Shen Mu somewhat astonished.
“Is someone coming?” However, understanding the Mount & Blade System, Respected Lord Shen Mu stroked his chin thoughtfully: “Are some Blue Star Humans trying to seek refuge with me?”
The problem was that if they wanted to seek refuge, it was very simple, as he had already accepted twenty to thirty thousand Blue Star Humans.
Even accepting a few more wouldn't be an issue, and he would welcome it, as these Blue Star Humans represented Faith Power, which was a very important resource for him now.
Of course, he needed them.
But just as Respected Lord Shen Mu was pondering, footsteps suddenly came from outside the Noble Residence, and a Swadian Sergeant appeared at the door.
“Hmm?” Respected Lord Shen Mu looked up. He, of course, recognized that this Swadian Sergeant was one of the captains among the guards stationed at the street corner.
However, before he could even think, the Swadian Sergeant stood upright and reported loudly in a muffled voice: “Reporting, Respected Lord Shen Mu, there is a Blue Star Human at the street corner who says he has a special treasure he wishes to present to you and would like to meet with you.”
“…” Respected Lord Shen Mu's face showed no surprise; instead, it revealed a look of 'as expected.'
He slightly pursed his lips and nodded in response: “Then let him in.”
“Understood.” The Swadian Sergeant nodded and turned to go back and lead the person in.
But Respected Lord Shen Mu still pondered for a moment and directly asked: “Wait, you said he has a special treasure he wants to give me. What is it?”
He was quite curious about the special treasure that Blue Star Human claimed he wanted to give him.
“It's a statue broken into two pieces, seemingly of a warrior holding a long spear, emitting a very obvious white light,” the Swadian Sergeant thought for a moment and said, “And the white light it emits actually faintly resonates with the white light released by the Torch Tower in the Castle District. It's quite peculiar.”
“Oh, is that so?” Respected Lord Shen Mu slightly raised his eyebrows, becoming even more curious about the special treasure to be given to him.
So, he waved his hand and instructed the Swadian Sergeant: “Then let him come over.”
“Understood.” The Swadian Sergeant nodded, then turned and left the Noble Residence.
But at this moment, Respected Lord Shen Mu turned his head towards the first floor of the Noble Residence, near the door, in the direction of what resembled a security room, and called out: “Someone.”
“We are here, Respected Lord Shen Mu.” Immediately, 10 Holy Tree Knights quickly walked out from inside.
“Arrange for two people to accompany the incoming guest and also check their safety,” Respected Lord Shen Mu said.
“Understood.” Immediately, two Holy Tree Knights nodded, turned, and quickly walked behind the Swadian Sergeant, catching up, nodding, and without saying much, they went together to meet the Blue Star Human who was about to present the treasure.
Safety was a must.
Not everyone could directly meet Respected Lord Shen Mu.
And no one knew whether this person coming to meet Respected Lord Shen Mu was friend or foe, or what their intentions and goals were.
If an ill-intentioned person came, what if they used this gimmick to meet Respected Lord Shen Mu?
And then secretly used some special insidious methods to try and harm Respected Lord Shen Mu.
If they didn't check thoroughly and something went wrong, that would be a responsibility no one could bear!
Crucially, they couldn't allow Respected Lord Shen Mu, this legendary figure, the savior of the entire Mount & Blade World, to suffer any mishap!
So they went.
They thoroughly checked the middle-aged man, and also carefully checked the statue carved from stone that the middle-aged man was holding, which had lines outlined in gold and silver, as well as various gems as decorations, emitting a soft white light.
They confirmed there were no issues.
They confirmed that these were all forces of light.
They confirmed that the Mithril in their Holy Tree Knight armor, which was highly sensitive to evil, showed no reaction.
Only then did they feel relieved, leading the middle-aged man to the entrance of the Noble Residence, and after getting permission, they walked in.
They brought the middle-aged man to meet Respected Lord Shen Mu.
“Respected Lord Shen Mu, the guest has arrived.” The two Holy Tree Knights reported, bowing with their hands on their chests.
“Greetings, Respected Lord Shen Mu.” The middle-aged man also swallowed, respectfully bowing with his hand on his chest, performing a proper salute to express his reverence.
“Hmm.” Respected Lord Shen Mu remained in his seat, raising his hand and smiling: “No need for such formality, we are all Blue Star Humans, come and sit down.”
At the same time, he nodded to the two Holy Tree Knights and said: “Alright, you two may return to your rooms.”
“Yes.” The two Holy Tree Knights turned and returned to their security room.
However, at the corners of the walls or stairwells around, there were still Holy Tree Knights and Swadian Sergeants standing, staring coldly in this direction.
If anything happened, they would immediately rush over to protect Respected Lord Shen Mu.
“Thank you for your generosity.” The middle-aged man also showed a polite smile, walked over, and carefully sat down on the chair with half his bottom, while placing the statue wrapped in silk on the table with both hands.
He respectfully said: “Respected Lord Shen Mu, this is a spiritual realm mark inheritance I obtained by chance earlier. Inside is a statue broken into two pieces, seemingly a Spiritual Realm idol. And it can release the power of light, covering an area within 10 meters, which can resist Undead Monsters and emit light when darkness falls, preventing erosion by the black mist.”
The middle-aged man spoke very clearly, without any concealment or hiding.
Because he genuinely came to seek refuge with Respected Lord Shen Mu.
“Hmm, very good.” Respected Lord Shen Mu, however, didn't even look at the so-called idol wrapped in silk. Instead, he looked at the middle-aged man, who appeared to be in his early 40s, and a smile appeared on his lips: “This doesn't seem to be our first meeting.”
Respected Lord Shen Mu recognized that this middle-aged man was one of the people he had seen in a certain luxury residential area back then.
At that time, he had asked them for directions and also told them that if they encountered trouble, they could come and seek refuge with him.
He didn't expect to meet him now, and he even gave him a small surprise.
He presented a treasure.
This treasure could even communicate with the Mount & Blade System and bring a new special module to his Mount & Blade Rules.
One couldn't help but marvel at the wonder of fate.
“Yes, Respected Lord Shen Mu, I didn’t expect you to still remember me.” The middle-aged man quickly stood up from the chair and respectfully bowed to Respected Lord Shen Mu again.
And his tone was quite flattering: “It is precisely because of your invitation, Respected Lord Shen Mu, that I came to your Deherim and witnessed your greatness and Deherim's current prosperity and safety, which is why I decided to seek refuge with you.”
“We are all Blue Star Humans, and I will accept all compatriots I can.” Although Respected Lord Shen Mu had other intentions, pleasantries still needed to be said.
Saying some pleasantries was not for the sake of so-called face or deception; instead, it could find a common goal, a benevolent lie, and a way to consolidate central ideas.
And at this moment, the middle-aged man's face also showed a look of great emotion.
“You truly touched me deeply.” The middle-aged man again reached out and pushed the statue wrapped in silk towards Respected Lord Shen Mu: “Respected Lord Shen Mu, this treasure should still be given to you, and my only request is that my friends and family and I can live well in your territory, or if there's an opportunity, become Spiritual Realm Commanders, have some Spiritual Realm Followers, and be able to fight for you.”
“That's certainly no problem. You and your friends and family will live well in my Deherim and my territory.” Respected Lord Shen Mu nodded: “Not just you, but all Blue Star Humans will enjoy a peaceful and safe life in my territory.”
“You are great.” The middle-aged man, very respectfully, placed his hand on his chest and bowed again: “My name is Sun Zhiru, and I am truly grateful for your generosity and kindness.”
This middle-aged man named Sun Zhiru had now completely devoted himself to Respected Lord Shen Mu, and his heart was deeply touched.
After all, he hadn't expected Respected Lord Shen Mu to be so approachable and to harbor such a grand ideal: the great ideal of sheltering all Blue Star Humans.
After all, in this apocalyptic era, he had witnessed too much filth.
He had also witnessed too many conflicts and betrayals arising from self-interest.
Now, he suddenly encountered a young man who possessed great strength and also spoke of his ideal of protecting all Blue Star Humans.
He didn't mention beautiful women, power, or money.
Instead, he spoke of his ideals.
How could his heart not be touched, and how could he not feel that this person was great?
Therefore, Sun Zhiru truly admired Respected Lord Shen Mu greatly.
“How about this, you will now begin to follow Zhang Caidong as his deputy.” Respected Lord Shen Mu arranged: “You have presented me with a special treasure, and I like it very much. You will have a greater opportunity to prove yourself in Deherim next.”
“Thank you for your trust, I will certainly not fail you.” Sun Zhiru was also full of emotion at this moment, standing up and bowing to Respected Lord Shen Mu again.
After they talked for a few sentences, Respected Lord Shen Mu had someone take Sun Zhiru to make arrangements.
As long as his Mount & Blade Soldiers sent a message to Zhang Caidong, Sun Zhiru would be properly arranged as a deputy and could continue his work.
And in fact, this was good.
Sun Zhiru and Zhang Caidong were not acquainted, nor were they a unified front. Previously, Respected Lord Shen Mu had given Zhang Caidong quite a lot of power; now, inserting Sun Zhiru could allow for mutual supervision.
Of course, he wouldn't care about the specific situation, as long as these Blue Star Humans could provide him with Faith Power, that was enough.
What he cared about was always Faith Power.
At this moment, after Sun Zhiru left, he focused his gaze on the so-called idol wrapped in silk.
“Idol.” Respected Lord Shen Mu was quite sensitive to this term, as an idol must be a statue of a deity.
And deities were beings that had disappeared into the long river of time in the Spiritual Realm or the fantasy-side crystal wall system.
Thinking of this, Respected Lord Shen Mu directly reached out and pulled the idol wrapped in silk towards him, then unveiled the silk.
'Buzz!'
Immediately, a soft white light was released.
It carried a special power that made Respected Lord Shen Mu feel warm all over, and he could even perceive that the idol was like a small sun, emitting warm light.
So much so that Respected Lord Shen Mu felt a sense of being amazed.
Just then, a new dialogue box suddenly popped up on his retina.
【Ding! You have discovered a special Rule Power! Mount & Blade Rules can absorb it!】
【Do you choose to absorb it?】
【Hint: After absorption, you will gain a new special module. This module is the Faith Power Module. You can gain partial control over Faith, similar to the deities of the Fantasy Crystal Wall System, which will make it easier for you to acquire and use Faith Power.】
The content in the dialogue box instantly surprised Respected Lord Shen Mu.
“Gain partial control over Faith, similar to the deities of the Fantasy Crystal Wall System?!” Respected Lord Shen Mu murmured subconsciously.
These words strung together made his head buzz for a moment.
“Confirm Absorption!” Then, Respected Lord Shen Mu didn't hesitate, directly issuing the command to the Mount & Blade System in his mind.
【Ding! You have chosen to absorb this special Rule Power!】
【Mount & Blade System is parsing!】
【Parsing Countdown: 24 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds.】
【Countdown begins.】
Then, a countdown appeared on Respected Lord Shen Mu's retina.
Indicating that his Mount & Blade System was currently parsing.
At this moment, Respected Lord Shen Mu also noticed that a white light instantly surged from his glabella, carrying many data streams that directly wrapped around the idol in front of him.
And it wrapped around it in circles, as if cocooning it, completely enveloping the idol within.
Then, a warm sensation began to appear in his glabella.
And as the white data streams wrapped around it, the idol, which had originally been emitting warm light, now returned to its ordinary appearance, like an object wrapped in white silk ribbons, showing nothing remarkable.
It looked worthless.
“It seems I'll have to wait for another 24-hour countdown.” However, Respected Lord Shen Mu knew that once this 24-hour countdown ended, he would gain entirely new Rule Power.
He would gain a brand new module.
And even, as the system said, gain the power of a deity!