“Lord Chen…”
The two ravenous young girls were utterly powerless against the delicious food, yet halfway through their meal, Lina suddenly asked cautiously, “Lord Chen, can I take some of this food back for my mother?”
“I…” Effie also said weakly, “I want to take some back too. We can eat a little less in the future.”
Seeing their pitiful expressions, Chen Yu did not refuse, saying without hesitation, “Of course you can. You can take it all back if you want. However, the Dark World is very dangerous, and it’s not safe for the two of you to go back alone. I’ll have the Adventurers make a trip later.”
After all, they were labor that cost resources, so it was a waste not to use them.
The Half-elf Tribe was right near his castle. It wouldn’t hurt to win them over with food first, and then slowly incorporate them once his strength grew.
He could afford the soul crystal for this food; using it to gain loyal subjects was a worthwhile exchange in every way.
Chen Yu sent a message to the Adventurers’ team, asking a few of them to return first.
Not long after, Li Ruopu led a few people back.
“How was it? Did you find any trace of that Goblin Tribe?” Chen Yu asked immediately upon their return.
Li Ruopu shook his head. “Those guys are too cunning, and the northern forest is quite large. We still need more time to search.”
Chen Yu nodded. “Alright, no rush.”
After speaking, he exchanged a large amount of food from the system and mixed it with the leftovers from the two girls, then said to Li Ruopu, “How about this? You guys help deliver this food to the Half-elf Tribe. Consider it an extra task! Thank you for making the trip.”
Seeing Chen Yu being so polite, Li Ruopu chuckled and said, “It’s nothing. Those Half-elves live such pitiful lives, I really want to help them too.”
After a brief conversation, Li Ruopu took the people and carried the food away.
Lina and Effie looked at Chen Yu with grateful eyes. Originally, being able to take even a little food back made them extremely grateful.
But Chen Yu had exchanged an additional large amount of food, which had to be purchased with soul crystal. This act made them feel immeasurably grateful.
“Lord Chen, we will definitely work hard. Whatever you want us to do, we are willing to do it.”
Lina expressed her loyalty. The meaning of her words actually encompassed various aspects.
Lina had also heard that some Lords had strange preferences, specifically collecting beautiful women of various races to satisfy those desires.
Therefore, she mistakenly thought that Chen Yu was also like that.
Otherwise, why would a Lord, especially a new Lord, waste precious resources to recruit two young girls with no combat power whatsoever?
The food consumed by subjects and the soul crystal consumed for the daily maintenance of the territory’s protective shield both increased with the number of subjects in the territory.
Those were very important resources, usually used for combat-capable units to expand territory.
Lina didn’t know much else, but she was clear on this point. Wise races in the Dark World had some understanding of the system from birth.
However, what Lina didn’t expect was that Chen Yu not only didn’t impatiently pull them into the castle, nor did he sit by and scrutinize them.
Instead, he discussed the work they would be doing in the castle in the future.
And the work was incredibly simple: merely… greeting Adventurers?
Not only was the work simple, but they also had abundant food every day and an incredibly safe place to live. Compared to the constant anxiety in the Half-elf Tribe, always fearing being abducted by Goblins, this place was simply heaven.
“Lord Chen, is this all we have to do every day?”
Lina was still a bit incredulous. Having lived in the Dark World for so long, being able to eat a full meal after a hard day’s work was already incredibly satisfying.
But listening to Lord Chen’s description, the work here was not only not tiring but also seemed very simple.
“Ah, isn’t that tiring enough?”
Now it was Chen Yu’s turn to be surprised. The “Happy Playing Cards” Dungeon was open for 12 hours a day. Spending such a long time inside, in Chen Yu’s opinion, was already somewhat exploiting labor.
Chen Yu had even considered implementing a two-shift system. But looking at the two young girls’ eyes, it seemed he was still a bit too kind.
“Lord Chen, please let us do more.”
“Yes, Lord Chen, please let us prove our worth.” The two Half-elf girls said cautiously.
Everyone liked an easy life. But their upbringing had taught Lina and the others that only by having a certain value would they not be abandoned.
Therefore, they wanted to demonstrate their worth as much as possible in this world where might made right.
Chen Yu was speechless for a moment. Finally, he blurted out, “If you think the working hours aren’t enough, then you can open it for as long as you want. But there probably won’t be many Adventurers at night.”
Most Adventurers preferred to work during the day; it was already a habit. They only had five entries per day. A whole day was enough to spend, so most Dungeons were only open for about 12 hours.
“Thank you, Lord Chen, thank you, Lord Chen.”
Chen Yu felt these two young girls were too formal, as if they were afraid he wouldn’t want them anymore.
“Alright, doing your job well is more important than anything. There are new Adventurers coming in now, so come with me. I’ll show you around and familiarize you with the work environment.”
After speaking, Chen Yu led Lina and the other girl into the “Happy Playing Cards” Dungeon.
Since the first and second lines were data-interconnected, no matter which Dungeon they entered from, they would appear in that large room.
A flash of light passed. Upon entry, Chen Yu had specially designed outfits for the two Half-elf girls. Thus, when they appeared in the game, the clothes on the two Half-elf girls had already transformed into exclusive Bunny Girl outfits.
The silver-haired, waist-length Half-elf girl was clad in a matte black velvet bodysuit, with pointed ears adorned with mithril ear clips. They wore bunny ear accessories on their heads. Between their over-the-knee fishnet stockings and patent leather stiletto heels, glimpses of their fair skin were revealed, though only their lower legs were exposed; they were mostly covered, primarily for the sake of fitting the theme.
It was a proper game, no suggestive content.
The moment these two Bunny Girls appeared, they instantly attracted everyone’s attention.
“Holy crap!”
“Brothers, look, Half-elf girls!”
“They’re so beautiful.”
“This outfit is also very nice, a little bunny style, cute but also a bit enchanting.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, Lord Chen actually has a knack for designing clothes too. I thought he only knew how to design games.”
“Can anyone make a similar outfit? I want my girlfriend to wear it.”
“Wake up, your girlfriend is about to deflate.”