Chapter 40: The Subjugated Halfling So, when Shen Mu came down the spiral staircase of the tower, his soldiers had already returned to the castle. Fifteen Swadian infantrymen stood in the front row, followed by the 15 Swadian light infantrymen, and next to them were the 30 veteran thugs of the Lake Rat Gang. At this time, they all puffed out their chests, looking proud as if they had won a victory. Shen Mu was a little confused by what he saw. Especially when looking at the dome in front of him, which is about 5 meters high and made entirely of stone, the spacious castle hall, and the already opened castle gate made of four-finger-wide wood and iron nails, his expression became strange. These buildings were indeed modified by him using the Magic Ball Modifier. But it’s also the first time I’ve seen it. Especially the spacious castle body covering half an acre of land, which is a world of difference compared to the main house of the stronghold which is only about 50 square meters. "It's really great." Of course, Shen Mu came to the castle hall, looked up at this magnificent building, and nodded involuntarily. "Greetings to you! Lord Shen Mu!"
And just when Shen Mu came over, these mounted and swordsman soldiers, with their heads held high and their chests puffed out, pounded their chests heavily, and greeted Shen Mu respectfully yet heroically. "Yeah." Shen Mu nodded. He knew that these soldiers had won the battle, so he praised them, "Well done." "All for the glory you have bestowed upon us!" The Mounted Blade soldiers responded again. They were so excited that their faces turned red. For them, being praised by Shen Mu is the greatest honor. Shen Mu also understood this. Because right in front of his retina, the post-battle settlement dialog box from the Mount and Blade system had just disappeared. [Ding! Congratulations! You and your men fought bravely and successfully defeated the enemy in a short period of time! ] 【You have completed a perfect victory! 】 [According to the perfect evaluation of the battle! You have obtained 1 'Silver Level Treasure Box'. ] [You have soldiers that can be upgraded. ] "Another silver-level treasure chest. This way, I have two treasure chests waiting to be opened." Shen Mu glanced at the dialog box. But what he cared more about was the last densely packed list of soldiers who could be upgraded, which had been omitted. There is also a list of farmers and robbers who are waiting for subsequent upgrades after coming out of the spirit world scene. [You have soldiers that can be upgraded:] [① 50 Swadian peasants, can be upgraded to 'Mercenary Sentinels (10 dinars each)/Swadian Recruits (5 dinars each)'. ] [② Hired Sentinels × 10, can be upgraded to 'Hire Crossbowmen (50 dinars each)'. 】
[③ Robbers x 25, can be upgraded to 'Greenwood Bandits (20 dinars each)/Lake Rat Gang Newcomers (20 dinars each and requires Lake Rat Gang Training Camp)'] [④ 30 Swadian Light Infantry, can be upgraded to 'Swadian Infantry (100 dinars each)/Swadian Heavy Cavalry (100 dinars each)'] "After these two battles, my strength has really increased greatly." Shen Mu looked at the contents in the dialog box, and the smile on his face did not fade away. Even though the smile on his face froze for a moment, Shen Mu also realized that if he really upgraded these hundreds of soldiers... The amount of dinars required would be horrible! At least the less than one thousand dinars stored in the storage room of the main house of Shen Mu’s base are not enough. "This is extremely embarrassing." Shen Mu felt helpless. The lack of an effective way to obtain dinars is one of the problems he faces now. The only thing I can rely on now. It was Nalot, the robber who had left and had not returned, the bankrupt businessman. "I don't know when he will come back." Shen Mu missed him. Shen Mu shook his head and didn't think too much about it. Instead, he raised his head. I saw the guests standing there stupidly in front of the two main doors of the castle, which were not only extremely heavy but also 3 meters high. His ally and collaborator is Liu Na, who has obtained the profession of spiritual druid. And her 12 halfling followers. "Let them come." Shen Mu raised his chin and signaled to the soldiers who were still standing there waiting for orders. "Understood." A senior thug from the Lake Rat Gang responded, then turned around and invited Liu Na and the 12 halflings who were obviously nervous and frightened to come in front of Shen Mu as if to monitor them. Shen Mu knew that Liu Na and her halflings were probably affected when he used the magic ball to transform the terrain. Then he just happened to arrive at the castle gate and realized the secret about Shen Mu. But that’s okay. Now that he knew his secret, Shen Mu looked at the pale-faced female druid and the halflings beside him who were known for their hard work and dexterity, and smiled: "I think I can safely leave my wheat field on the seventh floor to this druid and these halflings." Shen Mu didn't want to let go of this ready-made labor force. What's more, the other party knows his secret. "Hello, Mr. Shen Mu..." Liu Na walked over tremblingly, accompanied by the half-orc elder Pero, who also had an extremely astonished look in his eyes, looking at the castle and Shen Mu with an expression of surprise and awe on his face. He also showed more respect and fear towards Shen Mu.
"Yeah." Shen Mu came to the top of the castle hall and sat down on the only stone bench for the lord. It was as if a real noble was receiving visiting guests. Liu Na, who has always been socially anxious, and the halflings who were born in the spirit world, did not feel that there was anything wrong. After the changes in the apartment floors and the sudden appearance of the castle, as well as Shen Mu's elite soldiers easily defeating the attacking bandits, these halflings and Liu Na really regarded Shen Mu as a high-ranking controller. Psychologically, it puts oneself in a weak position. Of course this is indeed the case. "I have two wheat fields, about two acres in total, and I really need your help to take care of and cultivate them." Shen Mu spoke directly at this time. Looking at these obviously frightened halflings, he finally turned his gaze to the halfling elder Pero, stretched out his hand and touched the handle of the chair which was also carved from stone and said lightly: "To express my gratitude to you, I will provide you with daily food and safety protection, as well as whatever you ask for that I can do and within my capacity." Shen Mu was not asking, nor was he discussing. In response to this, Elder Pero, who was nominally a follower but in fact had always been the one who made the final decision for Liu Na, just smiled bitterly. Then he looked at Liu Na, who was still confused and didn't know what it meant, and the young halflings beside him with panicked looks on their faces. He pursed his lips and took a half step forward, touching his chest respectfully and nodded: "It is our honor, Mr. Shen Mu." He is very clear. This is not a multiple-choice question. "Well, it's a wise choice." Shen Mu nodded, and then instructed the Swadian light infantry around him: "Escort them to the main house of the stronghold on the seventh floor. They can rest there and move freely within the range of the seventh floor." "Understood!" Immediately, 10 Swadian light infantrymen stepped out of the ranks and began to follow orders. The halfling elder Pero pulled Liuna's hand, sighed, and said nothing. He then walked to the corner of the castle hall, to the tower with a spiral staircase, with the soldiers wearing chain mail, holding swords and fan-shaped shields. At least in Pero's heart, it was a good thing to join a person who had the mark of a lord and became a lord. Walk on the half-meter wide spiral staircase. Pero reached out and touched the heavy wooden staircase and the hard stone next to it, and a look of surprise appeared on his furry face: "This texture and workmanship do not look like the ordinary border territories, the shabby quick-built simple castles. It looks more like the castle towers in the kingdoms, which took a family decades to painstakingly build." It once traveled through the human kingdom. Well informed. Looking ahead, he was wearing an iron helmet, a cotton robe and a layer of chain mail. Whether it was the long sword at his waist, the fan-shaped shield on his left arm, or the long spear in his right hand, all of them showed the shadow of standard equipment. At this moment, Pero was thinking: "It seems that what Lord Shen Mu has obtained is the inheritance of a lord of a wealthy kingdom!" That's really good. At least if it is developed, we will have the power to fight against the undead monsters or bad guys with bad intentions. Being able to protect these halflings and Liu Na, whom he regards as his daughter, is absolutely safe.
(End of this chapter)