The Lord's shop was also empty. "I don't understand. What is the difference between the Lord's shop and the Global shop?" Lucien could not help but ask.
Although the question was more rhetorical, a reply came shortly.
[The Global shop pays after the Lord comes into agreement with another, while the Lord's shop buys immediately, and places the good on the shelf for another Lord to buy. The Lord's shop is handled directly by the system.]
Lucien read every line, his head moving up and down as he digested each word. "Lord's shop is for quick money, and Global Shop is more investment-based," he summarised.
Before he could continue in his thoughts, another beep came from the system.
[The Lord of Etoile has an unopened gift pack.]
"I still had that from breaking through," he muttered. "Open it," he said, his voice firm and resolute.
A colourless chest appeared, resting gently in his palm.
Lucien was no longer as surprised as before. Having experienced several supernatural things today, he had gone almost numb to them.
He lifted the lid calmly, a blinding light erupting from it.
[You have gained a new system function, 5 class change certificates, a dual-class core, and 5 new subjects.]
2 things appeared on his lap: a bundle that held the class change certificates, and a small orb
"New function?" Lucien whispered. Although that was not the only gain, he could not help but look at that one more closely. Then his eyes drifted to the other items, finally stopping on the dual-class core too.
He took the orb, a screen appearing before him.
[Confirm use]
"Yes," he said, his tone neither rushed nor loud, just calm.
The orb shattered.
[The Lord of Etoile has another class selection core.]
Lucien gazed at the class certificates in his hand as he thought of the one to pick. Earlier, during his class change, he had no choice but to use the mage certificate. But now, he could choose another class.
"I will come back to that later. I should summon the new subjects and check the new functions, then come back to the class matters," he concluded.
"System, what is the new function?" He asked.
[The Primordial will has granted you the vice Lord function, something only accessible when a domain reaches tier 5.]
[It allows a Lord to bestow all his authority on a citizen, enabling them to manage the domain in the absence of the Lord.]
That was it, a very simple description by all means. But it was far from simple. Several benefits sprang up in Lucien's head.
"It feels like the Primordial will wanted me to just cultivate and leave the Domain's affairs to another person," Lucien muttered beneath his breath.
'I don't know if Levi will want it,' he thought again. "I will ask him when I go outside."
With that in mind, Lucien sprang up from the bed in a smooth motion, his feet moving in perfect harmony as he reached for the door.
The sun had already dipped above the horizon, casting a veil of darkness over Lucien's domain. Although the day had gone, the little people in the domain were still busy, chattering in front of a bin fire.
Lucien was surprised to see Levi joining them in the chatter. Whether out of curiosity or the mindset of a responsible leader, Lucien instinctively went towards them.
Seeing him approach them, they all stood up and bowed in unison. Except Levi, who just sat, looking at Lucien before giving a slight nod.
They were not close yet, having only met for about 5 hours.
"What are you guys talking about?" He asked.
The first to answer was Liam. "Master Levi was discussing how to handle exploration tomorrow with our limited manpower."
Lucien nodded. 'Even without giving him the position, he is already fulfilling the duties.'
He sat down on the floor beside Levi. While the others continued talking, he began his discussion with Levi.
"I just got a new function from the system that allows me to assign someone as the vice Lord. As a vice Lord, you can use most of my authority, so what do you say about becoming the vice Lord?"
Lucien explained in the shortest and most direct way possible. He did not have the energy to engage in useless chatter.
"If you give all your authority to me, what will you be doing?" That was Levi's first response, a reply in the form of a question.
"Obviously, I will be cultivating until I am truly needed."
"How will you help us when we truly need you. In less than 20 minutes of entering that portal, you guys came out with so many things."
Lucien just smiled. "First of all, we spent over 3 hours there, and the time dilation is the reason it felt like 20 minutes outside. Also, you can always contact me to open another portal."
Levi thought about his words carefully. "Okay."
"I will go tomorrow morning. You can always call me at any time," Lucien said as he stood up.
'System, give the vice Lord to Levi,' he gave a mental command.
A screen appeared in Levi's sight instantly.
[Do you accept to be the Vice Lord of Etoile?]
"Yes."
The screen shifted, displaying all the tabs that were on Lucien's system.
Lucien walked away from there, towards his next destination, summoning the new citizens.
As he reached the summoning gate, the system alerted him that the summoning chance had been reset.
"Summon," he said with a calm tone.
The gate shone with a bright light, and 5 people came from it.
"Welcome to my domain," Lucien said with the smooth, capturing tone he had refined in a day. "I am the Lord, Lucien."
They all knelt on one knee after the declaration. "Greetings, my Lord," they all said in unison.
"Rise," he said. "The rest are over there, go join them," he pointed at the bonfire.
"Yes, my Lord."
As they walked there, Lucien was able to count them properly.
"3 men and 2 women."
He walked into his room again, his mind already on the class certificate he would choose.