Dawn had just torn through the velvet of night when the forest awoke in the morning dew.
Water droplets clinging to pine needles refracted light like crushed diamonds. When the wind swept through the treetops, the entire forest seemed to rustle, shaking off the stars of the previous night.
The sound of a woodpecker tapping echoed from deep within the spruce trees. The TUK TUK TUK rhythm startled the dewdrops on the moss and woke a hedgehog curled up beneath the ferns.
At the same time, a startled Qin Feng also sat up on his creaking wooden bed.
He stretched out his arms, letting out a long yawn. Then, he rubbed his face with both hands, the pads of his fingers trying to grind away the sleepiness at the corners of his eyes and drag his groggy consciousness out of a lingering dream.
To be honest,
Qin Feng hadn't slept well last night.
The primitive wooden bed in the Lord's Hall was uncomfortably hard, nothing like the soft mattress he had back in the real world.
But he didn't dare go back to his real-world home to catch up on sleep. Who knew if that Death Knight had locked onto his house and was monitoring it 24/7, just waiting for him to return so it could arrest him on the spot.
After all,
a Divine Chosen Lord could be resurrected in the Lord's Hall after dying.
That didn't mean a Divine Chosen Lord could escape an enemy's Control after being knocked unconscious.
This was a piece of knowledge Qin Feng had picked up from an anime called "Sub-human."
The best way to deal with an immortal wasn't to kill them, but to put them into an Eternal sleep so they could no longer Control their own body.
In modern society, anesthetic needles and drugs were an immortal's greatest nemesis.
"Lord!"
"Are you awake?"
"Breakfast is fresh off the stove and still steaming. Shall I bring it in for you?"
"If you'd like to wash up first, the hot water is ready. I'll have someone prepare a bucket and attend to your washing and dressing."
Hearing the words of some unknown but loyal villager at the door, Qin Feng couldn't help but sigh with feeling:
'The Lord World... some parts of it are actually pretty nice...'
After quickly washing up, Qin Feng wolfed down the bland roasted meat and black bread the villagers had prepared, then pushed open the doors and walked out of the Lord's Hall.
By now, the subjects were already hard at work. The sounds of lumberjacks splitting logs with their axes rose and fell, farmers in the wheat fields were bent over tending to new stalks, and from the direction of the Mine Cottage came the crisp sound of pickaxes striking rock.
The entire territory was coming alive in the morning light.
'Good.'
'Everyone's full of Spirit.'
As he was reflecting on this, Qin Feng glanced over and saw Diablo standing at the entrance of the Lord's Hall. Behind him were two familiar-looking Ratman Warriors—the very same cowardly lizards who had fled in panic during yesterday's chaotic battle.
"Lord."
"These two are my kinsmen."
Diablo pointed to the Ratman on the left who was missing an ear.
"His name is Dongzhua."
Then he pointed to the Ratman on the right with a bandaged tail and said,
"His name is Ka."
After a pause, Diablo's whiskers drooped, his voice filled with a rare sincerity.
"Lord."
"I implore you."
"Please allow my Ratman kinsmen to continue living in the tribal village they know so well."
"And allow these two to return to the village to stand guard."
"It's mainly because our ancestral graves and altars are there. If we were to rashly move here to your territory, Lord, it would interfere with our ancestral worship ceremonies..."
"Furthermore, many highly aggressive Forest Beasts roam the area around our Poison Arrow Tribe's village."
"Occasionally, dangerous Demon Beasts even appear, wielding terrifying Magic Power."
"Therefore, we must have sufficiently strong Warriors stationed there to fend off these unknown dangers and protect the defenseless women and children in the village."
"I hope you can understand..."
Qin Feng looked at Ka and Dongzhua. Although their names were displayed in green, indicating they were allies, they weren't "captured units" he had recruited. They didn't have one hundred percent loyalty to him, nor would they be like the villagers, willing to offer up their hearts for him without a second thought.
Qin Feng was reluctant to let such unpredictable elements get too close to his territory, lest they obtain special intelligence that could be used to harm him.
So, he answered decisively,
"No problem."
"I was thinking the same thing."
"Have them go back to the village now."
"They don't need to report to me specially."
"If anything comes up, I'll send someone to inform them, or you can relay the message."
"As for what you said before about letting the other Ratmen continue to live in the village, that's fine too... I won't force them to move, nor will I make them hand over their property."
"Of course,"
"as my subjects,"
"they must pay a certain amount of tax on time."
"As for what to pay and how much, I'll inform them once I've decided."
Hearing this, Diablo was taken aback. He had thought Qin Feng would demand that all the remaining adult Warriors of the Poison Arrow Tribe report here to become garrison Warriors protecting this territory.
He even thought,
that he would drive all his tribesmen over,
force them into prison clothes and shackles, and reduce them to lowly slaves breaking rocks and chopping wood, toiling for those humans for all eternity.
He never expected the Lord to agree to his request so readily.
'As expected!'
'My intuition was right!'
'This human Lord is different from the others. He can definitely help us become the most Powerful Ratman Tribe in this forest!'
"Thank you, Lord!"
Overcome with excitement, Diablo shot a look at Ka and Dongzhua, signaling them to hurry back to the Poison Arrow Tribe's village, find a way to placate any dissenting members, and handle the various troublesome chores there.
The two Ratman Warriors caught his meaning and quickly imitated Diablo's posture, bowing their heads to Qin Feng in a comical Knight's salute before saying in unison,
"Thank you, Lord."
With that, they turned and left, showing no intention of lingering.
Qin Feng paid them no mind.
'They're not my people, after all. Their Loyalty is low, and they're uncultured. Why bother with them?'
'I might as well pay more attention to the system notification that just popped up in front of me.'
[Because of your actions, the Loyalty of your village "Poison Arrow Tribe" has increased by 2 points. Their compliance with your orders has increased.]
'Huh?'
'I can raise Loyalty just like that?'
'Nice!'
'This feels just like a colony sim!'
Just as he was pondering this, Diablo approached Qin Feng, bowed his head, and spoke.
"Lord."
"I have one more thing to ask of you."
He paused, his scarlet eyes glinting in the morning light.
"During last night's battle, you captured another one of my kinsmen... I implore you to release him. Let me persuade him to become one of your loyal subjects."
Qin Feng waved his hand dismissively, his tone flat.
"There's no need."
"Diablo."
"He has already promised to submit to me and serve as my Personal Guard, dedicating himself to protecting this territory and defeating any and all invaders."
'Submit?'
'How is that possible?'
Diablo shuddered.
He remembered that kinsman being notoriously defiant and untamable.
He would listen to no one's orders, except for the unfathomably powerful Bakadi Leader.
'It's only been one night!'
'And he's already come around?'
'Wait!'
'Could it be that mysterious power from yesterday at work?'
Just as it had influenced him... Diablo abruptly recalled the strange whispers by his ear, and a chill ran down his spine. The feeling of having one's thoughts under someone else's Control was simply too terrifying.
In the next moment, however, Diablo suppressed all the complicated emotions welling up inside him.
He firmly believed that he wasn't being externally controlled. Instead, every choice had been carefully considered before he decided to follow this unique Divine Chosen Lord.
'Besides, the current situation is the optimal solution for securing the survival of the Poison Arrow Tribe,' he reasoned. 'That kinsman must be the same as me. He must have made the smartest calculation.'