Chapter 9: Civil and Military Rule

Upper Gu, beneath the Great Wall.

Most lords were still busy getting familiar with their own territories. A fat man riding a Yellow-Maned Horse was puffing and panting as he hurried along a mountain path.

Even though he still didn’t know why “Daydreaming” had chosen him, “I Love Eating Perch” felt this was a chance.

It was a chance to let him see a true Huaxia famous horse!

Following the route pointed out by Daydreaming, the Fatty had been riding for almost half an hour, but before his eyes, there were only mountains, not even a shadow of a horse in sight.

Half an hour.

Forty minutes.

One hour.

Just when the Fatty was sitting on the horse’s back, feeling as if his whole butt was about to be broken apart, his fat ear suddenly twitched.

He lifted the reins with his right hand and headed straight for a green, shaded path.

A moment later, the clear sound of hooves gradually reached the Fatty’s ears.

…

“Ding~ Congratulations, Player ‘Daydreaming’, for using a Lord Talent Card to obtain the S-grade Lord Talent ‘Civil and Military Rule’.”

After finishing his conversation with the Fatty, Mo Xiaobai watched the two channels for a while longer. Unfortunately, he didn’t see any familiar names again, so he took out the Lord Talent Card from his personal backpack.

“Lord Talent: Civil and Military Rule!”

“Talent Grade: S”

“Talent Overview: Within the territory ruled by the Lord, all Territory Citizen templates receive a buff. The buff effect is 10%.”

Seeing his talent overview, Mo Xiaobai’s brain froze for a moment. Only one sentence kept flashing and jumping in his mind.

What a demonic talent!

Although this talent had no effect on him personally, in terms of practical utility, most of the talents Mo Xiaobai knew from his past life simply couldn’t compare to “Civil and Military Rule”.

This was basically a permanent super BUFF!

Mo Xiaobai shook his head hard to clear it, then called up his territory panel. After finding the personal attributes of the Deputy Village Head, Li Ji, he immediately made an expression of “as expected.”

“Li Ji!”

“Courtesy Name: Maogong!”

“Class Transfer: Tianxing · Heavenly Fox Wise General!”

“General Attributes: Command [91]; Martial [85]; Politics [78]; Wisdom [77]; Virtue [76]”

“Exclusive Characteristics: Fox Eyes [During wartime, has a 66% chance to perceive enemy Defense and spot weaknesses]; Cunning Fox Shadow [When leading troops, increases troop stealth chance by 88% and troop march speed by 77%]; Fox Nose for People [Within the territory, the spawn rate for residents with A-grade aptitude or higher increases by 11%]”

After Mo Xiaobai obtained the Lord Talent, Li Ji’s already excellent attributes skyrocketed by a large margin. Even the effects of his characteristics were the same; after the 10% buff, they could be described as “abnormal.”

“This is a true comprehensive buff.”

Mo Xiaobai wasn’t unaware of the power of an S-grade talent, but seeing it with his own eyes still left him incredulous. Because at this moment, it wasn’t just Li Ji receiving the buff; the other thirty-five villagers in the territory were getting it too.

Everyone saw some kind of increase, albeit small because their base attributes were poor. However, with so many people improving together, the effect was quite obvious.

Just like now, whether it was farming, building houses, or cutting wood, the speeds had clearly increased.

“At the moment, the territory only has about thirty people. In the future, when the population grows to hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands, the effect of this talent will only become more terrifying.”

Mo Xiaobai was still muttering to himself when Li Ji, who was directing the villagers’ work nearby, suddenly turned around to look at him.

My Lord seems to have realized something truly remarkable.

“Ding~ Moved by the boost of the Lord Talent, Daming Village’s Deputy Village Head, Li Ji, broke through the S-limit for his Commander value. Filled with gratitude, his Loyalty increased by 10 points.”

A notification from the Intellect Brain rang out. Influenced by the sound, Mo Xiaobai snapped back to reality and looked up at Li Ji, who was directing the Liu brothers and others to build houses.

Their eyes met, and Mo Xiaobai clearly saw surprise and gratitude in Li Ji’s eyes.

“In a way, I was forced to show off again without meaning to.”

“I’m surprised too, hahaha~”

Muttering some happy sarcasm in his heart, Mo Xiaobai stood up and walked over to Li Ji. Don’t let his appearance fool you; even though he had only checked the channels and spoken a few words with the Fatty, actually two hours had passed.

Mo Xiaobai had entered the territory during the Wei hour in the afternoon, around two or three o’clock, and now it was the You hour, so night would fall very soon.

“Have they already built seven or eight houses?”

Looking at the two neat rows of wooden houses before him, there were thirteen in total, including those refreshed by the Intellect Brain. According to the Intellect Brain’s setting that a low-level house can house five people, these houses were enough to accommodate sixty or seventy residents.

“Reporting to My Lord, ten low-level houses can be completed before nightfall.”

Li Ji’s answer was concise and free of any emotion. After all, these were just ordinary houses. Even if built more or faster, it wouldn’t make his emotions change.

Hearing Li Ji’s answer, Mo Xiaobai stroked his chin: “Then tomorrow we can free up our hands to do other things. By the way, Maogong, you should pay attention to the hygiene of the residents. This matter needs a separate area to be handled.”

“Understood.”

Although Li Ji was the Deputy Village Head, he still radiated the aura of a military general. After bowing with his fists, he thought of a problem: “My Lord, the remaining grain in the granary is insufficient to last until the next harvest.”

“I will solve this problem tomorrow.”

Mo Xiaobai knew what Li Ji meant. The Intellect Brain had only given 100 units of initial rice, but even if the dozens of people ate only two meals a day, the consumption would exceed 30 units. However, normally, it takes five days to harvest rice. A reserve of 100 units of grain would absolutely not last until then.

Originally, Mo Xiaobai had planned to go fishing by Daye Marsh, where the aquatic products were abundant and he wouldn’t have to worry about catching fish or shrimp. But doing so would require organizing a large number of people, which would surely delay the progress of the territory’s construction.

As for now, Mo Xiaobai casually glanced at the ornament around his waist.

“Oh Star Disk, can you perfectly solve the food problem? I’m counting on you.”

…

On the first night in the territory, Mo Xiaobai did not choose to log out. Although he could log out now, he still stayed within the territory.

Under the night sky, a group of Territory Citizens, including Li Ji, had already gone to rest.

Mo Xiaobai was alone. Taking advantage of the moonlight, he patrolled the territory from time to time, and then walked into the depths of the valley. Finally, exhausted from walking, he returned to the village square and leaned against the village stele, gazing at the night sky.

The Lord Plane was very real, so real that people subconsciously forgot Water Blue Star.

But Mo Xiaobai knew deep in his heart that all these Lord Players would, eventually, completely leave this projected Lord Plane and return to Water Blue Star.

When that time came, all achievements made in the Plane would affect the players’ status and role after returning.

“It is better to say this is not a game, but rather an opportunity given to the people of Water Blue Star by the Will of the Universe.”

“In this life, I must firmly hold this opportunity in my hands.”

With a strong belief in his heart, Mo Xiaobai fell into a deep sleep.