Chapter 112: Aili, do you want it?

"Speaking of which, I do have a matter that requires the village chief's help…"

The village chief was slightly stunned. He had just mentioned it casually, but this young lord actually brought it up for real.

"Uh… May I ask what it is?"

Cao Xing pointed at Old Mel and his daughter, Elisa, who were standing nearby.

When the battle began, Elisa had been following right beside Cao Xing and was scared out of her wits.

Fortunately, those Hunters had Cao Xing as their target.

After recovering from her initial fright, Elisa quickly slipped out of the crowd and reunited with Old Mel.

Then the two of them hid in a corner and didn't dare to come out.

Cao Xing said, "Old Mel and his daughter will be joining my territory."

"They will be leaving Hoge Village with their cattle and sheep, but I heard that villagers leaving Hoge Village require the village chief's approval, so…"

Hearing this, a look of hesitation appeared in the village chief's eyes.

He turned his head, looked at Old Mel beside him, and asked, "Mel, are you really going to follow this lord to his territory?"

Old Mel nodded, "Yes, Village Chief Maldu."

The village chief sighed, "You are the most experienced cattle raiser in our village and have an extremely deep understanding of these livestock habits. Whenever other villagers' cattle and sheep have any problems, they all look for you to solve them."

"To be honest, I really hate to see you leave…"

"However, if it's this powerful lord, it might not be a bad thing."

"Hoge Village is indeed too weak in power. Under his territory, you can also live more safely."

"Respected Lord Cao Xing, I agree."

[The Hoge Village village chief has agreed to your recruitment application. Mel and Elisa have joined your territory, territory population +2.]

Joy appeared in Cao Xing's eyes. He hadn't expected the village chief to agree so readily.

However, this was probably also related to the powerful strength he had displayed.

It had directly shaken the village chief.

He looked at Old Mel beside him and said, "Very well, from now on, you are my people."

"So now, go pack up. We are going to return to the territory."

Cao Xing acted decisively.

Old Mel nodded, turned around, and took Elisa back to pack their luggage.

Cao Xing also walked out of Hoge Village and waited at the village entrance.

Hoge Village would handle the corpses all over the ground.

As for how they would handle it, that wasn't something he needed to worry about.

Half an hour later.

Old Mel and Elisa walked out grandly, leading a dozen yaks, sheep, and big-horned dairy cows.

Those yaks also had large and small bags hanging on them, looking like the luggage of Old Mel's family.

In addition, Cao Xing also saw several ox carts piled full of goods.

Old Mel said apologetically, "Sorry, My Lord, packing things delayed us a bit."

"The things loaded on those ox carts are all dry forage, which is the food for the yaks and sheep."

Cao Xing nodded, "No matter, let's return to the territory now."

The group of people, plus dozens of cattle and sheep, grandly left Hoge Village.

This time, although Cao Xing didn't recruit any newcomers in the village tavern, he recruited six combat-capable personnel from those guys in the Three Heroes Association.

He glanced at the attributes of these newly joined members.

[Kaishan Imperial Soldier: Ragid]

[Level: Level 8, 2243 / 7000 (Tier 2 Ordinary Creature)]

[HP: 780 / 780]

[Attack Power: 65 ~ 67 (Weapon Bonus)]

[Armor: 24 ~ 28]

[Skills: Imperial Basic Swordsmanship (When fighting with sword-type weapons, Attack Power +15%, Attack Speed +10%), Triple Slash (Continuously slashes out three attacks, dealing 91%, 87%, and 77% physical damage respectively, cooldown 60 seconds)]

[Talent: None]

[Satiety: 66]

[Loyalty: 52]

(Evaluation: A well-trained Imperial Soldier who can execute battlefield commands very well.)

[Melandru Mage Apprentice: Aili]

[Level: Level 7, 4491 / 6000]

[HP: 520 / 520]

[Attack Power: 63 ~ 65]

[Skills: Primary Flowing Water Coordination (Manipulates the water elemental energy in the air; affected by the world environment, it transforms into manipulating ice elements.), Flowing Water Burst (Condenses a mass of flowing water burst; affected by the world environment, it turns into an ice burst, dealing 122% explosion damage to the enemy and having a probability of putting them into a frozen state, cooldown 30 seconds)]

[Talent: Mana Affinity (Only humans who are innately sensitive to mana fluctuations can grow into mages)]

[Satiety: 53]

[Loyalty: 51]

(Evaluation: A delicate mage apprentice, she seems to have been scared out of her wits.)

[Wild Boar Warrior: Blitz Reina]

[Level: Level 7, 3913 / 6000]

[HP: 820 / 820]

[Attack Power: 55 ~ 58]

[Skills: Dual-Wielding (Able to use two weapons at the same time), Boar Rush (Instantly dashes a certain distance forward, dealing 112% * 2 piercing damage to the enemy, cooldown 100 seconds)]

[Talent: Beast Bloodline (Additional HP +10%)]

[Satiety: 61]

[Loyalty: 55]

(Evaluation: A warrior from a mysterious tribe with decent combat capabilities.)

Cao Xing nodded.

They were all ordinary recruited creatures. Under the same level conditions, the Wild Boar Warrior was the strongest.

Cao Xing did not apply more buffs to them.

Because these newcomers were forcibly subdued by him, their loyalty was too low.

Cao Xing was afraid they would rebel, so he decided to wait until these guys adapted first.

The team was even larger than before they set out, and in the snow, it looked like a fairly large caravan.

Since they had to bring yaks, their movement speed was not considered fast.

According to estimates, returning to the territory would take at least three hours or more.

And by that time, it would be almost dark.

Cao Xing pondered for a moment and decided to make use of these few hours.

The first thing he thought of was the territory of those guys from the Three Heroes Association.

Thus, Cao Xing looked at the two newly arrived mages and called them directly to his side.

"Aili."

Hearing Cao Xing call her, one of the female mages suddenly trembled slightly.

She walked over cautiously.

"My… My Lord… Did you call me?"

Cao Xing nodded, "Tell me about the situation of the territory you stayed in before."

Aili replied cautiously, "The territory I stayed in before was all right, but the former lord was a weak human, and there weren't many resources in the territory…"

"However, he was a pretty good person. Whenever he had food, he would share it with me and those Arctic People, but because we rarely went out, after a few days, our food had bottomed out."

"This time, the former lord took me out of the territory and even told us that after finishing this job, we would have food for the next week…"

"So… So…"

Cao Xing glared, "So you followed that guy to besiege this lord?"

Aili was so frightened her little face turned pale with tears welling up in her eyes, "I… I didn't mean to… Wuwuwu…"

"You can hit me, punish me… But please don't strip off my clothes, okay?"

Before Cao Xing could speak, Liu Muxue beside him let out a chuckle of "puchi".

He was speechless, "Who the hell wants to strip your clothes?"

"Tell me, did everyone in your former lord's territory come out?"

Aili stopped her fright and nodded cautiously, "For this operation, he brought all his family members out, and then… they were all killed by you…"

Cao Xing's eyes suddenly lit up.

All dead?

That meant there was not a single controller left in that territory. He could enter at any time and wouldn't even be blocked by the newbie protection mechanism.

Cao Xing continued to ask, "Do you know the location of the territory?"

Aili nodded again, "I know. It's about a dozen kilometers away from here…"

Cao Xing's eyes suddenly lit up, "Very well, then lead us there."

Aili seemed a bit fidgety, then hesitated and said, "The former lord said that we cannot casually bring other people near the territory…"

Cao Xing chuckled; this female mage was quite loyal.

The former lord was already dead, yet she still remembered his instructions.

However, for these recruited creatures, Cao Xing naturally had ways to make them relent.

Thus, he took out a piece of [Roasted Rabbit Meat] from his backpack.

In an instant, the rich aroma of meat spread throughout the team.

He had long noticed that the satiety levels of these recruited creatures were in a very low state.

It was clear that following their former lord, they couldn't even eat their fill.

Looking at the rabbit meat in Cao Xing's hand, the six newly joined members swallowed their saliva at the same time.

A burst of saliva-swallowing sounds appeared in the team.

Looking at Aili's eager gaze,

Cao Xing asked with a smile, "Want to eat?"

Allie nodded repeatedly, then immediately shook her head.

Just then, the nearby Wild Boar Warrior Blitz was the first to reply, "Lord, I know the location of the former lord's territory, and I can lead you there!"

"This time, the former lord also took all his family members out with him. Right now, except for the Arctic People, there is not a single person left in that territory."

Cao Xing chuckled and nodded, "Blitz, you are doing very well."

With that, Cao Xing directly handed him half a roasted rabbit.

Wild Boar Warrior Blitz hurriedly stepped forward, then respectfully bowed.

"Thank you for the food, you are a generous lord!"

Blitz took the roasted meat, and then, right in front of everyone, took a fierce first bite.

In an instant, Blitz's pupils dilated, and he exclaimed, "This is not ordinary roasted meat!"

"I tasted salt, honey, and even milk in it!"

"Not only that, I can also feel my strength improving!"

"By the Beast God, this is the first time I have eaten such delicious and magical roasted meat!"

Hearing Blitz's description, the other newcomers instantly started salivating heavily.

Meat that could increase attributes was extremely rare for them.

Moreover, it was so delicious!

The desire in their eyes was almost impossible to conceal.

A system prompt appeared.

[Your territory member: Blitz Reyna tasted the delicious roasted rabbit meat, attributes increased, loyalty has increased, current loyalty: 65]

In an instant, Blitz's loyalty increased by nearly 10 points.

The power of the secret roasted rabbit meat was simply too great!

Cao Xing wore a smile, "Blitz, this is just the basic living standard of our territory. Follow me, and you will be able to enjoy such delicious food every day."

Hearing this, not only Blitz, but also the three Imperial Soldiers and the two female mages beside them widened their eyes.

At the former lord's place, let alone eating meat every day, they couldn't even get enough dry bread for every meal.

Yet this new lord told them that as long as they followed him, they could eat such precious meat every day!

Blitz said gratefully, "Thank you for your gift, powerful and generous lord!"

"Blitz Reyna is willing to offer you my loyalty!"

After saying that, he began to wolf down the half-rabbit ravenously.

The other five watched his actions and swallowed hard.

In less than half a minute, Blitz finished eating the half piece of rabbit meat in his hand, crunching down on the bones as well.

His satiety increased to 70 points, and his whole person appeared much more energetic.

"Lord, let me lead you there right now!"

Cao Xing waved his hand, signaling him not to rush.

At this time, Cao Xing took out another half of the secret roasted rabbit, looked at mage apprentice Allie, and said, "Allie, do you want it?"

Allie seemed very hesitant, "I…"

Before she could speak, Sylvia beside her took the lead and said, "Lord, I know the location of the former lord's territory. It is about twenty-plus kilometers away from us now."

"If you are willing to give this half-rabbit to me, I am more than happy to lead you there."

Compared to Allie, although Sylvia also came from the Melandru Mage Association, she was a bit more mature.

With a few small freckles on her face, she looked like an approachable older sister next door.

Cao Xing smiled and directly handed the other half-rabbit to Sylvia.

Sylvia took it like a precious treasure, then similarly began to wolf it down, chewing in large bites without caring at all about the so-called lady-like image.

The system prompt appeared.

[Your territory member: Sylvia tasted the delicious roasted rabbit meat, attributes increased, loyalty has increased, current loyalty: 62]

Cao Xing nodded with satisfaction.

Sylvia's loyalty had also reached a passing level, so there was no need to worry about her rebelling.

Meanwhile, Cao Xing looked at the other three Imperial swordsmen; their gazes also carried desire.

Then, he took out two rabbits from his backpack, splitting them half-and-half as well.

The three soldiers took them tremblingly.

"Thank you, respected lord!"

Under the temptation of the delicious food, their loyalty all rose above 60.

And they told Cao Xing about the location of their former territory, including the development status of their territory.

Hearing what they said, Cao Xing nodded inwardly.

Except that one of the Imperial Soldiers said that there were still Survivors alive in his former territory,

the other territories were basically in an unowned state.

If all four territories could be occupied, not counting other resources, he could bring back at least 16 Arctic People alone!

For Cao Xing, who needed a large amount of manpower, this was quite a fortune.

At this moment, only the mage apprentice Allie remained, persisting in refusing to reveal the former lord's territory.

Sylvia also tried to persuade her from the side.

Holding the last half piece of rabbit meat in his hand, Cao Xing looked at her with a mysterious smile.

In the end, Allie compromised.

She knelt respectfully in front of Cao Xing, "Lord, please grant Allie some food!"

"Allie is willing to lead you to the former lord's territory."

Cao Xing smiled, "You made the right choice, Allie."

Then, he similarly shared half a rabbit with Allie.

Allie took it cautiously, then directly took the first bite.

Just like the others,

all her stubbornness vanished the moment she tasted the deliciousness of the rabbit meat.

Little stars even popped up in her eyes.

[Your territory member: Allie tasted the delicious roasted rabbit meat, attributes increased, loyalty has increased, current loyalty: 63]

Liu Muxue behind him also wore a gratified smile on her face.

Then, from Allie's mouth, Cao Xing learned the location of the last territory.

Based on the locations given by these six newcomers, Cao Xing roughly calculated the directions in his mind.

Cao Xing frowned and said, "The distance seems a bit far…"

"The distance between each territory is about ten to twenty kilometers."

"Even if we plan the route well and walk through all of them, rushing back to the territory will still take two or three hours."

"And because we have to bring the herds of cattle and sheep, this time will be greatly extended, and we won't even be able to get back before dark…"

After pondering for a moment, Cao Xing had an idea in his mind.

He called Assam over.

"Knight Assam, you escort Mr. Mel and his cattle and sheep back to the territory first."

"I will let Lenis go with you as well to ensure nothing goes wrong."

Assam and Lenis saluted at the same time.

"Your command is my mission, I will never let Mr. Mel and the herds meet with any accidents!"

Lenis also clenched her weapon, "My arrows will protect the safety of the herds."

Cao Xing nodded, "Very well, then you guys go back first, wish you a safe journey."

Assam nodded heavily, then led the herd toward the territory.

The team split up.

As for Cao Xing, he led Sarah, Hilda, Liu Muxue, and the six newcomers to advance in another direction.

In this way, the three strongest combatants, Dabai, Sarah, and Hilda, were still on his side, so at least safety was not a concern.

As for Assam's side, it was not too far from the territory. With his and Lenis's strength, it was enough to deal with many dangers.

At this time, mage apprentice Sylvia took the lead and said, "Lord, the former lord's location is only 15 kilometers away from us, let me lead you there!"

Cao Xing nodded, "Alright, Sylvia, you lead the way in front."

"Hilda, apply Queens Will to all these newcomers to speed up our movement."

Blood Spider Queen walked over, and the strong smell of blood made the breathing of the six newcomers on the scene hitch.

They seemed to feel extremely fearful of Hilda.

Hilda wore an impatient look on her face, then slowly raised her two slender arms, her black-purple lips parting slightly.

"I summon you in the name of the Queen, charge for me!"

In an instant, the six newly joined people only felt an irresistible will descend into their minds, as if they wanted to rush onto the battlefield right now and engage in a bloody battle with the enemy.

At the same time, a strange energy was blessed upon them, causing their mobility to skyrocket!

Allie said with a pale face, "So… so terrifying power…"

The other three Imperial Soldiers were even more shocked: "If it were on the battlefield, this Blood Spider lady's power could even turn the tide of a war!"

Cao Xing smiled, and then he and Liu Muxue respectively buffed them with various statuses.