Chapter 239: Meat, Grace, and Might

For Jibu Squad, hunting wild beasts is almost effortless as long as they don't encounter powerful creatures like Trolls or Bugbears, not to mention that Xia Duo is tagging along.

The only slight surprise is that on the way to finish off three Dire Wolves, they encountered two wandering Goblins, and then followed them to incidentally clear out a small Goblin settlement.

Of course, this doesn't count as much of a surprise; Goblins in the forest are like weeds that can never be burned away, they are everywhere.

Although they hunted quite a few wild beasts, the only one actually brought back was a bear. Jibu and the others dragged the bear to the camp and butchered and cleaned it by the water.

The current season is nearing summer, and the flow of the Wolfburg River has accelerated quite a bit. The gurgling sound of the water, accompanied by the chatter of the soldiers, meant the bear meat was processed in a short while.

Afterward, several Slaves came out to start cooking. These people were originally ordinary villagers who later became Slaves, so they knew how to do basic chores.

Of course, this so-called cooking was merely putting the meat into a pot, mixing in hard bread and salted dried meat, and finally stewing it into a pot of mushy meat paste.

Yet, for Xia Duo, this food that he wouldn't even glance at is considered an absolute delicacy in the eyes of others.

As the fragrance from the three large pots drifted about, the people from the five Working Groups began looking back frequently, and the Slaves even became somewhat restless.

Xia Duo simply summoned everyone before him and announced a new order—

"For the 5 settler Working Groups, the first place gets to eat meat as they please, second, third, and fourth place get one bowl each, and the last place can go gnaw on bread; for the 3 Slave groups, in three days they will labor alongside the settler groups, and as long as they can outperform the settler groups, each person gets half a bowl of meat. For the group that performs best after one year, I grant them release from their Slave status."

Once the order was announced, it immediately caused the settlers to look at one another. Although there were no words, sparks of competition ignited in their respective eyes, even more intense than before, because the treatment for the last group might be even worse than that of the Slaves.

But they dared not question the Lord's decision. Didn't they leave their pasts behind to come here to get ahead? Just do it!

The settlers remained silent, bracing themselves to perform well, while over on the Slave side, some were already weeping with joy.

Having long been numb to life, ever since they arrived at this Pioneer Territory, they had felt something different from other places.

Now, hearing that their Slave status could actually be lifted, all the Slaves knelt on the ground and shouted—

"Lord is benevolent!"

"Thank you, Lord!"

……

Xia Duo watched this scene calmly, not particularly moved. Relying solely on benevolence cannot manage a Territory or convince the settlers. Once the scene quieted down slightly, Xia Duo continued to announce:

"All Working Groups are the responsibility of the group leader. If a member does not obey orders, the leader must report to Priest Laidun and may not handle it privately. Likewise, if a leader's order is unreasonable, members may not resist on the spot, but may report to Priest Laidun afterward."

"For any wrongdoing, settlers get 20 lashes, and Slaves will be hanged directly."

As soon as these words were spoken, the previously heated scene instantly turned cold. The settler groups were fine, as it was just twenty lashes, but the Slave group, having finally found hope of escaping slavery, now faced a death threat.

Only with contrast can one leave a deep impression. The Slaves shivered one by one. Xia Duo ignored them, gave final instructions for Laidun to be responsible for supervision and grading, and then left.

As for the two squads of soldiers, it wasn't that Xia Duo neglected them, but that he had already made arrangements.

As long as a Spellcaster cannot fly or teleport, they can ultimately be swarmed to death by ordinary people with ordinary weapons.

Xia Duo values ordinary soldiers quite highly. Although they aren't strong now, what if they wore a set of anti-magic, Spell Breaking equipment? They might even be able to hack an Archmage to death.

And Xia Duo's only requirement for soldiers is obedience. Regardless of whether there is a mountain of blades or a sea of fire ahead, they must be able to charge forward without hesitation once an order is given.

In this regard, neither Jibu Squad nor Qiaoqi Squad can do it, and it is unlikely that any soldiers recruited in the future will be able to do so.

Only soldiers selected from the next generation of settlers, possessing a sense of honor and belonging, have such a possibility.

For Qiaoqi and the others, Xia Duo only gave them something ordinary settlers didn't have—wages; everything else is similar to ordinary settlers.

Merely doing this is of course not enough to make them loyal to the death, but it is serviceable.

……

Arriving at the riverbank, Qiaoqi Squad was grilling there. Seeing Xia Duo approach, everyone hurriedly stood up, "Lord!"

"Eat your food, don't mind me."

Xia Duo waved his hand, went to the river, and reached his hand into the water. A moment later, he fished out a foot-long white-scaled river fish.

Skillfully removing the scales, cleaning the internal organs, and finally giving it a rinse, he rubbed on some crushed salt grains and skewered it with the long sword at his waist to roast over the fire.

Without many seasonings, the only thing Xia Duo can accept is relatively bland grilled fish. While waiting, Xia Duo gave a reminder to Qiaoqi's group regarding their next tasks:

"There will be new soldiers in the future. Qiaoqi, you are responsible for teaching them daily vigilance. From now on, every day, one of you will follow Jibu to clear out living things in the forest. You have all been Adventurers; I hope you can adapt as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Lord!"

"Eat quickly, and once you're done, go relieve Jibu and the others; they still have hunting missions this afternoon!"

"Yes."

Watching Qiaoqi and the others wolf down the bear meat that still carried a strong gamey odor, Xia Duo frowned, picked up the roasted fish, and left directly.

……

After the meal, Xia Duo discussed the evaluation standards for the Working Groups with Laidun again before leaving the camp.

After many days, he had long wanted to go treasure hunting in the Mythallar, but this time, he had a new tool in his hand—a shovel specifically for digging soil.

Finally, there was no need to use a shield to shovel dirt, and the shovel could also directly probe things in the loose soil without having to slowly scrape with a sword.

The efficiency increased all at once.

Speaking of this shovel, Xia Duo had specifically commissioned Yarman to find it for him, not at a blacksmith shop, but from an Adventurer!

There is no need for ordinary people to buy this thing, and blacksmith shops don't have it. The one in his hand now was custom-made by that Adventurer for the convenience of digging for treasure.

10 gold pieces each; calculated, it's about the same price as an ordinary one-handed sword.

……

Passing through the Mythallar, he arrived in the ruins.

This time, the target Xia Duo chose was the very center of these architectural ruins. Although he would always search everything, the probability of finding treasures in the center position should be higher.

This is truly heart-wrenching.

Once inside the Mythallar, losing his Magic ability made things less convenient. Xia Duo carried the shovel and quickly approached the center of the ruins; he was already somewhat impatient.

He felt that at this moment, it was no longer him carrying the shovel as he ran, but the shovel dragging him along!