Chapter 428: Spiritual Permeation of Matter

Xia Duo subconsciously used the Magic Net to block the odor, but the other two did not enjoy such treatment; although they could smell the fresh air near Xia Duo, they dared not get too close, only frowning, and Fulaike even covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve.

"&*@#￥*&!" Boen roared.

Everyone in the cabin looked over immediately, their expressions a mix of nervousness and anticipation. Finally, an old man in beast-hide robes carrying a Bone Staff walked out of the crowd, came before Xia Duo and the others, performed a clumsy Mage salute common in Netherese, and then let out another string of strange, gibberish language.

Xia Duo realized that assimilating these Langasi would not be as easy as he had thought; at the very least, the language barrier was quite troublesome. He looked at Boen beside him and asked, "What did he say?"

"My Lord, he said he thanks the merciful Lord Xia Duo. If not for your acceptance, their Kewu Tribe would have been wiped out by their enemies. Also, he said you, My Lord, are their natural master bestowed upon them by the Ancestral Spirit."

"……"

Regardless of whether Boen's translation had been embellished or beautified, this phrase "master bestowed by the Ancestral Spirit" truly struck a nerve with Xia Duo. Accustomed to the Faith of the Lord of Radiance, this Ancestral Spirit faith did not seem very compatible with a ruler!

If everything is attributed to the Ancestral Spirit, where does that leave the Lord? Although Xia Duo was somewhat displeased, he did not show it on his face, instead saying calmly, "Welcome to Daxia Territory. From now on, you are all subjects of Daxia Territory. I hope you will observe and obey the order of the Territory."

After speaking, he said no more. Waiting for Boen to convey his words, Xia Duo walked around the cabin once more to roughly gauge the number of people from the Kewu Tribe.

Aside from the leading Shaman, there were no other elderly people; they were all young adults and children. Among them, there were about forty adult women, only thirty-something adult men, and quite a few children—at a rough glance, at least 60.

Bringing back over a hundred people at once could be considered a significant supplement.

Returning to the deck, Xia Duo looked at Guild Leader Fulaike and stated his request, "Find a few people who can speak the Langasi language to accompany the ship to Daxia Territory."

"Additionally, besides transporting people from Seventon next year, we cannot neglect the Langasi side. I will provide the corresponding funds; I hope you can establish a stronghold in the Langasi territory to transport people to Daxia Territory long-term."

"People who can speak the Langasi language are no problem; Boen can speak it, and there are two others on the ship who can as well. But establishing a stronghold—" Fulaike looked troubled, "My Lord, although the Langasi fight and kill each other, they are still very wary of the Netherese. I worry that establishing a stronghold might actually hinder the recruitment of people."

Xia Duo thought for a moment and nodded, considering it an acknowledgment of Fulaike's point, but he then asked, "Can we cooperate with the large tribes there to purchase slaves from defeated tribes? We can pay with weapons, armor, or even Magic Scrolls."

"My Lord!" Fulaike's expression changed, as if shocked by Xia Duo's words. But seeing Xia Duo's calm demeanor, and ultimately being in the slave trade business, Fulaike's mind became active:

"My Lord, perhaps we could also support them in launching attacks on other tribes to obtain more people."

"……"

Xia Duo scrutinized Fulaike carefully. He had ideas! He himself had indeed had such thoughts, but he decided to abandon them after thinking it over. He did need people, but he was not yet an enemy of the Langasi, so it was not worth doing that.

There is no such thing as a secret that cannot be kept; he could not always treat the Langasi from conquered tribes as slaves. Who knew if a Great Arcanist might emerge from among them in the future? Wouldn't that be inviting trouble for himself!

Acting upright and occupying the moral high ground was not just for show; it had practical and long-term benefits. As a Quasi-Immortal, Xia Duo could not afford not to consider these things.

Giving Fulaike a warning look, he continued, "There is no need to do that. Daxia Territory is not a Destroyer or a Terminator; we are Saviors and Protectors, the ones who bring happiness and stability to the Langasi. Do you understand?"

By the end, his tone had become stern.

In the cold weather, Fulaike felt a large patch of sweat on his back. Realizing he had thought wrongly, he did not dare to hesitate and hurriedly replied, "Yes, My Lord!"

"Go back. I will come to Savile Town again in a while, and we will settle the expenses for this trip then."

"Yes."

Fulaike left, but soon sent over another person, saying he was proficient in the Northland Langasi dialect. After accepting him, Xia Duo directly ordered the ship to set sail.

It was not until nightfall, under the illumination of Xia Duo's Spell, that the cargo ship arrived at Linshui Village.

……

It was already late at night by the time the boatload of Langasi were settled in the South District of Linshui Village. However, Xia Duo still did not rest, instead discussing the arrangements for these Langasi with Laidun.

"My Lord, the Langasi are not skilled at farming. I think we can let them raise livestock to supply the Territory with meat; this is what they are better at. Some of the young adults can also be incorporated into the Territory Guard. Now that there are more and more subjects in the Territory, and you said there would be even more next year and the Territory will expand, the number of guards is somewhat insufficient."

The Territory Guard currently only had forty people, divided into four squads, which did indeed seem a bit small. But Xia Duo was thinking about magical troops. Ximeng had already learned to use Magic Scrolls; as long as more people learned in the future, the small number was not actually a problem, provided there were enough scrolls.

On the other hand, Xia Duo did not want these Langasi to engage in the same work they did before, such as fighting or raising livestock. To assimilate them, it was best to treat them as a blank slate and not indulge them.

However, Daxia Territory itself had not yet formed any unique, advanced civilization. To assimilate them, it still required attraction and transformation on a material level.

For example, in terms of clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

But at the same time, these Netherese in Daxia Territory also needed material attraction and transformation, to permeate the spirit of civilization into material things and influence them subtly.

Thinking this way, Xia Duo gradually had an idea, "Do not arrange work for those Langasi for the time being. During the winter, I will arrange for people to teach them Netherese Common. If they cannot hold a simple conversation after spring begins, we will take back the houses they are currently living in."

Although these Langasi came to Daxia Territory because Xia Duo sent people to actively bring them over, in fact, if they hadn't been at the end of their rope, how could they have been willing to leave their homeland? The houses just given to them were not given to them outright; this was different from the distribution of houses to the subjects who had participated in the development of the Territory earlier. The houses given to the Langasi were only for them to stay in temporarily.

If Xia Duo was not satisfied, he could take them back at any time, or even relegate them to slavery, which would not be out of the question.

Language must be unified. For the time being, Xia Duo could not create a brand-new Great Xia Language, and even if he did, it wouldn't have much meaning. The influence of Daxia Territory was truly limited; it was still necessary to use the language common to the outside world.

Netherese was not difficult to learn; Xia Duo had experienced it himself. Giving them one winter was enough; he didn't require them to be proficient, just to be able to understand simple instructions and hold simple conversations. They could learn slowly during their labor afterward.

If even that was not possible, then he could not be blamed for being impolite.

(End of chapter)