"What place?" Zhou Zhengping asked instinctively. He trusted his daughter, but establishing a territory was too important, so he had to be cautious.
"The villa area we were in before—Dad, didn't you notice? The buildings may have disappeared, but the environment is still the same." Zhou Bai reminded him.
Zhou Zhengping and Ding Qiurou listened to Zhou Bai and looked around. Upon inspection, they suddenly realized that the arrangement of the trees really was the same as before.
If that's the case, then their original villa area must still be here.
That place is indeed suitable for establishing a territory.
"Alright, let's go back!" Zhou Zhengping quickly agreed.
Led by Zhou Zhengping, the family of three headed toward the villa area.
Along the way, they encountered quite a few people. Faced with the sudden Doomsday Game, many hadn't reacted yet, and their faces were blank. With the world transformed, they didn't know where to go, so they simply drifted along.
To this, Zhou Bai didn't say a word.
The territory hasn't been built; bringing these people along, no one knows if something unexpected will happen. She can't take that risk.
The family of three steeled themselves and pretended not to notice, but still kindly reminded others that demon beasts had appeared outside, urging everyone to be careful.
No one knew how much time had passed before they finally saw the familiar environment.
Seeing the mountains and rivers, their suspicions were confirmed.
"Dad, Mom, should I choose this place as our territory?" Zhou Bai asked.
The two nodded.
Soon, Zhou Bai clicked to retrieve the Lord Token from her backpack, and the next moment, the token appeared in her hand.
[Use the Lord Token?]
"Yes."
As soon as she spoke, the token in her hand emitted a dazzling light and flew out.
As it hovered in midair, a map appeared in front of Zhou Bai, showing a blueprint for a small territory.
[Please select a location for the territory on the map.]
Zhou Bai observed for a moment and selected directly.
Once she confirmed, a small territory appeared on the open space in front of her, exactly like the blueprint: a small wooden fence surrounding a central cabin.
As the territory bubbled up into reality, the family stared in disbelief.
This is... the territory? Isn't it too crude?
[Please name your village. The name will appear on character maps.]
"Hope?" Let it be ordinary—the name's easy to remember, and hopefully, it really brings hope.
[Congratulations, Host, you have established the territory Hope Village. Reward: Buildings *2.]
Zhou Bai now had a territory option on her screen. Clicking it, she could view the entire status of the territory.
[Territory: Hope Village]
[Level: Level 0 Village (Upgrade)]
[Population: 0/100]
[Tax Rate: 10% (adjustable)]
[Wealth: 88 Gold, 34 Silver, 72 Copper]
[Buildings: Lord Mansion (Level 1), fence, other unlockable buildings (choose *2)]
[Mall: Territory exclusive, materials only]
[Current ranking: ***]
[Note: Territory can only be conquered by a Lord; Newbie Protection Period—1 month]
Next came settings for tourists and residents. Since these could be adjusted anytime, Zhou Bai just set them to the system's default.
After confirming, she looked at Zhou Zhengping and Ding Qiurou. "Dad, Mom, did your map change?"
The map range was limited. By default, they could see only a 10,000-square-meter area centered on their current location. However, visited places could expand it. Previously, the villa area was outside their initial map, but after coming over, their map now included it.
"Yes, Hope Village just appeared on our map."
"Then should we go in and have a look?" Zhou Bai suggested.
"Mm."
Zhou Bai stepped in smoothly, but Zhou Zhengping and Ding Qiurou were stopped outside. An alert popped up on their screens.
[Dear refugee, welcome to Hope Village! You may select an identity: Tourist (10 copper coins/day), Resident (10 silver coins/permanent)]
Zhou Zhengping and Ding Qiurou exchanged glances and directly chose "Resident."
[Congratulations, you are now a resident of Hope Village. Please proceed to the Lord Mansion to collect your Identity Token.]
At this moment, Zhou Bai, as Lord, received the notification.
[Hope Village has gained 2 residents. Within the territory, the Lord may view resident profiles and has the right to expel residents.]
Zhou Bai saw this and her eyes lit up. This would make it far easier for her to manage the territory, and in the future, if any residents proved unreliable, she could simply kick them out.
Zhou Bai immediately told her parents, and they were very happy—at least their daughter's safety was secured.
The family of three then discussed things as they headed toward the Lord Mansion. Many features of the territory needed exploration, and since there were no others yet, it was the perfect time to master all the rules.
Meanwhile, not far away, many people scattered after being chased by demon beasts and suddenly received a notification.
[You have entered the jurisdiction of Hope Village. You may proceed to Hope Village.]
[Note: Villages, towns, cities, and other territories can defend against demon beasts of various levels depending on defensive power.]
Reading the notification and seeing Hope Village suddenly appear at the edge of their maps, many people grew excited.
Especially the part about the territory being able to defend against demon beasts.
Outside, they frequently ran into monsters—likely demon beasts. Some were weak; those they could kill and even get resources from. But stronger ones, they couldn't handle and their lives were at risk. Plus, they couldn't stay in the wild forever!
No one knew where this territory had sprung up from, but they could go check it out.