"We're really not short on ingredients, just spices."
"Hehe, with more and more people, we'll have more and more stuff too."
"I heard tomorrow we'll have a new variety of dishes."
"..."
Watching and listening to all this, a warm sense of life's bustle filled the air. The dozens of new people joining today made the territory much livelier.
At this moment, Zhou Zhengping and Li Xingteng truly realized that the territory had changed, almost without them noticing.
But, it was for the better!
Everyone was gradually letting go of the past and starting to embrace their new lives in the Doomsday Game world.
Soon, they also spotted Bayer and his group amidst the lively crowd.
After all, it was mealtime. Everyone put down what they were doing, some returning home, others going to the canteen. Compared to others enjoying their free time, Yu Ziming and his crew, still laying stone roads, stood out even more.
Especially these guys, eyeing the canteen longingly, but still not daring to stop working.
"They're so obedient?" Li Xingteng found it a bit unbelievable.
"Probably because Lord Bayer is just too tough." Zhou Zhengping nailed the point right away.
And he was right.
After getting tired in the afternoon, Yu Ziming had thought about escaping when only Bayer was around, but he alone was more than a match for their whole group, beating them down so hard they didn't even have a chance.
In their eyes, Bayer was like the Great Demon King, so they didn't dare act recklessly anymore.
Bayer, who was supervising them, also noticed Li Xingteng and the others coming back. As they approached, he directly asked, "Back already? How did things go?"
"We wrote everything down and discussed the roadwork on the way..." Li Xingteng quickly reported eagerly. From their brief interactions before, and the recent changes in territory, they knew this was a decisive man—they wouldn't dare to slack off.
Bayer opened the territory map, listening to their words as he matched the locations in his mind. Soon, he offered some feedback on their route, "You're planning too close to the Chaotic Stone Forest. The road is too flat and exposed—try to detour a bit."
"But that would get us close to the Cloud Mist Forest. There are more Demon Beasts there, and they show up a lot."
"Only low-level Demon Beasts hang around the outskirts. Honestly, that's a good training opportunity for Residents. Roads are for convenience, sure, but we also have to think in terms of wartime." Bayer reminded them.
With that, the two of them instantly recalled the issue of Territory War and nodded, hurriedly revising their plans.
So, after several rounds of discussion, a new road was mapped out.
After deciding, Bayer looked at Yu Ziming's group, "You can go back to Prison now."
Yu Ziming: "We can keep working for a while."
"The Experience Points you earned from roadwork are enough to cover what you lose in Prison. Rest up early, you still have tasks tomorrow." Bayer said expressionlessly.
Only then did Yu Ziming and company realize their Experience Points had actually increased a lot.
When they looked at Bayer again, their gazes had changed—they really were being totally controlled.
They obediently left without further fuss.
After sending them off, Bayer turned to the two and continued, "The territory just recruited 20 new Soldiers. I personally selected them and had them all become Archers. For now, they'll be under my command. As for you, I'll be giving you targeted training at the barracks starting tomorrow. From then on, you listen to me. Any questions?"
"No."
"Good, then go home and rest up tonight. No night watch for you. Come see me in the morning for reporting."
"Got it."
With that, Bayer left as well.
Afterwards, Li Xingteng glanced at their group and announced, "Since we get the night off, feel free to do what you like!"
"Nice!" The group cheered and rushed off to the canteen.
On the stone-paved road, only Zhou Zhengping and Li Xingteng were left, walking slowly together.
"The territory changes every single day—it's amazing to see," Li Xingteng looked around, unable to hold back a sigh of joy. Seeing the growth with his own eyes felt really special.
"Yeah! I still remember how messy and broken-down it was the first day we came," Zhou Zhengping recalled the shock he felt seeing the territory being built, a smile unconsciously curving his lips.
"Me too. Come to think of it, it's only been a few days since the Doomsday Game started. Yet looking back, it feels like ages."
"It's because we've been through so much." Zhou Zhengping reflected on the past few days—it truly had been rough. Fortunately, they'd made it through the hardest early days.
"But it's all in the past. What matters now is the future," Li Xingteng said.
Facing this unknown world, their road ahead would still be tough. They needed to keep getting stronger.
"Mm." Zhou Zhengping nodded.
"This territory really knows what it's doing, expanding the Soldier count again! Plus, now we've got a new chief commander for the barracks. With him leading, things are bound to keep getting better," Li Xingteng couldn't help praising Bayer. "But there's one thing that's been bothering me. Do you think the one controlling the territory and the NPCs is the system, or... the Lord?"
Zhou Zhengping's heart skipped a beat. "Why do you ask that?"
"People we've met from other territories, their places all have Lords. Even the NPC Diana said that," Li Xingteng replied. "I just feel like there must be a Lord here too."
"But when the three of us arrived, the territory already existed. And no one's come forward so far. Don't tell me you think it's one of us?" Zhou Zhengping replied calmly, dragging their family of three into it.
Li Xingteng responded directly, "I trust it's not you guys. I'm just wondering, if there really is one, who could it be?"
Zhou Zhengping paused, "And if you found out, what would you do about it?"
Li Xingteng shook his head, "Nothing. I used to care, but after these days, I've realized that if there's a Lord operating behind the scenes, there's no way I can match them. I couldn't do half as well as they have. Honestly, I'm just grateful."
"If that's the case, why bother guessing who the Lord is?" Zhou Zhengping said directly.
Li Xingteng threw an arm around Zhou Zhengping's shoulder, grinning, "Yeah, forget it. We just need to go with the flow here. I've got this feeling our territory's going to be strong."
"Strong, sure. As long as we can keep developing, that's good enough. I just hope we don't attract too much attention."
"Territory War is inevitable. If they dare come for us, it'll be one down for each that comes, two down for every pair. We'll stand united," Li Xingteng declared confidently.
Zhou Zhengping chuckled softly, "Right!"
With the territory's development so far and all the current info, he actually felt a bit confident now.
Meanwhile, the two had no idea that somewhere, a Lord was browsing the list of territories available for challenge. He looked relaxed, since anyone ranked below him was just weaklings—not even worth his attention if they were that far behind.
The only thing on his mind was the resources he'd get from a successful raid, so he didn't pick anyone much further down the list either.
In the end, his eyes landed on the word "Hope".
Hope, huh! Let's see how he turns it into despair.