[Notification: The Wandering Lord has traded 5 units of meat for 5 units of metal. Please collect them from your market tab.]
"Oh… the trade went through. Good."
Jolan muttered in surprise. His hand had just hovered over the tombstone when the alert popped up, forcing him to blurt out a few words before finally placing his palm on the weathered stone.
[Reminder – Corpse Collection: You have obtained Frozen Dire Wolf Meat ×22, Semi-Intact Wolf Hide ×1, Wolf Tendons ×2, Chaos Gems ×3, Residential Hut Blueprint ×1]
"Three gems and another hut blueprint?!"
Jolan's face lit up. It was as if the Ancient Purification Grave was compensating him for all the fruitless attempts earlier. Not only had the meat yield increased, but he had also secured valuable items.
Of course, he had no idea how the collection system truly worked. At best, his assumptions were that the system didn't simply hand over the entire corpse. Instead, it extracted a handful of useful items while compressing the rest into resources practical for lords—blueprints, materials, and the like.
"Finally, I'll get to sleep in peace tonight."
Jolan sighed with relief. He had been bothered for hours by one persistent issue: housing. Though he already had his own lord's hut, his followers had nowhere to rest. Letting them sleep in the freezing snow would only lower morale—and Jolan wasn't the type of lord to be that heartless.
Technically, he could allow them to sleep in his hut, but that would tarnish the dignity of a lord. It was an option he'd only use as a last resort.
When he acquired the first residential hut blueprint, he had been overjoyed. But reality quickly sobered him: among his followers was a woman, and mixing genders in a single shared hut was far from ideal. Now, with a second blueprint in hand, he could finally arrange proper housing—separating men and women accordingly.
Still, despite having the necessary resources, Jolan didn't rush to build the huts. Blueprints wouldn't run away, and there was something far more important waiting for him.
He turned toward the towering structure not far ahead—the Summoning Gate.
[Building Name: Summoning Gate]
[Building Rank: Beginner White]
[Function: Allows the lord to summon 5 native inhabitants of the Chaos Continent each day to serve as troops under the lord's command.]
[Upgrade Requirements: 100 Wood, 100 Stone, 5 Metal, 3 Beginner White Gems]
[Hint: All required resources detected. Would you like to upgrade now? Yes/No]
Jolan stopped a few steps away, inhaled deeply, and confirmed the upgrade.
In an instant, the entire gate flared with blinding white light. The glow was so intense that he could no longer make out the gate's original form.
After about a minute, the light slowly receded.
[Notification: Building upgrade complete. Please open the building interface for details.]
Jolan squinted at the gate. Its size hadn't changed, which was a relief—it wouldn't be practical if it suddenly expanded uncontrollably. Instead, its deep-blue surface had darkened, and faint glowing runes appeared along the edges, giving it a more mysterious air.
[Building Name: Summoning Gate]
[Building Rank: Intermediate White]
[Function: Allows the lord to summon 10 native inhabitants of the Chaos Continent each day to serve as subjects in the territory.]
[Next Upgrade Requirements: 200 Wood, 200 Stone, 10 Metal, 6 Chaos Gems, Lord's Hut (Intermediate White)]
[Notification: A daily summoning opportunity is available. Would you like to summon now? Yes/No]
[Notice – Will of Chaos: The upgrade increases the upper limit of summoned subjects' combat strength and life skills.]
"Perfect!"
Jolan clenched his fist, barely restraining himself from cheering out loud. This was exactly what he had been hoping for—stronger potential recruits. The refreshed summoning chance was just the cherry on top.
He made a mental note: upgrading the lord's hut would need to be the next step before nightfall. Only then could his territory truly expand.
But for now…
"Yes."
He triggered the summoning.
One by one, ten figures emerged from the glowing gate—six men and four women. Each of them immediately dropped to one knee, heads bowed.
"We greet our Lord!" ×10
Jolan smiled faintly. "Rise."
His tone was warm, meant to leave a good first impression.
By now, he was familiar enough with this world to instinctively pull up their status panels.
---
The New Recruits
[Name: Resha]
[Territory: Frozen Highlands City]
[Profession: Cook]
[Power Level: Intermediate White]
[Skills: Delicious Cooking (Peak White), Cleaver Strike (Intermediate White)]
[Loyalty: 72]
[Potential: Peak Green]
[Overview: With quality ingredients, she can prepare mouthwatering meals for the entire territory.]
Jolan's mouth twitched as he eyed the plump middle-aged woman before him. The name Resha alone nearly made him laugh.
[Name: Heid]
[Territory: Frozen Highlands City]
[Profession: Painter / Cartographer]
[Power Level: Peak White]
[Skills: Map Drawing (Intermediate White), Terrain Exploration (Beginner White)]
[Loyalty: 70]
[Potential: Intermediate Blue]
[Overview: A talented orphan turned cartographer, once employed by a noble for exploration and mapping. An invaluable asset to any lord.]
"This one will be useful soon enough," Jolan thought as his gaze shifted.
[Name: Jad]
[Territory: Frozen Highlands City]
[Profession: Sword Soldier]
[Power Level: Intermediate White]
[Skills: Swordsmanship (Intermediate White), Basic Sword Moves (Beginner White)]
[Loyalty: 70]
[Potential: Peak Blue]
[Overview: A young man of ordinary appearance. Though inexperienced, his potential is undeniable.]
"Not bad," Jolan mused.
Finally, his eyes landed on the last and most intriguing of the group—an elderly man clad in worn hunting leathers, a long knife at his side, crossbow in hand, and a quiver full of arrows strapped to his back.
[Name: Leonard]
[Territory: Frozen Highlands City]
[Profession: Hunter]
[Power Level: Intermediate Green]
[Skills: Hunting Mastery (Beginner Green), Trap Making (Peak White)]
[Loyalty: 70]
[Potential: Peak Blue]
[Overview: A stubborn old man who spent his life in the mountains. For him, dangerous forests are nothing more than a backyard.]
"Intermediate Green! Excellent. With him, I finally have the confidence to push beyond the protective barrier."
Jolan's eyes gleamed. For the first time, he felt secure about expanding outward.
---
Assigning Roles
"Resha."
"Yes, my Lord!"
"From this moment, you're responsible for preparing meals for everyone in the territory. Take two women with you and use these ten units of wolf meat. More will follow later."
"As you command!" She bowed and left with her chosen helpers.
"Jad."
"Here, my Lord!"
"Relax. For now, I don't need you fighting. Instead, I want you to record every detail about our population—names, ages, genders, professions, power levels, and their lives before summoning. Understand?"
"Yes, my Lord!" Jad exhaled in relief. He had feared being sent alone on dangerous expeditions, but it seemed his lord was wise and practical.
"Leonard."
The old hunter straightened. "At your service, Lord."
"You and Heid will team up with Suleiman and three civilians. Patrol beyond the barrier, no farther than a thousand meters. If you encounter beasts you can handle, kill them. If not, lure them back to the barrier where they can be dealt with safely. Any corpses, leave them near the wall for collection."
"Understood."
"You'll lead this patrol. Protect your team, guide them, and remember—do your duty, rest when needed, and don't take unnecessary risks."
Leonard's weathered face softened. "Thank you for your trust, my Lord."
With a curt nod, he turned toward Suleiman as indicated.
Jolan didn't mind Leonard's curt answers. He'd seen enough of such personalities in two lifetimes to know the truth: gruff words often hid reliability and loyalty. He preferred such people over sweet-tongued flatterers any day.
Finally, he ordered the rest of his followers to patrol inside the barrier.
As his gaze fell upon the thirty-two units of wolf meat in his inventory, his lips curled into a faint smile.
"It's time to upgrade the Lord's Hut."
With his hands clasped behind his back, Jolan stared at the distant horizon.
---
End of Chapter 7.