# **Chapter 2 – The Shelter and the General**
The morning sun rose over the endless plains, washing the grasslands in gold. The air was fresh, cold, and silent—too silent. Only the faint crackle of our small campfire broke the stillness.
I sat outside the half-finished hut, chewing on dried meat that tasted like old rubber. A few meters away, Lü Bu polished his halberd in the light, the crimson edge catching fire with every movement. Even in stillness, he radiated killing intent—the kind that made the world seem smaller around him.
Then the familiar sound of the system rang out inside my head.
> [Daily Quest Generated: Establish Basic Infrastructure]
> Requirements: Build a Storage Crate (0/1), Hunting Post (0/1), Fire Pit (0/1)
> Reward: +50 Wood, +30 Stone, Unlock Territory Rank Progression
I sighed. "Guess the tutorial's not over yet."
Lü Bu's gaze flicked toward me. "You speak to the air again, my lord."
"It's not the air," I said with a grin. "Think of it as heaven whispering."
He studied me for a long moment, then nodded solemnly. "Then heaven must favor you greatly. I have fought under emperors, but never heard the sky itself speak."
We spent the morning working in silence. I gathered fallen branches while Lü Bu split boulders as if they were made of clay.
Every swing of his halberd shook the ground.
> [+20 Stone Acquired]
The system's voice echoed softly, each notification blending with the rhythm of our work. By noon, three crude storage crates stood beside the hut and smoke curled lazily from a new fire pit.
> [Quest Updated: Build a Hunting Post (0/1)]
I wiped the sweat from my forehead and scanned the plains. Strange deer-like creatures grazed near the edge of the forest—tall, bronze-antlered beasts that looked too strong for simple traps.
"We need meat," I said. "Let's hunt."
Lü Bu smirked. "A small task for a great warrior."
We approached from downwind, moving quietly through tall grass. I notched an arrow to the bow I'd crafted yesterday. When I loosed it, the arrow grazed one of the beasts—and the entire herd bolted.
Except one. It turned and charged.
The ground trembled under its hooves. I barely had time to raise my bow before Lü Bu stepped forward, halberd gleaming in the sunlight.
The world went silent. One flash of crimson steel—and the creature's head fell cleanly from its body.
> [Hunt Successful: +60 Food, +10 Leather, Blueprint Unlocked: Drying Rack]
We dragged the carcass back to camp. Smoke filled the air as we roasted the meat. I built a simple hunting post near the fire pit, and the system chimed again.
> [Quest Complete]
> Reward: +50 Wood, +30 Stone, Territory Rank Progression Unlocked
I opened the new window that appeared before me.
**[Territory Status – Crimson Camp]**
Rank: Level 1 (Village Foundation)
Population: 2 (1 Lord, 1 Commander)
Territory Size: 1 km radius
Productivity: Basic
Stability: 70%
Morale: 85%
Expansion Requirement: Population ≥ 20, Build Barracks (0/1)
Population. That was the next step. We needed people.
"Lü Bu, we can't expand with just the two of us."
He rested his halberd against his shoulder. "Shall I bring slaves from nearby lands?"
I shook my head. "No. Not that way. We build something worth joining. They'll come."
His expression darkened slightly, but there was respect in his tone when he said, "Kindness is slow to build, my lord. Fear builds faster."
"Maybe," I said, "but loyalty built on trust doesn't crumble overnight."
Lü Bu's eyes narrowed with faint amusement. "Then perhaps you will succeed where emperors failed."
By midday, I opened the World Chat. The chaotic flood of messages had turned from panic to trade offers.
**[World Chat]**
> *Ethan_US:* Got a pirate commander from the Caribbean! Anyone near water?
> *Ling_CN:* Trading food → stone. Need it ASAP.
> *Kino:* Selling leather (10 units) for wheat seeds. PM me.
The system flashed again—**Trading Platform Unlocked**.
Within minutes, my first transaction completed.
> [Trade Completed: +5 Wheat Seeds, +1 Iron Pickaxe]
Lü Bu glanced up from the fire. "You wage wars through numbers and exchange instead of blade. Strange methods."
"It's called strategy," I said, smiling faintly. "Not all battles are fought with steel."
Later, as dusk fell, I heard movement near the treeline. I reached for my spear, but instead of enemies, a thin man stumbled into the clearing—dirty, frightened, and desperate.
"P-please," he gasped, "I saw your fire… may I stay?"
Lü Bu's halberd was already raised. I lifted a hand.
> [Wanderer Detected. Recruit? (Y/N)]
> Recruitment Cost: 5 Food
"Yes."
Light enveloped the man, binding him to my domain.
> [New Citizen Added: Evan – Basic Laborer]
> [Population: 3]
He fell to his knees. "I'll work hard, my lord."
Lü Bu grunted. "You trust the weak too easily."
"He's not weak," I said quietly. "He's human."
That night, Evan worked until exhaustion, helping expand our palisade. When I handed him extra rations, Lü Bu said nothing. But in the firelight, I caught a flicker of approval in his eyes.
As the night deepened, rustling echoed outside the wall. Lü Bu was already standing, halberd ready. "Bandits," he murmured. "Three of them."
We moved together. The fight lasted less than a minute. By the time the moonlight touched their blades, Lü Bu had already ended it.
> [Enemies Defeated: +60 Food, +40 Wood]
Evan stared at the bodies, trembling. "This world… it's a nightmare."
"No," I said quietly. "It's a reset. And we'll be the ones to tame it."
When dawn came, we buried the dead.
> [Crimson Camp Defense Level +1]
> [Morale +10]
I used the iron pickaxe from the trade to mine stone and built a forge near the fire pit. Slowly, the camp began to look less like a refugee site and more like a home.
Lü Bu stood guard at the entrance, eyes fixed on the horizon. "The air trembles," he said softly. "Other lords are building. Soon there will be wars."
The system proved him right.
**[Global Leaderboard – Top 10 Lords]**
1. Iron Dominion – Lv. 2 Village
2. Sun Empire – Lv. 2 Village
3. Aegis Fort – Lv. 2 Village
4. *Hidden Name* – Lv. 1 Camp
I smirked. "Guess we're already on the list."
> [Option: Hide Identity – Y/N]
"Yes."
> [You are now hidden on the Leaderboard.]
Let them fight for attention. I'd rather build in silence.
By evening, I planted the wheat seeds beside the stream. The soil was rich and dark.
> [Agriculture Node Established]
> [Growth Rate : 120% – High Fertility Bonus]
Evan watched as green sprouts began to emerge. "Food… that grows from the ground? It's like magic."
"It's not magic," I said. "It's progress."
That night, we ate bread for the first time since the summoning. It was rough and bland, but it tasted like victory.
I checked our status before sleeping.
**[Territory – Crimson Camp]**
Population: 3
Rank: Level 1 (Progress 82%)
Morale: 92%
Stability: 78%
Almost ready to rank up. One more citizen and a barracks—that would make us a proper village.
"Do you regret serving under me?" I asked quietly.
Lü Bu opened one eye and gave a rare smile. "Regret requires doubt. You have none. That is why I follow you."
The firelight danced across his armor as the wind whispered through the camp walls.
At the edge of the plains, the crimson glow marking my territory flickered faintly in the dark. Beyond it lay other lords, other wars, other dreams waiting to be built or destroyed.
I looked up at the stars.
> [System Notice: Lord Rank Upgrade Available – Requirements Met]
Tomorrow, we'd raise our first barracks. Tomorrow, Crimson Camp would become **Crimson Village**
And from there, our empire would begin.
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**End of Chapter 2**