Build the Kingdom

Chapter 6: Welcoming Guests (2)

"Nice to meet you. Lord Landowner, what is your name?"

"Jack Park."

When asked for his name, he answered, and suddenly, his ID became Jack Park.

The brown-haired American was bewildered.

"Is this a dream?"

When he asked that, the young East Asian woman with black hair, who seemed to be in her early twenties, replied.

"No."

It took time to adjust.

Farming, [God Hand], a game and reality, and an advisor.

"I'm glad you're here."

Jack truly meant it.

In [God Hand], the role of an advisor was, quite literally, to assist and support the player.

The advisor helped Jack adapt to this place.

"First, you need to plant the seeds and wait ten days."

"Feed this to the serf who fetched water and have him cultivate it."

Unlike Marcus Rader, the advisor Jack would meet later, this one was quite useful.

She told him exactly what he needed to know, and by simply following her instructions, Jack managed to harvest wheat.

He was lucky. [God Hand] was not a fair game—everyone had a different starting point.

He had a great advisor and even two serfs.

"My lord, I have fetched the water."

One was a middle-aged Western man with blond hair.

He was obedient and did his tasks well, so Jack could entrust him with most of the work.

"Growl."

But the other was completely useless. A young one with greasy, matted hair and a childish face who couldn’t even speak.

On top of that, he would bare his teeth and grind them menacingly at the slightest provocation.

If Jack got too close, the creature would try to bite, so he had no choice but to leave him shoved into a corner of the land.

"Ignore him. There's always a few crazed serfs like that."

The advisor boldly told him to disregard the mad serf, and Jack followed her advice.

This was a sudden arrival into another world.

Her words were like a lifeline dangling from a cliff, a lantern in the darkness.

Jack followed her advice faithfully.

He harvested wheat while building a close relationship with the advisor, and soon, the tutorial ended.

In other words, the dark mist had begun to thin slightly, and he was steadily developing his farmland.

"Here, eat."

The advisor brought him some wheat flour dough.

Jack felt like vomiting.

‘I’m not even hoping for pizza.’

Even a piece of baguette would be nice.

‘I want a donut.’

He didn’t even care if it had no taste—just a slice of plain bread would do.

The dried fruit was terrible, leaving a sour taste no matter how much he sucked on it.

Living on nothing but wheat dough and water was torturous.

No, it was worse than torture—it was a realization of how crucial food truly was for survival.

"I can't eat this."

"You must. If you don't eat, you'll die."

Her advice was always valid, so Jack had to squeeze his eyes shut and force himself to eat.

Even today, despite the nausea, he had to endure and swallow this lump of dough…

Sniff sniff.

The first to react was the useless serf, the young one who always growled.

The creature twitched its nose. Jack caught sight of it sniffing behind the advisor seated across from him.

Sniff sniff.

Soon, Jack made a similar sound, his own nose twitching instinctively.

A savory scent tickled his nostrils.

His eyes shot open, and he turned toward where the smell was coming from.

After harvesting the wheat, as the dark mist lifted, a faint clearing appeared in the distance.

"Over there, that smell’s coming from over there."

It wasn’t just any scent—it was heavenly.

"As I mentioned before, you might now encounter other lords nearby. The closest lord’s territory appears through the thinning mist."

The advisor's words barely registered in his ears.

This wasn’t a time for hearing—it was a time for smelling.

Jack threw aside the dough and stood up.

The overpowering aroma dulled his reason.

He rose and took a step forward, naturally drawing closer to the mist, but someone grabbed his arm.

It was the advisor, gazing at him with bright, clear eyes.

She looked lovely. But to Jack, the scent was one hundred and fifty times more important than her face right now.

"They might attack you."

It was sound advice.

His advisor had said it countless times before.

"Not all other lords are friendly."

"Even your own serfs could betray you."

"Trust no one but me."

"The later you meet another lord, the better."

Jack would follow her advice—now and always.

But this wasn’t a matter of will. It was instinct.

"Hey, that’s the smell of bread."

Jack spoke. The advisor’s thin black eyebrows twitched.

"I know."

The advisor was like an encyclopedia—not the kind that answered when searched, but one that revealed information when the time was right.

She smelled the bread too.

"How fragrant."

The obedient serf approached Jack’s side.

Even the beast-like young serf crawled on all fours, sticking close to Jack’s feet.

The master moved, so the serfs moved too, united in purpose.

"My lord."

The advisor’s call briefly held Jack’s steps, but it was useless.

Rather than choking down another bite of dough, he would rather venture into the mist and begin a grand adventure to discover the source of that aroma.

‘Life is precious. But food is precious too. Especially bread—it’s even more precious.’

"I command you. Go ahead of me."

Jack steeled himself and spoke.

"Understood, sir."

The obedient serf took the lead.

Tension gnawed at him, but the smell of bread hit harder than fear.

‘I want to eat it.’

If he had to beat someone up to take it, so be it.

Jack pushed forward.

As they moved through the mist, the advisor stuck close instead of stopping him.

"Don't stray from my side."

"Got it."

They kept moving forward, the mist thickening and then thinning again.

The disobedient serf crawled swiftly on all fours, keeping up well.

"This is another lord’s land."

The advisor spoke.

At that moment, the mist cleared in front of the leading serf, and the view opened up.

A small hill with a tree on top, a doorless hut, and farmland that somehow seemed larger than

Jack’s own.

And in front of it—freshly baked bread.

"Bread!"

Jack shouted without thinking.

"Welcome."

The person holding the bread appeared.

They resembled Jack’s advisor—a black-haired, black-eyed figure whose hair was so dark it seemed like ink had been poured over it.

The soft smile on that otherwise ordinary face held no malice but somehow gave off the impression of a con artist.

Or, if not a con artist, at least someone in sales...

‘Get a grip.’

This was a stranger, and according to his advisor’s words, potentially an enemy.

But the warm smile melted his guard before he realized it...

"Saliva."

The advisor spoke.

The freshly baked bread right in front of him triggered Jack’s salivary glands. Drool dripped from the corners of his mouth.

Slurp.

Jack wiped his mouth quickly.

The opponent was still smiling while looking at him.

He asked.

"Do you like bread?"

Damn it, was that even a question? At this point, he would’ve eaten moldy bread too.

Hu recalled his situation during the first round.

Back then, he had risked his life for a single piece of bread or a freshly picked fruit.

Would it be any different for others?

As the savory smell of baked dough spread, someone appeared from within the thinning mist.

It was expected.

It was likely the lord of the closest land.

"Oh dear, Lord Landowner, it’s another lord. Be careful..."

"I’ll be careful since they could become an enemy."

Hu stole the advisor's advice and smiled.

Whether sad, happy, or even when stabbed in the stomach, Hu could always smile.

In [God Hand], there was a damn hierarchical system, and it wasn’t rare for a noble to decapitate a lord if they were displeased.

Hu had survived in such circumstances.

He knew that sometimes, a smile could be the best shield of all.

"Bread!"

The newcomer shouted as they entered.

"Welcome."

Hu greeted him with a smile.

The man had brown hair, eyes, and a frame nearly half a head taller than his own. He looked to be at least 190 cm.

More than ten days must have passed.

The fact that this man had maintained such a body on nothing but dough meant he had been strong from the start.

Hu held out the bread toward him and said,

"Do you like bread?"

"Lord Landowner, you must be cautious."

Rader stuck close beside him. The early stages of [God Hand] were like the Stone Age.

Without proper weapons, size was everything.

But Hu didn’t feel any anxiety since he had no intention of fighting this man.

"My name is Hu."

Hu introduced himself.

The man hesitated for a moment and then spoke.

"I like bread."

Perhaps his brain wasn’t functioning properly at the sight of the bread—the question and answer didn’t even match.

[God Hand]'s system offered simultaneous interpretation. Hu nodded after hearing his words.

Then the man swallowed his drool and asked,

"Will you give me some?"

Of course. If that wasn’t the intention, there was no reason to let the aroma waft through the air or bake more bread.

Food spoiled with time.

It made no sense to let such fine, precious bread go to waste.

Harvesting wheat, grinding it, and baking bread was no simple process.

It sounded easy in words.

You needed spirit power to trigger a bountiful harvest, then Rader had to grind it, Baker had to knead the dough, Hu had to light the fire, and Baker had to bake it again.

It was a result of time and effort invested.

"I will give you some."

Hu said, glancing briefly behind the player instead of smiling.

He saw the advisor by his side.

"Ho?"

In an instant, Hu recognized the man's luck.

Among advisors, some had a trait called Nurturer's Eye.

Sometimes, players could even learn that trait, allowing them to recognize those with potential.

Of course, Rader didn’t have that trait, nor did Hu.

But Hu had experience.

The experience of having played nearly to the end in his first round!

That deep, rich experience told him the trait of the opposing advisor.

The way the advisor stuck close to the master and kept other serfs at a distance was telling.

While Rader and his own serfs always addressed him as Lord, that advisor likely called their master Master.

A mere difference in title, but it was a clue.

Jealous Advisor.

Hu had figured out one of the opposing advisor’s traits.

Jealousy, envy.

It sounded negative, but it was actually a valuable trait.

They would risk their life for their master but had to be the one closest to them.

In other words, if treated well, they would give everything—their heart, their liver, even their gallbladder.

Advisors with the Jealous trait were often versatile and highly capable in all fields.

On top of that, this advisor was quite attractive.

"Lord Landowner, if trouble arises, I will offer myself for you."

But this one? Just empty words.

There was no sincerity behind them.

"Why is his loyalty so awful?"

Usually, advisors were the most loyal to their lord, but Rader wasn’t.

His words were hollow, and judging by how he leaned back, Hu could tell that if things went wrong, Rader would likely surrender and switch sides immediately.

Baker, on the other hand, was standing more firmly in front of him.

Though insults bubbled up his throat, Hu swallowed them.

Loyalty was already scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Instead, Hu turned to face the guest who had come to buy his bread.

"How much do you have?"

This was the main point.

For free? No way.

Hu wasn’t a philanthropist.

In fact, he leaned closer to extreme pragmatism.

"…You want money? Dollars?"

Dollars? This idiot still didn’t get it.

From his words, one thing was clear. He was a second-round player but didn’t understand what

[God Hand] truly was.

"Good to know."

Hu hid his true thoughts and said,

"Do you have anything to offer besides money?"

Every start in [God Hand] was different.

In other words, Hu wasn’t after money. What use was paper currency here?

Maybe it could be used to wipe after doing his business.

What Hu wanted was the advantage this man had gained early on.

"If I could get that advisor…"

That would be great. The Jealous Advisor was considered an early-game booster.

"But."

He would have to abandon Rader. And if necessary, that was an option.

But he didn’t yet know what traits Rader possessed.

Marcus.

Marcus Pael—Rader’s name was similar to the advisor who had shared his life in the first round.

In [God Hand], especially early on, coincidences were rare.

"I can’t abandon him."

That meant excluding the Jealous Advisor was inevitable. She wouldn’t tolerate anyone forming a close bond with her master.

To gain her, Hu would have to kill Rader or, at the very least, imprison or sell him.

Since that wasn’t an option, his demands became obvious.

"Farming tools, equipment, weapons, serfs."

There was also Trait Transfer, but that wasn’t something to bring up yet.

"I don’t have anything…"

The man’s voice trailed off.

"What is your name?"

"…Jack Park."

Nothing? He just didn’t realize what he had.

Already, there was the Jealous Advisor and…

"…You have two more serfs."

Hu’s expression twitched ever so slightly, despite being known as a master of the poker face.

He had two more serfs.

One was an ordinary, nameless man.

The other resembled a ferocious beast, seemingly ready to leap toward the bread.

No, it was a filthy serf whose gender was indistinguishable.

"Did you start with three? While I started with two?"

"Yes, I had two."

A Jealous Advisor, a beast-like drooling serf, and an ignorant lord.

Hu immediately realized what he had to say next.