Lord Of The People: My Talent Let's Me Upgrade My Items Randomly

Chapter 9: The Mysterious Enchantment Area

After the introductions, the other ordinary slaves were assigned to continue the centralized logging work.

Lei Xiao led Knotweed and the other four captains into the mansion's living room, which also served as a conference room.

"Hu Zhuang, how is the investigation going?" Lei Xiao, seated at the head of the table, immediately asked once everyone had settled.

"Reporting to the lord," Hu Zhuang stood up, clasped his fists, and replied, "I expanded the investigation radius to about three kilometers around the camp. This time, I gathered a significant amount of information."

Following Hu Zhuang's detailed report, Lei Xiao learned the following:

- To the north of the territory lay an endless mountain range with steep and rugged terrain.

- In the other three directions, except for the west, there was a turbulent river spanning approximately 100 meters.

- The remaining areas were covered by dense forests and vegetation.

- Within these forests, there were about a dozen monster dens of varying sizes, with the strongest being only second rank, posing no significant threat.

- Other less dangerous beasts and ordinary animals were scattered throughout the area.

- The region was rich in natural resources, including wild fruits and vegetables.

- No other human forces had been detected so far.

"I see. Good work," Lei Xiao nodded thoughtfully after hearing Hu Zhuang's report. He had already made up his mind about the next steps.

The natural barriers to the north and west of the territory provided excellent protection. Additionally, the abundance of food and water sources meant that, for the time being, there was no need to worry about survival. It was clear that this was an ideal location for development.

"By the way, my lord," Hu Zhuang added, "about three kilometers southeast of the camp, I sensed faint fluctuations of magical energy. It is likely an enchantment area. However, since I specialize in physical combat, I cannot investigate further."

"An enchantment area?" Gangsong, one of the captains, pondered and said, "I remember hearing from the elders in my village when I was a child that they once stumbled upon an enchantment area called Peach Blossom Spring. According to them, such areas often hide races that wish to remain undisturbed or may contain mysterious treasures."

"Exactly," Hu Zhuang agreed. "I can vaguely sense that this enchantment has existed here for a long time and likely poses no immediate threat to us. However, if the lord wishes to investigate further, we will need the assistance of someone skilled in magic to decipher it."

"Understood. Since it doesn't seem to be an immediate threat, we'll wait until we have a magic specialist among us before making any further plans," Lei Xiao said after a moment of thought. "Finally, let me reiterate today's task: clear all the trees around the lord's mansion. Hu Zhuang, take a short rest and then join the tree-clearing effort. Feel free to work at your own pace."

"As you command!" the five captains responded in unison, standing up and preparing to leave.

Just as they were about to exit, Lei Xiao added, "Oh, and one more thing. Let everyone work hard and finish early. We'll have an early dinner tonight—unlimited barbecue."

Upon hearing the words "unlimited barbecue," Hu Zhuang's expression remained calm, but Gangsong and the others were visibly excited. They hurriedly acknowledged the order and rushed out to inform the others.

The villages these men came from were extremely poor, plagued by severe droughts and constant wars. For them, even a full meal was a luxury, let alone the prospect of eating meat. Almost immediately, cheers of "Long live the lord!" erupted outside the mansion.

Lei Xiao glanced out the window and saw everyone enthusiastically swinging their axes, clearing trees with renewed vigor. Meanwhile, Hu Zhuang, instead of resting, found an empty area and began felling trees with a single palm strike, toppling large swaths of forest like a human bulldozer.

"The power of a fifth-rank warrior is truly terrifying!" Lei Xiao exclaimed under his breath, silently giving Hu Zhuang a thumbs up.

Returning to his chair, Lei Xiao took a sip of water and reopened the chat channel. Food remained the dominant topic of discussion. Ironically, since the previous lord, who claimed to be a "poor Daoist," successfully summoned a powerful boss through "practice," the chat channel was now flooded with followers begging for food.

"The Zijin Gourd is here! God Xiao, I call upon you—do you dare to answer?!"

"Master Xiaoshen, I'm your long-lost sister. Mom told us to come home for dinner. Come out! (Blowing kisses)"

"God Xiao, can I have a little more meat? I'm willing to pay a higher price!"

"Stop it, you upstairs. How could our respected Boss Xiaoshen raise prices? Is he that kind of person?"

"Let's summon the energy! Move the light wave! Summon the anonymous boss!"

"A bunch of clowns! If you want this big boss to come out, I'll lie down and annoy him!"

Seeing Mr. Killmate's message again, Lei Xiao smirked but chose not to respond. However, one particular message caught his attention:

"A blueprint for a miracle building, in exchange for a Tier 1 Recruitment Order. Just one is fine!"

"Huh? Has this guy lost his mind?"

"As long as you have a grain of peanuts, you wouldn't be so drunk."

"That's right. One more subordinate means one more fighter and a better chance of survival. Who would trade their life for a blueprint?"

"Exactly. What's the point of a blueprint if I can't even feed myself?"

"I'll take it. Message me privately."

Just as everyone was mocking the offer, a brief message silenced the entire chat channel:

"I want it. Talk to me privately."

When the name attached to the message became clear, the atmosphere in the chat channel shifted dramatically.

"It's God Xiao! Everyone, call for the big boss! Brother Meng, the barrage is up!"

"Wow, Boss Xiaoshen has such vision and foresight. I admire him so much!"

"Is this the confidence of a true boss? Love it!"

"Brother Xiaoshen, you're the most amazing person here! (Heart emoji)"

"By the way, where's that Mr. Killmate? Boss Xiaoshen has already shown you face twice. Hahaha!"

As the chat channel exploded with messages, Lei Xiao couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation. It seemed that after his previous actions, his name had become widely known.

That said, a Tier 1 Recruitment Order was invaluable to others, but for Lei Xiao, who still had nearly 60 of them sitting idle in his warehouse, it wasn't particularly significant. Moreover, since the mansion had been upgraded to level 3, he could receive at least four more recruitment orders daily. With the help of his Goldfinger ability to upgrade them, the number would only increase exponentially.

The same couldn't be said for the Miracle Building Blueprint. From the knowledge that had been imparted to him, Lei Xiao understood that this was an extremely rare item. Once constructed, it would become a special type of building, similar to the lord's mansion, capable of providing various benefits and enhancements to the territory. However, at this stage of the game, where survival was the primary concern, its true value had yet to be realized.

This raised a question in Lei Xiao's mind: How had the other player obtained such a rare item so early in the game? According to his understanding, blueprints for miracle buildings were incredibly difficult to acquire and were often unique. It wasn't something one could simply stumble upon while exploring, as in a typical game.

With this thought lingering, Lei Xiao couldn't help but feel a sense of intrigue and caution. The game was far more complex than it appeared, and he needed to stay vigilant.