Pal Lord: A Different Kingdom Building

Next came the inspection of the spoils taken from the Goblin camp: [Money: 0 Gold, 200 Silver, 200 Copper]. It wasn't much; most of the money had been spent on goods. These coins were merely to make change. [Books: Snow White and the Dragon-Riding Prince, Magical Girl Vivian, Ranger Lilith...] These romance novels had only one purpose in the hands of the Goblins: they made excellent kindling.

Pino flipped through two of them and immediately cursed, "What is this crap? You can't even run a business right? Not a single bit of porn! Why didn't you bring two copies of Elf Queen's Secret? Guaranteed to sell out!"

"Shut up! I was here to do business, not to spread filthy ideas!" Jack rolled his eyes so hard they almost popped out, hastily shoving the books back.

[Seasonings: Salt 15, Sugar 30, Pepper 10, Cumin, Turmeric...]

Pino turned to Jack. "Planning to open a barbecue stall?"

"These are expensive spices I imported! The seasonings are just a small part! There's also a lot of incense, essential oils, mirrors, and glassware! Those unappreciative goblins smashed everything!" Jack tugged at his hair in frustration, tearing off two chunks of rotting flesh in the process.

The most valuable item in the chest was the [Statue of the God of Trade, Hermes]. This wasn't just any statue; it was a genuine divine artifact, linked to a god's faith. Every official Fertile Fields merchant caravan carried one.

"Oh, my god, you're still here… If I had lost you, I would've never been able to atone for my sins," Jack exclaimed, hopping around, nearly dislodging his kidney in the process. Though he was a skeleton, Jack wasn't completely dead, and the rotting flesh still clung to his body, making him even more repulsive than a zombie. His appearance was both horrifying and nauseating.

"There's a river near the territory. Grab a stone, go sit in the river for a day. Damn it, just don't stink up my land!" Pino said, disgusted.

"Oh~ Can I keep my little Jack? I can't lose it!" Jack replied, grinning mischievously, crossing his arms.

"Get lost, get lost! Don't come near me until you've been gnawed clean!" Pino kicked Jack away with frustration.

Damn it. Finally, a day that wasn't a complete waste...

Tired from the day's work, Pino decided it was time for bed.

...

[Territory Summary: Current Resources: Wood 30, Stone 20, Hemp 10, Iron 0, 200 Gold, 205 Silver, 518 Copper, Food 26, Elemental Crystals 0…]

[Territory Prosperity: 1, Territory Renown: 1]

[Resident Summary: Happiness -25%, Fullness 40%, Faith 0%]

[Resident Needs: Meowpaws wants to go fishing, Strong wants food, Mushroom Girl wants to go home, Jack wants to make money...]

[Territory Development Suggestions: You must enhance the military strength of your territory (urgent)!]

[Territory Development Suggestions: You already have enough subjects. As a slave master, begin your plunder!]

The territory summary was almost the same as the day before, the only difference being that the money was finally enough.

Pino yawned as he woke, taking a few bites of smoked fish. He thought that this hard life was nearing its end. Once Jack returned, he'd have him buy some basic supplies from the nearby village. As for himself, he focused on the [Statue of the God of Trade]. The core contained a blueprint for an altar, which would allow him to consecrate the statue and receive territory quests in return. If he followed the core's suggestions, always waging war on neighboring territories, it would only be a matter of time before he'd incur everyone's wrath and bring about his own destruction.

[Basic Altar]

[Materials: Stone 10, Deity Statue 1]

[Purpose: Offer sacrifices to the gods to receive lord tasks.]

The materials were simple enough. There were plenty of stones scattered around the territory. With a little chiseling and arranging, it was easy to construct a basic altar. Though he had leveled up twice, increasing his strength by 6 points, Pino was drenched in sweat from hammering the stones.

"Damn it... I need to get some iron tools soon... Here I am, a lord, and yet I'm stuck doing all the heavy labor..."

"Neko Patrol! Get these stones stacked!"

The heavy stones bent the cats' backs, and each moment they spent laboring made them regret ever having crossed paths with this human. They longed for the days of roaming freely in the forest. This bitter, tearful labor almost constantly produced a trickle of Exploitation Points. It took the entire morning, with Pino hammering away, imagining how much easier it would be with a excavator, a crusher, a roller... even just the simplest lever mechanics...

Damn it! He needed to find an engineering master, or at the very least, get his hands on a book about engineering skills. Handcrafting a territory was not only inefficient but also backbreaking! Thankfully, just before the midday sun hit its peak, the altar was finally built. Calling it an altar was a stretch—it was little more than a rough stone platform. Once the statue of the God of Trade was placed on top, it finally looked the part.

[Building Completed: Divine Altar]

[Territory Prosperity +5, Gained Engineering Experience +50]

The God of Trade, Hermes, was said to bless safe travels and prosperous trade, protecting travelers from danger. It seemed Jack hadn't been diligent in making offerings.

Rubbing his hands together, Pino thought, Since it's the God of Trade, he must like gold, right? Let me offer one gold coin. Gods were usually forgiving on the first offering.

Although the Ogre Goblin chieftain had dropped a Faith Crystal, which could be used for divine offerings, Pino wasn't about to waste it on a deity of little consequence. When the gold coin was placed on the altar, a beam of light immediately engulfed it, and moments later, Pino heard a voice in his mind.

[To become wealthy, you must first build roads. Your territory is isolated. Build a road wide enough for carts to travel, connecting to the main trade route.]

[Divine Task: Build a Road]

[Reward: ???]

Pino stroked his chin thoughtfully. Build a road? That did seem important—without roads, there could be no trade, and without trade, there could be no development...

"Lord! Lord! We're done with our work! Can we go fishing now?" Meowpaws wagged its tail excitedly.

"No! No fishing in that river for a week... no, for a whole month!" The thought of Jack still "cleansing" himself in the river made Pino shudder.

"Meow!!! Then what will Meowpaws eat!" Meowpaws' fur stood on end in panic.

"Eat hardship! Only through suffering can a cat become a true cat! Do you understand? Now, go, take the other cats and mow this whole area of grass!" Pino gestured lazily, drawing a circle with his finger.

Meowpaws' eyes rolled back, its limbs went limp, and it fainted from exhaustion.

Pino took a deep breath and, facing the Neko Patrol, let out a furious roar using [Savage Roar]: "Get up and work! If you don't finish cutting this grass today, no fish for any of you!"

The roar not only boosted the morale of the cats but also increased Pino's Exploitation Points. The cats began cutting the grass, while Pino built a simple Goblin hut from the gathered materials, using the dry grass to cover the roof for protection from the wind and rain. He also laid down some dry grass inside as bedding. A house consumed 2 wood and 2 bundles of dry grass, and with that, 5 cats were comfortably settled in. There was no more cost-effective shelter than this.

With time still on his side, Pino quickly crafted a wooden-wheeled cart by hand, earning 10 points in crafting experience.

As dusk approached, Jack returned to the territory, awkwardly shuffling in, his body now reduced to clean white bones, all the flesh picked clean by the fish and crabs.

"Ah, this is so embarrassing... First time walking around so exposed, I can't imagine how mortified I'd be if someone saw me!" Jack held a bundle of dry grass around his waist, fashioning a makeshift skirt and acting shy.

Pino gave him a look of pure disdain, as if seeing something revolting. "First time seeing a skeleton so... suggestive."

"Oh, come on, don't talk like that, I'm a respectable skeleton!" Jack pouted, acting melodramatic. "Stop teasing me!"

"Enough with the theatrics, just get to work! Take the gold coins and buy the supplies I need!" Pino shot him an annoyed glare.

"I'd love to, but you think I can go out like this?" Jack looked down at himself, clearly uncomfortable. "What if I scare some kids? Even the flowers and trees might get traumatized... that's just bad manners..."

"That's why you're leaving at night, wear a cloak. Worst case, throw a jar over your head. As long as you have the coins, no one will bother you."

Pino crossed his arms, completely unconcerned. He was confident Jack, a seasoned merchant of Fertile Fields, could handle such a small issue.

"Alright, alright... Fine. My unparalleled beauty can't be hidden by a jar..." Jack grumbled but took the pouch of coins from Pino. He weighed it in his hands. "Whoa, 100 gold coins? What do you want me to buy?"

Pino gave him a list: "Iron farming tools, ten of each, then as much iron ore as possible. With what's left, buy food and alcohol... And if you come across any engineering skill books, grab them for me."

"Got it~ So, with this desolate mountain around, are you feeling lonely, Lord? Should I bring back a little ewe for you?" Jack made a suggestive wink.

"Get lost! Get moving now! I'll give you a cat cart, and if you're not back by tomorrow morning, I'll chop you up and feed you to the cats." Pino kicked Jack out of the territory.

Despite Pino's heavy-handedness, he wasn't able to squeeze a single Exploitation Point from this optimistic merchant.

The four cats, full of resentment, pushed the poorly crafted flatbed cart, playing the role of pack animals.

"Wait a minute," Pino said, frowning. "You call yourself a merchant but you're running an empty cart? We have too much dry grass here, let's sell it in the town!" With that, Pino piled the cart high with bundles of dry grass.

The cats pushed and pulled the cart, eating cat food while doing the work of oxen. Their resentment grew with every step, but they had no choice but to comply, as their efforts yielded endless Exploitation Points, trying to awaken Pino's conscience. But Pino only grew more excited as his Exploitation Points increased to 30. Another night, another three draws!