[Would you like to make a contract with the Leshi?]
This was the best part about slaying strong beasts. Claiming their strength was simply an addictive sensation.
"Yes"
Derrick answered right away, as if scared that the window would disappear.
[You have 3/3 souls! You will not be able to contract souls anymore]
Although regrettable, his current lineup of beasts was impressive. His firepower had definitely increased exponentially.
Still, he didn't want to summon it right away by fear of having to deal with another troublesome fellow like Drako. One was plenty enough right now.
"Human, you better reward me handsomely for my selfless act! Dying again has strained my spirit to the point that I'll need to rest for a while..."
As shameless as he was, Derrick had to say it had been a long time since feeling warmth like this.
Drako had sacrificed himself in an instant without thinking of the consequences. He knew they were under his control, but still...
"I'll just have to get stronger for you, then, since you're apparently too weak"
Drako sighed. He had been the strongest fighter in the cave for centuries, only to be bested by a god-damn hybrid in a single move... Deep down, he felt shame.
"Don't beat yourself up too bad. You know what the next step is, right?"
Derrick couldn't help but grin. He also loved what was going to happen next.
"Kekeke, you're one disturbing human"
The necromancer's smile looked wicked.
Derrick had been rather lucky with the Leshi. It had exposed a fatal weakness that made it vulnerable, thus killing it in a single strike.
However, the fact that it had overloaded its body had done a lot of damage.
With a look of greed in his eye, he took out his small knife and went to salvage what was left of the corpse.
"Thank god the antlers are still pristine. Losing them would have been a tragedy. The hide is completely ruined. Hmm... The muscles aren't great either, but I can still eat them, so it's not a total loss. The tendons are ruined, but the bones hung on!"
A few hours flew by and dawn was now well under way. Derrick had managed to get the antlers, bones and meat. Overall, it wasn't a bad harvest.
He wanted to ingest the meat right away in hopes of getting another skill, but the process would take too much time.
He had to go back to the encampment and resume the journey to Akata. Derrick was confident that their road would be smooth sailings from here on out.
***
As he'd predicted, their caravan arrived at the outskirts of the village during the evening.
The small village was now bustling with activity. Every abled men and women were hurrying in various directions, all with their hands full of work. Derrick was proud, as it appeared that everyone had bought in.
When some spotted their group, they were in disbelief.
There were so many people! It was probably the largest gathering in the region's history!
They were full of doubts when Derrick had first told them about his plans, but after seeing this, they couldn't help but smile. This was a victory for them, proof that his words weren't fake and that he could really change their lives.
They unconsciously started moving faster, giving in entirely to their new cause.
Derrick separated from the group and waited for his report.
After a few minutes, he finally saw Jack hurrying in his direction.
"Your Highness, I'm glad to see that you're still well"
Jacks' etiquette had become surprisingly good, making Derrick suspect that Lacha had given him a few crash courses. As an ancient noblewoman, she wasn't one that would tolerate poor manners.
"Please give me your report"
"Yes, Your Highness! In these 3 days, we have been able to double the number of houses to 200 and increase our farming lands by 5 hectares. However, we didn't reach the goals you set. Please punish us"
Derrick laughed in response. This was way better than what he had expected, especially considering the unreasonable timeframe.
"There's no need. You all worked well! I brought reinforcements as well"
He turned to the group behind him and breathed in a large mouthful of air.
"As you can all see, we've arrived at our destination! This will be your new home. I'll make this clear again : you're my subjects now. No one will harm you if you submit and do your best to contribute to the cause. The person next to me is Jack. He's in charge of the construction teams. Everyone who can cut trees or build, follow him. He'll be the one giving you roles. Those who are free can set up a temporary camp until we have enough houses"
Jack was relieved that he finally had more people to work with, but he also cursed his luck, seeing the impressive amount of newcomers. He would be very busy this week.
After giving his last instructions, Derrick became satisfied.
He had solved two of his immediate problems : the population and the lack of soldiers defending the village.
He would have to re-train the latter, but it wasn't urgent.
Derrick could now tackle the next two urgent issues, which were the funds available and the enlistment of specialists.
First, he had to assess the current situation, so he opened the Empire tab in his consciousness.
[Akata Village]
[Level : 2]
[Population : 1500]
[Soldiers : 140]
[Funds : 50 gold]
[Tax : 0%]
[Institutions : None]
[Mood : 65/35]
He sighed.
Raiding four villages had been easy, but it had not substantially increased his funds, nor had it resulted in the recruitment of experts. He was also a little sour about the meager increase in mood, but that would further increase over time, as you couldn't win people overnight.
It was now time to fix the two urgent problems.
When he had previously swept across the map, he had found a city deeper inside the territory of the Krakow Empire. It apparently had a population of 100 000, meaning it should be able to provide all the necessities that Derrick was looking for, be it selling or recruiting.
Its location was also remote enough for him not to attract too much attention.
With his strategy in mind, it was time to start crafting.