The sky gradually darkened, and Qin Muye returned to his territory with six Spirit Monsters. He glanced at the farmland outside the Mage Tower but didn't pay it any more attention. Although it had been built, it would not produce food out of thin air without seeds.
Today's gains were modest: 15 units of Minerals, 7 units of Wood, plus 21 units of food. Most delightfully, he had found 1 unit of gemstone.
It could be considered a decent haul, after all.
As for combat? There had been none at all.
He had used a temporary Basic Reconnaissance Skill to observe them, and in terms of attributes, each wild creature could overwhelm his Spirit Monsters.
Skeleton Soldiers were probably the weakest with 2 Attack Power and 1 defensive power, but even then, the Spirit Monsters were no match. Firstly, because their 0 Attack Power couldn't break through any defense unless they could find a creature with 0 Defense Power to gamble on. Unfortunately, despite looking everywhere, he had found none.
More importantly, these Skeleton Soldiers had three skills, each as luxurious as those of the Spirit Monsters, and all combat-oriented, which gave Qin Muye a bit of a headache.
At present, it seemed that Spirit Monsters were truly useless, except for being slightly smarter; essentially, they were just lucky.
He had thought about arming the Spirit Monsters with sticks and stones, but the innate difference in attributes was insurmountable. Firstly, in terms of physical strength and power, they couldn't wield anything too heavy, or they would become fatigued over time. Secondly, even if they threw stones from a distance, they wouldn't go far and would likely cause no damage.
The wild creatures of this world were not ordinary beings, but more like fantasy creatures—like the wolf that nearly killed him, which was at least the size of a calf.
After returning to his territory, Qin Muye distributed food to all the Spirit Monsters and instructed them to help themselves if they got hungry.
One Spirit Monster would consume about 3 units of bread daily, totaling 30 units, not counting the water, which was plentiful and free.
Since they had followed Qin Muye out and hadn't eaten today, they were famished. Fortunately, he had brought back 21 units of food, enough to last another couple of days; otherwise, they would run out of food tomorrow.
Later, he checked on the Spirit Monster that had only 1 Life Value point left and was now lying on the floor of the first level of the Mage Tower, resting. Its Life Value had not recovered, and it seemed to be hanging by a thread, but it was not yet dead.
On the other hand, another Spirit Monster that had only lost 1 point of Life Value had recovered after eating white bread and drinking clear water.
At that moment, Qin Muye seemed to understand something.
Even if "Lord Era" defied some common sense, it couldn't change the facts of this world.
Sitting on the broken third floor of the Mage Tower and looking up at the moon, a flash of Spiritual Light crossed his mind.
Qin Muye realized that he had been balanced, not just him but the Spirit Monsters as well.
If a Spirit Monster's four skills were granted to some powerful Troop, especially a Magic System Troop, it would be game-changing.
The skill "Lucky Garden" increased a hidden Luck Attribute by 1 point, which any Troop would need.
"Magic Power Physique" boosted Defense Power by 1 point, allowing fragile units to mitigate damage, and "Magic Wisdom" provided Magic Value—something unheard of in first-tier creatures, as none of the wild beasts he'd seen possessed the Magic Value attribute.
The last skill, "Loyal Taming," could never be lost, an effect he had only seen in the Undead Troop of Skeleton Soldiers, equivalent to a soldier that fought fearlessly without the need for bonding.
It was for these reasons they were balanced to have only 5 Life Value points and 0 in both Attack Power and Defense Power.
"No, that's not right. If it were just this, it couldn't possibly be balanced to such an extent. There must be hidden potential in the Spirit Monsters that I have yet to tap into."
Spirit Monsters were no match for Skeleton Soldiers; that couldn't be possible. If that were the case, what was the point of playing "Lord Era"? He might as well just die.
"I shouldn't limit myself to just the data aspects of 'Lord Era,' because 'Lord Era' grants fairness to all Lords, whereas the world does not."
Everyone's starting location has different surrounding Resources, showcasing that the world does not cater to the Lords.
"Because this world is real."
Now aware of this, Qin Muye realized he was too presumptuous, truly believing that the game was just a game, and even sticking to the strategies from his previous life's game, "Heroic Unrivaled."
He resolutely pulled out the Skill Book named Basic Magic Power.
"I hope my guess is correct. If it is, then my Talent could be the basis of my rise."
He opened the Skill Book, which, since becoming a Lord and undergoing partial data conversion, had its original script translated into a language he could understand.
"Basic Elemental Meditation."
Seeing these seven words on the title page gave Qin Muye a jolt of energy. He whispered, "I was right. The world is the world, the game is the game."
If he couldn't tread the noble path laid out in "Lord Era," he couldn't blame himself for taking a more unorthodox approach. As long as he could survive, he didn't care how he grew stronger.
Using the moonlight as his source of light, Qin Muye began to read the Skill Book translated by "Lord Era" as Basic Magic Power, called "Basic Elemental Meditation."
This was a Mage's Meditation Technique, harnessing wandering Elements in the world and converting them into Magic Power through meditation—a likely method for native mages of this world to grow stronger.
As the night deepened, Qin Muye closed the not-so-thick book.
He had learned it.
"Talent and Skills shouldn't just be evaluated based on the added Attributes and effects, but also by their names. With that in mind, I finally understand why the Spirit Monsters and I are powerful."
Had it not been for his Lord Talent, Learning Ability, he could never have memorized this book in such a short time, let alone mastered it.
This Learning Ability enhanced his capacity to learn, boosting it by at least five to ten times—a comprehensively powerful trait.
The four skills of the Spirit Monsters were truly fearsome upon reflection, beyond their added effects and Attributes, particularly "Loyal Taming," which proved not only unyielding morale but also their Loyalty to him.
"This being the case, if morale were to fall, does that mean the Troops could rebel?"
The thought made Qin Muye shiver. Such a pitfall was too great; if any Lord treated their subjects too harshly, without such an ability, they might very well end up killed by their own Troops.
"I wonder if anyone else has discovered another way to play 'Lord Era.'"
"Forget about them for now, and focus on condensing Magic Power to become a Mage first."
At this point, he couldn't concern himself with others; he had to take care of his own matters first.