The sun began its descent below the horizon, casting long shadows across the streets of the Imp Town. Arthur, deep in thought, decided to take a leisurely stroll through the town's winding pathways. He needed a moment of solitude to consider his next course of action.
As Arthur wandered through the Imp Town, his thoughts still looming about the issue of the Tulkan Town. The Tulkan Town, inhabited by Giant Cyclopes, and it posed a formidable threat if they were to attack this town.
The Imps, with their small size and limited physical strength, would be at a significant disadvantage if they were about to face the Giant Cyclopes. Arthur understood that a different approach was needed.
As Arthur continued his walk through the town's bustling streets, he noticed a commotion up ahead. Several thieves had cornered two young imps.
It was clear that these thieves were brazenly trying to steal the food that the siblings received at the recent distribution event earlier.
~Sighh
"It seems that there are still many issues that need to be resolved within the town."
Arthur frowned at the vulnerable security in this city, he saw that it seemed that the security in this city had fallen greatly due to the loss of their general.
Arthur overheard their conversation. One of the young imps, his eyes filled with determination, was shielding his younger sister from the thieves. They clung onto their food tightly, unwilling to give it to thieves.
One of the thieves, sneered at them. "Hand over the food, you little runts. Respect the elders, we're hungry, too."
The boy, his voice trembling but resolute, replied, "No! This is all we have, please don't take it from us!"
~thud
One of the thieves, a particularly burly imp, suddenly snatched a portion of the food from the young girl's hands and devoured it callously.
"Please, stop!" the boy pleaded, his voice trembling. "My father is the general of this town. You can't do this."
The thieves burst into raucous laughter at the boy's words. One of them, a sneering imp with a twisted grin, spoke mockingly, "General? Your father is dead, kid. No one's coming to save you. Now hand over that food, or we'll take it by force!"
The boy's eyes welled with tears, but he didn't waver. He held his sister close, determined to protect her and their meager meal. The thieves kept harassing them, threatening them if they didn't give them their food.
~Swosshhh
Suddenly a sharp gust of wind appeared, creating a barrier between the thieves and the siblings.
The thieves shifted frantically, "W-what's this?" When they glanced towards the source of the wind, they were shocked to see the appearance of their Lord.
Earlier, with a flick of his wrist, Arthur summoned a sharp gust of wind, creating a line of distance between the thieves and the siblings.
The thieves did not expect that the Town's Lord would take action against them directly by himself.
"Leave now," Arthur commanded, his voice carrying an undeniable weight. "And consider yourselves fortunate that I'm showing you mercy today. But if I ever catch you stealing from anyone in my town again, there will be consequences."
The thieves, recognizing the gravity of the situation, retreated hastily.
The young Imps, their faces still marked by bruises but filled with relief, nodded in gratitude. "Thank you, Sire" They whispered their thanks, their voices trembling with emotion.
However, Arthur turned at the siblings with a cold gaze "You don't need to thank me," he stated firmly, his voice devoid of warmth. "I did it because your father once served this town,"
With those words, he turned away from them without waiting for a response.
The siblings watched him leave, their faces a mix of gratitude and uncertainty.
One of the siblings, showing a hint of tears tempered by fear, gathered the courage to shout at Arthur. "Our father isn't dead!!" they said, their voice trembling slightly. "He promised to come back with food for us and mother after defeating those giants."
However, the moment the young imp finished his words, Arthur was no longer visible, as if he had vanished in an instant.
...
Near a serene river within the Imp Town, Arthur took a moment to gather his thoughts.
~Sighhh
Arthur let out a long, contemplative sigh, his mind filled with the complexities of the situation.
Deep down, Arthur realized that if he were to personally take care every act of crimes in the town, he would be consumed by the task.
The loss of the general completely broke order in the Town. Arthur needed new capable individuals to enforce the order. However, Arthur could see that the manpower and resources were still not sufficient to sustain that kind of work.
If a solution wasn't found soon, Arthur predicted that the town would collapse by the end of tomorrow, and the Lord Mission would be deemed a failure.
He couldn't fail this mission and immediately, he thought of any possible way for him.
Soon, He pondered the potential of his [Persuasion] talent. It was a powerful tool, capable of influencing the thoughts and actions of others.
With it, he could potentially discourage crime and maintain order within his town by giving speeches in front of his subjects.
However, the low loyalty of his subjects presented a significant hurdle. Convincing them to gather in one place for any purpose, even with a food distribution as bait, seemed like a daunting task.
The Town lacked the necessary resources, particularly Spirit Crystals, to conduct another food distribution. The town's treasury was nearly depleted, and acquiring more supplies seemed unlikely.
Moreover, if he chose to persuade them one by one, it would take a long time to persuade more than 500 people in the town.
As Arthur sat by the river, his thoughts swirled with uncertainty and frustration. He knew that he needed to find a way to address these pressing issues, but the path forward remained unclear.
Arthur couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and respect for the lords who had successfully cleared their Lord Missions in his previous life.
Each stage of Lord Mission brought its own unique difficulties, and he was beginning to understand the immense responsibility that came with the role of a lord.
~sigh
'Mission like this really give me a hard time,' Arthur mused, he kind of yearned the Traveler Missions. Unlike the Lord Mission, the Traveler Mission is more focused on completing the mission alone, but the Lord Mission is more focused on solving more complex problems and forcing him to involve his people in completing the task in the Simulated Plane.
~Thud
"Wait! That's it!" Arthur suddenly thought of an idea that might work, "I was too paranoid to think about the unnecessary things, Tsk... I just have to do it my way."
As Arthur weighed his options for a few minutes, he muttered, "Well, an ambush might not be a bad idea after all." Actually, from the beginning, he had already considered to infiltrate into Tulkan Town alone to ambush their lord and take over the town.
However, because he was too preoccupied with the issues within the town, he thought about solving the internal issues in the town first, and he neglected the idea he had previously thought of.
Soon, Arthur made his way back to the Town Hall, where he found the Town's Chancellor and Logistic Officer. He informed them that he wanted to set out for Tulkan Town.
They were somewhat surprised and panicked with the sudden news and asked if they should also have come with him, but after Arthur assured them that they had nothing to worry about as he would be leaving alone, they then breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement.
Arthur also somewhat understood that their attitude might be due to their low loyalty, giving rise to feelings of unwillingness to risk their lives, he was even sure that they would not feel anything if their died or disappeared.
Soon, the Chancellor and the Logistics Officer gave him a map and detailed directions to reach Tulkan City.
With this, all he needed to do now was gain their trust by achieving as many achievements as possible.
After a few final preparations, Arthur set out under the cover of night.
Few hours later...
The journey from Imp Town to Tulkan Town took several hours on foot.
And as Arthur approached the massive Tulkan Town, he couldn't help but be awed by its size and structure.
Most of the town's buildings appeared to be haphazard constructions of stone and rock. Their architectural style was far from aesthetically pleasing, but each construction had Magic Runes engraved on them, which gave these constructions a powerful enhancement.
It was a testament to the Giant Cyclopes' focus on magic and utility over appearance.
The town was quiet at this late hour, and Arthur found it relatively easy to infiltrate without attracting much attention. His small size allowed him to slip through unnoticed. He moved stealthily through the streets, searching for the building he believed housed the Cyclopean lord.
Eventually, he reached a particularly large and imposing structure. Two towering Giant Cyclopes stood guard at its entrance. Arthur knew that he needed to bypass them without alerting them to his presence.
As he moved cautiously past the guards, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. He was aware that any misstep could result in his discovery.
However, it was at that moment that a trembling voice broke the silence.
"S-Sire?!"