When Ryan saw the Pokémon trying to help push the cart earlier, an idea flashed in his mind.
Since the smaller Pokémon couldn't offer much help, why not find stronger Pokémon to assist?
So, he took out the Sweet Honey he had and sent Scyther into the deeper parts of the forest to find some strong Pokémon. The Sweet Honey would serve as their reward.
Scyther didn't disappoint, and they managed to find Heracross.
The three Heracross didn't approach them immediately, keeping some distance with a hint of caution in their eyes.
When they heard they were being asked to help humans transport goods, they initially refused.
But the temptation of the Sweet Honey was too great, and after some persuasion from the other two Pokémon, they finally agreed to take a look.
Ryan noticed their wariness. He took the Sweet Honey from Bounsweet's head and, along with some Pokémon food, slowly approached the Heracross.
"We mean no harm. We just need your help to transport some wood. This jar of Sweet Honey and the food will be your reward."
"If you're not convinced, you can ask these Pokémon. They can vouch for us."
The Heracross looked around at the other Pokémon, then at the Sweet Honey in Ryan's hand, and eventually nodded, agreeing to help.
The surrounding players couldn't take their eyes off the Heracross, especially three male players whose eyes were practically glowing.
What boy didn't play with beetles when they were young? Seeing such a cool Heracross now stirred a lot of excitement in them.
"Stop standing around! There are ropes on the cart. Tie them to the Heracross."
At Ryan's reminder, the players snapped out of their daze, hurriedly flipped the carts, and tied the ropes to the three Heracross.
"Leave two people here to continue chopping wood, and the other three, each hold onto a cart and follow me back to the territory."
"Who's going back?"
"It doesn't matter who goes back. We'll have to return anyway since we won't be able to transport all the wood in one trip. We can take turns."
After some discussion, the players decided to let Leaf and two female players head back first.
Once they had it all settled, Ryan turned to Scyther and instructed:
"I'm heading back to the territory. Please stay here and protect them. Come back with them tonight."
"Scyther!"
"Let's go!"
The three Heracross bent their hind legs, slightly flapped their wings, and shot off like arrows.
The remaining players were left staring at each other in shock.
"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and chase after them!"
Ryan shook his head in exasperation, then, holding Bounsweet, rushed after them.
"Whoa, they're that strong? And they can run too?!"
"Do they even know the way? They're running ahead of us."
"Quit talking! We won't even see their shadows in a moment!"
The players all chased after them.
On the walls of Firefly Town, a few militia members were on guard duty.
The "walls" were actually just a small stone barrier, three or four meters high, more symbolic than functional.
"Do you think those refugees will be able to bring back the wood? My house is completely unlivable. For the past couple of days, my family has been staying with relatives. This can't go on."
One of the militia members said with a worried look.
"Who knows? You saw them this morning too. I still think something's a bit off with those refugees, but I have to admit, it's impressive that they dared to enter Firefly Forest."
"Didn't Lord White say that it's just their unique custom? Even if we don't trust them, we have to trust the lord, right?"
"Of course, I trust the lord, but wait! What's that dust cloud up ahead? Is it a wild beast? Sound the alarm!"
The militia members hurriedly sounded the horn, and its low sound echoed across the entire territory.
The townspeople, hearing the horn, felt a wave of panic. The damage from the recent beast attack was still fresh in their minds, and they hadn't yet recovered. Were they about to go through another ordeal?
They didn't have time to think too much, and were just about to start packing up to evacuate when the horn suddenly stopped.
"Why did the horn stop? Is there a beast or not?"
"Did the guards make a mistake?"
"That's unlikely. This has never happened before. Let's go check out the gate."
Some of the braver townspeople decided to head to the gate to see what was going on.
When they arrived, they saw the militia gathered around Lord Ryan, speaking to him with admiration and respect.
Standing next to Lord Ryan were three wild beasts with large horns on their heads, and not only were they not attacking humans, but they were also pulling carts of wood.
"What's going on, Arthur?"
The townspeople cautiously approached, not daring to disturb Ryan, and instead asked a militia member.
"When we saw the wild beasts approaching, we sounded the alarm. But as they got closer, we saw that the refugees and Lord Ryan were with them."
"Lord Ryan told us to stop sounding the alarm. He hired these three beasts to help transport the wood. There's no need to worry."
Arthur said excitedly.
"Is that for real? You can hire wild beasts? And they won't attack us?"
"I always knew Lord Ryan was capable. I've thought that ever since we were kids."
"Wait a minute, didn't you used to say that Ryan was scared of beasts and would never make a good lord?"
"That's slander! He's slandering me! I'll sue him for slander!"
The townspeople were still a bit skeptical, but the evidence was right in front of them. The three beasts stood calmly, showing no signs of aggression.
This drastically changed their perception of Ryan.
To be honest, they had supported Ryan taking over the territory mainly because he was the old lord's only child and they had no other choice.
They hadn't really trusted Ryan, thinking that a lord who was afraid of wild beasts couldn't possibly protect the territory.
But now, Ryan had not only overcome his fear of wild beasts, but he also managed to hire them to work for the territory. He had achieved something even the old lord hadn't, which reignited their hope for the future of the territory.
And this was exactly the result Ryan wanted. When it came to transporting wood, there were actually other ways to get it done. It wasn't necessary to hire Pokémon.
So why did he insist on hiring them?
On the one hand, it was to get the townspeople to interact more with the Pokémon, slowly easing their fear of them.
On the other hand, it was to achieve the current effect—restoring the townspeople's confidence in him and the future of the territory.
It seemed that both goals had been accomplished. It was truly a case of killing three birds with one stone.
"Alright, that's enough for now. Uncle White, could you find some people to take over the wood? These guys need to head back for more."
"Understood. I'll get some people right away," White replied, his eyes full of pride and satisfaction.
When he had heard the alarm, White had rushed to the walls, expecting a battle. But seeing the current situation made him feel both proud and even more convinced that Ryan had indeed received divine guidance. How else could he have changed so much?
After the wood was handed off, Ryan didn't return to the forest with the players. They already knew the process and didn't need Ryan with them every step of the way.
His main task now was to continue improving this "game" and enhancing the players' experience.
"What was it that attracted me to games back in the day? Quests? Rewards?"
Looking at the remaining Creation Points on his panel, Ryan began planning his "game enhancement" project.