Every soldier's mind was flooded with the same image, a memory that did not belong to them.
In the vision, they saw themselves as soldiers charging into battle for their Lord, bleeding and sacrificing, fighting against soldiers from other Lords' territories!
In some fierce Lord Wars, certain soldiers, after being summoned, barely lasted a second before being sacrificed in the brutal conflict.
All of this would subtly shape the mindset of each soldier, leaving an indelible mental imprint—forming their basic perception of the world!
"Praise the Lord! We are always ready to sacrifice ourselves for you!" The group of Archers spoke without flinching.
Each of them looked at their Lord with eyes filled with absolute loyalty, as if there was nothing in their minds except their Lord.
The Barbarians also chimed in: "We will spare no effort to carry out the Lord's commands!"
Ludin scratched his head, thinking to himself. In this Lord game, the main gameplay revolves around development and combat. Therefore, it was only reasonable that every soldier's default setting was to be driven by a sense of self-sacrifice, seeing their Lord as the highest priority above all else.
Ludin said, "Alright, once we're done eating, I'll send you out on a mission!"
With that, he took out the wolf meat and instructed the Barbarians to light a campfire. They all gathered around to roast the meat and eat, ready to get to work once they were done.
Soon, the meat was roasted. Ludin ate with relish, his mouth covered in grease. Even though there were no seasonings, the meat from the animals in this world was surprisingly flavorful and delicious.
While eating, an idea suddenly struck Ludin. He opened the chat channel. The chat system in this game was quite advanced, much like a social media platform, with features for trading, video sharing, photo uploads, voice messages, and more.
Ludin decided to record a video. In the video, he could be seen holding up a large wolf leg, taking big bites out of it.
Beside him were the 20 soldiers, eating with a vengeance, as if avenging their fallen comrades. They each held large, juicy chunks of meat, making for a striking visual.
Ludin sent the video to the world chat channel. By now, the game had been live for more than three hours, and many players had already built their first barracks.
[What the hell, who is this Ludin guy? This video has to be fake, right?]
[I'm struggling with not having enough food. I've only got 10 loaves of bread, barely enough for me and my barbarians to eat, and this guy's already got meat?]
[And look at the amount of meat he's got. I'm drooling just watching this. How the hell did this guy catch so many animals?]
[You idiots, is the meat really the focus here? The real point is that the game has barely even been out for a day, and this guy already has so many soldiers—AND archers!]
[Damn, this guy is so OP. With all those soldiers, he could wipe my whole place off the map!]
[Waaah, I spent three hours rushing to build my barracks, only to realize I don't have enough food. I've got 10 loaves of bread. There's no way I can recruit new soldiers!]
[Same here, this game is a scam! How do you even get food?]
[I've already sent my barbarians out hunting! Wish me luck!]
At this point, most players had just built their barracks and were immediately overwhelmed by food shortages.
Only a few, like Ludin, who had successfully hunted animals at the start to deal with the invasion, didn't have to worry about it. However, such players were rare, and none were as well-off as Ludin.
Most players had no choice but to venture out with their soldiers, risking it all in search of food.
Ludin quickly clicked on the trade function.
[Ludin: Selling 100 units of fresh wolf meat. 1 unit of meat can be exchanged for 10 units of wood or 10 units of lumber. First come, first served. While supplies last.]
He put up the 100 units of wolf meat for sale. In his mind, he was clear-headed—since he had an abundance of food, now was the perfect time to take advantage of everyone else's food shortage and buy up their building materials.
For Ludin, the more building materials he had, the better. They would come in handy later.
As soon as the trade message went up, other players went wild.
[Damn, this guy's loaded! He's selling 100 units of meat? How many animals did he kill?]
[What? One unit of meat for 10 units of materials? What kind of ridiculous scam is this? This bastard must be taking advantage of the chaos!]
[If you don't buy, someone else will! I'm rushing to buy that meat, I need to recruit new soldiers!]
[Big shot, I want to buy too! Don't you dare fight me for it!]
Seeing the frenzy, Ludin grinned. After all, early game development was key. Move fast, and you're ahead in every step.
With food, Ludin could directly recruit soldiers. The more soldiers he had, the more he could send out to gather resources, and the snowball effect began. No matter what price Ludin set, there would definitely be buyers.
In no time, his trade notifications in the backend exploded, with over a hundred messages flooding in. The 100 units of wolf meat were quickly snapped up.
[Damn, are you all animals? I hesitated for just a few seconds and it was gone?]
[Heh, all of you were just calling him a scammer a minute ago, but now you're the first to buy without hesitation.]
[Ludin, big shot! I didn't get any! Do you have more meat? I'll buy it at a high price!]
Many who missed out were frustrated and quickly asked Ludin if he had more. Some even sent private messages.
Ludin, however, simply closed the chat window. After all, he had already secured 1,000 units of building materials, and now he didn't have to worry about running out when constructing things.
"Alright, everyone, eat as much as you want! Afterward, we'll head out and get to work!" Ludin said as he continued munching on the wolf's leg in his hand.
The soldiers, hearing this, began to feel a sense of unease.
Feasting like this… the task they would have to face afterward couldn't possibly be without danger, could it? With this thought in mind, they ate even faster, knowing full well that this might very well be their last meal.
Once the meal was finished, all the soldiers stood at attention, waiting for their orders.
Their expressions were serious, the archers gripping their bows, ready for a fierce battle. Their master had treated them so well; if they were to die, it would be an honorable death.
"Ahem." Ludin cleared his throat. "Chief Barbarian, step forward."
The massive Chief Barbarian strode out of the group, then kneeled on one knee. "Master, please give your orders!"
"You'll take all four of your barbarian warriors and go to the area around the territory. Chop down trees and gather stones," Ludin instructed.
The Chief Barbarian's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but Ludin continued, "Archers, listen up. You'll go out and explore the terrain around the territory. While you're at it, see if you can find any prey."
The soldiers, who had been prepared to face a harsh mission, were now left stunned in place.
What? The tasks are this simple? The soldiers paused for a moment, then quickly responded, "Understood, Master!"
Following Ludin's orders, the soldiers began to move. Although it wasn't the fierce battle they had expected, not having to fight was certainly a good thing.
Ludin watched as the soldiers dispersed in an orderly fashion around the territory. His gaze softened with satisfaction. The once lively territory was now left quiet, with only him and the five barbarians remaining.
"You all, follow me," Ludin called to the five barbarians, leading them toward the arrow tower.
In a survival strategy game, what is the most important thing? Without a doubt, it's building units. If you can construct things faster than your opponent, you will inevitably dominate in battles.
With his powerful "Master Builder" talent, Ludin certainly didn't want his builders to be idle.
[Arrow Tower]
[Level: 1]
[Upgrade: Requires 100 wood, 100 stone, and takes one hour]
Ludin stood next to the arrow tower, checking how to upgrade it. Soon, a line of text appeared before him. He stroked his chin thoughtfully, then turned to the five barbarians and ordered, "Upgrade the arrow tower."
He didn't bring the five barbarians over just to upgrade the tower to level two, but to explore more of the rules regarding builders.
Soon, the five barbarians began working around the arrow tower, starting the upgrade. A one-hour countdown appeared next to the building.
"If five barbarians are working, it takes one hour. But what if I have just one working?" Ludin mused aloud, then ordered four of the barbarians to step aside, leaving only one holding a tool in hand.
To his surprise, the one-hour countdown immediately turned into five hours. He shrugged, "As expected, no bugs to exploit here."
"Well, it looks like the time shown for each building is based on the number of available builders. If I want to speed up construction, the only way is to increase the builder limit." Ludin muttered to himself, his eyes turning toward the Lord's Wood House.