Chapter 5: 005
【005】 Saving People
“Ulysses, you… actually became the village chief!” After seeing Gu Qing leave, Albert immediately walked toward Ulysses. He originally wanted to say something, but when he saw Ulysses’ identity label, he froze in place.
“Thanks to the lord’s favor,” Ulysses said with a faint smile as he looked at the shocked Albert.
“It’s because you had the courage to do it. Congratulations! From now on, I’ll follow you,” Albert said, looking at Ulysses with anticipation after his initial astonishment.
“I have many things I need you to do.”
“Just give the orders,” Albert said, patting his chest. He knew that he wasn’t the sharpest, relying mostly on brute strength. He had been used as cannon fodder before, rushing into battle without hesitation. If it weren’t for Ulysses, he might have been dead by now.
Ulysses looked at Albert’s sincere expression, then glanced at the current broken territory, and a sense of ambition rose in his heart.
He hoped he could help the lord properly build the territory, so that all the residents wouldn’t have to live in fear or wander aimlessly anymore.
This was just his personal ambition, quietly held in his heart as he worked toward it. He knew that speaking about it now wouldn’t earn him any belief from others.
“But for now, you should continue collecting wood and stone! The territory is still in the early stages of development and needs a lot of materials. You should also try to gather more copper coins,” Ulysses said directly.
“Alright, I’ll follow your lead,” Albert immediately agreed, then turned and found a group preparing to leave the territory.
Although the area around the territory had been considered relatively safe before the beast wave, there were still occasional magical beasts appearing. At times like this, teamwork was the best approach.
They had made it this far because they had worked together to deal with stray magical beasts and acquire food.
But back then, every battle was fought with their lives on the line. They had no way to retreat, they could only charge forward. Now, however, with a safe territory behind them, they could charge forward without any worries.
More and more people were leaving the territory to gather resources, while most of the people left behind were women and children. Even though they remained in the territory, they weren’t idle—they were building places to rest or preparing food, waiting for the return of their families.
Looking at the somewhat messy “camp,” Ulysses furrowed his brow and then headed toward the trading hall.
—
Meanwhile, Gu Qing, who had left, wandered around the territory, casually collecting the surrounding map.
Soon, a system prompt suddenly appeared.
【Explored map area exceeds 10,000 square meters. Small map feature unlocked. The map will update in real-time, and the host can manually add markers. If no specific markers are set, the system will automatically mark them.】
After the prompt, Gu Qing noticed various names appearing on the map. She briefly checked, but didn’t plan to modify anything. She was about to move on and continue her exploration when the map flickered and began to change.
On the map, many red and green dots suddenly started appearing in the areas she had explored, and among them, only the green dots were within the Qingyun Village territory.
It was obvious that the green dots represented the residents currently within the territory. But what about the red dots?
Gu Qing immediately asked the system: 【999, what are these red dots?】
999 System: 【Host, those are magical beasts.】
Gu Qing looked at the red dots, which were several times more numerous than the green dots, and couldn’t help but twitch her mouth. 【This is what you call the most suitable territory? From what I see, it seems like I’ve set up camp right in the middle of a beast nest. Are you messing with me, 999?】
999 System: 【The initial number wasn’t this large, but with the merging of the two worlds, the number of magical beasts has essentially doubled. The increased numbers are scattered throughout this merged world. You can imagine that. Moreover, the beast wave naturally happens around the territory. Qingyun Village is the only territory in this area, so the beasts will inevitably start to gather near the territory. Therefore, Host, please prepare yourself. The first small wave of beasts will occur every month. Today is the second day of the month, so you only have 28 days of peace left.】
Gu Qing: 【999, still saying you’re not messing with me? You told me that once I establish the territory and have people, I could just relax. I’ve already handed over the responsibility of managing the territory to someone with experience, and there are already residents doing work in the village. And now you tell me I need to prepare? What kind of vacation is this?】
999 System: 【Host, you could also continue relaxing. When the beast wave arrives in 28 days and the territory is destroyed, you can follow the residents and become a refugee, waiting for the three-year assessment period to pass…】
Gu Qing thought about it for a moment, considering what 999 had said about becoming a refugee. Since the world already had established territories, she could find a larger one to live in after that.
999 System: 【Host, a friendly reminder: medium and large territories accept refugees only if they are level 20 or higher. Also, Host, do you think you could handle the life of a refugee? Think about how you felt when you first saw those refugees…】
Gu Qing heard this and immediately recalled the image of the ragged refugees. She quickly dismissed the thought of becoming one, and instead asked, 【999, may I ask, what level does my Qingyun Village need to reach in order to withstand the first beast wave?】
999 System: 【At least level 3 village. That would barely be enough to fend off the first wave of beasts.】
Gu Qing: “…”
In other words, within these 28 days, she had to develop her level 1 village into at least level 3, or even higher?
The time was really tight.
She had clearly wanted a relaxing vacation, but every step seemed to push her toward action.
Letting out a low sigh, Gu Qing looked at the green dots in her territory again, then glanced at the surrounding red dots. She felt like she was really in a tough spot!
There were more magical beasts than her residents. When the beasts launched their attack, would they be able to defend?
The first thing to address was the population. More people meant more resources in the territory, more labor, and stronger combat power.
With that in mind, Gu Qing’s eyes fell on the green dots gathering among the red ones. If she wasn’t mistaken, those green dots were refugees who had come to her territory.
If these refugees could make it to her territory, maybe… she would have enough people.
But just as Gu Qing was thinking this, several of the green dots she was watching suddenly disappeared.
Did this mean… they were dead?
Gu Qing’s expression turned serious.
These people were her future workforce and combat power. They were her important future assets!
Without hesitation, Gu Qing immediately headed in the direction where there were still more green dots.
With the system map to avoid some of the magical beasts, and the so-called skill cards, she might still be able to save some people.
At this moment, by a small creek, a group of refugees was desperately drinking water.
They had been walking for several days, and the water they had previously prepared had long run out. Just as they were about to perish from thirst, one of them spotted the creek. The whole group immediately rushed over, desperate to drink.
After drinking their fill, many people finally relieved their thirst and hunger, and began using whatever tools they had to collect water. Some took this opportunity to rest.
After a brief break, the group quickly regrouped and continued heading towards Qingyun Village, hoping that the road ahead would be safer.
The entire village had started the journey together, but now less than a third of the group remained. They could no longer afford to lose any more people.
Unfortunately, their hopes didn’t come true. After walking for only a short distance, they found themselves surrounded by a pack of hunting dogs.
It was clear that the dogs had been lying in wait near the water source, ready to ambush any prey that came near.
Now, this group of refugees was their prey.
The refugees looked at the hunting dogs with greed in their eyes, and their morale was on the verge of collapsing.
Everyone knew that hunting dogs were bloodthirsty predators. They would stalk their prey like shadows until the very end. Once they targeted someone, it was nearly impossible to escape. The dogs were not only fast but had sharp claws and teeth. With just a light pounce and a quick bite, their victims would likely be dead in an instant.
Fear had already crippled the group’s spirit. Even though the young and strong men in the front held sharpened spears, they had no effect on the dogs. With a low growl and a kick of their hind legs, the dogs charged toward them.
Some of the more capable refugees immediately raised their weapons to defend themselves, but they could barely protect themselves.
The hunting dogs, however, had already targeted the weaker members of the group. With a leap and a swipe, several people were immediately clawed, and blood splattered everywhere. Some were even grabbed by the neck and dragged away.
When Gu Qing arrived, this was the horrific scene she saw. Her heart pounded as she watched a hunting dog, with a head the size of an adult man, in action.
Despite having prepared herself, seeing such a bloody scene still gave her a shock.
However, after the initial shock, Gu Qing quickly regained her composure. Just as she saw one of the refugees’ legs being bitten by a hunting dog, and the dog trying to drag him away, she swiftly took out a skill card and attacked the dog.
This was a chain attack.
As the skill card was used, several powerful attacks followed one after another, targeting the hunting dog.
The dog seemed to sense the danger and temporarily let go of its prey to evade, but the chain of attacks was too concentrated. One of the beams of light struck the dog, causing it to yelp in pain.
Taking advantage of the situation, Gu Qing immediately activated a swordsmanship skill card and attacked.
The skill card transformed into a sharp sword, which she used to strike the dog hard in the neck. Blood spurted out, and the hunting dog was finally slain by her sword.
At the same time, a system notification echoed in her mind.
“Congratulations, Host. By killing the hunting dog, you have obtained 2 Dog Teeth and 1 Soft Leather.”
Gu Qing was momentarily stunned when she heard the dog teeth and soft leather drop from the kill. She quickly realized that if the dog had dropped meat, would she dare to eat it? No, she wouldn’t!
She shook off that thought and continued to join the battle. It seemed like her actions had torn open a gap, as the refugees who had originally planned to slip through began to fight back with all their might.
The more people there are, the stronger the force. Under Gu Qing’s overwhelming strength and the refugees’ coordinated efforts, the hunting dogs fell one by one.
In the end, it was clear that the hunting dogs realized the situation was turning against them. Several of them quickly dragged the nearest bodies towards them and prepared to retreat.
Gu Qing watched this scene, and she had to admit that she was somewhat disgusted.
Just then, the cooldown for the chain attack was over, and Gu Qing launched another strike.
This attack was clearly much more powerful than her previous ones. In an instant, the hunting dogs turned and fled, vanishing without a trace.
They had won.
Some refugees, realizing this, collapsed to the ground in relief.
“Thank you, my lord. You have saved us,” one of the refugees said, looking at Gu Qing with gratitude and a hint of admiration in their eyes.
After witnessing such a brutal scene and expecting certain death, being saved had a profound impact on their hearts.
They had seen Gu Qing in action—just a few simple moves were enough to decide the outcome. It was truly shocking, and they couldn’t help but speculate whether she was a mage.
Soon, however, they realized something else. How could a mage appear in such a desolate wilderness?
Could it be… As they thought of a possibility, hope flickered in the eyes of the refugees.
At this moment, Gu Qing calmly spoke: “Hello, I am the lord of Qingyun Village—Gu Qing.”