Volume One, Chapter 14: A Hundred Gold Coins to Buy a Maidservant

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...
“I discovered... the virtual panel can actually view information about those captives.”
After Lin Xuan sent the message, it immediately showed as read. However, a long while passed without Ning Xia replying.
It wasn’t until over half an hour later, while Lin Xuan was having lunch, that the virtual panel suddenly notified him of two new friend messages.
“Yesterday, my men reported that they found a bandit hideout near my village, full of mountain bandits.”
“I just checked, and sure enough... the virtual panel can see their information!”
Seeing this, Lin Xuan quickly typed a reply.
“I have a theory, though I’m not sure if it’s correct. These bandits are likely created by that mysterious entity that brought us into this world.”
“Earlier, on the chat channel, someone mentioned discovering beasts and packs of beasts near their territory. Those things, I believe, are also connected to that mysterious entity!”
Ning Xia: “Why would that mysterious entity create these things?”
“My guess is that this entity is testing us lords, assessing our development and the strength of our territories.”
“Moreover, I suspect there will be many such tests ahead. Though this entity brought us here, it seems intent on selecting only some of us.”
Lin Xuan did not tell Ning Xia that he had also received information about the novice trial. That information would become available once Ning Xia upgraded the village chief’s hall to level one.
The more he said, the more explanations would be needed. Lin Xuan preferred to avoid such complications. He only shared this much with Ning Xia out of respect for the blacksmith shop blueprint she had provided.
If not for that blueprint, he might have missed out on the top ten construction rewards for the blacksmith shop.
Without those rewards, the upcoming assault on the bandit hideout would surely have suffered greater losses. It might even have been uncertain whether they could eradicate the bandits at all!
If that had happened, the medical clinic blueprint would have been lost, and his second top ten construction reward would vanish as well!
Thinking of this, Lin Xuan pulled a prescription from the virtual panel—it was the reward for the medical clinic being among the top ten constructions.
[Healing Medicine]: Can treat minor injuries; requires 20 grams of white poria, 20 grams of green clematis vine, and 50 grams of safflower.
[Note]: To brew healing medicine, the lord must have constructed a medical clinic and employ a physician.
After Wang Yan and Chu Ran finished forging the equipment, Lin Xuan planned to buy the herbs in Jiyin City.
He also hoped to see if a villager with the physician profession would appear in the refugee camp within the next two days.
And so, two days passed in the blink of an eye.
On the sixth day since arriving in this world, under the first rays of morning sunlight, after breakfast, Lin Xuan set out toward the village entrance with Jiang Feishang and Chen Zeyu.
They waited at the entrance briefly before seeing Meng Jin, who had just packed her belongings, running up. Behind her followed the Lin family village villagers, Zhang Xiaofei and Zhang Xiaoling, two sisters.
Over the past few days, the three had formed a close-knit group, inseparable in their comings and goings.
“Feishang, let’s go!”

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This trip to Jiyin City, Lin Xuan brought quite a few people. Besides Jiang Feishang and the recently recruited Chen Zeyu,
there were also A Di and Liu Jie, two one-star generals from the bandit group captured alongside Chen Zeyu.
Now, like Chen Zeyu, both had been recruited by Lin Xuan and had become villagers of Lin family village.
[A Di]: 22 years old
[Territory]: Lin family village
[Loyalty]: 68
[Potential]: One star
[Profession]: General
[Strength]: 71 (Common-level spear +1 / Common-level warhorse +1 / Skill: Spear King +1)
[Leadership]: 31
[Politics]: 43
[Combat Power]: 78 (One-star martial art, 10% combat power bonus)
[Skill]: Spear King (Increases strength by one when using spear-type weapons)
[Martial Art]: One-star “Yellow Earth Technique”
[Weapon]: Common-level spear
[Mount]: Common-level warhorse
...
[Liu Jie]: 42 years old
[Territory]: Lin family village
[Loyalty]: 66
[Potential]: One star
[Profession]: General
[Strength]: 65 (Common-level spear +1 / Common-level warhorse +1)
[Leadership]: 53
[Politics]: 46
[Combat Power]: 71 (One-star martial art, 10% combat power bonus)
[Skill]: None
[Martial Art]: One-star “Autumn Water Technique”
[Weapon]: Common-level spear
[Mount]: Common-level warhorse
...
One has a loyalty of 68, the other 66, while Chen Zeyu’s loyalty is just 62. This explains why Lin Xuan insisted on bringing all three to Jiyin City.
Because he feared that if he and Jiang Feishang left, these three might cause trouble!
Also, by keeping them close, he could cultivate goodwill and increase their loyalty to himself.
As for why he brought Zhang Xiaofei, Zhang Xiaoling, and Meng Jin, it was because Lin Xuan planned to send Meng Jin back after arriving in Jiyin City.
Though he didn’t know the way to Chengyang City, Lin Xuan believed some of the native inhabitants in Jiyin City would know.
Zhang Xiaofei and Zhang Xiaoling weren’t brought along just to look after Meng Jin on the journey.
They had been... sold to Meng Jin by Lin Xuan!
When Meng Jin said she wanted to buy the two sisters as maids, Lin Xuan initially wanted to refuse.
His villagers were not meant to be maids for others! If they were to serve, they should be ladies or mistresses!
However, when Meng Jin offered one hundred gold each, Lin Xuan reluctantly agreed.
After all, with the virtual panel, no matter where Zhang Xiaofei and Zhang Xiaoling went, as long as their loyalty didn’t drop below sixty, they would still be considered Lin family village villagers.
They were merely changing their place of residence.
Lin Xuan also told the two sisters that this was to give them a better life with Meng Jin.
If they were ever mistreated in the Meng family, he would surely bring them back.
Hearing this, the sisters were deeply moved, their loyalty rising two points to 97 and 96 respectively.
Lin Xuan no longer worried about their betrayal.
...
More than two hours later, inside Jiyin City.
“A Di, Chen Shiye! Miss Meng is entrusted to you—make sure she arrives safely in Chengyang City!”
Upon arriving in Jiyin City, before purchasing herbs, Lin Xuan found a local who knew the way to Chengyang City.
He then assigned A Di and Chen Zeyu to escort Meng Jin, repeatedly instructing Chen Zeyu to ask for extra gratitude money from the Meng family!

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