“Brave Wolf Rider warriors, welcome to the ranks!”
“May our territory move toward prosperity!”
Zong Shen offered a polite remark.
He looked at the six Wolf Riders before him.
Then, he summoned the other Wolf Riders already in the territory.
Twelve Wolf Riders lined up in a row, looking quite imposing!
Zong Shen focused his gaze.
Twelve Wolf Riders can form a Wolf Rider squad, unlocking team skills.
A pack of wolves is always more terrifying than a lone wolf!
【Wolf Rider Twelve-Man Squad】
【Skill: Saber Charge (The twelve Wolf Riders form a wedge formation and launch a charge forward. The charge distance is 200 meters. During the charge, all Wolf Riders share their health points. With sabers facing outward, they cut through all enemies in their path, dealing 1.3x slashing damage. Cooldown: 1h) Running Wolf Lv10 (All Wolf Riders in the squad gain 20% movement speed, 15% health points, and 25% giant wolf jumping ability)】
“Good stuff!”
Zong Shen’s eyes lit up.
The Wolf Rider squad was indeed something special.
Zong Shen was pleasantly surprised, and he decided to select one Wolf Rider to serve as the squad leader.
There was no one more suitable for this position than Colby, his very first Wolf Rider.
“Colby, from now on, you are the captain of the Wolf Rider squad.”
“Your performance has earned you rights and honor. Furthermore, I have a reward to bestow upon you.”
Zong Shen took the initiative to name him.
Riding his giant wolf, Colby heard Zong Shen’s words and dismounted with a look of pride.
He approached Zong Shen respectfully.
He kissed the ground at his feet.
He dared not look Zong Shen in the eye.
Like Tie Zhu, Colby was a trusted soldier with Max loyalty.
He held heartfelt respect for Zong Shen.
Therefore, he would prioritize the cultivation of Colby and Tie Zhu.
With a flip of his hand, he took out a 【Complete Green Soul】 and two 【Soldier Enhancement Orbs (Green)】 and handed them to Colby.
At Zong Shen’s signal, he used these items on the spot.
The green soul transformed into specks of green light, soaking into his entire body.
It changed his aptitude from White (Common) to Green (Good).
His attributes immediately increased slightly.
Next, he used the Soldier Enhancement Orbs, gaining 3 points in Strength, 1 in Agility, and 2 in Charisma.
At this moment, his attributes were significantly higher than when he first started.
【Wolf Rider: Colby】
【Aptitude: Good】
【Level: 12】
【Attributes: (Click to expand)】
【Satiety: 86】
【Loyalty: 100】
Zong Shen opened the detailed attributes.
【Strength: 31】
【Agility: 13】
【Intelligence: 8】
【Charisma: 10】
【Health Points: 310】
【Slashing Damage: 68】
【Throwing Damage: 41】
【Head Armor: 19】
【Upper Body Armor: 30】
【Lower Body Armor: 9】
【Skill: Saber Slash (Next attack deals 1.5x slashing damage, adds one stack of Wolf Rider Mark)】
All four major attributes had improved.
His damage had also increased by several points.
Not bad; he now had the qualifications to command the Wolf Rider squad.
Zong Shen nodded with satisfaction.
Colby also sensed his own changes and saluted again with excitement.
“Thank you for your cultivation, my Lord. Colby is willing to give his life for you!”
Zong Shen waved his hand.
“Alright, alright, get up.”
“I hope you can lead the Wolf Rider squad well and become a sharp blade for our territory!”
He offered a word of encouragement. Colby was deeply inspired, stood up, and retreated to the middle of the Wolf Rider formation, standing slightly half a step ahead of the others.
The other soldiers also showed expressions of envy.
“Tie Zhu, Bjorn, Arvid, you come over too.”
Zong Shen called out again.
The three came before Zong Shen and saluted respectfully.
Zong Shen took out three more 【Complete Green Souls】 and bestowed one upon each of them.
Green souls only work on those with common aptitude. Now, in the territory, besides the farmers, only the Wolf Riders and Tie Zhu possessed common aptitude.
Naturally, he prioritized rewarding the veterans who had followed him the longest.
The three successfully raised their aptitude to Good, and their attributes saw a certain increase.
【Due to your reward】
【Wolf Rider Bjorn’s loyalty to you has increased by 10 points, current loyalty 90】
【Wolf Rider Arvid’s loyalty to you has increased by 13 points, current loyalty 83】
There was one 【Complete Green Soul】 left, which Zong Shen decided to put away for now to reward others later.
Appropriate rewards undoubtedly establish role models and increase everyone’s enthusiasm.
After the three received their rewards, Zong Shen offered a few words of encouragement as usual.
He then called out three more names.
“Luna, Tassia, Favid, you three come over.”
Upon hearing this, the three had small surprises on their faces. Tonight, Zong Shen was clearly rewarding based on merit.
Being named by Zong Shen not only meant a reward but also represented honor.
The three walked over one by one and saluted respectfully.
Zong Shen took out the final six 【Soldier Enhancement Orbs (Green)】.
He distributed two to each person.
The three used them immediately, each gaining six random base attribute points.
【Due to your reward】
【Night Huntress Luna’s loyalty to you has increased by 7 points, current loyalty 100】
【Necromancer Tassia’s loyalty to you has increased by 10 points, current loyalty 88】
【Fire Mage Arvid’s loyalty to you has increased by 10 points, current loyalty 90】
Not bad. As Zong Shen’s second soldier, Luna’s favorability had also reached Max. These soldiers with maxed-out loyalty would be the first to receive Zong Shen’s cultivation.
Even the cold Tassia and Favid, whom he had rescued and recruited from the dungeon, had reached around 90 points of loyalty.
The two mages’ output capabilities were currently the MVPs of the territory; their powerful magic could deal massive amounts of damage.
It wasn’t that Zong Shen hadn’t considered concentrating resources to cultivate the mages.
However, as a lord, he had to consider broader issues.
The territory was by no means a one-man show. Rather than cultivating two oligarchic soldiers, it was better to increase the collective combat power.
Another issue was the human element.
Establishing a reasonable reward mechanism and positive role models would undoubtedly drive the enthusiasm of the entire territory.
The combined benefits far outweighed the cultivation of a single super-strong oligarchic soldier.
As it stood, this decision was very correct.
After encouraging the three, he began the final wave of merit-based rewards.
“Lensa Claw-Breaker, Mapel, Madeline, you come over too.”
The three had surprised expressions on their faces.
They were all new members, and their seniority couldn’t compare to the veterans who had been rewarded earlier.
They came before Zong Shen and bowed in salute.
Zong Shen took out all six 【Soldier Enhancement Orbs (White)】.
He distributed two to each as a reward.
【Due to your reward】
【Claw Druid Lensa Claw-Breaker’s loyalty to you has increased by 6 points, current loyalty 79】
【Dragon-kin Ranger Mapel/Madeline’s loyalty to you has increased by 6 points, current loyalty 76】
Zong Shen’s round of merit-based rewards not only strengthened the soldiers but also successfully created a positive atmosphere.
(End of chapter)