Chapter 23: Incorporation Task

Now, Lin Mu's status as a Village Chief was on equal footing with Gao Hai's status as a Warlord Chief, providing a foundation for an equal dialogue.

"Village Chief Lin Mu, does your request to see me stem from a specific need?" Gao Hai asked directly.

"Warlord Chief Gao Hai, I will speak plainly. We Outlanders descended upon this realm by the holy word of the Great Deity [Nuwa]. Due to special circumstances, I have established my influence in the Yinglong Valley. Although we currently lack population and resources, we Outlanders enjoy great advantages in crop production due to the Deity's grace. Furthermore, our territory possesses divine attribute bonuses; currently, crops within our territory can be harvested multiple times a month. Issues like food supply are not an obstacle for us, but our population is extremely small. Upon discovering your stronghold, an impudent and arrogant thought occurred to me: I wish to incorporate you and bring you into our territory!" Lin Mu spoke with sincere intent.

By explaining the situation of his territory to Gao Hai, Lin Mu was not afraid that the man would attack him. He had the [Divine General] Feng Zhong guarding his territory; although his current level was low, he could easily take on ten thousand low-level soldiers single-handedly.

Hearing Lin Mu's introduction and his blatant plan for incorporation, Gao Hai was not as shocked as one might imagine. As if he had already anticipated Lin Mu's thoughts, his expression remained calm, showing neither rage nor rebuttal.

He chuckled and said, "Village Chief Lin Mu, actually, when my subordinates reported the discovery of Outlanders, I knew such a situation would arise! I just didn't expect you to state your purpose so openly."

Gao Hai slowly turned around, gazing at the place where their ancestors were buried, and said leisurely, "Our ancestors left a long-standing prophecy: When the smoke of war rises again across the land of Shenzhou, Outlanders shall descend, the dragon veins of Shenzhou shall flourish, and foreign powers shall surge aggressively. Whether this is a blessing or a curse depends entirely on the choices of future generations! When I learned that you were an Outlander, I knew the chaotic era of the prophecy was coming! In times of chaos, no one in the world can avoid or escape it!"

Lin Mu was not surprised by the mention of the ancestral prophecy. After all, many NPCs in his previous life had similar lore. Initially, he thought it was just part of the game's background setting, but he later realized it might be something more.

Gao Hai turned back to face Lin Mu directly and said, "In a chaotic era, one cannot simply seek safety in isolation. However, choosing a wise ruler is a matter of life and death for one's entire clan; one wrong move can lead to total annihilation! I hope you can forgive our caution, Village Chief Lin Mu! Forgive me, but I cannot directly accept your offer of incorporation!"

Hearing Gao Hai's refusal, Lin Mu felt somewhat helpless. Although his territory was smaller than the stronghold's, its potential was immense. While his blunt attempt at incorporation was offensive, he truly hoped to join forces to create a future together. With the potential of a God-tier village, if a small stronghold like this wouldn't come to pay homage, it seemed he wouldn't be able to persuade them today.

"However," Gao Hai added with a pivot, "as long as Village Chief Lin Mu can complete a challenge I set, it is acceptable for our territory to become a vassal to your village!" This sudden turn made Lin Mu feel as if he were on a roller coaster; his emotions fluctuated wildly. Hearing that there was still hope, his mood shifted from overcast back to bright sunshine.

Upon hearing this, Lin Mu knew he could trigger a subjugation quest

"—System Prompt: Lord Lin Mu, Gao Hai has proposed a Stronghold Incorporation Quest. Do you accept?"

Lin Mu did not respond to the system prompt, but instead asked Gao Hai, "I wonder what the Warlord Chief's challenge is? If I am capable of completing it, I will certainly give it my all!" Lin Mu gripped his iron spear tightly.

Xiao Hu, standing behind him, did not interrupt, though he couldn't understand a word of what they were saying. Feeling frustrated, Xiao Hu simply wandered around aimlessly.

In truth, Lin Mu was quite anxious. He had exposed some of his territory's attributes; if an NPC were truly knowledgeable, they could deduce the tier of his Village Building Order.

If an NPC possessed ambition, there was a high probability they would attack Lin Mu's territory to bring it under their own control. Lin Mu knew this move was risky, but if he wanted to develop rapidly, incorporating these tens of thousands of people from the stronghold would elevate his development to a whole new level, leaving others far behind.

Lin Mu was aware that such things happened with NPCs. In his previous life, some players had obtained Heaven-tier Village Building Orders through incredible luck, only to be conquered by NPC warlord factions before other players could even attempt to seize them.

NPC factions also needed to develop, and their growth required high-potential territories as a foundation. Conquering a village established with a Heaven-tier Building Order was easy for them. This realization had caused many players to reflect: NPCs were not devoid of ambition; it was simply that the potential profits had not yet met their needs. Otherwise, with the advantages of being natives, they would have struck with lightning speed to conquer players, whose low-aptitude growth would be unable to resist.

Lin Mu knew that later, when the Han Dynasty's luck ran out and the era of warlords emerged, NPC factions would incorporate player territories and other NPC factions alike. In short, they would consolidate all power to increase their strength and destiny to fight for the legitimacy of the empire.

However, at this stage, player development had not yet caught the eye of the true ambitious players; they were merely seen as weak Outlanders.

With his foresight, Lin Mu knew the terrifying nature of legendary figures like the "Four Generations of High Office" Yuan Shao, the "Peerless Hero" Cao Cao, the "Tyrant" Dong Zhuo, the "God-tier General" Lu Bu, the "Tiger of Jiangdong" Sun Jian, and the "Wise Ruler" Liu Bei.

Lin Mu lacked their family lineage, their vast networks of disciples, their peerless martial prowess, and the special troops they could train themselves. He was starting from scratch. To accumulate foundation, he had even hidden in this enclosed valley to develop quietly. If he did not take risks and move forward, even with a God-tier Village Building Order, he might end up being overshadowed by the masses.

In fact, when Lin Mu first stepped out of his village and heard the system prompt mentioning four large strongholds, he understood the system's intent: he needed to accelerate his development. With his current growth rate of only 160 people per day, by the year 184, when the chaos erupted and the heroes emerged, his population might only reach a few hundred thousand—not even enough to match a single legion of soldiers.

Lin Mu also realized that even with his experience from a previous life, he could not compare to those warlords with great destiny. They could easily recruit a [Divine General] or a [Divine Strategist] with a single action or recruitment message, and could encounter legendary historical generals just by traveling. The thought was terrifying.

Lin Mu suppressed his pride; he would grow steadily.

Even though he had been reborn with the ability of a prophet, he still faced innate disadvantages. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary player, a distance from those warlords as vast as the gap between heaven and earth. He also knew his personality and other traits had many flaws that needed changing.

...

Pressure creates motivation. Regardless of the future, he had to grasp the present.

Lin Mu pushed down his heavy thoughts and listened carefully to Gao Hai's challenge: "Because our fighting strength is very low, many of our villagers hold production professions. Their martial prowess is insufficient for self-defense. To survive in these treacherous mountains, we sought help from a neighboring stronghold. This has resulted in our stronghold having to offer massive amounts of supplies to them in exchange for their military protection."

"However, recently, their appetite has grown larger and larger. Although we can still provide, it is becoming increasingly difficult. Furthermore, they have been premeditatedly allowing or driving fierce beasts to attack our stronghold, leading to the deaths of many of our soldiers. I know they intend to annex us—slowly exhausting our military strength until they can occupy our stronghold at the lowest possible cost!"

"The appearance of Village Chief Lin Mu is exactly what we need to solve this problem. Our ancestors left a message saying that Outlanders are a group of people who, while physically weak, possess immense potential and can perform many miracles. Now, in my capacity as the Chief of Qingyun Stronghold, I seek help from Village Chief Lin Mu..."

Gao Hai began to slowly recount the "love-hate relationship" and the entanglements between their stronghold and the neighbor.

It turned out that to the northwest of Qingyun Stronghold, there was a large stronghold—likely one of the four large strongholds Lin Mu had been warned about.

However, this was a stronghold with highly developed military power. Although they were not as cruel or predatory as legendary bandits, they forced Qingyun Stronghold to bear a heavy burden of tribute, suppressing its development.

They also forced Qingyun's craftsmen to forge various weapons and equipment. Beyond the labor costs, they sometimes demanded that Qingyun provide the raw materials themselves, only to deliver the finished products to them as tribute.

Under the threat of their military might, Qingyun Stronghold had been forced to compromise and forge items for them.

Surviving in the Qilian Mountains meant facing not only fierce beasts but also various man-made threats. In reality, Qingyun Stronghold was no longer as prosperous as it appeared on the surface; it was already on the verge of collapse. However, Gao Hai bore this burden alone, and the villagers remained unaware.

Having learned the hidden truth, Lin Mu began to ask Gao Hai for more details about that stronghold.