Chapter Fifty-Nine: Sade's Promotion

"Damn, even the ads are popping up..." Mu Chen covered his face.

He hadn't had time to check the territory's resources yet; if they were sufficient, he could start preparing and upgrade the territory to Level Two as soon as possible.

He remembered the prompt had said that initiating a territory upgrade was equivalent to accepting the upgrade quest, which would trigger attacks from ten randomly selected hostile targets within a five-kilometer radius.

Thinking of this, his eyes flickered.

"..."

"What if there aren't enough monsters nearby, since most have already been cleared out?"

Besides, the Evil Infant Dominator might have wandered far away by now; if so, there wouldn't be a problem. If worst comes to worst, he could just gather a bunch of juvenile deformities and keep them penned up...

With all these crafty ideas swirling in his mind, Mu Chen left the workshop and looked toward the nearby Level One Training Room, which immediately caught his attention.

[Level One Training Room]

[Quality: Tier One]

[Potential Activation (Passive): Training according to the rules within the room grants +2 experience per hour.]

[Note: Effective only for units at or below Tier One.]

"You can level up just by training, without having to go out and kill monsters!"

[Don't kid yourself. If you rely solely on the training room, it will take you forty-five days to reach the next level.]

"..."

It seemed the training room wasn't suitable for him, but given the current situation, he could have Mu Jiu'er train daily. Her level was low, so she could quickly improve.

Just then, Sade approached, clutching a bundle of hemp tightly.

"Sade, come here!"

His words startled Sade, who looked around and finally noticed Mu Chen standing nearby.

"Forgive my previous rudeness. What are your orders, Master?" Sade bowed, and Mu Chen took a careful look at the honest man before him.

His plain hemp clothes were dusted, and marks lined his arms—evidence that he was holding the hemp tightly for fear it might slip away.

"Hand over your resources and follow me to the training room."

[Received: Hemp x23, transferred to backpack.]

...

Training Room.

Mu Chen stood with his hands behind his back, deep in thought.

"In recognition of your diligence, I will grant you power."

"From now on, you will be the fourth person in the territory to master the 'Expel' skill. If possible, I hope you will grow to become one of the pillars of this land."

"Do you accept?"

No sooner had Mu Chen finished speaking than Sade dropped to one knee, his heavy voice resounding.

"I am willing to die for you, Master!"

Mu Chen nodded.

"Very good!"

Without hesitation, he used the Rare Soul on Sade.

A purple glow flashed through the training room and settled into Sade's body.

His form changed. Though still clad in simple hemp attire, his entire demeanor transformed—he stood tall and sharp, especially his large, dark eyes, which now gleamed with the predatory focus of a hawk.

Kneeling, Sade bowed again, lowering his head in solemn pledge: "From now on, I shall ease your burdens and solve your troubles, Master, no matter the cost!"

Witnessing the scene, Mu Chen smiled with the pride of a father and began to check Sade's attributes.

[Sade (Healthy)]

[Status: Mu Chen's exclusive servant]

[Quality: Tier One]

[Level: 1]

[Constitution: 6]

[Spirit: 5]

[Loyalty: 100]

[Skills: Expel, Duty-bound (Passive)]

After Sade's quality was upgraded, his overall stats improved considerably. Most surprising of all, he now possessed his own passive skill, which intrigued Mu Chen.

[Duty-bound (Passive): Loyal and devoted to easing his master's burdens. For every 20 points of loyalty gained, his own attributes increase by 10 percent.]

"A percentage-based skill..."

Mu Chen pondered.

Sade was only Level 1 now, but as he leveled up, he shouldn't be inferior to others of the same rank.

"In the future, you may lead teams to explore the surroundings for the territory. I hope you won't disappoint me."

Mu Chen encouraged him further, and Sade nodded firmly.

"Sade will never disappoint you, Master!"

"Good, carry on with your work. When there's time, I'll arrange for you to train in the room. By the way, is Jiu'er at the mining site?"

"Master, Miss Jiu'er and Miss Ivy are at the trading post."

"..."