NOVEL WEB Chapter 4: Tutorial 2
Karl told Laura, "We have five common recruitments." "We should make use of them."
Under Regular Hiring, he tapped the screen and chose [Normal Recruitment].
There was a burst of light, and then—
10 kg of rice was purchased.
Karl blinked. "Hold on, did I just get some food from a recruit?"
Laura took a while to reply. He arched an eyebrow.
Before she could even open her mouth, he muttered, "Yeah, yeah." "I understand how this operates. As with all strategy games, there are random pulls.
He reached out to the remaining four potential hires.
Figures and objects emerged in luminous light one after the other:
Recruiting 2: A middle-aged woman and a young woman with calm expressions and tied hair
Recruiting 3: two tall, lean men with focused, sharp eyes wearing simple clothing.
Ten liters of fresh water for recruitment number four
Hero Training Card (+500 XP) is the fifth recruitment.
[Acquired New Civilians: 4]
The four civilians advanced, then gracefully went to one knee.
"Your Majesty," they all uttered at once.
Karl stopped.
He was from Earth. A typical middle-class man without a crown or servants. He was now being referred to as a king by those who were kneeling in front of him.
He paused to gather his thoughts. "You may rise," he said, a little clumsily.
At attention, they stood. Karl gestured to the taller man and woman, saying, "You two." "Go assist at the sawmill. The farm is run by the others. Don't worry, I'll send more assistance in the days ahead.
The civilians bowed 90 degrees once more.
They said, "Yes, Your Majesty," and walked away without asking any questions.
Karl turned to Laura after they had left. "Am I able to trust them? Do they even have human characteristics? or only robots or NPCs?
Laura calmly retorted, "They are completely human." "But they're completely loyal, unlike you. That is a gift from the system.
He scowled. "So... every recruit that comes out of this system in the future will be totally loyal?"
Laura glared at him. "Hey, are you stupid? I just explained that, didn't I? Karl's eye moved. His forehead was figuratively marked with a black line.
"I didn't request a kidney... Why is it bad to do something more than once? He thought bitterly, "It's not like you'll die from it."
Laura looked over her shoulder and said, "I heard that."
Karl's eyes got bigger. "Wait—can you read my thoughts?!"
She completely disregarded the question. "Click on the [Own] tab on the screen to see your building progress."
Karl's eyes narrowed. "She completely avoided that."
Nevertheless, he chose [Farm] after clicking [Own].
Farm Specifics:
Wheat: +20 kg/h
Assigned Population: 2
Upgrade: Locked (Needs Castle Upgrade)
"Twenty kilograms of wheat an hour?" Karl let out a whistle. "That's a lot of food." "Where's this 'castle' I need to upgrade?" he asked, scrolling through. There isn't a castle in sight.
Laura gave him a look as though he had inquired about the wetness of the water.
"You're inside of it."
He surveyed the weathered wooden hut, the cracked walls, the broken bed.
"The castle is this shack?"
She said, "As you level up, it will get bigger," in a tone that made him think she was giving a toddler a lesson.
With a sigh, he selected [Sawmill] as the next option.
Sawmill Specifics:
Wood: +10 per hour
Assigned Population: 2
Upgrade: Locked (Needs Castle Upgrade)
"All right, so the sawmill and farm are working now," Karl stated. "The Barracks is all that remains."
He looked at Laura. "How can I get the Barracks to function?"
"Easy," she said. From the [Own] menu, select [Barracks]. You'll see that recruiting troops is an option.
Karl chose [Barracks] as she had instructed.
[Recruit Soldiers] – Price: 10 Gold Coins
He gazed at the number. He whispered, "This place is a gold pit."
"How much gold is needed to upgrade the Castle?" he then inquired.
Laura rolled her eyes. "Are your hands absent? Examine it for yourself. A voice assistant? What am I? Okay, once: 150 gold coins. Never ask again.
Karl rubbed his temples and complained. "This system is costly even at level one. How will things be later?
Then he added, "But hold on—in the strategy games I used to play, troops just needed water and food." Why is gold necessary for everything in this place?
"Because this isn't a game," Laura snapped in response. This area is a part of the actual world. Gold is the universal system currency; it makes hiring, upgrading, and building easier.
Before you ask a stupid question again, she said, "Yes, soldiers and laborers continue to eat and drink over time. Therefore, don't assume that just because gold is king, you can disregard resources.
Karl gave his head a scratch. "So I'll eventually run out of food if I just concentrate on hiring troops and don't increase the number of civilians."
"Exactly," she stated bluntly.
"Can I assign soldiers to work at the farm or sawmill?" he asked after giving it some thought.
Laura replied, "You can, but productivity will drop to 25%." They're not prepared for it. This isn't a world of cheat codes. Additionally, this is a cultivation world, not a pointless tap-clicker, to keep you from trying something dumb. Instead of picking carrots, soldiers are supposed to fight, train, and get stronger.
Karl made no attempt to reply.
She had reprimanded him so many times today that he had lost count.