Blackstone Territory, the plaza in front of the lord's manor.
Over fifty ragged residents gathered here, whispering among themselves.
"I heard that trash lord woke up?"
"So what if he did? He's still just garbage who only knows how to eat, drink, gamble, and whore."
"Sigh, Blackstone Territory is finished... Should we flee to another territory?"
"Flee? You think other lords will take in poor bastards like us?"
The crowd was filled with despair and discontent.
Just then, the worn wooden door creaked open.
Allen walked out, Anna following behind him.
The moment they saw Allen, the residents' murmuring grew louder.
"It's that trash..."
"The garbage who got dumped by the Saintess..."
"We're doomed..."
Allen stood on the steps, calmly surveying the residents below.
He could feel the contempt, disdain, and despair in their eyes.
"Quiet." Allen spoke, his voice not loud, yet carrying an inexplicable authority.
Strangely, the noisy crowd actually fell silent.
"I know what you're thinking." Allen said calmly. "You think I'm trash, that following me has no future, right?"
The residents exchanged glances, but no one dared answer.
"That's fine. You're not wrong." Allen smiled self-deprecatingly. "The old Allen Gray was indeed trash."
"Harassing women, oppressing commoners, gambling away debts... I did all those things."
"So getting my engagement broken, being cast out from my family—I deserved it."
A commotion rippled through the crowd.
They hadn't expected this spoiled young master to actually admit his mistakes.
"But." Allen's tone shifted, his gaze sharpening. "From today onward, everything will change."
"I, Allen Gray, swear before all of you—"
"Within three months, I will ensure everyone in Blackstone Territory has enough to eat!"
"Within six months, I will make Blackstone Territory the most prosperous domain in the region!"
"Within one year, I will make those who once looked down on us beg on their knees to be taken in!"
"If I fail, I will take my own life in atonement!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the plaza erupted.
"Is he insane? Enough food in three months?"
"We don't even have enough for three days!"
"Did he fry his brain or something?"
But some eyes flickered with a glimmer of hope.
After all, they were already at rock bottom.
"My lord..." Anna looked at him worriedly. "If you say this and can't deliver..."
"Don't worry." Allen turned to her with a smile. "If I say I'll do it, I will."
[System Notification: Host has made a vow]
[Side Quest Triggered: Three-Month Promise]
[Quest Objective: Ensure all residents have enough food within three months]
[Quest Reward: Fate Points ×500, Rare Skill Book ×1]
[Quest Failure: Territory Loyalty -50%]
Allen silently commanded in his mind: "System, open the Starter Gift Pack."
[Opening Starter Gift Pack...]
The system interface before his eyes suddenly burst with dazzling golden light.
[Congratulations! Obtained: Fate Points ×2000]
[Congratulations! Obtained: Building Blueprint - Basic Farmland ×1]
[Congratulations! Obtained: Building Blueprint - Basic Lumber Mill ×1]
[Congratulations! Obtained: Building Blueprint - Basic Quarry ×1]
[Congratulations! Obtained: Gold Coins ×1000]
Streams of golden light flashed as items poured into his system inventory.
Just then—
[System Notification: Fate's Summon function unlocked!]
[System Notification: First summon guaranteed to yield highest quality reward!]
Allen's heart began racing.
"Fate's Summon? This is the gacha system?"
He immediately opened the summon interface.
[Fate's Summon]
[Current Fate Points]: 2000
[Summon Cost]: Single 100 points, Ten-pull 1000 points
[Rates]: Common 60%, Rare 25%, Epic 10%, Legendary 4%, Hero 1%
[First Summon Guarantee]: Guaranteed Legendary-grade or higher reward
"First summon guaranteed Legendary or higher..." Allen took a deep breath. "What am I waiting for?"
He clenched his fists and shouted in his mind: "System, perform first summon!"
[Fate Points Consumed: 100]
[Summoning...]
The next second, the entire room was suddenly enveloped by an invisible force.
The air began to vibrate, emitting a humming sound.
The space before Allen twisted, and a massive magic circle materialized out of thin air.
It was a six-pointed star formation three meters in diameter, composed of countless intricate runes, each one glowing with golden light.
The magic circle slowly rotated, radiating powerful magical fluctuations.
"This is..." Allen's eyes widened.
BOOM!
The magic circle suddenly erupted with a blinding golden pillar of light that shot straight into the sky!
The pillar pierced through the dilapidated roof, broke through the clouds, and illuminated the entire sky above Blackstone Territory.
The originally overcast sky was instantly dyed golden.
The thick clouds began to churn and rotate, forming a massive vortex.
At the center of the vortex, golden lightning danced through the clouds, producing deafening roars.
"What's happening?!"
"What's wrong with the sky?!"
"That golden light is coming from the lord's manor!"
Every resident of Blackstone Territory was stunned by this sudden phenomenon, all looking up at the sky.
Anna rushed into the room and froze at the sight before her.
Allen stood at the center of the golden pillar, surrounded by countless golden runes, as if bathed in divine light.
"My lord... what is this..." Anna was too shocked to speak.
Allen was equally stunned by this sudden phenomenon.
He remembered that in the game, pulling mythic equipment did have special effects, but nothing this exaggerated!
The vortex in the sky spun faster and faster, the golden lightning growing denser.
Suddenly—
CRACK!
A massive bolt of golden lightning descended from the heavens, striking precisely at the center of the magic circle.
BOOM!!!
The entire lord's manor shook.
The golden lightning exploded within the magic circle, transforming into countless tiny arcs that wove together in the air to form a complex pattern.
It was an ancient symbol—the mark of Caron, the Death God.
[World-Class Artifact Detected]
[Celestial Phenomenon Triggered]
[All beings within a hundred miles sense the artifact's presence]
The system notification echoed in Allen's mind.
The magic circle's radiance reached its peak, so blinding it was impossible to look at directly.
Allen instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes.
Just then, the light suddenly converged.
The magic circle slowly dissipated, and an ancient object gradually emerged from its center.
It was a bronze lantern.
The lantern's form was ancient and mysterious, its surface covered in intricate magical patterns, each line emanating a faint golden glow.
The lantern's cage was made of transparent crystal, inside which burned a pale white flame.
The flame's shape was eerie, like a vertical eye, its pupil flickering with profound light, as if it could see through everything in the world.
The lantern slowly floated before Allen, hovering in the air, radiating an unsettling aura.
[Congratulations! Obtained: World-Class Artifact - Lantern: Caron's Eye ×1]
[World-Class Artifact]: Only one exists in the entire world, possessing the power to change the world's fate
The system notification echoed in his mind, but Allen was completely captivated by the lantern before him.
He reached out with trembling hands and gently touched the lantern.
Hum!
The lantern suddenly burst with brilliant light, transforming into a golden stream that merged into Allen's body.
A surge of powerful energy flooded through him. Allen felt his magical power growing explosively.
[Equipment Successful: Lantern - Caron's Eye]
[Quality]: World-Class (Growable)
[Type]: Staff
[Attribute]: Intelligence +50
[Special Effect - Styx Ferry]: All summon count ×2
[Curse - Eye of Greed]: Each time summoning ability is used, randomly lose gold coins, items, or equipment
[Description]: The staff is a rotting black wooden ferry pole soaked in death's aura, bearing a mottled bronze lantern. A pale vertical pupil burns as its wick, greedily peering into the void. Legend says this is a relic of Caron the Ferryman, capable of summoning legions of the undead, but the wielder must pay a price.
[Warning: This equipment is soul-bound to the host, cannot be traded, discarded, or seized]
Allen stared at the dense wall of attribute descriptions, completely stunned.
"This... this is the power of a World-Class Artifact?"
He looked down at his waist, where the ancient bronze lantern hung quietly, emanating a faint golden glow.
Outside the window, the celestial phenomenon gradually dissipated.
The golden vortex slowly calmed, and the lightning ceased its flashing.
But every resident of Blackstone Territory had been shaken by what they'd just witnessed.
"What was that?"
"A miracle... that must have been a miracle!"
"The lord... could the lord have received divine favor?"
The residents murmured among themselves, their eyes filled with awe and shock.
Anna looked at Allen, her eyes full of disbelief.
"My lord... you... just now..."
Allen took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He looked at Anna, a smile playing at his lips. "Anna, it seems our luck isn't bad."
He raised his hand, and magical power condensed in his palm, forming a sphere of deep blue light.
The glow was several times more powerful than before, radiating an unsettling aura.
"From today onward, everything will be different."
Allen's eyes gleamed with determination.
"The rise of Blackstone Territory begins right now!"
"Summon count ×2?!"
Allen gasped.
This effect was tailor-made for a summoner build!
If he summoned one creature, it would become two. Summon ten, and he'd get twenty!
"Though... this curse effect..."
Allen frowned.
Losing possessions every time he used his summoning ability was no small price.
But then again, if it made him stronger, what did that cost matter?
"This is a true artifact..."
Allen equipped the staff without hesitation.
[Attributes Updated]
[Intelligence]: 12→62
[Mana]: 120/120→620/620
A flash of golden light, and the staff appeared in Allen's hand.
"Still have 1900 Fate Points left... let's try one more pull."
Allen focused his mind.
[Fate Points Consumed: 100]
[Summoning...]
The golden magic circle expanded once more.
[Congratulations! Obtained: Skill Book - Summon Lesser Undead (Basic) ×1]
A skill book emanating dark light appeared in Allen's hand.
[Skill Book - Summon Lesser Undead (Basic)]
[Quality]: Rare
[Learning Requirement]: Intelligence ≥20
[Skill Effect]: Summon 1 Lesser Skeleton Warrior to fight for you, duration 120 minutes
[Cost]: 50 Mana
[Cooldown]: 120 seconds
[Description]: A necromancer's basic skill, capable of summoning the undead to battle.
"A summoning skill!"
Allen's eyes lit up as he immediately chose to learn it.
[Skill Book Used Successfully]
[Skill Learned: Summon Lesser Undead (Basic)]
[System Notification: Artifact effect detected - Styx Ferry]
[Skill effect enhanced: Summon count 1→2]
"Just as I thought!"
Allen clenched his fists excitedly.
With the artifact's bonus, every time he summoned 1 skeleton, 2 would actually appear!
This was the true power of a summoner build!
"My lord?" Anna looked at him puzzled. "What are you doing?"
Allen realized that only he could see the summoning process.
"Nothing." Allen gripped his staff. "Just preparing our trump card."
He turned toward the crowd, his voice booming:
"Now, I'm giving you two choices."
"First, leave Blackstone Territory and fend for yourselves. I won't stop you, and I'll give each person three days' worth of rations."
"Second, stay and work with me. In three months, I guarantee every one of you will have enough to eat and warm clothes to wear!"
"The choice is yours. I'm giving you fifteen minutes to decide."
With that, Allen turned and walked back into the lord's manor.
Anna hurried after him. "My lord, that staff in your hand..."
"This is my trump card." Allen said calmly. "With it, we have the means to change our fate."
"But... such a precious magical artifact, where did you..."
"Don't ask so many questions." Allen cut her off. "You just need to know that from today onward, everything will be different."
On the plaza, the residents exchanged uncertain glances.
"What should we do?"
"Maybe... give it a shot?"
"Give it a shot my ass! This guy's trash, what could he possibly do?"
"But... that staff he just pulled out..."
"Maybe he stole it?"
The crowd argued endlessly.
Fifteen minutes later.
Allen walked out again, surveying the crowd.
"Have you made your decision?"
Silence.
After a long moment, a young man stepped forward.
"My lord, I... I'll stay!"
He was a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth, his clothes tattered but his eyes resolute.
"Good." Allen nodded. "What's your name?"
"Thomas, my lord."
"Thomas. I'll remember that." Allen looked at the others. "Anyone else?"
Another stretch of silence.
Then, one by one, people began stepping forward.
"I'll stay too!"
"Me too!"
"We're dead either way, might as well gamble!"
In the end, of the 57 residents, 43 chose to stay and 14 chose to leave.
Allen didn't stop those who left, giving them rations as promised.
After they departed, Allen looked at the remaining 43 residents.
"Good. You've made the right choice."
"From today onward, Blackstone Territory enters full development mode."
"All adult males, split into two teams—"
"Team one, head to the eastern forest for lumber."
"Team two, cultivate the farmland."
"Women and elderly, handle logistics and care for the children."
"Each person's daily workload will be tracked by the system, and I'll distribute food and compensation based on contribution."
"Work more, eat more. Work less, eat less. Don't work, don't eat."
"Understood?"
"Understood!" The residents answered in unison.
Though still somewhat doubtful, they at least saw a glimmer of hope.
"Good." Allen nodded with satisfaction. "Anna, you're in charge of organizing personnel and assigning teams."
"Yes, my lord!" Anna immediately sprang into action.
Allen opened his system panel.
[Territory Panel]
[Blackstone Territory LV.1]
[Population]: 43
[Loyalty]: 32% (Low)
[Resources]: Wood 100, Stone 60, Food 120 (2 days), Gold 1000
"Loyalty increased by 13%... looks like that speech had some effect."
Allen smiled with satisfaction.
"System, use building blueprints."
[Building Blueprint - Basic Farmland used successfully]
[Building Blueprint - Basic Lumber Mill used successfully]
[Building Blueprint - Basic Quarry used successfully]
[System Notification: Building blueprints learned, can be constructed in territory panel]
Allen opened the territory panel and selected construction.
[Basic Farmland]: Cost - Wood 20, Stone 10, Gold 50, Construction time 1 day
[Basic Lumber Mill]: Cost - Wood 30, Stone 20, Gold 100, Construction time 2 days
[Basic Quarry]: Cost - Wood 30, Stone 20, Gold 100, Construction time 2 days
"Build them all!"
[Construction successful! Estimated completion: 2 days]
[Current Resources: Wood 20, Stone 10, Gold 750]
"Not many resources left..." Allen looked at the panel. "Need to acquire more resources quickly."
He gazed into the distance, his eyes resolute.
"The day after tomorrow, once construction is complete, I'll head to Shadow Forest."
"First, I'll take down that Shadow Wolf King and get the skill book."
"Then I'll go to the Dwarf Mines and extract mithril ore."
"With resources and skills, Blackstone Territory's development can get on track."
"For the next two days, I'll have Anna lead the resource gathering while I familiarize myself with my summoning skills."
Night fell.
Allen stood by the window of the lord's manor, watching the residents busily working outside.
Though conditions were harsh, each face now bore a trace of hope.
"This is just the beginning..."
Allen gripped his staff tightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Eliya, Roger... and all those nobles..."
"Just wait."
"Before long, I'll make you realize..."
"Abandoning me was the biggest mistake of your lives!"