With the territorial buffs in full effect, the warriors' injuries healed faster, giving Ulric some peace of mind.
A day had passed since their victory over the gryphon. The tribe had settled into the cave that would soon become their new home.
To their surprise, the cave was not a simple dwelling. The cavern ran deep, extending all the way to the mountain's core, where an underground river flowed, its water reflecting the light of the glowing crystal surrounding it.
With this, water would no longer be a concern. They had it in abundance.
If they could hunt animals and preserve their meat, they could hold out for a few months if needed be.
Ulric, Yuni, and the two remaining warriors set out to hunt and forage for food, while Leone and Daedalus stayed behind, holding their own strategy meeting.
Now that Leone had claimed Grimjaw Mountain as his territory, a new quest had appeared.
—---
[Territory Rank 1]
You have taken your first step to build the greatest kingdom in the world. But there are still many things left for you to learn. Until you fulfill the necessary requirements, your territory will not expand further.
[Requirements to upgrade: 0/10]
— Your First Mission is to recruit three Vassals to serve you faithfully.
— Current number of Vassals [0/3]
[First Mission Bonus!]
— All your vassals will gain +10 to all of their Stats after they pledged their loyalty to you.
[Mission Rewards]
[???]
+ 300 BP
Basic Workbench will be unlocked.
One Blueprint of your choice
——
"So, let me get this straight," Leone said after looking at the requirements for the territory upgrade. "I will receive ten missions. Unless I finish those ten missions, my territory Rank will remain at the first level, right?"
"Right." Daedalus nodded. "You need to complete those ten missions to unlock stronger upgrades for your territory."
"Do you think I can finish them before the start of the territorial battle?" Leone asked.
effortNo." Daedalus shook its body. "It's impossible. Some missions require a lot of effort and manpower to complete. But don't feel down. Let's take it one step at a time."
Leone rubbed his chin and looked at his very first mission, which required him to recruit three Vassals.
"How do I recruit vassals?" Leone asked. "Should I just ask someone to become my vassal?"
"Short answer is yes," Daedalus replied. "But it's a little more complicated than that. There are requirements aspiring vassals must pass. First, that person or creature must swear complete loyalty to you.
"Also, not everyone can be your vassal even if they agreed to serve you loyally. First, take a look at this."
The grimoire flipped its pages until it showed the names of the members of the Alborin Tribe.
All their names were listed, and yet, the names were grayed out, including Yuni.
The words "Not Qualified" were written right beside their names, which made the young man look at the grimoire in confusion.
"Didn't I tell you?" Daedalus said. "Even if they pledge their loyalty, some are just not qualified to become vassals who serve as the pillars of your empire."
Leone rubbed his chin, eyes settling back to the grimoire's page. Only one person had the word, qualified written next to it.
It was none other than the Chieftain of the Alborin Tribe, Ulric.
The young man finally understood how the Vassal System worked. Since Ulric was the leader of the Alborin Tribe, making him his vassal meant that the Alborin Tribe could be part of his strength.
It was like a Buy One, Take All Package, which was very beneficial to him.
"Does that mean I can only make leaders of a certain group or faction my vassals?" Leone asked.
"Not always," Daedalus replied. "Even though that is the fastest way to do it, you can also recruit individuals as your vassals. In fact, you can already recruit one of them as soon as it has recovered."
"I can already recruit someone?" Leone blinked. "Who?"
"Maximus." Daedalus glowed faintly. "Your Familiar is your most loyal subject. Even if others betray you, it never will. This is why making your familiar one of your first vassals is a must."
A pang of sadness hit Leone as he recalled Maximus's sacrifice. The White Kobold had sacrificed itself to save Yuni and had suffered a fatal injury.
However, Daedalus assured him that his Familiar wouldn't die as long as Leone was alive.
They would just need a bit of time to recover their strength and manifest once more.
"Okay, so what must I do to convince Ulric to become my vassal?" Leone glanced at Ulric's name and noticed an "80% Complete" label below it.
"It means Ulric has an 80% favorability rating of you," Daedalus explained. "Once it reaches 100%, you can recruit him as your vassal."
"Then how do I make it 100%?"
"You need to figure that out yourself. It shouldn't be that hard since you helped the Alborin Tribe in its darkest moment. The last 20% is only a matter of you convincing the Alborin Tribe that you have what it takes to lead them."
Leone pondered a bit. In about nine days, the Black Wolf Tribe would arrive at their original settlement and discover that the Alborin Tribe had left their territory.
Their reaction once the time came was unknown. Would they continue pursuing or let go? From what Leone knew, they had outrightly expressed their intention to take Ulric and his people into their force.
In the case where they found the Alborin Tribe worthy of their efforts, they could easily track the trails and discover that they were headed to the Grimjaw Mountain.
"What's the Basic Work Bench for, Daedalus?" Leone checked one of the rewards he would get once he successfully recruited his vassals. "And what's that question mark I will get as a reward?"
"I don't know what those three question marks signify. It can be anything. But its rarity grade will not exceed the Rare Grade," Daedalus explained. "The Basic Work Bench allows you to build things instantly as long as you gather the necessary materials for it.
"For example, you want to build a barricade or a watchtower? All you need to do is gather the materials, choose a location, and poof! It will be built instantly."
"I-Instantly?!" Leone's eyes widened in shock.
"Yes, instantly." Daedalus chuckled. "Once you get the Basic Work Bench, you can help the Alborin Tribe defend themselves… as long as you choose the right blueprints."
The grimoire then flipped its pages and showed Leone the structures and items his Basic Work Bench could build.
"Wow, there are even weapons!" Leone looked very excited thrilled at the thought of obtaining weapons by just gathering its raw materials.
"They are just basic weapons," Daedalus reminded. "But they will be of great help to everyone."
Leone nodded in agreement. With this, maybe he could successfully convince Ulric to become his vassal once he showed his new ability to craft things instantly!
The first one was to wait for Maximus to recover, so that he could make his familiar his vassal.
The second problem was actually the most difficult one.
He needed to find a third vassal. That meant leaving the safety of their new camp, venturing out to find someone worthy to follow him and complete his first mission to increase the rank of his territory.