Sivis calmly observed the group of peasants before him.
At the front, the men gripped their hoes and sickles, straining to display their bravery.
Behind them, the women, their faces haggard, were barely clothed, holding onto their children, their eyes filled with hope.
After their initial request, these people gathered the courage to speak again: "Lord, we know you are powerful and kind. We are willing to give our lives for you!"
"Lord, please take us in. We no longer want to suffer under the oppression of the nobles. We just want to live, to have the most basic food. Please, take us in! We will follow all your orders unconditionally! Our children will become your most loyal servants."
These words seemed to have been rehearsed by the peasants in the woods countless times.
One by one, they looked at Sivis, as though waiting for a sentence to be passed upon them.
"No problem, as you wish." Sivis snapped his fingers.
Immediately, a strange sense of connection and resonance formed between him and these peasants.
This was the mark of servitude.
From this moment on, Sivis could sense their loyalty, talent, and strength.
If these people ever betrayed him, no matter where they fled, he would be able to track them down.
This was the terrifying power of an Evil God!
A cold smile spread across Sivis's face.
He didn't believe in something as fragile as human nature. His territory was full of secrets, and he needed the system's abilities to monitor everyone. The moment anyone's loyalty dropped, they would be executed on the spot.
Sivis wasn't going to take any chances with his life.
And so—
The peasants, sensing the bond they had formed with Sivis, were...
Ecstatic, some even fearfully shouted, "Lord, how can you waste such precious resources on us? You're making a mistake!"
Some of the younger ones were incredibly excited: "Thank you for your grace, my lord! We will become your sharpest blades and give everything for you." These peasants, lacking education, could only repetitively say, "We'll give everything."
They clearly sensed that they were being controlled in some way.
But they viewed it as an immense favor and honor!
Such high-level magical power, other nobles only ever bestowed it upon those with great potential, yet our great leader has given it to each and every one of us!
How could such a great favor ever be repaid?
Sivis: "..."
He couldn't help but feel that the cold expression he had just made might have been a bit silly.
Before him, countless data panels floated into view.
[Name: Leik]
[Gender: Male]
[Strength: None]
[Loyalty: 97]
...
[Name: Fennel]
[Gender: Male]
[Strength: None]
[Loyalty: 9]
...
[Name: …]
...
Nearly all the villagers had a loyalty score above 90 when they first joined the territory, achieving the status of true believers!
Their loyalty was on par with the monsters Sivis controlled through his Evil God powers!
Even Sivis himself was startled...
He had originally thought these villagers simply wanted to follow him for a chance at survival.
As he examined their eyes again, he realized they looked at him as though he were a god!
Uh…
Is an Evil God a god too??
"Very good, I accept your loyalty," he said.
Looking at the jubilant crowd, Sivis was in a good mood as well.
These subjects not only contributed to the completion of the tasks needed for him to advance to a level three lord, but their very presence held immense value!
Sivis planned to return to his family's land and, in addition to retrieving some supplies, begin focusing on commerce.
Gandanyir would soon be plunged into a period of war, and at that time, there would be a constant demand for various grains, cloth, and production materials.
With a population, Sivis could then apply some of the techniques from his past life, and exploit them to the fullest!
He would be far more ruthless than any CEO from his previous life!
Sivis's system allowed him to use real-world resources to replace soul points when strengthening monsters, guardians, or constructing special buildings for the territory. This meant that Sivis would likely face a significant shortage of gold coins in the future.
No, he couldn't let the people under his command go easy on him, could he?
Furthermore, once Sivis reached level five Monster Lord, with his territory's population and prosperity meeting the required standards, and when he upgraded his monster territory into a monster settlement, the system would likely unlock training camps, allowing him to train these ordinary people into beings with extraordinary powers.
In other words, the more population he had, the stronger his territory would be in battle.
Population was the most fundamental and essential resource for any power!
Sivis was planning ahead, feeling like he was making a huge profit!
What would have taken a lot of time and effort to forcefully acquire through Goblin intimidation—he had mostly gotten the villagers to voluntarily pledge loyalty by his previous attacks and judgments against the nobles. This saved Sivis a significant amount of time!
"It feels like destroying the aristocratic order that the True God approves of has its perks," Sivis thought.
"Once I take over some towns, if I use this same method, won't it easily make more people offer me their loyalty?"
Sivis wasn't interested in being a righteous savior, but the situation was...
Such that it seemed like walking down this path would bring him plenty of benefits.
He shook his head, deciding to leave the dilemma of how to operate in the future to his future self to worry about. For now, he'd keep a low profile and focus on strengthening his territory first.
Looking at the many peasants who were still eagerly watching him, along with the three attendants, he spoke up: "From now on, you are all my subjects."
"I will make sure your lives get better and better."
"Now, follow Goblin and help restore the production order of the homeland."
He then called over the Goblin leader and instructed: "Go help these subjects and the new members catch some wild boars in the woods. Use the castration techniques I taught you, then have the Stone Demons help you craft some farming tools."
"The wooden farming tools we had before wore down too easily. Now, with the help of the Stone Demon's strength, we should be able to craft some stone ones."
Sivis organized the task methodically.
To exploit these subjects, the first step was to make sure they were well-fed, then gradually begin teaching them to work as laborers, producing valuable goods.
Farming tools, plowing techniques, and domestication skills—these were all investments for the early stages.
Sivis thought to himself, a symbolic tax rate of ten percent would be fine. The main goal was to reinforce his presence and authority as a lord. The resources collected could be put to good use, perhaps through a campfire feast or something similar, where he would feed the people as well.
Once they were well-fed, he could encourage them to have more children.
Afterward, he'd set up some small-scale processing plants or large-scale farming using simple magical tools, both of which would generate a lot of income for Sivis.
"At that point, I'll just set them up with a 12-hour, year-round work schedule. All the proceeds from the goods sold will go into my pocket, and I'll pay them a modest salary," Sivis thought to himself.
He admitted that his methods were a bit dark.
But...
What's wrong with an Evil God struggling to survive?
Without money, how could I buy materials, strengthen monsters, or create guardians?
The Crystal Stone Demon and the Goblin leader, who had originally intended to report their success to their lord, obediently followed Sivis's instructions. They walked toward the peasants to lead them in rebuilding their homeland.
The peasants, while still afraid of the sight of monsters, felt at ease the moment they saw Sivis standing in the sun, calmly giving instructions.
If it were any other noble, they might have suspected deception, but with this lord, they had no doubts.
The promise of a better future...
It had to be true!
With everything arranged, Sivis walked toward the center of his territory.
Seeing their lord busy with something, the Goblins dutifully positioned themselves behind Sivis, ensuring no one would disturb him.
Most of the peasants had already been living under Sivis's rule for some time and were aware of what the Goblins would have them do. It was only the three attendants who were confused.
When they saw their lord leave, they couldn't help but ask.
"What exactly are the Goblins going to have us do?"
The three were still nervous and uneasy.
They held deep respect for Sivis, but the fear they'd carried for monsters over the years couldn't vanish in an instant.
But why was it that everyone else seemed so unafraid of the Goblins? That made them feel uneasy.
Just then, an enthusiastic person came forward to explain to the three attendants.
"The Goblins have been so kind to us! They're going to teach us how to gather various edible berries, and they'll show us a new method of farming. Do you know? With this method and approach, we can harvest rice three times a year!"
"What? Three times? You must be joking!" The three attendants, who had spent their whole lives farming, were immediately stunned.