Update 1.02 had arrived.
Lind looked at the "cosplayers" who had appeared outside the gate of Star Dragon Outpost, dressed only in white briefs and white tube tops, and couldn't help but be a little taken aback.
There were probably forty or fifty of them.
Geralt, Sun Wukong, Naruto Uzumaki, Buddha, Bald Qiang, Frieza... There were also some normal-looking people, but they were either devastatingly handsome or devastatingly ugly, the polarization was severe.
The moment Lind showed his face, the crowd erupted in excitement.
It was a little difficult for nine soldiers to control at least forty or fifty players, but fortunately, this group had all seen videos of Star Dragon Outpost. Even if they hadn't, after discovering that they had been teleported to Star Dragon Outpost, they would immediately search online for related guides about the territory. So they were all pretty cooperative, knowing that the "Lord" here was a tough NPC who could kill bosses.
"The Lord is here!"
"Lind, boss, we're here to join you~!"
"Holy crap, gotta say, he's seriously handsome."
Not only was Lind taken aback, but even the soldiers who had been controlling the area were startled by the sudden enthusiasm. Just a moment ago, this group had been chatting animatedly, but as soon as their Lord showed his face, they started jumping and shouting like they'd been injected with adrenaline.
Could it be that Lord Lind was a big shot in the eyes of the Undying?
Oh well, they probably wouldn't understand anyway.
The soldiers' expressions were very serious. If this many Undying collectively rioted and launched suicide attacks, how many times could they be stopped?
"Why did so few people come?" Lind was still a little disappointed in his heart.
The update said that some people would be teleported to nearby settlements, and he thought hundreds of players might come.
After all, this isn't a newbie village, so he should be happy with what he's got.
Lind cleared his throat. "I should say you've come at a bad time. It's the apocalypse, the Magic Circle is collapsing. Cowards should be sniveling and hiding in their mothers' arms. Star Dragon Outpost isn't a cradle for good boys. No one here is good at humming Eunie's lullabies to put you to sleep!"
All the players quieted down and looked at him.
The soldiers were amazed by Lind's "crowd control ability," repeatedly marveling in their hearts at the Lord's influence over the Undying.
How much must these Undying respect the Lord to cheer when he first appears and obediently remain silent when he speaks? It was almost... like their expressions facing the Archbishop when they still worshiped the Sun Church before the apocalyptic future.
Adoration, conviction, obedience, lust, greed...
Wait a minute!
Several soldiers noticed something was wrong. Some of the players were looking at the Lord with strange looks in their eyes.
Only Lind knew that the players were watching a cutscene.
"But you've also come at exactly the right time. Calamity is rampant, and the world urgently needs death-defying saviors!"
Looking at the Undying with shining eyes, Lind glanced over them, focusing on one figure in particular.
It was actually drooling while looking at him? Something felt very wrong.
The speech needed to continue. He raised his voice: "Star Dragon Outpost welcomes the Undying with great ideals who want to save the world!"
"Awoo!" The Undying howled loudly, even though they didn't really understand why they were yelling.
But, it was cool, wasn't it?
It was as if they weren't playing a game, but a group of people had been transported to an apocalyptic magic world, gathered in a small border territory, and were preparing to save the world.
Desolation, hunger, a sense of mission, and faith.
The epic feel was suddenly there.
The arrival of a total of 55 players did create some logistical challenges for Lind in terms of arrangement.
First was the housing issue. The soldiers were still hesitant about how to accommodate them, but Lind simply waved his hand and said, "Let them all in!"
Players are like mules; they have a strong rebellious streak. The more you forbid them from doing something, the more they want to do it. Crossing invisible "walls" is even more important than fighting a boss. So, appropriately opening up locations is also important.
The soldiers had no objections. After receiving Lind's orders, they went to patrol.
As for accommodations, the players could just go to the small houses built by the "White Stocking Enthusiasts" group. If they didn't want to play anymore, they could just log off; there was no need to sleep in the game.
Second was the utilization of manpower.
A total of 60 Undying players. If used properly, that's 60 tireless oxen who don't even need to eat.
And it wasn't that he wanted to exploit the Undying, but if he didn't give them a reason to grind, they would be unhappy.
Considering that if there weren't enough quests and rewards, these 60 players might all run off to Prey Town, Lind began to worry about how to handle quests.
He needed a large number of quests to satisfy the Undying.
He needed to find things for them to do.
In Lind's eyes, Prey Town was more like a player faction than Star Dragon Outpost. Therefore, increasing his own competitiveness was very important. Otherwise, he didn't think the Undying would be willing to consider this place a base after going to Prey Town.
"You want to help?"
Lind already had several ideas and planned to have the Undying do some work.
He didn't expect them to be even more anxious than he was, proactively seeking him out.
"Of course, Star Dragon Outpost always needs people who are willing to lend a hand," Lind said, his voice sounding a little tired. Although this fatigue didn't come from the battle with the Carrion Queen, but from watching videos and learning about fashion last night, tired was tired. There was absolutely no acting involved.
"Our walls aren't strong enough. The carrion eaters who were eyeing us have been eliminated, but you Undying, with your rich combat experience, surely know that they are definitely not the last vipers."
The players nodded vigorously.
Rich combat experience? Absolutely! We're all veterans. Keep praising us! We love to hear it!
"Go repair the previous holes in the walls. Make the walls stronger so we can sleep soundly. I'm willing to pay the Undying who help 10 Land gold coins as a reward. If you want more people to do this job together and split the reward, that's fine too."
"Are there any other quests?" The players weren't in a hurry to act. Forty or fifty of them crowded together, looking at him eagerly.
Lind continued, "The crisis of the carrion eater nest has been resolved, but there might still be other things hidden there. I'm very curious about the appearance of the Carrion Queen. Perhaps you can investigate some secrets."
Compared to the previous quest, this one had no reward and no monster fighting, only vague "secrets." Although the players' eyes lit up, not a single one was willing to take the quest.
That was because 56 of these players were unlucky, naked players who had been wandering around and hadn't gained anything except scenery.
Only the four "White Stocking Enthusiasts" and other old-timers were more concerned about this quest. Although their combat power wasn't strong, after another round of level and equipment upgrades, they had completely distanced themselves from this batch of players. What if there was a hidden plot? What if!
Lind continued, "Star Dragon Outpost needs food. Hunt or find food. For every 10 pounds of meat or 10 pounds of grain you bring back, you can earn 2 Land gold coins. That's all for now. Maybe we can talk more about the development of the territory tonight."
This quest excited the Undying because it didn't require fighting monsters.
They needed equipment now, so they were short on money.
The players started plotting and discussing directly in front of Lind: "I think this must be a bug. As long as we find enough food, we can keep farming gold!"
"Is food very expensive in this game?"
"It's the apocalypse; it's probably to respect the background setting. But I think it's probably an oversight by the developers. What if 1000 pounds of grain can directly exchange for a set of armor in the future? Wouldn't that be awesome?"
"I want to buy a set of armor!"
Lind smiled inwardly as he watched most of the players scatter and rush out to find food.
Bug? No, I just need food, need grain!
What if I give you a set of armor if you have 1000 pounds of grain?
As long as he has enough food, the benefits he can obtain will be much greater than the players imagine.
But ten players remained unmoved. Even though Lind had stated that there were no tasks for the time being, they weren't in a hurry. Instead, they chose to chat and interact with the surrounding environment, emitting waves of "Oh~" sounds.
The ones who left in a hurry were obviously "achiever" type players, and were also the kind of players Lind needed for development. This group belonged to older players who were more invested in the game.
The remaining ten players were likely the most useless "socializers." Making friends was more important to them than playing the game.
Clearly, neither the rewards nor punishments Lind offered could satisfy this group of players with no desires. Social interaction was more important to them. Lind's game was currently labeled a "Souls-like" game, rather than "Pokemon Go" or "Animal Crossing."
So, getting them to work for him would be difficult.