Eighty-Four: Abducted

Su Wan wanted to leave, but the door behind her was suddenly slammed shut and locked.

Jiang Mochen loosened his tie, stood up, and slowly approached her step by step. “Didn’t you want to change clothes? How will you do that outside?”

Memories of her previous captivity surged through Su Wan, filling her with fear. She recoiled in terror, her voice trembling as she asked in a low whisper, “What are you going to do?”

Jiang Mochen grabbed her hand and pulled her roughly into his embrace, his body burning hot.

After Binding the Devoted System, I Took Away the Most Dashing Rough Man — Chapter 84: Abduction

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Settlement Task: (Tangleburg)

2. Build a fence enclosing at least five houses.

Did you think there were only wolves?

Task Reward: Pilgrim’s Cloak (from Warhammer Fantasy)

Task Status: Complete

Task Evaluation: I actually prefer iron fences, but this much timber is pretty good too—it gives off a bit of a fortified outpost vibe.

3. Construct the Lord’s Hall

A lord who rules without a hall can hardly be called a true lord, no matter how humble his lands.

Task Reward: Fifty refugees from Wochet, 5000 character experience, and 5000 weapon proficiency.

—New settlement tasks unlocked; your character panel has been updated.

“Pilgrim’s Cloak?”

He vaguely remembered this item being rather useless in Mount & Blade’s shop, though it was still much better than animal hides.

Instead of changing into the new cloak immediately, Richard chose first to examine the character panel that had caused these strange changes in his body.

At the bottom left of the attributes page, the task menu was now lit up, though the settlement tasks were not included—there was only a simple prophecy: Winter is coming.

Meanwhile, at the top left, a section resembling a storybook had been unlocked.

Richard Targaryen: You are of House Targaryen, descendants of the First Men from the Stormlands. You were born at Storm’s End.

R’hllor: The Lord of Light you revere is an omnipotent god, a deity of fire. From the day you began your faith, you have devoted yourself wholly to this religion. (The Temple of R’hllor can be constructed.)

“Storm’s End...”

In his memory, Storm’s End was one of the most impregnable fortresses in Westeros. Even his ancestor, Aegon the Conqueror, had to exert tremendous effort for Baratheon to inherit the banners, honors, and Storm’s End itself from Durran, the Storm King.

Opening the attribute panel, five black-marked attribute points awaited his decision at the bottom of the four main stats, and many new skills were now available to learn.

Richard Targaryen—Level: 5

Strength: 14

Agility: 15

Intelligence: 9

Charisma: 7

Attribute Points: 5

Mastery: Riding 5, Melee Combat 4, Iron Will 2, Leadership 3, Mounted Archery 5, Running 5

Skill Points: 5

Weapon Proficiency: One-Handed 230, Two-Handed 230, Polearms 230, Archery 230

Iron Will, Power Strike, Power Throw, Power Draw, Weapon Mastery, Shield Defense, Looting, Foraging, Admiral, Navigation, Training, Tracking Tactics, Guide, Scouting, Inventory Management, Healing, Surgery, First Aid, Engineering, Persuasion, Entertainment, Leadership, Trade.

Together with the six skills he already possessed, in Mount & Blade the maximum number of abilities a character could attain was ten, but the total number available was twenty-eight. Maxing them all would require two hundred eighty skill points, and raising only intelligence would bring him to level one hundred forty.

Even without considering whether such a person would still be human, none of these abilities were weak.

Iron Will increased his physical resilience, sped up recovery, and boosted resistance; Power Strike made his melee attacks more lethal; Power Throw improved the precision of his throws; Power Draw let him shoot farther and with greater accuracy, and wield heavier, stronger bows.

But the pressing issue was the shortage of food and supplies in Tangleburg.

The recent construction of houses and the hall had nearly depleted their already meager stores, never mind the building materials and daily necessities needed for further development.

If he was to continue growing, to one day possess the strength to face the White Walkers, relying solely on the peasant followers mysteriously acquired from Mount & Blade would never suffice.

Only by gathering the Free Folk under his banner could he hope to succeed.

As their lord, it was also his duty to provide shelter and the means to live. That meant establishing trade with the South, and opening sea routes—obsidian from Dragonstone was the only weapon against the White Walkers.

With his mind made up, Richard allocated three attribute points to Intelligence and two to Charisma. After spending eight skill points, he raised Trade to level 3, and both Admiral and Navigation to their maximum of 3.

Navigation would increase the speed of his fleet, while Admiral had transferred three different ship blueprints directly into his memory.

Longship—Riversword

Speed: 13 knots

Crew: 39

Cargo: 20 units of storage space

Materials Needed: Oak x15 units

Warship—Stormtide

Speed: 20 knots

Crew: 60

Cargo: 40 units of storage space

Materials Needed: Pine x30 units

Cog—Razorclaw

Speed: 16 knots

Crew: 90

Cargo: 80 units of storage space

Materials Needed: Sturdy Timber x50 units

(Storage measured in cubic meters)

Of the three, the Cog-class Razorclaw was by far the most impressive, but fifty units of sturdy timber was a troublesome requirement—constructing all of Tangleburg had consumed only about twenty units. Fifty units would take him, working alone, two and a half months to fell and process into usable materials.

The more crucial problem was that the sails and basic fittings needed for such vessels simply couldn't be sourced from the Free Folk.

He would have to go south, through the Haunted Forest and the Wall, to White Harbor in the North, where he might purchase the necessary supplies. Only then could he organize a fleet to sail for Dragonstone, to the lands of his brother’s legitimate son.

One advantage, at least, was that while he was a bastard, he was still the old king’s bastard, not a Free Folk savage as the Night’s Watch would say. His birth ensured that the Night’s Watch would not trouble him, and he could pass through the Wall—though word of his survival would surely spread.

Alternatively, he might attempt to slip past by sea, imitating the Free Folk. Of course, many who tried that were caught by the Night’s Watch rangers and died on the shore.

“But first, I must solve the food shortage.”

Richard returned to the Lord’s Hall. The rough stone hearth blazed fiercely, warming every inch of his body.

He donned the Pilgrim’s Cloak, its fit and softness beyond imagination, a warmth washing over him.

“Incredible...”

It felt less like a cloak than a magical artifact, its properties imbuing his body with a gentle heat.

He opened his inventory and gazed at the brown robe as it appeared on his character model.

Pilgrim’s Cloak

Weight: 2.0

+10 Body Protection

+5 Leg Protection

Trait—Warmth: The Lord of Light you worship is the Almighty, the God of Fire, who grants all followers resistance to winter’s chill so they never fear the cold.

“Amazing.”

The warmth suffusing his body sent his blood surging, and power welled up from deep within.

“It’s time to assign tasks.”

With food in such short supply, this fledgling settlement had not yet survived its first crisis. As Tangleburg’s lord, he had to secure enough food to sustain his fifty new subjects before they arrived in the coming days.