Strategy game? Then I'll have to control you properly.

"It's time to invest some money in headquarters..."

Even Lin Miao was shocked by the news brought by Theodore's soldiers.

The hard-won stability in the surrounding area may be destabilized again.

Of course, it is easier to seize opportunities during times of chaos than during times of order.

The villagers were able to quickly absorb the surrounding tribes and reach their current size by taking advantage of the chaos.

But one’s opportunity means that others also have opportunities.

The resources we possess may be seen as a honey pot by others, so we must devise ways to protect the villagers.

"Thinking about it that way, it's actually a bit difficult."

They'd love to loudly proclaim how hard we've worked to fight the insect swarm.

Even if they know this, it's hard to guarantee that no one will be envious and covetous.

"The world is so big, and there are so many madmen. To prevent ourselves from being harmed by them, we can only make ourselves stronger."

"Although I think we should also pay attention to the surrounding situation..."

Therefore, focusing solely on fighting the malfunctioning entity while completely ignoring the surrounding environment is a foolish move.

To achieve the primary goal of "cultivating residents," it may be just as important as competing for interests and engaging in diplomacy with neighboring powers as confronting the malfunctioning entity.

After all, they are not like those faulty entities that only know how to wage war; they are targets that can be dealt with using a variety of methods.

Depending on the response, our strength may increase rapidly or be wasted.

[Hero training complete]

"Oh, finally?"

At this critical juncture of complex circumstances, the long-awaited news has finally arrived.

Those who were sent to the Kingdom Defense Hero Training Center for training seem to have finally learned their skills and returned.

Bruno, who was the first to be sent into the seemingly ordinary mansion, staggered out.

You could tell from their expressions that things weren't going well.

The status bar does indeed display a state disorder.

What exactly happened?

To save time, Lin Miao used a mouse to pick him up and take him home.

When Bruno was being carried, he was as limp as a noodle, completely powerless, which made Lin Miao smile bitterly.

"I wonder what happened inside these past few days. It seems I won't be able to learn skills as easily as when I changed my class to a mage."

The emergency situation was then temporarily brought to a close, and the village investigation work came to an end.

[Entering Chapter Four]

Taking advantage of the rare peace, Lin Miao decided to finish the game with Lillie as soon as possible.

Although I feel a bit pressured after knowing her opinion of me, I can't miss this way of obtaining special items since it can provide her with experience points to help her grow.

"I should have played RPGs."

Lin Miao sighed, recalling how Li Sushang nurtured villagers in a more free-form MMORPG.

Perhaps due to overlapping content, the system is unable to activate other types of RPG games.

"The demons have begun to notice."

As soon as they entered Chapter 4, Gabriel couldn't wait to speak.

As a game assistant, I didn't think much of it, but seeing his behavior, it seems he has no intention of hiding his true identity at all.

Judging from the indifferent reactions of Lin Miao and Lillie, this point is already quite clear.

"Common sense dictates that they cannot simply appear in this world without a reason. Therefore, it is well known that they will inevitably seek opportunities, such as vulnerabilities in people's hearts or social unrest. And so on."

Gabriel pointed to a certain spot.

Lin Miao's character's field of vision automatically shifted in that direction; this was a visual effect in the game.

What came into view was a huge city that was brightly lit even in the dim twilight.

"The hedonistic city built on a transportation hub appears at first glance to be a city where people indulge in desires and demons run rampant."

Indeed, there have been quite a few horrifying rumors circulating there recently. People have gone missing, and bodies have been found one after another, their internal organs completely gone, leaving only empty shells.

He read the script lines almost verbatim.

If nothing changes, we should be able to complete this mission quickly with our current strength.

"Black monsters... those parasites, I've never heard of such rumors."

When Lillie asked him a question, Gabriel visibly flinched, then shook his head, indicating that he had not heard of any discussion about faulty components.

After all, no one can predict when a fault will be triggered. It's practically a variable itself.

"But it's still better than the war that's raging outside, isn't it?"

Although it was too early to relax her vigilance, Lin Miao still slightly raised the corners of her mouth.

It's much better to take an adventure like this with just the two of them than to suffer countless deaths and injuries in a large-scale war.

Here, I can fight alongside her and protect her personally.

What will Lillie think? At least for now, she looks cheerful, a stark contrast to when she first started the first chapter.

"It seems unlikely that we can resolve this immediately."

After parting ways with Gabriel, Lin Miao controlled her character and headed towards the city with Lillie.

If it were a real game, you could finish all the chapters in a day or two if you were really determined to play, but it's much harder to do that with Lillie.

Because we have to cooperate with all her actions.

You can't run around all day, you can't skip tasks, and you can't skip dialogues.

After all, what Lin Miao is making now is definitely not an ordinary game.

It might sound strange to someone sitting in front of a monitor typing on a keyboard, but that's the reality.

"So let's rest today."

Lin Miao chuckled and changed the direction of her character.

He had originally planned to make some progress today, but the news he just heard made him change his mind.

The outside world is very likely to descend into chaos again.

In that case, Lillie, as the village's strongest warrior, would have no choice but to step forward and fight.

Given her personality and the role she plays, she will probably fight in more dangerous and intense conditions than anyone else.

Lin Miao decided to be understanding and let her focus on dealing with the situation.

This can be seen as a gift of peace and tranquility given to her on the eve of a storm.

Whether she will take this as a sign of peace remains to be seen.

"Would you like a drink?"

The place Lin Miao led Lillie into was a small tavern that sold food and drinks in the game.

She had been nervously following behind Lin Miao, but after entering the noisy yet cozy interior and meeting the generous proprietress, her expression gradually became confused.

She hadn't expected Lin Miaozhen to bring her here for food and drinks.

"After all, they deserve it."

Thanks to the residents' hard work in hunting mode, Lin Miao, who had saved up a lot of money, specially prepared this occasion for her.

With her quick wit, she did appear surprised and flustered at first, but soon, faced with a delicacy that no grassland tribe could possibly taste, she picked up the wine glass with trembling hands.

Lin Miao didn't know if she knew anything about alcohol; at least she had never seen her drink it.

Lillie's wide-eyed reaction when she tasted rice wine for the first time was quite amusing.

There are still many places to visit.

Lin Miao decided to take her to other places to stroll around.

No missions, no battles.

This city, which serves as the setting for Chapter Four, perfectly complements this type of leisure system.

He would do it as many times as he could, as long as it could heal Lillie.

Seeing her eyes sparkling with interest, Lin Miao secretly resolved to make better use of these functions in the future.