Chapter Twenty-Four: Territory Leaders!

"Lord is back!"

"Lord!"

All the Arctic Men greeted Lan Sol enthusiastically as soon as they saw him. Their faces were bright with cheer.

Lan Sol simply nodded before depositing all the food he had gathered—meat, vegetables, and spices—into the storage box, which all territory members could access as long as he granted permission.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations on upgrading your 'Arctic Men Hut' to level 6!]

[Congratulations on summoning five 'Arctic Men'!]

[Population +5]

The summoning was done automatically due to the abundance of food.

As five more Arctic Men appeared from the hut—though calling it a hut would now be an understatement—the structure stood three stories tall, towering over the area. It was now much larger, taking on a circular shape with slightly curved walls.

Buildings had 4-5 evolution phases where their size remained constant after a certain point, with further changes limited to technological and material advancements.

[Congratulations on reaching a population of over 100!]

[You have successfully unlocked the 'Government System'!]

[Government System Phase 1 has been activated.]

[Increase your population to unlock further phases.]

[Government System (Phase 1): You can now appoint two leaders who will act as heads of the group. They will have access to the interface and can build anything you authorize.]

In short, the leaders could construct any buildings Lan Sol approved, eliminating the need for him to manually select structures and assign tasks himself.

Additionally, the leaders could form teams to manage members more efficiently. There would be two groups, each handling different responsibilities, such as internal territorial development or external expeditions.

"Gong Er and Siana, come here. Also, call everyone else," Lan Sol ordered.

"Yes, Lord!" The two of them quickly moved to gather the others.

Soon, all the Arctic Men surrounded Lan Sol. The villagers timidly stood beside him, nervous and intimidated by the sight of the burly men and women.

"First, I have an announcement," Lan Sol began. "I'd like to introduce the new members of our territory. They are humans from this region. I hope you all get along."

Cheers erupted through the crowd. The Arctic Men were thrilled to have more people joining them in their work.

While Arctic Men and humans were technically the same species, their lifestyles and evolutionary paths had diverged significantly, making them appear vastly different. It was akin to the differences between Africans and Europeans, but to an even greater extent.

"Next, I have secured spices. So, our food won't be as bland as before—"

"Wooooaaah!"

"Yaaay!"

Before Lan Sol could even finish, the Arctic Men erupted into cheers, louder than before.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but quiet down a bit," Lan Sol said, and they immediately obeyed.

"Good. Our population has grown significantly, so I am appointing two leaders. These leaders will assign work and report all activities in the territory to me while I'm away."

Lan Sol then called Gong Er and Siana forward.

"Me?" Both of them looked stunned.

"Yes. You two are the ones I can trust the most." While Siana's loyalty wasn't maxed out, it was only a few points away.

Hearing his words, Siana's eyes turned teary, and her loyalty instantly maxed out—likely from feeling trusted.

As for Gong Er, he had been the first to reach max loyalty.

Although they weren't the most intelligent, Lan Sol needed people who could follow orders diligently. A leader acting on their own without clear instructions could cause trouble.

For now, he had a basic plan for the territory, so he just needed people to execute it properly. Later, he would appoint the most capable individuals for higher leadership roles.

"Alright, we will now divide the work into two groups. The first group will primarily consist of men. Those who are weak or unable to do manual labor can join the second group. The first group, led by Gong Er, will handle resource gathering. We have secured a coal mine, so they will also be responsible for mining coal," Lan Sol announced.

"The second group, led by Siana, will focus on upgrading and constructing territory structures. They will also handle farming, as we have obtained seeds. We will grow vegetables, so the women will take charge of agriculture."

Building and upgrading weren't overly labor-intensive, making them suitable for women. Agriculture was also assigned to them since they seemed more adept at it, though men could assist occasionally.

On the other hand, mining coal and gathering resources required heavy labor, making men the better fit for those tasks.

"For now, stop all other work and focus on building shelters for our new members."

With that, the meeting concluded. The Arctic Men, filled with energy, immediately got to work.

Lan Sol then officially appointed Gong Er and Siana as leaders.

[Congratulations on appointing leaders!]

The two of them jumped in excitement upon receiving the title. Both swore to serve Lan Sol faithfully and wholeheartedly.

Lan Sol instructed them to give the new members a tour and to prepare a feast.

With vegetables, spices, and a horde of meat, it was going to be a grand celebration.

While the villagers were still in shock at finding themselves in such a warm and industrious place, Gong Er and Siana quickly instructed the kitchen staff to start cooking and then led the newcomers on a tour.

Though the territory was small, exploring it still took a few minutes. There weren't many buildings yet, but many villagers possessed various skills beyond agriculture, so they needed to find suitable jobs.

Lan Sol planned to assign roles based on individual talents, with those lacking specialized skills placed in agriculture or construction.

"I'm beat." Lan Sol stretched as he walked toward his house.

Elyris had already dragged Snaya to the hut, while Gol and Gam had gone to their respective shelters, which had already been built for them.

Ellie tagged along with Lan Sol. "Brother, brother! Where will I live? I want to stay with you!" she said innocently.

"Don't you want to explore the place first? Why are you following me?" Lan Sol asked.

"I want to explore with you!" She looked up at him with watery eyes.

Seeing her cute expression, Lan Sol nearly melted.

"Alright, alright. Let's go. You'll be living in this huge mansion," he said, showing her his hut—which was more of a mansion.

"Woah!" Ellie's eyes sparkled. The sheer size of it amazed her.

"I... I really get to live here?" She was dazed, nearly tearing up.

Lan Sol patted her head. "Yeah." He led her inside.

The house was mostly empty except for a bed.

Elyris and Snaya were lying on it together.

"What are you two doing?" Lan Sol asked.

"Sleeping. I'm tired, and sleeping together keeps us warm! It's too cold to sleep alone."

Although the territory was warm, nights were still chilly, so sleeping with someone else provided extra comfort.

Snaya looked comfortable but had a troubled expression as Elyris hugged her tightly.

"Shhh!"

She hissed when Elyris grabbed her tail.

"What are you doing?" Snaya asked.

"It's sooo soft…" Elyris rested her head on Snaya's tail. "I expected it to be rough, but it's just… so smooth! I can't help it!" she said, rubbing her face against it.

"S-stop it…" Snaya squirmed, but Elyris ignored her and snuggled deeper into her tail.

Snaya's face turned red.

Suddenly, Elyris's hand brushed the base of Snaya's tail, just below her waist.

"Ssssnnn!" A strange sound escaped Snaya's lips.

Her face burned as she jumped and slithered away.

"Haaa…" Elyris looked confused. "Why did she run?" She tilted her head. "Touching her tail felt so nice…" She sighed in disappointment.

Lan Sol sighed and ignored her comment. "Clean her up. Take a bath together, and let her wear the leather for tonight. I'll ask the villagers to sew her proper clothes tomorrow."

"Okay~" Elyris chirped. "Come on, little girl, I'll turn you into a princess!" She didn't just take Ellie's hand—she picked her up in a princess carry and dramatically exited the room.

Ellie was too stunned to react before she was whisked away.

"Hah, what a weird girl," Lan Sol muttered with a small smile.