147: Chapter 147 Taking on Underlings to Work

There were no shouts, no charges—only those uniform, subtle movements accompanied by the sound of metal friction, and a sudden, tangible surge of killing intent that pressed down like a physical weight. It left Yang Xu and the Horned Lions behind him struggling to breathe, as if they were being slowly encircled by invisible iron walls.

Yang Xu's heart sank to the bottom instantly, and his face turned pale in a flash.

He understood now; this was the "sincerity" Lin Tian wanted.

Agree, or... die.

"No choice... I have no choice at all."

His heart felt like ice, yet a spark of stubbornness emerged from his despair.

Becoming a vassal was fine, but he didn't want to be a slave with zero autonomy!

He cast a wary glance at those soldiers who were as silent as statues yet radiated a lethal threat.

Swallowing hard, he mustered his last bit of courage and looked at Lin Tian. His voice trembled slightly, but his tone was resolute:

"Lin... Big Boss Lin Tian! I—I can become your Subordinate Lord! But... I have conditions!"

He threw caution to the wind, speaking faster:

"Even laborers get time off! I can work for you, manage the territory, and follow orders, but you must guarantee my basic freedom and safety!"

"You can't treat me like a disposable tool or a servant to be killed at whim!"

"Otherwise... otherwise you might as well kill me now. I, Yang Xu, may be afraid of death, but I don't want to live without dignity!"

After speaking, he squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the verdict of fate, his back already drenched in cold sweat.

Lin Tian glanced at him with a hint of surprise.

This guy was somewhat interesting.

He was afraid of death, yet hadn't completely abandoned his bottom line and even dared to negotiate.

Moreover, what he said... seemed to make some sense.

What he wanted was a "manager" who could work and create value, not a trembling puppet who might collapse at any moment.

"Fine, I agree."

Lin Tian nodded, his tone casual yet carrying an unquestionable weight.

"I, Lin Tian, keep my word. As long as you do your best and don't pull any stunts, I'll guarantee your freedom and safety. Now, show your 'sincerity' and initiate the application yourself."

Having received Lin Tian's affirmative answer, Yang Xu's heart settled halfway, and he completely resigned himself to his fate.

Since he had chosen this path, there was no point in being hesitant anymore.

He opened his eyes, no longer wavering.

He immediately pulled up the system panel, found the [Subordinate Lord] application option, and locked onto the target: Lin Tian.

[Lord 'Yang Xu' is applying to become your Subordinate Lord. Do you accept?]

A notification sounded in Lin Tian's mind as a virtual option panel popped up.

Lin Tian smiled slightly and directly chose "Yes."

Hum!

A mysterious connection was instantly established between the two.

Lin Tian felt as if he had gained a "node" he could vaguely sense. With a slight thought, he could "see" Yang Xu's basic status (health, location, loyalty inclination, etc.).

He could even use the system to restrict or shut down some of Yang Xu's system functions, such as trading, communication, or even unit recruitment!

Though he wouldn't use it lightly, this sense of control was very real.

On Yang Xu's side, he clearly felt an unbreakable shackle on his soul, along with an instinctive sense of awe and obedience toward Lin Tian.

A "friendly" neighborhood exchange had ended with one party's complete submission.

Lin Tian instructed Yang Xu to remain in his original territory for the time being and keep things as they were.

He then led his four thousand elites and began the journey back.

By a little past four in the afternoon, after rushing back, Lin Tian finally returned to Lintian City.

Although with his Gold 7-Star energy, walking this distance wasn't exhausting,

spending over two hours relying purely on his legs still made him feel a bit annoyed.

"It seems I need to hurry up with the matter of cavalry and mounts."

He massaged his calves, calculating in his mind.

"Otherwise, when the territory gets even larger, spending half a day just traveling to go out will be too inefficient."

"And... it lacks style. Imagine others riding dragons while I rely on my legs? No, that won't do."

Returning to the Inner City, he stood upon the walls and swept his gaze across the vast Outer City area.

He quickly selected a relatively open spot between the Inner City's East Gate and the Outer City, near the planned hub for the future "residential" and "market" districts.

Through the newly established subordinate link, he sent a "message" directly to Yang Xu:

"Stop staying where you are. Bring your belongings and teleport here directly. I'm sending you the coordinates."

Barely seconds after his message was sent,

a massive circular teleportation array, exactly five hundred meters in diameter and shimmering with pure white light, suddenly lit up on the ground at the designated spot!

The light was steady and soft, starkly different from the crimson, violent portals of the attack order tokens.

A minute or two later, the white light reached its peak, then quickly contracted inward and dissipated.

In its place stood Yang Xu's simple territory, which had been built by the water. The five-hundred-meter radius territory, along with all its buildings, Horned Lions, and stockpiled resources,

and even a small stretch of the river from the territory's edge, appeared intact and perfectly fitted between the Inner and Outer Cities of Lintian City!

Like a puzzle piece, it was perfectly embedded into the massive map of Lintian City!

"Whoa, this holistic teleportation of subordinate territories is quite convenient."

Lin Tian stroked his chin, watching this miraculous scene, thinking this system feature was quite interesting.

But then, a flash of inspiration hit him as he recalled the milky-white light that had shrouded Long Ao's entire territory when it disappeared this morning...

"Wait... that kind of holistic teleportation light..."

Lin Tian's eyes narrowed slightly.

"When that kid Long Ao ran away, it seemed to be this kind of light too? It was just on a larger scale and faster... Could it be..."

A deduction surfaced in his mind:

That guy Long Ao had likely also become someone else's Subordinate Lord!

That was the only way to explain why his entire territory could be 'holistically teleported' away by a higher-level authority the moment it was attacked.

"Ha!"

Lin Tian couldn't help but laugh out loud, shaking his head at the irony of it all.

"That arrogant, over-the-top 'Legendary Black Dragon Lord' actually had a day where he bowed his head to become someone's vassal?"

"To stay alive, he really is... willing to do anything. I just wonder what kind of person his 'master' is."

At dusk on the tenth day, the afterglow of the setting sun spilled over the now even larger Lintian City.

To the east, a small new "enclave" had been added.

To the southwest, the army was exploring unknown dangerous lands. To the south, dispatched rangers kept a close eye on the powerful Minotaur tribe.

As Lin Tian subdued his first Subordinate Lord and resolved an immediate concern, he also developed new suspicions and caution regarding potential, more complex enemies.

Without waiting for the return of Lin Yin and Lin Feng, Lin Tian thought of Long Ao riding his Black Dragon and then looked at his own two legs.

He made a firm resolution in his heart...