"嘎."罗林坐在茅草屋的门廊上,抓起一把燕麦.喂他面前的两只母鸡.只有他能看到从两只鸡的背上升起的微弱光芒.飘进他手中的方形铜板里,浑身都是锈迹.然后,光线沿着铜板上的中央凹槽消失了."这什么时候才能结束?"罗林自言自语道.因为一次意外,一年前他来到了一个叫做阿维斯特的异国他乡.作为一个农奴,他的新娘的初夜权利被领主要求.这块方形铜板是两只母鸡在土里抓挠食物时发现的.他发现喂它们时出现了光,这是一次意外.最终,它被吸进了盘子里.起初,他很高兴——这只是一场游戏.但随后,中国那句"君王和皇帝都是从某种人中生来的"的古语和成为自己主人的梦想开始在他的脑海中生根发芽.但...辛勤工作了一年,从嘴里挤出每一粒粮食喂鸡.铜板只吸收光线,完全没有变化.他开始怀疑——这场比赛,也许,实际上已经结束了.所以他成为大师的梦想仍然青涩.
"罗林,不对劲,大麻烦!"一个身材瘦削,长着雀斑的年轻人从远处跑了过来."罗林,"年轻人叫道,"你的名字在这里.这是布伦纳勋爵在土地检查期间送给他的.有时,在封地内出生的农奴会被领主"授予"名字,具体取决于领主的心情和他们所看到的.虽然"Rollin"听起来有点蹩脚,但它比这个家伙的名字要好——比如"Shitpan".
"怎么了,让你跑成这样?""唐纳勋爵的农奴侍从生病了,躺在床上.""他生病了,但这与我们无关."罗林又回去喂鸡了.这片土地是唐纳勋爵的封地,尽管它只有二十多个农奴.这也是只有骑士才能拥有的特权.
"你说得对,这与我无关,"希特潘站在破损的栅栏外,双手扶在栏杆上,跑步后呼吸粗重,说,"但这确实与你有关.唐纳勋爵接到了布伦纳勋爵的通知,他明天就要出发,陪沃克勋爵一起讨伐霜地的野蛮人民.他的农奴侍生病了,找不到替代者,就选择了你.你明天要带着自己的食物离开,第二天就和他一起去.
"..."罗林停止喂鸡了.作为一个穿越客,又是一个农奴,他不知道该如何处理战斗技能.没有盔甲,没有武器.出征军事?这不是在搞乱真正的炮灰.对他来说,这就像一场彻头彻尾的灾难.抬起头,他确认道,"你向我发誓,这不是真的.
"我向你发誓,"希特潘举起双臂向天,严肃而认真,"这是绝对正确的.
"好吧,我明白了."罗林点点头回应.他赶紧看了一眼铜书.发现右侧的两个分支现在显示新文本.>食品采购:10 个铜币解锁.>战斗训练:10枚铜币解锁.
解锁实际上需要花钱.这不仅仅是一款游戏,更是一款感染了吸钱病毒的游戏.作为农奴,他一年所得的收成,在交完税后,勉强够维持生计.他能卖多少钱?但是,他明天要和唐纳勋爵一起去——他的命运是不确定的.即使是一个吸钱者,他也必须尝试.这是一个改变命运的机会.不要错过.
"Shitpan, you got to help me out."
"Rollin, you're my best friend. Just say what you need, and I'll do my best to help."
"Bring me your one-wheeled cart, and load all the grain and carrots from my house onto it."
Rollin took the copper book and put it in his pocket, determined.
Today's decision—right or wrong—can only be judged by the future.
"Rollin, you're not leaving till tomorrow, so you don't have to rush,"
Shitpan was really excited.
He didn't expect Rollin to trust him this much.
No wonder he's the best friend.
With all this food and carrots, he suddenly felt like a rich serf.
"I'm rushing, it's late. The market's about to close."
"Go… go to the market for what?"
"Sell all of this."
"…"
Shitpan.
Rollin's plan was simple.
Since he had cracked the code of the copper book, and there was a combat training branch inside.
It's worth a shot.
As for why he sold all the food—
It's because the copper book gives the impression that it takes a lot of money to use.
A moment later.
"Rollin, you're crazy, you sold all the food, what are you gonna eat when you come back?"
"You'll starve without winter food."
"I don't want to see you starve."
Shitpan, hearing Rollin's decision,
Pushed the cart full of grain and carrots, speaking with a heavy heart.
He thought Rollin was absolutely crazy.
"I'm not crazy, I'm sure of it."
At the market, Rollin directly approached the person who buys crops from the serfs.
In this world, serfs' remaining crops must be sold first to the true owner of the land—
Lord Brunner.
And the price is way below market value.
That's the privilege of the nobility.
Finally, he sold everything for 8 silver coins and 95 copper coins.
Rollin gathered a few copper coins, put them in his pocket, and placed the copper book beside it.
He moved his hand inside the pocket, inserting one by one the coins into the groove of the copper book.
He could clearly feel the coins disappearing the moment they entered the groove.
Sure enough, this game is sucking money.
"Rollin, I'm gonna go pee."
Rollin ran to the corner of the market, took out the copper book to look.
Inside, the text under the food sourcing branch showed a chicken head, along with an egg.
Below it, it wrote:
——Level 1. Big Egg: Big, nutritious. Unlock with 1 silver coin.
——??
Then, after the chicken, there was a duck head.
It wrote:
＞Need to raise 20 chickens + 1 gold coin to unlock.
＞??
Then, under the duck, a horse head.
Still the same text:
＞Need to raise 10 Level 1. Big Egg dogs + 1 gold coin to unlock.
＞??
Rollin thought, this talent tree is pretty good for farming.
But the whole world doesn't have a single piece of land for himself.
So, right now, the most important thing is—
To increase the chance of surviving the campaign.
He looked at the combat training branch.
There was a dog head drawn on it.
Below it, the same text again:
——Level 1. Fierce Dog: Fierce and fearless. Unlock with 1 silver coin.
——??
And under the dog, a horse.
Still the same message:
＞Need to raise 10 Level 1. Fierce Dogs + 1 gold coin to unlock.
＞??
Rollin felt a bit excited, and quickly picked up a silver coin, inserting it into the groove of the copper book.
He unlocked the Fierce Dog talent.
"Rollin, you're now a rich guy."
Shitpan saw Rollin come back and spoke beside him.
He was right, this amount of money in a serf's hand is a big deal.
But he also worried, "But your food's gone, what are you planning to do now?"
"Buy a dog."
"Buy a dog?"
Shitpan's eyes widened, staring at Rollin in disbelief.
"Man, are you scared out of your mind because you're going on a campaign with Lord Donner? You forgot our status? You don't have the time or money to raise a dog, ya know."
From Shitpan's perspective,
He couldn't understand why Rollin wanted to buy a dog.
Food's gone, and you wanna raise a dog?
That's crazy, that's definitely crazy.
"I'm not crazy, I'm not scared,"
Rollin looked at Shitpan, who had an expression of confusion, and asked, "What would you do if one day you had a chance to become a free man?"
"If one day I had that chance…"
Shitpan scratched his chin thoughtfully, serious and earnest, "I'd still work the land for Lord Donner, at least in his fief, there are no bandits or savages around, just give him enough grain."
"Then what?"
"Get married, have kids, and keep working the land for Lord Donner."
"Ugh."
Rollin nodded.
Shitpan's thinking is the same as most serfs.
They believe this way of life is natural and right.
But Rollin, since the day he arrived, doesn't see it that way.
At the very least, he wants a real name, a piece of land, and to protect his future wife's first night.
"Rollin, you shouldn't think about becoming a free man through battlefield glory, that's way too unrealistic. Living like this is fine,"
Shitpan said, turning around and smiling, "Of course, if one day you're lucky enough to become a free and rich serf, and you buy me out, I'll go work for you."
"Okay."
Rollin nodded.
His plan to lead the serfs in rebellion has been scrapped.
After so much time together and observation, he realized these people's thinking is too rigid to move.
So his new plan is to first become a free man, then make other decisions.
Not long after, he arrived at the dog seller's stall.
Most of the dogs there were puppies, only a few were adult dogs.
"Rollin, I know your decision's hard to change,"
Shitpan gave his advice to his friend, "But I think you just buy a little stray dog for fun. You know, the big dogs are not only expensive but also eat a lot."
"Don't worry, I've got a plan."
Rollin had already decided how to buy.
This trip is about getting immediate combat power, so he won't buy a puppy.
Plus, his status as a serf means he can't bring a dog along on the campaign, so he needs an adult dog that can survive in the wild and follow him secretly.
This isn't wild fantasy—
It's a huge opportunity.
Knights on campaigns need scouts and guards.
So there's a lot of room to work with.
And there are war dogs on the battlefield, which makes this opportunity even bigger.
Of course, this decision is also a gamble on the copper book's reliability.
In his current situation, there's nothing he can't gamble on.
He pointed at a large black-and-gray dog, about 90 cm tall, with a lean and muscular build.
Asked the dog seller, "How much for this one?"
"2 silver and 99 copper. You know, it's a purebred Elran Wolfhound."
"So expensive, does it poop out coins every day?"
Shitpan almost dropped his jaw.
His friend's entire savings were only 9 silver coins.
A dog costs 3 silver coins?
The dog seller saw the two of them and knew they were serfs from Lord Donner's estate.
He glanced at them, sneering, "Ha, 2 silver and 99 copper is expensive? If it wasn't already five years old, it would cost at least 4 silver."
Rollin had some knowledge of dogs before.
These large dogs usually don't live long, with their prime from 1.5 to 4.5 years.
Although it's already five years old, it could still guard the house.
2 silver and 99 copper is somewhat expensive, but not unreasonable.
But the money in his pouch can't be wasted.
Not only does unlocking other talents cost money, but he also needs to keep some for himself.
So expensive, he decided to pass.
He looked at another one, "What about this one?"
"3 silver and 39 copper."
"What about that one?"
"3 silver and 29 copper."
"…"
After asking around, Rollin pondered with his pouch in hand.
There were some cheaper ones, but those were old or injured, and couldn't be used as immediate combat power.
So he decided to bite the bullet and buy the more expensive one.
"Buy or not? Don't keep asking prices,"
The dog seller was getting impatient.
These serfs are poor and always asking about prices—real annoying.
"Damn it, I'm gonna get my money back,"
A free man hunter stormed over, dragging a dog with a coarse cloth tied around its mouth, and shouted at the seller, "This is a crazy and stupid dog, it doesn't listen to commands and randomly bites chickens and livestock. That's why you sold it to me for 2 silver and 50 copper. You're treating me like an idiot. You better give me my money back now."
"It can't be done, my friend. It was well trained by me."
"You call that well trained?"
The big, strong hunter picked up a dead hen, still in bad shape, and shouted, "This chicken lays eggs every day, and it got killed by this dog. You not only have to give me my money back, but also pay me extra."
"Fine, I'll give you your money back, but I won't pay extra."
"Then you want to taste my fist?"
The hunter's eyes widened, and his fierce demeanor came out immediately.
Rollin stood nearby, carefully observing the dog the hunter was dragging.
The cloth around its mouth prevented it from running wild, but also allowed for air.
It's about 80 cm tall, with a balanced frame, solid muscles, and weighs about 60 kg.
Its fur is black and fine, with brown-yellow patches on the face, chest, and legs.
Seeing this, Rollin's mind clicked.
In this world, this breed is called Monge dogs, but its looks are definitely that of the Mongolian Mastiff from the past.
Especially the two symmetrical brown spots on its forehead, known as the 'four eyes' of the Mongolian Mastiff.
The hunter called it crazy and stupid. Could it be infected with rabies?
Thinking this, Rollin looked more closely at the dog.
If it were actually rabid, it would be in the rabid phase, showing symptoms like fear of water, fear of light, muscle tremors, ataxia (shaking, falling over), drooling, and breathing difficulties.
None of these were present.
In fact, it was tilting its head, staring at Rollin who was examining it closely.
After their eyes met, Rollin was sure—this dog wasn't rabid.
It was just not properly trained, or waiting for its true owner.
Especially when it looked at him, a strange buzz came to his mind, like when someone meets a new thing for the first time.
Rollin made his decision, and decided to seize this opportunity.
After a long argument between the dog seller and the hunter, the seller finally gave back the money and lost 10 copper coins.
He also got the dead chicken.
The matter was settled.
"Damn it, this dog's definitely fine. It's just trying to scam me,"
The dog seller muttered as the hunter walked away, then grabbed a stick, pointing at the dog that cost him money, "You little bastard, you cost me money, I'm gonna beat you to death today."
"Wait."
Rollin stopped the seller.
The latter was angry and frustrated, asking, "What are you doing? Also trying to get my bad mood?"
"No, I want to buy this dog."
"You want to buy it?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Oh?"
The dog seller put down the stick and reexamined the person in front of him.
He immediately smiled, "My friend, you really have good taste. This Monge dog is a great one, just disliked by people who don't know it. But once you buy it, you can't return it."
Shitpan, who was standing beside them, quickly gave Rollin a look.
A dog that bites chickens and livestock is a disaster.
This dog seller is a scammer.
"Of course."
Rollin had no intention of backing out.
Having a dog is necessary to unlock the [Absolute Loyalty] talent.
This is something he absolutely needs to do.
The only issue now is money.
He said, "But you can sell it to me a bit cheaper."
"Alright, if you want…"
The dog seller scratched his beard, "I'll sell it to you for 2 silver and 30 copper. Just let me take a small loss."
"You'd still better kill it."
Rollin didn't haggle, and said, "You know, no one wants to buy a dog that bites chickens and livestock. I'm not really forced to buy it, but I just feel sorry for it."
He said that and turned around to leave.
A dog that bites chickens and livestock has only two choices for the seller: kill it or sell it cheap.
Plus, after the argument with the hunter, everyone around knew his dog had a problem.
This point needs to be handled carefully.
Shitpan walked alongside Rollin, also sighing in relief.
Good thing his friend accepted his advice.
"Ah ah, don't rush off yet,"
The dog seller chased after them a few steps, grabbed Rollin's hand, and grinned, "My friend, your compassion touched me. I'll sell it to you for 2 silver and 10 copper. That's my lowest price."
"1 silver and 50 copper."
"Oh my, you're really pushing your luck. 1 silver and 95 copper is my limit."
"1 silver and 60 copper, that's my limit too."
"My friend, you're trying to take my life. I'll sell it to you for 1 silver and 85 copper. You can't let me lose too much."
"Ugh, it's still a bit too expensive, but…"
Rollin haggled, and intentionally squeezed Shitpan's shoulder.
There's still room for the price to drop, after all, in this era, a dog that bites chickens and livestock is a major problem.
After being squeezed, Shitpan finally got it.
He pretended to have an epiphany and shouted, "Oh my god, Rollin, you forgot, you're going on a campaign with Lord Donner tomorrow. Who's gonna take care of your dog?"
"Oh my, you're reminding me. Then, I can't waste money on it."
"My friend, 1 silver and 75 copper, deal."
"Deal, no more."
"Alright, then, I'll take it at 1 silver and 60 copper."
"Ah…"
Rollin pretended to be troubled, sighed deeply, "Ah, who let me be so soft-hearted? I just can't stand to see it so helpless. I'll take a little loss, and by the way, that dead chicken is also yours."
"Deal, my friend."
The transaction went smoothly.
After handing over 1 silver and 60 copper coins,
The dog leash was already in Rollin's hand.
The dead chicken was also hanging on his waist.
"Rollin, you're really wasting your money on this dog,"
Shitpan followed his friend away from the dog stall, but stayed behind a bit.
Because the dog fell into his hands, it looked a bit more fierce than before.
Obviously, it's not friendly to strangers.
He watched the large, fierce dog and said, "This dog, if it's really good, wouldn't be sold so cheap. Look at its eyes after it came into your hands—they're so fierce, like they want to eat people."
"I know, but I feel a connection with it."
Rollin walked ahead, leading the dog.
This dog becomes fiercer in his hands because of the "Fierce Dog" talent from the copper book.
Just after buying the black dog, a faint light appeared from its body, visible only to Rollin.
It drifted into the copper book in his pocket.
On the inside of the book, under the dog's head drawing, a small head sketch of the black dog appeared.
At the same moment, the word "Fierce Dog" on the copper book glowed with a faint light, entering the dog's body.
This marked the success of the talent tree's empowerment.
The black dog now possessed the "Fierce Dog" talent.