The events at Wushan Fortress were bound to sweep through the entire Wushan Territory like a storm in the coming days.
As people mocked or lamented Ronin's loss of his inheritance, they would also adjust their attitude toward the Hyde Clan.
The Hyde Clan, already quite prestigious, would rise to even greater heights now that their patriarch was not only a Border Count but also the maternal grandfather of the new heir to the Wushan Territory.
Ronin paid no mind to the outside world's discussions or the fingers pointed his way.
After seeing Lurans out of Wushan Fortress, he hurried back to his small villa to familiarize himself with his newly activated Golden Finger.
At his summons, five interfaces appeared in his vision.
Staring at the Monthly Check-in, Seven-day Login, First-charge Bonus, Achievement Tasks, and Attribute Panel before him, Ronin was utterly dumbfounded.
'What the fuck? Isn't this the system I designed?'
On Earth, he had been a game designer involved in developing a card game. His main task had been designing some of its in-game systems.
Ronin never expected that the very things he had worked so much overtime to create would actually follow him through his transmigration and become his Golden Finger.
He began to browse the interfaces one by one, starting with the Monthly Check-in.
The interface was a grid of four rows and seven columns, for a total of twenty-eight squares, perfectly corresponding to this world's calendar of twenty-eight days a month and seven days a week.
Ronin saw that the Monthly Check-in rewards operated on a seven-day cycle. The reward for the first six days was always +1 Attribute Point, while the seventh day offered a "Heartwarming Gift Box."
Additionally, a prompt at the bottom of the interface read: "Increase your Noble Title to multiply your check-in rewards. (Current bonus: none)."
Looking at the interface, Ronin felt a sense of resignation.
This was exactly how he'd designed the check-in system—to give players a little something sweet without handing out too many resources. So, he had programmed it to give out a few Gold Coins for the first six days, and on the seventh, some more Gold Coins plus a bit of Jade, all bundled into a gift pack.
He figured this "Heartwarming Gift Box" was probably something similar.
As for the multiplier, he had linked it to the VIP system in the game; for example, reaching VIP 2 would double the check-in rewards from VIP 1.
'If I'd known, I would've made the check-in rewards more generous instead of this stingy setup…'
With a tinge of regret, Ronin turned to the second interface: the Seven-day Login. Its rewards were a bit more generous than the check-in's:
Day 1: Reward - one Knight with Golden Talent.
Day 2: Reward - one Classic Gift Pack.
Day 3: Reward - one Space Ring with 10 cubic meters of storage.
Day 4: Reward - one Premium Gift Pack.
Day 5: Reward - one high-quality Weapon, the Flowing Flame Sword.
Day 6: Reward - one precious Magic Scroll for signing a Master-Servant Contract with a Magical Beast.
Day 7: Reward - one Light Mage with the talent to become a Great Mage.
From a card game perspective, these seven-day login rewards provided two Character Cards and some development resources to help new players get through the early game.
From Ronin's current perspective, it would perfectly solve his problem of having no subordinates.
Once he reached his territory, he would need some trusted followers. The seven-day login rewards offered a solution to that.
But Ronin still wasn't satisfied.
'If I'd only known, I would have thrown in a few of the cards with the highest talent tier!'
In this world, the levels for Knights and Mages were as follows:
The nine Levels for Knights: Basic Level, Intermediate, Advanced Level, Bronze, silver, Gold, Meteor, Silver Moon, and Proud Sun.
The nine Levels for Mages: Basic Level, Intermediate, Advanced Level, Great Mage, Chief Mage, Mage, Great Mage, Magic Master, and Great Mage.
The best reward from the seven-day login was just a character with the talent to reach Level 7, Great Mage.
Although a Great Mage was already considered a powerful expert in this world, Ronin still regretted not including someone even better.
If the Monthly Check-in and Seven-day Login systems made Ronin a little regretful, then the First-charge Bonus was a massive pain in the ass.
Recharge 6 Magic Crystals: Reward - one Fire Attribute Knight with Proud Sun Talent, one Deluxe Gift Pack.
Proud Sun. That was the absolute pinnacle of power. In all his predecessor's life, he had never once laid eyes on a Proud Sun Level Transcendent.
A reward like that was undeniably luxurious, but the price to obtain it was steep!
Magic Crystals were precious magic materials in this world.
A single Magic Crystal was worth around 100 Gold Coins. To get that subordinate with Proud Sun Talent, Ronin would have to spend the equivalent of 600 Gold Coins to "recharge."
600 Gold Coins. That was no small sum.
Ronin rummaged through his drawers; all the pocket money he could find added up to a mere 23 Gold Coins.
'If only I'd known, I would've set the first-charge requirement way lower, to just the minimum purchase amount! Then I would only need to spend a single Magic Crystal to get this fantastic gift.'
Sigh. Too late for regrets!
'Damn that game designer!'
It wasn't clear who exactly Ronin was cursing as he turned his gaze to the Achievement Tasks interface.
In the game, the main purpose of the Monthly Check-in and Seven-day Login was to improve player retention. The First-charge Bonus was to increase the payment rate on new servers, while the Achievement Tasks system was designed to give players a goal to strive for.
The "Achievement Tasks" interface now clearly displayed five achievements:
[Famous Throughout the World]: A Noble Title is a symbol of status and a reflection of strength. Strive to become a Viscount. Reward: +200 Attribute Points, +400 Energy Essence.
[King of Slaughter]: Personally kill any unit. Reward: +10 Attribute Points, +20 Energy Essence.
[Population Prosperity]: Reach a registered population of 3,000 in your territory. Reward: +30 Attribute Points, +60 Energy Essence.
[Siege and Conquest]: Possess 1 city. Reward: +200 Attribute Points, +400 Energy Essence.
[Prosperous Fortune]: Obtain 500 Gold Coins in a single transaction. Reward: +20 Attribute Points, +40 Energy Essence.
The Achievement Tasks basically laid out his path forward: improve his strength, manage his territory, earn wealth, and then engage in siege and conquest.
He moved his gaze to the final interface, the character's Attribute Panel, which currently recorded his stats:
[Name]: Roning Wushan
[Noble Title]: Baron
[Constitution]: Demon Fighting Dual Cultivation (Your levels in both professions must be broken through simultaneously).
[Affinity]: Wind, Fire (Superior)
[Level]: Mortal (0/10) +
[Attribute Points]: 1
[Energy Essence]: 0
When he saw the contents of the interface, especially the plus sign next to his Level, Ronin's spirits soared!
In this Extraordinary World of Fighting Qi and Magic, Ronin naturally had no desire to remain ordinary.
This Attribute Panel offered him a way to escape his mortal coil and become Extraordinary: allocating points.
That was the purpose of Attribute Points.
After reviewing everything, Ronin's mood improved considerably.
Now, all he needed was a safe place to lay low and develop. By relying on the Monthly Check-in System, he could grow stronger over time.
'That's right, Mountain Forest Town!'
Ronin's eyes lit up. He remembered Wiggin saying back at Wushan Fortress that he would become the Baron of Mountain Forest Town.
'I wonder where Mountain Forest Town is?'
Ronin hastily rummaged through his drawers, pulling out a crude Wushan Territory Map from the very bottom.
As he unrolled the map, a faint, foul odor hit his nose. It was the characteristic, and entirely unpleasant, smell of sheepskin.
Ronin searched the map for Mountain Forest Town's location.
'A remote area...'
Following that clue, Ronin pinpointed Mountain Forest Town in the northern part of the map.
'This location... it actually looks pretty good?'
Mountain Forest Town was the northernmost town in the Wushan Territory. Further north, there were only mountains and no other cities.
'Doesn't that mean the entire north is mine for the taking?' Ronin thought gleefully.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
A knock sounded at the door.
Ronin pulled his gaze away from the map and cleared his throat. "Come in."
The door opened and a middle-aged man in a butler's uniform entered, bowing politely to Ronin:
"Holwart pays his respects, Young Master."
Although Ronin had been stripped of his inheritance, he was still of the Wushan Clan's bloodline, still a nobleman.
Holwart was the steward of the Marquis's Mansion. Although he held a certain status, he was ultimately a household servant, and his respect for his master was impeccable.
"Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Holwart?"
The steward stepped forward, placed the box in his hands on Ronin's desk, and said politely:
"Young Master, this is the letter of appointment the master just finished writing. He asked me to deliver it to you. He also asked me to convey that he wishes for you to depart for Mountain Forest Town within two days."
Ronin's eye twitched. 'This father of my predecessor really can't wait for me to leave.'
He opened the box and unfurled the appointment letter, which detailed his new position.
"Huh? Why is my surname missing?" Ronin asked.
Where his name was written on the appointment letter, he saw only "Ronin." The surname "Wushan" had not been written; the space was blank.
"The master said that since you are branching off independently, you may take your own surname. If you haven't decided on one, you may leave it blank. Once you have chosen, you can fill it in and inform him so it can be registered."
Ronin laughed coldly in his mind.
'Well, would you look at that. This new father of mine has even stripped me of my surname.'
It was true that nobles could change their surnames, but it usually happened when two factions within a family were of equal strength, making it easier for outsiders to distinguish between them.
But even after a name change, the two branches would still recognize each other as part of the same family for at least a few generations. The bloodline didn't change, and it wasn't denied.
Wiggin's actions now were purely to vent his displeasure at Ronin.
'The man is so hot-tempered and willful.'
Ronin wasn't angry, though. He had transmigrated, after all. He could take any surname he wanted. In fact, he was more than happy to choose one for himself.
He pondered for a moment, placed the appointment letter on the desk, then picked up the pen and wrote down his new surname.