"The Forest of Twilight?"
The old general frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed, seemingly lost in thought.
Dealing with monsters can indeed serve as a training exercise, but it is relatively more dangerous.
"Then I'll go make preparations and take them away immediately."
The long hours of monotonous training had left this seasoned veteran extremely bored, and now that he had the opportunity for real combat, he couldn't wait to set off.
Su Qing didn't say anything. It was better to go earlier so they could hunt more game. The cement road had already been repaired, so transportation wouldn't be difficult.
This is the benefit of prioritizing infrastructure development; many things become much easier to handle.
After seeing the old general off, with the basic affairs mostly settled, Su Qing began preparing to handle other matters.
Including the two who came later, a total of 18 elves were brought into the castle.
Sixteen girls trembled, while two others, one large and one small, were wrapped in black robes, their emerald green hues peeking out, their eyes fixed on Su Qing.
The smaller one, in particular, had a furious look in its eyes, still holding a grudge against Su Qing for knocking them both unconscious.
On the contrary, the larger one remained calm, clearly having experienced the harsh realities of life: "Elder of the Brikala tribe of the elves greets Your Majesty."
The elven elder bowed slightly in greeting.
Su Qing smiled broadly, as if he hadn't been the one who had knocked the other unconscious for several days: "So you're an elven elder, my apologies!"
"I am deeply honored that the elven elders are willing to lead their people to join my Dragon Territory. We will need to cooperate with each other. Here, take a look at this employment contract. If you think there are no problems, then sign it!"
As Su Qing spoke, she took out 17 contracts and handed them over.
The elven elder blankly accepted it, then suddenly realized, "What the hell is this, siding with them!"
"My lord, are you...?"
Before he could finish speaking, Su Qing interrupted indignantly:
"Those humans are so hateful. I heard that some humans cook elves into soup, which can prolong life and improve vitality. It tastes pretty good and is known as one of the top ten delicacies in the center of the continent."
But how could they do something so cruel?
After speaking in an exceptionally calm tone, Su Qing looked at the elf elder with some curiosity: "Elder, is there something you need?"
Silence fell, and the air seemed to freeze.
This was a blatant threat, Su Qing said in a very calm tone, putting a lot of pressure on the elven elder.
After a moment of silence, the elven elder looked down at the contract in his hand, the thing that bastard called a contract.
His brow twitched involuntarily. He gave each of them a gold coin and promised to employ them for 50 years.
Elves have long lifespans; 50 years is within an acceptable range for them. But what's with this gold coin? You might as well just give it to them for free!
The elder couldn't help but look up at Su Qing.
Su Qing seemed to understand the meaning in the other person's eyes, and smiled: "It's just a symbolic gesture, you won't get any gold coins, don't worry!"
The elven elder remained silent, then looked at the people behind him: "In that case, I will leave my people to the lord for now!"
Su Qing smiled again: "What should I do with it? We still need the elders to lead them to create brilliance."
This clearly indicates an intention to leave oneself behind as well.
The elven elder's expression changed slightly: "To be honest, my lord, my tribe is very weak. If I don't go back, I'm afraid the remaining old and weak elves will have a hard time surviving."
"It's okay, we can let them come over too!"
Su Qing's smile brightened. Elves, a race protected by nature, are naturally a better species to have as many as possible.
In terms of planting and plant cultivation, elves possess innate talent, making them highly cost-effective in optimizing grain seeds or cultivating various herbs.
"There's no need for you to trouble yourself, Lord!"
After a brief moment of thought, the elven elder abandoned the idea. Putting all the eggs in one basket would only lead to the destruction of the tribe should something go wrong.
Moreover, there is another elder in the tribe to support them, plus some assistance from other tribes, so it shouldn't be a problem to sustain them for several years.
"All right!"
Su Qing expressed deep regret, but didn't seem to care too much.
The elves are destined to be a long-term goal for him, and the dozen or so elves he currently has are enough for him.
After sending away these dozen or so elves, the next challenge is dealing with the hundred or so humans, which is the most troublesome issue.
Forcibly cramming all hundred or so people into the carriage along the way, these guys must have some complaints about me.
If it's just used as a reserve of wealth, you can simply get them to sign a contract and then leave it to gather dust, but that would be a very low utilization rate of its value.
A hundred or so people entered the castle, making a bit of a commotion. Everyone was looking at the dragon on the throne, and it left a deep impression on them all.
They could not forget the dragon that suddenly broke into the shop that night and plundered it, nor could they forget the scene of being grabbed like a chick and thrown into a sack.
"cough!"
Su Qing coughed lightly, and the scene instantly fell silent.
He smiled as he looked at the hundred or so people. At this moment, they were still not completely free, their hands bound behind their backs with iron chains.
The main problem is that there are too many people. Once these guys have made up their minds and scattered, it's difficult to catch them all.
"Some of you may harbor resentment towards me!"
Su Qing spoke, and her first words caused those people's expressions to change.
Some people, in particular, had unusual expressions.
"But I don't blame you; it was I who was a bit presumptuous!"
Su Qing appeared very serious and sincere: "But don't you think that working as a shopkeeper there is a dead end? Maybe it's safe and the pay is good, but what kind of future can you have living a life of aimless drifting?"
His tone gradually became more impassioned, and among the hundred or so people, the emotions of a few were subtly stirred.
"Join me, and although our Dragon Territory is still in its initial stages, its future is limitless... If you join us now, you will become veterans in the future, and you will be able to enjoy more resources than you previously had..."
As Su Qing finished speaking, she became quite excited herself.
He stirred the emotions of most of the hundred or so people, their eyes flashing with fervor.
Ideals and the future—although these two words are somewhat vague, it has to be said that many people are drawn to them.
"So, are you willing to work hard with me?"
Finally, Su Qing suddenly asked a question, and many people hesitated, expressing their willingness in varying degrees of hesitation.
While the majority expressed their willingness, a small minority did express their unwillingness.
Su Qing didn't care about this; this was all he needed, since he couldn't expect everyone to be a fool.
Those who don't obey, after signing the contract, can just be thrown into a corner to gather dust.
As long as he's alive, he can provide value to him.
PS: Second update!
【0130】100 points, thank you for your generous donation.
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