Cao Xing took a quick look and saw the attributes of the two people in the snow.

[Mixed-blood Mercenary: Putana Carson]

[Race: Giant/Human]

[Level: Level 17 (Second-level elite creature)]

[Health: 6860/6860]

[Attack power: 454~491]

[Skill: Great Axe Mastery (When using great axe weapons in combat, additional 20% strength and 10% critical strike rate)

Shield Breaker (Swinging a great axe to deal 188% of critical damage to the enemy. If attacking a unit holding a shield, the attack will be increased by 50%, and there is a 30% chance to knock the enemy's shield away. The cooldown time is 40 seconds)

Savage Dance (Swinging a giant axe, causing the player to spin at high speed, causing continuous 120% damage to all enemies around, lasting for 5 seconds, with a cooldown of 3 minutes. After the skill ends, there is a 30% chance that the player will be stunned for 2 seconds)]

[Talent: Half-Giant Bloodline (Health increased by 20%, Defense reduced by 30%)]

(Introduction: Putana, who has half-human and half-giant blood, is not welcomed by both sides and has a bad childhood.)

…

【Knowledge Seeker: Harold Iceberg】

[Race: Dwarf]

[Level: Level 15 (Second-level common creature)]

[HP: 4140/4140]

【Attack power: 252~277】

[Skill: Frost Hammer (Harold's attack is accompanied by frost power, causing an additional 20% elemental damage to the enemy.)

Iceberg Smash (Concentrates the power of frost and gathers it on the weapon, causing 155% of the critical damage to all enemies in front, and there is a 50% chance of freezing them for 1 to 3 seconds)

Intermediate Forging Mastery (With rich forging experience, you can forge more advanced equipment and increase the forging speed by 20%)]

[Talent: Craftsman (When forging equipment, the success rate increases by 10%)]

(Introduction: A dwarf who is also rejected by his tribe. He only cares about books and knowledge.)

…

Two second-level creatures!

However, when Cao Xing saw the dwarf's skills, his eyes suddenly lit up!

Good guys!

This person actually possesses intermediate forging skills.

This means that Cao Xing finally found a blacksmith!

At this moment, he couldn't help but sigh.

[Land of Hope] This territory title is really impressive!

The first recruitment brought in a second-level elite and a mid-level blacksmith.

At this moment, the giant woman looked at Cao Xing and said loudly, "Are you the lord of this place?"

Cao Xing nodded.

"Yes, I am Lord Cao Xing. What are you two here for?"

"We heard the voice of the wind spirit, and it told me that you were hiring people, so we wanted to come and take a look."

Hearing this, Cao Xing said happily: "Do you two want to join my territory?"

The giant woman shook her head and said, "Although we need a place to stay, before that, we need to observe the strength of your territory.

"If your territory is too weak, we won't join."

Cao Xing nodded, this was also normal.

Indigenous people like these all have their own thoughts.

If they were survivors of level six or seven, the entire territory would have no defense facilities and the territory's strength would appear very weak.

Even if we attract people, these indigenous people will probably just take one look and run away.

Therefore, if you want to retain people, you or your territory must be strong enough.

At this time, the giant woman said stubbornly: "Of course, if you are like the other lords and dislike my half-giant blood and think I am a freak, I can leave immediately."

However, after hearing this, Cao Xing opened the door directly.

Bang!

Seeing this scene, even the half-giant woman Nan was a little surprised.

She didn't expect Cao Xing to be so decisive that he opened the door without even asking their identities.

If someone with evil intentions rushed into the territory at this time, it would be a big trouble.

However, what she didn't know was that Cao Xing had a system panel that could directly see their attributes and strengths.

Besides, he had finally met a blacksmith with forging skills, so there was no way he could let them go.

"You two, it's a bit cold outside in the snow, so let's talk inside first."

"You can take a close look at my territory and then decide whether to stay."

Cao Xing had a friendly smile on his face.

There was a blank look in the half-giant woman's eyes, as if she was a little bit unbelievable.

After a moment, the half-giant woman sighed and said, "You are the most straightforward lord I have ever met."

After saying this, she led the dwarf Harold in.

The next moment, they both felt a warm breath blowing on their faces.

Like other newcomers, they were surprised at how warm the territory was when they entered.

The half-giant Putana looked puzzled and whispered, "It's strange, why is this territory different from other territories?"

"Even in the baron's territories we visited before, except for the lord's mansion, everywhere else was extremely cold."

The dwarf next to her saw at a glance the huge furnace in the center of the territory, which was four meters high and more than one meter in diameter.

The dwarf whispered, "Putana, the heat of this territory seems to be provided by that furnace."

"This is such a magical place..."

After hearing this, Putana's eyes also showed a look of realization.

Cao Xing smiled and said, "You two, please go sit in the tavern first."

Putana nodded.

Then Cao Xing began to lead the way.

The giant woman, holding the dwarf's hand, followed Cao Xing.

This picture looks like a mother holding her son.

As they walked, they looked closely at the buildings in Cao Xing's territory.

Nodded from time to time.

You know, the scale of Cao Xing's territory is very good even among the indigenous people.

And followed them into the tavern.

The heat provided by the heating pipes came in waves.

Putana and the dwarf Harold, who were wrapped in thick cotton clothes, had expressions of surprise on their faces.

"What a cozy tavern..."

"Yes Putana, we haven't felt this kind of heat in years!"

In this extremely cold world, warmth is a luxury.

There are many lives that have never felt temperatures above zero degrees from birth to death.

Cao Xing turned around and said, "This is the infrastructure of our territory. Every citizen has the same living environment in their house."

"Also, they have thick blankets to sleep on at night, so they can spend the cold winter nights comfortably."

Hearing this, both of them showed respect.

The dwarf Harold said solemnly: "You are truly a lord who cares about his subordinates!"

At this time, Laci, who had changed into formal clothes, was standing at the bar.

After seeing Cao Xing.

Lachi said respectfully, "My Lord, you are here."

Cao Xing nodded, "Mix two glasses of strong liquor for our guests."

"Yes, your Excellency."

After saying that, Laci turned around and opened the wine cabinet.

Seeing this, the giant woman Putana said, "Wait a minute."

"How do you charge for drinks here? Don't ask for an exorbitant price and try to rip us off. We won't pay!"

She seemed very smart. Years of wandering had made this giant woman not easily trust others.

However, Cao Xing smiled and shook his head again, saying, "No charge, just consider it as my treat."

Hearing this, Putana and the dwarf looked at each other and didn't say much.

A few minutes later, Lucky brought over two glasses of prepared liquor.

The rich aroma of wine wafts in the air.

The dwarf next to him couldn't control himself anymore and just picked up the wine glass and drank it all.

Then he exclaimed: "Gods, this is actually Vigema Champion Liquor, what a rich aroma!"

Putana beside her also took a sip, with admiration in her eyes.

"My Lord, you have a prosperous domain and fine wine. Thank you for your hospitality."

Cao Xing smiled and said, "You're welcome."

"I am Lord Cao Xing, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

The giant woman and the dwarf blacksmith replied at the same time.

"Rogue Mercenary: Putana!"

"Dwarf Harold, we are also pleased to meet you."

Cao Xing nodded and continued to ask, "Have you two always lived in the Snowstorm Plains?"

After a glass of wine, their attitudes became more moderate.

Putana shook her head and said, "We come from the Southern Continent, which is where the giants and dwarves mainly live. It is also our hometown."

"Because of my half-giant identity, I am not welcomed by my giant tribe, and humans also regard me as a monster. Only Harold does not look at me strangely."

"And Harold was ostracized by his own people."

"So, Harold and I resolutely decided to leave the tribe and take the goblin airship. It took many years to get from the South Continent to the West Continent."

At this point, Putana's face looked a little grim as she said, "But crossing a continent is really difficult. We experienced a lot of bad things along the way. We were separated several times and reunited again."

"Even we almost died."

"But the only thing that makes me feel lucky is that we got married during our wandering."

Having said this, Putana showed a happy smile on her face.

"My husband, Harold, is a man of wisdom. Many times during our journey, it was his knowledge that helped us escape from danger."

Hearing this, the dwarf next to him felt a little embarrassed.

"Putana... I'm not as powerful as you say..."

Cao Xing smiled and said, "Mr. Harold has a deep temperament and indeed looks very talented."

Harold became even more embarrassed, "I'm not good at fighting, and I don't like fighting."

"Because of this, I was ostracized by other dwarves."

"In my life, there is only forging, reading, and Putana."

Hearing this, Cao Xing was thoughtful.

This is also a dwarf who likes reading.

And last night, he took out more than sixty ancient books from the bags of burial objects.

I wonder if this will attract this dwarf?

Cao Xing decided to give it a try.

The next moment, he took out all the books.

A small mountain of books appeared on the wine table in front of him.

Harold exclaimed, "Gods! So many books?"

He rushed over instantly like a drunkard seeing good wine.

"Healing and nursing, alchemy, the king's women... my god, these are all books I haven't read."

He clutched two books with disbelief in his eyes.

"My Lord, are you also a person who loves knowledge?"

Cao Xing smiled and said, "Of course, in my hometown, there is a saying that knowledge is power, and we all attach great importance to knowledge."

Harold was immediately impressed.

Cao Xing saw the eagerness in his eyes and said, "Mr. Harold, I am just like you. I love knowledge and reading."

"Also, I will bring back more books and build a library of our own in the near future."

"And with your help, I'm sure the progress will be much faster."

"So, I hope you can stay and help me build a territory full of knowledge."

After hearing this, Harold's eyes were already filled with excitement!

He looked at the giant woman next to him and asked tentatively, "Putana, let's stay."

"This territory is safe, and the lord is very far-sighted."

"Plus, the Snowstorm has become increasingly unsafe recently, with rangers and icebrood monsters wreaking havoc."

"I know you hate cluster life, but we really need a place to stay..."

Putana also knew that what Harold said made sense.

It's not a good idea to keep wandering like this.

But as mentioned before, years of wandering life have made it difficult for her to trust anyone easily.

Putana looked very conflicted.

At this time, Cao Xing said: "In my territory, you can give full play to your talents."

"Mr. Harold can concentrate on forging and studying, and Ms. Putana only needs to help defend the territory and go hunting with me during the day."

"And I will provide you with a warm and safe place to live."

Hearing this, Putana's eyes lit up and she confirmed, "My husband, doesn't he need to fight?"

Cao Xing nodded, "Yes."

At this moment, Putana said directly and solemnly: "We are willing to join your territory, Lord Cao Xing."

Cao Xing also laughed after hearing this, and then sent them recruitment information.

[Recruitment successful: Putana Carson and Harold Iceberg have joined your territory, territory population +3]

Since Putana is an elite creature, it will take up 2 population.

Cao Xing stood up and said, "Welcome to join us, Putana, Harold. Let us work together to build a territory that is equal and full of knowledge."

The two also stood up.

Putana bent down slightly, while Harold stood on a chair.

Then they saluted Cao Xing at the same time.

"Thank you for letting us join the territory. We will make contributions to the territory!"

Cao Xing nodded, then looked at their loyalty levels. The two of them had just joined, and both had loyalty levels above 60 points.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, a strong sense of joy appeared in his eyes!

With his rhetoric and skills, he finally managed to keep the two indigenous people!

Next, all you have to do is raise their loyalty and the blacksmith position in your territory will be secured!

With a blacksmith, you can craft equipment in batches.

These equipments can arm the army and enhance the combat capabilities of newcomers.

The most important thing is that Cao Xing still has more than a hundred Ascalon Warrior recruitment scrolls in his hand!

The weapons and equipment for these more than one hundred people have been found!

However, since Putana and Harold had just joined, Cao Xing decided to give them some time to adapt before assigning them work.

"You two, please take a rest in the tavern for a while."

After hearing this, the two nodded.

Cao Xing walked straight out of the tavern.

…

Time passes slowly.

By noon, four or five ice nests had already crashed near the territory.

"BOOM! BOOM!"

The banging continued.

After these ice nests fall, many ice nest monsters will hatch and rush towards the territory.

Then, Elisa would excitedly lead the tree elf archers and rush forward to fight the ice nest monsters.

Although she only has the strength of the first level, she is more aggressive in battle than those second-level warriors.

Cao Xing and Liu Muxue, on the other hand, were sitting in their territory and upgrading.

After a while, a white light appeared on Cao Xing's body.

[Your level has been upgraded, current level: Level 14]

[Attributes gained from this upgrade: Strength +3, Agility +4, Spirit +7, Constitution +6]

…

Not long after, upgrade prompts for Ilena, Hilda, Blot and others appeared one after another.

Cao Xing was delighted. "This ice nest is great. It's like an experience pack delivered to your doorstep!"

"If the frequency is higher, I think I can reach level 20 in a day or two!"

He stood on the city wall, looking down at Elisa leading a team of frost archers to shoot icebrood monsters one by one.

The boar warrior and two mage apprentices next to them were also launching continuous attacks.

After a quick scan, I found that the level of the Ice Nest monsters has generally increased to level 6~8.

It is estimated that in two or three days, the second-level Ice Nest monster will appear.

However, for Elisa and others who have a lot of statuses on their bodies, they can deal with it even if they encounter a second-level ice nest monster.

Cao Xing discovered that every time Elisa killed a wave of ice nest monsters.

He would take people to recover the arrows in the snow and pick up the items dropped by the ice nest monsters.

Cao Xing glanced at the arrow baskets on their bodies and thought, "The arrow reserves in the territory are still relatively small. With more and more archer professions, they are almost not enough."

"I happen to have a production blueprint for iron arrows. I can ask Harold to make a batch of arrows tomorrow."

In this regard, the mage profession is better. It does not need to consume arrows and can directly condense magic power to fight.

Of course, the mage's mental strength is a problem. After fighting for a period of time, he will feel mentally overdrawn and need to rest and recover.

Generally speaking, each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

And as Elisa and others continued to fight.

After a while, the fighting outside ended.

Just as Cao Xing was preparing to move around, he also went down to participate in the battle.

At this moment, the wizard's apprentice Ellie came over timidly.

She was holding a small wooden staff, wearing a wizard's hat, and her wizard apprentice robe was dragging on the snow. She looked at Cao Xing cautiously.

But the wizard apprentice was too timid to even take the initiative to talk to him.

So, Cao Xing asked, "Aili, what's the matter?"

“I…I I…”

After a moment, Ellie said, "We just killed an elite Icebrood outside."

"And then...something new fell from it..."

…