As they walked, Tatsuo received a notification. Ding! Congratulations, Master. You have exceeded the system's expectations by becoming a Major in the army. Your reward has been recalculated. Your final reward will be an S-class weapon. Ding! You have received a sword. Ding! Sword information processing. Ding!
Sword Information: Salamander: Ability to absorb fire, and grants the wielder the extra special skill Inferno Slash: The power of the slash depends on how much fire Salamander has absorbed.
Ding! New quests!
Line Quest: Become a Vanguard General.
Reward: ????
Line Quest: Conquer a town from the Tetno Empire.
Reward: ????
Tatsuo thought, This is my lucky day.
After a few minutes, they arrived at the field Ragnar had purchased. Ragnar was waiting outside. He saluted Tatsuo and gave his report. "Sir, I purchased this field and mansion for 700 gold coins. Weapons and armor cost 50 gold coins, food cost 100 gold coins, and here is the 1050 gold coin change, sir."
"Very well. Keep the money for now. Let's go inside." They all entered the mansion.
….
Inside the mansion, Rota reported, "Sir, everyone is present."
Tatsuo addressed the dwarves. "Dwarves, if you serve me for ten years, you will be free men." Dwarves were prideful creatures, not prone to subservience, but they could be swayed by the right incentive.
The dwarves exchanged glances. They hadn't expected the person before them to be so direct, but they were dwarves, and they were proud. They bargained with Tatsuo. "Seven years will suffice," one answered.
Tatsuo laughed. "Dwarves will always be dwarves. Okay, seven years it is."
"I almost forgot to introduce myself. I am Tatsuo Ryujin, the Crown Prince of the Shinku Hou Empire." He bowed slightly.
Again, their eyes widened in disbelief. To confirm what they heard, one asked, "Are you truly the Crown Prince of this empire?"
"Yes, do you have a problem with that?" Tatsuo answered teasingly.
"No, no, no, we have no problem," he answered nervously. If they had known this kid was the Crown Prince of the land they were standing on, even as prideful dwarves, they wouldn't have dared to bargain with him.
"Stop being nervous," Tatsuo laughed. "From now on, you will join my army. I will assign you to a specific squad when my platoon is complete. For now, your assignment is to renovate this place. Build an armory, a blacksmith workshop, and an office for me. Ragnar will assist you. If you need more manpower, we have three half-giants. If you need more, Ragnar will hire more men." Tatsuo ordered.
The dwarves slightly lowered their heads and said, "We will do our best."
"You can start planning. You may leave." The dwarves left to begin their preparations.
Tatsuo looked at Rota. "You may now explain your plan."
Rota explained his recruitment plan, which involved traveling from Yorai City to Barren City with stops in various towns. Their first stop would be Cova, where they would stay for five days, then Toria, also for five days, and then Barren City, where they would stay for ten days. On their return trip to Yorai City, they would stop in Tarra.
Tatsuo considered the plan. "Okay, it's settled. Rota, take five men with you. Each time you finish recruiting in a town, send one of your men to escort the recruits. You can prepare now, and you can leave tomorrow."
…..
Fifty-three days later, the men who escorted the refugees to Harbor Town had returned. They reported that Old Kie was expanding his business and had taken responsibility for delivering the ashes and compensation to the families of the fallen guards. Old Kie had also sent back a shipment of armor and weapons.
Five days prior, the renovation of the mansion was completed. Tatsuo sat in his office, observing the new recruits and his guards training. Rota had recruited seventy-one new soldiers, not including the new recruits from Tarra, as Tatsuo hadn't received that report yet. Rota had recruited ten natives, who were quite strong, fifteen elves, who were agile, fast, and sharpshooters, and rescued twenty half-elves, who were training with the guards in swordsmanship. The rest were humans, some talented but weak, some hardworking, and some who simply sought money to support their families.
He also received a report from Anne stating that the guild was starting to expand in the Lion Flame Domain. Tatsuo sent her a letter of command to watch over Old Kie and protect him discreetly, and he praised her for her good work.
During this time, Tatsuo had also broken through to the 3rd Level of Sovereign Burst Realm and had reached Advanced Rank in Dragon King Technique Sword and Spear Mastery.
Tatsuo was looking at the names of the new recruits when the system chimed. Ding! Congratulations, Master. You now have over one hundred subordinates. Here is your reward. Ding! Your reward is a special skill.
Special Skill Information:
Communication: You can now communicate with any of your subordinates, whether they are near or far.
Oh, wow! What a nice skill. I can now communicate with them anytime, Tatsuo thought.
Ding! Master, Communication and Space Magic: Dimension Room are compatible for fusion. Would you like to fuse them? The system chimed again.
Ohh! Is this good or bad? Ehh... it doesn't matter. I can get a skill either way. Yes, fuse them! Tatsuo commanded.
Fusing in process... five. Four. Three. Two. One!
With a flash, another blue screen appeared.
Congratulations, Master. You've learned a new skill. The skill is Dimension Gate Lvl 1 - you can still use your storage room, and you can open a gate to transport yourself to the place where your subordinates are staying. This skill can level up every time you level up. You can bring 1 subordinate +5 on the next level.
What??? This is a godly skill! Am I now a god? he asked himself.
Master, don't dream, Steve answered.