I Become a Landlady in the Game World
Chapter 103 - 068: The Direction of Human Hearts

Chapter 103: Chapter 068: The Direction of Human Hearts

Moments later, as the residents from Yuxi Village entered the city gates, they all received a message. Glancing at the costs listed, they chose without hesitation to become residents of Hope Village.

They had heard from Zhong Yongnian and others about the low prices in Hope Village, but they had never imagined they would be so low.

Their expectations were raised once again.

Soon, the procession truly entered Hope Village.

Even though it was deep into the night, with heavy snow fluttering down, the entire territory was brightly illuminated, and upon seeing the layout within, many people were still shocked.

Those who had experienced modern cities should not have felt such amazement, but after having spent so long in Yuxi Village, where greenhouses were everywhere, layouts chaotic, and buildings sparse, they couldn’t help it.

But Hope Village was different.

The territory was neatly planned, with main and secondary roads paved in stone, meticulously arranged. Even with many open spaces, it didn’t give off a disordered feeling.

On the right side of the main road, not far from the city gate, was the military camp, with the prison to the left of it, and beyond that were two huge buildings, one topped with a skull and the other with a beast-like figure, the Heroic Spirit Hall and the Beast God Temple, which by their shielding made the eastern district look very substantial.

The Lord Mansion was located right in the center of the main road, directly corresponding to the city gate, with the grocery store and restaurant on the left, and the tailor shop and blacksmith shop lined up on the right, clearly the core area of the territory.

To the west of the restaurant was the residential area, with hundreds of Level 1 Houses and Second-level Residences arrayed in rows within two districts, occupying a large portion of the space due west. In front of the residential area, there was a small... trade area.

Why one could tell at a glance that it was a trade area was because of the bustling noise at this moment, with several stalls set up in a row where many people were looking around, clearly waiting for them, and under the reflection of the street lamps on the side, it looked particularly distinctive.

It’s not until there’s a comparison that the bright difference becomes apparent.

In just over twenty days to build the territory to this state, the Lord of Hope Village had to be far more capable than Bevin Wenkang.

"All the shops have temporarily opened just for you. There’s also a resident’s market in the trading area, selling some daily necessities," Zhou Zhengping said to the residents whose gazes lingered in the territory, kindly reminding them. "First, go to the Lord Mansion to register. After registration, you can buy or rent a house in the territory, then settle in comfortably. If you don’t understand something, feel free to ask anyone from our soldier team."

"Sure, will do." The new residents snapped out of their amazement, still feeling a little excited.

There was at least one thing they were sure of now: their days in Hope Village would be better than those in Yuxi Village.

"You guys go rest! We’ll take care of these people!" This was what Zhou Zhengping said to Zhong Yongnian and the others who had been out on the mission.

After he spoke, he and members of the soldier team led the residents of Yuxi Village away.

From a distance, they could still hear their educational voices.

"Our territory has only a few shops: a restaurant, grocery store, blacksmith shop, and tailor shop. You probably know what these are for. You can take time to learn about them. What I need to explain now is the rules of the territory. The most important thing is that you can’t hurt, harm, or rob people within the territory or its range. If discovered, you’ll be punished according to the severity of the crime. After punishment, it will be decided whether you’ll be expelled from Hope Village. But during that time, you will be imprisoned in the jail next to the military camp. Don’t think it’s just imprisonment—you also lose Experience Points while inside."

"Next up, survival in the territory depends on personal ability. If you want to go hunting or gathering, you can join any of the teams in the territory. They gather every morning in front of the Lord Mansion. Sometimes they also recruit people on the spot. Those who want to go alone can do so too, but it’s better to remember which materials the Lord Mansion pays more for so you can sell them directly to the territory when you collect them. If you don’t want to go out, you can watch for temporary jobs needed by the Lord Mansion, or go to the trading area and ask around privately. You can also observe what the territory lacks that you can provide. Then you can make your own products to sell..."

"Lastly, ..."

Watching their figures fade into the distance, everyone took a deep breath. The mission had finally come to a perfect end!

At that moment, they received a message from the system.

"Congratulations, Host, you have completed the temporary territory quest."

"You have earned 50 Contribution Points, 500 copper coins, 2 pieces of cold-resistant Equipment, and 1 sleeping bag."

Looking at the settlement of the message, everyone was quite satisfied. At the very least, in terms of the value of the equipment, their two days’ income could hardly compare, plus they had received the extremely rare Contribution Points in the territory. More importantly, having returned from Yuxi Village with most of their goods sold, they had made a tidy sum.

So even though most people were exhausted, having lost one-third of their Physical Value, they still felt it was worth it.

Especially for O’Neill and the other Beastman NPCs, this was their first time experiencing the benefits of "doing business." It turned out that making money was so easy.

Without hesitation, O’Neill approached Zhong Yongnian, "Call us again if there’s something like this in the future."

"Sure," Zhong Yongnian agreed without hesitation, then touched his grumbling stomach and said, "Do you want to go eat something at the restaurant together?"

"No need, we’ll just go back and sleep, and the Physical Strength will recover." O’Neill quickly declined. They could just eat the Beast Meat they picked up on the way back, which was free.

The food in Hope Village was tasty, but it was too expensive! A taste now and then was fine, but if they seriously started eating there, it wouldn’t matter how much money they had, it wouldn’t be enough to cover the costs.

To save money, it was better to visit the restaurant less often.

Hearing this, Zhong Yongnian immediately thought of the "stinginess" of these Beastman NPCs and didn’t press the issue, taking his leave with the others.

As for the Undead NPCs, they did not need to eat and headed straight for their exclusive residential area. The night was the time for their cultivation; going back home to cultivate would help them recover faster.

O’Neill and Lucas followed behind with a hint of a silly smile on each Beastman’s face.

O’Neill leaned in close to Lucas and whispered, "Lucas, I’m really enjoying life here; it’s better than in the Beastman Territory. What do you think?"

"...Mm," Lucas nodded, his views having changed imperceptibly as well.

"If possible, I would like to bring my wife and children here. After the employment ends this time, maybe we could bring them over without teleporting." O’Neill suddenly shared the thought.

"Have you not considered what would happen if one day the Lord of Hope Village terminates our employment?" Lucas retorted.

"If we work well for her, why would she terminate our employment?" O’Neill asserted confidently.

"What if the Beastman Territory decides to challenge this place?" Lucas questioned further.

O’Neill was at a loss for words for a moment before responding, "Then we fight, of course. Isn’t there fighting between territories in the Beastman Territory as well?"

Lucas: "..."

— Is it the same, though?

Seeing Lucas fall silent, O’Neill boldly declared, "I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to live here from now on, with my wife and children. If she no longer wants our services, I’ll just take them and leave."

Lucas looked at O’Neill and somehow felt a bit envious of his straightforwardness.

Yet, deep down, Lucas also began to harbor a similar notion. Maybe it wasn’t so bad for his family to live in a place like this?