Chapter 128: Chapter 47: Recruiting Talent! Dragon Egg Hatching Duncan didn’t expect Anya to surprise him again!
When he saw that Anya had gained several followers, he knew she had accomplished her mission.
But Duncan wasn’t aware that even bigger surprises awaited him.
Anya was very tight-lipped.
Before the matter was completed, she didn’t let slip the slightest hint, planning to give Crow Queen Triss a big surprise in silence.
From now on, Anya could also be considered to have stood up!
Anya went all out this time, even giving away a large manor near the city of Rome.
Though she was not as powerful as Crow Queen Triss, she was serious about competing for position!
Especially after Crow Queen Triss had gathered other members of the witches’ assembly, Anya felt an immense pressure, undoubtedly because the Crow Queen intended to divert Duncan’s attention so he wouldn’t be absorbed in Anya’s tenderness alone.
Fortunately, Duncan had been busy with political affairs lately and didn’t have time to deal with the other witches.
Frankly, such matters can’t be avoided, otherwise there’s no outlet for stress, but constantly indulging in women, there’s no energy left for other things. One woman a day, even if seven in a week, Duncan knew how to prioritize his matters.
——"Agricultural Expert (Follower): An expert in agriculture who can improve agricultural yields and enhance farming techniques in the territory."
——"Architect (Follower): Reduces construction costs, improves city layout, and reduces squalor."
——"Armorsmith (Follower): Enhances forging level, can build large-scale equipment forging facilities, producing military-standard equipment."
——"Judge (Follower): A clerk who, upon hiring, can improve law and order in the territory and resolve barbarian disputes through the law."
——"Military Instructor (Follower): A retired military instructor from the Empire, can be rehired to conduct intense training and improve infantry’s marching and combat abilities."
Altogether, there were five followers.
Four men and one woman. Surprisingly, the architect was a woman, perhaps because she was not utilized well within the Empire’s territory.
Dear Anya had returned again!
I missed you.
Every time she came back, she would bring some surprises for Duncan.
No need to say more.
Tonight, she must be well-rewarded.
On the very afternoon of Anya’s return, Severus also came back from the Gaul Region, and surprisingly he too had brought followers.
——"Druid (Follower): Maintains the divine sanctuary, boosts morale in battle, and assists in commanding Celtic troops."
——"Drunkard (Follower): Enhances influence, a drunkard can easily spread information in tavern inns and poet boxes, they have exceptional drinking capacity, quickly making a name locally and spreading needed information."
Simply put, they boast about your deeds in taverns, but you have to pay to keep them, though it’s not much.
The talents recruited by Crow Queen Triss had also arrived.
This time, besides three temple guards, there was remarkably a target marked as ’Follower.’
——"Library Curator (Follower) (One-Star Gold): Former librarian at the Imperial University, holds vast knowledge, can assist in managing the territory, and enhance influence in high society. A knowledgeable person always commands respect."
Crow Queen Triss never makes a move unless with an ace.
This was the first star-marked follower Duncan had seen; the man was around fifty, scholarly in appearance, looking learned and well-educated, akin to an ancient Greek philosopher.
He respected Crow Queen Triss greatly, and upon seeing the chaotic Southampton, he frowned slightly. He was a Greek, and Greece was a civilized land.
It seemed that after Duncan seized the territory, many people in the projection page could be marked as followers.
They were unlike common people, mostly skilled professionals.
However, their abilities were to be discovered over time, and if a follower mark appeared, it meant they indeed had talent in that area.
Simply blending in wouldn’t work.
People lacking professional skills would not appear with a follower mark.
This significantly lightened Duncan’s burden.
He even had time to train the newly organized army, and he discovered that a trained and battled regiment would gradually gain an additional mark, not a star mark, but labeled as ’Combat Experience +1.’
With focused attention, it showed ’This regiment has a certain amount of battle experience, their combat skills honed to surpass peer units; a troop of battle-hardened veterans is a national treasure.’[A combat-experienced unit will more easily produce star-rated combat units.]
The speed at which combat experience increased was very slow.
Among Duncan’s troops, only the General’s Guard and the British Legion led by Kvito had 1 point of combat experience, as they were the main force in previous skirmishes.
If personnel were supplemented, combat experience seemed to slightly decrease.
In warfare, casualties are inevitable.
Stacking combat experience is extremely difficult, but recently a dozen or so individuals had transformed into one-star combat units.
Those who survive life-and-death battles must have some skills.
As night fell.
Anya rode her horse hard until midnight, repeatedly exhausted, the candlestick oil was used up, and finally, she collapsed into a deep sleep beside him, utterly spent.
Duncan found it rather trivial.