Global Game: I, the Necromancer, am the scourge

"Old Liu had provided a comprehensive list, composed of talented professionals from ordinary institutions; upon returning, we can consider them for recruitment, as long as they have a reliable character."

Zi Liyuan nodded, recruiting followers was indeed something he was planning to do recently.

He wasn’t like Ying Xueji, Li Fengwen, and other royal kin, who had been surrounded by loyal followers nurtured from their families since childhood and had countless Sea of Realms resources at their disposal. Once they entered the Sea of Realms, they started at a higher level than others.

He could only rely on his own efforts.

Recruiting suitable followers wasn’t particularly difficult for him, but ensuring their moral character was indeed essential.

The Boundary Sea Contract, despite ensuring severe punishment for betrayers among one’s subordinates, still wasn’t entirely foolproof.

After all, the human heart is subject to change, and no one can guarantee loyalty in the face of immense benefits. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Just one act of betrayal could very well mean his doom, forfeiting his own life.

That’s why Zi Liyuan treated Shen Yurou, No. 2, Fan Yuer, and even Sikong You as his true family after forming the Boundary Sea Contract with them, even going as far as to sacrifice his body.

Being tempted by their bodies was one aspect; using affection to bind them was the most crucial part!

Even birds of the same forest fly separately when disaster strikes.

If it were solely a relationship based on interest, one would have to constantly be prepared for the risk of betrayal.

Zi Liyuan had no aristocratic family support; what if someone else offered an irresistible benefit?

Perhaps on Earth, no one could offer better terms than he did, but within the Sea of Realms, they certainly could!

So, don’t blame Zi Liyuan for being underhanded; he had to minimize the risk.

Moreover, after Shen Yurou and the others became his women, he too would shoulder the responsibility toward them.

If they were faithful to him, he would be faithful to them!

In the following period, Shen Yurou and Xiao Guang immersed themselves in the mechanical laboratory, tirelessly working on technology and crafting various necessary devices.

No. 2 began using the unique methods of an Array Master to refine the Blood River Demonic Soul Formation Flags with blood, preparing in advance for merging them into the main life Formation.

The four Fan Yuer sisters, for a change, did not enter the alchemy laboratory but assisted Zi Liyuan in selecting talents from the list.

Zi Liyuan, on the other hand, simultaneously trained Sikong You and investigated the detailed information of the selected talents.

He needed individuals of unblemished family background; he wanted none from the aristocratic families due to their complicated entanglements of interest.

Moreover, Lord Zi planned to offer the [Heart of the Lord] in his recruitment!

This was far more enticing than other recruitment offers. After all, possessing a [Heart of the Lord] upon entry into the Sea of Realms effectively granted one the qualification of a Lord.

This single qualification could drive lesser aristocratic families mad with desire!

How advantageous is being a Lord?

Starting with your own territory aside, you could directly establish recruitment buildings for military units corresponding to your profession!

Zi Liyuan’s profession as a Necromancer aligned with death and dark attributes, so with the right architectural blueprints, he could directly establish recruitment buildings for the Undead Species and dark factions.

As for other attributes’ recruitment buildings, they could be erected as well but required specific conditions to be met.

For instance, if your territory is primarily death and darkness, and you want to build a recruitment building for creatures of the light attribute, you need to create an area infused with the light attribute. Only then can you erect a recruitment building for light creatures.

Whether or not these light creatures recruited would stay loyal would then depend entirely on the Lord’s personal charisma.

A [Heart of the Lord] could directly establish a Lord, while those who enter the Sea of Realms without one would face a radically different situation.

Those followers who do not possess a [Heart of the Lord] and cannot become Lords can only serve as vassals to a Lord, akin to a lord’s hero combat units.

It’s like those "Heroes of Might and Magic" games from Earth’s past, where a main city in the tavern recruits various hero units capable of commanding armies.

These followers, though stronger than the monsters in the Sea of Realms, have limited advantages. Without territories or military resources, they are forced to search in the Sea of Realms’ wilderness.

When encountering wilderness recruitment buildings, not only does one need personal charisma, one also requires resources to recruit these units.

Unlike in games where military units have listed prices, and you don’t have to spend more once they are recruited, in the Sea of Realms, you must pay an initial settlement fee for recruitment and continue providing monthly salaries and sometimes additional resources to certain species.

In summary, recruiting military units isn’t a one-time transaction; once you’ve successfully recruited them, if you want them to follow you loyally, you must take care of their basic needs!

Unspoken though it may be, the list provided by Old Liu mostly included individuals of clear backgrounds, with very few hailing from major aristocratic families. Even if they belonged to those families, they were from lesser ones.

There wasn’t a single one from any family that had been prominent for over a century.

What Zi Liyuan naturally didn’t know was that the military would recruit talents from ordinary colleges and universities every year.

Therefore, for potential recruits, they naturally conducted investigations. Only those with clean backgrounds would appear on their list.

Most of the talents recruited in this way would work in logistics. If people from aristocratic families were brought in, who could say whether they would embezzle or not? Therefore, there were strict requirements.