I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

His men were initially puzzled when they saw their boss suddenly becoming so obedient, but soon they followed suit, dismounted, and surrounded Lu Ban, answering all his questions.

Lu Ban quickly realized that the nobles of this kingdom probably hadn't done anything of substance.

All they did was enjoy themselves. Moreover, perhaps due to the terrifying nature of the demonic tide, these noble lords had developed a "live for a day and die for a night" mentality. They believed in enjoying life to the fullest and caring nothing for tomorrow's deluge. As a result, these noble lords were all adept at sustainably exploiting resources, even managing to dig gold out of the mud.

I'll say it again: how can we save the Kingdom of Night while we're with these insects?

Lu Ban glanced at the soldiers who had equipment but no combat experience, and then at the apathetic townspeople. He thought that turning these people into a powerful and capable army in a short time would be only slightly easier than asking Charlotte or Leopard to help him sweep through the enemy lines.

Thinking about this, Lu Ban concluded that education could not save the Kingdom of Night.

To accomplish their mission, they would have to resort to more destructive and drastic measures.

Soon, Lu Ban remembered what he had seen in the Silent Department Store.

Chapter 701 So there's only one answer.

Lu Ban needs manpower.

These men were not the apathetic townspeople, nor the knights who had no fighting ability, nor the nobles who indulged in entertainment and only knew how to drink and seduce.

It wasn't even those court monks.

What Lu Ban needs are professionals who have initiative, can quickly assemble, propose solutions, and implement them.

What Lu Ban needs are builders and warriors who are not afraid of sacrifice, hardworking, brave, and self-reliant.

With this in mind, Lu Ban quickly came up with an idea.

If there is anyone who can quickly adapt to environments different from reality, make changes in the shortest amount of time, start building and developing, and is not afraid of failure and death, then there is only one answer.

Lu Ban told the knights to wait where they were and immediately ran towards the baron's house.

As he ran, Lu Ban kept shouting.

"I've got it! I've got it!"

Upon hearing Lu Ban's words, Sia and Trist came out, with Baron Jero following behind.

Baron Jero's expression changed drastically when he saw the red knight. He hid behind Sia, seemingly quite afraid of the knight.

"what happened?"

Xia looked at the crouching red-clad knight, then at Lu Ban, wondering what he had done this time.

"I've got it! How can I save the Night Kingdom together with this bunch of insects?"

Lu Ban said.

"Insect?"

Baron Jerome was puzzled.

"I mean these kind and lovely townspeople, and these fully armed knights."

Lu Ban changed his tune.

"Did you find anything?"

Trist asked, already used to Lu Ban's whimsical ideas.

"Baron, are there any swamps or similar pools around here?"

Lu Ban asked.

"Swamp? Pool?"

Baron Jero clearly didn't understand what Lu Ban wanted.

"...If we're talking about mud pits, there is one, in the forest outside the fields. Someone accidentally fell in before, so a sign was put up."

He thought for a moment, then pointed to the fields in the distance.

"Oh, take me to see it."

As Lu Ban spoke, he glanced again at the knight Brown, who was dressed in red.

"You come along too."

Upon hearing this, Brown immediately jumped up and followed Lu Ban with great enthusiasm, as if breathing the air that Lu Ban had once breathed was an honor.

Baron Jerome walked ahead, with Lu Ban and the others following behind him. The people busy in the fields did not look up in their direction, but continued to immerse themselves in their own lives.

There was no curiosity in the eyes of the people here.

Although curiosity is often not a good thing in a foreign land, it represents expectation and hope in life. If you lose your curiosity, then the rest of your life will just be a collection of time.

Baron Gerald crossed the fence and entered the Black Forest.

The trees here are polluted, twisted and grotesque in shape, like hideous demons, as if they might come to life at any moment, grab passersby, and drain them dry.

About fifteen minutes later, just when everything around him became quiet, as if he had entered an abyss of boundless darkness, Lu Ban saw a glimmer of sunlight.

The faint light peeked through the gaps in the trees, revealing that the trees ahead had thinned out, and in the middle, there was a mud puddle.

At first glance, it was just an ordinary mud puddle formed by rain or loose soil. Lu Ban approached and smelled a putrid odor. Upon closer inspection, he could find the corpses of some unknown small creatures in the mud puddle.

It seems they were all trapped in it, unable to escape, and ultimately died here, turning into nourishment.

Lu Ban carefully poked the water in the mud with his finger.

Cold, viscous, like the bodily fluids of some kind of creature.

He pulled his finger out and tasted it.

"?"

Baron Jero was taken aback by Lu Ban's actions.

Is this water drinkable?

"It doesn't taste good."

Lu Ban reached a conclusion and turned around.

The next moment, the previously calm mud pool suddenly rippled.

Several long tentacles emerged from the filthy mud, causing Baron Jerome to hastily retreat, his steps faltering. Meanwhile, Knight Brown's legs had already given way, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

However, before the tentacles could even touch the land, they were blocked by something invisible, and with a slight popping sound, the tentacles exploded out of thin air.

Mystra's Void Burst.

Sia stretched out her hand, and then, as if being dragged by something, the thing in the water was forcefully pulled out of the muddy water.

"If I were you, I would suggest you close your eyes."

Drizzt pulled out a revolver from its holster and, while half-crouching, spoke to the dumbfounded Baron Geralt.

"what?"

The next moment, the thing fully revealed itself.

It was a ball of flesh, made up of the heads of various animals, including humans.

The faces of every creature were contorted in extreme pain and agony. From between the gaps in their heads, colorful hairs transformed into tendrils, frantically burrowing about. These hairs moved with incredible speed; one of them darted toward the surrounding trees, carving a deep, gaping hole.

"Awoooooo..."

The monster let out a whimper, like a child crying. Upon hearing the sound, Baron Jero, who had covered his eyes, felt a surge of panic and his body trembled uncontrollably.

On the other side, the red-clad knight, Brown, had completely fainted.

Sia remained calm and unhurried, throwing a punch at the monster with her other hand.

A slow but powerful force lingered in mid-air. Then, a dent appeared in the ball of flesh, and then it exploded. The heads, hair, and severed limbs scattered, blocked by an invisible barrier.

"It looks like a monster lurking in the mud. What do you want with it?"

Xia clapped her hands and asked curiously.

Standing to the side, Stone looked at Sia's actions and felt a sense of regret and shame. Thinking back to when he was young and had considered her his rival, he was glad that Sia was kind back then and hadn't gone too far.

"Not really, I just wanted a certain atmosphere."

Lu Ban squatted down next to the mud pit again. Countless text messages appeared. He checked them once and then began to write on them.

Unlike before, Lu Ban wrote for a long time and repeatedly revised it. Half an hour later, the unconscious red knight Brown woke up, saw the bloody monster corpse, and fainted again. Only then did Lu Ban stand up and clap his hands.

What did you do?

Xia had a vague feeling that something had changed in the mud pit, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

“We need manpower now, we need some highly motivated laborers.”

Lu Ban answered, and he stood up.

"And I happen to know some people like that; in my world, they're called 'players'."

Chapter 702 Players

"Player?"

Upon hearing this word, Stone indicated that he didn't quite understand it.

In his mind, the players were probably those guys who frequented casinos, hoping to make a fortune every day, but in the end, they were all caught by gangsters and thrown into remote places to grow potatoes, spending the rest of their lives paying off debts.

Many people misunderstand gangs, thinking they like to lend money at exorbitant interest rates and cut off people's hands and feet when they can't repay. In reality, this is not how gangs operate at all.

If you can't pay off the loan sharks, the gangs will only lose money. The severed limbs are even less profitable than pork. Gangs aren't as cruel as they seem.

They just sometimes offer conditions that you can't refuse.

Therefore, when Lu Ban mentioned "players," Stone didn't quite understand what he meant.

Trist was well-informed and had heard various opinions. Most importantly, he understood the principle that silence is golden. Moreover, he knew not to interrupt Lu Ban's words, otherwise, an awkward situation might arise.

The old god has chosen him.

Shea had been to Lu Ban's world before and had some understanding of players, but she couldn't figure out what Lu Ban meant by players and their current mission.

We can't exactly let those players come to the Night Kingdom.

"Yes, actually, I developed a game device in my world. You can think of it as a drama that one person can watch and participate in. I think I can try to bring them into this world."