Looking at the screen interface, Chi Cheng felt very gratified.
"Damn!"
"Brothers, did you see that?"
"Enfeoffment isn't just about adding a title; it actually changes access rights!"
"I was just the emperor of a 15-square-meter urban village, and now I can freely enter and exit the residential complex!"
"But this enfeoffment is a bit too expensive, five points!"
The barrage exploded instantly.
[There's something here! This design has something!]
[Enfeoffing a security guard = gaining access to the residential complex, makes sense!]
[Zhao Dezhu is awesome!]
[First Imperial Guard of the Great E Dynasty, controlling the gates!]
[From 15 square meters to the public areas of the complex, the empire has expanded!]
Chi Cheng sat up straight.
He originally thought enfeoffment was just a funny title system.
But it turned out to be so tightly bound to the actual gameplay.
Enfeoffing a security guard grants access to the gates.
So what about enfeoffing other professions in the future?
Enfeoffing a repairman, would that grant access to equipment rooms?
Enfeoffing a convenience store owner, would that open up supply channels?
Walking out of the complex seemed just around the corner!
"Brothers! I think I've grasped the real core of this game!"
"It's about using this Imperial System to turn ordinary people in the city into your faction resources."
"Whoever you know, enfeoff them, and they'll open up a new path for you."
The barrage was also excited by his words.
[Damn, it really seems like that's the idea!]
[This game has something, can you really play this way for ten bucks?]
[Got it! This is basically a modern version of 'Mount & Blade'! You can recruit all NPCs on the map into your team!]
[Streamer, find a delivery guy, turn all the delivery guys in this area into your people!]
[Streamer, forget delivery guys, think bigger! Enfeoff a bank manager! Fill the Treasury directly!]
"Hey! Don't say that! Unfortunately, I don't have enough Mandate Value right now! Once I max out my Mandate Value, maybe I really can!"
"Let's go! Now that we have the right to freely enter and exit the complex, I shall go incognito and personally inspect the realm!"
Chi Cheng controlled Jiang Xiaoyu, swaggering through the complex.
Soon, he strolled to a bustling street lined with food stalls.
The air was filled with smoke and chatter, with stalls selling grilled gluten, fried potatoes, and fried rice lined up in a row.
Chi Cheng's gaze instantly locked onto a small restaurant owner, shirtless and full of muscle, who was frantically flipping a pan.
Chi Cheng stepped forward and clicked to interact.
[Lao Zhou Home-Style Dishes: Zhou Mancang]
[Traits: Stable craftsmanship, many regular customers, well-informed]
[Can be enfeoffed!]
What more was there to say!
[Enfeoff!]
[Grand Director of the Imperial Kitchen!]
[Enfeoffment successful! Zhou Mancang has become your Grand Director of the Imperial Kitchen.]
[Effect: You can receive stable food supplies from Lao Zhou Home-Style Dishes.]
[Stamina recovery efficiency increased.]
The muscular Lao Zhou shuddered and immediately promised to always add two eggs for him, without charging for them!
The barrage burst into laughter again.
[Adding two eggs makes you the Grand Director of the Imperial Kitchen? The emperor's treatment is too pitiful!]
[Lao Zhou: Adding two eggs is my greatest reverence for imperial power.]
[Unbelievable, I thought it would be free, but it's just two eggs, this game is too realistic, no credit for small businesses, hahaha!]
Chi Cheng didn't feel pitiful at all; instead, he was deeply immersed:
"You don't understand! This is called winning the hearts of the people to win the world! Two eggs may be little, but they are the fat and blood of the people, their love for me!"
"Besides, the Great E Empire has just been founded, we can't be wasteful."
"I know what I'm doing!"
He was getting a bit carried away.
Because every character that could be enfeoffed felt like a new functional entry point, there was so much he could experience!
Soon, the game triggered a new quest.
[Quest Triggered!]
[Main Quest: Establish the Court]
[The empire is in its infancy, a single tree cannot make a forest.]
[Please recruit at least three enfeoffed personnel to form an initial court team.]
[Current progress: 2/3]
[Quest Reward: Unlock Court Deliberation function, Mandate Value +10, National Destiny Value +5]
Chi Cheng looked at the quest and instantly got excited.
"Understood!"
"Security Guard Zhao Dezhu, Imperial Chef Zhou Mancang, now we just need one more person to establish the court!"
"Brothers, the Great E Empire is finally not a one-man show anymore!"
The barrage also entered a planning mode.
[Just one more, hurry and find someone!]
[Find a delivery guy! He's fast!]
[Enfeoff someone in charge of transportation!]
[Arrange for the General of Agile Cavalry!]
Soon.
Chi Cheng controlled Jiang Xiaoyu to walk to the entrance of the complex, where he saw a delivery guy on an electric bike stopping by the roadside, holding two deliveries in one hand.
The system prompt popped up immediately.
[Discovered Contactable Character: Qin Fei]
[Identity: Delivery Rider]
[Traits: Familiar with surrounding roads, quick action, strong sense of direction]
[Can be enfeoffed!]
Chi Cheng's eyes lit up.
"Brothers! Look at that delivery guy! He's wearing a yellow uniform! What does that mean? It means he's already wearing the imperial robe, born to be my imperial guard general!"
Chi Cheng controlled the character to start interacting directly.
Soon.
[Enfeoffment successful! Qin Fei has become your General of Agile Cavalry.]
[Privileges gained: Increased exploration speed of surrounding routes. Increased response speed to temporary events.]
[Main Quest: Establish the Court completed]
[Court Deliberation function unlocked!]
Seeing this string of prompts, Chi Cheng felt completely at ease.
Then, after the Court Deliberation was unlocked, the tasks became more diverse.
[Imperial Examinations] required him to find more talented individuals with special abilities.
[Fill the Treasury] required him to increase income through reasonable means.
[Improve the Palace] tasked him with enhancing the living environment and increasing the capital's stability.
[Inspect the Realm] required him to continuously discover new areas to explore.
[Reward the Three Armies] involved distributing rewards to boost morale.
...
As Chi Cheng played, the smile on his face gradually turned into a mask of pain.
"No, why is it so hard to earn Mandate Value?"
"Completing small tasks only gives one or two points, enfeoffing someone costs four or five points."
"Is the production team afraid I'll enfeoff everyone I see?"
The barrage immediately erupted.
[Otherwise, you'd really enfeoff the entire complex.]
[This restriction is very reasonable, otherwise, with the streamer's nature, you'd unify Xingcheng in ten minutes.]
[Mandate Value is the core resource, it can't be spent recklessly.]
[You didn't say that when you enfeoffed the square dance leader just now.]
Chi Cheng nodded.
He complained verbally, but in his heart, he felt this design was quite right.
If Mandate Value were given out freely, enfeoffment would suffer severe inflation and become worthless!
Players would enfeoff everyone they see, and it would quickly turn into pure comedy.
But now it's different.
Because Mandate Value is scarce, every enfeoffment must be carefully considered.
A few hours later, Chi Cheng checked the time; it was already one or two in the morning, but he didn't feel sleepy at all. New chapters come out on g.com first.
"This game is only ten bucks, brothers!"
"Ten bucks, in other games, you can't even buy a skin fragment, but here, you can not only be an emperor, but also experience the hardships of entrepreneurship!"
"This immersion, this entertainment value, Zhaoxi Games is practically doing charity!"
Chi Cheng took a deep breath and looked at his current character panel!
On the right side of the screen, the character panel slowly unfolded.
[Current Identity: Founder of the Great E Dynasty]
[Current Capital: Rental Apartment]
[National Destiny Value: 106]
[Mandate Value: 13]
[Treasury: 28,700]
[Enfeoffed Personnel: 17]
[Current Influence Range: Xinghe Residential Complex]
[Current Court: Initial Formation]
Seeing this panel, Chi Cheng was momentarily stunned.
"Damn?"
"National Destiny Value over a hundred?"
"Brothers, did I just play my way into conquering the complex?"
The barrage instantly became lively.
[The rise of the Great E Dynasty!]
[Xinghe Residential Complex is already in Brother Chi's pocket!]
[From 15 square meters to a whole complex, Brother Chi, you really made it!]
[This game has a great sense of growth!]
[Expedition! Expedition!]
Chi Cheng pointed at the screen, a bit excited.
"Brothers, do you see this? What does it mean to be a legendary emperor!"
"My empire is as beautiful as a painting!"
"Back when I first ascended the throne, I had nothing! But now? Look at this setup!"
Chi Cheng looked at the various ministers on the panel.
Minister of Revenue, a supermarket owner.
Minister of Rites, a square dance leader!
Minister of Works, a repairman.
And various other positions.
Chi Cheng was full of vigor.
"Brothers, after these few hours of recuperation, our Great E Empire is now strong and well-supplied!"
Chi Cheng controlled the protagonist, walking to the entrance of the urban village.
In the early stages of the game, the map outside the urban village was visible but always shrouded in a faint fog of war.
But now, everything was different.
"My 15-square-meter rental apartment and this small urban village can no longer contain me, the True Dragon!"
Chi Cheng gripped the mouse tightly, his eyes filled with determination.
"With National Destiny over a hundred and brave generals aplenty, it's time to step out of the complex and lead the expedition myself!"
"Today, I will step out of this urban village and see the colorful world outside! I will plant the dragon flag of the Great E Empire in the CBD of the city center!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chi Cheng unhesitatingly controlled the protagonist to step out of the urban village's gate!
The moment the protagonist stepped out of the gate!
The game screen suddenly froze!
The bustling background music abruptly stopped, replaced by a high-pitched dragon roar and the sound of drums beating like a thousand galloping horses!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The dense fog that had shrouded the distant skyscrapers began to churn.
It was as if something had torn open a rift.
Then, in the center of the screen, a golden imperial edict unfurled with a thunderous sound.
[Main Quest Triggered: Step Out of the Hidden Residence, Compete for the Central Plains!]
[The True Dragon is not a creature of the pond; once it encounters the wind and clouds, it will transform into a dragon! Your National Destiny has reached a critical point. This world has finally welcomed its true ruler!]
[World Map Faction Interaction System officially unlocked!]
[Discovered Hostile Factions: Established Sect Xinghai Group, Property Management Warlord Faction, Urban Management Patrol Camp, Local Demonic Beasts...]