Chapter 149 – I Have Hero Dolai, Conquering the Crowd with Food

When recruitable heroes made their appearance, some lords couldn’t wait to step forward and make their presence known.

But here at Mu Yuan’s side, after all, they were all top-ranked rookie lords on the Golden List, so naturally they wouldn’t be so impatient.

“Recruiting heroes isn’t that simple. It’s not just about fierce competition and heroes having high standards—you also have to avoid stepping into traps.”

“Stepping into traps?”

Yu Siyu asked. As just a wandering second-generation heiress with a bit of family wealth, her background and information channels were far inferior to those of a second-generation lord like Jiang Luoxing.

Jiang Luoxing nodded slightly. Though he felt showing off his knowledge in front of a great deity like Tianyuan and a boss like Liu Miumiu was somewhat like teaching fish to swim, since these two showed no intention of speaking up, he continued on.

“Because some heroes have no intention of accepting recruitment from any lord, no matter how outstanding or powerful the lord may be.

“This brings up the types of heroes available for recruitment. There are two categories: one is the ‘ancient heroes’ who left their mark in history, fell in battle, entered the Hall of Heroes, and returned in heroic form; the second category consists of ‘wild heroes’ who are already active throughout the world. Most of them hope to pledge allegiance to a lord for a more comfortable life and opportunities for advancement, but a few heroes already possess considerable influence in the Real World.

“These heroes have no desire to serve anyone from the start. They come to the Secret Realm festival just to eat, drink, soak in the festive atmosphere, and chat with other heroes. That in itself is fine—everyone has the right to choose their own path. But in the previous festival, there was a hero who pretended to be open to recruitment, pitted several lords against each other, and ultimately swindled a fair amount of resources and Treasures from them.”

There were actually such cunning heroes?

A simple and kind-hearted lord like him, Mu Someone, could easily be deceived.

So, it’s better not to compete. Not competing is the safest approach—just sit here and wait for the heroes to come compete for us instead.

At this moment, they were still in the second stage of the Hero Festival—the first stage was the preparation phase after the Secret Realm opened, before the heroes appeared; the second stage was the banquet phase, where heroes gradually arrived and glasses clinked.

During this stage, heroes couldn’t see the ‘shining qualities’ on the lords, and lords couldn’t see the information of the heroes available for recruitment.

Perhaps the festival event allowed everyone a relatively relaxed period for eating and drinking.

Many heroes had already started feasting and drinking heartily.

Mu Yuan spotted Dolai at a glance. There was no particular reason—though Dolai was small in stature, it ate with the ferocity of a whirlwind, gulping down food and drink with a bold and unrestrained manner.

Judging heroes by their appetite!

Appetite and combat power often go hand in hand!

Perhaps due to Dolai’s open and accepting attitude, competing in eating and drinking with the other heroes won over countless admirers.

In the blink of an eye, it was already calling many of the hearty-eating and drinking heroes ‘sister’ and ‘brother.’

…

Though they were still in the preparation and observation phase, the competition had already begun. Compared to the few carefree heroes, the lords were much more serious and solemn. None focused their attention on eating; all were carefully observing, contemplating strategies, or had already begun making their moves.If one has the ability, even before the final stage arrives, a Lord can still persuade a Hero, form a contract, and make it a done deal.

Liu Miumiu, Jiang Luoxing, and others were also searching for and observing the Heroes they desired.

Only Mu Yuan spent the entire time fixated on various delicacies, eating and drinking nonstop.

This must be Dolai’s template’s fault!

But to be fair, the food and drinks provided by the various factions were indeed excellent, and freeloading made it twice as enjoyable. Moreover, with Dolai’s template, it seemed like no matter how much he ate, he never felt full and could even enhance his strength through Devour—that made it three times the joy.

Absolutely ecstatic~!

“Big shot, aren’t you planning to make a move yet?”

“We’ll take our leave first.”

Lords like Jiang Luoxing, Liu Miumiu, and Yu Siyu stood up one after another, preparing to approach their desired Heroes to make their presence known and show their regard.

Only in this way could they catch the eye of some Advanced Heroes or top-tier Heroes.

If one waited until the final stage to make a move, what if the Hero felt they weren’t valued or respected? With so many competitors, unless one had overwhelmingly superior competitiveness, no one dared to be careless.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, time slowly passed.

After leaving an impression on the Heroes, Liu Miumiu and the others returned to their seats.

They still had some trump cards and promises, but those would naturally be revealed only at the last moment.

“Look, Holy Light High Priestess Windsor has once again torn apart the Lords who approached her.”

Jiang Luoxing acted like a spectator, smacking his lips, “Actually, I’d really like to recruit her too. She possesses a top-tier class and the highest-level Hero talent, but I don’t dare!”

Windsor had the ability to see through people’s hearts—not in the sense of mind-reading, but rather, the Filth in a person’s heart was laid bare before her.

Lustful, timid, or indecent thoughts could never escape her notice.

“Not only that, but this High Priestess is extremely serious, even rigid, and cannot tolerate the slightest impurity. Over the years, fewer and fewer Lords have dared to show their faces in front of Holy Light High Priestess Windsor to make their presence known.”

Liu Miumiu didn’t dare to approach either.

Even though she was a girl…

“Terrifying indeed.”

Mu Yuan looked over. This Holy Light High Priestess indeed appeared sacred, pure, and immensely imposing. Her ability was also frightening.

Mu Yuan was human, so of course, he was afraid too.

Fortunately, he had no particular need for the Nun Unit—Tianyuan Territory had a few nuns, which was enough—Holy Light High Priestess Windsor ranked low on his “list of desired recruits.”

Advanced Heroes and top-tier Heroes were generally more reserved and difficult to recruit.

—”The Lord wishes to recruit me? How much are they offering? Is the annual salary a hundred million?”

—”No? Can’t afford it? Get lost, you unworthy Lord.”

—”In my prime, I commanded ninety-nine strongholds. What level are you, to think you’re worthy of my allegiance?”

—”Young man, you’re not bad. Why not become my sworn son?”

However, many of the more ordinary Heroes were already chatting happily with the Lords. Some had even signed contracts under the witness of heaven and earth.

“Big shot, are you really still not making a move?”

Jiang Luoxing was starting to feel puzzled by this.

From the moment he entered, Tianyuan had been eating nonstop. Even when Heroes occasionally passed by, his conversations were limited to food—what tasted good, what was rare—with no intention of deeper communication at all.So Lord Tianyuan is a foodie?

But how can he remain so calm?

“The Lord must have his profound reasons for doing this.”

Liu Miumiu affirmed.

Indeed, aren’t we just waiting for the entry to appear, using our strongest advantage to directly attract heroes to take the bait? For a commoner lord like him with no money or connections, unable to strategically pursue specific heroes, this kind of ‘passive’ fishing tactic is the only option.

Suddenly, commotion arose from afar.

A lord strode over from the distance, accompanied by a burly young man with a bare upper torso adorned with striking crimson patterns.

“It’s the Tyrant Dragon Lord!”

“And beside him is… his general, the ‘Crimson Dragonkin’! So his general has already passed the Hero’s Trial!”

Ordinary troops cannot follow their lords into this mysterious Secret Realm—only heroes can.

The Tyrant Dragon Lord arrived rather late, but like a grand finale, his appearance immediately drew the attention of many present, including some heroes.

—A lord with a hero-level general is certainly no ordinary individual.

Many heroes thought this to themselves.

Though they remained reserved, when the Tyrant Dragon Lord stepped forward to converse, they responded with smiles, no longer maintaining icy expressions.

“Having a hero provides such an obvious advantage.”

On the scene, the Tyrant Dragon wasn’t the only lord with a hero general. The Knight of Glory, the Kongming City Lord, the Queen, and others were all focal points in the crowd.

Each held significant advantages.

Lord Wang Ba felt somewhat discontented seeing this. He could obtain a Hero’s Token, but his own forces lacked someone guaranteed to pass the Hero’s Trial.

Still, compared to Lord Tianyuan, who had been eating and drinking the whole time without attending to any serious matters, his own achievements seemed somewhat respectable.

Suddenly, a group of heroes stood up in the distance and headed together toward another area.

These heroes shared a common trait.

—They were big eaters.

Among them were an immensely tall and imposing fatty radiating intense pressure, and a valiant woman with dragon bloodline and fiery red hair. Though they possessed extraordinary presence, they all clustered around a petite, blue-haired girl who appeared foolishly cute and easily bullied.

“It’s the foodie group!”

“The big fatty is General Gluttony ‘Giant Frog,’ and the valiant woman is the Dragon Blood Valkyrie ‘Xiliu.’ Both are top-tier heroes with outstanding three-star classes. Then… who is the blue-haired girl in the middle?”

“No idea. She doesn’t seem to be among the publicly listed powerful heroes? Perhaps she’s a new hero appearing in this session. She looks extraordinary at first glance.”

“But just being extraordinary? Her speed of devouring food surpasses even General Gluttony. I almost suspect she’s a Taotie in human skin. Could any lord really afford to sustain her?”

“As if you could recruit her anyway. I heard she pays no attention to any lord.”

Many lords murmured among themselves.

In the crowd, the Boulder Lord, the Water Lord, and Yu Siyu, who had just sat down, glanced at the blue-haired girl surrounded by the group and thought…

Could it be… perhaps… maybe… no way?!

The foodie group arrived at the supply area marked with the Tide-Calling Territory’s sign. There, over a dozen lords couldn’t help but stand up, straightening their attire and putting on what they believed to be their most dashing and confident smiles.

Then,

“Lord, let me tell you, I’ve just met many brothers and sisters~”It then looked towards General Gluttony, the Dragon Blood Valkyrie, and the others. “This is the great, supreme, noble, incomparable, yet amiable Lord of mine~ If there’s a chance in the future, remember to visit Tianyuan Territory.”

Since Dolai had introduced the guests, Mu Yuan naturally entertained them warmly. Soon, everyone sat down to eat and drink, appearing as if they regretted not meeting sooner.

“Such an unrestrained way of eating—truly worthy of being Lord Dolai’s master! Extraordinary indeed!”

The Heroes were utterly impressed.

The surrounding Lords were somewhat dumbfounded.

Was such a maneuver even possible?

“No, it can’t be that simple. The method of getting familiar through Heroes and then recruiting them was tried decades ago, with mediocre results. The reason this works is because the Blue-haired Girl is too formidable.”

Is being able to eat really such a great advantage?

Not entirely.

Even though Dolai was simple-minded and foolish, even if Dolai was purely here for fun, it unconsciously exuded a faint aura that imperceptibly won the admiration of the Heroes.

This was an aura unique to ‘higher beings.’

The Lords didn’t understand.

The Heroes didn’t understand either; they were genuinely impressed by Dolai’s appetite.

“Wait a moment…”

A Lord suddenly noticed a key point. “Did this Blue-haired Girl just say… Tianyuan?”

Everyone’s gaze fell upon the black-armored Lord, who was still eating and drinking calmly and unfazed.

After comparing him briefly with a certain description from limited intelligence—

Holy shit, Tianyuan!

Tianyuan Lord already has a Hero? But isn’t he a complete newcomer? It’s only been a few months!

Great Sun Lord and Wang Ba Lord clenched their fists, their resentment growing.

Liu Miumiu said admiringly, “As expected of a top player. Without even making a move, the Heroes have already fallen into your lap. So, which one did you set your sights on? General Gluttony or the Dragon Blood Valkyrie?”

Mu Yuan: “…”

Is it possible that he really, truly, hasn’t made a move yet?

(End of Chapter)