Luke Crowe returned to his thatched hut and pulled out the performance review ledger he'd prepared from the day he first arrived in Ashenvale. Every resident's daily evaluation scores were recorded inside.He began flipping through the pages, pen in hand, calculating as he went. Within minutes, he'd tallied wages for everyone. The speed came naturally. After all, preparing payroll was something Luke could do in his sleep. Years of practice had turned it into muscle memory.He finished, stretched his arms overhead, and yawned. Then he noticed movement outside his door.Creeping forward, he yanked the door open without warning. Two figures tumbled through the entrance and collapsed in a heap on the floor.Luke looked down. Garrick and Beanpole stared back up at him.Beyond them, he spotted Nova, Sky, Bel, Hollis, and several others clustered outside. Sky's jaw kept opening and closing in silent, skeletal laughter. If the skeleton could make sound, the room wou

Luke Crowe stared at the notification before his eyes, his pulse quickening.[Your current team Cohesion: 99/100 to 180/1000.][System Assessment: You have evolved from "one person" to "a group of people." While you're still far from "united as one," at least they won't run off in the middle of the night.][System upgraded. Aura System unlocked.][Note: Multiple Auras can stack with each other.][System reward issued: Heart of the Team.][Heart of the Team: Aura range covers all territories under the Lord's control. Current Domain: Ashenvale. Effect: When the Lord is within his Domain, all residents gain +10% work efficiency and suffer 25% less morale decay.][System Assessment: This skill isn't magic. It's trust. You gave them houses. You gave them hope to keep living. In return, they gave you their lives. Fair trade.]Luke forced himself to breathe evenly. He read the description of Heart of the Team twice more to be sure he had not misread