13 Upgrade

[The System Upgrade will last 3 hours! System will be unavailable during that time]

Derrick's heart skipped a beat. This was an amazing announcement! An improvement to the system meant more advantages that would help him in his future conquests. He turned his gaze back to the villagers still kowtowing on the ground.

"All of you go back to work. Once I establish a concrete plan, I'll come find you again. Also, if anyone defects, they will die no questions asked"

All the villagers furiously nodded, as if scared that Derrick would change his mind and simply kill them all. After he was satisfied, he took Lacha, and they jumped on Io's back, ready to leave. The creature was able to carry two passengers after its last improvements.

"Can you bring me to your house? I still don't have a place here and I know that you don't want to go back to the hut"

Lacha flushed before giving him a smile and agreeing. Derrick had already listened to her twice, which gained a small part of her trust. The ride was short, and they arrived at a house located in the center of the village. As a healer, she was one of its key figures and people deeply respected her.

The house was cozy and very well maintained. It could be seen that she was a very meticulous person that loathed dirtiness. They entered and Derrick sat at a wooden table, and she went to the kitchen to prepare snacks. She also poured him some wine.

Her manners were impeccable, which made him wonder about her origins. She clearly wasn't a native of the area. After preparing everything, she sat on Derrick's lap and started feeding him.

"You're not from here, so where do you come from?"

Lacha was surprised by the sudden question and an unsightly expression appeared on her pretty face. After a deep breath, she told him that she was originally from a noble family in the Empire of Serichi, but after a failed coup d'état in their city, the Official had purged the nobility. Luckily, she escaped and found refuge in this village. However, she was the sole family heir remaining.

She also mentioned that all the villagers were in actuality refugees. They had been chased away by these powerhouses on false motives and were forced to run for their lives. This place was the only thing keeping them from death.

Derrick's mood changed greatly during the story.

"I can promise you that they'll be the first ones to fall"

He despised Empires that treated their populace like blades of grass and swore himself that he would make them pay with their lives.

"Can you tell me about the surroundings and who are the neighbors?"

This was the next step in Derrick's plan. Now that he had troops, it was time to rapidly expand.

"I'll go get a map"

Lacha got up and came back a few minutes later with a large scroll. It looked ancient and was quite stained, but the information on it was still clear and concise. It was a map that indicated hundreds of villages in the forest. The area was gigantic, which shocked Derrick.

He knew that conquering Empires would be a difficult task, but after seeing their scale, it seemed Herculean. He could deduce that they contained billions of people. Even in the face of such weak odds, Derrick's eyes were brimming with excitement. He loved challenges and this was the biggest someone had ever undertaken.

Seeing his reaction, Lacha couldn't help but giggle in his embrace. Anyone else would crumble in front of such a task, but he was different. His ambition was unshakable, and he wanted to take everything the world had to offer.

"Who should be our first target?"

Derrick lacked knowledge, so he could only rely on Lacha to make his first moves. After looking a bit, she pointed at the nearest village. According to her memories, it had a bit over 40 soldiers and a chieftain that was weaker than the one Derrick killed. It was a perfect target, which made him grin to no end.

After settling the matter, they both drank some more wine until Lacha became tipsy. Derrick practically couldn't get drunk unless he chugged complete barrels.

"You better treat me well..."

With the alcohols' effects kicking in, Lacha's remaining wariness was out the window. She started acting coquettishly and was biting her fingers in a seductive way.

"I already promised you before... Are you saying you don't trust me?"

However, before she started acting on her own, Derrick poured a cold shower on her.

"You're not going to be the only woman in my life, but you'll definitely be special to me"

She sighed and had a slight smile. She already figured that such a domineering man wouldn't settle for only one woman.

"Just make sure you don't neglect me in the future ok?"

Derrick nodded. He rarely interacted with women and people in his old life. He was determined to change these habits in this one, and he definitely would indulge in the pleasure's life had to offer. Suddenly, a slew of announcements appeared in Derrick's consciousness.

[System Upgrade completed! New functions have been unlocked!]

[While the System was down, you have acquired a new trait!]

[The new trait is called Aphrodite's Blessing! It grants its user an increase in attractiveness of 50% towards the opposite sex. Your partners will also become more beautiful as time goes by. Will evolve with its user in the future]

[User is now able to see the villages it has conquered and their various stats]

[User doesn't have to research languages anymore. The various languages have been stored in a pre-established database]

[User is now able to grant various professions. The professions are : Scholar, Blacksmith, Researcher, General and Minister. Limit : 2 per profession. Will evolve with an increase in population]

[Would you like to see the village stats?]