Chapter 36 Allegiance
Iris had already planned to buy his house and fold it into her territory, but she had no intention of actually living there.
Her manpower was stretched thin, and with her territory expanding, many areas were left unguarded. This family could keep watch over the place and hand over part of their daily food production, and the man, being a wood–type metahuman, made the deal even sweeter.
At this moment, a system prompt appeared in Iris‘ mind.
“Beep–Detected: Territory resident allegiance accepted. Reward: 300 points, special resident attributes unlocked!”
Iris was surprised.
Special attributes?
“I accept!”
She agreed to their allegiance, and the moment she spoke, an invisible force linked her to the three of them.
For some reason, Nathan Grant and his wife suddenly looked at Iris as if she were a god to be revered, unable to stop themselves from feeling awe and submission.
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Meanwhile Iris sensed on extraordinary surge of energy
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flowing through her.
Her hand reached toward Nathan’s box of vegetables, and instantly, the produce began to grow in a frenzy, even faster than Nathan could control it.
Seeing this, the couple immediately understood why Iris had dismissed their offer.
She was a wood–type metahuman too, and she was far stronger than they were.
A mix of gratitude and fear welled up in their hearts.
She was a metahuman, and she was still willing to take them in; she was incredibly merciful.
Iris finalized the purchase of Nathan’s house.
She carved her name on the mailbox at the entrance.
Her map of the territory here was now complete.
“From today on, I am your lord.”
Iris had Nathan and his wife watch over this part of her territory. No one was allowed to trespass, and they were to focus on farming here for her. In return, she promised them safety and said she would reward them based on their 2/6 contributions.
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Nathan and his wife were thrilled and nodded eagerly.
This was exactly what they had hoped for!
Whether before or after the apocalypse, ordinary people just wanted one safe place where someone could protect them.
Before, it had been the state that offered them security. Now, with the state collapsed, Iris provided protection—a real, tangible lord over their territory.
Iris had their daughter, Sophie, come with her to fetch supplies.
Considering the girl’s age and the fact that Nathan’s family probably couldn’t store much, Iris limited what she could take. There was one bag of flour, a box of milk, a tray of fresh eggs, and ten pounds of pork.
The supplies were loaded onto the vehicle and pulled by Red and White, who also escorted Sophie back home.
From then on, Nathan’s family would deliver their daily produce to her.
Absorbing residents was like running a base in the apocalypse, except completely different from traditional bases. Iris never allowed residents inside her bunker.
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It was her private domain.
Those under her protection could only live within the radiated
area of her territory.
Here, she was their unshakable authority.
The next day, Sophie arrived with the day’s produce.
There was a box of vegetables, half sprouts, half cabbage.
“Beep–Detected territory resident output. Reward: 3 points.”
As Iris accepted the box, the system pinged her.
She earned points every day she received produce from her residents!
Beyond the initial reward for accepting them, she would continue to receive points from their daily contributions.
The rewards seemed to scale with population.
With Nathan’s family of three, Iris earned three points every day.
Iris was thrilled. On Sophie’s return trip, she didn’t just give her today’s flour, milk, eggs, and pork–she also tossed in a bag of seeds and a lollipop as a little bonus.
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“Take these home and let your parents plant some other crops,” she said.
“Yes, Ms. Hale!” Sophie replied in her soft, sweet voice.
With Red and White escorting her, Sophie carried the day’s supplies back home.
After watching her leave, Iris pulled out her map and began planning the next area to conquer.
Pushing left toward the villa district seemed about right.
The back of the villas led to another city, with tricky terrain and lots of villagers. It would be a headache to manage, and if zombies were there, traveling would take half a day. To the right, there was the highway.
She picked up her binoculars and scanned the road.
Ever since the rescue team had evacuated a group of survivors, the highway had seen a new wave of activity.
Survivors drove out with the rescue convoy clearing the way, following the convoy toward the rescuers‘ base.
If she remembered correctly, that was the base Ryan and his family had hitched a ride to–on the outskirts of Briarfield City, on a plain bordering Aster City. 5/6
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There, one of the three major eastern bases, Base K1, had been established.
Its military was strong, but from her past knowledge, K1 was always short on food and had to send large teams out daily to gather supplies.
Iris considered that if she expanded north, she might run into people from Base K1. After thinking it over, she decided to push south instead, toward Aster City.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
