Zhao Chi was surprised.
He hadn't expected Gu Qing to ask such a question.
Strictly speaking, Gu Qing's actions had indeed overstepped her bounds a little.
For instance, at the very beginning, Zhao Chi had told her to wait for him in the Lord's House.
But Gu Qing had taken the women to bathe in the river instead.
Strictly speaking, that was insubordination.
During battle, she hadn't stayed behind Zhao Chi the whole time either.
Instead, she led the women in a swift charge that routed the Goblins.
Although Zhao Chi had told them to fight freely, this still counted as Gu Qing taking the initiative to command the women's attack.
Then there was her training the mutt and disciplining the Goblin captives.
This would cause both the mutt and the Goblins to fear Gu Qing. If she were to rebel, they might listen to her and rebel alongside her.
Gu Qing was beautiful, yes, but all this was standard knowledge from the textbooks.
Preventing betrayal from subordinates was a required course for every Lord.
The human heart is difficult to fathom.
The hearts of one's subjects and subordinate Heroes were just as unfathomable.
However, Zhao Chi didn't mind.
Gu Qing had acted on her own accord in some matters, but all of it had exceeded Zhao Chi's expectations.
Everything she did was better than he had anticipated.
Being constantly on guard might be safer, but it could also hurt people's feelings.
Gu Qing's performance was impeccable.
There was no need to blow things out of proportion.
Sure, she had stolen his thunder.
But what was a little thunder?
Zhao Chi was willing to give Gu Qing the freedom to shine.
The same went for Tang Ruan and the others.
"My Lord, are you unhappy?"
Seeing that Zhao Chi hadn't spoken for a while, Gu Qing couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
Zhao Chi shook his head. "No, I was just thinking about something else. You scored 100 points today, absolutely perfect. If you feel too tired, you can relax a bit."
"100 points? A perfect score?"
Gu Qing was pleasantly surprised, the corners of her mouth rising in an irrepressible smile.
"Of course. A perfect score."
"Thank you for your approval."
Gu Qing suddenly hugged him.
Zhao Chi felt himself pressed against something full and soft.
Unfortunately, it only lasted for two seconds.
Gu Qing smiled. "My Lord, I'm going to tend to the fire."
Zhao Chi quickly stopped her. "Wait a moment."
"Oh, alright. Do you have any orders?"
"Not orders. I saw that you all leveled up, but you haven't allocated your Enhancement Points yet. I wanted to ask for your opinion."
Gu Qing said softly, "Of course, that's for you to decide, my Lord. No matter how presumptuous I might be, I wouldn't dare make such decisions for you."
Zhao Chi said, "I want you to be my strategist, to give me some advice."
Hearing the word "strategist," Gu Qing was delighted.
It was a word that showed his trust in her.
Gu Qing's eyes crinkled as she smiled.
"Hee hee, a strategist, you say?
"Alright then, I do have a few suggestions.
"If it's about allocating my points, I think it's best to enhance my Spiritual Power.
"After all, my main job is still Treatment. With more Spiritual Power, I can use my Healing Skills a few more times."
"As for Tang Ruan, you could choose between Life or Defense. My personal recommendation is Defense.
"Everyone else has the same Attributes, so any Enhancement would be fine. It mainly depends on their designated Profession."
Her analysis was the same as Zhao Chi's.
Many of the point allocation methods were standard.
Putting points into Gu Qing's Spiritual Power was the right move.
Everyone has four basic States.
Life, Physical Strength, Energy, Spiritual Power.
「Life」
This is Life, or health. Losing it causes pain and injury.
Once injured, all actions are affected.
It can be quickly restored through Skills or Medicine.
It can also be slowly healed by the Body itself.
If Life runs out, you die.
「Physical Strength」
Physical Strength is... well, physical strength.
It is consumed when doing anything.
Eating, talking, walking, running, attacking, defending, evading, aiming, using Martial Arts, and using Spiritual Techniques all consume it.
Physical Strength is consumed quickly, but it's also supplemented quickly.
A short rest can restore it.
It can also be restored with medicine.
It is a very important Attribute.
「Energy」
This is Energy.
With high Energy, a short nap is enough to wake up completely, full of Vitality.
This is equivalent to having several more hours of activity than others.
Some men also deliberately increase their Energy.
After all, Energy is the 'essence' of a man's vigor.
It helps keep both her and me happy.
Aside from that, using Martial Arts requires Energy (Physical Strength is also consumed).
Working diligently also consumes Energy.
The more ample one's Energy, the higher the quality of products one can create while working.
In battle, it allows one to fight better.
The most common way to recover Energy is to sleep.
After waking up, Energy is constantly being consumed.
This continues until the next time you sleep to recover, or you take medicine.
「Spiritual Power」
Similar to Mana, using a Spiritual Technique requires Spiritual Power (Physical Strength is also consumed).
Moreover, Spiritual Power is very Special.
It can be directly converted into Life, Physical Strength, and Energy.
The conversion ratio is 1:1.
It's very flexible.
However, it can only supplement the current values of other States, not increase their maximums.
Spiritual Power is recovered slowly over Time.
It is unrelated to rest.
But it can be quickly recovered with medicine.
So of course, there was no problem with Gu Qing increasing her Spiritual Power.
"Alright, then you should increase your Spiritual Power. Do you want me to confirm the allocation for you?"
Gu Qing smiled. "No need, my Lord. As long as you agree, I can perform the Enhancement myself."
Gu Qing and the others could also see their own information.
With Zhao Chi's consent, they could allocate their own points.
Next, Zhao Chi walked over to Tang Ruan.
He asked for her opinion.
Since Tang Ruan was positioned as a meat shield, she definitely needed to increase her Life Value or Defense Power.
Zhao Chi wouldn't let Tang Ruan actually risk her life to take hits.
He would definitely give her the best protection and the best Armor later on.
In that case, enhancing Defense would be more cost-effective.
But there was a downside.
If she took off her Armor, the Defense bonus would be much weaker.
When Armor was low, increasing Life would be more cost-effective.
But all things considered, enhancing Defense was still the better choice.
When Tang Ruan heard Zhao Chi's question, she waved her hands repeatedly.
"My Lord, I don't really understand these things, but I'll listen to you. Whatever you tell me to add, I'll add. It's best if you decide for me."
Zhao Chi asked, "It's alright. If you have any thoughts, you can share them."
Tang Ruan smiled. "My thought is to listen to you completely."
"...Alright, then I'll help you increase your Defense."
"Yes, Defense is good. Thank you, my Lord, for showing me the way."
"You're welcome..."
After that, Zhao Chi asked the other female villagers one by one.
Their reactions were similar to Tang Ruan's.
Their life skills were good, and they had some combat ability.
But they didn't know much about other areas of knowledge.
They all wanted Zhao Chi to decide.
That was fine, too.
Zhao Chi asked all the female villagers, "We have now constructed three Buildings, as you've all seen: a Blacksmith's Shop, a Woodworker's Shop, and a Tailor's shop. So, I also need Craftsmen. If any of you are interested, you can speak up now."
The female villagers looked at each other.
They discussed it quietly among themselves for a moment.
In the end, three women stood up.