I Become a Landlady in the Game World

So Zhong Yongnian's approval and gratitude were genuinely felt.

Finn, hearing the praises from Zhong Yongnian, found himself involuntarily widening his eyes in shock.

He was praised???

"I..." Finn felt his heartbeat so intensely that it seemed as though it was about to burst from his chest; he could barely catch his breath.

Brooke looked amused at Finn's reaction and then took his leave, "Well, we must be going."

"Okay," Zhong Yongnian nodded.

Soon after, Brooke pulled Finn along and they left.

The remaining individuals, including Zhong Yongnian, clearly had their own plans.

After leaving, Finn collected himself and then embarrassingly said, "I forgot to thank them."

"It's fine, they felt your gratitude," replied Brooke with a smile.

Relieved by these words, Finn's eyes sparkled as he said, "Uncle Brooke, they are so impressive!"

Hearing Finn's words, Brooke agreed, "Yes, they are all very capable."

Their mercenary team was one of the top in Hope Village, with Zhong Yongnian and Yun Juncai being especially remarkable; their business within Hope Village was peerless.

Finn sensed admiration in Brooke's tone, and in that moment, a seed was planted deep within his heart.

"Uncle Brooke, can I participate in this operation?" Finn asked, feeling that being involved would be beneficial, and not just in terms of money.

Brooke smiled, "Of course, you can. This idea was yours, after all; I'll leave the slave side of things to you."

Compared to the residents, the slaves who longed for freedom had even fewer chances of betrayal, especially since Finn had taken measures to make it even less likely.

"I'll manage them well," Finn promised.

Although the prior discussions hadn't gone into detail, Finn could tell that the tasks set for Zhong Yongnian and others were much more difficult than theirs, even involving the power dynamics of the territory. He resolved to work hard and not burden them.

While not yet a resident of Hope Village, Finn, conquered by their cause, considered himself as one of their own.

Beyond recognizing the Professionals of Hope Village for their competence, it was their sense of "equality" towards him that had won him over—they valued his ideas, didn't look down on him, but rather praised him.

Moreover, regarding the slaves, these beings scarcely regarded by others, they showed no disdain and wanted to treat them as humans and save them.

From the little he saw in these individuals, he saw the humanity of Hope Village.

He thought that perhaps the residents who left Barnes Village and never wanted to return did so not only for the superior goods but also for the better environment of Hope Village.

He believed that in Hope Village, he might be able to live the life he desired.

He must become as formidable as Mr. Zhong and the others.

As he was thinking, Finn was already brainstorming various strategies in his mind, planning meticulously, and whenever he felt something was unsatisfactory, he would cross it out and start again.

Unaware of Finn's thoughts, Brooke, focused on the task at hand, continued, "I'll take care of purchasing the stone and wood; I won't handle the money."

"Okay, no problem, Uncle Brooke, it's safer if you do it," Finn replied, who had been listening intently throughout.

He couldn't handle this matter himself, others would also question where his money came from, and he certainly didn't have the ability to safeguard his own funds.

This point also needed to be noted, to remember not to repeat the mistake next time.

"However, if you can cut stone and wood, you can exchange them for money with me when the time comes, and this time, I will pay a high price," Brooke said.

"Then Uncle Brooke, won't you be at a loss?"

"We can afford to lose a little money, we also have startup capital," Brooke explained, noting Finn's puzzled look, and continued, "It's just that the lord of our village has given us a task, then provided us with a good amount of gold coins, these coins are meant to be spent, and we can't lose much anyway, Hope Village has a huge demand for stone and wood, and we're importing a lot right now."

"The village chief is really nice," Finn commented, having heard, it's rare to see such a generous official.

"Yes, she is great!" said Brooke with genuine admiration in his tone.

He knew very well, the village chief had contributed immensely to what Hope Village was today, much of the decision-making had been hers, completely selfless, solely focused on the development of the territory.

Finn listened, a glimpse of longing evident in his eyes.

He really wanted to visit Hope Village soon!

"Let's go! Even though it's late, we have a lot to do," Brooke said, patting Finn's shoulder.

"Okay," Finn nodded.

Quickly, the two of them disappeared into the night, heading towards different destinations.

While they were busy, Zhong Yongnian and others were exchanging their progress.

"I've initially gained Viscount Robin's trust, I won't do anything superfluous, just business, but if you need my cooperation, just tell me," said Zhong Yongnian.

"Zhong Yongnian, you don't need to worry about us, dealing with Viscount Robin is the toughest part, I should be thanking you! I even thought we wouldn't be able to get into Barnes Village!" Yun Juncai immediately responded.

Although Zhong Yongnian had mentioned his willingness to come before, without confirmation of success, nothing was certain.

"Yes! We're doing quite well on our side, you don't need to worry," Watt chimed in, "Just before coming here, the mercenary team captain I met told me he'd contacted several soldier team leaders. Those leaders are being suppressed within their own teams, and if all goes well, they'd be willing to collaborate with the professionals' escape plan, and by that time, it's not just the professionals, but possibly Barnes Village's soldiers could be co-opted as well."

Watt spoke with growing excitement.

"I received a platinum weapon in Barnes Village, a mercenary team captain approached me on his own. He is quite dissatisfied with the Barnes Village Lord because many mercenary teams that kill demon beasts, if they drop something valuable, usually don't get to keep it, and even their rightful gold coins are often discounted. This time, the platinum weapon was acquired at the cost of several human lives in their team, and they didn't want to sell it cheap to anyone else, they secretly sold it to me. Of course, the primary goal is they hope to leave Barnes Village through me. He said he could guarantee the loyalty of their personnel and, in addition, there would be other mercenary teams joining them, he had only mentioned it to a few other mercenary team captains that he was close with," Ellis also shared his situation.

One by one, they exchanged updates, looking at each other, feeling more certain in their hearts.

If nothing unexpected happened, Barnes Village was done for.

They had anticipated significant internal problems in Barnes Village, but had not foreseen the enormity of them.

However, as long as it worked in their favor, it was fine.

Afterward, they chatted idly for a few more moments before they swiftly returned to their accommodations under the cover of darkness.

Their departure and return went unnoticed by the soldiers who were supposed to monitor them.

After returning, they began discussing the latest plans with their subordinates.

Deep in the night, the entire territory went completely silent.

Yet, countless hearts were seething with anticipation.